“Called you?” Horatio asked savagely. “So you are the police?”
“No.” Cynthia shook her head quickly. “I’m Cynthia Callaghan. I’m an investigative reporter…”
“The Cynthia Callaghan?” the other young boy asked.
“I’m afraid so.” She shrugged and then said, “I’m flattered that you’ve heard of me.”
“I saw your interview on YouTube. The one about slave labor.” He looked a little in awe, as if they were meeting at a signing event, not here in the middle of a forest. A forest that had been their home for weeks.
“Why didn’t you go home after you escaped?” Cynthia asked. “Why are you still here?”
“Because we don’t want to go home,” Horatio said firmly. “So go on, turn around and go away.” There was a hitch to his voice, as if he were fighting back tears.
“We can’t do that,” Cynthia said calmly. “We can’t leave you here.”
“Don’t you understand, we don’t want to go back home.” Horatio spat the words at her.
“What happened?” Cynthia asked, taking a step closer. “Did they threaten you?”
The young boy who had recognized Cynthia looked up at Horatio. He moistened his lips as if ready to speak, but Horatio shot him a sideways glance that changed his mind.
“Please, let me help you. If they threatened you or your families, we can keep you safe. The men behind this are in custody. Including the policeman. Deputy Gill, is that his name?” Cynthia asked.
“We don’t know his name,” the young boy said quietly, averting his eyes so he didn’t see the look Horatio shot him.
There was a rustling in the trees behind them and the two boys straightened up, their weapons raised as Hunter’s bear ran into the clearing. In an instant, he shifted into his human form. “Are you all okay?”
“How did you do that?” the younger boy asked. “How did you change back?”
“It’s easy when you know how.” Hunter came closer. “Your friend, he’s stuck, isn’t he?”
The boy’s face paled. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“The bear shifter.” Cynthia looked over her shoulder as the sound of someone else approaching reached them. “Here he is.”
Rob entered the clearing, carrying a juvenile bear who sat quietly in his arms. “We need to help him.”
Hunter ran forward and knelt beside the small bear as Rob placed him gently down on the ground. “He’s a little quiet.” Hunter ran his strong hands over the small bear cub. “And thin.”
“He’s been hunting for all of us,” Horatio said, coming over to the small bear cub. “Is he going to be all right?”
“He’s had a shock, that’s all.” Rob looked up at Hunter. “He can’t shift back to human form.”
“Then we’ll have to teach him.” Hunter gently cradled the young bear’s head in his hands and looked into his eyes. “We’re going to walk you through this. I’ll talk and Rob here will demonstrate.”
Rob got up. “I’ll shift into a bear just like you.”
“He did it without thinking. To protect us when we ran away.” The other boy stepped forward, away from the small hollow in the ground where another boy lay. Cynthia hunkered down to get a closer look.
“Hey there, are you okay?” She reached out and placed her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up.”
The young boy coughed and pushed himself up on one elbow. “I’ve got a cold,” he croaked.
“We need to get you somewhere warm and get you some medicine.” Cynthia reached under the small child’s body and cradled him to her.
“We have nowhere to go,” the young boy said. “That’s why we stayed here. If we go back, we’ll be split up.”
“You and your brother?” Cynthia asked gently as she stood up with the young boy in her arms.
He nodded. “That’s why we stayed here.”
“What if I promised I’d do anything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen?” Cynthia told the boy. “What’s your name?”
“Jake, and my brother is Greg.” He coughed again, his small body almost too frail to take the retching that followed.
“I promise. I’ll help you find a home.” She looked over her shoulder to where Rob stood as a bear. “Let’s join the others. Then I’ll call for backup. We have a doctor with us, he’ll be here as fast as he can.”
Cynthia carried Jake to the others and set him down next to Hunter. Then she sat down next to him on the cold forest floor and hugged him close, sandwiching him between herself and Hunter, hoping their combined body heat would keep them warm.
“That’s it, Greg. Focus on your human form.” The air around the bear shifter shimmered, the air filled with an electric current, and for a moment, the young bear faded away. However, instead of the human Greg reappearing, the bear came back.
“Here.” Cynthia passed Hunter her mobile phone. “There’s a photo of him on there.”
Hunter scrolled through her phone to find the image while Cynthia dialed Guy on the satellite phone. “We have them.”
“Great. Are they okay?” he asked with concern.
“Yes, but I don’t think they are strong enough to walk out of here.” Cynthia brushed the hair back from Jake’s face. “One of them is sick. We need Kit.”
“I’ll call him and send him to your coordinates,” Guy said quickly. “He can meet you where Hunter parked the truck and check him over. We can get them all to the hospital from there.”
“Thanks.” Cynthia ended the call quickly. The faster Kit got here, the better. “Kit is on his way.”
“Good.” Hunter gave her a brief smile and then turned his attention back to Greg, who was still in his shifter form. “Let’s try this one more time. Here is a photo of you.” Hunter turned the phone screen toward the young bear. “Visualize yourself as a human and then step into that body. Feel yourself as a human. Let go of the bear.”
