Justin’s imagination conjured scenarios, each worse than the last.
“He’s afraid, alone, hurt. Hoping you’ll find him, scared you’ll be too late.” Amy fell silent and then squeezed their hands for them to open their eyes. “He’s alive and safe, for now. But he’s going to need help.” Her comments verified the psychic impressions Justin picked up through his growing connection to Scott.
Damn, damn, damn. If we had already mated, I’d be able to get so much more.He took a deep breath and reminded himself to focus.
“Thank you,” Justin said, torn between fear and relief. “What do I owe you?”
Amy shook her head. “Something like this is a community service. I’m glad to be able to help. I hope you can bring him home safely.”
Justin’s phone pinged, and he saw a text from the sheriff and repeated it for the others. “Armel has a group together. They’re going up right away.”
“It’s already afternoon. There’s not much daylight left,” Amy protested.
“I’m the only one that matters to,” Justin replied. “Everyone else is a shifter. If we can find him today, that’s less of a chance that whoever caused the crash will get to him first.”
“Dress for the weather,” Liam warned. “It was nice earlier, but there’s a storm coming in. The others won’t mind as much in their fur, but you’re not as waterproof.”
“Thank you.” Justin looked from Liam to Amy. “Please, if you get any other insights, let me know.”
“I will,” Amy said.
“I’m going to do more digging into who’s behind those sedans,” Liam said. “They’re the number one suspects for attacking the plane. I want to know what they thought they had to lose.”
“I’ll talk to my colleagues at the institute and in the magical community,” Amy said. “I have heard concerns about new, dark magic being used near the mine. It may or may not have to do with the change in owners. If we can help reduce the threat, we’ll do what we can.”
Justin thanked them again, then headed for the sheriff’s station, which served as the rendezvous spot for the search party. Without a lake to land on, flying the group up to save on driving time wasn’t an option, and the coming storm meant visibility would be low even if he took the risk.
Justin’s head pounded, growing worse. Swallowing ibuprofen didn’t touch the pain, which centered on the right side of his skull. That made him wonder if he was feeling a shadow of Scott’s injuries through his abilities. For the moment, Justin resolutely ignored the pain, focusing all his will and energy on finding Scott.
Please let him be okay. Please let us get to him in time.Justin put his request out to the universe, figuring it couldn’t hurt.
He stopped long enough to get his waterproof turnout gear out of his car, figuring it would protect him against the weather since he couldn’t shift. When he reached the sheriff’s station, he found Russ Lowe and Brandon Davis already there, along with Sheriff Armel.
“Peter at the airport confirmed he got a fix on the plane’s tracker before it went silent,” Armel told Justin. “He’s going to be our coordinator and keep digging for anything that helps. The rest of us are the search party. I know the local sheriff up there, and he was more than happy for our help. He understands there’s a shifter involved and that we have a personal interest.”
“Works for me,” Justin replied. “I can pick up a little about Scott through my psychic abilities. Amy said he’s alive, but he’s hurt and scared.” He paused and made himself take a deep breath and explain himself.
“Liam and I got Amy Criswell to do a reading,” he explained to the group. “She confirmed that Scott’s alive and that the plane burned. She didn’t know details, but she didn’t think it was an accident. She’s also heard of some new, dark magic in the area. That could mean whoever caused it is still around, which means Scott’s still in danger, and the search party might be too.”
Armel swore under his breath. “Doesn’t change a thing.” The others nodded. “We take care of our own.”
The other three men were all shifters. Armel was a brown bear, Russ a wolf, and Brandon a moose. Russ was also an EMT, and Brandon was telepathic and a first responder. Justin’s VFD experience was a good fit.
Justin rubbed his head, and Brandon regarded him for a moment, but didn’t say anything.
“Let’s head out,” Armel said. “I’ve got one of the department’s SUVs, and it’s got emergency supplies and search lights. We’ll have phones and radios, and room for Scott to come back with us.”
He looked to Justin. “Once we shift, we can see, smell, and hear better. You could stay here with Liam?—”
“I’m coming with you,” Justin replied. “I had planned to fly, but the storm is rolling in, and that won’t work. Please, I can help.”
Armel paused and then nodded. “Do you know how to shoot?”
“I grew up in these woods,” Justin said. “Of course.”
Armel gave a brisk nod. “There’s a rifle in the SUV. Since those are hard to use with paws and hooves, you’re on gun duty. Let’s hope we don’t need it.”
9
