“So?” Clyde grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. “It’s not as though I’m eating anything bad for me.”
“You-you know?” Sela’s eyes widened.
“Of course I know. I don’t have the attitude of an eighty-five-year-old human anymore.” He patted his flat stomach. “I’m still a young man in the shifter world, and I need to keep this flat. If I plan on finding myself a new woman, I shouldn’t be out of shape.”
“I suppose not. But you still can’t shift yet, and you could get injured if you’re not careful.” Sela turned her concerned gaze to her husband. “He can’t get hurt.”
“Hell, I heal faster than any human man now. Besides,” he grinned darkly. “I still have Betsy, and I’m not afraid to use her.”
“Betsy?” Wynter couldn’t help herself. She’d had to ask.
“Betsy is Clyde's shotgun. He might look like a young man on the outside, but old habits do die hard,” Geno replied with a chuckle.
“You’ve got nerve talking about my old habits.” Clyde elbowed Geno in the side on his way to the replicator. “You’re older than I am.”
“I don’t care how old either of you are. You’re both my family, and I don’t want either of you getting wounded.” Sela glared at them both, her hands on her hips.
“I will do my best to see that no harm befalls him, sweetheart,” Ceno said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. “The best way we can protect everyone is to discover where the missing people are. Can you try again?” He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her temple.
“I’ll try.” Closing her eyes, Sela leaned against her husband. Her brow furrowed as she held her hand over the photo. “I feel...” She tilted her head. “I feel some heat from this area.”
Wynter glanced down at the photo and barely suppressed a gasp. Sela had indicated the same part of the picture that kept capturing her attention. Perhaps all women did have some kind of intuition, after all.
“That’s still a mighty big area, but at least it’s not the whole damned mountain,” Clyde said as he stared at the photo. “When are we going in?”
“You,” Sela said as she stepped away from her husband and took her grandfather’s arm. “...are taking Birgit and me to town. We need to try to find the plans for this place. Maybe there’s a caretaker’s cottage on the property.”
“You never let me have any fun.” Her Clyde scowled. “They said I’m just as resilient as the rest of them. I just can’t shift into anything yet.”
“And you never will if you die before you find a mate.”
“I know I talk a good game, but I’m not sure I want to marry again. I loved your grandmother. I still do.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t love another.” Sela pulled Clyde from the room. “Just look at Geno. He’s moving on. You can, too.”
“I’ll call you later.” Birgit kissed Reno and hurried after them.
“Okay.” Geno rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get started on our plan.” He glanced at Reno. “You and Ceno hike in and try to talk to the construction crew. Use every bit of your training and try to ferret out any lies.
“Xeno and Deno, you two stay here until we’re ready to make a move. If anyone affiliated with the people who held you captive sees you, Xeno, you’ll ruin our element of surprise. Rowen and Ronin will stay here. They’re too young to put at risk unless it’s necessary.”
“Yes, sir.” Xeno glanced at his twin. “We’ll head down to the armory and make sure there are enough weapons for everyone’s level of expertise. Even the women should have something to defend themselves with, should the need arise.” The two pushed away from the table. After moving to the next table to give their wives a peck on the cheek, they each ruffled Nicky and Noah’s hair and then left the room.
“Asking you to stay here is futile, isn’t it?” He glanced at Wynter. “My body can take a lot of damage. Yours might not be so resilient.”
“Too bad.” Wynter shook her head. “I already told you they might not trust you. I have to go to get them to come with you. Otherwise, you’re risking yourself for nothing.” She met his gaze and crossed her arms. “I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”
“As you wish.” Geno sighed and turned to his oldest sons. “Get changed. Wear something that at least makes it appear as though you’ve been hiking through the woods for a couple of hours.”
“Yes, Papan.” The two men sauntered out of the dining area.
“Can we go?” Nicky and Noah left their table, their food forgotten as Charly and Tabitha moved to intercept them.
