“Hang tight, Scott. I’ve got you.” Justin held out the kind of backpack used by hikers to carry dogs. “Figured it would be easier to get you out as a coyote.” Justin held the dog pack open for Scott. “Hope you aren’t offended.”
After the crash and evading two sets of killers, Scott thought being carried out sounded wonderful. They stood still while Justin strapped them in, grabbed Scott’s clothes, and hefted the contraption onto his back.
“We’ve got a couple of miles to get back to the SUV,” Justin told them as he started walking. Russ kept pace beside him, as did Brandon. The sheriff, still in his bear form, melted into the tree line, staying close but less visible in case there were more threats.
There were a million things Scott wanted to say, but they would have to wait until he could shift again.
Thank you for searching. Thank you for saving us,his coyote thought.
“We were worried sick.” Justin kept up the conversation. “When we heard about the crash, we feared the worst.”
Their route took them past the blackened remnants of the plane. Smoke still rose from what remained of the fuselage. Scott averted his eyes from the section that held what remained of Bill and Mike’s bodies.
That was supposed to be me,Scott thought.
“We found the plane,” Justin said. “Amy had a vision, so we knew what to expect, but even so, it scared us to death. You can tell us all about it later, but I’m betting that wasn’t regular mechanical failure.”
Scott’s coyote whined to show agreement, vexed at his inability to talk.
“The plan is to let you shift back when we get to the SUV and take you to the nearest hospital,” Justin continued. “I’ve got fresh clothing and shoes for you. Liam did some research to find the shifter network up here and get a referral to a doctor who won’t freak out over your readings. We didn’t know how badly you’d be hurt, so we wanted to make sure you got treated for the most serious injuries before we headed back to Fox Hollow, if necessary.”
The coyote licked Justin’s ear to show their gratitude.Thank you. I love you. I thought I was going to die,Scott thought.
“Okay.” Justin laughed. “I’ll take that to mean you’re good with the plan.”
Back at the SUV, Justin stood guard while the others shifted. Scott’s clothing from before was bloody, wet, and dirty, so he was grateful when Justin set out a pair of sweats from the emergency bag the sheriff had in the back.
“They aren’t poachers. They were hired to clear anyone ‘nosy’ away from the mine area—and they know about shifters,” Scott said as soon as he was dressed. “Those black sedan guys, they shot down the plane and sent thugs to make sure we were all dead.”
“Fuck,” Justin said. “I was afraid of that.”
“We’ll follow up once we’re back in town,” the sheriff said. “First, let’s make sure you’re okay.”
“Let me take a look.” Brandon pulled out the emergency medical kit, and Scott submitted to his examination patiently, as a worried Justin stood nearby.
“No broken bones, no deep cuts. I can’t speak to internal injuries, so you do need to see a doctor. You were very lucky,” Brandon told him when he finished his check.
“Thanks.” Scott felt the day catching up with him. Everything hurt, and he was hungry and thirsty.
“Here.” Justin handed him a bottle of water and an energy bar. “You’re probably starved and dehydrated.”
Scott wasn’t sure he could keep the food down, but he ate it gratefully.
Armel looked to Brandon. “Does he need immediate medical care, or can we wait to get him to the shifter hospital in Fox Hollow?”
“He should be okay for the trip back,” the EMT replied. “Although we don’t want to postpone long.”
“There will be a hell of a lot fewer questions if we’ve got a doc who knows us.” Armel turned to Scott. “You okay with that?”
Scott nodded, weary of the ordeal and ready to go home. “Yeah. That makes sense. I’ll be fine.” He had worried that he might end up spending the night alone in the woods, so waiting another hour for full treatment wasn’t a stretch.
Brandon called ahead to alert the Fox Hollow Hospital. “They’ll be waiting for us,” he assured the others when he ended the call.
Armel called a local contact among the special branch of law enforcement that protected the supernatural community. He reported the shooters and gave their location. “Turns out the local supernatural police were aware of the ‘poachers’ and have been looking to catch them. They’ll take it from here.”
The sheriff slipped behind the steering wheel, and the rest of them piled into the SUV. Justin, Scott, and Russ sat in the back, while Brandon rode shotgun. Justin put the rifle back in the gun rack, but kept a handgun close, just in case they ran into trouble.
“We were lucky that the crash was reasonably close to an access road, or it would have meant a much longer hike,” Brandon said.
