“If he’s down there, I’ll find him.”
Ginger didn’t stick around to see if he was going to question her about the sleeping-slash-dying thing. Instead, she walked purposefully to the car and popped the trunk, giving thanks that clouds had rolled in, occluding the moon. It was dark for a precious moment, and she exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
Not until her head was ducked over the open trunk did she swipe at the tears that had welled in her eyes.
Luke was on Damien’s scent. They’d been tracking the incubus for two hours, but the sun was just now rising over the tallest peaks. The map had indicated the main entrance to the cave system was a three-mile hike from the cabin, which should’ve taken them no more than an hour to get to. But Luke had decided to follow Damien’s scent rather than head straight for the opening.
The incubus had clearly taken his time getting to the caves.
“He left his garbage here.” Ginger pointed to a convenience store bag. “Can you tell how long he’s been gone?”
“Judging by the smell alone, he left this place a day ago, but it’s hard to know for sure. Weather and other things factor in to scent.” Luke scanned the horizon, but saw no movement.
Ginger bent down to grab the leftover trash. Inside was an empty chip bag, a soda can, and a few candy wrappers. They knew Damien was in this area because Luke had tracked him to the Great Basin National Park entrance a few days ago. What the rangers didn’t know was there was a vast network of undiscovered caves that humans knew nothing about. Once Ginger and Luke had both contacted their own people—Luke’s being a researcher through the Sin City Collectors agency—they’d each had supernatural maps of the area faxed over to their motel.
There were only two entrances, and they assumed Damien would head to the closest one. Ginger had called in a favor to one of her contacts, which was how she secured the secluded cabin, and this morning Luke had picked up Damien’s scent in the forest not ten minutes in.
Luke glanced over at Ginger, who was still contemplating the garbage. It was a little strange Damien would choose to eat anything if he really was planning on killing himself, but Luke kept his mouth shut.
Instead, he stood there and enjoyed the view.
The morning sun began to flicker over the valley floor just below them, and streaks of light began to leak through the woods, highlighting Ginger’s coppery hair—like it had in his dream. Just standing there, she took his breath away. He couldn’t stop staring at her neck. He licked his lips.
She glanced up, startled to find him watching her.
He cleared his throat and turned away. “It’s time to head down to the valley. It shouldn’t take us more than a half hour to get to our targeted entrance. Did your contact happen to tell you what the entrance to the cave opening looked like? On the maps it’s just marked with an X.”
“Yes,” she answered, following him down the mountain. “A big boulder is sitting in front of it. We’re going to need strength to move it, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.”
Luke couldn’t help flexing a bit and grinning like a fool. “Nope, shouldn’t be a problem at all.”
Luke had amazed Ginger all day. He was confident and completely in charge. He deftly made his way over any obstacle they’d come across, always stopping and waiting for her to clear them as well, offering help to her when needed. He’d started their hike at a brisk pace, but it hadn’t been too rigorous.
Ginger had knots in her stomach thinking about finally getting a chance to talk to Damien again after all these years. Now that she was so close to getting that chance, it made her nervous as hell. What if he resisted? What if she couldn’t get through to him like she hoped? A hundred different scenarios raced through her head as they’d walked.
“I think we’re close,” Luke called over his shoulder as he pointed at something. She followed his arm. Fifty yards ahead, she spotted a large boulder lodged in front of the mountain. They’d been on the valley floor for a while now, following a small, meandering river surrounded by mountains on both sides. “That looks like what you described. His scent is all over here, too.”
They walked up to the stone blockade together. Ginger slipped off her backpack and set it on the ground. She’d brought a meager amount of supplies, considering what she usually packed when she had to go out in the field, but she’d trained herself never to be unprepared if she could possibly help it.
Inside, she’d packed some food and a hypodermic syringe with a powerful spell that could render a supe unconscious. The syringe had cost a pretty penny, so it was inside a special, unbreakable case. She also had a pair of spelled handcuffs, which also cost a small fortune. But once they were on, they muted a supe’s natural abilities. She also had a few other devices, one of which could locate a heartbeat from miles away. She’d prepared for the unknown as best she could.
Luke headed straight to the boulder. Ginger heard the telltale buzz one second before the shifter was tossed backward at least twenty yards.
He landed on his backside, but was up in the next instant, incensed. “That boulder is warded! How can that be?”
“It shouldn’t be. The maps said it was open.” Ginger bit her lip. This wasn’t good news.
“The only person I scent anywhere around here is your brother. The ward didn’t give off any magical warnings, either.” He glanced at Ginger, confusion on his face.
Ginger moved toward the rock, careful not to get too close. Wards had serious kickback, and sometimes were fatal to supes. “I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t detect any magic, either. I just heard the same buzz you did a second before you were zapped. Mason was the only incubus I ever knew who had any magical abilities. But I promise you, there’s no way my brother can cast a spell. He’s no witch hybrid. Both my parents were demons. This ward wasn’t set by him.”
