“We will. I want you and Zack to go back to the Dale’s and wait. Do not leave once you are there. I’m not looking for two of you. I’m going to gather the trackers and start at the ridge. It may take time, but we will find her.”
“Thank you, Alpha. I’ll call Dad when we get there.”
Rush didn’t say anything to ease the fear he heard in the younger boy’s wavering voice. There wasn’t much he could do about how Trevor’s father would handle his girl missing. “I know it won’t be easy, but try to keep your dad at your uncle’s. It’s already sundown. Hopefully she found a hole to hide in.”
Trevor nodded and with a shared look, both boys dropped to the ground, two wolves that spun and tore back into the trees.
“Shit,” he breathed. He so didn’t need this, but life and responsibility go hand in hand. With the evening’s peace shattered, he spun to go inside.
Sitting on the side of the futon, he brushed the hair back from the dulling bandage wrapped around her forehead. He tested the edge and frowned when it moved a considerable amount. She’d been pulling it in her sleep. He’d have to do something about that when he got home. He’d already called Sheridan home and a few others to alert them to the emergency. He couldn’t just leave her a note to tell Kay why he wasn’t there, and it tore him apart that he had to leave her at all.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he breathed, lowering to press a tender kiss to her mouth. “I’ll come home as fast as I can.” Come home to you. For the first time, he felt he was beginning to understand the relationship his parents had shared. The pain of his mother’s decision was actually being explained a little at a time. Maybe she couldn’t live on without their father. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to die, maybe she’d been so lost she couldn’t live on and saw no other way. Devastation and depression were powerful against a human body and mind. Rush didn’t know. There was only one truth he was certain of at that moment. Leaving Kay, injured and alone, was killing him.
Her hand lifted and caressed his face then sank to her stomach, her breathing still deep. She’d known he was there, even in her sleep, and the belief that somehow she could, created a lump in his throat.
Hearing Sheridan’s car outside dragged him back. Standing, he turned and left the smaller room, knowing he was leaving his heart behind this time.
Chapter Nine
Kay tossed in her sleep. She was sick and tired of sleeping, but the drugged abyss wouldn’t let her go, not yet. She heard voices close by. Or was she dreaming? Rush’s face appeared in her mind. That was his voice, she was sure of it. Centered on his voice for the last day and a half, she knew it was him without a doubt.
Alpha?
Kay frowned, trying to hear more, trying to understand the dream. Her body and mind felt disjointed, like she was drifting through time. She was aware, but it refused to connect to her body. Damn, he sounded sexy when he went serious like that. Husky and gruff. She fought to concentrate. Someone was missing. A child? That’s how it sounded to her, his concern thick. But how could a child, any person, follow scent? Her frown deepened, fighting to comprehend what they were saying, to wake up.
“I have to find her.”
“We will. I want you and Zack to go back to the Dale’s and wait. Do not leave once you are there. I’m not looking for two of you. I’m going to gather the trackers and start at the ridge. It may take time, but we will find her.”
“Thank you, Alpha. I’ll call Dad when we get there.”
This wasn’t a dream! Panic was distinct in the lowered youthful tones. She tossed, grasping at consciousness, fighting the cloud over her mind, but being unable to force light into her senses with her eyes covered she couldn’t do it. She felt weak, sluggish, lifting her hand to her head. If she could just see! The rough feel of the bandage across her forehead was foreign. Though she knew it was supposed to be there, she tried to remove it.
Then she heard him right there with her, felt his hand caressing her and her world calmed. Everything would be all right. The darkness pulled her down again.
* * * *
Rush, along with Tanner, who was Tays’s youngest son and one of the best trackers in the pack, and Nicole, another who could find a flea on a ferret, managed to get within a mile of the ridge where Trevor said he’d lost Zoe’s trail. There was no road, but the land was drivable. Now with the truck behind them and the sun long gone, the three wolves spread out. Time wasn’t a concept to the three who scoured the ground for any scent, any sign that she’d passed.
Rush’s focus was exact, but he couldn’t help the stray thoughts, his worry for Kay, from flickering into his conscience. He’d been by her side since the incident with Steven, and now he couldn’t imagine being without her. It was happening so fast, all the shocks and decisions. He knew he couldn’t let her go.
The wolf snorted, disgusted at the notion. Okay, I get it, Rush groused back. He didn’t know if the others talked to their wolf the way he did. It was something he’d done since he was a child, and when his mother died, he relied more and more on the quiet patience of the animal he shared souls with. They were one and the same, but different, symbiotic yet two entities within one shell.
A sharp bark snapped his attention to Nicole. She lifted her head and sniffed then whipped her tail up. She’d found something.
Jogging to her further down the ridge, Tanner joined them. Dropping his nose, Rush studied the ground and his body tightened on alert. She’d found Zoe’s scent, but someone else had beaten them to tracking the young girl.
Zoe was being followed.