“I think it’s better if you stay here with Charly.” Tabitha knelt to give them both hugs. “Your Mama wouldn’t like it if you were in harm’s way.”
“But it’s a park,” Noah whined. “With rides.”
“We never get to do anything.” Nicky’s bottom lip stuck out.
“Will you look at that.” Tabitha chuckled. “I think I could put a swing on that porch you have there.” She tapped his lip.
“Nu-uh! That’s my lip. It’s not a porch.”
“It sure looks like one to me.” Tabitha leaned forward and in a stage whisper said, “Did you know there are loads of video games in the game room?”
“Video games!” The two boys turned to Charly. “Can we go to the game room?”
“Sure.” Charly held out her hands. “Just come with me, and you’ll see that the guys have almost any video game you could want to play.”
“Nothing violent,” Wynter called after them. “No blood and guts.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the two boys replied simultaneously, sounding disappointed that they couldn’t play the big boy games.
“So, what now?” Wynter turned to Geno.
“Now, we clean up the mess the others so conveniently left us.” Geno chuckled as he started clearing dishes from the table.
“They do that a lot, don’t they?” Tabitha complained as she cleared the table she’d shared with her sister and the boys.
“They certainly do.” Geno shoved some dishes into the replicator and pushed a button.
“And after that?” Wynter handed him more dishes and wiped the table with a napkin.
“We will put on some hiking gear and head out to the area that interested us so much.” He glanced at Tabby from the corner of his eye. “I don’t suppose I could get you two to agree to stay here?”
“Not on your life. I’ve been dying to get outside and climb a tree or two.”
“Climb a tree or two?” Wynter frowned at Tabitha. “You like to climb trees?”
“Only as my cat.” Tabby grinned. “Before I met Deno, I lived most of my life as one type of cat or another. I’m still not used to being cooped up inside most of the day.”
“I didn’t realize that.” Wynter brought her hand to her neck. Tabitha and Charly seemed so...so normal. She would never have thought they had grown up shifters.
She glanced at Geno. He seemed like a regular enough guy, too. Did that mean she would remain the way she had always been?
Even Nicky and Noah seemed like ordinary little boys on the surface. Changing into wolf cubs hadn’t seemed to stifle their usual exuberance. She thought of the friends she’d left behind in the lab and finally realized that the shifters she’d met had been better friends to her than any human, with Ella as the obvious exception.
She loved Ella like a sister. It was just too bad she wouldn’t be able to spend too much time with her anymore. Magic was too far away from Ella’s home to keep in touch physically. Unfortunately, they would have to communicate by phone and email from now on.
“That was quick.” Geno wiped his hands on a napkin and then tossed it into the replicator and pushed the button one last time. “Let’s get changed into something that makes us look like serious hikers.” He glanced at Tabitha. “I trust you can help Wynter with her clothing?”
“I sure can.” Tabitha grabbed Wynter’s hand and pulled her to the door. “Let’s get to one of the larger re
plicators and get us some hiking gear. That’s why I brought so much stuff with me. I planned to return my old things to the plant-based energy system and make myself some new clothes. I swear everything on this ship is one step away from magic.”
Chapter Twenty
GENO’S EYES WIDENED, and his mouth fell open when Tabitha and Wynter joined them wearing tight jeans, t-shirts, and ankle boots. He couldn’t help it. Even wearing what he would have called men’s clothing, Wynter looked gorgeous.
“I don’t believe how cute these boots are,” Tabitha said as they came through the door.
“They do look nice,” Wynter agreed, looking down at her feet. “But more importantly, they fit well, and they’re comfortable.”
“True.” Tabitha grinned.
“I see you’re ready,” Geno noted their backpacks and the large water bottles strapped to their hips. “Do you both have water filters?”
“We do.” Tabitha patted her backpack. “I’d hate to get poisoned by drinking river water.” She wrinkled her nose. “That happened to me once when I was younger until I realized it was only safe to drink from underground springs.” She shuddered. “That was the worst three days. I’ve never been so sick before or since.”
