Protector Bear (Bear Creek Protectors Book 4)
Author: Raines, Harmony
Date: 2019-03-27
Keywords: General Fiction

Table of Contents

Copyright

Foreword

Chapter One – Cynthia

Chapter Two – Hunter

Chapter Three – Cynthia

Chapter Four – Hunter

Chapter Five – Cynthia

Chapter Six – Hunter

Chapter Seven – Cynthia

Chapter Eight – Hunter

Chapter Nine – Cynthia

Chapter Ten – Hunter

Chapter Eleven – Cynthia

Chapter Twelve – Hunter

Chapter Thirteen – Cynthia

Chapter Fourteen – Hunter

Chapter Fifteen – Cynthia

Chapter Sixteen – Hunter

Chapter Seventeen – Cynthia

Chapter Eighteen – Hunter

Chapter Nineteen – Cynthia

Chapter Twenty - Hunter

Chapter Twenty-One – Cynthia

Chapter Twenty-Two – Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Three – Cynthia

Chapter Twenty-Four – Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Five – Cynthia

Chapter Twenty-Six – Hunter

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Cynthia

Epilogue

Also By Harmony Raines

Get In Touch

Protector Bear

Bear Creek Protectors

Book Four

***

All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

© 2019 Harmony Raines

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Protector Bear

Bear Creek Protectors

Book Four

Nobody threatens his mate and gets away with it!

Bodyguard, Hunter, returns to Bear Creek for some downtime between jobs. However, his world is soon turned upside down when he offers to help Cynthia, who has received a threatening letter from an unknown source. The investigative reporter, who is responsible for bringing an end to a child trafficking ring, is his mate.

Hunter swears he will do whatever it takes to protect Cynthia and her children. Even if it costs him his life.

But he would rather hunt down the person responsible for the threat and let his bear rip their head off.

Cynthia thought she’d ended the reign of terror brought about by a child trafficking ring. It soon becomes clear she has some unfinished business that will threaten her future and that of her children.

However, when she meets Hunter, she realizes she is not in this alone. She is his mate, and he’ll stand by her side no matter what.

With the help of other members of Bear Creek Protectors, she’s ready for one last fight, one last chance to bring a bad guy to justice, and reunite four lost children with their parents.

Chapter One – Cynthia

“Hey, kids, snack time,” Cynthia called to her children as she placed a plate of fruit and cookies on the table.

“Cookies!” Thomas shouted as he ran into the kitchen from outside. Her youngest child, Thomas possessed an endless supply of enthusiasm and energy. He’d been playing in the yard all morning, and for once he remembered to wash his hands before climbing onto a seat at the table and reaching for a cookie.

“Fruit first,” Cynthia reminded him, while trying to hide a smile as a look of disappointment crossed his face.

Thomas dropped the cookie from his hand and picked up a grape, his eyes bright as he figured out a way to circumvent his mom’s demands.

“I see where this is going.” Cynthia folded her arms and arched an eyebrow. “But one grape does not equal one cookie.”

Thomas plucked another grape and held one between each index finger and thumb. He looked at her with those cute puppy dog eyes that she found hard to resist. “Two?”

“Want me to take the cookies off the table?” Cynthia raised another eyebrow at her young son, and he grinned, before picking up slices of apple and orange, and setting them down on his plate.

“Better.” She left Thomas eating his fruit and walked to the back door. “Laurel. Snack time.” No answer. A sliver of ice-cold fear ran down her back and spread out through her body, making her knees weak. “Did your sister go outside, too?”

Maybe she’d gotten it wrong and her daughter was upstairs in her room. But Cynthia was certain Laurel had passed through the kitchen saying something about needing vitamin D. Her daughter was learning about how the body worked at school and, as usual, was implementing what she’d learned.

If she wasn’t in the yard, where was she?

Fear gripped Cynthia. The thought of someone taking her child paralyzed her.

“Mommy.” Thomas’s small voice snapped her out of her fear-laden daydream.

“Yes, Tom.” She fixed her focus on Thomas even though she itched to go outside and find Laurel. Her sweet daughter...

“Laurel went to the bathroom.”

Cynthia exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, as if she were a balloon deflating. “Of course she did.”

“Are you okay?” Thomas took a cookie from the plate on the table and slid off his chair. With his hand outstretched, he offered Cynthia the cookie as if she were a frightened stray dog he wanted to befriend. “Here, you can have a cookie even if you haven’t eaten any fruit yet.”

Cynthia put her arms around Thomas and hugged him so tight she didn’t think she would ever have the strength to let him go. “Thanks, sweetheart.” She kissed him on the cheek and then looked up as Laurel entered the kitchen.

“Oh, cookies. Thanks, Mom.” Laurel sat on a chair and reached for a cookie, but then saw the fruit on Thomas’s plate and took a piece of apple instead. “Yum.” She took a bite of the crisp apple and crunched it up.

“Can I go back to eating my fruit now?” Thomas asked, wriggling in his mother’s arms.

Cynthia let him go and then chased her son across the room, trying to tickle him as Thomas scampered back onto his seat. Thomas giggled with laughter as he turned around and flung his arms around her neck. “I missed you, Mommy.”

Cynthia crouched down by the side of her son. “I missed you, too. Both of you.” Cynthia placed her hand on her daughter’s leg and tickled her. “I missed both of you so much. And I promise I will not leave you again. I’m sorry it took so long. But I had to make sure the kids were safe.”

“From the bad men?” Thomas asked.

“Yes, from the bad men. Because not everyone has a mommy or a daddy, or someone else to take care of them.” Cynthia looked at her children’s faces. Happy faces. She drank them in, etching them onto her brain. When she went to sleep, she wanted to picture their happy faces. Not the other children. The children who had been taken from their parents or taken from the street to be used and abused by wicked people.

Of course, she had seen the smiling faces, too, the faces of children and parents who had been reunited. But there were others. A handful who had not been found. There were parents out there who had no idea where their child was or if they would ever see them again. And there were children, lost children, who had no one to search for them.

“Can I have a cookie now, please?” Thomas reached for the plate as his mom nodded.

“Of course you can. Good boy for eating your fruit first.” Cynthia stood up and looked out of the window. The back yard needed tidying, and she had plans to decorate the children’s bedrooms.

She needed to keep busy to block out the memories of the men...the bad men…who had entered her house.

To kidnap her children.

Cynthia brushed her hair off her face and tucked a stray strand behind her ear. “Want to go to the park after you’ve eaten your snacks?”

“Sure,” Laurel said. “Exercise is good for you. It helps you stay fit and healthy.”

“It’s also fun,” Thomas pointed out as he took a second cookie.

“It is fun. I thought we could go to the play area and then walk around the pond.” Cynthia poured herself a cup of coffee and walked to the door leading into the back yard. “We’ll have to wrap up warm. It might be spring, but it’s still chilly.”

“Not as cold as on the mountain.” Laurel sighed as she ate her cookie. “I loved making snow angels with Jenna and Flint.”

“Snow bear angels.” Thomas giggled as he remembered the fun he had when he and his sister were hiding out on the mountain. At least the whole incident hadn’t left them with nightmares.

If only the same was true for Cynthia. She might see Thomas and Laurel smiling as she closed her eyes, but sometimes, those images turned to tears. In her dreams, someone was chasing her children, reaching out to grab hold of them and take them away from her. Far away.

Just like their dad was far away. Never to return.

“Would you like to live in Bear Creek?” Cynthia asked suddenly. The words had just tumbled out of her mouth without her thinking, although the idea had been in her head ever since they’d come back to the house.

