She hadn’t realized how tense he was until that moment, when he practically slumped against the shelving. “I’d appreciate that. Even if she never speaks to them again, at least they’d all have closure. I think both sides need that.” He tilted his head, listening. “It’s pretty quiet out there.”
She kicked the shelf, frustrated beyond belief. “He got away again, didn’t he?”
“Probably.” Micah winced and grabbed his shoulder. “Do you think your Julian could finish healing this?”
Cyn rolled her eyes. Like hell she was letting Julian heal anything bigger than a wounded gnat. “I’ll do it.”
He frowned. “I forgot you’re a Bear like him.”
She snorted out a laugh as she placed her hands over his wound. “Trust me. No one is like Julian.” She began concentrating on his wound, calling on Bear to help her out.
Micah frowned. “Cyn?”
“Hmm?” She needed to focus. This healing crap was harder than she thought.
“Do you smell deer?”
Julian thanked the nice officer for telling him that the fucking asshole had gotten away from them. Really. He’d been right there, shooting at Cyn, and they’d lost him?
And they called themselves shifters. He bet a monkey with pneumonia could have sniffed the guy out, but no. He had to get Deputy Fife and Gomer Pyle. He hoped they were able to find they’re fucking patrol car. After all, it was two whole cars down from the front of the shop.
Maybe he wasn’t being fair, but enough was enough. Cyn was done. He wasn’t going to allow her to play bait any longer. He was grabbing her ass and heading for the mountains, where he and Alex could take care of the girls while the Wolves played Marco Polo with the rogue. Let Dennis Boyd be the hunted for once. All he’d find was a couple of Grizzlies eager for a new chew toy.
“Cyn?” He stepped into the break room but it was empty. A cold shiver worked its way down his spine. “Cyn!”
He sniffed the air, then dashed toward the back room, following her spicy sweet scent. He tripped over something and landed flat on his stomach, his legs tangled in—
“Ugh.” Micah sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “Shit.”
Julian hauled himself to his feet. “Where’s Cyn?”
“Huh?” Micah winced and pulled his hand away. His fingers were coated in blood. “Oh no.”
Julian closed his eyes and tried to beat back the panic that threatened to engulf him. “Your dad.”
“I think so.”
“How could you not smell him?” Julian was screaming. What was wrong with everyone’s noses?
Micah froze. “Fuck. He’s masking his scent. He used to hunt deer all the time. He’s adept at killing his body odor. He owns a whole bunch of hunting clothes with activated carbon in the lining and deer musk spray.”
Jules took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. “Gabe, he got her.”
A string of curses was broken by the sound of Gabe’s cruiser, its sirens shattering the quiet night. “Stay put, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Bullshit. He’d heard stay one too many times. He wasn’t a fucking dog. “I’ll be out back. If they didn’t go through the front, there’s only one other exit.” An exit he was currently running for.
“Julian, damn it. Sit tight. If anything happens to you Cyn will kill me.”
“He’s going to kill her. I’ve seen it.” Julian burst through the back door, sniffing like an addict after a coke dealer. Cyn’s scent pulled him to the right, mingled with blood. His mate was hurt, and once again he hadn’t been there.
More curses poured from the Hunter. “I’m almost there.”
“She’s bleeding. I’m following the scent.” He skidded in the gravel parking lot, muttering a few curses of his own as he realized Boyd had dragged her into a dark alley.
“I’m heading to the back of the shop. Don’t do anything stupid, Julian.”
Was Gabe kidding? Everything that could possibly go wrong already had. Murphy fucking owed him. “I’m following them down the alley.”
“For fuck’s sake, listen to me. I need you to stop for a minute and concentrate. Cyn is your mate. You should be able to sense exactly where she is.”
That was news to him. Then again, he’d never had a mate before. Could every mate sense their other half? “I’ll give it a try.” He stopped, the scent of old Chinese food, rotting cabbage and dog shit almost overwhelming the scent of Cyn’s blood. He closed his eyes and prayed Dennis Boyd wasn’t doubling back. If he was, Julian would be a sitting duck. He reached out to his Bear, praying his mate wasn’t far away. If Boyd got her into a car, it would be all up to Gabe and the shifter cops.
Julian reached out for Cyn’s spirit, following the connection they had as mates. The connection was solid and thick, a brightly lit trail on a dark night, steady and strong. Without thought he was moving, following that radiant path. Gabe was right. It was like he had been following a shadowy figure in the dark, and now he could finally see where he was going. He didn’t even bother switching his vision to his Bear’s. He didn’t need the extra low-light vision. That bright trail would take him straight to his mate.
“Got anything for me?” Julian was startled to realize how close Gabe had gotten to him without his knowledge. The Hunter was right next to him, matching him stride for stride. His dark blue eyes had shifted into his Puma’s gold, allowing him to see better in the dim light of the alleyway.
Julian responded with a terse nod. “Follow me.” Cyn was close and still alive. Either Boyd was holding a gun on her or she was unconscious, because his fiery mate would be struggling, fighting for her life. There was no sound except for their footfalls.
The trail was brightening; they were close to where Boyd had taken Cyn.
“I’m not telling you where she is.” He almost stumbled at the sound of Cyn’s defiant voice. The sound of a meaty thud was followed by a string of Spanish curses.
Julian began ripping off his clothing, preparing for the shift. He didn’t care where any of it landed.
Boyd was about to find out what a pissed off Spirit Bear could really do.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cyn couldn’t believe she’d allowed the asshole to get a drop on her. One minute she’s healing Micah’s shoulder, the next she’s experiencing blinding pain. It didn’t matter if the pain was Micah’s or hers. Boyd had sure taken advantage of it. He’d used her disorientation against her and dragged her out of the shop, forcing her down the alleyway. But now he would have to shoot her ass to get her to go any further.
