“Am I holding you back?” Cynthia asked. “I know I’ll slow Hunter down. I don’t want to be the weakest link in this chain.”
“No, we want you out there,” Guy insisted.
“And you won’t slow me down.” Hunter turned to look at Cynthia. “This is your job, you have unique insights the rest of us don’t have.”
“Are you just flattering me?” Cynthia asked.
“No, honestly.” Hunter slipped his arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You know these kids. You studied this operation. You might see something we don’t. In the same way, the eagles might see something the bears don’t, or a wolf might catch the scent of something a bear might not.”
“You would make a good politician,” Cynthia joked. “But I do appreciate what you are saying.”
“Hey, he’s your mate, he can’t lie to you,” Guy joked. “So you know it’s true.”
“He can’t lie about anything?” Cynthia asked as they walked over to Liam to find out which section of the forest was theirs to search.
“Well, he also can’t hurt you,” Kit said with a grin. “So there is this very thin line you can walk that keeps everyone happy.”
“And does your mate know this?” Liam asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I think she figured it out a while ago,” Kit admitted. “But neither of us mentions it.”
Hunter noted the look of love and devotion that flashed across Kit’s eyes. He couldn’t wait for his relationship with Cynthia to be that easy and natural. The mating bond might tell him who his mate was, but they still had to get to know each other. They needed to learn each other’s likes and dislikes, what their goals in life were and where their lives were heading.
Since meeting each other, everything they thought and believed about their futures had been turned on its head.
“So here?” Cynthia pointed to an area on the map which was to the east of them.
“Yes, but you’ll drive all around the forest perimeter with two other teams and drop them off here and here.” Liam pointed to two more sections drawn on the map. “Here and here.” He stood up straight and looked at the forest. “As you drive around, we figured if you stop at various intervals and see if you can sense anything, that might narrow our search inward.”
“Right, you want us to check that they aren’t somewhere along the edge of the forest.” Hunter nodded. “We’ll do our best, but there might be houses dotted around the periphery of the forest, too. That might make it difficult to shift and use our senses.”
“No one said it was going to be easy.” Guy grinned. “But we’ve got to try.”
“You’re right, we have to try everything.” Cynthia nodded toward the truck. “We’re good to go when you are ready.”
“We’re ready now.” Liam folded the map away.
“Okay, people, let’s move out.” Guy’s deep, commanding voice called everyone to attention. “You all know your tasks. You all have your coordinates. Keep in contact either by phone or eagle.”
A couple of the shifters chuckled and then they moved off in pairs, with only Kit and Wyatt, plus a couple of other shifters Hunter hadn’t met before, hanging back. Angel, the other eagle shifter, also meandered over to speak to Liam.
“Hello, I’m Cynthia.” His mate introduced herself to the others.
“Wyatt.” The wolf shifter shook her hand.
“We have met, under snowy circumstances,” Kit grinned at Cynthia.
“Of course I remember, you and Liam brought us down off the mountain.” Cynthia smiled warmly at Kit. “Thank you for checking the kids over that day. I was so scared they’d get hypothermia.”
“My pleasure, and my job,” Kit said easily.
“I’m Charlie. Good to meet you, Cynthia. I saw the news report about you breaking the child trafficking ring and so when Kit told me you were looking for volunteers, I wanted to help.” Charlie leaned forward and shook Cynthia’s hand.
“Lion shifter?” Hunter asked.
“I sure am. I promise not to roar.” He stepped backward and the last shifter came forward to say hello.
“The name is Rob, I also work for Bear Creek Protectors.” He shook hands with Cynthia and then turned to Hunter. “Good to meet you, too, Hunter. Our paths have never crossed before, but Guy speaks highly of you.”
“Thanks.” Hunter glanced at Guy. “He’s a good man to work for. And Flint, too.”
“It was Flint who offered me the job. I met him when I was a raw Army recruit. A lifetime ago it seems. Now I’m looking for a way to support myself and my sister, she’s been left alone with a couple of kids to raise after her mate was killed.” Rob put his hand up as he saw the sympathy in their faces. “It’s okay, we’ll be okay.” But that sadness that lingered in his expression said it was far from okay.
“If there is anything, we can do for you and your sister,” Hunter said. “Just ask.”
“Thanks. I think we can handle it. But thanks all the same. Well, we should get started,” Rob said with a nod to Hunter. He sauntered off, his head down as if lost in thought.
“Ready?” Cynthia asked Hunter, who watched Rob with curiosity.
“Yeah, I was just thinking of how I would cope if anything happened to my mate. To you.” He fixed Cynthia with a possessive look. “It’s my job to protect you.”
“There are some things you can’t protect me from,” Cynthia told him. “And it’s not your job to wrap me up in cotton balls. I have to go out there and take risks and take chances. If not, I’d stagnate.”
“Yeah, I know. But still...” Hunter looped his arm through hers. “Come on, let’s go find these children.”
“I hope we’re still as optimistic by the end of the day,” Cynthia told him as they got into the truck. Kit slid in beside Cynthia, and the other three got in the back. With one last wave at Guy, they set off back down the trail, heading toward the road, while above their heads two eagles flew in ever-increasing circles.