The house where it had all begun.

“Do you mean it?” Laurel asked with excitement.

Cynthia shrugged. The children didn’t think the idea was crazy after all. “It would mean leaving this house and all your friends behind.”

“We could live in a house in the mountains and we could make new friends.” Thomas liked the idea. Her son was terrible at hiding his emotions, he wore his heart on his sleeve and an easy-to-read expression on his face. Happy or sad, Cynthia could catch his mood in one glance.

“And you think you’d be happy in the mountains?” Cynthia asked. “How about you, Laurel?”

Cynthia’s daughter was quieter, more thoughtful. If they were going to leave this house and move to another town, Cynthia needed to know both of her children were happy with the idea.

The move might be best for all of them. But only if they were all committed to it.

“I love the mountains and I loved Flint’s bear.” She looked down at the half-eaten cookie in her hand. “As long as we’re all together, I don’t mind where we live.”

Cynthia placed her coffee cup down on the counter and went around to hug both her children. “Wherever we are, we will be together. I promise.”

“You won’t have to go away to work again?” Laurel asked in a small voice.

“No, that part of my life is over.” She kissed Laurel on the top of the head. “It was just something I had to do.”

When the children were older, she would explain it to them. By then it wouldn’t hurt so much to think of the reasons she had chosen to take down Cracol Lemnisci. However, until they were old enough to understand, she would keep it to herself, buried deep inside. But she could never bury it deep enough to stop the pain. It pierced her heart, the weight of her loss making it hard to breathe.

Perhaps one day she would let go of the pain. Enough time had passed that she should be getting over it now. And maybe she might. Now that Cracol was in prison, if she sold the house and moved somewhere new, perhaps she could start again. Maybe even meet a man she could fall in love with.

She smiled to herself at the thought of Jenna, the woman she’d hired as a nanny bodyguard for the children. Jenna who had found love and a lasting relationship with a bear shifter from Bear Creek. Jenna who had considered herself too old to find a man and settle down. Hadn’t that shown Cynthia that anything was possible, and it was never too late?

“Then let’s move,” Laurel said confidently as she ate her cookie. “Maybe we could have a puppy if we moved.”

“That sounds like a good idea. There’s an animal shelter near Bear Creek, we could go and adopt a puppy.” Cynthia might sleep easier at night knowing there was a dog in the house. One who would bark if an intruder came for her children... She closed her eyes and pushed that thought away. She had to find a way through the guilt and fear that threatened to consume her.

“And a kitten?” Thomas asked hopefully.

“Maybe a kitten, too.” Cynthia went back to her coffee with a cookie in her hand. “All I have to do is decide what I’m going to do for work.”

“You could open a cookie shop,” Thomas suggested helpfully.

“Or maybe a flower shop. You love flowers and watching things grow,” Laurel suggested.

“I love watching you two grow,” Cynthia commented. “But I think I’d like a job where I can still help people.”

“Just as long as you don’t go away again.” Laurel finished her cookie and got down from the table. “I’m going to change my clothes, so we can go to the park.”

“I’m going to eat another cookie.” Thomas’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he took one last cookie from the plate.

“And I am going to clear the table and wash the cups. As soon as you are both ready, we can go.” Cynthia picked up the empty plates and ran the hot water into the sink. As she quickly washed the dishes, she thought over what her options were. She had enough savings to last for a while, so work was not about keeping a roof over their heads. Instead, she wanted to find something challenging and rewarding.

Perhaps a therapist of some kind? Working with children would be her number one choice. A teacher?

She put the dishes away and wiped the counter and the table clean. As she finished, the mailbox flap clattered. Strange, the mailman had already delivered their mail. Cynthia dried her hands and left the kitchen. Walking down the hallway to the front door, she saw there was an envelope on the doormat. Instinctively, she peeked out the window to see if the person who left it was still around. No one. Cynthia didn’t usually get hand delivered mail.

Anxiously, she leaned down and picked it up. A sliver of fear slipped down her spine. Her name was scrawled across the envelope. No address.

Cynthia stared at it for several seconds. She didn’t want to open it. She didn’t want to know what was inside.

“Get a grip.” Cynthia shook off her fear. It was probably nothing, a piece of fan mail perhaps. Although she was very careful to keep her address confidential, since the story broke about child smuggling and how Cracol Lemnisci had gone after her family, it was easy to track her down.

One more reason to move to a new house.

Her fingers curled around the seal of the envelope and she cracked it open. Her nerves still jangled as she withdrew the handwritten letter from the envelope.

What you took from me, I will take from you.

Visions of her children swam across her eyes as she jammed the piece of paper back in the envelope. There was something else in the envelope.

Cynthia carefully inserted her hand into the envelope and pulled out a photograph of her children. It had been taken at the local park only days ago.

Placing the letter and the photograph back in the envelope, she folded the flap over to keep them from falling out. Trying to touch the envelope as little as possible, she went to the kitchen and opened a drawer, rummaging around for a clear plastic bag.

Cold dread crept through her veins. What should she do? Who could she trust?

Trying to keep her voice calm, she went to the stairs, grasping hold of the handrail as she fought the rising bile in her throat. With an enormous effort, she put her foot on the first stair and pulled herself up. The second one was easier, by the third step she’d mastered her nerves.

This wasn’t like her, she normally threw off danger and plowed ahead no matter what. But unraveling the child trafficking ring had left her torn up inside. She couldn’t get the thought out of her head of how many lives had been ruined by the men responsible. Out of all the investigations she’d taken on, this one had been too close to home.

“Hey.” She reached the top of the stairs and steadied her voice. “Why don’t we leave for Bear Creek now?”

Laurel came out of her room, wrapped up in a hat and scarf with mittens on her hands, giving her mom a worried look. “Now?”

“Yes. Why put it off? I can call ahead and ask Jenna to put us up for a couple of days while I look for a place to rent.” She smiled, hoping it looked natural as she gripped the bag with the envelope in her hand, the contents etched into her brain.

“Yes!” Thomas jumped through his doorway, dressed in a Spiderman outfit.

“You were going to wear that to the park?” Cynthia asked, her fears temporarily pushed aside by the sight of her superhero son.

“It reminds me of bear shifters,” Thomas admitted.

“When Flint and Angel told us about how they could turn into animals, they said they had superpowers,” Laurel explained.

“Ahh, that makes sense.” Cynthia nodded. “So what do you say? Bear Creek or the park?”

“Bear Creek!” Thomas jumped back into his room and began opening drawers and closets.

“Laurel?” Cynthia asked gently.

Her daughters’ eyes were big and round as she studied her mom. “Did something happen?”

Cynthia didn’t want to lie to her daughter, but neither did she want to burden her with the truth. “Ever since we came back here...it doesn’t feel like home anymore.” She brushed her free hand down her thigh as if trying to wipe something off the palm of her hand. “I just keep thinking of those men in the house and how if Jenna hadn’t gotten you out...”

“You don’t feel safe.” Laurel came to her and wrapped her arms around her mom’s neck. “I don’t either.”

“So we go?” Cynthia asked, her heart breaking as she hugged her daughter back. How could she have brought this on them? Her children were the most important thing in her life, she should have stayed at home and let someone else bring down Cracol Lemnisci.

But no one else would. No one else knew the things he’d done. Until the story broke, everyone thought Cracol Lemnisci was a good, legitimate businessman.

All except Connor.

The father of her children.

And he’d died because of that knowledge.

Chapter Two – Hunter

Hunter stepped out of his SUV and breathed the clear mountain air.

