Chapter 56

“Obviously,” he mused. “Reptile shifters, other aggressive clans who discovered this place. But no one lasted long, and the rest don’t know we live here. We have a lot of distraction tactics.”

Just like her clan. “I bet a lot of people stumble in this area and are clueless that this community exists.”

“Not a lot, but yes. Lesser now with Angelo around.”

The way everyone just kept mentioning Angelo with clear-cut admiration and not a hint of fear spoke of how much he had a hold here. Yet the man she faced once or twice had been nothing but friendly, showing none of that wielded power.

“Does Angelo have enough connections to protect your clan?”

“Some. We don’t rely on outside sources if we can help it.”

“And how many deaths have you had lately?”

“Zero.” There was a long pause. “I’m sure Luke and the others will come back alive.”

The quiet scrutiny had her backing off when she realized how obvious she was being. She searched for an explanation, but the younger man had returned to his boo