Page 55 of Brushed By Moonlight

Or my size,I nearly growled as she looked him over. Not that I was jealous or anything.

“So, probably not a woman,” she concluded.

“Henrik passed through here too, so we’re seeing two trails, which makes it difficult to judge,” Roux said. “But, yes. Probably not a woman.”

Mina followed the path of trampled vegetation. That took her — and us, in her wake — through the jumble of the garden and onto the north lawn.

“Any indication that he came from the road?” She looked toward the long, tree-lined driveway.

“No. He came and went through the forest,” Roux said decisively. We’d all combed the area carefully and reached the same conclusion.

“So, he probably came alone,” Mina mused. “No accomplice dropping him off, for example.”

“That’s what it looks like, Sherlock,” Roux snipped.

Mina shot him a sharp look, and he stuck up his hands.

“Sorry. It’s been a long night.”

“And I appreciate you staying out so long to gather information,” she said evenly. “But I’d appreciate you even more forsharingthat information.”

He nodded wearily and led her toward the forest, pointing along the way.

“His in- and outbound trails overlap. Traces here, here, and here, but no scent anywhere.”

The bushes behind us rustled, and Mina whirled, raising her fists.

“Sorry, just us,” Bene said, emerging with Henrik.

Mina lowered her hands slowly. So, being here did put her on edge, but that hadn’t stopped her from coming to see for herself.

I doubt anything can stop this woman,Roux sighed into my mind, having caught my thoughts.

A good reminder for me to keep up a mental barrier.

So I don’t find out you have the hots for the teacher?he goaded.

I do not have the hots for her!I snarled into his mind so fiercely, he took a step back.

Sure. Right. No feelings whatsoever, he muttered.

None, I told myself. Nothing I wouldn’t soon rid myself of…somehow.

“This way?” Mina asked, oblivious to our silent communication.

Roux nodded and took the lead, indicating the trail we’d followed a dozen times in the past few hours.

“He came from that angle, but he fled, well…”

“Let me guess,” Mina deadpanned, staring down a hundred-meter strip of charred forest. “He fled that way.”

Everyone stood quietly for a good minute, taking in scorched skeletons of trees and clumps of smoldering vegetation.

I fidgeted.

“Did he, um…” Mina waved at the far side of the burned patch.

“Continue out the other side?” Roux said somewhat diplomatically. “Yes. We picked up his trail there.”