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I’d been so exhausted from my chase that I hadn’t even thought to look for her clothes, which when we reached the meadow I realized were still laying in the grass.
My stomach dropped and fear clawed at my throat. Where the hell could she have gone? I’d heard her stop behind me and turn back on the trail, but I was so focused on whatever it was I was chasing that I didn’t think much about it.
What if I’d lost the scent because whatever it was had doubled back to get Celia?
I let my beast out, my clothes shredding to pieces as I shifted then took off into the woods again, desperate to find her and make sure she was okay.
I heard Dad follow, his heavy pawed steps thundering behind me as we raced into the tree line, both of us calling loudly for Celia, but receiving no response.
We followed her scent from the previous evening, following the path she and I had made as we’d run until it split in two different directions.
“She must have gotten lost,” I told Dad. “Her and I ran to the left until she stopped, and she must have gone to the right trying to find her way back.”
I raised my head and looked around as the sound of footsteps filtered through the dense trees. There were people coming.
“Devan?” Colton called loudly. “Trevor?”
“Over here!” Dad yelled back.
A moment later, we could see a group of men approaching with Colton in the lead.
“Carol called,” Colton explained when they reached us. “We thought you could use some help.”
“Thank you,” I said, nodding to him before turning back to keep searching.
Finally, after a couple hundred yards further, her scent hit me strong and I bolted forward, skidding to a stop in front of a massive hole that had been dug through the earth.
I stared down and let out a low whine at the sight of Celia at the bottom of the pit. It had to be ten feet deep at least and she wasn’t moving.
“Celia!” I screamed, my heart stuttering at the lack of response from her. “Oh my God.”
“I’ll get her,” Booker said, stepping up beside me before jumping gracefully down into the pit. One of the perks of being a vampire, I supposed.
I watched him gently cradle her naked body in his arms before he leapt from the hole and landed softly back on the ground next to me.
“She’s alive,” Booker said, his eyes narrowing as his fingers pressed against Celia’s throat. “But unconscious. I’ll run ahead and get her to the healer, meet us there.”
Before I could argue or thank him, he bolted forward and was out of sight. I turned to follow but Dad rammed his body against mine, knocking me off balance.
“We’ll shift back, get dressed and drive over,” he said firmly.
“Carol sent clothes,” Lincoln said quickly, dropping a backpack to the ground at our paws. “Colton and I will head back to your place and let her know about Celia and we’ll drive her to the clinic. You guys meet us there.”
“Thank you,” I told him. “Both of you.”
“Anything for family,” Lincoln answered with a shrug and a small smile. “Shift back. Celia will need you when she wakes up.”
I watched as he and Colton turned and ran back toward the house. Once they were out of sight, Dad and I shifted back and dug our clothes out of the pack, dressing quickly.
“She’ll be okay,” Dad insisted. “We found her.”
“But why did this happen at all?” I asked, taking a moment to stare down into the pit again. “Someone did this.”
“I know,” Dad said, clapping me on the back. “And we’ll figure that out later. Let’s go.”
****
“I was able to heal the fractures in her arm and rib,” the healer explained. “She has a concussion and will be pretty sore and tired. But she’ll be just fine.”
