Page 18 of Hunted by Them (Primal Desires #1)

SAGE

Yellowstone pulled at me like a magnetic force.

I told myself I was just driving around to enjoy the lovely day and get some fresh air.

Just getting out of the city. But I knew better.

My car ate up the miles, and every exit I passed tightened the coil in my chest until there it was again…

the endless stretch of forest. The entrance to the park was shadowed by tall evergreens and others that had already started to change color.

It felt alive, perfect, and as dangerous as any predator.

I pulled into the same lot where I’d first disappeared.

It was the same gravel parking lot, same weathered signs, but there were no tents or emergency vehicles.

There was a smattering of cars lined up, and other people who had wanted to take in the lovely fall day by going for a hike.

I hadn’t brought my pack, boots, or water.

It was just me, the car, and a knot of longing that made no sense at all. At this point, I just needed to stop trying to analyze what I felt. It would never make sense.

I didn’t get out right away. My fingers drummed against the steering wheel as I contemplated what to do.

This morning was eye-opening, but it hadn’t provided any solutions.

I hated my job. I had enough money saved to pay rent for at least six months, but I was tired of working for someone else. That was obvious.

Could I start my own business? Did I have it in me?

There were several large boulders surrounding the gate so that people couldn’t drive down the main trail with a truck. Only the rangers could access the trails from the unauthorized areas. My eyes stared at the line where the gravel ended, and the forest began. This was where my life had fractured.

Eventually, I opened my door and got out with what was left of my coffee.

I pushed myself up on the hood of the car and crossed my legs.

I soaked in the sounds of the forest and smiled as a particularly loud squirrel ran across a branch and chattered at a chipmunk.

The metal was warm beneath me, and the air was fresh with the scent of pine.

I took a deep breath and let nature remind me what was important.

The forest didn’t move, but I swore it breathed with me. Long inhales through the branches, slow exhales across the clearing.

I couldn’t look away. It had captured me as surely as my masked men.

The pull to this place and the men who had found me in the storm was intense. Stronger than I ever could’ve imagined. It hadn’t just been a fun and wild week of sex. They had unlocked a part of me that I hadn’t known existed.

Hikers came and went, but I remained vigilant at my post, eyes glued to the opening of the trail. It was as if I hoped they would just appear and call to me. Tell me to join them in the storm and the fog, and become part of the lore as I ran wild.

I might’ve sat there forever if not for the low rumble of an engine drawing my attention. An ATV bumped down the dirt trail to the side of the lot, throwing up a cloud of dust. The rider wore the khaki and green of park services, and when he noticed me, he headed over.

He took off his helmet and smiled as he slowed and pulled in beside me.

I recognized him instantly. It was the same ranger who’d knocked on my car window the morning they found me.

He was broader than I remembered. The kind of shoulders that made his shirt strain.

Sunlight cut through the tops of the trees and lit his hair like burnished copper.

And his eyes were startlingly blue. Hard, but kind all at once.

He cut the engine and swung a leg off. His grin was easy as he looked at me. “Sage Harlow, right?”

My stomach flipped, and I nodded, lips dry. “That’s me.”

He placed the helmet on the seat and then leaned against the ATV.

“You okay? I didn’t expect to see you back here this soon, if ever, after what happened to you.”

I forced a smile. “Yeah. Just…couldn’t stay away, I guess.”

He held out his hand. “Name’s Ward.”

I placed my palm in his and stared into his eyes. Needing to look away, I glanced down at our joined hands and was suddenly tongue-tied about what to say.

“I’m Sage.”

He chuckled. “Yes, I know.”

I blushed, the heat creeping across my cheeks. “Yes…of course you do. Sorry, I’m…just not with it apparently.”

Releasing his hand, I looked back at the trees, but could still see his furrowed brow. “Are you heading back in? No offense, but you don’t really look ready for a hike.”

“No.” My laugh was shaky. “I’m not even sure why I drove out here. I just…” I gestured helplessly around us. “I can’t get it out of my blood.”

That made him laugh. A warm, rich sound that eased something in me. “Yeah. I get that. It’s why I became a ranger. This place…it hooks you. Gets under your skin.” He tilted his head as he inspected my face. “Any particular reason you’re here. I mean, you’re welcome to stay, but you look…upset.”

“Today has been a very strange day.”

“Stranger than going missing for a week?”

He smiled, and a dimple formed in his cheek. I laughed.

