by Mikayla Lane
Blanche patted his arm with a sympathetic smile and said, “You eat up and get your energy. You’re going to need it if you’re going out in the forest to find our girl.”
Gracus stared at Blanche in open mouthed surprise as she chuckled. “I have a few friends that can get you pretty close to her. But, only if you eat!” Blanche said, shaking her finger at him as if in warning.
Gracus gave her a bright smile and nodded his head as he grabbed his fork. “Yes, ma’am.”
Blanche waited until he took his first bite of her hash brown casserole before she turned and headed back to the counter. She picked up the corded phone and called her cousin John, asking him for a big favor. But, one she knew was worth owing. Their Rebecca was worth it. The small town had helped raise that girl just as much as her grandfather had and Blanche would love to see Rebecca find love and happiness.
Glancing at the large man in the corner, whose eyes had shone with love when he’d said Becca’s name, she filled another glass with soda and took it to his table to replace the empty one.
“Do you have any gear for the forest?” Blanche asked, hoping he had something ready so he could get out there quicker.
Gracus nodded his head as he chewed the piece of fried chicken that had been soaked in maple syrup along with the waffle, on the same plate. He was more than glad that he had remembered to throw his gear in the vehicle before he had left the cabin. Everything he needed to survive months in the wild, was in them.
Blanche sighed and had to make sure. She didn’t want to send Becca’s potential, future husband out to die. “Do you have gear for a few days? It may take that long to catch up to her.”
Gracus nodded his head. “I was prepared to do so… before the candy thing…,” he said with a blush.
Blanche tsked and patted his hand again. “Good, you finish up. My cousin John will be here in a few. He’s got a helicopter and can drop you near where she should be so it won’t be too hard to find her. You just gotta have your own gear if you’re gonna travel with our girl,” Blanche said with a wink, glad the man would be able to handle himself out there.
She was still gonna pat him down for candy though and make sure he didn’t have any more. She wasn’t going to risk Becca’s safety like that. He’d already been lucky once with the bears, there was no point pushing the fates too far, she thought as she headed to the kitchen in answer to Frank’s bell.
Thirty minutes later, Gracus had been introduced to John and he’d grabbed his gear, leaving the SUV in Blanche’s parking lot, with her permission. As a pilot, Gracus was excited about flying in the unusual craft and was looking forward to it. And finally seeing his mate again.
*****
Grai shook his head and mentally applauded Gracus’s efforts to conceal himself. He’d done an excellent job. Traze was still trying to track him through his comm and if it wasn’t for the alert sent out previously, they would still be in the dark as to where he was.
Luckily, the transport pilot had recognized him as his passenger and they were now headed to the cabin. Grai just hoped that he was still there and hadn’t gone off into the forest as he had previously planned to do.
Several hours later, Grai, Scaden, Amun, Niklosi and Decano were hovering over the ground in front of the cabin. Grai’s heart sank when he saw the garage door open and the SUV gone.
Since it was obvious that Gracus was no longer here and unable to track the mysteriously absent EAT system in the SUV, Grai ordered the pilot to an alternate location, where he again, would have to ask for help from his friend.
They dropped into a clearing about a quarter of a mile from the town and Grai ordered the transport into orbit above their location in case they needed a quick ride out of there.
“Town is that way, we can be there in a few minutes,” Grai said as he pointed in the right direction and took the lead.
Decano looked around and nodded his head in appreciation. “It’s really beautiful here,” he said as the others nodded.
Grai knew the town very well and led the team through the forest on the edge of the town, bringing them out behind the sheriff’s department. He sighed in relief when he saw that Joe’s vehicle was in the parking lot.
Grai led the way into the station and up to the desk where Deputy Josh Freeman greeted them. “Hey Grai! Good to see you, it’s been a while,” the young man said with a grin.
Grai held out his hand and shook the young deputy’s hand. “Good to see you Josh, is Joe here?” Grai asked as the older man came out of his office, having heard Grai’s distinct, deep voice in the outer room.
