AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They didn’t speak as they broke into a clearing. Zee saw the man step out from behind the protective coverage of trees. The Therian was familiar, but she couldn’t put a name to him. Judging by the way his eyes dipped only briefly before reconnecting with Niko’s, he was one of the higher-ranking soldiers.
He spoke in a clipped voice without once looking at Zee.
“Scent line from here to the secure house where we stashed Grady,” he said, breathing easily despite the light sheen of sweat on his bare chest and arms that indicated he’d been running at a good, hard pace.
She could feel his power level. He was strong, easily strong enough to have his own subpack in the broader Appalachia territory.
“Any more news?” Niko jerked his head, indicating for the scout to join them as they fell into a quick jog. “I’m getting... eight distinct human scents here.”
“Nine,” the scout replied. “Two have to be siblings; their scents are similar. All human. Over the next mile, they break off into groups of three to patrol. I’ve already located and disabled the humans in my sector—tied-up and gagged, half-mile east of here. I notified Boone of their exact location so he can send a retrieval team.”
“Good work, Johnny.”
Without acknowledging the compliment, Johnny continued. “Soldiers at each point. We’ve been radio silent, but you know us. You’ll find them or they’ll find you.” The scout hesitated a moment. “Should I return to my post or stay with you?”
“Return to your post for now, John. Wait for updates from Boone.”
The process was repeated again a couple of miles later, this time from a scout named Analise. She was petite and blonde and looked more like a schoolteacher than the strong soldier she’d have to be in order for her to be one of Niko’s scouts.
Her hair was in a tight braid, a few loose, short tendrils hinting at a tendency to curl, while her vivid blue eyes held the bright light of a keen intellect.
The splash of blood on her cheek was a sharp incongruity to her bright, vivid beauty, but in line with the stark report she gave. “One’s dead. Sorry, Prime. He either sensed me coming or had dumb luck on his side, because he turned right when I came up behind him. He drew on me.”
Her gaze darted to Zee, lips twitching. “I don’t like being shot at.”
“Valid.” Analise’s words seemed to be offered as a friendly explanation and Zee took it as such. “I doubt I’d care for it much myself.”
Analise’s smile widened and she winked before turning her attention back to Niko. The quicksilver humor was gone in a flash as she continued.
“The other two intruders in this sector are secured. You’ll want back-up moving in from here.” She paused, lifted her face to scent the air. “The wind keeps changing but I’m scenting something familiar, Prime. It’s layered and they tried to cover it up with a chemical application to confuse our senses—it does a good job, but I’m still picking up on something. And I’ve scented before, Niko, but I’m not sure where or when. That’s not all, though. I think there are more of them out there and that chemical shit is keeping me from picking up on it.”
Niko glanced at Zee, a deep furrow between his brows and his pupils spiked, enlarging until just a thin ring of gold remained. Vision heightened, he looked around, taking in more than either Analise or Zee would see even if they shifted.
They had the stronger sense of smell, but no Therian wolf could hope to see things in the dark as clearly as a Therian cat.
They were quiet as he scanned the forest in the fading light, the sun lost to the heavy cloud cover that had moved in since they’d begun their hunt. The forest around them was already thick with shadows. His altered vision came back to theirs and he cocked his head at Analise, the wolf and cat in him lurking just under his skin now.
“Alright, noted. You run with us. Have you alerted Boone?”
“Negative.” Lips flattening into a tight line, she shook her head. “Opted for radio silence. I heard about... Grady. Never liked that little shit, but he has mad skills when it comes to tech. Wasn’t sure if any of our comm devices might be compromised—decided not to risk it.”
Both Niko and Zee must have looked confused because Analise gave them a pained look. “Gut instinct, and I’m not sure if it’s anything but paranoia. It’s just that scent I picked up on. My wolf is telling me to be careful.”
“We’ll figure that out later. Let’s get moving.” His eyes flashed gold as he angled his head toward Zee, voice deep, rougher with the presence of his beasts so close. “Your nose is better than mine. Watch Zee’s back.”
Zee narrowed her eyes at him, but stayed quiet. He’d worry less if he knew he had somebody watching her, so she’d deal with it—only because a worried Niko could be a distracted Niko and a distracted Niko could easily become a dead Niko.
Eyes still resembling a cat’s, he brushed his knuckles down her cheek.
Then they were running again.
The coppery scent of blood stained the air not long after. It had been a whisper when Zee first picked it up. Now it was screaming, growing stronger with every foot of ground they covered.
The dead body they passed—mine, Analise acknowledged with a nod, wasn’t the source of the blood either, which only made the pulse of anger throbbing in Niko’s mind swell.
Zee felt the surge of that anger, was acutely aware of it, but it felt... set apart. These weren’t her people... yet. They would be, eventually—whether they liked it or not—because Niko would need that, a mate who was his equal in strength as he led the pack.
But for now, the slight distance let her think, her mind taking in minute details she likely wouldn’t have noticed if she’d been emotionally invested.
