Lost and Found (A Werewolf Wars Novel Book 4)

by Bethany Shaw

  Sarah gulped, her eyes inadvertently dipping down to take in his torso again. Realizing she was checking him out, she snapped her eyes up to his. She needed to get out of this house.

  “Sounds good, then let’s go for that walk. You can show me what you found.”

  ***

  Vincent led Sarah to the top of the mountain, watching as she neared the edge. She was silent for a long moment, staring off into the distance. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. His body stiffened as he recalled how she’d felt pinned beneath him earlier. What was that? What had started out as an awkward situation had quickly escalated into something so much...more. She was still Preston’s girl and Lark’s sister. She was also grieving; it would be wrong to give into temptation. He looked at Sarah. She stared absently into the distance.

  She’d been silent the entire walk. In fact, Sarah hadn’t spoken since suggesting they go for a walk. The silence reminded him of those awkward times he’d accidentally fallen asleep at a girl’s house—except nothing had happened with Sarah, not really anyway.

  Having Sarah pressed against him had felt good. She fit perfectly. He clenched his jaw. Okay, maybe it wasn’t nothing. Sarah was not like the girls he took home and he wouldn’t hurt her like that. She had enough going on and he cared about her well-being.

  So stop thinking about her like that and be her friend! Start a conversation, talk to her, end this silence, he berated himself.

  “Nice view,” he said, hoping to clear the air.

  “I wish I had my camera,” she whispered so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.

  “You like taking pictures?” he asked curiously.

  “I wanted to study photography.”

  “Wanted to?”

  Sarah shrugged. “I haven’t touched my camera recently. Besides, there isn’t much you can do with that.”

  “There are weddings and parties.”

  Sarah pulled her hair up and tossed it over her shoulder, then ran her hands through the strands. “Right, and I’m sure my clients will understand why I need to have bodyguards,” she snapped.

  “You’re being antisocial again,” Vincent teased.

  “No, I’m being realistic. Look at Lark. I know the regulars have noticed the man candy at the bakery the past few months. She can get away with it; it’s a shop. But for me to go to weddings or parties...how would I explain that?” Sarah asked quietly.

  “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

  Sarah turned to face him. Her blue eyes misted with unshed tears and she swallowed hard. “My mom bought me my camera. She taught me how to develop film and run Photoshop. She did freelance photography stuff every once in a while so she knew everything about photography. I stopped taking pictures after she passed. Preston,” her voice broke, “got me to pick up my camera again. We spent a lot of time going out and taking pictures. I made new memories with him and now he’s gone, too. Every time I look at that camera, all I can think about is them. It used to be fun and now...now it’s just a reminder of what I had.”

  Vincent nodded in understanding. “At least you can look back and reflect fondly on your time with them. I never did anything special with my mom or my dad. Mom spent most her time with Em, teaching her to cook. Dad, well, I’m not entirely sure that what he did with Daniel could be considered bonding or positive, but I was always a disappointment to him.”

  He paused and let out a long breath, shifting on his feet. This conversation was getting entirely too deep for his liking. He didn’t like to think about his relationship with his father let alone actually talk about it with anyone. “I guess what I’m trying to say is...at least you have good times to remember.”

  Sarah dabbed at her eyes with her finger and gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

  They both turned back to the scenery and remained quiet for several long moments. Vincent exhaled, pleased to have helped her a little. While they both came from extremely different backgrounds, they each were broken in their own way. For him, it was nice to be able to relate to someone else other than his siblings.

  “So,” she started, breaking the silence, “you said you could see a town?”

  “Yeah, over here,” he said, leading her back into the trees.

  ***

  Sarah poked at the meat in front of her. Vincent caught a deer for dinner. The meat was tender and good, but she’d had more than her fill of it and her stomach was heavy and full; it was a feeling she hadn’t felt in days. Her stomach gurgled contently as she met Vincent’s eyes sheepishly.

  “Get enough to eat?” Vincent asked as he continued to inhale his food.

  “Yes, thanks. I thought your mom only taught Em to cook. You seem pretty okay yourself,” she said.

  “Really? I’ve kind of been winging it.”

  “What about skinning the animals?” she asked curiously.

  “We’d hunt on our land back home. It saved money at the store and a trip into town. It also helped make sure no hunters ever came onto our land—well most the time anyways. We could eat it raw, but wolves can be territorial over their kills, so it was safer to send a few wolves in opposite directions and then have them bring it back for the whole pack.”

  “I could never do that part of it,” Sarah shuttered. “Too messy.”

  Vincent nodded in agreement. “Not my favorite part either.”

  Sarah slouched back in her chair. “We still haven’t decided if we are going into town or not.”

  “There is no way for us to determine how far away it actually is from here. Not to mention, the terrain looks rugged.”

  “I know. I’m just thinking that there are phones there. We could call Lark and Devon. We could go home,” Sarah whispered.

  “Then we’ll head into town. Are you up for it tomorrow?”

  Sarah stretched her limbs. They were still tender and stiff, but she wanted to go home. “I can do it.”

  “We’ll leave in the morning,” Vincent agreed.

