Page 25

Chapter

Twenty-Four

K NOX

“So, what do we tell human law enforcement about how we track their missing people?” I asked Yuri as we drove toward a trailhead to search for a pair of missing hikers who had apparently decided that a midwinter hike would be the perfect way to see out the end of the year.

“Bloodhounds,” Yuri explained, switching on his turn signal and executing a turn onto a pot-holed gravel road.

“But they see us sometimes,” I pointed out. “Surely they realize we don’t have dogs with us.”

Yuri shrugged. “Could be magic. I don’t know. If you’re that curious, ask Garrick.”

“Maybe later.”

He pulled into a parking area and turned off the car. Garrick and Everett stopped behind us. We didn’t have the whole team here because it should be a relatively simple search job, although I knew they were on call if we needed them.

I opened the passenger door and got out, stretching my cramped arms above my head. Gods, I hated being stuck in a car. Motorcycles were so much better. The wind in my face, the smell of fresh air and hot asphalt. Nothing could beat it.

Well, nothing other than Danny.

Garrick dumped a plastic tub on the ground for us to store our clothes in. “Everett and Knox, you’re our best trackers. I want you to shift. Yuri and I will stay on foot. That way, when we find them, we can engage the hikers while you disappear into the woods and circle back around.”

“Got it.” I stripped off my clothes and chucked them into the tub, not bothering to fold them. I left my heavy boots beside the tub, not wanting to get our clothes muddy.

I shifted and jogged around the edge of the parking area, noting scents and searching for anything of concern. There didn’t seem to be any reason to worry so I returned to Garrick and Yuri. Everett was sitting on his haunches, towering over me in his bear form, although I liked to think I could take him if I had to.

Yuri held out a pale blue and white blouse and a pair of khaki shorts. “You can get their scents from these. The local ranger retrieved them from the hikers’ vehicle.”

I sniffed the blouse, inhaling hints of chamomile and jasmine. The shorts had a more musky scent, with traces of salt from sweat. I backed off, giving Everett space to smell them, and retraced my footsteps around the parking area. I was certain I recognized that combination of chamomile and jasmine.

When I found the scent, I barked to get the others’ attention. Everett lumbered over and skimmed his nose across the dirt. He nodded and jerked his nose toward the trail, indicating for me to lead the way.

My stomach flipped. I hadn’t been trusted to take the lead yet—not that it particularly mattered, since we worked as a team—but it felt good to be trusted. I waited for Yuri and Garrick to join us and followed the scent trail into the woods.

We meandered along for a while, until we reached an area where the scent diverged from the marked trail. They must have either lost the trail or intentionally left it.

It was rougher going as we traveled through the untouched part of the woods. I pushed through the brush and circled trees, the others close behind. At least Everett and I were having an easier time of it than Yuri and Garrick.

We reached a large rock and I veered to the right, following the faint traces of chamomile and jasmine, but Everett growled and trotted the other way. I cocked my head, uncertain what he was doing, but when I headed toward him, I realized the musky male scent had gone left.

I shifted back. “They separated.”

Garrick scowled. “Great. Why do they always do that? Have they not seen any horror movies?”

Yuri laughed. “This isn’t a horror movie. If it were, we’d be the bad guys.”

The man had a point. Humans were notoriously suspicious of anything they didn’t understand, and there were enough gory werewolf films to prove that we weren’t an exception.

“Yuri, stick with Knox and follow the right trail,” Garrick said, ignoring him and glancing at his watch. “Everett and I will go left. Turn around if you haven’t found anything in the next two hours and we can make a new plan.”

I returned to my wolf form and followed the weak scent of chamomile. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Yuri began chatting out loud despite the fact I was unable to reply. He must not like the silence.

“It’s good to see Danny starting to come out of his shell again,” he said, circling around a large root system that I’d padded over without a second thought. “I think you’re good for him. He wasn’t the same after Rex… well, after Rex. He used to be so sassy. But he really withdrew into himself. We all wanted to help, but none of us knew how to.”

My hackles rose. I sniffed the air, detecting the faint undertone of Yuri’s anger. I didn’t respond though, wanting to know more about Rex and what had happened between him and Danny. I ignored the kernel of guilt festering inside me, reminding me that Danny had yet to share any of this with me.

