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Connie’s expression remained dubious, which was frustrating given her early panic and the fact that every minute that passed was one less minute we had to find her partner alive.
And I didn’t even want to examine that particular insight right now.
“Then sheisa legit psychic?” she commented. “This isn’t some weird means of casing the joint, is it?”
“Connie, if I wanted to case the joint and steal your valuables, I’d hardly be in the company of a ranger. Besides, I could simply magic my way in and take what I wanted, anytime I wanted, without you being any the wiser.”
“She could,” Aiden confirmed, the amusement so evident in his eyes and aura barely noticeable in his voice. “But thankfully for us all, the witches in this reservation are on the side of the angels rather than the sinners.”
“She’s a fucking witch, too? Damn, you keep some strange company, Ranger.”
“You have no idea,” he replied, and motioned me forward.
I stepped into the front bedroom and was again visually assaulted by flowers. While the scheme was pastel and should have been relaxing, there were simply too many clashing patterns for my taste. Which didn’t matter, because I didn’t have to live here.
I raised a hand and moved slowly around the room, gently skimming the various bits and bobs that were scattered across the tops of the dressing table and dress drawers. It wasn’t until I reached the small chest of drawers on the far side of the bed that I got a strong response from the watch sitting there.
But not the type I wanted.
Rosie was dying.
I didn’t know how or why, but if we wanted to save her, we had to find her.
Fast.
I turned and looked at Aiden. He didn’t need to be told that things were bad. He silently handed me a glove, then turned to Connie.
“We need you to stay here—”
“I’m not fucking staying here while my wife is out there—” She flung a hand toward the rear of the house, but Aiden cut her off before she could say anything else.
“If you want us to find her, you stay here. Liz’s psi talents can be overwhelmed by strong emotions, and you, my dear, are emoting quite strongly.”
She harrumphed, but didn’t argue any further. “Can you tell if she’s okay? That’s all I need to know.”
“At this point in time, she’s alive.” Which definitely wasn’t a lie, even if it wasn't the full truth, either. “More than that, I can’t say. Not without going deeper, and that could be dangerous for both her and me. Where’s the back door?”
“This way.”
Connie spun and strode down the hall, her bare feet making little sound on the old floorboards. We entered a kitchen-diner that extended across the entire back width of the house, and which was, rather surprisingly, free of flowers. The glass doors that dominated the rear wall—they were the type that folded back on themselves to provide full access to the patio beyond—were partially open.
Connie stepped onto the patio, then stopped, hugging her arms across her chest. “She headed into the forest and went left. I lost the trail just past the uni’s main cluster of buildings. I think she was headed toward Sawpit Road but, as I said, I couldn’t find a scent or foot trail.” She paused. “You don’t think she’s in the dam, do you?”
“At this point, we can’t rule it out, but it is unlikely.” Aiden touched her arm lightly. “We’ll do our best to find her, Connie.”
He didn’t make it a promise. Didn’t add “alive,” but she didn’t seem to notice. She simply nodded and leaned against the rear wall of the house, her expression a mix of hope and resignation.
I briefly tightened my grip on the gloved watch. Pain and bewilderment echoed through the silicon, and it tugged me forward. I stepped off the porch and ran across the rear yard. There was no fence—the only indication of the house’s boundary was a very obvious dividing line between the lushness of the lawn and the drier undergrowth of the forest. As I ran through the trees, the melodious call of magpies greeting the new day filled the air, a cheery sound that belied the darkness building in the watch. It led me onto a dusty track that swept around to the left. Puffs of dirt rose with every step, but I was now moving so fast it had no chance to tickle my nose. Buildings loomed, but the watch’s pulse led me past them and on again through the trees.
We reached another road, and I paused briefly, looking left and right, more to check there were no vehicles rushing toward us than for any real need of direction.
I ran on, Aiden close on my heels. It wouldn’t be the last time we’d run through a forest like this, but I couldn’t help hoping that at leastsomeof those future runs were because of the moon and the need to feel the soil under our feet, rather than a desperate race against time to save a life.
The pulsing in the watch sharpened so abruptly, it caught me by surprise and made me stumble. Aiden lunged forward, catching me before I hit the ground, and then placed me back on my feet.
His gaze swept me and came up relieved. “What happened?”
“Her heart—I think she’s having a heart attack.”