“Then let’s go. Reno and Ceno have a good two-hour head start on us, which isn’t a bad thing,” he hurried to add before one of the women accused him of complaining about how long they’d taken with their preparations. “We don’t want it to look as though we’re together.”
“I’m still thinking about ditching the backpack and water bottle and changing into my cat. I could see a lot more from the trees. Plus, it would be unlikely anyone would realize I was there, and I could follow them more easily.” Tabitha adjusted her pack with a frown.
“Perhaps, but I don’t want to risk it until we have an idea of what we’re up against.” Geno smiled to soften his rejection of her idea. “Are we ready?”
“Yes.” The two women answered in unison and then grinned at each other.
Geno opened the hatch, and they all exited the ship. Turning, he spoke the command that locked the door and used his remote to cloak the entrance, blending it into the surrounding area as they had the rest of the ship.
“We’re off.” He led the way into the woods and up the hill. “With luck, we’ll find a deer trail soon. If we do, we can follow it along the mountainside and hope we’ll run into our missing friends.”
Adjusting his stride to match their shorter ones, Geno slowly made his way up the side of the mountain. Following his instincts, he climbed upwards to the north, then up to the west, glancing back occasionally to see that the women were still keeping up with him.
“Are you two okay back there?”
“We’re fine.” Wynter scowled up at him. “Don’t think we can’t keep up because we’re women.” She huffed out the last word, as though it were a bone of contention between them.
“You’ll never hear me complaining that you’re female. I happen to adore the fairer sex.” He grinned and winked when she bared her teeth and growled at him. “You might watch that. The growling could give you away, sweetheart.”
“Gosh, I wish it wasn’t too childish to stick my tongue out at him.” Wynter shook her head.
“Did you say something, Wynter?” He fought the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“No.” She smiled sweetly. “I didn’t say anything worth repeating.”
He hadn’t realized it until just then, but he admired all Earth women. He loved their spirit, their heart, and their sense of humor.
Geno glanced back at Wynter with a smile. If anyone could have stopped him from committing the cal’tratu, it was the woman following him up the mountainside swearing a blue streak as she glared at him every few steps along the way.
“Is there a reason you’re upset, takana?”
“Who said I was upset?” She grabbed a tree limb to steady herself as she climbed up a particularly steep area. The branch gave way, and she tumbled back down the trail, losing several yards. “Damn it all to hell!”
“Perhaps it would be better if I carried your pack.” Geno made his way back down the incline and held out his hand.
“No.” Wynter twisted away from him. “I’ve got it. I insisted on bringing this damned thing. I’m going to be the one suffering its weight as we climb up this rock.” Wynter wiped her hands on her legs, swiped her forearm over her perspiring forehead, and gave him a sharp nod. “I’m ready. Let’s get going.” She pointed up the hill. “Tabitha has beat us to the top already.”
“It was never a race.” Since she refused to take his hand, Geno grasped her upper arm and half dragged her up the mountain trail. “We’re here to find your friends, not to race up a mountain. Hikers generally aren’t in a hurry. Speak in a normal tone of voice so as not to cause suspicion and stay focused on our main objective.” He said the last in a hushed tone.
“Yes.” She swallowed, visibly with a nod. “Yes, of course.” She let him help her the rest of the way up the mountain. “I don’t know what got into me. I’m not usually so bitchy.”
“I wouldn’t say you’ve complained that much.” Geno kept a grip on her arm until they were on level ground. “I love your sense of humor and the way your temper sometimes gets the best of you.” He winked when her eyes narrowed, and her lips tightened. “Don’t lose your temper now, sweetheart.”
“Now isn’t the time, but I swear, once we’re back on board your ship or in Magic, I’m going to give you a piece of my mind.”
Geno smiled at that. His mood lightening. She was beginning to trust him not to hurt her if she could threaten him that way.