Home.

He hadn’t been back in Bear Creek for more than five days in a row for the last six months, and now he was looking forward to a couple of weeks downtime. No more people to protect. Only the spring sun on his back and the sound of birds in his ears as he took to the mountains for some R&R.

Closing the car door, he went to the trunk and took out his luggage, which consisted of one well-packed backpack and a small carry-on suitcase. He liked to travel light. Walking to the house, he opened the front door and went inside, dropping his luggage in the hallway while he bent down to retrieve his mail. Flint or Guy dropped by periodically to check on the house and pick up the mail while Hunter was away. However, they’d been busy protecting a young mother and her children and so his mail had piled up. He wasn’t complaining, there were far more important things in the world than letters on a doormat.

Hunter flicked through the envelopes absently, while he walked to the kitchen and filled up the coffee pot. He was looking forward to spending a couple of days at home, eating and drinking coffee and beer while he unwound. Then he’d pack for his trip into the mountains.

Two weeks of pleasing himself, of wearing jeans and combat boots, and not having to button up a shirt and tie a tie.

He loved his job, he loved helping people. But he did not love button-up shirts.

With the coffee pot on and the aroma of the fresh beans filling the kitchen, he began the ordeal of opening his mail, dealing with their contents while listening to the messages on his answering machine.

His usual routine was to deal with all the stuff he had to as soon as he walked through the door. Then he could shower and really begin to relax, with no worries about stuff that needed doing.

Two weeks, he reminded his bear as he finished his second cup of coffee and set the mail to one side. Two weeks of no stuff, only running across the open grass plains and climbing a peak or two until we feel as though we’re on top of the world.

His bear stretched, flexing his claws as he imagined running along the dirt trails over the mountain. It had been a long time since they’d been free to spend so long in the mountains, exploring their old haunts. His bear shook, and grinned, if bears could grin.

I need to go into town and check in with Flint and Guy, he told his bear. Then we can get some food and come back and pack.

Maybe they could move their trip to the mountains forward by a day, Hunter reflected as the low sun streamed in through the kitchen window. The weather was unseasonably good, and he wanted to take advantage of it. It was early spring, the weather could spin on its head in an instant, and his bear could end up plowing through four feet of snow in a couple of days.

Hunter walked back to the hallway, grabbed his pack and suitcase and ran upstairs. Dumping the luggage on his bed, he sorted through the contents. Ten minutes later, everything was put away, with his suits hung in the closet and his dirty clothes in the washing machine, spinning around and around.

Going back upstairs, he showered, dried himself and dressed in combat pants and sturdy boots. Pulling a T-shirt over his head, he went back downstairs, took a weatherproof jacket off the coat hook and grabbed his keys.

The drive to town gave him a chance to check out the local weather forecast on the radio while also looking at the world around him. Spring was in full swing; the warm weather had tempted the plants and trees to wake up early. The buds on the trees were fit to burst and the spring flowers were opening up their delicate petals to add a flash of color in the hedgerows and gardens as he drove past the houses dotted along the route.

Home. He was home.

Hunter had been all over the world working as a bodyguard. But nothing was quite like coming home.

No place in the world was like Bear Creek.

Hunter reached the offices that served as the Bear Creek Bodyguards HQ and parked his car behind the building. Taking a folder off the front seat, he exited the car and strode across the asphalt, wanting to get the meeting over as fast as possible, since he planned to make the most of the glorious day. After this meeting, he would visit the store, take his groceries home and then go for a walk along the lower slopes to stretch his legs.

His human legs, he told his bear.

He had some muscles that needed unkinking after the flight home.

“Are Cynthia and the kids okay?” Flint’s gruff voice reached Hunter as he pushed open the front door of the old building and went inside. It wasn’t unusual for them to be called in as a dangerous scenario unfolded, but it was unusual for Flint to be emotionally involved.

“Yes, she’s just boarded a plane. They should arrive in a couple of hours. I’ll go to the airport to meet them.” A female voice filled with more concern drifted out of the office used by the two men who ran Bear Creek Bodyguards. He’d heard that Flint had found his mate. And Hunter was intrigued to meet the woman who had tamed the old bear shifter.

“Have I arrived at a bad time?” Hunter knocked lightly on the door, which stood ajar, and went inside. The shifters in the room would have known he was here from the moment he got out of his car, if not before. Guy and Flint were both well known for their heightened shifter senses.

“Hunter. No, not at all.” Guy, who was ex-police, got up from his seat and came to meet Hunter. “Good to see you back.”

Hunter handed Guy the folder with the completed paperwork from his last job. “I can come back some other time.” He couldn’t help himself, despite his bear groaning loudly as he said his next words, “Or is there something you need my help with?”

Two weeks’ vacation, his bear reminded him. Two weeks of running free across the mountains.

“Thanks, Hunter. But I think we can handle this.” Flint came around the desk and shook Hunter’s hand. “I know how much you’ve been looking forward to your free time.”

“Are you sure?” Hunter didn’t need heightened senses to tell something was wrong.

Don’t you want two weeks’ vacation? his bear growled.

We can spare a couple of hours, Hunter replied, knowing his bear would do anything for anyone if they needed help.

“We’re sure.” Flint glanced at the woman, who looked unsure. “This is my mate, Jenna. I should have introduced you.” The look in Flint’s eyes as he talked about his mate showed the depth of his love and longing for the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.

A pang of longing hit Hunter. He was ready to settle down and have kids. He didn’t want to wait around for years until he found their mate. He wanted to spend a long life with his mate, unlike Flint and Guy. But he knew better than anyone that these things could not be rushed or forced. A mate appeared in your life at just the right time.

Or so his mom had always told him.

“Hi, Jenna, I’m Hunter.” He offered his hand to Jenna who took it with a firm grasp. “Good to meet you. Flint speaks highly of you.”

Flint looked down at his shoes and grumbled something unintelligible in his growly gruff voice.

“I think a lot of him, too,” Hunter told Jenna, then winked. “But don’t tell the old bear, he gets embarrassed about showing his emotions.”

Jenna laughed despite the evident seriousness of the situation unfolding. “You know him well.”

“We’ve known each other for a few years.” Hunter cracked a smile at Flint. “So come on, spill. What can I do to help?”

“I told you about the babysitting job Guy made me do.” Flint didn’t make eye contact with either guy or Jenna as he spoke.

“A job you enjoyed so much that you decided to adopt a kid or two yourself?” Guy retorted.

“Really?” Hunter asked.

“Maybe.” Flint’s expression faltered, and Jenna moved closer to him. “Yes.”

“I remember. The woman involved broke up a child trafficking ring, didn’t she?” Hunter might not have been home for a while, but he talked to Flint every couple of days, except when the old bear was driving across country with two children and Jenna.

“That’s the one.” Flint nodded. “Well, she is in trouble. And she’s on her way here.”

“I thought you caught the guy who was after her and her kids.” Hunter had even seen the arrest on the news. “How did she manage to get into trouble again so fast?”

Hunter had to admire Cynthia for taking on a man like Cracol Lemnisci. He had money and connections, enough to crush most people under his hand-stitched leather shoes without missing a step. But Cynthia had persevered until she brought him, and the other people involved, down.

“It seems trouble has come looking for her.” Guy picked up a piece of paper from his desk and showed it to Hunter. It was a printout of a photograph taken on a phone.

“Someone sent this to her?” Hunter took the piece of paper and looked at it closely.

