Frostbitten
Page 84
"Rape her? No. Nothing like that, or I would have interfered. He found her and took care of her. She's not his prisoner, though she's probably not in any shape yet to think about leaving. But I suspect teenage infatuation-and teenage hormones-are at the root of this particular act of altruism."
"Damn." I sighed. "You were right then. This is a situation. I guess the first thing to do is get a look at the girl." I checked the wind. "No sign that Eli's still here."
"I've got your back."
"Thanks."
I moved forward, straining to see a building in the distance, and suddenly there it was right in front of me-a tiny wood log cabin, nestled among the trees.
I pulled back and took a good sniff. Still no sign of Eli. The scent of wood smoke lingered in the air, but none came from the chimney. All the windows were dark. I crept forward, Morgan at my heels. As quietly as I moved, though, he was quieter. I hesitated, then motioned him forward. I hated giving up the front spot, but the quietest tracker should lead.
Morgan took no more than a half-dozen steps before he stopped, swore and strode forward.
"Wait!" I called. "If you spook her-"
"Can't spook her when she's not here."
He wrenched open the cabin door. I peered around him into the dark, dank depths of the cottage. The empty depths.
Morgan swore again. I joined him. "If she escaped and she's out here alone… "
Morgan was already crouched, checking out the trail. He brushed past me and hunkered down outside, moving about until he'd covered the area.
"She's not alone," he said. "Eli relocated her. In the last hour, too. I tried not to get too close, but I wanted to get a look at her, make sure she hadn't been bitten."
My stomach twisted. "Had she?"
"Nah. That guy used his fists, not his teeth, thankfully. But Eli must have found my trail, and knew I was coming around, checking up on her."
Snow crunched in the distance. Morgan wheeled, straightening and stiffening as he lifted his head to catch the breeze.
"Did our situation turn into a problem?" Clay called as he stepped from the thick trees with Antonio, Nick and Reese close behind.
"A small one, I hope," I said.
As I explained, Morgan followed the trail, then came back to say it led into the nearest creek… and disappeared.
"He waded through it. So what I'd suggest… " Morgan began, then looked at the faces of the others, all turned toward me. "Or maybe not… "
"We split into pairs," I said. "If anyone other than me finds him, call for backup. I've talked to him, so I know how to handle it. If you bump into the other Shifters, tell them you're with me and we've done as they asked. Now, for pairings… " I turned to Reese. "How's your tracking?"
He opened his mouth, chin lifting a fraction, clearly ready to say his tracking skills were top-notch. Then he glanced at Nick, and said, "Not bad."
"All right then, you come with me. Nick goes with Antonio. Clay? You and Morgan?"
Clay nodded. Morgan slanted a wary look his way.
"Um, I'd really rather pair up with… " Morgan began, then glanced around at everyone else getting ready to go. "Or, I suppose it doesn't really matter what I want, does it?"
"Sorry," I said. "This works best. You concentrate on tracking; he'll have your back."
And we split up.
CHOICES
I'D BE LYING if I didn't say I picked Reese more for his company than for his skills. He hadn't said much since arriving. Under the circumstances, that wasn't surprising. But I wanted to make sure he was okay. I felt… I don't know, responsible, I guess, having been the one to send him to the Sorrentinos. "How are your fingers?" I asked as we walked along the creek-bank, trying to pick up Eli's trail.
"Still gone," he said. "Jeremy stitched me up good and gave me painkillers, so it's just a matter of getting used to not having them. I keep fumbling stuff. It'd be worse if I'd lost the whole fingers, though. And if I have to lose part of two, better those ones than the thumb and index. And better fingers than my hand. Better part of my hand than my life… " A wry smile. "I'm trying to look on the bright side."
"I'm sorry it happened. If we'd known there were other mutts in Anchorage -"
"And if I had stopped long enough to hear you out… Or if I'd tried to contact the Pack and explain instead of running… Or if I hadn't hooked up with those losers in the first place… I'm pretty sure the blame falls squarely at my feet on this one. You guys have been great to me." He looked over, meeting my gaze. "Really."
I bent to sniff a scent, but it was only a bear. "Nick tells me you still don't want to go back to Australia."
Reese stiffened, and I knew I wasn't getting anything more out of him on that count. Not for a while, I suspected.
"No," he said. "I'm staying."
"Any thoughts on the future?"
"Antonio offered me a job." He bent to sniff something, then wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "It's student work-the kind of thing he hires college kids for during the summer. I'm thinking of taking it." A glance at me, gauging my reaction.
"Sounds good."
"It's temporary," he added, as if starting to hope maybe it wouldn't be. "Antonio said I can stay with them, take over some yard work, maybe move into the guest house. They've been great. Antonio's fair, and Nick's-" He smiled. "Nick's cool. It's not what I expected. The Pack."
"That's good," I said.
And it was. I'd already started thinking Reese fit in well-obeyed orders, pulled his weight, was still young enough to assimilate. The kind of recruit the Pack could use. I didn't suggest that, though. It was too soon, and he wasn't going anywhere. Let him settle in and, maybe, stay settled.
When I found the trail, I whistled for the other. Sure, I'd said I could handle this alone, but that only meant I wouldn't waste time hunting for them. A whistle or two, I could do. When no one answered, though, Reese and I set out on the trail.
