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I look at Everett. “I think they’ve gone.”
He nods, confirming he’s come to the same conclusion. “Is this where it happened?”
“It’s close,” I tell him. “It was just over here.”
I check quickly for any traces of magic as we arrive, and I don’t pick up anything.
The people who were out here were definitely shifters. I can pick up traces of four distinct scents I didn’t smell before. They all have the familiar earthy base-note of wolves. The ground is flat and stained where the body was lying, but she’s gone now.
“They took her away.”
Everett crouches down close to the bloody patches on the flattened dirt and grass.
He gets back up and closes his eyes just as they start to give off a golden glow.
“Everett,” I start, the bad feeling that made me come out here with him coming back full force.
He opens his eyes and looks at me. “They invaded our territory. I want to know who the fuck they think they are.”
“Fine,” I tell him. “We follow for long enough to find out where they came from, but we can’t confront them.”
He scowls at me, but I don’t back down.
“I mean it, Everett. We don’t know what they want. Why they did this, whatever this was.”
“I don’t need to know,” he mutters, but the glow fades a little.
His voice gets less growly. He’s listening. He knows I have a point.
“I’m ready to gut anyone who tries to hurt our pack too,” I remind him. “But we don’t act until we know what we’re dealing with.”
“If we follow their trail, they might pick up our scents,” Everett realizes. “Can you cast a spell to stop that from happening? It’s the only way we can check up on them without risking a fight.”
Thank Freya. He’s going to do this my way.
Now, if only I knew that way was going to work.
“I can, but I need a little boost,” I admit. “Give me a second.”
I touch the trunk of the nearest tree and my fingers start to tingle as I issue a silent prayer to Freya.
My hand shakes. I’m tired, but it’s working. My magic is replenishing.
“You’re glowing like you’re made of gold,” Everett murmurs, his gaze moving over me.
The same golden glow I see when I shift at night or use my wolf’s enhanced sight is bathing everything around me. “Huh,” I murmur, wondering what I’m doing differently tonight.
My magic isn’t usually visible. It feels the same as usual, apart from the fact that I’m yawning as I draw it from the tree. Crap. I’m overdoing it. I stop and get an instant head-rush that makes me stumble and trip.
“Cheryl, are you okay?” Everett’s strong arms tug me against his hard chest.
I clamp down on the sudden urge to giggle girlishly. Oh, crap. I’m definitely overdue for a rest.
Too bad we need to go be invisible while we find out what this strange pack is up to.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, with a smile that’s probably mildly dopey.
He looks down at me, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