“This is it.” Hope surged in Hunter’s heart.
“This is it.” Cynthia settled back in her seat and looked out of the window. “I wish I could hear what you hear and see what you see.”
“I’ll tell you as soon as we hear anything,” Hunter assured her.
“Thanks.” She looked so vulnerable here among the larger-than-life shifters filling his truck. But to him she was life. Every beat of his heart was for her, because of her.
Because he loved her.
Chapter Twenty-One – Cynthia
Cynthia strained her ears, but she could hear nothing over the hum of the engine. Could the shifters? Or were they as unaware of the sounds of the forest from inside the truck?
“Can you filter noise out?” Cynthia asked Kit.
“Filter out sounds like the engine?” he asked, half turning toward her.
“Yes.”
“I can’t exactly filter them out, but I can hear things above other noises.” He lifted his finger and his eyes went out of focus. “I heard the eagles.”
“Really?” Another question sprang into her head. “When you’re...whatever animal you are...can you understand each other?”
“You mean can the eagles talk to each other? Or can Hunter and I have a conversation as bears?” Kit asked.
“Exactly!” Cynthia’s face flushed with excitement. “You guys have this incredible insight into how animals communicate.”
“We can understand body language, and emotions. But we don’t speak like people speak, we don’t have words.” Kit half-smiled. “And we don’t know for sure that’s what real bears or eagles understand.”
“I tried to talk to a wolf once,” Walt piped up. “In the same way I’d speak to other shifter wolves. I got about the same response as if I were talking to a wolf shifter I’d not met before.”
“You mean it’s different than talking to someone you know?” Cynthia asked, swiveling around in her seat.
“Sure. It’s like talking to a stranger. To b
egin with, it’s awkward no matter whether you are a wolf or a human.” Walt shrugged. “We learn the nuances of our friends.”
Cynthia nodded. “Thanks for sharing that with me.”
“Our pleasure.” Kit turned his attention back to the forest as Hunter turned off the road. They bumped down a disused trail that was full of potholes.
They drove for about a mile or more, the trail getting gradually worse until it became impassible. Hunter switched off the engine and they all got out of the truck. It was a beautiful day, Cynthia could almost feel spring on the air, the trees were stirring, the sap would soon be rising. Yet she didn’t forget how cold it would be tonight when the temperature dropped. How cold it had been for the last couple of months out here in the forest.
“Would they have survived out here?” she asked quietly, noting the bare branches. “There are no nuts, no fruits on the trees.”
“That depends,” Hunter answered. “If you know what to look for, you could survive out here. Especially if you can hunt.”
“If there was a shifter among them then I’d say they could survive for sure. A predator could hunt by instinct.” Kit looked around. “Let’s shift and head off inward a little more. Liam is hoping we can cover a large area of the forest on this western side by truck.”
“Let’s do it.” Walt shifted instantly and loped off into the trees. Charlie followed next, his lion an impressive if somewhat odd beast to see in a forest like this.
“You know, I must be getting used to this whole shifter thing since I’m not as freaked out at seeing a lion as I should be.” Cynthia hugged Hunter quickly. “You know, I haven’t seen your other side yet.”
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Rob shifted into his bear and disappeared into the undergrowth in seconds.
“Special Forces,” Hunter muttered as Rob faded into the undergrowth.
“You can tell that from the way he behaves as a bear?” Cynthia asked.
“Sure.” Hunter shrugged and took a couple of steps away from her. “Ready?”
“I am.” Cynthia nodded. She’d seen Flint and a couple of other shifters change from human to animal, but this felt special. Hunter was hers. And hers alone.
She watched as the air around him shimmered, like a heat haze on a hot summer day. Then he disappeared from the forest, and for a moment she was alone surrounded by nothing but trees. Then a large shape loomed out of the shadows. Slowly its outline became firmer, its features appearing, a snout, soft fur, and even softer eyes, like warm chocolate.
“There you are.” Cynthia stepped forward and the bear lifted his head and gave a low rumbling growl, but she wasn’t afraid. “You can’t hurt me.”
She trusted in those words as she approached him, her hand outstretched as she touched his fur, burying her fingers into the deep pelt. The bear looked up at her love in his eyes, if it was possible for a bear to express love. As she stroked his head and stared into his eyes, she was certain that was what reflected back at her.
Cynthia swallowed hard and took a step back. “Go do your job.”
The bear ran off into the forest, leaving Cynthia alone with her emotions. Was she in love with Hunter? Was it possible since they’d only know each other a couple of days?
Love didn’t have a timetable. It didn’t follow rules. If she had love in her heart for Hunter, that was okay. Hell, after all she’d been through, it hardly mattered if people talked about her behind her back and said she’d rushed into a relationship. She had no one to answer to but herself and her own conscience.
And her two children. But she was certain they would not argue about Hunter being in their lives.
He’d make a damn fine father. She smiled to herself. Wasn’t that what she secretly wanted? A man who could make them all happy. It was her secret longing, one she didn’t tell anyone, one she hardly admitted to herself.
