“Cole.”
“She’s right,” he said after a long moment. “And we’ll search more effectively if there are more of us out there.”
Abram and Norah looked at each other, but to their credit, they didn’t argue the point. They simply nodded after a long moment.
“Then I’ll make a map for you and we’ll coordinate search areas. We’ll be going into the forest, and since Kassie can’t shift, you’ll have to take the less wooded search area.”
“All right.” Cole nodded, apparently satisfied with this arrangement. As for Kassie, all that mattered to her was that she was doing something, anything, to help. She thought she would go crazy if she was just sitting there and doing nothing while her baby was missing.
And it came to pass that no less than three hours later she was behind the wheel of her car, on the way to the nearest sporting goods store to pick up the things that they would need for an excursion in the woods. Her mind was blank, and she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Beside her, Cole was equally silent, though from the look on his face he seemed to have a million things buzzing through his brain, unsurprising given the circumstances.
“I suspected it,” he said, when they had been driving nearly a half-hour in silence. “But I thought I was crazy. I thought… I thought it was something I’d wanted so badly and for so long that I was making this thing up…”
Kassie looked over at him. Cole was shaking his head, running his hand through his hair. “I knew. Norah told me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I felt like it wasn’t my place.”
“It’s okay.” He exhaled slowly. “It’s just crazy as hell. A couple of months ago, I didn’t know anybody. I was living on the streets. Didn’t have family to speak of. Now, I meet you and…”
Kassie laughed, despite herself, despite the situation they were in. “A little crazy.”
“More than a little. But thanks to me, you’re being chased by a bunch of insane…” He sighed again. “And Taylor. You gave me everything, and I gave you nothing but hardship. It’s a raw deal.”
“What?” Frowning, she looked at him again, seeing that his expression had changed. He seemed to be disgusted… with himself? Kassie furrowed her brow. “No, Cole. That’s… that’s not at all how you should feel. It’s not your fault that any of this happened.”
“Isn’t it?”
And it was then that she realized that even though he had been hiding it, he was still the same broken man that he had been when she met him. He could change his clothes and clean himself up, but there was still a lot of healing that needed to be done before he would be whole again.
In that instant, Kassie knew she had to say something. She had to express the thousands-upon-thousands of things that had been on her mind lately.
“Cole. I wouldn’t for an instant change the fact that you’ve come into my life. It’s been crazy and chaotic, and I’ve learned things about the world that I could never have even imagined. But more important than all that, I’ve met a man who’s more amazing, who’s more generous, who’s more…who’s more kind and wonderful and perfect than any person I’ve ever known before.”
She felt her cheeks beginning to warm up as the words spilled out of her mouth, and she fixed her eyes on the road before her, unwilling to see his expression as she finally let her real feelings for Cole out.
“The truth is, Cole…” She paused, taking a deep breath in and then letting it out slowly. Was she really going to do this? Yes… she had to. It was now or never. “The truth is, I’ve been falling in love with you these past few weeks. Maybe that sounds a little bit crazy, I don’t know. What do you think?”
Cole let out a small laugh. Then he said, “I can do crazier. I’ve been in love with you since the night you picked me up in that car all those years ago.”
And there it was. In the midst of tragedy, one sweet, precious moment. Kassie felt her heart swell up, let herself indulge in that moment. More than anything, she let their mutual confession give her strength, because if love was possible then it was proof that even in this darkness, good things were possible.
They were going to get Taylor back, and Logan too. They were going to make their family work. Gripping the steering wheel tight, she made this resolution. Nothing was going to stop them from doing whatever they needed to do to get the children back, and she knew that Norah and Abram felt exactly the same way. With all of them working together, the Iron Fur Clan couldn’t keep them from protecting what was theirs.
And so, the day crept on. They stopped at the sporting goods store and got what they needed, Cole naturally doing most of the shopping since Kassie had only a vague knowledge of what was needed for this sort of thing. Then, they looked at the map that Abram had given them and checked out the locations that he had marked.
They were toward the northernmost part of Spartanburg, leading out of the city. Kassie was vaguely familiar with the area, as it was where a lot of camping and hunting went on during the summertime, but right now it was likely to be virtually deserted—at least by humans. However, there was no way of knowing whether the shifters were out there or not. They would have to be on their guard at all times.
“Abram told me where the old Iron Fur Clan settlement used to be,” said Cole as they looked at the map, “but it seems like they moved on from there years back. He doesn’t know where they stay now. At any rate, the ones who took Logan and Taylor aren’t likely to have left Spartanburg, not while they’re still targeting us.”
Kassie nodded, biting her lip. “So basically, they could be in any of these areas,” she said.
“Basically.”
“Right.”
“We’re going to find them. Don’t worry,” he said. “And when we do, we’re going to make them pay for everything that they’ve done—everything that they’ve put you through.”
