AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How do you know that?” Bran asked. “What do you know about Santee?”
Beckett rested his hands on his hips as he looked at the floor. “Nothing.”
“So you have no idea what he’s going through right now.” Bran shook his head. “It might not even be anything bad, but when someone is going through something, it feels bad to them.”
Beckett smirked. “I see your therapy has made you wise.”
“Nah, that’s me rubbing off on him,” Hayden said as he entered the room.
Beckett snorted. “I doubt that.”
“All I’m saying is don’t be too hard on him,” Bran continued. “If there is something going on, let him tell you when he’s ready. If he’s just scared because he’s surrounded by a bunch of attack kitties, then you’ll just have to ease him into this.”
“You need help tracking him down?” Duncan asked, appearing in the doorway that led to the kitchen. “I’m not doing anything right now.”
“Thanks, but if he is scared of us, I don’t want two cheetahs showing up at his house.” Beckett looked at Bran. “I swear I’m going to nail shut every window in this damn house.”
“Amen,” Hayden grumbled. “Call us if you need us.”
The only way Beckett was going to be able to track Santee was to shift. “I’m about to get naked, so I suggest you leave the room, Bran. I don’t want Hayden attacking me.”
Bran rolled his amber eyes. Beckett always thought amber eyes on a human was strange. They were beautiful, but still strange.
Bran grabbed Hayden’s hand and yanked him from the room, heading upstairs. Hayden was grinning widely, as if he loved Bran yanking him around.
“Seriously.” Duncan approached him. “I’ll go with you. I can stay out of sight, but you just might need someone to watch your back. You have no idea what you’re walking into.”
That was actually a smart idea. Beckett jabbed a finger at his brother. “Don’t let him see you.”
“Call me ghost.” Duncan grinned. “Neither of you will see me.”
“Follow me in your human form so you can carry my clothes and phone.”
“Let me grab a backpack from upstairs.” He narrowed his eyes. “If you take off without me, I’ll just track you down, so let’s save that step and just wait for me.”
“Then you better be quick.” Beckett wanted to find his mate, to find out why Santee had felt the need to drop from a second-floor window to escape.
Duncan returned moments later, the backpack in his hand. Beckett stripped down, folding his clothes and handing them to his brother. Duncan stored them, along with Beckett’s phone and boots.
After opening the front door, Beckett shifted and took off, going slower than he would have liked, but he wanted Duncan to be able to keep up with him.
As Beckett found Santee’s scent and followed it, Bran’s words kept circling in his head. He prayed that Santee’s problem wasn’t as serious as Bran’s had been.
If it was, Beckett was going to kill whoever hurt Santee. He just kept telling himself that his mate had run because he was scared.
Twenty minutes later, Beckett slowed. The forest had ended, and now he was looking at backyards. They were in the suburban part of Midnight Falls. If any human saw him in his cheetah form, they just might freak out.
Not that Beckett was worried since the entire police department was comprised of shifters. Then again, what if a human grabbed a gun to shoot what they thought was a wild cheetah entering a populated area?
Still just inside the trees, Beckett shifted. Duncan handed him the backpack, and Beckett dressed, shoving his cell phone into his back pocket.
“Hang on.” Duncan placed a hand on Beckett’s arm as he jerked his head toward a back porch.
Beckett looked to where Duncan had indicated and saw someone sitting there. It wasn’t Santee. From his sitting position, the stranger appeared muscular, his features somehow dark even though he had blond hair.
Dread punched Beckett right in the heart. What if Santee had taken off because he was already in a relationship? The thought hadn’t even crossed Beckett’s mind.
“It might not be what you think,” Duncan said. “Don’t jump to conclusions until you talk to your mate.”