He looked in surprise at the men with him and immediately said, “Josh, hold all my calls. Grai, come on in.”
Grai and the others followed Joe into his office and barely closed the door behind them. The small office wasn’t made to fit so many large men inside of it, but they made do, shifting around until they were a little less cramped.
Grai stood in front of Joe, the small desk between them. “I hate to do this to you Joe, but my guy came back here without our knowledge and we think he’s still under some effects of the drug. Have you seen him?” Grai asked, feeling grateful that he knew he could trust this human with his life. And had before.
Joe shook his head. “No, but if he’s here in town, he should be easy to find. Is he in a vehicle?”
Grai nodded. “Yeah, the cabin SUV,” he said with a sigh.
Joe picked up the phone. “Josh, ask the guys to check around town for the SUV Grai keeps at the cabin. You’ve already seen it? OK, thanks,” he said, looking at Grai as he spoke.
Joe hung up the phone and grinned at Grai. “Looks like you’re in luck, it’s over at Blanche’s Diner. You may want to prepare yourself though, the deputies noticed it because it looks like it’s been out playing bumper cars.”
Grai sighed and shook Joe’s hand. “Thanks Joe, I’ll try to get this cleared up quickly,” Grai said, hoping that he would.
Joe grinned. “No problem, you let me know if you need anything, I’ll do all I can for you,” Joe said, meaning every word.
“I will,” Grai said with a smile, hoping that he wouldn’t need to bother his friend again.
He led the guys out of the office and down the sidewalk to Blanche’s. It didn’t take long for them to see the SUV in the parking lot, looking like it was beat all to hell. Decano whistled and laughed while Scaden turned to Grai.
“I’m so sorry,” Scaden said, shaking his head at the scratches, dents and broken lights on the back and front of the vehicle.
Grai walked around it, taking in the multiple impacts sites and hoping like hell that the Valendran didn’t harm anyone while wrecking the vehicle. Multiple times. Grai sighed as he rubbed a hand down his face. That SUV had been here at the cabin for years and never had a scratch. It took one Valendran to do all of this, he thought with a shake of his head. A pilot no less!
While Niklosi laughed and took pictures with his comm, Grai headed into Blanche’s hoping to find one particular Valendran who had become a lot more to handle than he had ever expected.
He’d barely taken a few steps into the diner when Blanche came running up to him and hugged him around the waist in happiness. Grai returned her hug and scanned the empty diner for Gracus.
Blanche pulled away when she saw the others coming in behind him and smiled at the newcomers. “I’m Blanche, my husband Frank is in the kitchen. Any friends of Grai’s are friends of ours. Come on in and sit down, boys,” Blanche said as she led the group to a table big enough to hold them and waited until they sat down.
“Now, how about a round of the special today, Classic Confluence?” Blanche asked with a grin at the large men and their normally hearty appetites.
Grai looked around the table and noting the few stomach grumbles and knowing they all had missed lunch, Grai nodded his head while Blanche broke out into a smile and headed towards the kitchen calling out, “Five Classic Confluence with all the extras Frank! Grai’s here with a couple o
f friends!”
Niklosi quirked an eyebrow at Grai while Amun looked at him quizzically. Grai just shook his head. “Trust me, if this is going where I think it is, you’ll be grateful for the food,” Grai said cryptically as he contacted Traze through the Shengari’ to get things ready for them.
Scaden was getting ready to ask Grai to explain when Blanche returned to the table with a tray full of sodas and water. As she handed them out to the men, Grai asked, “Have you seen one of my men lately? His name is Gracus.” Grai showed her a pic of Gracus on his comm.
Blanche finished setting down the last glass and turned to look at the picture on his comm and gave Grai with a brilliant smile. “Oh my yes! He’s the one that our Becca saved at the river. I could hear in her voice when she called it in that she was captivated by him, so when he came in looking for her and knowing he was one of your guys… I just had to help him,” Blanche said proudly, her smile not faltering when several of the men cursed.
