Chapter Five
Hex
I stare at the last picture I took of Kory and me on my phone. "Where are you, Mouse?"
"I tracked the scent trail to a road. They must have had a car waiting.
Who knows how long they've been watching him, but I'd bet at least two days based on the strength of their scent at various points of the property," Mason says, re-entering the cabin, pulling his pants off the back of the sofa to re-dress after his shift.
I turn away to give him privacy, even though he doesn't seem to care. I have yet to see his wolf form. We've been apart longer than we've been together over the years.
"I'm going to try locating Kory through our bond. Things shifted for us once you scented him. Maybe he and I have been together long enough the bond will guide me even though it's not official yet."
"Do you think it will work with only the two of us exchanging formal mating marks?"
"It's the only thing I've got right now, unless you've got a better idea."
"What do you want me to do?" Mason asks, coming up beside me, fully clothed again.
"Take my hand, I'll do the rest."
With Mason's hand in mine, I close my eyes.
Most humans expect magic to be flashy and for a practitioner to use a bunch of tools.
But magic, at the core, is about intention and will.
Tools can help focus the intention, but they aren't strictly necessary for a highly-skilled witch.
At the moment, I'm grateful for that since I left all my gear at the Nefarious compound.
It's supposed to be my day off, damn it.
Focusing my thoughts on Kory, I reach out through the budding bond between us. For a few breaths, I sense nothing, so I draw on the mate bond between Mason and me to boost the connection.
"He's anxious and irritated, but I don't feel any immediate danger," I say, puzzled by Kory's emotions. The cabin looks like a tornado went through it, so I know he put up a fight. I'd expect him to be scared. I suppose I should be grateful he's not.
"Can you sense a location or direction? Anything that can help us know where to start looking?"
"No. It's all murky. Maybe I'm too upset to get a clear picture of what's happening.
" I open my eyes and drop Mason's hand. Pulling out my phone, I text Cipher to send me the background info we put together on Kory when I started getting serious with him.
Maybe there's something in there we missed the first time around, or a clue we can follow.
Sometimes, magic is the answer, other times technology works just fine.
Between the two, surely we can locate my lost mouse.