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the Coalition doesn’t get along any better with the FBI than anyone else.”
    The way the Feds were treating her partner made Jade feel like the Coalition might have a reason for not getting along with them. “We’ll change their minds,” she said.
    Cole shook his head. He pulled out of his parking spot and drove to the exit before he spoke. “Just because this agency is made up of shifters doesn’t mean they’re not assholes,” he warned. “You need to be careful what you tell them until we know we can trust them.”
    Jade didn’t like it but she knew her partner was right. “I will. I just want to see how all the different shifter species work together.”
    “I’m curious about that myself,” he admitted.
    “Really?”
    He hummed as he merged with traffic.
    Jade waited. Or at least she tried. “Why?” she asked when Cole didn’t continue.
    “I watched the video from last night too. Not only do the teams work together but alpha personalities seem to be able to operate together without any problems. I’ve never been around many shifters—my pack and family along with a few other agents—but these are very predatory creatures who function well in their missions.”
    “You’re the one that tells me you’re simply a human with special abilities,” she reminded him. “Wouldn’t that reasoning apply to them also?”
    “Yes and no. I am human. But I also have a part of me that needs to be in control. The dominant gene that won’t allow me to bow down to anyone who isn’t as strong.”
    “Maybe it’s different for wolf shifters?” she offered.
    “I don’t think so. One of the teams was made up of my kind. Then you had birds of prey, felines and bears. All aggressive traits. One of the reasons I agreed to this crazy joint unit was to get an inside perspective on how they work. Even if this doesn’t work out in the long run, which I don’t think it will, hopefully I can pick up something that will help me later on down the road.”
    She didn’t comment on his insistence that the task force wouldn’t work. He’d been saying that from the beginning. Getting a look at the Coalition and the ATF in training had her believing the opposite. But he did have a point about the other species and their animal parts. She’d been studying shifter behaviors since she’d first been given access. Of course, most of her theories were based on shifters who were criminals, but she still felt strongly that the human shifter did carry over several traits that affected how they handled certain situations.
    “Wait— You said you’ve been around other agents who shift. Which ones?” she asked. As far as she knew Cole was the only shifter who worked in the office. Of course the FBI was a huge organization and was everywhere in the United States, but it had a smaller branch in Lake Worth than in other major cities.
    “Sorry but I can’t tell you that. If they want to come out I’ll support them—I’ve already let them know—but as long as they want to remain hidden, I will keep their secret,” he said.
    Jade leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. She didn’t like that answer but she knew the tone that Cole was using. He wouldn’t tell her. “You know,” she accused.
    He tapped the side of his nose.
    “Oh well.” That made sense. Cole could tell whether they were fully human or not without anyone having to say a word. He could scent them. It helped when they were in the field but at that moment it gave him information she didn’t have. That annoyed her.
    “You’re about to get your fill of shifters.” Cole glanced over at her. “Stop pouting.”
    “I’m not pouting,” she argued. Oh, she was, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of agreeing.
    “Sure,” he consented.
    She punched his arm. He didn’t even act as though her hit affected him. She’d have to work out more. It was only fair, after all, that she was as strong as possible to protect him as much as he did her since