The air shimmered once more, and a look of concentration came across the bear’s face as he slowly faded from the forest, leaving nothing in his place.
“Where’s he gone?” Jake asked anxiously, pushing himself to a sitting position. He gripped Hunter’s arm. “Where’s my brother?”
“Give it a moment.” Hunter put his arm around the young boy. “He’ll be back.”
They watched the empty space where the young bear had been lying on the ground. At first there was nothing and then a shadowy figure appeared, before it slowly became more solid, more real.
“Greg.” Jake leaned forward, reaching out to touch the young man who appeared before them.
“Jake,” Greg threw his arms around his younger brother and pulled him close, holding him so tightly Jake erupted into a fit of coughing.
“Let’s move,” Rob said. “I’ll carry Jake, are the rest of you able to walk?”
The three others nodded. “Thank you,” Greg said tearfully as he held his hands up and stared at them. “I thought I was stuck like that forever.”
“No, you just need to learn to control it. We all started off like that, unsure of ourselves.” Hunter stood up and helped Greg to his feet. “You should be proud of yourself, you kept the others alive.”
Greg ducked his head. “What else was I supposed to do? And it wasn’t just me. Horatio cooked the meat I brought back.”
“Not everyone would have done what you did.” Cynthia wanted Greg to understand that what he’d done had made the difference between life and death for the other children. “Hunter’s right. You should be proud of yourself. In the same way you should all be proud. You kept each other alive.”
She wanted to ask the question burning in her head, but Angel beat her to it. “Why didn’t you go home or at least get help?”
“They said they would hurt our families if we went home. They said the police would come. That there would be a fight and my mom would be killed and everyone would think it was an accident.” Horatio wiped a tear from his dirt-stained face. “When we had the chance
to escape, we nearly didn’t. But Greg said they were going to kill us. So we ran.”
“My brother has very good hearing,” Jake said quietly.
“That’s his shifter genes,” Rob told the young boy he was carrying.
“Is my mom okay?” Horatio asked.
Cynthia nodded. “She is. Do you want to talk to her?”
Horatio swallowed down his tears and nodded. “More than anything I want to hear her voice.”
“We can call her.” Cynthia tapped Hunter on the shoulder. “Do you still have my cell phone?”
“Sure.” He handed it over. “There’s still no signal this deep in the forest.”
“I know, I just need Michaela’s number. Then I can call her on the satellite phone.” Cynthia quickly scrolled through her cell phone menu until she found Michaela’s number. “It might be a little early in the morning, but let’s see if she’s awake.”
Cynthia tapped the number into the satellite phone and then held it to her ear, waiting for an answer. She wanted to give Michaela some kind of warning rather than just hand the phone over to Horatio. If she answered. The phone rang and rang, then suddenly a breathless Michaela answered. “Hello. Who is this?”
“Michaela. It’s Cynthia. Cynthia Callaghan.” Of course, she was making the call from an unknown number. Michaela was right to be suspicious.
“Cynthia. Is everything all right?” There was hope mixed with fear in her voice. “You have news.”
“I have something even better than news.” Cynthia’s voice shook as she handed the phone to Horatio.
“Mom.” Horatio’s voice was answered by a wail from his mom. “Mom, it’s okay. I’m okay.”
“I thought you were dead. Deep down, even though I searched for you, I thought you were dead.” Michaela sobbed down the phone. “I want to hold you in my arms and make sure you’re real.”
“I love you, Mom.” Horatio broke down in tears, big heavy sobs as he told Michaela he was sorry.
“It’s not your fault,” Michaela said. “None of this is your fault.”
“She’s right,” Cynthia said gently. “This is not your fault. Bad people did this to you, and you dealt with it in the best way you know how.”
“Can I talk to Cynthia?” Michaela asked her son. “I want to find out where you are so I can come and meet you.”
“Bye, Mom. I love you.” Horatio handed the satellite phone to Cynthia, then turned away, hiding his face as he scrubbed away his tears.
“Thank you.” Michaela broke down in tears, her voice a strangled sob.
“You don’t have to thank me, Michaela. It was you who kept pushing, you who never gave up hope.”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry. For blaming you for Horatio’s disappearance from the farmhouse. You’re right, this is no one’s fault but the people who took him. No one’s.” She paused. “Is he okay?”
“I think so. We need to get him checked over by a doctor, he and the other children have lost a lot of weight.” Cynthia placed her hand on Horatio’s shoulder. “As soon as I know where they’re sending the boys, I’ll call you.”
“Boys? Horatio wasn’t alone?” Michaela asked with relief.
“No, he was with three other boys, they kept each other alive.” Cynthia followed Horatio as he walked behind Rob who was carrying Jake.
“Have you told their parents yet?” Michaela asked.
“You’re the first. I’ll call Joey’s mom next. But the other two children, brothers, they don’t have any parents. They were living rough on the streets when they were picked up.”