“You can just say it sounds insane, I know it does. I had to tell my ex to leave me alone again because he chose to stalk me at work. Then, I quit my job. It’s been a banger of a day so far.”

“Wow, that is a lot. Is this ex an issue?” He looked around like Connor might step out of the trees. “Should I call the police?”

“No, he’s just annoying. Harmless, but annoying.”

“I see.”

We stood in silence for a moment, both of us staring at the treeline. The wind shifted, carrying the scent of earth and something older, darker. My skin prickled.

I blurted. “Do you ever see strange things? Like when you’re working out there.”

“Strange? Do you mean aliens, or people hunting ghosts? Or how about couples having sex on the trail for everyone to see? Or people getting high and claiming to have seen Jesus?”

My mouth dropped open. “Has that really happened?”

“Oh yeah, and that’s just the tame stuff. So, what exactly do you mean by strange?”

“Oh…well. You know…the stories, the lore. Bigfoot. Skinwalkers. Werewolves. Cryptids.” The last word caught in my throat. “People say this place is full of things that can’t be explained. You work here, so I was just wondering if you’ve ever seen anything strange.”

His intelligent blue eyes stared at me, and with every passing second, I felt more stupid for saying anything. Then he shrugged, looking back at the trees.

“I’ve seen things I can’t explain. Heard stories from hikers I couldn’t laugh off. Animals that move wrong. Sounds that don’t belong. Whole trails gone quiet, like the forest was holding its breath.”

A shiver raced through me. “So, you believe all that stuff is real?”

“I believe…” He tilted his head, thoughtful. “That the world’s a lot bigger and stranger than we give it credit for. Writing it all off as fake? That feels arrogant.”

My pulse thudded.

Before I could respond, his radio crackled. “Ward?”

He grabbed the radio. “Here.”

“We have a situation down by the gully. I’m on site, and we have an elderly man with a broken ankle. I’ve already called the medics, but we need to get him up to the parking lot with the ATV.”

“On it, I’m at the south parking lot. I’ll be right there.”

He reclipped his radio and grabbed the helmet, snapping it in place as he looked at me. “I should go, duty calls.”

“Yes, of course. I hope he’s okay.”

Nodding, Ward climbed on the ATV, pausing as he stared at me.

“I don’t mean to tell you your business, but you should get going too.” He looked up. “It’ll get dark out here quickly, and I don’t need the trees calling your name and you going missing again,” he said, with a curl of his lip.

“Did you just make fun of me?”

He smiled wider.

“Maybe a little. In all seriousness, it’s not safe after dark. The coyotes have been very active lately.”

I shivered, remembering the late-night howls and yips. They always sounded so eerie.

“Yeah,” I whispered. “Thanks.”

He gave me one last nod. The engine roared, tires spun gravel, and then he was gone, swallowed by the dust.

I sat a moment longer, staring at the forest that I knew would never let me go. Part of me belonged here now…I felt it calling to me.

Finally, I slid off the hood and got behind the wheel. Time to face the city, but first, ice cream for dinner. It was just that kind of day, and I deserved it.

My apartment building looked the same from the outside. All red brick, quiet, and a couple of kids tossing a ball down the sidewalk. But the instant I started down my hall, my body went tight. The door to my place was ajar.

My feet and breath stopped. Looking around, everything was quiet.

Shit.

Pulling out my cell, I held it like a weapon. Dumb, but I still pushed the door open with trembling fingers.

Inside was utter chaos, but it was silent.

My couch cushions had been sliced open, the foam tossed around, and my favorite coffee mug was smashed in the middle of the kitchen floor.

I slowly walked into my bedroom and gasped.

All of my clothes were out of the closet and shredded.

The drawers were yanked open and dumped.

The lamps shattered. Papers were strewn across the floor like confetti at a wedding.

My pulse pounded in my ears.

In the middle of the area rug, a photograph lay torn in half. Connor and me, smiling stiffly at a barbecue two summers ago. It had been at his mother’s mansion, and the entire time she had picked me apart.

Connor’s half of the picture was still intact. My side was shredded through the middle.

A snarl built in my throat.

“Connor,” I hissed.

Scared and furious, I dialed 911. My voice wavered as they answered, but I swallowed it down.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“This is Sage Harlow. My apartment’s been broken into. I know who did it.”

As I gave my address, my eyes stayed locked on the torn photo.

Connor wanted me back. And if he couldn’t have me…he wanted to intimidate me, but fuck him. Fuck him and his arrogant, entitled ass.