  “Do you think we are out of the sheriff’s jurisdiction?” Sarah asked hesitantly. The last thing they needed was to run into more trouble when they were so close to freedom.

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to play it safe and keep a low profile.”

  “I’m game for whatever we have to do as long as it gets us home,” Sarah replied.

  “We’ll be on our way before you know it,” Vincent assured.

  “Do you think...do you think they have any hope at all for us?” Sarah asked, her voice thick with emotion. Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling.

  “They showed them bodies, Sarah. I don’t think they had any other option other than to believe we are dead,” Vincent murmured. “I know once they find out about us, they’ll do whatever it takes to get us home.” He reached out and placed his hand over hers.

  Sarah stared down at his large, calloused hand that dwarfed her own. The gesture was reassuring. A small smile pulled at her lips and she sighed.

  It occurred to her that they’d spent so much time trying to get home, that they hadn’t wondered if everything back at the ranch was okay. Her stomach twisted as worry entered her mind. Nausea curdled in her belly, churning uncomfortably. “Do you think everyone there is okay?”

  Vincent squeezed her fingers. “I don’t know, but I hope so. Regardless, we are going to get through this. You and me, together. We’ll deal with everything as it comes. Let’s not think about things we can’t control.”

  “You’re right.”

  “We could talk about the things we can control. Like, what will you do when we get back? Go to school?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I’ve already deferred the first semester of school...it’s already started. What about you?”

  “I’m supposed to be looking out for you. Looks like you’re deciding for the both of us.”

  “You’re my babysitter?” she stiffened, yanking her hand out of his grasp. So, he’s just looking out for me out of
duty, not because he cares. Anger swelled in her at the thought. Here I thought we’d been sharing a connection of some sort.

  “I thought Lark and Dev told you,” Vincent said.

  “No, they didn’t,” she snapped.

  “They probably just hadn’t gotten around to it yet,” he surmised. “You don’t need a babysitter, Sarah. You’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I’ve seen what you can do, Rambo. They’re just worried about you. With everything going on, you can’t blame them for that.”

  Sarah stood up and walked to the fire, watching as the orange flames flickered over the burning log. “I just want this to be over. I should be able to go to school, to go out and live, without having to worry about being kidnapped by misogynistic werewolves.”

  “I’m offended.” Vincent placed a hand over his chest dramatically. “I’ll have you know that I’m fun. The life of the party! You don’t want to go to college without me. Think of all the things we could get into.”

  Sarah smiled despite herself. “Yeah, like watching your womanizing ways.”

  “College is good for that,” he smirked, pointing at her. “We could be each other’s wingman.”

  Sarah snorted. “Maybe you can have sex with a complete stranger, but that’s not for me,” she answered honestly.

  Vincent studied her a long moment. “So, I’ll help you find a nice guy to date.”

  Sarah chewed on her lip. She felt guilty even thinking about dating again. And the incident with Vincent this morning had been eating at her conscious all day. Relief washed over her as she considered what he’d just said. Maybe whatever attraction she felt earlier was one-sided. Good! It would make things easier. “Maybe I could help you find a nice girl to date,” she shot back.

  “I don’t know about that. One girl—being faithful—not my style.”

  “Maybe you just haven’t found the right person yet.”

  Vincent chuckled. “Let’s get you to college and then we’ll worry about both of our social lives.”

  “You’re really intent on this school thing. Are you sure there isn’t an ulterior motive there?” she quirked her brow up at him.

  “I already told you my motive.”

  Sarah sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I’ll think about it.”

  Vincent nodded. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  ***

  Sarah unclipped her clothes from the makeshift clothesline in the shack and shook out her stiff pants. It had seemed silly to wash her clothes two days in a row, given the work that went into it, but she didn’t know when they would be able to get cleaned up again. Unfortunately, there was only the one PJ set for them to wear. They were both scantily clothed and, damn it, he looked good without a shirt. She bit her lip as Vincent took his shirt down and slipped it on over his head. Hesitantly, she slid her camouflage garment on and buttoned. Vincent gave her a lopsided grin and wagged his eyebrow as he handed her the black tank top, but turned his back to her as he took his jeans off the line.

  Sarah’s breath caught as he lowered the waistband of the plaid pajama pants down and she got a glimpse of his tight ass. Oh my god, he’s going commando! Heat erupted over her face, and she promptly spun around as her pulse roared in her ears. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt as she removed the garment. Her hand trembled as she yanked her top over her head and covered herself.

  “Are you decent?” Vincent asked.

  “Yeah. You?” Sarah asked, untucking her long locks from the back of her shirt.

  “Yep.”

  The floorboards creaked as he spun around. Sarah turned slowly to face him, but couldn’t quite meet his gaze. She cleared her throat. “I’m going to pack up in here if you want to go collect the water and berries.”

  “I’ll be back in a few,” Vincent agreed.

  “I should be ready by the time you’re done,” she called after him.

  “Holler if you need me.”

  Sarah nodded to his back and busied herself packing up the MREs and a few blankets in a book bag she’d found stuffed under the bed. Guilt gnawed at her conscience. Stealing wasn’t right, but she and Vincent needed the supplies to ensure their survival. If they got back—when they got back—she would find some way to send money or new supplies to the property owner.