“Someone hand-delivered it this morning.” Flint slid his arm around Jenna’s shoulders and hugged her close. Hunter had never seen his boss so emotionally expressive.

And she loved the old bear right back, he could see it in her face and in the way she placed her hand on his chest as if drawing comfort from him.

“Hand-delivered. I don’t suppose she saw who it was.” He suspected the letter would have been delivered anonymously, but they might get lucky. People could be just plain stupid about these things.

“No. She heard the mailbox, by the time she found the letter and opened it, the person was long gone.” Guy ran a hand through his hair. “We know some of the police in the area were mixed up with Cracol Lemnisci. When he was arrested, we hoped most of the corrupt cops went with him. There were several arrests.” Guy took the printout off Hunter and examined it once more. “But we can’t be sure, which is why she’s coming here. We’ve notified Brad and he’ll help in any way he can.”

“That’s probably a wise decision.” Hunter hated the idea of corrupt police. If you couldn’t turn to the police, who could you turn to? “Can you keep her safe once she’s here?”

“Between the three of us, we should be able to. If we take shifts, we can watch her around the clock.” Flint didn’t look at Jenna. He wasn’t certain they could keep her safe. This didn’t sit well with Hunter. Cynthia had two young children…

Offer to protect them, his bear said firmly.

What about our two weeks on the mountain? Hunter asked, although his mind was already made up. He just liked to dig at his bear and his urge to protect those who were in need.

The mountain is not going anywhere. There will be other days, other weeks. And maybe this will end quickly, and we’ll get a few days on the mountain before we have to work our next job. Hunter’s pride in the other side of himself swelled.

I appreciate it. I didn’t want to fight you over this...

It’s the right thing to do. And when have we ever not done the right thing? his bear asked.

Never.

Not that doing the right thing always turned out as they planned. But Hunter could say with a clear conscience that he’d always acted in good faith in the belief that he was making the world a better place by protecting those in it who could not protect themselves. Which was a larger number of people than he would ever have believed growing up as a kid.

“Listen, I could go with Jenna to the airport and collect Cynthia and her kids,” Hunter suggested.

“But you’ve only just gotten back from the airport, we couldn’t ask you to go all the way back there again.” But Jenna’s expression told him she hoped that was exactly what he would do.

“Are you certain, Hunter?” Flint asked with relief. “One of us would go, but we have a meeting scheduled with a large client and neither of us has the time.”

“I’m certain. I have some grocery shopping to do and then I can swing by and pick you up, Jenna. If that’s okay?”

“Great. I’ll go home and get the house ready for our guests.” Jenna kissed Flint on the cheek and picked up her purse before walking to the door. “You’ll love Cynthia and her kids.” She beamed at Hunter and then left the room.

Little did Hunter know as he went to the grocery store just how true those words were.

Chapter Three – Cynthia

Cynthia’s stomach churned as the plane landed on the runway and they began to disembark. What was she thinking uprooting their lives over a letter?

Her hand clutched her purse where the cursed bag, containing the envelope, letter and photograph, was nestled next to her wallet and their passports. She’d brought them with her just in case they had to flee the country. Yes, if Bear Creek wasn’t far enough to run, she would go elsewhere. Somewhere where no one knew her. Surely whoever wrote the letter was not crazy enough to follow them overseas?

“I can see the mountains!” Thomas jumped up and down and pointed into the distance.

“I see them, too,” Laurel said excitedly.

“You really do like the mountains, don’t you?” Cynthia asked, her guilt at uprooting them easing a little.

Their father used to tell Cynthia that all things happen for a reason. When he died, in an apparent suicide, his words were difficult to hold on to.

It was only a couple of years later when she learned the truth about his murder that she could see the meaning in his words. Words that came true when she finally uncovered the child trafficking ring. His death had spurred her on to keep going until she broke down the barriers protecting Cracol Lemnisci. She had finally avenged his death and fulfilled his wishes.

“Mommy.” Thomas pulled on her sleeve.

She jerked like a puppet on a string, not realizing she had been staring into the distance, gazing at the mountains while the rest of the passengers made their way to luggage collection. “I was just taking a good look at the mountains.” She smiled to cover her inner turmoil. “When we were here before, I didn’t really have time to appreciate them.”

“Can we stay in Walt’s cabin sometime? Like a vacation?” Laurel asked as she took her mom’s hand and pulled her forward.

“I’d like that.” Cynthia shivered as a cool breeze swept over them. “But maybe in the summer when it’s warmer.”

“I can’t believe we’ll be in Bear Creek to watch all the seasons,” Laurel said in awe as they went to gather their luggage.

“Can we buy a sled for next winter?” Thomas asked. “I want to slide down the mountain from the top to the bottom.” He made a whooshing noise and pretended to slide in a slalom, twisting and turning his small body.

“Maybe, if you can be sensible. We need to get our luggage and we have to be aware of other people.” Cynthia’s words helped calm her son, but Thomas was itching to run around after the drive to the airport and the flight. But there was one last part of the journey to make and she needed him on his best behavior.

“There’s where we collect our suitcases from.” Laurel pointed to the sign for Baggage Claim, where they could collect their luggage as it was taken off the plane.

“Yes, it is. Remember, Thomas, I need you to behave and not climb on the baggage carousel.” Cynthia gave her son a stern look.

“Okay.” He nodded, then added, “But it looks so fun.”

“I know, honey, but it’s also dangerous. You could get hurt.” Cynthia watched the bags going around but couldn’t see theirs. She looked at her watch. Jenna would be waiting in the parking lot, they needed to get a move on.

“That’s one of ours.” Laurel pointed to a worn suitcase coming toward them. “It’s yours, Mommy.”

Cynthia reached out and took the suitcase off the carousel. It was worn and tattered around the edges, but it had been all over the world with her and she loved it like an old friend. “And there’s yours.” Cynthia grabbed hold of Laurel’s small suitcase and then they all waited for Thomas’s.

At last, it appeared. Like a busy bumble bee, it came toward them, black and yellow. Cynthia smiled as she grabbed it off the carousel and put it down in front of Thomas. Her son picked it up with both hands and heaved it off the floor. “It’s heavy.”

“No heavier than when you carried it into the airport and told us how light it was since you were Superman in disguise,” Laurel told her brother as she pulled the handle up on her own suitcase. It was pink with butterflies fluttering around on it, carefree just as a child’s life should be.

“Come on. Jenna will be waiting for us.” Cynthia helped Thomas pull the handle up on his case. “Here, this is so you don’t have to carry it.”

“I’m strong enough,” Thomas insisted as he carried the suitcase in his hands, huffing and puffing like a train.

“You might be strong enough, but you’ll slow us down.” Cynthia put her hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “You have nothing to prove,” she added gently.

He looked up at her and then took hold of the handle. “I know, but I want to be strong like Flint. He has superhuman senses.”

“I know he does, honey. But he’s also a grown man.” Cynthia winced. “And you are a growing young man.”

“He’s a shifter, that’s why he’s stronger.” The disappointment in Thomas’s voice was palpable. “I’d love to be a shifter and change into a fierce bear.”

“You’re not supposed to talk about it,” Laurel warned him in a hushed voice.

“No one is listening.” Thomas waggled his head at his sister. Normally Thomas and Laurel got along well, but the stress of the long journey was beginning to tell. They were one snarky comment away from a full-blown argument.

“Okay, let’s all look for Jenna,” Cynthia suggested as they walked out of baggage collection and headed toward the main terminal.

“There she is,” Thomas pointed through the crowds of people exiting the building.