We hadn't gone far when a blast of icy air whipped past, laden with that thick musky scent.
"Damn." I sighed. "You were right then. This is a situation. I guess the first thing to do is get a look at the girl." I checked the wind. "No sign that Eli's still here."
"I've got your back."
"Thanks."
I moved forward, straining to see a building in the distance, and suddenly there it was right in front of me-a tiny wood log cabin, nestled among the trees.
I pulled back and took a good sniff. Still no sign of Eli. The scent of wood smoke lingered in the air, but none came from the chimney. All the windows were dark. I crept forward, Morgan at my heels. As quietly as I moved, though, he was quieter. I hesitated, then motioned him forward. I hated giving up the front spot, but the quietest tracker should lead.
Morgan took no more than a half-dozen steps before he stopped, swore and strode forward.
"Wait!" I called. "If you spook her-"
"Can't spook her when she's not here."
He wrenched open the cabin door. I peered around him into the dark, dank depths of the cottage. The empty depths.
Morgan swore again. I joined him. "If she escaped and she's out here alone… "
Morgan was already crouched, checking out the trail. He brushed past me and hunkered down outside, moving about until he'd covered the area.
"She's not alone," he said. "Eli relocated her. In the last hour, too. I tried not to get too close, but I wanted to get a look at her, make sure she hadn't been bitten."
My stomach twisted. "Had she?"
"Nah. That guy used his fists, not his teeth, thankfully. But Eli must have found my trail, and knew I was coming around, checking up on her."
Snow crunched in the distance. Morgan wheeled, straightening and stiffening as he lifted his head to catch the breeze.
"Did our situation turn into a problem?" Clay called as he stepped from the thick trees with Antonio, Nick and Reese close behind.
"A small one, I hope," I said.
As I explained, Morgan followed the trail, then came back to say it led into the nearest creek… and disappeared.
"He waded through it. So what I'd suggest… " Morgan began, then looked at the faces of the others, all turned toward me. "Or maybe not… "
"We split into pairs," I said. "If anyone other than me finds him, call for backup. I've talked to him, so I know how to handle it. If you bump into the other Shifters, tell them you're with me and we've done as they asked. Now, for pairings… " I turned to Reese. "How's your tracking?"
He opened his mouth, chin lifting a fraction, clearly ready to say his tracking skills were top-notch. Then he glanced at Nick, and said, "Not bad."
"All right then, you come with me. Nick goes with Antonio. Clay? You and Morgan?"
Clay nodded. Morgan slanted a wary look his way.
"Um, I'd really rather pair up with… " Morgan began, then glanced around at everyone else getting ready to go. "Or, I suppose it doesn't really matter what I want, does it?"
"Sorry," I said. "This works best. You concentrate on tracking; he'll have your back."
And we split up.
CHOICES
I'D BE LYING if I didn't say I picked Reese more for his company than for his skills. He hadn't said much since arriving. Under the circumstances, that wasn't surprising. But I wanted to make sure he was okay. I felt… I don't know, responsible, I guess, having been the one to send him to the Sorrentinos. "How are your fingers?" I asked as we walked along the creek-bank, trying to pick up Eli's trail.
"Still gone," he said. "Jeremy stitched me up good and gave me painkillers, so it's just a matter of getting used to not having them. I keep fumbling stuff. It'd be worse if I'd lost the whole fingers, though. And if I have to lose part of two, better those ones than the thumb and index. And better fingers than my hand. Better part of my hand than my life… " A wry smile. "I'm trying to look on the bright side."
"I'm sorry it happened. If we'd known there were other mutts in Anchorage -"
"And if I had stopped long enough to hear you out… Or if I'd tried to contact the Pack and explain instead of running… Or if I hadn't hooked up with those losers in the first place… I'm pretty sure the blame falls squarely at my feet on this one. You guys have been great to me." He looked over, meeting my gaze. "Really."
I bent to sniff a scent, but it was only a bear. "Nick tells me you still don't want to go back to Australia."
Reese stiffened, and I knew I wasn't getting anything more out of him on that count. Not for a while, I suspected.
"No," he said. "I'm staying."
"Any thoughts on the future?"
"Antonio offered me a job." He bent to sniff something, then wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "It's student work-the kind of thing he hires college kids for during the summer. I'm thinking of taking it." A glance at me, gauging my reaction.
"Sounds good."
"It's temporary," he added, as if starting to hope maybe it wouldn't be. "Antonio said I can stay with them, take over some yard work, maybe move into the guest house. They've been great. Antonio's fair, and Nick's-" He smiled. "Nick's cool. It's not what I expected. The Pack."
"That's good," I said.
And it was. I'd already started thinking Reese fit in well-obeyed orders, pulled his weight, was still young enough to assimilate. The kind of recruit the Pack could use. I didn't suggest that, though. It was too soon, and he wasn't going anywhere. Let him settle in and, maybe, stay settled.
When I found the trail, I whistled for the other. Sure, I'd said I could handle this alone, but that only meant I wouldn't waste time hunting for them. A whistle or two, I could do. When no one answered, though, Reese and I set out on the trail.
We hadn't gone far when a blast of icy air whipped past, laden with that thick musky scent.
