Chapter 9
NINE
Ethan
“I’ve identified two trails to track.” Luke pointed toward the barn and then back toward the cabins. “The cabin trail is likely from this morning, but to be safe, we should split up and follow them both.”
“Someone should stay at the house in case he comes back,” Declan said. “Luke, I’ll go with you and Austin. We’ll check out the barn trail. Ethan, you and Gabriel check out the cabins. He might have gone home. Mason can stay with Mae, Chloe, and Hannah.”
Gabriel and I nodded at each other and moved back toward the cabin trail. I turned, wanting to reassure Hannah that Jonah would be all right. “Hannah, don’t worry. We’ll find…Hannah?”
She wasn’t there.
I spun around, searching for her. “Where’s Hannah?”
“Would she have gone to look for Jonah?” Gabriel asked.
I shook my head. “Not on her own. Not now. Not after the target she put on her back.”
Declan’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s no time to explain. I need to find her.” I leveled a stare at all my brothers. “Jonah’s mine, and I’m trusting you to bring him back safe.”
“You can count on us.” Calm certainty replaced Austin’s usual lighthearted charm. “Go get your mate.”
Not bothering to strip, I let my shift come over me. I could track her better in my bear form.
I quickly picked up her trail, the scent of lilac and vanilla still fresh from her recent disappearance. It led me back the way we came. Maybe she did go after Jonah, thinking he returned to their cabin. But I didn’t believe she would have done that without saying something.
Gabriel followed behind me in human form, Jonah’s scent leading the same way.
I didn’t wait for him to match my speed and quickly pulled away.
When I reached Hannah’s cabin, her trail split.
One led to the door, the other one toward where we were earlier.
She appeared to be retracing her steps, but was she following her path from the morning or this afternoon?
Gabriel jogged past me. “I’ll check out the cabin.”
He tried the door, but it was locked. I left him there as he knocked, waiting to see if anyone would answer. My bear snorted in confusion as the trail led us straight to the little cabin we recently left. Why would she come back here?
Another scent caught my attention. The one from the break in.
Last time I smelled it, it led away from the little cabin.
This time, it went straight to the door.
My bear roared, not liking the suspicious scent mixing with that of our mate.
I started toward the door, then picked up another trail leading around the cabin.
Hesitating, I followed the new path. If the saboteur was nearby, I needed to know. I didn’t want to be surprised. Rounding the corner, I caught sight of someone darting around the back, too quick to identify them. I raced after them, a growl rumbling through my body.
Just as I reached the back wall, they stepped out, swinging a board at my head.
The sound of the wood cracking echoed through the air.
I shook my head, the blow surprising me, but not nearly powerful enough to do any damage to a bear’s skull.
I stood up on my back legs and bellowed, swiping at the man and sending him flying into the cabin wall.
He cursed, dragging himself back to his feet and stumbling backward, trying to get away from me.
I advanced, anger racing through my veins.
He fumbled at the back of his belt and pulled out a hunting knife, waving it in front of him just as I lunged forward.
The blade sank into my fur, the sharp bite of pain only fueling my fury.
My momentum kept me moving, and I pinned the man beneath me. He still had a grip on his knife, and he twisted it, sinking it in deeper. I snarled in pain and rage. My bear was fully in charge now, reacting instinctively to the threat in front of us. I opened my jaw, taking his shoulder in my mouth.
I shook my head while maintaining my hold on his shoulder. The man screamed, his body flopping from side to side, my teeth sinking deeper with each movement of my head. My bear was out for blood more than the kill.
“Ethan!” Gabriel’s voice penetrated the violence clouding my brain. “Get control of yourself.”
My bear dropped the man and clawed at him as I wrestled to take back control. The sting of the blade in me kept my bear fighting, but I tried to push the pain aside to focus on something else. The first thing to come to mind was Hannah.
I still needed to find my mate. That thought was enough to have my bear pulling back. I moved off the man, who now lay moaning on the ground, blood dripping from the wound on his shoulder.
I made a noise to get Gabriel’s attention. I needed him to pull out the knife before I shifted, or it would cause more damage. In my bear form, it was nothing more than a flesh wound, but if I shifted with it in, it could end up puncturing an organ.
He hissed when he saw the knife sticking out of me and grabbed it before tossing it to the ground behind him. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get away.”
I shifted, the pain greater than normal because of the wound. My shifting skin pulled at the edges, stretching it, causing it to tear further. By the time I returned to my human form, I was sweating and gasping for breath. I pressed a hand against the wound, and my palm came away bloody.
“Help!” A rough voice called out, barely audible and barely recognizable. But I was certain it was my mate.
I staggered toward the sound, ignoring the fiery wound in my side. Now all I could hear was coughing, but I followed it to the source. Back at the front of the cabin, I noticed the window was cracked slightly open. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
I looked down and saw a board wedging it shut. It could have fallen, but I doubted its placement was accidental. I kicked it out of the way and yanked at the door. It flew open.
A noxious odor greeted me. My eyes burned as fumes emanated from the interior of the cabin. The sound of coughing was fainter now and urgency thrummed through me. I blocked my mouth and nose with one hand and barreled into the room.
Hannah lay collapsed on the floor beneath the open window, her body wracked with coughs.
I strode over to her and dropped my hand from my mouth to pick her up.
The fumes immediately burning my throat.
I gathered her up and staggered outside, putting as much distance between us and the cabin as I could before my knees gave way.
I lay Hannah on the grass and pushed her hair back from her face. “Come on, Hannah. Breathe in that fresh air.”