Cynthia looked up, relieved to see her friend waiting for them. Jenna was an ex-police officer and knew how to look after herself. She’d also protected the children and kept them safe while Cynthia had been taking down Cracol Lemnisci. If Jenna was here, they were safe. Or so she hoped.

“Hi there.” Jenna hunkered down and held her arms out wide. Laurel and Thomas launched themselves at her. “My, you two have grown since I last saw you.”

“You only saw us a couple of weeks ago,” Laurel told Jenna.

“I’ve grown five inches,” Thomas announced, standing up tall.

“I think you’ve grown six at least,” Jenna told him.

“Maybe if he stands on his suitcase,” Laurel teased.

“Hi, Jenna.” Cynthia hugged her friend as she stood up, disentangling herself from the children. “Thank you so much for coming to meet us.”

“Any time. Come on, let’s get to the car and you can tell me everything on the way.” Jenna took hold of Thomas’s hand as they exited the airport. “And you need to tell me what you’ve been eating these last couple of weeks to make you grow so fast.”

“Protein,” Laurel told Jenna. “Protein helps you grow.”

“You’re right. Do you like learning about how things work?” Jenna asked as they waited to cross the parking lot.

“I do.” Laurel fell silent for a moment. “Do you think I can watch Flint shift, so I can try to figure out how that works?”

“I can ask him,” Jenna replied. “But I think it’s magic.”

“There’s no such thing as magic,” Laurel told her.

“No such thing as magic?” Jenna asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Laurel said matter-of-factly.

“Sure, there’s magic in the world,” Cynthia said. “It’s in the rising of the sun and the grass that grows beneath your feet.”

“That’s not magic, that’s nature, that’s science,” Laurel insisted.

“But Santa is magic,” Thomas told his sister.

“No, he’s not,” Laurel said quickly.

“He has some magic,” Cynthia told her daughter, a warning in her voice.

“No, he isn’t magic at all.”

“You know the reindeer are shifters.” Jenna’s comment made Laurel stop in her tracks.

“Really?” Thomas asked in excitement.

“Really. Flint said he saw one once, a few years ago, she shifted right in the middle of town.” Jenna pointed to a vehicle. “This is us.”

“Wait. Flint saw a reindeer?” Laurel asked. “A real live reindeer?”

“Now do you believe in magic?” Thomas asked as they followed Jenna across the parking lot.

Cynthia grinned despite the disturbing reasons they had left their home and come to Bear Creek. The more natural this was for the children, the better. For now, they didn’t need to know they might be in danger again.

Her expression hardened. Who was behind the letter?

She rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the sense of unease that passed over her. Was this related to Cracol Lemnisci? She’d assumed so. But maybe someone, or something, else from her past come back to haunt her. She needed answers and she needed them soon. But first, they had to get to Bear Creek.

“Is Flint in the car?” Cynthia asked, ducking her head and looking in the vehicle. Her eyes locked on the male who was seated in the driver’s seat. And his eyes locked on hers. She swallowed hard, her stomach churning. Not with nerves, but with excitement.

“No, Hunter came with me.” Jenna put her hand on Cynthia’s arm. “Hey, are you okay? Have you seen something?”

Her future. She’d seen her future in Hunter’s eyes.

“Yes.” She straightened up, her hand threading through her hair. Had she even brushed it this morning?

“Oh.” Jenna’s expression showed her surprise.

“Oh, what?” Cynthia asked as she straightened up, her stomach flipping over. It felt like the first time she’d seen the man who would father her children. Love at first sight. Did that happen twice in a lifetime?

“Hunter is a shifter.” Jenna let the meaning of her words sink in. “Your shifter.”

“I’m his mate?” Cynthia took two steps backward, not sure if she wanted this added pressure in her life. “He’d be better off without me.”

“No, he would not. And you need him in your life. He’ll protect you and the children.” Jenna’s face filled with sympathy. “I know it’s a difficult thing to understand. Believe me, I’ve been where you are right now.”

“And you just accepted it?” Cynthia asked.

“Yes. Eventually.” Jenna glanced at the car. “Well, quite quickly actually. I mean who can resist a man who declares his undying love for you?” Her expression sobered. “There’s a reason I met Flint when I did. Which means there is a reason you’re meeting Hunter now. Right at the time when you are in trouble.”

“We’re in trouble?” Laurel asked, looking up at her mom.

“We will be if we don’t get going.” Jenna glossed over Laurel’s question and opened up the rear car door. “I’m going to sit in the back with you and Mommy can sit in the front.”

“Jenna...” Cynthia followed her friend to the back of the car and Jenna popped the trunk. As they put the suitcases inside, the driver’s door opened, and Hunter got out. Cynthia looked around, her eyes large as panic filled her. She wasn’t ready to meet a new man. She liked her life the way it was. Except for the threatening letter at least.

But she liked her freedom. She enjoyed making her own decisions and living life on her own terms.

Or maybe she was just scared. Scared to risk her heart again. Scared to be consumed with sadness and loss.

“Cynthia, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is the wonderful Cynthia.” Jenna took a step backward and darted around Hunter. “I’ll help the children get buckled in the car.”

“Hi. Thanks for coming to pick us up.” Cynthia gripped the handle of her suitcase as if it were a shield, protecting her from the man before her. The man with mesmerizing eyes, and a kind smile, which twisted in bemusement.

“Hi.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Cynthia sighed, remembering why she’d bundled her children onto a plane and brought them here. “This is all a bit of a shock.”

Which was a bit of an understatement.

“I agree.” He gave a short, nervous laugh. “A good shock. For me at least. You don’t look so sure.”

“Unexpected.” She sounded like an idiot. “This whole thing is unexpected.”

He laughed. “You know, I was supposed to spend two weeks on the mountain. On vacation. If I hadn’t gone to the office to hand over the paperwork for my last assignment, I wouldn’t be here. And we would never have met.”

“Fate.” Cynthia shrugged. “I know that’s what you believe in. Jenna explained it all to me.”

“And you don’t believe in fate.” His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “It’s okay, it’s not a requirement for the mating bond to work.”

“But you do hope to persuade me.”

“I do,” Hunter agreed, and Cynthia decided she wasn’t going to fight it.

Chapter Four – Hunter

A mate and two kids. In one day.

As he drove back to Bear Creek, Hunter couldn’t help but feel a little shell-shocked. If he hadn’t offered to drive to the airport to help Cynthia, and had instead taken off into the mountains for a couple of weeks, he might have sidestepped ever meeting his mate.

Fate, his bear reminded him. We can’t escape it.

Hunter glanced sideways at Cynthia, who looked nervous, her hands clutched together in her lap. “Are you okay?”

She swung her head to face him. “Yes.” She frowned, a deep crease in her brow confirming, which he longed to kiss and make it fade away. “I’m a little preoccupied, sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Hunter glanced up at the rearview mirror and watched the two children in the back seat. They were talking to Jenna, looking happy and content as if this was one big adventure.

“It’s not you...” she added, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. “It’s…”

“The letter?”

Cynthia nodded and looked behind her, checking on her children. “They don’t know,” she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. She looked at him for confirmation he’d heard.

He nodded. “You know all about shifters.”

“Mostly, I know you have super senses, your sight and hearing are better than most, if not all, normal humans.” Which was why she’d spoken so low, she knew he could hear. And only he could hear.

She’s smart, his bear commented.

“We’ll keep you all safe.” Hunter longed to reach out and take her hand, but he didn’t want to push their relationship too fast too soon. Cynthia had enough to deal with.

“I know.” She gave a tight smile. “I just wish I knew what this was all about.”