Grai hushed everyone with a scathing look before he turned to Blanche and smiled. “I apologize, we were hoping to catch him. He’s been unexpectedly called back in for duty and we’re supposed to have him back pretty quick,” Grai lied, hoping the kind woman would tell them what they needed to know without much prodding.
Blanche’s face fell. “Oh Grai! I’m sorry. I had my cousin drop him near Becca. You should have seen the look in his eye,” Blanche said with a sigh. “He’s in love with her.”
Niklosi burst out laughing while Scaden punched him in the side to try and get him to shut up as Blanche looked at them strangely.
Grai cleared his throat. “Becca? You mean little Becca Carson?” Grai asked, remembering the adorable little girl she had been and his promise to her grandfather.
Blanche smiled and nodded her head. “That’s her. She turned into a real beauty since the last time you were here. Been running her grandpa’s business just as well as he ever did. That girl has the forest in her blood so your guy is in good hands,” Blanche said with a proud smile.
Grai smiled back at her and nodded his head, he knew exactly what the young girl had in her blood. “You know what route she takes? We really need to find him,” Grai said, hoping that they could get to Gracus quickly.
Blanche looked at Grai oddly. “Can’t you call your other guys and have them find him? They have to be closer.”
Grai looked up sharply. “What other guys?” He asked, trying to sound casual.
Blanche’s smile faltered at his tone of voice. “There were five of them. Came in about a week ago. They were all really big, dressed the same and kind of looked the same, so I just assumed they were some of yours,” Blanche said, wondering why Grai seemed so tense.
Grai forced a smile and nodded his head. “It’s hard to keep up with them all. Everyone loves coming here for a break,” Grai said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Blanche heard Frank’s kitchen bell and headed off to go get their food. As soon as she left, Grai turned to the table, “I don’t have anyone here but Gracus.”
“Oh damn,” Scaden said as he sucked in a sharp breath.
“What would they be doing here?” Amun asked.
Grai shook his head, unwilling to say anything else unless he had to. He pulled out his comm and sent a message to Traze as Blanche came back to the table with their food.
Grai smiled at the kind woman. “Blanche, this smells wonderful! Thank you.” The others all politely muttered their thanks as well.
Blanche beamed with happiness. “Now you guys eat up and I’ll get you a map of Becca’s usual route. You want me to call my cousin to drop you where he left Gracus?” Blanche asked with a smile.
Grai shook his head. “Thank you Blanche, that won’t be necessary. Just the route. We have our own chopper on standby to get him anyway. You’re a wonderful woman and I can’t thank you and Frank enough for taking such good care of my guys,” Grai said, meaning it.
The townsfolk here had always been wonderful to him and his people when they came here to use the cabin to rest or take a break from the endless missions. He hated to think that he might have put the humans in danger. But, he would take care of the threat now among them. And deal with little Becca Carson and Gracus.
Blanche’s smile lit up her whole face and the men at the table couldn’t help but smile back at the lovely woman. “Nonsense, you know we love your guys. Now, you all eat up! I’ll go get that route for you,” Blanche said, before she turned and headed towards the kitchen.
Grai looked around the table. “She’s right. Eat up. Our gear will be waiting for us in the transport. We’ll be picked up at the cabin.” Everyone nodded their heads before digging in to their food.
“What the hell would they be doing here?” Scaden asked the table.
Niklosi turned to Grai. “Would Dagog be after natural resources in the area?”
Grai shook his head. “There isn’t anything here that can’t be found elsewhere,” he said as he looked around the diner to make sure no one was in hearing distance. “We can discuss this further after the drop.”
Everyone nodded and finished eating as Blanche came back to the table with a colorful brochure in her hand. She stood next to Grai and opened the trifold paper onto the table.
