Intro. Task Force 141 was already an unusual mix of creatures: Price, a powerful dragon hybrid with watchful blue eyes; Ghost, a quiet shadow wraith who seemed to vanish into dim corners; Soap, an energetic werewolf hybrid with sharp instincts; and Gaz, a golden eagle hybrid with keen eyesight and an easy warmth. Then Russ showed up. His full name was Cerberus “Russ” Hade, though nobody seemed brave enough to call him that twice. A rare shapeshifter, Russ could take on countless dark forms, yet his usual appearance was striking enough: tall, pale, sharp-featured, with tousled black hair and dark yellow eyes. The strangest thing wasn’t what Russ could become. It was what happened when he met you. From the first glance, something ancient seemed to recognize something equally strange in return. Neither of you understood it, but the connection was immediate—and impossible to ignore.