“Is there anything you can think of that might help us figure this out?” Hunter asked as he drove onto the highway, heading for Bear Creek. This would be a whole lot easier if they had some clue as to who sent the letter.

“Nope.” She paused. “Well, maybe. But I’m not sure this is the time or place.” She glanced in the side mirror, angling her head to watch her son giggling with Jenna and his sister.

“We’ll talk about it later.” He wanted to set her at her ease. “Tell me about yourself. Your kids are great.”

She smiled coyly. “Are you trying to get on my good side, Hunter?”

“I’m schooled in small talk,” he replied. “As a bodyguard, I have learned to talk about anything and everything. So if you don’t want to talk about yourself, pick a subject and I’ll try to keep up.” He grinned at her. “But most people love talking about their kids.”

“I’m usually a little secretive about them,” Cynthia admitted. “I don’t like them getting drawn into my work.”

“You protect them.” Hunter glanced sideways at her as they cruised along the highway. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he murmured.

“I haven’t protected them enough.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she dashed it away with the back of her hand. “If I had, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Hunter reached out and took hold of her hand, not caring if it was too soon or not. However, he was not prepared for the jolt of recognition that passed between them and he had to act fast to stop the car from swerving on the road. “You’re a good mom. Whatever happens is not your fault.”

“I know. I know I’m not responsible for other people and their actions. But that doesn’t stop me from blaming myself.” She rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. “So this mating bond of yours?”

He laughed. “It’s not mine. At least it wasn’t until today.”

“Are you and Mommy mates?” Laurel asked excitedly.

“Oops, someone has good hearing.” Hunter gave Cynthia an apologetic shrug.

“It’s okay, I never intended to keep it a secret,” she admitted. “The children spent a few days with Jenna and Flint when they first found each other. They have a good idea of how the mating bond works because they witnessed it firsthand.”

“Cool, you’re a shifter and you’re going to be our dad?” Thomas asked, pulling himself forward on Cynthia’s seat.

“Sit back, Thomas.” Cynthia’s firm tone made her son listen and he let go of her seat and sat back in his own.

“Are you?” Thomas asked. There was hope in his voice, something Hunter hadn’t been prepared for.

“We’ve only just met,” Cynthia protested.

“But if you’re mates, that doesn’t matter.” Laurel had a point and he was certain Cynthia knew it, she just wasn’t ready to hand her life over to fate.

“We still need to get to know each other.” Cynthia gave Hunter an apologetic smile. “I need them to know that just because someone tells them they are their mate it doesn’t mean you should trust them with your life.”

“Or jump into a car with them?” He arched a questioning eyebrow.

“Good point,” Cynthia nodded and turned to her children. “You know how we talked about how we should never go off with a stranger? Or we should never get into anyone’s car unless I give you permission?”

“Yes,” the children chorused.

“Well, just because someone says they are your mate... You shouldn’t just trust what people say.” Cynthia reached out and took hold of her children’s hands. “We have to keep each other safe. We have to keep ourselves safe.”

“But how do you know?” Laurel asked. “Can’t you tell Hunter is your mate?”

“Yes. Yes, I can.” She nodded, her eyes looking down at her children’s hands.

“But we can’t always trust our feelings and our intuition,” Jenna added. “Sometimes other things might make us feel a certain way.”

“Like what?” Thomas asked, switching his attention to Jenna, who opened and closed her mouth a couple of times while she thought of what to say.

“Well, sometimes we can feel a certain way...but then it goes away...” Jenna looked at Cynthia for help.

“Like when you fall in love with Pop-Tarts and want to eat them every day. You think they are the best thing ever...then a couple of weeks later you look at them and they make you feel sick.” Cynthia searched her kids’ faces for understanding, while Hunter smothered a smile.

“But I love Pop-Tarts,” Thomas said. “And you don’t let me have them every day.” His eyes widened. “Can we have them every day to see if I grow sick of them?”

“No,” Cynthia told him bluntly.

“Then how will I know what you mean?” he asked.

“Pop-Tarts aren’t good for you every day, they have too much sugar and too many carburetors,” Laurel said solemnly.

Hunter’s shoulders shook as he tried to cover his laughter. Cynthia glared at him as she corrected her daughter, “Carbohydrates. And yes, you’re right, they do have too much sugar, and not enough fiber and vitamins...” She was getting sidetracked. “So just remember to think before you act.”

“And never get into a stranger’s car or go with them even if they offer you candy or tell you they’ve lost their puppy,” Jenna added.

“Okay,” Laurel said. “I understand. People can make stuff up that they might think you want to believe.”

“Exactly,” Cynthia sighed with relief.

“Now I want Pop-Tarts.” Thomas lolled in his car seat as if he was a man starved of food for days.

Hunter stared out of the window, concentrating on the road ahead, while he fought the need to laugh until he cried.

“You have no idea what you’ve signed up for, do you?” Cynthia asked with a smile on her face. Her eyes danced with humor and he had to admit she held it together well.

“No, I don’t. But I’m beginning to realize being a parent is a minefield,” he admitted.

“You have no idea.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “I’d like a Pop-Tart, too.”

“We’ll be in Bear Creek in ten minutes. We can stop at the grocery store and grab some.” He was going to add she could cook them at his house, but they hadn’t discussed living arrangements yet.

“Thanks, but I think the less said about Pop-Tarts for the rest of the day, the better.” Cynthia ducked her head and looked out of his window, staring at the mountain that towered in the distance like a silent sentinel. “I didn’t expect to be back here so soon.”

Hunter glanced at the high peaks. “There is no place like it in the world.”

“You live in Bear Creek?” she asked.

“I do. At least my home is here. I work as a bodyguard for Bear Creek Protectors, so I’m away a lot.” Although that might change now, he had a mate and kids to watch over.

“Do enjoy it?” she asked. “Traveling and saving the world must be a great experience.”

“I could ask you the same question. Jenna said you were an investigative journalist. She’s very proud of you.” He indicated to turn off the highway and they headed along the back roads toward town.

“I enjoy it. Enjoyed it. Now I want to focus on raising my kids. I had planned to retrain as a counselor. But right now I have no idea what the future holds for us.” She looked out of the window, her chin resting on her hand.

“I can give you some clue.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Cynthia shook her head as she laughed. “Thanks.”

“I haven’t done anything yet,” he replied.

“Yes, you have. You came to the airport, you’ve driven us to Bear Creek. And I know I’m not in this alone.” She looked back at her children. “I’ve been on my own for a long time.”

“You mean their father?” Hunter asked. “He’s not in the picture?”

“He passed away. He never really knew his children.” She rubbed her hands over her face and groaned. “Ugh, yesterday I was looking forward to a fresh start as we picked up our old life, today we’re on the run again. It’s like déjà vu.”

“Where are we heading?” Hunter asked as they approached Bear Creek.

“We’re going back to the office,” Jenna said from behind him. “We’re going to gather as much information as possible from Cynthia.” Jenna touched Cynthia’s shoulder. “Then we’ll get you settled for the night. Don’t worry, we’ll get this figured out.”

“I know.” Cynthia closed her eyes briefly. She looked tired, as if she didn’t sleep well. Yet the letter was only delivered today. Was there something else on her mind?

“I have a house you can stay at,” he offered, not wanting arrangements to be made without his cabin being an option.

“Thanks. I hadn’t given it much thought.” She frowned. “I assumed I’d stay with Jenna.” She looked over her shoulder at her friend. “But you have kids now.”

