by Meg Ripley
“Good,” she said. “I want this person dead. Fast.”
“Shall we get a move on?” Owen asked. “The sooner we scope it out, the sooner we can find the attacker. He might still be in the area.”
Britt didn’t answer, but promptly shifted and waited for us. Owen and I both went to the UV and yanked off our clothes, then shifted. She took off and we followed.
You have to chill out, Owen commanded. What the hell was all that?
What’s going on? Everything okay?
Great. Now Mason was in on this, too.
Where’s Conner? Owen asked.
Here, Conner answered. Noah and Hailey are on their way.
Perfect. Thanks. Owen explained the situation as we ran fast to keep up with Britt. We’re following her now to the body.
Britt, I scoffed. What kind of a name is Britt?
Oh right, Owen said. I forgot to mention that the woman who found the panther is the same panther shifter that Ezra won’t shut up about.
She keeps showing up! I defended myself. I can’t escape her and every time I run into her, it’s a horrible experience.
You should hear him whining and going on. Owen did a mental eye roll. He’s worse than a little boy pulling the hair of the girl he likes.
I do not like her, I insisted. I might actually loathe her.
But her scent drives you wild, man, Mason pointed out.
It’s so strong, Conner added, that it makes me want her! He laughed and the others joined him.
Whatever, dude, she’s all yours.
I don’t want to get in the middle of that, so I’ll pass, but I appreciate your willingness to share, Conner amended.
It’s kinda cute, really, Owen said. I mean, when we’re at your wedding, we’ll think back to this moment and all have a good laugh.
My wedding? I huffed. You’re taking things way too far. I don’t appreciate it.
Britt came to a stop and we halted behind her. Owen sent a mental map of our location and then we got to work.
We looked around, taking note of our surroundings, sharing mental images with the clan and memorizing scents. Britt was right. There was no way this was accidental or caused by an animal. I wouldn’t admit it, but she was smart. She knew what to look for. She’d make a good ranger and was probably a pretty decent hunter.
I noticed these things about her, but wouldn’t let the ideas become actual thoughts in my mind. If I did, the clan would pick up on them and would never leave me alone. I was grateful they were finally focused on something beside me for a change.
Owen shifted back and Britt followed shortly after. I stayed in my bear form to both connect to the clan and to avoid being naked around her again.
“Do you recognize the scent at all?” Owen asked her.
“No, but I’ll be on the lookout, mark my words. I will find this asshole.”
“There was a group years ago who thought the panthers should be taken out of the park for good; I hope they’re not back. They killed a lot of panthers, and that’s part of the reason you’ve become rare and protected.”
“Yeah. My clanmate was one of them.” She spit on the ground. “That’s why I’m going to hunt this bastard down and make him pay.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, and I understand your determination, but I have rangers on the way and the police are on their way, too. There will be a full investigation. We’re all taking this very seriously. I wouldn’t want you to be in danger.”
“And that’s why I’m going to hunt down the killer,” she insisted. “If he’s hunting panthers, obviously I’m in danger.”
When she said it like that, the words prickled over me. I hadn’t thought it through. Yeah, she was upset about finding a dead panther. But whoever did this would be hunting her, too, if he was hunting panthers. She was in danger.
Something in my heart alighted. Concern, I realized. I was worried about her. And the mention of her clanmate being killed? It saddened me. I growled at myself. Why should I be worried about her or sad for her? Of all people. Her? Well, no. I was a ranger, after all. I would be concerned about any citizen who might be in danger.
Keep telling yourself that. Mason ran up behind me and Conner was with him. Hailey and Noah were close, but still running.
Stop thought-dropping on my internal convo, I snapped.
“These are two more members of my clan,” Owen explained to Britt.
She glanced over and nodded.
Whew, Mason whistled in his mind. She is pretty hot, though.
Umm hello? Female present, Hailey hissed.
Sorry, Mason said. It’s true, though.
Dude, I said as a warning. Not helping.
What’s the police’s ETA? Conner asked. He was on my good side. For now.
They’ll be here in a few. I’m going to shift to be ready, Mason replied, then dropped the sack he’d been carrying and shifted, dressing quickly.
It’ll be alright, man. Conner nudged against me, then shifted back.
I took off into the woods. I wanted to be away from them, but I also thought I could do more trying to follow the scent than just sitting around getting ragged on.
7
Britt
Once the rangers and police had left, I had more room to take on my own investigation. I had sniffed around the body all I could, but now that it had been removed, things had changed. Scents that had been under the body and somewhat hidden were then exposed. Of course, there were also the smells of many other people layered in there by that point, but I had stuck around just for this reason. I was careful, but I had made sure to get a whiff of each person who’d been there so I wouldn’t be confused. Of course, I had no trouble recognizing out Ezra’s scent. His was the strongest of them all, much to my dismay.