Shit. With a low growl, they began tracking the tracker and the prey.
* * * *
Kay sat up and stretched. Rubbing her face, she refrained from rubbing her eyes. She’d done that once without thinking and the tenderness of her left eye had shot her with agony. The tips of her fingers ran along the bottom edge of the bandage. If it was night, then she had less than twelve hours to need the bandage. Her lips twisted as she debated.
It had been a precaution, not a necessity. She flexed her facial muscles and didn’t feel faint at the pain to her left side. Her throat had lost the tight burn from being almost crushed, and though her mouth was tender, her lips didn’t feel like swollen sausages any longer, not to herself and not to her fingers when she pressed against them, testing their healed state.
Standing from the edge of the futon, she placed herself in the map of the room. Turning, she walked the four paces to the bedroom, glad Rush had also walked her around this one, too. She found the bathroom easily enough. Now how did she get rid of the bandage?
Scissors would be best, but she doubted they’d appear because she needed them. Carefully, she slid her finger beneath the loosest edge and inched it upward with steady pressure. The tape gave easier than she’d thought it would. She didn’t open either eye as the rough linen swathe slid upward. She peeled the remaining tape strips and the circle of linen cleared her crown.
She released a nervous breath. Her first instinct was to blink, but she remained calm. Turning on the faucets, she ran warm water and carefully patted her eyes, shuddering at the contact and relief of the moisture. She knew Doctor Aimes had prescribed eye drops for dryness. That would be next.
Patiently, though anxious, she wiped her hands and cheeks on the towel hanging behind her, disappointed when she didn’t find the feel of muscular abs again. She’d barely breathed before, and Rush had been there, helping her. At least now, provided she wasn’t seeing double, she’d be able to go look for him, not have to wait for him to come guide her around like a seeing-eye dog.
She turned on a bare heel, the familiarity of the natural hardwood beneath her feet. Standing straight she found the sink with her palm and cautiously cracked her eyes open. She stifled the cry of alarm, all but slapping her hand over her mouth to keep it from exploding into a wailing scream.
“Damn, you’re a mess,” she muttered when she could breathe beyond the shock. But she could see.
The undamaged ey
e was mostly clear, only a little foggy, which drops would likely fix, but the left… She sighed. Her left eye was blood red across the white, and she knew that it would take months for it to clear. At least another two weeks before her face would completely heal. Sonofabitch. What did he hit me with? She thought it had been a fist, but a fist wouldn’t do this. It was lucky no bones had been broken. No wonder Rush had been all but waiting on her hand and foot. She’d been inches, if that much, from serious damaging harm. It’s a wonder she didn’t get a concussion.
Lifting her hair, she swept it back, noting the blue around her throat. Shaking her head, she realized that what she’d thought had been overkill on Rush’s behalf had been a necessity for her. She couldn’t have, shouldn’t have, been left alone with this.
Stripping the bandage apart, she eked two strips of tape and a portion to cover her left eye again, knowing it was only temporary for the moment. The more she blinked, the clearer her vision became with her right.
“My, don’t you look charming,” she mocked her reflection with the make-do patch in place. Princess image, hell. She looked like a Tinkerbell pirate.
Leaving the bathroom, she meandered through the house, finally seeing the beauty of the home she’d been exploring with her fingers for the last two days. And he’d had this designed and built? It was gorgeous for a home.
The interior had a cocooning effect, solid with rough redwood accents. The scent permeated the air now that she could see the cause, like she walked through a sun-heated glade. It was cool inside, with large open rooms and several wall sized windows. The house wasn’t dark. Although it was nighttime outside, a ceiling fan in the center showered the room in light.
“Gorgeous,” she breathed. Glancing around, she wondered where everyone was. She walked toward the kitchen, but couldn’t hear or see anything. Then she heard Sheridan’s voice. She was outside in the back where a glass sliding door stood open.
“No, I’m sure Rush can find her, Emily. The boys didn’t mean to leave her behind. You know how impulsive young pups are.”
Kay slowed. She was on the phone, but before she could turn to leave her alone more of the conversation floated to her.
“Yes, he took two of the pack with him. Nicole and Tanner. It’ll be okay, Emily. Even if she doesn’t shift, she’ll try to find a place to stay safe until morning.”
Pack? Shift? Rooted to the spot now, she eavesdropped shamelessly.
“The Rysen pack? No, they’re friendly on the south side. If they find her, they’ll call someone.”
Sheridan was trying hard to soothe an obviously distraught mother on the other end of the phone.
“Rush knows Thomas, their Alpha, fairly well. The territory dispute was solved not long after he took over Tays’s place.”
It was like a mini soap opera, but Kay was only catching half the on-screen dialogue.
“I couldn’t go. We have a guest. Rush couldn’t leave her alone, so I’m here.” A light laugh broke some of the tension. “I’m not telling either. You’ll have to meet her. She’s pretty awesome. She’ll make a good fem-alpha, I think.”