She kicked the shelf, frustrated beyond belief. “He got away again, didn’t he?”
“Probably.” Micah winced and grabbed his shoulder. “Do you think your Julian could finish healing this?”
Cyn rolled her eyes. Like hell she was letting Julian heal anything bigger than a wounded gnat. “I’ll do it.”
He frowned. “I forgot you’re a Bear like him.”
She snorted out a laugh as she placed her hands over his wound. “Trust me. No one is like Julian.” She began concentrating on his wound, calling on Bear to help her out.
Micah frowned. “Cyn?”
“Hmm?” She needed to focus. This healing crap was harder than she thought.
“Do you smell deer?”
Julian thanked the nice officer for telling him that the fucking asshole had gotten away from them. Really. He’d been right there, shooting at Cyn, and they’d lost him?
And they called themselves shifters. He bet a monkey with pneumonia could have sniffed the guy out, but no. He had to get Deputy Fife and Gomer Pyle. He hoped they were able to find they’re fucking patrol car. After all, it was two whole cars down from the front of the shop.
Maybe he wasn’t being fair, but enough was enough. Cyn was done. He wasn’t going to allow her to play bait any longer. He was grabbing her ass and heading for the mountains, where he and Alex could take care of the girls while the Wolves played Marco Polo with the rogue. Let Dennis Boyd be the hunted for once. All he’d find was a couple of Grizzlies eager for a new chew toy.
“Cyn?” He stepped into the break room but it was empty. A cold shiver worked its way down his spine. “Cyn!”
He sniffed the air, then dashed toward the back room, following her spicy sweet scent. He tripped over something and landed flat on his stomach, his legs tangled in—
“Ugh.” Micah sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “Shit.”
Julian hauled himself to his feet. “Where’s Cyn?”
“Huh?” Micah winced and pulled his hand away. His fingers were coated in blood. “Oh no.”
Julian closed his eyes and tried to beat back the panic that threatened to engulf him. “Your dad.”
“I think so.”
“How could you not smell him?” Julian was screaming. What was wrong with everyone’s noses?
Micah froze. “Fuck. He’s masking his scent. He used to hunt deer all the time. He’s adept at killing his body odor. He owns a whole bunch of hunting clothes with activated carbon in the lining and deer musk spray.”
Jules took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. “Gabe, he got her.”
A string of curses was broken by the sound of Gabe’s cruiser, its sirens shattering the quiet night. “Stay put, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Bullshit. He’d heard stay one too many times. He wasn’t a fucking dog. “I’ll be out back. If they didn’t go through the front, there’s only one other exit.” An exit he was currently running for.
“Julian, damn it. Sit tight. If anything happens to you Cyn will kill me.”
“He’s going to kill her. I’ve seen it.” Julian burst through the back door, sniffing like an addict after a coke dealer. Cyn’s scent pulled him to the right, mingled with blood. His mate was hurt, and once again he hadn’t been there.
More curses poured from the Hunter. “I’m almost there.”
“She’s bleeding. I’m following the scent.” He skidded in the gravel parking lot, muttering a few curses of his own as he realized Boyd had dragged her into a dark alley.
“I’m heading to the back of the shop. Don’t do anything stupid, Julian.”
Was Gabe kidding? Everything that could possibly go wrong already had. Murphy fucking owed him. “I’m following them down the alley.”
“For fuck’s sake, listen to me. I need you to stop for a minute and concentrate. Cyn is your mate. You should be able to sense exactly where she is.”
That was news to him. Then again, he’d never had a mate before. Could every mate sense their other half? “I’ll give it a try.” He stopped, the scent of old Chinese food, rotting cabbage and dog shit almost overwhelming the scent of Cyn’s blood. He closed his eyes and prayed Dennis Boyd wasn’t doubling back. If he was, Julian would be a sitting duck. He reached out to his Bear, praying his mate wasn’t far away. If Boyd got her into a car, it would be all up to Gabe and the shifter cops.
Julian reached out for Cyn’s spirit, following the connection they had as mates. The connection was solid and thick, a brightly lit trail on a dark night, steady and strong. Without thought he was moving, following that radiant path. Gabe was right. It was like he had been following a shadowy figure in the dark, and now he could finally see where he was going. He didn’t even bother switching his vision to his Bear’s. He didn’t need the extra low-light vision. That bright trail would take him straight to his mate.
“Got anything for me?” Julian was startled to realize how close Gabe had gotten to him without his knowledge. The Hunter was right next to him, matching him stride for stride. His dark blue eyes had shifted into his Puma’s gold, allowing him to see better in the dim light of the alleyway.
Julian responded with a terse nod. “Follow me.” Cyn was close and still alive. Either Boyd was holding a gun on her or she was unconscious, because his fiery mate would be struggling, fighting for her life. There was no sound except for their footfalls.
The trail was brightening; they were close to where Boyd had taken Cyn.
“I’m not telling you where she is.” He almost stumbled at the sound of Cyn’s defiant voice. The sound of a meaty thud was followed by a string of Spanish curses.
Julian began ripping off his clothing, preparing for the shift. He didn’t care where any of it landed.
Boyd was about to find out what a pissed off Spirit Bear could really do.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cyn couldn’t believe she’d allowed the asshole to get a drop on her. One minute she’s healing Micah’s shoulder, the next she’s experiencing blinding pain. It didn’t matter if the pain was Micah’s or hers. Boyd had sure taken advantage of it. He’d used her disorientation against her and dragged her out of the shop, forcing her down the alleyway. But now he would have to shoot her ass to get her to go any further.