Once I had gone over the crime scene in full detail, I ran around my cabin to make sure the scent of the killer was nowhere near it. I wanted to identify any new odor marks and have a clear scent map of my home in my mind. If anything new came up, I needed to know; whether it was a bunny, a lizard or a person.
When that was committed to memory, I went back to the scene again, found the scent of the killer and followed it. I figured at some point, he got into a vehicle. Being human meant he couldn’t get this far into the park on foot unless it’d taken him hours. And there hadn’t been anyone found around the area. I still wanted to go as far as I could; I’d even sniff out the vehicle so I could recognize it.
I knew Owen didn’t want me to get hurt or anything, and I’m sure they didn’t want me interfering in their investigation. Hell, I sure didn’t want to mess up their work, either. But I wasn’t going to sit around, just waiting for this guy to show up and slash me, too. And if I could give them information that would help them nail the guy, even better.
Owen seemed like a much more reasonable bear than Ezra. It’s probably why he was the Alpha, though naming Ezra as his second wouldn’t have been my choice, if I were him.
Ezra. I drew in a long breath. It still didn’t make sense why I reacted to his scent like I did. My body warred with my mind. My body wanted me to be closer to him, yet my mind wanted to stay far, far away.
As I followed the trail, I noted each scent I took in. Killer, Ezra, Owen, killer, Mason, Ezra, Owen, Ezra, killer, Conner, Ezra, Ezra, Ezra. I let a low growl rumble my chest. They’d apparently had the same idea and had followed the path. Well, I didn’t want to be out of the loop. But as I went, it was like the scents were forcing me to think Ezra, Ezra, Ezra, over and over. Had he just run around in circles as they moved along, marking everything in his path?
Maybe I should talk to Kat’s gramma, I thought. We still kept in touch, though I didn’t see her much those days. Being up in age, she kept to herself even more than she used to. But I wanted to ask her what this Ezra thing was all about. Why was his scent so strong and permeable? Why did my body want him when my mind hated the idea? Unless I was turning schizophrenic, there had to be a reason for it.
I followe
d the trail until it came to an end on a road, as I suspected it would. I sniffed hard to pick out the correct vehicle scent, but lots of vehicles traveled this road, so I had to be careful. I noticed one that meshed the killer’s scent with a vehicle’s, and that had to be it. I spent time with the smell, committing it to memory, then took off to head back home.
8
Ezra
I sat in the ranger station with Owen after the panther’s body had been removed. The clan had come and checked out the scene. The police talked to us and the report had been filed. Now that all of that had passed, my mind was left to wander. And, of course, it wandered to just one place.
Britt.
The hint of worry I had noticed earlier was becoming stronger. I kept seeing the dead animal and hearing and smelling Britt, and it all got tangled in my mind until she became the dead animal. It was too much.
Though we hadn’t spent much time together, I had a decent sense of her personality. Gladesmen and women were the type of people who didn’t mess around, didn’t waste time, and definitely didn’t sit back and wait for something to happen. If Britt thought there was someone hunting panthers—and there was a good chance there was—then she would be out in the woods trying to find him.
Most people would be smart about it. They’d leave the investigation up to the police. They’d wait to find out more before assuming this wasn’t an accident or a stand-alone incident. And if they found out this was someone just going after panthers, they’d be smart about it: they’d sit at home where it was safe, not run out into the prime location for the killings. She would put her scent all over the place, giving the killer a map right to her.
From the scent, we knew the person who’d killed the panther was a pure human. And though we hadn’t smelled another scent with him, that didn’t mean that somehow a shifter wasn’t helping him out. It wasn’t like people and shifters weren’t all around the park all day, every day. The Everglades National Park was a tourist attraction, after all. Whether local or distant, people came to the park to see the wildlife and experience nature.
Others were in danger, too, but my mind was on Britt and Britt alone, which was a problem for a few reasons. Obviously, I couldn’t share this with my clan; they were riding my ass enough. If they heard half of what I’d been thinking all morning, they’d never let up. And without being in bear form, there wasn’t much I could do anyway. What, walk around the area with a shot gun and hope the killer steps out onto the trail? I don’t think so. Being a shifter, my human senses were heightened, but they were nothing compared to when I was in bear form.
The other problem was Britt herself. I was sure, without having to ask, that she did not want me around. If she knew I was trying to protect her, she’d probably attack me. She’d stop me somehow. I didn’t want to be around her again, but I didn’t want to be thinking about her, worrying, feeling trapped and helpless. I couldn’t shift, I couldn’t get my clan’s help, I couldn’t do anything as a human, and I couldn’t find her to protect her. I was stuck.
“You okay?” Owen asked.
I guess I’d been quiet a long time. “Just thinking about everything.”
He watched me for a moment. “You’re worried about her.”
Even in human form, I couldn’t hide things from him. I shrugged.
“I know I’ve been getting on you, but man, if you’re worried, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay if you’re attracted to her or you’re into her.”
“I don’t think she’s right for me though. Do you?”
“Can’t say. Only one way to find out. If you’re worried, go for a run. Sniff around and make sure she’s okay.”