Kay sank to a chair. They were talking about her. There were a few more words with a promise to call as soon as she heard anything, then silence.
Fem-alpha? What the hell was that? And why was she calling boys pups? Was it an endearment term between them?
Sheridan stepped up onto the risers that seemed to lead to the deck on the far side, freezing with a lurch in the doorway. “Oh, crap,” she muttered.
“I know, I look hideous,” she offered, latching on to the logical.
Sheridan shook her head. “Oh, honey,” she demurred. Striding into the room, she sank down next to Kay. “You’re fine. Colorful,” she offered with a light tease.
“That’s more complimentary than I could give.” She hadn’t turned to look at Sheridan yet. No sense in giving her the up close and ugly view. “What’s happened?”
“A couple of boys were out in the woods and being impetuous idiots, left their little sister to find her own way home.”
Kay gasped. “Are you serious? How old is she?” It was pitch dark outside. It was way too late for anyone to be left out there.
“She’s eleven, but still too young to be out as far as they went.”
“That’s insane! Have search parties gone out?”
Sheridan nodded. “Rush has gone himself to find her.”
Kay lifted a hand to rub her temple. “What is a fem-alpha? And who are the Rysen pack? Is it a motorcycle club or something?”
Sheridan’s face paled. “Crap. Rush is going to kill me.”
“Why?”
Sheridan’s mouth popped open then snapped shut. Twisting her fingers together, she leaped from her seat.
“I don’t know if I should—”
The phone rang, snapping both women to the sound.
Chapter Ten
Rush groaned, lifting his head to let it thud back to the ground, a dead weight that was just too much effort to lift. Everything ached. He was sure his nails would if they had nerves.
“Come on, buddy. You have to change, or move, or something.”
Tanner was kneeling next to Rush. Kneeling? Why was he out of his skin?
Quiet whimpers reached him, the reassuring shush of a female comforting her sobs.
“Is he going to die?”
Zoe. Flashes of memory were beginning to register. A fight. A huge one. A shudder ruffled fur. He closed his eyes to breathe, uninterested in doing anything else. At least they’d found her. He could deal with the rest when he was ready.
“Rush? Not anytime soon, honey,” Nicole soothed the young girl. “He’ll heal. He’s just tired.”
“That’s what happens when you take on five naturals,” Tanner muttered.
“She didn’t know,” Nicole rebuked him. “It’s not like we wear signs that we’re shifters or naturals. She thought they were friendly.” Nicole continued to wrap the terrified girl into her embrace, rocking her. As a female alone, she was prime for the plucking, age didn’t matter.
“I’m not blaming her, Nic,” Tanner stated evenly. “Although Trevor deserves anything his dad gives him for leaving her alone like this. She just hasn’t learned enough to know how to tell the difference between us and them, or how to get home, but he didn’t have to take them all on.” Unaware of the mistake, Zoe had been happy to follow the pack who had found her, unfortunately being led right to their territory and lair.
Nicole snickered. “They took him on, remember? She’s part of our pack. No alpha would just let her be stolen without a fight, natural or not.” Nicole continued to brush her hand over Zoe’s hair. Exhaustion was growing with the young thing, her body going limp. Rush managed to keep an eye on all of them through lids that just wanted to stay closed.
Somewhere overhead the sky and stars blinked down on him. He wished he were home, in bed, with his arms curled around Kay. The memory of sunshine in her hair soothed him the way Nicole’s crooning eased Zoe. So long as he was breathing, he’d heal. He wished the other two would just take Zoe home. He was sure her mother was ready to rip heads off waiting for them.
“Come on, Rush.” Arms wrapped around him, lifting him from the cool ground. “Just do me a favor, and don’t shift until I tell you to, okay?”
He let out a low growl at being told what to do, but couldn’t do much more as his body fell slack, the jarring movement causing blistering pain across his shoulder and back.
* * * *
Sheridan drove in tense silence, her lips pinched tight, exacerbating the paleness of her face. She was stretched with concern and angst. Not that Kay could blame her. After hearing from Emily that Zoe had been found, nothing would have held either woman back, which put Sheridan in a real bind.
Because she’d had no choice but to try to explain to Kay something both were sure should have been left to Rush.
Short of strapping her to something solid, Kay wasn’t about to be left behind. Rush had
been injured looking for Zoe. They’d found her, but from the sounds of it, he’d been ripped to shreds extricating her from a pack of natural males.
Naturals? Shifters? Alphas? There was that word again. It was enough to make her head run in circles. This wasn’t possible, whatever this was, but if Rush was hurt, she wasn’t going to leave him.
When they arrived at the Dale’s home, almost every light was on, even though it was well past two in the morning. Kay sat straighter as they neared and spotted Rush’s pickup truck. The tailgate was down and a young girl was sitting in the bed with a large dog.
“There’s Zoe,” Sheridan said.
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