Jenna nodded. “Yes. We’re fostering a couple of kids, until the adoption goes through. They were kidnapped by Cracol’s men, they have no parents to return to. They were orphans, their parents died in a car crash and they never made it into foster care. Someone somewhere made that paperwork vanish along with the kids.” She pressed her lips together. “I can’t bear thinking about what would have happened if you hadn’t cracked the trafficking ring wide open.”

“I can’t wait to meet them. So many children and parents were caught up in the misery Cracol caused. I’m glad he’ll never be able to hurt them again... Oh.” Cynthia put her hand to her mouth.

“What is it?” Hunter asked as they turned into the parking lot outside Bear Creek Protector’s offices.

“I have an idea of who might have sent me the letter.” Her face paled as she turned to look at him. “There was a mother who lost her child, her name is Michaela. Her son, Horatio, was never found during the police raids, the only connection was a jacket found in the farmhouse. He could have been trafficked, moved on elsewhere; however, some of Cracol’s men tried to hide the evidence they ever had children in their location.”

“They killed him?” Hunter asked in shock. He could not even begin to understand what evil must be in a man’s heart for him to be capable of hurting a child, let alone killing them.

“Perhaps. We never found him. But the mom did make a positive ID on a jacket that belonged to him. We managed to place him at the scene, but we never found where he went. He could have already been sold by the time we broke the ring.”

“Sold,” Hunter repeated the word, his mind filled with what he’d like to do to people who hurt children so terribly. But that was no excuse to threaten Cynthia and her children. And he made a vow then to protect them no matter what the cost.

Cynthia and her children were part of his family now, and family meant everything to a shifter.

Chapter Five – Cynthia

They exited the car and headed into the offices of Bear Creek Protectors. Cynthia couldn’t help imagining someone was watching her. The same someone who had threatened her? She didn’t know.

Or perhaps it was her imagination. She was tired and anxious, not a good combination where her mental health was concerned.

“It’s okay,” Jenna told her as she keyed in the security code and opened the door leading into the building. “We’re safe in here. Guy insists on state-of-the-art security.”

Cynthia took one last look over her shoulder as she ushered the children inside. “I can’t thank you enough for coming to get us.”

“And we’ll be there every step of the way until we figure this out.” Jenna shut the door behind them.

“You have enough to do with your two children.” Cynthia rubbed her forehead. “I never thought about how busy you and Flint were.”

“We’re never too busy for you and the children,” Jenna assure her. “If it wasn’t for you and Thomas and Laurel, we would never have met, and we would never have thought about adopting two children ourselves. We should be thanking you.”

“But what if I overreacted?” Cynthia asked as Hunter led them along a corridor and opened a door leading to a room where Flint was waiting for them.

“Hello, you two.” Flint knelt down on the floor and opened his strong arms for Thomas and Laurel to fall into. He picked them both up and hugged them. “I’ve missed you.”

“We missed you, too,” Laurel told Flint.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Jenna told Cynthia. “And even if you have overreacted, it’s good to see you all here.”

Cynthia nodded. “It’s good to be here.” She pressed her lips together, composing herself as she watched the children and Flint. “Even if our return has been full of surprises.”

Jenna glanced at Cynthia. “You mean Hunter?” She looked across the room to where Hunter was talking quietly to Guy.

“Yes.” She folded her arms across her body. When she decided to come to Bear Creek, she had no idea her life would change so dramatically. “I never expected to love again.”

“Oh.” Jenna nodded in understanding. “You thought you’d live alone and raise your kids with no room in your life for a man.”

“Something like that. I promised myself I’d spend time with the kids, watching them grow up. You know, be there for them. Now there’s a man in my life.” Despite her reservations, the thought of Hunter being in her life was comforting.

“Listen. I know you loved their father and lost him. That doesn’t mean you have to mourn him for the rest of your life. I’m sure he wouldn’t want that. You’re young and you have so much life to enjoy. Grab ahold of it with both hands and don’t let go. For your sake and for theirs. Hunter will make a fine husband and a wonderful father to the children.” Jenna placed her hand on Cynthia’s arm and nodded, although her expression showed concern.

“I know. It’s just after we went home...after the Cracol incident, I had this idea of how perfect our lives would be. I’d be home baking cookies, while the kids went to school. I’d be there for them when they came home from school.” She shrugged. “That’s all gone. And I have to deal with it.”

“Is that really what you wanted?” Jenna asked bluntly.

“Yes,” Cynthia answered too quickly. Deflated, she blew the air out of her cheeks. “I don’t honestly know. I had this idea of what a mom should be, and I wanted to be that ideal.”

“Hey, do you have any idea of how proud your children were when they saw the news report that you had helped smash the child trafficking ring?” Jenna smiled as she watched the children playing with Flint. “They understood what you were doing and why. They knew you were trying to make the world a better place.”

“Are you saying I should go off again and risk my life?” Cynthia held out her hands to Jenna. “Risk their lives.”

“No. I’m saying you need to find a middle ground. It’s not one or the other.” Jenna smiled sadly at Cynthia. “I’m only just beginning to realize the incredible responsibility that comes with caring for a child. I am also immensely proud and in complete awe of you.”

“Thanks, Jenna. You’ve made me feel better and given me something to think about. I have enough money in the bank that I don’t have to work while the kids are growing up. But the thought of being a stay-at-home mom is scary. What if I’m terrible at it? I guess I’ll find that middle ground you spoke of.”

“Great. Now, let’s try to untangle this mystery, shall we?” Jenna guided Cynthia into the room.

“Hello, Cynthia, good to see you again.” Guy came around from behind his desk where he’d been working on the computer while Flint occupied the children. He came toward Cynthia with his hand held out for her to shake. “I hope you had a good journey.”

“I did, thank you. I also want to thank you for helping me. I mean us.” She shook Guy’s hand. “I wasn’t expecting to be back here so soon.”

“Maybe back for good?” Flint asked with a wink and inclined his head toward Hunter, who was approaching with two cups of coffee in his hand.

“What did I miss?” Guy asked.

“Can’t you see it?” Flint looked from Cynthia to Hunter and back again. “They’re mates.”

“You are perceptive,” Guy commended his friend.

“Yes, very perceptive. And also very good at reading texts.” Jenna grinned at Flint. “I sent Flint a text from the car.”

“Ahh, I see.” Cynthia nodded.

“I thought you kept my secrets,” Flint complained as he kissed Jenna on the cheek. It was good to see them so happy and comfortable in each other’s company.

“The children already think you are a superhero, with super senses, they don’t need to think you are a mind reader, too.” Jenna leaned on Flint’s shoulder and sighed in contentment. “I’m sure our kids will think the same thing, too.”

“Once they settle in.” Flint put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and held her close. “They don’t know about shifters yet.”

“Why don’t you tell them?” Laurel asked. “Shifters are so cool.”

“You weren’t scared at all when you found out?” Jenna asked.

“Nope.” Thomas shook his head.

“Not when Flint’s bear is so adorable,” Laurel added.

Guy chuckled and received a glare from Flint, who said gruffly, “What can I say, I’m good with kids.”

“That is not what you said when I asked you to go and meet Jenna with the children. I’m a bodyguard, not a babysitter,” Guy mimicked Flint’s deep gruff voice. “Wasn’t that what you said?”

Hunter collapsed in laughter. “You do a perfect impression.”

“Don’t you have a mountain you wanted to climb?” Flint asked drily.

“Not now. He’s in lurvve,” Guy joked.

Cynthia wiped her tears from her eyes. “Thank you for making me feel better. They say laughter is the best medicine. I agree.”

