Suzanne's Sexy Shifters [Shy River Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

Gideon tried desperately to pull back thoughts of his mate and concentrate on the search for a missing bear-shifter. He’d worry later how the hell he and Brigden were going to live together for the next six months without giving in to temptation.

* * * *

Brigden couldn’t stand the tension cramping his muscles.

First he’d been upset to learn about Donovan’s treatment, then shocked to see Gideon arrive in his place, and now frustrated that nearly every wolf from the Dry Creek pack and several visitors from other packs were preparing to search for a lost child without asking him for his help. Granted, he wasn’t expecting to be asked for his opinion, but he was still a werewolf and, therefore, more than capable of joining the search.

It was imperative for the entire shifter world that humans stay in the dark when it came to their existence. The faster this child was found, the better for everyone.

Gideon glanced at him but didn’t acknowledge his presence. There was a time when such behavior had hurt more than Brigden could explain. Being shoved aside by his mate had been the most awful thing that Brigden had ever experienced, but the past three decades had shown over and over Gideon’s actions had been correct.

Hell, even the alpha’s son was a virtual outcast. Gideon had been right in his fears. Brigden wouldn’t have survived five minutes outside the protection of his pack. His mate had basically saved his life that day, but even knowing that didn’t lessen the anguish of being so close to Gideon and being unable to act on his emotions.

He watched as the group of werewolves changed into their furry forms and ran in different directions. Several of the women left behind with the youngsters sneered in his direction before moving back to doing whatever they’d been doing before the call for assistance had come in.

Brigden stepped back inside the small cabin assigned to him and the three other werewolves from Shy River pack, and felt more determined than ever to get this assignment completed and go home. At least there he was pretty much invisible.

He was so deep in thought on how best to design the perimeter monitoring interface for a group of people with zero experience with technology that he almost missed the crackled words over the two-way radio signal. It was on the same frequency commonly used by the park rangers in this area. Brigden routinely monitored their communications, but today it had seemed doubly important.

Thankfully the female voice was only reporting the sighting of a child who may or may not have been lost. Without a parent’s report of a missing child, the human search would likely be superficial at best, but it was extremely important that shifters got there first.

Brigden quickly pinpointed the location on his GPS and ran toward where the men had been gathered. No one had been left behind to coordinate the search. Frustrated by such primitive reactions—they might turn into wolves, but they had no excuse for thinking like them—Brigden turned in a circle seeking help from anyone who might have been left behind.

Unable to locate anyone at all, Brigden glanced again at the GPS, quickly calculated the distance and decided the fastest solution would be the one that took him in the direction of the child’s last known location.

* * * *

Suzanne felt kind of ridiculous. Not only had the woman been unable to pinpoint exactly where she thought she’d seen the child, it was also becoming increasingly obvious that she was under the influence of some sort of drug. It was more likely she’d wandered down this walking trail to smoke in private whatever she’d been smoking and that she’d simply imagined seeing whatever she thought she’d seen.

“Is it possible that what you saw running away was an animal? Sometimes the acoustics of the mountain can make far away noises seem much closer.”

“I don’t know,” the woman said tiredly. “Maybe.” She ran a hand over her eyes, the lids looking puffy and swollen as the effects of whatever drug she’d taken grew more pronounced. “I was sure before, but now, I don’t know. Maybe it was, you know, like a raccoon or something.”

Suzanne tried not to show her annoyance. There was a big difference between a raccoon and a naked child, but at least this little adventure had broken the monotony of her day. It was rather pathetic that this was the highlight of her week.

“Come on. I’ll get you back to your tent,” Suzanne said, worried now that the woman wasn’t in any condition to be walking even the easier tracks. They were almost back to the main camping area when the sound of a child’s giggle came from behind them.

Suzanne glanced at the woman who now wore a wide smile on her face.

“I knew I wasn’t crazy.”

Suzanne wasn’t so sure, but fortunately she was polite enough not to say it. They were close to the camping area so it was possible a couple of children were playing just at the edge of the clearing.

“Head back to your tent,” Suzanne said. “I’ll double back and see if I can find him.”

The woman nodded drunkenly, and Suzanne watched for a few moments to make certain that she headed into the group of tents before turning around and running back the way they’d come. She followed the childish giggles all the way to a small clearing about fifty paces off the main walking track.

What she found terrified her.

Gideon didn’t bother waiting for his running companion. It was clear by the wolf’s size that he was more than capable of keeping up. A few minutes ago they’d picked up the scent of bear-shifter—a slightly more subtle smell than that of an actual bear—and now ran toward it at full speed.

The sound of a human crashing clumsily through the underbrush had them both skidding to a halt, but it was the man’s scent that made Gideon smile and head in his direction. His search companion seemed surprised by his response but followed him nonetheless.

“Gideon,” Brigden said breathlessly as they came face to muzzle. “Thank heavens. Look, I think the kid is about half a mile from here. I’m following the GPS coordinates of the human reports of seeing a lone child playing in this area. We need to find him before they do.”

Gideon nodded his agreement. If the humans had already noticed a young bear-shifter in humanoid form, chances were the area could be filled with humans in a matter of minutes. A human child missing in wild forest would trigger a massive search. Brigden proved he was thinking along the same lines when he turned his attention to the other wolf and asked, “Can you send up a signal to the other wolves to converge on this area?”

The wolf shook its head but turned back into a man to explain.

“The alpha doesn’t want any wolf howls this close to human camping sites.”

