Page 26 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Wolf

Hard to argue against that point. She stopped walking, forcing him to do the same, and faced him. “I guess you’re right about that. But I’d like to be better. Better than Harold and the others. You can trust me.”

That eyebrow rose a little higher. His eyes glinted softly with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Can I?”

Miranda swallowed. “Yes, you can.” She gripped him a little tighter, stepping closer to him. “I promise I’ll keep your secret. Cross my heart and all that.”

Bryon stared at her for a long moment. Then the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

“Thank you,” he said. “That’s a relief.”

“You’ve saved my life so far,” she replied. “At least, somewhat. I’d probably be dead without you. It’s the least I could do.”

His brown gaze seemed to intensify. “Is that the only reason you’re willing to keep my secret?”

It was suddenly becoming harder to breathe. Miranda swallowed, glancing momentarily between his eyes and lips.

“Well,” she managed, sucking in as deep a breath as she could, “I can think of one or two other reasons.”

His eyes twinkled at her words, and this time, he smiled a little wider. Miranda’s heart gave a rapid flutter. Would he kiss her like he had earlier today? She sure hoped he would. Her insides tingled with anticipation. Was it just her, or was Bryon’s face drawing closer to hers by the second?

Before his lips could brush hers, he suddenly pulled back, and Miranda’s initial disappointment immediately dissipated at the sight of his expression. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows so high up on his face she could barely make them out.

“What’s going on?” she wanted to know.

Then it hit her. Somewhere in the distance, a soft cry could be heard. She and Bryon stared at each other, understanding dawning on Miranda.

“It’s the foal,” she gasped. “We’re close!”

Chapter Ten

Satyr in Paradise Woods

Bryon practically forgot he was injured for a moment. He rushed forward so fast, he’d covered more than twenty feet by the time he registered the pain flaring in his foot. He slowed down, so beside himself with excitement that he found it hard to focus on the sensation. Finally, after hours of trudging through the woods, he’d found it.

He’d found the foal.

He could hear Miranda struggling to keep up behind him. His heart hammering with each second, he stumbled over rocks and roots, headed straight in the direction of the animal’s cry.

It’s still alive. His chest expanded with relief.

The foal came into view in mere seconds. It lay on its side, its hind leg caught in a small metal contraption. A trap, Bryon realized, noting the serrated edges that had sunk into the creature’s flesh. It wasn’t bleeding too profusely, but it was definitely in pain, lifting and dropping its head with each cry.

His relief was immediately replaced with bubbling annoyance. His jaw clenching, he dropped to his knees, scowling at the metal trap before him.

Miranda appeared next to him then, dropping into a crouch. “Oh, my God. It looks really injured.”

“Yes.” He tried not to let annoyance seep into his tone as he gestured at the trap. “And it’s because of humans.”

The foal looked up at Miranda and then at Bryon, its big, brown eyes filled with terror, and he felt a tug in his gut. This foal hadn’t gotten injured because it had fallen into a ditch or been attacked by a larger animal. No, some human had left a trap here for this very purpose. Bryon expelled a breath. He wanted to find the guy responsible for this and give him a piece of his mind. Preferably with his fists.

“I...” Miranda looked like she wanted to argue, but immediately seemed to think the better of it. “You’re right.”

“People like me—shifters, animal rescuers—we exist to protect animals and even other supernaturals from the cruelty of your kind. All you humans do is destroy.”

A hurt look flickered across her face. Bryon didn’t mean to rope her into his accusations, but right now, he was too angry to care about the nuances of human cruelty. Whoever had set this trap clearly hadn’t the faintest concept of mercy. Another thought pricked the back of his mind as he stared at the foal: what if the glass shard that had led to his injury had been left there on purpose by a human? It was definitely typical of them.

“I’m... I’m really sorry, Bryon,” Miranda said softly. She reached out to touch him, and he felt a twinge of disappointment when she dropped her hand midair and cleared her throat. “Let’s get this little guy out of this trap first. I’ll bandage its leg, and we can head out of the woods.”

He gave an almost imperceptible nod, reaching for the metal trap. No sooner had he touched it than the foal began struggling, crying out in pain as it made a frenzied attempt to get away from a perceived new threat.