  She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she barely heard the door to the cabin click open.

  “That was awfully quick,” she commented as she tugged the zipper shut on the bag. Footsteps creaked across the floor, but Vincent didn’t say anything.

  Sarah’s hands stilled. Her heart lurched painfully in her chest as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Slowly, she turned around. A man with long, greasy, jet black hair stood in front of her. He was at least a foot taller than her and, judging by his bulging muscles, it wouldn’t take much for him to overpower her.

  I need to yell for Vincent!

  Her eyes darted to the door and, in a vain attempt, she sprinted toward the opening. A long muscled arm caught her about the waist and slung her backwards onto the bed. The air whooshed out of her lungs as her back connected with the metal headboard. She gasped, forcing air into her chest.

  “Vincent!” she croaked, hoping the other wolf would hear her as the man in front of her whipped out restraints.

  The man leered at her and she scooted to the edge of the bed cowering away from him. Think, Sarah, think! Preston had shown her a little self-defense, but she was nowhere near as trained as Lark was. I should have spent more time picking up training instead of lost in a funk.

  A hand jutted out, snatching a hold of her wrist and yanking her off the bed. Sarah let out a startled yelp as pain ricocheted up her arm into her shoulder. I have to get free! Fight back. Don’t make this easy for him. On instinct, her foot lifted up and flew toward the man’s crotch. The man grunted and recoiled from her. She opened her palm and smashed it into his nose. Sarah grabbed the bag and darted out the door.

  She had to find Vincent so they could get out of here. She panicked, realizing she had no idea where he was or if he was okay.

  Chapter Four

  A few minutes prior...

  Vincent continued his walk down to the water. The branches swayed lightly in the breeze. It was peaceful out here. He didn’t like leaving the wilderness behind for the city, but understood Sarah’s need for normalcy and safety. They needed to get back home before they were captured.

  Mockingly, the wind blew again, carrying with it the smell of sweat and body odor mixed with dried leaves in the air. Luna’s men had found them.

  He could make out two different scents on either side of him. Are the wolves surrounding Sarah as well? The woods were quiet and he doubted Sarah would go down without so much as a peep. She was okay for the moment, but her immediate future depended on how he handled himself against his two stalkers. It was imperative he keep them away from Sarah.

  He clutched the water bottle in his hand, flexing his fingers, and willing them to partially change into claws. Protecting Sarah was his first priority. The bones cracked and hair sprouted out as the nails elongated. He grimaced and suppressed a grunt, hiding his transformed hands against him. His best bet was to keep leading them away from Sarah. Her cuts and bruises were finally looking better. The last thing he wanted was to see her hurt again. He just had to get a little further away from the cabin.

  A twig snapped behind him as one of his stalkers, knowingly or not, alerted him to their presence. He froze and held his breath. The air was silent for a split second as all three of them became aware of each other. The moment seemed to stretch endlessly as they all waited for someone to make a move.

  Vincent gritted his teeth as footsteps stampeded toward him. He spun and dodged out of the way of his burly attacker and then kicked him to the ground.

  The man snarled and jumped to his feet, his golden eyes narrowing as he lunged, claws outstretched. Vincent caught him and shoved him away. He glanced toward the second man who was sprinting
up to the house.

  Sarah!

  His assailant took advantage of his distraction and tackled him to the ground. Vincent’s back thudded against the dirt. He let out a pained yelp as something sharp poked into his lower right side. Warmth spread under his shirt and he cursed under his breath. The cut didn’t feel too deep, at least he didn’t think it did.

  A fist flew at his face, and he instinctively raised his hands to deflect the blow; he’d become a master at blocking an attack. Who would’ve thought his dad had actually taught him something beneficial—just in a roundabout way. Still, his body could only take so much. Even if he was deflecting most of the shots, his arms still throbbed from the assault. He would need to take the offensive—soon.

  The man punched his forearms repeatedly. Still, Vincent held his position, protecting his face and body, and waiting for an opening. The man paused and Vincent struck out with his clawed hand, jabbing his nails into his enemy’s chest. Vincent lifted his other arm and sank his elongated digits into the man’s throat.

  His assailant’s eyes widened as he pitched forward. Vincent caught him and rolled the limp body away before the dead weight fell onto him.

  “Vincent!” Sarah’s choked voice called out.

  He pushed to his feet and raced to the shack. Fear squeezed his heart and he prayed she would be okay when he reached her.

  The trees whirled by him as he sprinted to Sarah, his pulse pounding in his ears. He’d promised to protect her and he wasn’t going to let her down.

  ***

  Sarah scrambled out of the cabin as panic consumed her. She had to get away. Her feet tangled as she moved and pitched forward, landing on her hands and knees in the dirt. The bag fell from her grasp and rolled a few feet away. A cloud of debris kicked up into the air and she coughed as it went up her nose. She had to keep moving; capture was not an option she would consider.

  She swiped the back of her arm across her face and looked up at her surroundings. A brownish coat caught her eye in the masses of red and yellow leaves. She paused since the color was similar to Vincent’s, but this wolf’s fur was redder.