Luke ran both his hands through his hair, obviously frustrated. It was their first real obstacle. “Well, his scent is the only one around here for miles. I believe you when you say he can’t cast spells, but he could’ve brought one with him. There’s no other explanation.” He came over to stand next to her. “He must’ve set the ward once he was inside, and judging by the size of that boulder—” he swung an arm toward the blocked entrance “—he also had a spell to get him inside. I saw his height and build inside the hangar, and I know incubi don’t have super strength. Your brother couldn’t have moved it on his own, and even if he had, he couldn’t have shut it behind him once he was inside.”
“I agree. He couldn’t have moved that boulder. It doesn’t make sense,” she said. “When he ran from us, he didn’t have anything on him. He barely had time to grab his clothes before he was out the door. We’ve been on his tail since then, and there’s nowhere he could’ve picked up any spells. The towns we’ve been though have been too small, with no supernatural resources.”
“I hear you,” Luke said. “It doesn’t add up. We’re going to have to think outside the box.” He started to pace. “If these caves are known to other supernaturals—like we believe they are—it means The Sumerians have access to that same information. Neve mentioned something when we were at Hellhounds all those weeks ago about them being into trafficking.” Nevada Hamilton was a dhampir and a fellow Collector. She had a lot of good connections and had managed to find a way to save Sofia when the incubi had been in her head. “This would be a good, logistical out-of-the-way spot to conduct that kind of business. Do you know anything about their illegal business dealings?”
“Yes,” Ginger said. Unfortunately, she did know. “They are into trafficking. They deal in almost anything: drugs, goods, and humans.” She grimaced. When she’d been with them, she’d never witnessed it firsthand, but there had been enough rumors to substantiate it.
“I think your brother knew all along where he was headed once he left the hangar. Or at least the general direction. He stopped and got National Park Service maps, but it was clear he knew the area he needed was close by, ju
st like we did once we got our intel,” Luke said. “And there’s no way he would come here if he didn’t know how to get in.”
“I think you’re right,” Ginger responded—however much she didn’t want it to be true. That meant Damien had a plan all along.
“I have no idea how to break a ward, do you?” Luke asked.
Ginger wasn’t witchy either, and had terrible skills detecting how spells worked, but she moved closer to the boulder anyway. Once she was near enough she could sense a low current, like heat rising from a hot pavement. It pulsed like it had its own heartbeat, but it was very faint. “Well, I can see why we didn’t pick up on it. The warning is very faint. I wish I knew more about spells, but I don’t.” She turned around. “I usually just throw money at things when my dealings with supes get complicated. If I knew this was going to be an issue ahead of time, I would’ve hired a witch to accompany us here.”
“It’s too late for that, and we can’t call Sofia because we’re completely out of range,” Luke said. “What we have to do is figure out how your brother got the spells if he didn’t bring them with him initially.”
“My understanding of wards is you have to have something physical to switch them on and off if you’re not a witch, like a spelled mallet, or at the very least a syringe.”
“If that’s the case, he could’ve found what he needed here, right?”
Ginger nodded. “Here makes sense.”
Luke immediately turned and angled his head in the air while taking in short, staccato breaths. “If The Sumerians use this place as one of their holds, it would make sense they have a stash of spells close by in case of events like this.” Luke walked about twenty yards into a dense row of trees right at the edge of the small creek they’d followed down from the mountain. His nose was still in the air. Then he dropped to his knees under the base of a big fir tree and started to dig with his hands.
Ginger followed. She stood right behind him, looking on with interest. She put her pack back on her shoulders, adjusting the straps. “How did you find something that fast?”
“I just went where my nose told me to go. This is the heaviest cluster of your brother’s scent, besides the opening. Doesn’t mean it’s here. He could’ve just sat under this tree and rested, but it’s a good place to start.”
Ginger watched him dig efficiently with his hands. He was powerful, displacing dirt easily, his shoulders flexing underneath his T-shirt. Ginger swallowed. He stopped, and she asked, “Did you find anything?”
“Not yet, but this dirt has been freshly tossed. I think whatever your brother dug out from here, he took with him.” He sat back on his heels.
Ginger wandered over to the water’s edge and glanced up and down the riverbanks to see if she could spot anything strange. “Wait, I think I see something.”
Luke stood. “What?”
“It’s just a tree up the river, but it’s very particular. There’s nothing around like it. It’s one of a kind.”
Luke ducked out from under the tree, clapping the dirt off his hands. “What does one of a kind have to do with anything?”
Ginger appraised the shifter and shrugged. “It’s a sex demon thing. It could mean nothing, but I’d say if they have more than one place to keep needed supplies, we should check there.”
“I’m not following you.”
Ginger sighed. “Demons find beauty in the unusual. We’re inexplicably drawn to it. If I were a sneaky group of incubi, I’d pick markers that stood out. That way, I wouldn’t need a map, I’d just instruct my following to search for the unique.”
Luke turned his gaze up the river. “Okay, so what do you see?”
