“Awesome,” Hudson repeated. He was starting to get a headache.
* * * * *
Bastian
Leaping from one tree to another, Bastian searched for any trace of the missing boy. Dean met with the boy’s parents and the reason for the scent blocker was obvious. The dad was a mage, using magic to hide his family from other paranormals.
Leo had been able to step in and offer assistance to the family that was hiding from a coven that sought to use their young child’s magic.
Aaron remained back with the parents, trying to force a vision.
Bas wasn’t counting on a vision coming through. Aaron couldn’t control when they came or even if he would understand what they meant once he got one.
Below him Logan, Trevor, Craig, Bo, Nate, and Shawn were searching in their shifted forms. High above him, Axel and Gavin were circling the area where the boy had gone missing.
Back at the ranger station, Mason was coordinating, with the help of Levi and Drake.
It was all hands on deck and they wouldn’t give up until the boy was found unharmed.
He couldn’t let his worry about Hudson learning about him and the paranormal world affect him doing his job. The six-year-old boy was counting on them.
Mason had mentioned reports of a mountain lion being spotted but they all had doubts. Few natural animals stayed in their territory or even near it with the number of predators in their family. Not to mention that magical wards placed by Dean and reinforced by many of their friends kept the area secure.
He soared through the air, landing on the branches of another tree. Bastian was making the transition from one branch to another higher up when he heard it. Bas nearly missed landing but managed to catch himself.
There it was again.
The sound of crying.
Bastian lifted his head and yowled as loud as he could.
His call echoed through the dense forest.
A returning roar of a lion alerted him that the others were on their way.
Carefully, Bastian made his way from the branches to the thick round trunk of the tree. The lower he climbed, the louder the crying sounded. He peered around the forest, trying to find where the crying was coming from. He still couldn’t smell the little boy.
Once he was a few feet from the ground, Bastian jumped down.
He padded across the damp forest ground, heading closer to the crying.
Bastian yowled.
The crying stopped.
Tilting his head, Bas realized that he was practically on top of the child. He lowered his head to peer under the fallen log where the boy had wedged himself. Bas gave a small meow.
The little boy shook.
Okay, the boy wasn’t coming out for him. This was going to suck. Bastian lay on the ground, trying to make himself as small as possible as he scooted forward.
The boy stared at him with big blue eyes.
Bas crawled closer.
“Are you a nice kitty?” the boy questioned with a shaky voice. “The dog thing was mean!”
Dog thing? Had the boy seen Bo in his shifted form and gotten scared? Bas stretched out his neck to lick the boy’s trembling fingers.