Terror clawed at me. Was I too late? I shouldn’t have gone after the saboteur. If I hadn’t, I could have gotten her out sooner. The thought of losing my mate had the pain from my wound overshadowed by the pain in my heart.
Hannah
Warm palms cupped my cheeks. My eyes watered, and I wheezed, trying not to breathe in more of the fumes. But when I realized the air rushing into my lungs was fresh, I gasped, trying to take in as much as I could.
“Easy, Hannah.” The soothing voice was deep and familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. My brain was fuzzy, and the pounding in it made it hard to think.
My insides roiled, and I twisted away from the hands holding me to empty the contents of my stomach on the ground. I heard someone moaning and realized it was me. I pushed words out of my throat, the edges like knives as they rasped from me. “Water.”
Another voice drifted to my ears. “I’ll get some.”
Footsteps moved away. A hand rubbed my back. “I’ve got you, Hannah.”
I recognized the soothing voice now. It was Ethan. I relaxed into his comforting hold for a moment before another memory rushed into my head. I jerked forward, but Ethan’s arms held me in place. “Jonah!”
“We found him.” Declan’s voice came from above where I was on the ground. He must be standing. “He snuck out to go see Tank. Mae’s smothering him with cookies right now. I’ve left the lecturing for you to do.”
Footsteps approached, and a few seconds later, Ethan was holding a glass against my lips. I forced myself to sip at the water instead of gulping it down.
“We need to get Hannah to the hospital. She should get checked out.” Ethan lifted me, a hiss escaping from him as he stood. I tried to blink my eyes open, but they hurt too much.
“You need clothes first. And Mason should stitch up your wound.” Declan was firm. “I’ll take Hannah.”
“I’m not leaving my mate.” A low growl colored Ethan’s words.
“You also need to talk to the sheriff. He’s on his way.” Declan sighed and softened his tone. “You trusted us with Jonah. Trust us with your mate. I promise to take care of her. And I’ll call as soon as we know anything.”
Ethan’s grip tightened on me before he released me to his brother’s hold.
I wanted to ask what happened to Ethan. How hurt was he?
But I didn’t think I could get more than one word out at a time.
I comforted myself with the fact neither he nor Declan seemed worried about the damage.
If stitches were the worst of it, it would probably be fine.
And I thought I remembered Chloe telling me shifters healed quickly.
“I’m right beside you.” Ethan kept pace with his brother, holding my hand. “I won’t leave your side until I have to.”
That time came too quickly for me. And for him too, it seemed.
He tried to climb in the back of the car with me.
Declan had to drag him out with the help of Mason.
I cracked my eyes open long enough to see Mason holding a naked, blood-smeared Ethan back as Declan climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car.
The nurse at the hospital rushed me into a treatment room.
They poked and prodded me and gave me oxygen.
The doctor admitted me and stressed the need to monitor me until I was symptom free.
I wanted to return to Ethan and Jonah. Verify with my own eyes they were okay.
But Declan just gave me a stern stare and said they’d come visit me as soon as Ethan was done getting stitched up.
Sheriff Danvers arrived before them to take my statement. By the time I finished recounting everything that happened, my throat was on fire, and I was coughing again. Declan brought me a glass of water, glaring at the sheriff for questioning me so long.
The man left after promising to return with more questions after I’d recovered. I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but I hoped we had enough proof that he couldn’t brush off what happened to Cassie any longer.
Declan settled into the chair beside my bed. “Chloe wanted you to know what she found on the USB drive. She made a copy before giving the original to the sheriff, just in case.”
I tried to sit up, but exhaustion filled me to my core. I flopped back against my pillow. Declan pressed a button, raising the head of the bed a bit for me.
“It seems Ethan had given her a list of the construction crew. Based on her notes, she reran their background checks. She dove a little deeper than Mason, to his shame, and realized one worker had a fake identity.” Declan refilled my water cup.
“It was well done—had to be for Mason not to catch it—and she almost missed it.”
“The saboteur?”
He nodded. “Ethan caught him before he got you out of the cabin. Took a bite out of him, in fact.”
“Will he get in trouble?” I didn’t trust the sheriff. I’d heard too many stories from Cassie about him.
“He might have, if it weren’t for the USB drive. Between that and your statement, Sheriff Danvers can’t deny the man was up to no good.” Declan glanced over his shoulder. “Sounds like your mate is here.”
Ethan burst into the room, Jonah on his heels.
They both rushed over to me. Ethan kissed my forehead, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together.
Jonah’s eyes were haunted, and I knew he must be remembering when his mom died.
She was in a coma for three days before she passed.
I pulled my oxygen mask down for a minute.
“I’m okay. I promise. The doctor said I just need to hang out here for a while before coming home.” I held Jonah’s gaze with mine.
“It’s my fault.” He sniffed. “I shouldn’t have snuck out. I just wanted to see Tank.”
“Hey, bud.” Ethan held his hand out to Jonah. “It’s not on you. It’s on the bad man that tried to hurt your aunt.”
“Ethan’s right, Jonah.” I gave him a soft smile before putting my mask back on for a breath. I pulled it down again. “Nothing you did caused this.”
We would talk to him later about telling someone where he was going, but not now.
Now he needed comfort. He observed us with those eyes that were so like his mother’s it brought tears to mine.
He rubbed the back of his hand across them, dashing away the moisture gathering there before taking Ethan’s hand.
Ethan tugged him in closer, hugging him to his side with one arm while he slid the other around my shoulders. I took Jonah’s hand, completing the circle of my newfound family. A peace settled over me, and I knew Cassie was watching and granting her approval.