She swept her hand in front of her. “Do you see that tree covered in moss? The one that’s hanging over the water at a forty-five-degree angle?”
“Yep.”
“See any other tree in the area covered completely in moss?”
She watched him scan the area, even stepping out to look behind him. “Nope.”
“That tree has a serious lichen issue, but it’s also stunningly beautiful. The leaves match the moss almost perfectly. It also appears to have been groomed a little—or rather—tended to, which is also a demon thing. We covet the unique, and when we find it, we tend to take possession of it. That’s why Mason was such a bastard. His incubus side demanded he marry and breed with one-of-a-kind supernaturals. That desire drove him to his death. That tree—” she motioned toward it again “—is the equivalent of a demon’s wet dream in the natural sense.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I’m having a hard time believing it. How can a tree be seen as seductive?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Ginger said. “Anything can be seductive if you see it in the right light. Haven’t you taken the time to notice all the beauty around you today? This place is absolutely breathtaking!”
“I see it, and the scenery is nice, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t come close to giving me a stiffy.” He grinned at his joke.
She crossed her arms. “Then you’re not appreciating it enough. Nature should be…stiffy inducing.” She bit her tongue so she didn’t smile as she moved as close as she dared to the wolf without touching him. She positioned her body parallel to his and brought her arm up. “Follow my finger and try to open your eyes and really see what I’m about to show you. It’s not a tree, but living things aren’t the only things with beauty. When demons see the world, we have a different filter than most.” She dropped her hand. “Better yet, first close your eyes and think of a beautiful melody, then pair that sound with the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your mind. Then open your eyes slowly and look at where I’m pointing.” She watched him close his eyes, and after a moment a slow, contented smile formed on his lips. “Are you ready?”
“I am.”
She zeroed in on something that had taken her breath away when she’d first seen it on their way down the mountain. “Okay, open them slowly. Now, look up. Do you see that single mass of rock protruding from the mountain face over there?”
“I see it.”
“Notice that the color of that particular rock is different from the mountain itself, like it had to pull itself out because it wanted to be seen—needed to be seen—by the world around it.”
“Kind of.”
“You’re not trying hard enough. Do you see the swirl of red playing against a backdrop of rich browns and ochres in the middle? Even better, do you see the way the tops of the trees seem to be trying to reach it? Like they’ll die if they don’t get to touch one thin leaf to it. They’re weeping with need. Their greens and yellows have to mate with the reds of the stone, or else they won’t be complete. Then all the colors together—” She looked over to find Luke gaping at her. “What?” She dropped her hand.
“Nothing, I’m just…floored you can see all that in one piece of rock.”
“This is Natural Beauty 101 for demons. Majesty in the world gives us boners all the time.” She chuckled. “I’m telling you, if there are more spells, they’re likely over there under the mossy tree. It screams to be noticed. If I were an incubus looking to get in, I’d go there.”
Luke scratched his head. “Then let’s go.” They began to move toward the tree. “And just so you know, that was one of the best lessons I’ve ever had. Wolves don’t notice much past their noses, so that kind of beauty is lost on us.”
Ginger felt flustered for some reason. “You’re welcome.”
As they made their way over to the tree covered in moss—one he never would’ve taken notice of in a million years—Luke kept sneaking peeks at Ginger. How she’d described the rock jutting out of the mountain had been nothing short of erotic. He’d felt her description. She turned him on, and would be chagrined if she knew, but it hadn’t been because of the reds and ochres. It had been because of her, and the way she’d obviously been affected by all of it. It’d been totally hot, like nothing he’d ever experienced, which was becoming a norm when he was around her.
> He appraised her again out of the corner of his eye. She walked beside him, her face set in concentration.
“Can you smell anything?” Ginger turned to him, surprised to see him watching her again.
“I’m picking up on things—” he took a big breath in “—but the scents aren’t fresh. They’re older. Your brother didn’t come this way. But based on what I’m picking up, others have. And whoever they were, they all smelled the same, which is why the imprint is still here.”
Ginger stopped and turned, looking back the way they’d come.
Luke followed her gaze. There was an opening along the bank. “Ah, I see now.” Ginger smiled wide. He had to swallow to keep from choking on his own saliva. The sunlight caught her eyes this time, making them sparkle a brilliant green. “Do you see the top of the tree you dug under?”
He turned to where she indicated. “Yes.”
“It’s taller and far fuller than anything around it. The green needles are dark and vibrant, more so than any other fir tree in the valley. Another beacon.”
They began walking again. “You know, if you’re right about this mossy tree hiding something,” he said carefully, “you realize The Sumerians know this place well—
and they probably come here often. The caves are probably a holding ground, but they also might be a cache for stored goods. You brother had to know this.”
Ginger nodded, not meeting his gaze. “Yes, it seems more and more that’s the likely scenario.” That was all she was going to say about it, so he let it be.
Luke stuck his nose in the air again and changed the subject. “Incubi in general have a very particular scent. It’s sweet, like cotton candy, but mixed with stale jelly beans or dried honey. Do you know why that is?”
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