“Everything that they’ve put us through, Cole. You’re as much a part of this as I am.” She reached out and took him by the hand, pulling him a little bit closer, and then he reached out and slid his hand around her waist, giving her a comforting hug. More and more, it was becoming natural for them to be like this, and now that they had confessed their feelings for each other she hoped that they could… Well, she hoped that there would be a lot more expressions like this between them.
To that point, she laid her head briefly on his chest, then stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed him before backing away and moving to the driver’s side of the car. Then, it was back to scouting out the location on the map.
It wasn’t far, but by the time they had gotten there, after all their preparations, the day’s light had already waned, and dusk was approaching. As much as they wanted to go out and begin their search, they both knew that Kassie would be in danger if she were to enter the woods at night. And so, much as they regretted doing so, they decided to wait until the next morning to start.
“This is stupid,” she said. “Taylor could be out there.”
“It won’t do you or Taylor any good if you get killed,” said Cole, reaching out and laying his hand on her back. Kassie squeezed her eyes shut, hating the fact that she was helpless, and hating the fact that he was right. They had stopped at the last motel on this stretch of the freeway and were currently sitting in the car outside the office. “Okay, just sit here a minute and I’ll go get us a room,” he said. “Wait here.”
She watched him go through the car window, eyes fixed on him until he disappeared from sight through the motel office door. Then, alone for the first time since she had woken up that morning, a flurry of emotions flooded through her—sadness, fear, anger, and juxtaposed with that the rush of excitement that came from finally admitting her feelings for Cole, of finally acknowledging what she wanted from him and having those feelings reciprocated. The fact that he had said he’d had feelings for her, thought about her since the time they had first met… It was silly, but she could understand.
Of course, there was the fact that she had thought about him because he was Tayl
or’s father, but even besides that, she had felt a connection with the boy who had been a “stranger” to her on that night they had shared. She had never slept with people out of the blue like she had when she picked him up in her car, but she had been compelled to do so, not because she was feeling sad because of her breakup with her old boyfriend but because of some point of connection with Cole that she hadn’t been able to explain back then.
Quite simply put, it was like the two of them were meant to be together. In those few short hours they’d been together then, she would never have been able to explain or understand that, but now she knew. Now she could feel it. And even now, as Cole returned to her from the motel office, it felt like a part of her that had walked away for just a moment was coming back.
“Got a room. Come on,” he said, opening the door for her.
They made their way to the upper floor, and he let her into a neat little room with a large bed. It was otherwise sparse, but that didn’t matter. They were just going to be here for a few hours to kill some time, and Kassie had every intention of leaving with the morning light to start their search for Taylor.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as the door closed behind them, almost startling Kassie out of her thoughts.
“Oh,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “I mean… I’m feeling as good as I can. I’m feeling… determined, I guess. I just want to get her, bring her back.”
“Yeah.” Cole walked up to her and slid his arms around her shoulders, bringing her close. Then he pulled her head to his chest. Kassie let herself stay that way for a long while, listening closely to his heartbeat as it thudded in his chest. It seemed to begin beating a little bit faster the longer she stood there next to him. That wasn’t surprising. She thought that she could feel her own heartbeat speeding up in her own chest too.
Kassie didn’t have supernatural shifter senses, but she could still capture the essence of Cole, being this close. There was something about the way he smelled, something wild but not unpleasant, like a forest on a stormy night. She inhaled deeply, sliding her hands up his sides, his muscles rippling under her hands. In that instant, she dedicated herself to memorizing every inch of him, never wanting to forget the way he felt right then.
“Kassie…” His voice was deep, husky. One of his hands moved from her back and made its way up, sliding through her hair to massage her scalp before settling at the nape of her neck.
“Oh, Cole.” She pressed herself even closer to him, practically leaning on him for support at this point. Now, she was twining her arms around him, holding tight. She didn’t think she could let go of him for anything. She had wanted to do this for so long, and it was as if all the urges, all the desires she had held bottled up for so long were being released all at once in one passionate embrace.
Now she was being pushed back, and Cole was leaning down over her. Kassie looked up, her eyes meeting his for just a moment. Then his lips were on hers, and they were kissing. It was electric, like nothing she had felt before. Not even the kisses they had shared before could rival this one. Perhaps it was because now they both knew how they felt for one another. Now there was something behind the kiss to bring it to life, to make it something more.
Cole teased Kassie’s bottom lip with his teeth for a moment before pulling away, then traced his fingers down the side of her face, continuing to look down at her. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, as if mesmerized by the sight of her.
“Are you kidding? I’m beautiful today, of all days? I don’t think I’ve even brushed my hair.” Kassie let out a soft, mournful laugh.
“You’re always beautiful.” Then he leaned down, kissing her again.
After that, every thought slipped out of her head—every thought save one. She needed Cole. She needed him desperately, and from the way that he was holding her, kissing her, he needed her too. His hands moved over her body, and then together they were moving toward the bed. Together they fell, continuing to kiss, savoring the taste of one another.
“I love you,” Kassie whispered, saying again the words that she had wanted to say for so long now.