“What are you grinning about, Geno? I didn’t say anything funny.” She stomped one foot with a growl and then spun around and took off after Tabby.
He could have sworn he heard Wynter call him a name, though he wasn’t sure because he didn’t always understand their colloquialism.
“I found something.” Tabby ran up to them, pointing behind her.
“What?” Wynter brushed the leaves and dirt off the seat of her pants as she glanced behind the other woman. “I don’t see anything.”
“You wouldn’t, but you’d smell it if you tried.” Tabby led them to a large pile of wilting brush. “It’s behind this.” She moved a few small branches out of the way. “It’s a cave. I’m not sure if it leads to anywhere, but someone went to a bit of trouble to hide it.”
“True.” Geno moved to the entrance and inhaled deeply. “Someone or something is in there. Whatever it is, it doesn’t smell great.” He took off his pack and dropped it to the ground. “Keep an eye on that. We might need water for your friends. There’s no way of knowing how long they’ve gone without sustenance.”
“If they’re even in there.” Wynter gave the opening a skeptical glance. “I don’t know why they’d hide them in a cave.”
“Maybe they needed to move them to avoid discovery. What if the contractors working on the place surprised them?” Geno moved closer to the entrance.
“What if it’s a trap?” Tabby added. “I don’t like the way this feels.” She rubbed her arms. “It gives me the creeps.”
“Me, too,” Wynter agreed. “But we can’t leave without investigating. I’d never forgive myself if we discovered they were here, and we didn’t check.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Tabby sighed, then headed for the opening and the yawning darkness beyond.
“I’ll go first.” Geno grasped Tabby’s elbow and passed her at the entrance. “You two stay behind me and keep an eye on each other while we’re inside.”
“Yes, sir,” Tabby said as she fell back, taking up the rear to protect them from anything or anyone that might try to sneak up from behind them.
“Thank you.” Geno smiled at her, thankful for her understanding. “I’ll lead the way, and with luck, we’ll find your friends.”
“I don’t think we’re going to find anything other than musty air and mildew.” Wynter wrinkled
her nose.
Geno led the way down through the wide cave, into a large grotto that could have been on another world. Glowing rocks on the walls reflected the light from their handheld flashlights. Many caves branched off from the main area, leaving too many choices to search in the little time they had before his sons would start to worry about where they had gone.
“We won’t have time to search them all.” Geno couldn’t keep the disgust from his voice. Why hadn’t he expected something like this?
“We would if we split up.” Wynter pointed to the far left. “If we start over there, we could each take one cave, search it, and then come back here and wait for the others to return, and then we can do it again. I can’t believe there are so many forks in the caves that we couldn’t manage this in an hour or so.”
“No.” Geno shook his head. “I won’t risk leaving either of you alone to explore a cave on your own.”
“Then we’re going to be here awhile. Do you think your sons will find us?”
“I don’t know. I have already reached out to my sons. I cannot contact them through our mental link.”
“What about Clyde?”
“Clyde grows stronger every day, and our blood bond grows weaker. I can’t seem to get in touch with him, either.”
“Then we don’t have a choice.” Wynter’s chin went up a notch. “Take Tabby with you. I’ll explore this one on my own. If I’m not back by the time you are, then you can start to worry.”
“I can’t allow you to—“
“Geno, I’m a grown woman, and I have the right to do whatever I want. You can’t protect me by taking away my freedom to be me and do the things I think are best.” She paced away from him with a sigh. “You can’t treat me like a child, and you can’t tell me what I can and can’t do. Ben tried that, and I ended up hating him for it. I know you want to protect me, but this isn’t the time. Right now, we need to discover if my friends are anywhere near here, and if they are, we need to help them. You can’t help them when you’re constantly worried about me.” Wynter backed toward the closest cave. She wrinkled her nose. “What is that smell?” She screamed when something large and dark grabbed her from behind.
Wooing Wynter Page 14