“Homeless children?” Michaela asked incredulously.
“They didn’t want to be split up in foster care, so they ran away.” Cynthia reminded herself of her promise to help them stay together.
“You know it’s just me and Horatio. I always wanted more children…” Michaela didn’t finish her sentence.
“Give yourself some time, Michaela. You and Horatio need to come to terms with what’s happened.” Cynthia would love Michaela to foster Greg and Jake. But they were going to need a foster home that understood about shifters. “I have to go.”
“Goodbye, Cynthia. And thank you again. Thank you.” The call ended and Cynthia slowed her pace, wiping her eyes as unshed tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” Hunter approached from behind, carrying the backpacks.
“Yes.” She nodded. “This is finally over.”
“The boys will be all right, with some time and love.” Hunter put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her around to face him. “I heard you promise Jake that he and Greg wouldn’t be separated.”
“I had to. After all, they’ve been through, I had to. I have to.” Her firm expression told Hunter there was no room for argument, but he wasn’t going to give her one.
“I agree. And if that means we foster them until something more permanent comes up, then I’m all for it.” He grinned at her surprised face. “A houseful of kids. Every shifter’s dream.”
“And there was me thinking I was this shifter’s dream.” She placed her hands on his chest and stood on tiptoes to kiss him.
“You are my dream. You are my reality. And our future together is going to be filled with ups and downs, good times and bad. But we’ll face all of it together.” He slid his hand over her shoulder and up to the nape of her neck. He rubbed his thumb over her sensitive flesh, sending a shiver down her spine.
“I like the sound of that. I was afraid you were going to try to sell me a future where we all lived happily ever after.” She tilted her head to one side. “And I don’t think I’m ready to believe in that just yet.”
“Oh, we’ll have a happy ever after. That is our destination. But the road we take to get there… I suggest we take the scenic route and take in all the hills and valleys, the sunshine and the rain.” He kissed her lips, and tendrils of desire unfurled deep inside her.
“I want to take that journey with you.” She took a step back from him, aware that they had to catch up with the others but needing to say something first. Something important. “I love you, Hunter. I didn’t think I would… I didn’t think I could. Not so fast. But I do. And I want to spend the rest of my life’s journey with you by my side.”
“I love you, Cynthia. From the first moment we met.” He took her hand and they turned to follow the others. “Fate led us here.”
“I think it did,” she agreed. Cynthia didn’t know exactly what forces led them here to the forest. It might be fate, it might be luck. But whatever it was, she was certain this chapter of her life was over and a new one was about to begin.
Epilogue
“And how did you enjoy the renaissance faire?” Cynthia asked Jake, who was dressed up in a fabulous costume. He looked every inch a knight in shining armor.
“It was so fun. I had a sword fight with the black knight.” He beamed as he held his sword aloft. Cynthia’s heart swelled with pride and happiness at the joy and excitement on his face.
“Did you win?” Cynthia asked.
“I did with the help of my brother, Greg.”
“And a little help from Horatio,” Greg added excitedly.
“Who is soon to be our brother too.” Jake looked across to where Michaela and Horatio were playing a game of horseshoes.
“It’s so good to see you happy,” Cynthia beamed as she switched off her microphone. This was her first assignment for Bear Creek News, and it felt good to be reporting on such a wonderful event. It was even better to see all the boys who had endured so much together, here, and happy.
“I just wanted to thank you again,” Joey’s mom, Lisa, said as she watched the boys run off together towards Horatio and Michaela.
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s enough to see them all here and all happy and to know that the man behind the child trafficking ring is finally behind bars.” Cynthia put her microphone in her pocket.
“And you? How is your new life here in Bear Creek?” Lisa asked.
&
nbsp; “Good. I’m happy, the children are happy.” She smoothed her hand over her stomach. “And although this isn’t national news yet, I’m pregnant.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Lisa looked up as Hunter approached. “Congratulations to both of you.”
Hunter slipped his arm around Cynthia’s shoulders. “We couldn’t be happier.”
Cynthia leaned against her mate. “You might change your mind when you have to change diapers and get up in the middle of the night.”
“I can’t wait,” Hunter kissed her cheek.
“I should go and catch up with the boys.” Lisa backed away. “You will make amazing parents.”
“Thanks,” Cynthia watched her go and then turned around to face Hunter. “You already are an amazing dad.”
“And you are an amazing mom. And an amazing woman.” He pulled her close, hugging her tight. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”
“Maybe once or twice.” She lifted her head and kissed his lips.
“No kissing, Mommy, you are working.” Thomas and Laurel ran over to join them.
“Maybe a family hug then.” She held out her arms and the children joined them in a family hug. For once she was content, with no need to save the world. Cynthia was ready to embrace motherhood, at least for now.
But if ever someone needed her help. She would be there. But right now, she was happy to be there for her children and Hunter. The future was exciting. And she was ready to embrace it, knowing she had a wonderful man by her side.
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