I sniffed a patch of dirt and focused on finding our missing female hiker.

“Shifters heal quickly but it was still obvious he’d been hurt.” Yuri shook his head, grumbling words that made no sense. “We should have noticed that something was wrong. Fuck…”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t continue listening and pretend that all this was familiar to me. It wasn’t right. I had to let Danny tell me what he wanted to in his own time. I halted and turned toward Yuri, then shifted onto two legs.

“Please don’t say anything more.” I kept my tone soft so he would know that I wasn’t angry with him. “Danny and I haven’t had this conversation yet, and I think he deserves to be the one who tells me however much he wants to.”

Yuri paled. “Shit, man. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.” He groaned and closed his eyes. “Gods, he is going to kick my ass for this.”

“Don’t worry.” I held my hands up conciliatorily, “I won’t mention it. Just don’t tell me anything else.”

“I won’t.”

I shifted back to my wolf form and started up the trail. Yuri stayed close behind me, although he didn’t talk anymore, probably worried about giving away more secrets.

Another hundred yards down the trail, the hiker veered into the woods. I moved my head in that direction to let Yuri know, then I followed it, winding between trees and ducking around bushes. The scent grew stronger, meaning that it was either more recent or that the source was nearby. I was inclined to think both might be the case.

Sure enough, the rhythmic thud of a heartbeat sounded up ahead. I peered through the woods, searching for a figure. When I spotted her, I nudged Yuri in that direction. I waited until it was obvious he’d seen her too and then left him to escort her back while I went to find Everett and Garrick.

By the time I tracked them down, Garrick was walking back toward the vehicles with his arm around a limping guy in his mid-twenties. Everett was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he had done the same as me and gotten out of sight of the humans. I barked softly to let Garrick know I was there and dashed away, following Everett back out of the woods.

I found him in the parking area, already dressed. I pulled on my clothes and leaned against the car.

“Did you hear what happened?” I asked him.

He grunted, his face twisted with disapproval. “Apparently they deliberately went off the trail, intending to use a shortcut, but then got lost. They made the brilliant decision to separate when they reached the rock because they thought they could use it as a landmark to return to. The man went to look for a phone signal, while the woman was searching for shelter. When it was time to meet at the rock, neither of them could find it again.”

“Ugh.” Now I understood his annoyance. Some people just couldn’t seem to make good decisions. Everything looked the goddamn same in the woods. They shouldn’t rely on their ability to navigate them without help.

“Yeah. Don’t worry, I’ve called the ranger, and he’ll be here soon; then the hikers will be his problem.”

That was something, at least.

“Paramedics, too?” I asked. “It looks like that guy had hurt his ankle.”

“I told the ranger he might need medical attention but that it didn’t look serious.” Everett crossed his arms. “I’m not sure whether he’ll bring someone or not.”

Our question was answered less than ten minutes later when the ranger appeared, alone in a green Jeep. He parked and greeted us with a friendly smile.

“There’s always someone, isn’t there?” he asked, very nonchalant about the whole thing. “Don’t worry, boys, I’ve had first-aid training and I brought food and water. I’ll have them all sorted in no time.”

I was glad to hear it. I was more than ready to leave when Garrick and Yuri emerged from the woods with the two hikers in tow. We handed them off into the ranger’s care, and Yuri and I started the drive back to Grizzly Ridge while Garrick did whatever official business he needed to close out the case.

When we arrived at the search and rescue station, Danny came rushing out, carrying a pair of coffees and a brown paper bag.

“A double espresso for Knox, and a cappuccino for Yuri,” he said, thrusting the take-out cups into our hands. “Did you find everyone safely?”

“Yeah. They were fine.” I smiled at him. “Thanks for the coffee.”

He beamed, his cheeks flushing with pleasure. “You’re welcome. There are cheese and bacon croissants in the bag as well. I thought you might need a snack. ”

My heart warmed. “That was very thoughtful of you.”

I tipped back the espresso, not bothering to savor the bitter taste as it drained down my throat, giving me an instant burst of energy.

Danny offered me the paper bag. I took it, and with his hand free, he touched my elbow and took me aside, putting a little space between us and Yuri.

“There’s a midnight run today to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Will you come?”