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Raven patt
ed the blade at his side. “I am ready for a fight if need be.”
Bear nodded, and Raven crept to the door of the cabin. As he had suspected, it was latched. He drew out his blade and cut through the wood. Moving with stealth, he entered a small sitting room. Another door led to a bedroom.
“Tehila?” he whispered.
The room was empty. He walked through the small room to another door that housed only a bedstead and bureau. He inhaled. Lavender. And wildflowers. The mere scent of her tightened his groin. Ella. This was Ella’s room.
But where was she?
He sat down on the bed and buried his face in the feather pillow. The concentration of her sweet aroma constricted his throat.
“Bear!”
Within seconds, his brother stood in the doorway.
“They are gone.” Raven’s heart thudded and his stomach threatened to empty. “Her father has taken her from me.”
“We’ll find her, Raven,” Bear said. “Together we can track anyone.”
Raven nodded and rose from the bed. He willed his bowels to settle. Had he ever felt such fear? In the face of the she-bear? During his warrior training?
No. The fear of losing his mate overpowered everything else. He had to find her.
“They did not take much with them. Perhaps they plan to return someday.”
Bear shook his head. “I don’t know, brother. Come, let’s look for the trail.”
Raven followed his brother out of the cabin and to the barn where Sukie had been let loose to graze. “They did not take their cow.”
Bear stalked around the barn, observing the earth under his feet. “Whoever took her knows how to cover his tracks. It will be difficult to pick up the trail.”
“Difficult? Her father is a preacher, Bear.”
“A preacher who knows how to make himself invisible.” Bear knelt to the ground and fingered the dirt.
“You don’t think—” Raven stopped, his mind a mass of emotion. Ella’s violet eyes, her cherry lips, her innocent kisses…
“What?”
A jolt brought Raven back. “What if someone else took her?” His heart pounded. “What if she’s in danger?”
“Use your head, brother,” Bear said. “If she had been kidnapped, would the kidnapper have let the cow loose so she wouldn’t starve?”
“You are right. I wasn’t thinking.” He needed to be thinking.
“I understand. You worry about your woman. But keep your head. You will need it.” Bear stood. “Let’s go.”
Raven silently vowed not to let his heart rule his mind. “We must find her.”
“We will, Raven, we will. I promise you I will not let you down.”
Raven stared into Bear’s golden eyes, so different from his own, yet so alike in their fierce determination.
They would find Ella. And when they did, Raven would never let her out of his sight again.
Chapter Nine
