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Why did that make Santee want to cry? He was so freaking frustrated with his brother, at the entire situation, but that wasn’t it. The sad fact was no one, not even his parents, had acknowledged that Santee had it rough, and they sure as hell hadn’t told him they were proud of him for doing the best he could when it came to Marvell.
His parents had up and left, leaving Santee to deal with his brother’s instability. Now Marvell was out there, in cahoots with hunters, making a profit off of someone’s death.
The thought made Santee want to vomit. How on earth was he related to Marvell?
“Let’s go upstairs and get ready to visit your friend.” Beckett ran soothing circles over Santee’s back. “Afterward, we can stop at Bluebird Café and just chill.”
“I just want Marvell found,” Santee said. “I want him to pay for what he’s done. I want him off the streets so he’s no longer a threat to anyone.”
“We all do.” Beckett rested his cheek on Santee’s head. “He’ll be found.”
But how many lives will have been lost before that happened?
* * * *
Dominic cursed when he walked up to the scene and saw another dead body discarded as if the person’s life hadn’t meant anything. Adam Kidwell had given Dominic his preliminary report, which stated that the last victim had been male and was killed by a poisonous arrow, straight through the heart.
He hadn’t died from being skinned alive. The skinning had happened post-mortem.
This body had been found by a family enjoying a day of hiking. Thank fuck only the father had seen the corpse. He’d shielded his family from it as he’d called the station.
And this time, a woman had been killed.
Dominic thought about calling out a manhunt for Marvell Delk, but he couldn’t. Humans couldn’t get involved. Dominic couldn’t take the chance of them discovering that it had been a shifter who’d been killed. He also didn’t want any shifters being hunted for their participation in finding Marvell and the hunters responsible for this.
It was a tough call all the way around, and Dominic wasn’t sure if he was making the right decision, but he had to contain this. He had to put an end to Marvell’s crimes, as well as those of whoever he was helping.
“We’ve been canvasing the forest,” Deputy Denali Davis said. “But it’s a huge fucking forest. There’s only so many square miles we can search in a day.”
Dominic looked at Denali. For the first time in his career, he was uncertain how to proceed. “Do you think I’m making the right call? Should I get volunteers to help?”
“No.” Denali shook his head as Adam Kidwell showed up.
Deputy Wyatt Birch was steering people away, asking them to take a different path, while the rest of his deputies searched the area for clues.
“You want to elaborate?” Domnic asked.
“You get park services involved, they might discover that the bodies aren’t human. You get volunteers to help, you’re basically handing the assholes another victim.”
Dominic was glad he wasn’t the only one with this logic. He felt a little better with his decision knowing Denali felt the same way. “We have to find them before someone else dies.”
“Agreed,” Denali said as Adam pulled the stretcher toward them.
Dominic needed to call his mate. It was going to be another long day.
Chapter Nine
As soon as Santee stepped into the shower, Beckett joined him. His mate was going through some shit, his mind whirling, and the only thing Beckett wanted to do was make all of Santee’s troubles melt away.
That wouldn’t happen until Marvell was caught, but until then, Beckett would do whatever he could to lessen Santee’s burden. Sex might not be the answer, but he felt as if that was what Santee needed right now.
Release. A way to relax, even just a bit.
Santee didn’t turn around when Beckett entered the stall. His short, slim form was outlined by the steamy mist of the shower, each droplet of water cascading down his glistening skin. The sound of rushing water filled the space and mixed with the scent of soap and sweat.
Beckett watched in awe as Santee stood there, letting the spray wash over him, his eyes closed in relaxation. It was a sight that took Beckett’s breath away, the raw beauty of his mate on full display. Time seemed to slow down as he took in every detail, feeling an undeniable pull toward Santee.
Beckett slid his hands over Santee’s shoulders as he stepped closer, needing to touch him. Santee tensed for a second but then relaxed into Beckett’s embrace. He leaned his head back, resting it against Beckett’s chest.