“But now we should get down to the reason you and the children are here.” Guy nodded toward the children. “Are we okay to talk?”

Cynthia glanced at the children. She would rather not talk in front of them but there was nowhere else for them to go. “Maybe they could watch videos on your computer, while we talk?”

“Sure. You can use Flint’s since he watches videos all the time instead of working,” Guy suggested.

Flint rolled his eyes. “I only watch videos to keep us updated on new business practices and legislation.”

Guy patted his old friend on the shoulder. “It’s good that we can still make each other laugh even after being friends all these years.”

“When we started Bear Creek Protectors, I wasn’t sure if we might need protecting from each other. But so far, we’ve done okay.” Flint went to his computer and typed something on the keyboard before he clicked the mouse and closed down whatever he was working on. “Thomas, Laurel, what do you want to watch?”

“I’ll find something.” Laurel slipped into Flint’s chair as he vacated it and took over control of the mouse. “Don’t worry, I know all about internet safety.”

“And I know our Netflix login details,” Thomas added as Guy pushed his office chair across to Flint’s desk and helped Thomas into it.

“Then you are set for an hour or two while we talk.” Cynthia went around the desk to the children and kissed them both on the head. “If you need us, just call.”

“We can go in the room next door,” Guy offered.

“I’m not sure about leaving them alone in here.” Cynthia’s stomach flipped with anxiety.

“The building is secure, they can’t get out and nobody can get in without the code for the door,” Flint reassured her in his rumbling voice.

“And I have a monitor set up in here.” Guy pointed to a small camera on the wall and then tapped the screen of his phone. “There.” He showed the image to Cynthia. “We can have eyes on them at all times.”

“It’s safer than if they were in a different room at home,” Jenna reassured her.

“Plus, you have three shifters to watch over them,” Hunter added. “Don’t forget that we have super senses.”

Cynthia nodded and relaxed a little. “How could I forget?”

Happy her children were safe, watching cartoons and not something totally inappropriate, Cynthia followed the others out into the corridor and into a room immediately adjacent. It was a conference room with a large round table in the center and several chairs evenly spread out around the outside. The table was highly polished and to the side of the room, pushed against one wall, was a long sideboard with coffee and tea making facilities and small packets of cookies.

“Help yourselves to whatever you want,” Guy said, slipping into professional mode.

“Thanks.” Cynthia sat down in the chair Hunter pulled out for her. She settled down and sipped the coffee she’d brought with her from the other room.

Guy sat to her right and placed the phone down on the table so she could watch the children, and Hunter sat to her left. Jenna and Flint sat across the table from her, their chairs dragged closer together. They had slipped from easy small talk and jokes to professionals all intent on discovering who sent Cynthia the letter and envelope and how much danger she and the children were really in.

“Do you have the letter?” Flint asked gruffly. “It would help to see the original. And the photograph.”

“I do.” She pulled out the envelope, still in its plastic bag, and placed it on the table.

“I’ll get an evidence bag. We can separate the envelope, letter and photograph.” Jenna got up from the table and went to the sideboard. Pulling open a drawer, she took out a couple of large clear bags and came around to stand next to Cynthia. “Your fingerprints are already on them, so if you could carefully take everything out of the envelope and slide them into these bags, we can send them over to the sheriff for him to test for fingerprints.”

“Okay.” Cynthia carefully took out the letter and slid it into the evidence bag and then did the same with the photograph and envelope.

Jenna sealed the bags and then placed them on the table. facing upward so they could all see the hand-written words and the picture of her two children playing on the swings at the park. Cynthia closed her eyes, not needing to read them all over again. They were imprinted on her brain, she could see them even with her eyes closed.

“What you took from me, I will take from you.” Guy read it out loud and then fixed Cynthia with a stare. “Do you have any idea what this might be referring to?”

“Not exactly,” she admitted. “I’ve been going over all the people who might bear a grudge against me.”

“And?” Jenna probed gently.

“It’s a longer list than I would like to admit.” Cynthia gave a wry smile. “Exposing bad guys comes with a price.”

“Top five?” Flint asked.

She thought for a moment. “Cracol. Brian Lautner, a drug dealer who used desperate widows as drug mules.” Cynthia rubbed her forehead, fighting with her conscience and her emotions. To name her next suspect felt like a betrayal. “But one person who might be responsible isn’t a person I took down.”

“Hey, it’s okay, you are just giving us ideas. We are not judge, jury and executioner,” Hunter assured her.

Cynthia nodded, grateful for his support. “There is a woman. Michaela Trent. Her son, Horatio, was one of the children who was abducted by Cracol. But he was never found. The police think the traffickers at one of the locations dumped the children to cover their tracks.”

“Dumped them?” Jenna asked in dismay. “You mean killed them?”

“No. Well, we have never found the bodies if they did, but then there are a lot of children who are unaccounted for.” She took a breath. “But this particular child...there was evidence he was there in this hideout on the edge of the forest.”

“The edge of a forest?” Hunter picked up on this. “Is there a chance the children could have been taken deeper into the forest and left to fend for themselves?”

“How would they survive?” Cynthia asked. She covered her mouth with her hand as the thought she’d shielded herself and Michaela from surfaced. “They weren’t meant to survive.”

“Some people—even bad men like Cracol—don’t have the stomach for actually killing children. So they might have taken them into the forest and left them. Left nature to take its course.” Flint’s gruff voice was filled with emotion.

“Then let’s go and take a look.” Cynthia looked down at Guy’s phone, remembering her promise to the children.

“We could go,” Guy told her. “You stay with Thomas and Laurel.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” But even as she said the words, she was torn in two between wanting to fulfill her promise to the children and finishing what she’d started. She’d promised the parents she’d spoken to that she would return their children to them safe if possible. Yet it seemed that she had inadvertently become the reason some of the children might be dead and that did not sit well with her.

Not well at all.

Chapter Six – Hunter

“We can leave tomorrow,” Hunter said. “While we’re getting ready, why don’t you call the mother you mentioned and find out if she sent the letter?”

“Do you think she would tell me?” Cynthia asked. “Surely she’d conceal it?”

“We’ll listen in,” Guy informed her. “We’ll record the call and get it analyzed. Sometimes people say things, without actually saying them.”

Cynthia closed her eyes. “I understand.” Her bottom lip trembled.

“What’s wrong?” Hunter could sense her pent-up emotions. Cynthia was holding it in, holding back her tears.

“What if it’s not her?” Cynthia asked. “Where do we even begin?”

“We’ll investigate the rest of the people on your list until we figure out who it is. Hopefully, they will make a mistake or get in contact with you again and we’ll trace them.” Guy’s eyes narrowed. “But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?”

“No.” Cynthia glanced at the phone again and a sad smile crossed her lips as she watched her children laughing at something they were watching. “I should have insisted we organized a thorough search of the forest. The local sheriff sent a helicopter with thermal imaging. But they could have been hiding somewhere, perhaps in a cave. What if we go there now and they’re dead because the forest wasn’t searched sooner?”

“Cynthia, you can’t blame yourself for any of this,” Jenna said gently. “You didn’t take those children. You didn’t send them out into the forest.”

“I still feel responsible.” Cynthia knew what Jenna was saying was true. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional about all this. I can usually detach myself from my investigations.”

“Because this had been part of your life for years. It’s all wrapped up with Thomas and Laurel. It’s the reason they don’t have their father.” Jenna put her arms around Cynthia and hugged her. “You’ve had a huge upset this morning. