Tris chuckled. “Babe, he’s got to wake up himself about the mating. I’m out of that.”
Damn, no luck.
Chapter Twenty-Four
We had found signs of the kidnapping, and Virginia was remembering more of what happened to her, but it hadn’t resolved the situation. The guy she remembered as being “as old as Methuselah” was still out there somewhere, and he could show up anytime. Gigi was sure he was connected to Opal somehow, but since she hadn’t seen him, she didn’t know any more.
It was massively frustrating. A couple of the betas put it out there maybe the guy had moved on, left, and we didn’t need to worry anymore. But how could we let our guard down? This pack had been through so much, and every time we relaxed, we got targeted. In the meantime, life had to go on, so Samson had small groups searching while the rest did the jobs that kept things running.
Nothing new turned up for weeks, and Virginia hadn’t remembered much more. She was doing better, at least not afraid of her father. And Samson. Other males still had to keep their distance. What had this old guy done to her anyway? If she had any memories of it. she wasn’t saying.
Wendi had tried hard. Since Virginia was back with her folks, Wendi was in her own home with her mates, so other than the occasional visit, she didn’t need me, and one day after a meeting, I stopped in for a while. When I emerged, it was dusk, and at first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. A light darted around in the forest, tree to tree. What could it be? And it wasn’t as if someone was running around with a flashlight. No, the light was higher, up in the canopy, and entirely puzzling.
I had to know…so I paced toward the tree line, squinting to try to see what on earth would be up in the branches with some sort of lamp or torch or…or something.
Part of me knew I should go back and get someone, but the other part insisted it was not necessary. What could be dangerous that flitted around in the trees? A bit large to be a firefly, perhaps it was some sort of reflection from the lights from one of the houses or a headlight from the parking lot. Okay, there were no headlights on at the moment. But a logical explanation could be found. I just needed to get a little closer.
As I passed between two dark, looming pines, any light from the buildings behind me was effectively shut out by the dense foliage. But the little beam remained, at least thirty feet up, maybe more. It moved to the left, and I followed, head tipped way back and hand reaching into my jacket pocket for my phone. If I went back, I was sure I’d lose whatever it was, but Samson and the other pack leaders were close by. A quick press on the screen and a whispered command would bring them right away.
Would my voice also end whatever effect I witnessed? My wolf’s low growl inside me made my decision, and I lifted the phone to my face and punched in the contact for Samson. Before he answered, I heard a whoomp, and a blast of air slammed my phone from my hand. The screen shattered and a large foot with whorls of gray hair adorning the toes crushed it into the ground.
I looked up to find a tall, lean elderly man in front of me. Wings spread behind him, and he held a penlight. What the…? I’d heard that some bird shifters had a third form, where they didn’t entirely take either but retained some characteristics of their human and animal form. But I’d never seen it before.
“What do you want?” I demanded. “You don’t belong here.”
He tipped back his face and roared with an odd-screeching laughter. I prayed it would carry to someone outside the forest. “I belong here more than you know, and you, by rights, should belong to me. You should have been my family.”
I was very confused, but he took a step toward me, and I was more concerned with keeping his clawlike fingers from closing on my arms to think it out. “I-I think you have the wrong person. But you’re on private property, so maybe you should leave. We have security patrolling all night, and they will be by any minute.” I hoped they would, anyway. They had a lot of land to patrol. “They deal harshly with trespassers.”
“I think I will leave. But not alone.” He moved so fast, I tripped over my own feet trying to get out of reach, but it was no use. He caught me with those claws digging into my elbows and jerked me close. His wings were moving, and we were lifting off the ground.
I screamed as loudly as I could, struggling and writhing in his grasp. “Help, someone come right away. Help!”
“Christie!” Samson’s voice carried to me from not too far away. “Hang on, we’re coming.”
I lifted my hand and, remembering something I’d read once, poked two stiffened fingers in the hawk man’s eye. “Let. Me. Go!”
We were off the ground, and I wasn’t sure how high in the air when he shrieked and grabbed for his face, allowing me to twist free. I plummeted down, expecting broken bones or worse, but I landed in the strong arms of my reluctant mate. “Samson! Stop him. He’s the one.”
He held me close and rested his cheek against mine. “He is, but he’s flying away. Maybe he won’t be back.”
“He said I should be his family. I don’t know what that means.”
Epilogue
The
