Four pairs of eyes locked on her in stunned silence.

“Hello,” she stated in a loud voice that would carry. “I’m a park ranger and you’re on protected land.”

They paled a little. She liked that. It meant they bought her cover. “Do you know the penalty for trespassing? Five years in prison. I guess you didn’t see all those pesky warning signs telling you to turn your butts around? Maybe you thought there wasn’t anyone around to enforce the law?” She paused. “There are thirty-eight rangers who patrol the area and ten of them are about to join us,” she bluffed.

“We, uh, didn’t see any signs.” One of them was a terrible liar.

“You’re not wearing a uniform,” another one pointed out.

“I don’t have to. Do you know why?” She didn’t give them time to respond. “I’m not supposed to see the public—because no one is allowed to be here. How did you miss seeing the fence you had to get over to reach this spot? Were your eyes closed while climbing it? That wasn’t a clue that you shouldn’t trespass? I know there are posted warnings every fifty feet. I check that they aren’t blown away every few days.” She pointed the barrel of her shotgun in their general direction just to make sure none of them went for a weapon.

One of the men had the grace to wince. “We just thought it was a lot of empty land.”

“You were wrong.” She slightly relaxed. None of them seemed aggressive or menacing. “It’s an animal rescue preserve. All the wildlife here is protected. You’re lucky you didn’t nab anything.” She couldn’t detect the smell of blood or see signs of them cooking anything besides beans. “It’s an additional year for every kill.”

“Shit.” The oldest-looking one appeared ready to piss himself. “We didn’t know. We’re real sorry. We just arrived a few hours ago and we haven’t done anything but set up camp.”

Kira sighed. “I’ll tell you what. You look like nice guys.” She wasn’t really sure about the youngest one. He appeared kind of shifty around the eyes but she used the “nice guys” routine the most. “I’ll cut you a break. Dump dirt on your fire and clear off the land immediately. You do that and I won’t arrest you. It means you won’t have to pay fines and I have less paperwork to do. Deal?”

“It’s about two miles to where the fence was,” one of them protested. “It’s almost dark.”

“Then I suggest you pack up fast and jog. Did you forget about the other rangers on their way? Smoke travels for miles. They aren’t as easy-going as I am, boys. We’ve dubbed one of them Ranger Rage. He gets super pissed over idiots starting fires.” She waved a hand toward the flames. “That will set him off big time. Do you know how dry it’s been? Forest fires are a real hazard. He kind of beat the living shit out of the last guy who started one. He said it was worth the three-day suspension because he got to break the guy’s jaw. It amused him, thinking about that poor sucker needing a straw to eat from for a few months.”

They scrambled to put out the fire and she hid a smile while she watched. Humans were easy to intimidate. They hardly gave her trouble once she gave her scary spiel.

Veso really did detest idiots who set fires—but he wouldn’t have stopped at a broken jaw. He’d have buried their bodies and called it a day. The VampLycan could be merciless.

Her humor vanished as she glanced around the woods. The smell of their campfire would have traveled farther by now, and Veso wouldn’t be attending the mating ceremony. He was known to stay clear of any kind of relationships and definitely wasn’t the type to settle down. He’d bitched often about how the ceremonies were a stupid, unnecessary tradition, and resented being asked to participate. It was possible he might show up early to relieve her before the sun set, just to avoid the gathering.

“Hurry up,” Kira urged. “Hustle!”

The four poachers packed up their camp more rapidly than she thought possible, an impressive feat. “That way.” She pointed. “I’ll follow you until you’re over the fence. Don’t ever return. You were lucky I was the one who found you. Tell your friends to stay away too.”

They ran. She laughed when they were far enough away to not hear it over their gruff pants. The backpacks looked heavy and they weren’t exactly fit. She kept up with them for a mile. It was easy to trail their progress after that by climbing a tree. She waited until she watched them struggle to get over the fence.

“Job well done,” she muttered, now that they weren’t her problem anymore. She climbed down and returned to their camp.

It would take some time to remove their traces. She hated that part of the job but she rested her shotgun against the base of a tree. The fire pit they’d dug was shallow but they’d used stones to line it. Dirt covered most of the charred remains, though she’d still have to dismantle the thing. They’d lain out their sleeping bags too. It would be easy enough to sweep the area with brush to mute their scents.

It was necessary. Otherwise any VampLycans in the area would smell unfamiliar humans and believe there were intruders. She glanced up at the sky and uttered a curse. She wasn’t going to make it home before dark after all, unless Veso really did show up to relieve her soon. He’d been assigned the night duty.

Thoughts of Lorn hit and she fought back tears. Leaving Alaska was the right thing to do…and the only way she could survive him mating another woman. She’d wanted to be with him forever but had been denied. He’d been her hero at first, her only friend, and the love she’d felt for him had blossomed with every day they’d spent together.

What did he want to say to her? It plagued her as she set to work removing all signs of the campers. He’d probably tell her how sorry he was but he didn’t share her feelings. He might even give her the speech about how it would be unacceptable for them to be together. She couldn’t even shift into another form. That would put a damper on any clan couple’s relationship. He’d be running in the woods and she’d be left behind. Her two legs would never be able to keep up with his four.

If only Lorn wasn’t the first son of Decker’s advisor. Ladius would never accept her into his family. She knew VampLycan culture. She’d be considered flawed and too weak to be worthy of someone important. It was a miracle Decker hadn’t killed her already. He really hated humans but he loved to use her against her father.