Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

phones off?” he asked.
    Liam nodded. “And batteries taken out.”
    “Same here,” Jayce said.
    His brother nodded approvingly. “Good.”
    When they went on a mission of this sort, it was standard practice to disable their phones. They weren’t so naive to think the government didn’t keep tabs on them. Not always of course, and probably not even that often, since their pack didn’t get into trouble, but right now they couldn’t take the chance of being tracked. Today they were likely going to kill some APL members. There didn’t need to be any proof they were in the same vicinity at the time.
    Connor pulled out the keys to his truck as they strode across the yard. “I’ve sent Noah and Jacob to check out the houses in town.”
    When Jayce started to interrupt, Connor cut him off. “They’ve got Kat’s scent and they’re trained. They know what they’re looking for. I think it’s unlikely they’re keeping her at a house in town anyway, but we have to check it.”
    Which was why they were checking out a farmhouse a few miles on the outskirts of Fontana. It was listed under the name of a man who’d died twenty years ago and there had been two asterisks next to the address. But nothing else. They might not know what that meant, but they all thought it was important.
    And it lined up with what the guy William had told them that morning. The place was to the east of town and surrounded by about a hundred acres.
    As they headed there, a light dusting of snow began to fall. It would hurt their abilities to track people, but it would also cover their tracks if necessary. They were all silent until they neared the designated turnoff on the two-lane highway.
    A small wooden sign on a post said DOGWOOD HOUSE . If they hadn’t been looking for it, they’d have definitely missed it. The dirt road was full of potholes, but from the recent tire tracks in the snow, someone was home.
    The road was lined with dogwood and pine trees and when they neared an opening, Connor backed into the small gap as far as he could go.
    Quietly, they got out and covered most of the truck with underbrush. It wasn’t completely hidden, but if someone was driving by and not looking for it, he wouldn’t be likely to see it. And the falling snow would hurt anyone’s visibility. According to the information on the flash drive, they had less than a mile to trek to the house.
    Sticking to the cover of the trees, they paralleled the dirt road until they reached a clearing. A combination wire and wood fence surrounded a two-story brick house. Despite the unpaved, bumpy driving path, the house itself was in good shape and all the bushes surrounding it were neat and trimmed. Smoke drifted from the chimney and two trucks and one car sat in the paved driveway. Someone was definitely home.
    From their side view, they could see a balcony on the second story that likely led to a bedroom. And the light was on.
    “I’ll go in through the balcony. Liam, you and Jaycefigure out how to take the downstairs.” Connor’s voice was quiet even though they were about forty yards from the house.
    Liam nodded in agreement and Jayce did the same. The falling snow gave them some cover, but there were a few brief moments where they were all exposed. Luckily, they were a hell of a lot faster than humans and made it to the house unseen.
    As Connor climbed the side of the house toward the balcony, Liam and Jayce split up, each taking different sides of the house. When Liam spotted a man through the kitchen window, his heart rate sped up. The guy was making what looked like a grilled cheese sandwich on the stove. A gun was tucked into the back of his pants, but that looked like his only weapon.
    Testing the side door, Liam was surprised when it opened. Picking the lock would have been child’s play, but leaving it unlocked was stupid practice for anyone. As he stepped inside, he tried to home in on Kat’s presence but couldn’t get anything. No subtle roses.
    As a rule he preferred to fight in animal form, but it didn’t make sense right now. He didn’t feel threatened and if he didn’t have to kill this guy, he wasn’t going to. Withdrawing his pistol, he crossed the kitchen in complete silence.
    The guy still stood at the sizzling stove humming a Christmas song. Liam pressed the gun to the back of his skull and withdrew the man’s weapon with his free hand. “How many people are in the house?” he murmured.
    “Fuck you,” the blond-haired man