In public she’d always worn a mask that said women can do anything, they don’t need a man. In private, that was also true, but needing a man and wanting a man were two separate things. And she wanted a man. A specific, incredible man.
Who was also a bear.
Focusing on the task of finding the children, Cynthia put her feelings for Hunter away. She would take them out and examine them properly once this was over. Once the children were found. And yes, she did believe they would be found. Until she knew for certain something terrible had happened to them, she had to stay positive.
As she waited for the shifters to return, she listened to the sounds of the forest all around her and imagined the faces of Joey’s and Horatio’s parents when she brought them home safely.
But what of the other two children? Didn’t they have parents who missed them? Why hadn’t they been reported missing?
When they found them, they could ask them. But a rustle in the undergrowth and the appearance of Walt’s wolf, followed by Charlie’s lion, told her this search was going to take a little longer.
“No luck,” Charlie said as he shifted back into his human form.
“There’s always the next section.” Walk didn’t sound too surprised at not having found them. “But I’d guess they were deep inside the forest.”
“Is that where you would go, if you didn’t want to be found?” Cynthia asked.
“It sure is.” Walt shook his head, his hands on his hips as he turned around and looked back into the forest. “What I don’t understand is why they haven’t been found.”
“We guessed they were either afraid or incapable,” Cynthia answered. “Who knows what threats were made against them.”
“But most kids would want to go back to their parents,” Charlie insisted, joining in on the discussion.
“What if Cracol’s men said their parents would be killed if they went home?” Cynthia shrugged. “Although that would make me question why they ran away in the first place. Controlling children, or anyone for that matter, is often focused on making threats. If you tell, we’ll kill your mom. If you run away, we’ll kill you and your parents, or siblings. Children, particularly, are susceptible to this kind of threat.”
“So if we take that away, what other reasons would there be? Since two of the children haven’t been reported missing,” Hunter asked as he and Rob returned to the truck, shifted back into human form.
“I don’t know.” Cynthia shook her head, perplexed. “Maybe they are siblings. They are trying to keep each other safe. Threaten the life of one, the other will do as they are told.” Cynthia buckled up her seatbelt as Kit, the last to return, got into the truck beside her.
“Or maybe there is a shifter in amongst their numbers and they are afraid to return to civilization. Or afraid he’ll be hurt if he’s caught. If they don’t know about shifters, they’ll think he’s a freak who might get experimented on.” Kit shrugged as the others all turned to look at him. “We’ve all seen the movies.”
“Okay, you might be right,” Hunter agreed.
“If he is the one who helped them escape, it stands to reason they might not want to get him into trouble, particularly if he is stuck.” Kit pulled the truck door closed and Hunter set off for the next point on the map they were supposed to stop and search.
“What if one of them is sick or hurt?” Cynthia asked.
“That might be the answer. The rest of them would feel compelled to stay and help protect him and care for him.” Kit pressed his lips together, not happy at the thought of the children out there alone. Cynthia had exactly the same feelings, she guessed the others did, too, and the people in the truck all sat in silence, the atmosphere more serious as they reached the next stop-off point which they also found empty.
“Walt and I are leaving you at the next stop,” Kit said as they drove back along the road. “I hope next time we see each other we’ve got good news.”
“Me, too,” Cynthia said. “Do you have everything you need?” She eyed their half-empty backpack.
“We’re traveling light, we’ll sleep in our shifter forms if we need to.” Cynthi
a remembered the old cabin belonging to Walt, it was the place Flint and Jenna had taken the children when they were hiding in the mountains. There were no modern conveniences there and yet Walt had lived there for years all alone. She had no doubt a couple of nights sleeping rough in the forest were nothing to him.
They soon reached the next stop-off and Walt and Kit got out of the truck and sucked in the forest air. “We’ve got one of the satellite phones.” Kit patted his backpack. “If anyone hears anything, they’ll relay it back to me and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“It’s good to know there’s a pediatrician so close.” Cynthia hugged Kit. “Good hunting.”
“You, too. I’m certain we’ll find them. If they are out there.” Kit hugged her close. “Whatever happens, what you did was incredibly courageous. Never forget that.”
“I won’t.” Cynthia dashed a tear away and sniffed loudly. “See you both soon.”
She watched in awe as they shifted, then the wolf and bear melted into the forest as if they were never really there. Cynthia and Hunter stood side by side, listening, but there were no sounds to be heard. “I can only sense Kit and Walt,” Hunter said, with some disappointment. “We should move on. We still have an hour or more driving before we reach the place where we go on foot.”
“We get out at the stop after the next one.” Rob climbed into the truck.
“I can’t wait to stretch my lion legs.” Charlie stretched his long limbs before also climbing back into the truck.
Cynthia nodded and turned back to the truck. She couldn’t wait to get out there and play her own part in this rescue mission. Right now she felt useless, like a bystander watching the emergency crews work after an accident.
They drove on, but the next stop also drew a blank. Not letting her disappointment get to her, she recalled what Walt had said about the children likely being in the deepest part of the forest. He was right. They would stay there if they wanted to stay hidden. Yet she still struggled with the idea of them living out here alone for a couple of weeks. Surely, one of them would have risked making contact with their families or the authorities.
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