I nodded. “Maybe I will. If she finds out and throws a fit, then I’ll just say I was doing my job.”
“There ya go. And it’s not a lie. I do need you to help find this guy. We all need to be on the case to make sure we don’t have another panther killing in the area.”
“I hope it was a one-time thing,” I said.
“Me, too.”
I looked at the clock on the wall in his office. “I’m done for the day. Think I will go for that run.”
“Let me know what you find, bud.”
“No doubt, man.”
I went out to my car and drove to a more secluded spot. Once there, I stripped down and hid my car key, then shifted. I stood on my hind legs and gave a good stretch, then took off running.
Without really thinking about where I was going, I ran back to the last place I’d had her scent. When I reached it and smelled it, the familiarity of it was comforting. I breathed her in, and it warmed my chest. And that made me pause. If I really didn’t want to date her, or even get to know her, why did her scent affect me like this?
The whole fated thing that Owen kept bringing up seemed like a bunch of bullshit. Her pheromones made my body want her and go crazy with the wanting—that must have been it; it was purely chemical. If we ended up sleeping together ever, it would probably end this. And actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. It might be the best means to the end of this obsession.
I shook the thought from my head and refocused. I didn’t have time to get all riled up, and I sure as hell didn’t have time to stop and take a cold shower. A cool dip might not be bad, though, I thought, so I dashed to the closest pond and jumped in, letting the water run through my fur and cool my body. I got out and shook off, then returned to following the scent.
As I went on, weaving through the mangroves and tall grasses, I got some insight on her hunting patterns; how she circled around nests of birds and slunk along the water’s edge in places. She must have been very good at what she did.
I came to a cabin tucked deep in the woods, but off the park land, technically. It reminded me very much of Owen’s cabin, but then again, there were many of those little cabins out there. They were the properties that had been outside the government takeover back when the Everglades National Park was established in the first place. I didn’t know much about that time, but people still talked about how much land and property they lost. It seemed like a bunch of whining to me; the land in the area needed to be protected, after all. I’d hate to think about the ramifications all that development would have had on our natural resources if the government hadn’t stepped in. But then again, I wasn’t a Gladesman.
It was her property, though, and I wasn’t about to trespass, so I didn’t go any further. But I did pick up a very fresh trail leading away from the cabin. She must be out hunting right now, I thought. I could make sure she’s okay and see if she found anything.
With that, I followed the trail and the scent grew stronger as I went.
Just then, Mason reached out. Hey all.
Just me here, I answered. How goes it?
Wish we were making more progress, but there’s not much to go on.
For the panther killer?
Yeah. We haven’t been able to pull evidence off the body. We’ve pretty much got nothing.
I’m running right now, I said. Trying to follow a trail I picked up on to see if Britt knows something. Right after I had the thought, I regretted it and mentally braced for the backlash.
She was helpful the other day, was all he said. I bet she’ll be a valuable resource in finding him. She has the motivation and the skills. As it turned out, he wasn’t going to rip on me after all. He must’ve picked up on my not-so-fully formed thoughts because he added, She’s cool, man. You could do worse.
I’m not trying to do anything with her at all.
Okay, then. I’ve gotta shift and get back to work. Just wanted to check in and stretch my legs.
Catch ya later, bro.
Later.
When Mason shifted back and I was alone again, I considered what he’d said. Were they all just going to accept it going forward? Would they assume I was going to be with her and that was it? Well, that wasn’t going to happen. They’d see it. I’d work with her the best I could to find the killer. Sure, we all would. But it didn’t have to
go any further than that.
I’d barely finished that thought when I heard a rustling and paused to listen and sniff. It was her. She had to be just over the hill from where I stood.
I didn’t want to startle her, and I sure as hell didn’t want to anger her. I walked slowly and loudly in her direction, and when she came into view, I saw her pounce on a raccoon, sinking her teeth in deep. She turned to look at me, holding my gaze for a long moment.
I stayed back, not wanting her to think this was going to be a of repeat of the deer incident. I wasn’t interested in the raccoon, anyway. So, I sat down to watch her and waited until she was through.
She tore into the raccoon, eating a large chunk of its flesh, and I was content to watch. When she was finished, I’d shift to talk to her. But as I waited, she sat up sharply, then took off running at full speed.
9
Britt
The timing couldn’t have been worse. I’d just killed my coon and was having a nice snack, then he showed up. At that point, I wasn’t even surprised. I’d heard him coming a long way off and then he just sat there. He was being respectful, for once. Just watching. Waiting, I guessed. Why would he have stuck around?
I had planned to talk to him; to show him the trail of the killer I’d found and see if the vehicle’s scent was familiar to him at all. If it wasn’t, I’d make him familiar with it. But then, I’d heard footfalls in the distance. I knew it was a human, from the sound of its steps. Most critters had distinct patterns as they moved, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to recognize what something was before I even smelled it or saw it. This was no different.