“This is Becca’s normal tourist route. She was supposed to do her annual route check, but she was acting real fidgety all winter and she had been reading her grandpa’s journals again. Becca said she’d be going the same route, but I think she planned to make a detour to the Burnt Tree Ridge, so I noted the possible route if that’s where she was going. I’m sure you’ll find them long before they get that far though,” Blanche said with a smile before she started clearing the empty plates from the table.
“Thank you Blanche, I am in your debt,” Grai said with a smile at the woman.
Niklosi waited until she had the tray loaded with the plates before he stood and took it over to the kitchen for her while Grai laid several hundred dollar bills on the table and pocketed the brochure. He wouldn’t be needing it though, he knew exactly where they were going, since he was the one who had found the route with Becca’s grandfather, long ago.
They headed outside and Grai led them to the battered SUV where Niklosi laughed again at the various impacts the vehicle had taken before getting in the back seat with Decano and Amun.
Grai was preoccupied with his own thoughts and it took him a few minutes to realize that Scaden had asked him a question. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Grai asked turning to Scaden.
“I asked how long you thought it would take for us to find them,” Scaden repeated, watching Grai closely. Something was up, he could feel it.
Grai shook his head and pulled out of the parking lot, heading back to the cabin. “We can get close, but it’s a big forest. We could end up walking a few hundred yards parallel to them for miles without even knowing it,” Grai admitted, not telling them that it wouldn’t matter since they were all going to end up at the same place in a few days anyway.
Niklosi looked at Grai in the rearview mirror from the backseat. “I don’t understand why the Relian’s would be here. What could they possibly be going into the forest for?”
Grai shook his head. “I guess we’ll find out,” he said, as he headed down the road to the cabin in his now rattling and battered SUV.
He honestly didn’t know why the Relians were there. But, he damn sure intended to find out. Grai couldn’t think of anything that his brother Dagog, would want in this area. Although the natural resources were plentiful and something that his brother would want, Grai knew that Dagog would not come this close to a tourist destination such as this one. His brother, Dagog, was a coward and would not attempt to terrorize and subjugate an area as large as this.
The only other thing that Grai could think of, was the same thing that Rebecca was searching for in the mountains. If that was the case, then it was more important than ever for them to reach them both. Once outside of the city limits, Grai hit the g
as and raced to the cabin.
Chapter Seven
Gracus had been walking for hours before he smelled the distinct scent of smoke on the air. He followed the faint traces on the wind and ended up peeking through a line of trees at a well laid out campsite.
A red tent was set up, several feet from the small but strong fire that was surrounded by a ring of stones, a small pile of sticks and small branches laying nearby. But, there was no one around and no indication of where the owner of the campsite had gone.
Gracus was tempted to go through the tent and see if he could determine if it was Rebecca’s, but decided not to in case it wasn’t. Instead, he stayed hidden in the tree line and waited for a few minutes for the owner to return.
After several minutes, Gracus felt more than heard someone behind him and he turned sharply to confront whoever it was. He sucked in a breath as he stared into the light brown eyes of his mate. Who was holding a gun on him.
Rebecca was momentarily stunned by the man standing in front of her and her hand lowered the gun seemingly without her consent. She’d known that she was being followed for the last hour and had decided to find out why, but this man was the last person she ever expected to see. Again.
Tamping down her sudden excitement and racing heart, Rebecca said, “How the hell did you get back here?”
Gracus grinned at the beautiful woman and held his hands up, not wanting her to shoot him. “Blanche has a cousin who knew where you would be,” he said, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face.
Rebecca lowered the weapon completely. “Grrr, what the hell was the woman thinking?” She shook her head, put the gun in the waistband of her jeans and looked up at the large man in amazement.
“How are you even alive? And so soon?” She asked, looking him up and down and noting that he looked yummy in clothes too. He was dressed all in black and damn he made the color look good, she thought as she tried to keep her eyes above his waistband. Which was harder than she ever thought it could be.