It made sense. The last thing they needed was some hunting group trying to convince the authorities that wolves were getting too abundant and should be culled. They couldn’t do anything to stop actual wolves getting too close, but it was imperative that wolf-shifters not exacerbate the problem.

Gideon morphed into human form as well, and nodded his head in agreement.

“Go warn the others—as quietly as you can—and we’ll try to locate the child.”

The man nodded, morphed back into a wolf, then turned and ran back the way they’d come.

“Thank you,” Brigden said.

“What for?” Gideon asked, because he truly didn’t understand why Brigden would feel the need to thank him.

Brigden gave him an embarrassed half smile. “For believing me. I always monitor the human transmissions. I know the child was sighted in this area less than twenty minutes ago.” He glanced at the place where the other wolf had disappeared into the brush. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Gideon’s heart hurt for his mate. Brigden had proven over and over that when it came to technology he knew exactly what he was doing. He shouldn’t ever feel the way he was feeling right now. Unable to reel back the instinct, Gideon pulled Brigden into his arms, holding him briefly but fiercely.

It was over too soon, but they had a child to find and a secret to protect, and that had to take priority.

* * * *

Speechless, frozen to the spot, Suzanne stood watching a young child play tag with a black bear cub. The cub was very young but more than capable of fatally injuring a human child. Suzanne’s mind raced with scenarios, none of them good. Undoubtedly momma bear was close by, and even though black bears weren’t known to attack, Suzanne knew a mother’s instinct to protect her offspring could lead to unexpected and out-of-character behavior.

She moved as quietly as possible, circling the small clearing in the hopes of getting close enough to run in, snatch up the child, and run away as fast as she could. As workable scenarios went, it was a disaster but it was truly the best she could do. If she took her eyes off the child and the cub he played with, there was a very real possibility that the child would never be seen again. Calling to the child would likely have him running from her, perhaps into even more danger. Calling for help would have the same effect. Even if she used her two-way radio, it would take time for others to arrive—time the child probably didn’t have.

Nervous as hell but determined to do everything she could, Suzanne sprang into action, leaping into the clearing and running flat out. She grabbed the child around the waist, hoping he’d wrap his arms and legs around her as she sprinted all the way across the clearing and ran toward the walking track.

The child cried out in terror, his little body squirming against her stomach as he fought against her hold. She didn’t dare slow down, tucking him against her more tightly as she worked her way through the thicker parts of the forest that would lead her back to the camping area. When his voice grew hoarse, she glanced at him, worried that he was hurt, but it was the sharp pain on her abdomen that made the experience surreal.

Squirming against her wasn’t the young child she’d been aiming for, but the bear cub he’d been playing with. Confusion gripped her. She’d grabbed the child, she was certain of that, but the squirming black bear cub in her arms disproved that quite thoroughly. Shocked, she dropped the cub, falling to her knees as she finally understood the pain.

* * * *

“I smell human blood.”

Gideon quickly morphed back into his wolf-shaped form and charged through the forest. Brigden followed more slowly, both encumbered by his awkward human shape and the memory of that embrace.

For over three decades he’d imagined what it might feel like to be held by his mate. The reality had surpassed anything his own mind had provided. Brigden could almost still feel the weight of his mate’s arms, still smell his unique scent, and heaven help him, he still hungered for more.

He tried to push the emotions aside, knowing they had a job to do.

He almost fell over the other wolf, the one they’d sent back to warn the others. But instead of being annoyed, the silver wolf gave him a wolfy version of a grin. Surprised by the friendly greeting, Brigden smiled back nervously and then followed the wolf as he headed in the same direction Gideon had gone.

It didn’t take long to find the source of the blood.

In human form, Gideon had already torn off the woman’s shirt and was pressing it against what appeared to be very deep claw marks.

“What happened?”

“She found our missing youngster.”

“I sorry,” a young voice whispered with a soft sob. “I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s okay, little one,” Brigden said as he took a tiny step closer to the child half hiding behind a tree. His humanoid face was covered in dirt and wet from crying. “We’ll make sure she’s okay.” Brigden glanced at the man he’d arrived here with. “My friend is going to show you the way home. Do you remember how to change back into your bear shape?”

The child nodded. In human terms he was probably less than four years old, but it seemed a safer option than trying to carry him. Even with their superior strength and healing abilities as shifters, the cub could still cause them enough damage to make life uncomfortable, and Brigden didn’t want to risk frightening the child again. He’d been through more than enough for one day.

The other man turned back into a silver wolf and waited for the boy to change into his furry form before slowly heading back the way they’d come. Brigden immediately turned his attention to Gideon and the woman he held in his arms.

“We’ve got a problem,” Gideon said as he lifted the wadded material from the woman’s stomach. Blood immediately oozed to cover the gashes. “A lot of these are quite deep. Even if she gets to medical care, the chance of infection is extremely high. There’s a good chance these injuries could kill her.”

“The humans will investigate such an unusual death,” Brigden said as fear for the safety of all shifters in this area clawed at his throat, “especially if she has stories of children turning into bear cubs.”

“It might even launch a hunt for a rogue bear or two.”

Brigden watched as his mate leaned over and touched the woman’s face gently. Jealousy gripped him until he realized the woman was awake and staring at them both. She tried to say something, but the words were garbled and obviously pain-filled.

“It’s okay, baby girl,” Gideon said in a tone of voice that Brigden had often hoped his mate would use on him. “We’re not going to hurt you.”