“I love you too,” said Cole, cupping the side of her face and staring into her eyes. “I love you, Kassie.” He dropped his forehead against hers, letting out a sigh, and she could tell that he had wanted to say it as much as she had for all this time—perhaps longer.
Reaching down, he took hold of the hem of her shirt and slid it up her abdomen, his fingers grazing her flesh as he undressed her. Kassie shivered at the sensation of it and even more at the feeling of his gaze moving over her. It was hard to believe they had only done this once before, and so long ago. It felt natural to be with him, like the most natural thing in the world.
Then, when they were both undressed, they fell together back onto the bed, flesh sliding over flesh. It struck Kassie then that he had a remarkable body heat. Was that because he was a shifter? Or was it just because he was so caught up in the moment? She didn’t know, but his heat was making her feel even more flush than she had before.
Lying back, she let Cole move over her. And then, he was inside her, and she was awash in incredible sensations that were rising inside her belly and moving through her chest, rippling all the way to her fingertips and her toes.
She cried out, his name on her lips as she grabbed at his shoulders. She could only cry out for so long, because then he was kissing her again, and all she could do was sigh into him and give in to the remarkable feeling that was awash over her.
All at once, that remarkable feeling became almost too much to bear, and she almost began to tremble. Clutching at Cole, she held tight as her release washed over her. Then, he let out a groan and fell beside her on the bed, an arm draped across her waist and his head buried in her shoulder at the nape of her neck.
They lay there like that until they drifted off into slumber, neither willing to move, or perhaps neither able to move after what they had experienced.
It was perhaps the only thing that allowed Kassie to sleep that night. The next morning when she shifted awake, the first thing on her mind was the fact that they had to set out and find Taylor. Cole was already up, already getting himself ready for the excursion ahead of them.
She pulled the blanket over herself and looked to where he was seated at the table by the window. Sighing, she gave him a short nod. “Are we ready to do this?” she asked.
“I am,” he said. “And know this. I’ll keep you safe no matter what, Kassie. There’s nothing out there that will hurt you so long as I live.”
Chapter 18
When Kassie was a girl, she had sometimes gone camping with her father. That was back before he started drinking, before he became too involved in his own life and his problems to care about spending time with her. Then, the woods had seemed like a magical place, full of secrets.
She still sensed the magic and the secrets, but she didn’t feel the same wonder she had felt as a child. Instead, she felt a horrible sense of foreboding as she stepped out of her car and stood at the edge of the forest line, staring into the rippled shadows that covered the wooded floor.
“Are you ready for this?” asked Cole, looking over at her and taking her by the hand.
Kassie nodded. She was ready for anything if it meant rescuing Taylor from whatever evils awaited her out there. She would do anything to save her little girl. With that said, though, she knew that she was no match for those shifters, and she didn’t want to get in Cole’s way if they did find the Iron Fur Clan. All that she could hope for was to hold her own and make sure that she didn’t impede him if they did end up with a fight on their hands.
But she couldn’t think about that. She would deal with things when and if the time came to think about it. “Let’s go,” she said, bracing herself for what may potentially lay ahead. And then they were off, stepping out into the forest.
Now, Cole’s extra senses came into play. Immediately he seemed immensely aware of his surroundings, of every little thing around the
m. She had only seen him shift once before, but now she was really seeing him use his powers, and it was incredible, to say the least. He seemed to almost transform before her, even if he was still a man in shape. He was incredibly focused, his eyes fixated on the distance as they moved.
They walked for an hour in silence with Cole in that hyper-focused state before he seemed to come out of it for the first time. When he did, he reached out and stopped Kassie, a hand in front of her.
“There are shifters out here. Not bears,” he said, a strange look coming over his face. “Wolves. It’s strange. I’ve only met a couple before, in passing.”
“Wolves?” Kassie’s heart jumped a little. She was just barely used to bear shifters, and now she was being confronted with the idea of potentially encountering other types of shifters, and who knew if they were friendly.
“You know I’ll keep you safe,” said Cole firmly, probably hearing the faint tremor in her voice. “Just stay by my side.”
Always, she thought as they kept on moving. The forest was getting even deeper, and though it was possible for her to carry on, it was becoming more difficult. Cole led the way, finding a path for her. However, no matter how much he ensured that she was able to go with him, she still felt like a burden. After all, he would be able to move much quicker and much more efficiently in his bear form. For the first time, she began to doubt herself and whether or not she should be here. Maybe it would have been best if she had stayed at the house. Would they have really cared enough to go looking for her? Maybe, maybe not, but if being here was slowing Cole down, she could very well be hindering Cole’s chances of finding Taylor and Logan.
Ugh… She was tired. She was tired, and she was frustrated, and she was scared. She needed to stop second-guessing herself and just focus on the mission at hand. Right now wasn’t the time to be worrying about whether she had done the right thing. After all, it wasn’t like what was done could be undone at this point. Looking over at Cole, she saw that he had fixed his gaze on some point in the distance and begun to walk in that direction, so she began to walk after him, quickening her own pace to match his despite the rocky path under their feet.
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