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else—patiently, with bursts of aggression that had her hanging on to the handle built into the door, Dee Tenorio
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    praying she was in safe hands. As soon as they’d left the interrogation room, he’d hustled her through the station without another word, leaving his chair spinning in his wake and his colleagues calling after him.
    “No.” She looked out again, watching the different buildings and lights go by in a blur. Reds, greens, stone, brick, concrete. Christmas decorations lit random buildings, probably homes, while snow of various shades piled near them. Cars filled the lanes and lined the sidewalks, but she didn’t see a lot of people out. “It’s very different out here.”
    “I bet.” He slanted her a glance that felt like a caress on her cheek. “Probably a lot less shit on the ground in there.”
    She hoped he’d never get the itch to find out for himself. His casual coarseness would get him skewered two feet from the gates. “Farm animals get out from time to time. You’d be surprised what ends up on the ground, even in the enclave.”
    A deep rumble filled her ears and the corners of her own lips rose in response. It was a nice feeling to make him laugh, especially not at her own expense. “How big is this city?” she asked. “Are we going far?”
    “Not far. The first drop site is another half mile east.
    The city makes a crescent shape around the southern end of the lake and spreads out through the valley. It’s a good-size chunk of land, but nothing like what it used to be.
    Here on the west side, it’s pretty seedy. Where we’re headed, it’s better. You won’t have to worry so much.”
    She’d read about Baldwin Lake, how it had grown because of the manmade dams. Between the mountains, the snow and the lake, Moonridge should have been a booming city of tourism, and it was. To a degree. “What 60
    Tempting the Enemy
    do you mean, what it used to be?” Her books hadn’t said anything about Moonridge losing any land or value, even with the crime that plagued it.
    He hitched a shoulder. “This used to be Bear country.
    The humans even called it Big Bear for a while. Until the Cataclysm and they figured out that all the Bears were shifters.”
    She didn’t need to ask what had happened. “Are there any left?”
    “A few, here and there. Not many though. None dumb enough to expose themselves. That’s a lesson you Sibile should have learned a long time ago.”
    “What? Why?” The Sibile were needed. Powerful.
    Feared. Why should they be concerned about exposure?
    “Don’t you ever wonder what humans will do when they’re finished killing shifters? Where they’ll turn their attention next?”
    No, she hadn’t once wondered about that. She doubted anyone else had, either. “Making us their enemies would be suicide.”
    “The Sibile might be more powerful but there’s a hell of a lot to be said for having your enemy surrounded.
    Humans outnumber you, and sooner or later they’re going to use that fact against you. Sooner, I’m betting, if they’re keeping track of the scarlets coming and going every time they call. For all you know, they’re getting tagged left, right and center.”
    That might not have occurred to her, but it would have to the Tribunal. They would never have left themselves so exposed to danger otherwise. Even they weren’t so arrogant. “I’ll take that under advisement.”

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    “Sure you will.” He pulled the car to a stop, parking along a well-lit street. She’d been so busy looking at him, she hadn’t noticed the sudden change in the area. Here, the decorations glittered brilliantly, flashing on nearly every building, all perfect structures, not a trace of sagging or age. Music even filtered through speakers hidden in trees draped with nets of tiny white lights. It looked like a postcard of holiday delight and wiped her mind of his dire predictions in a heartbeat. No one could think of evil while looking at this. Jade knew her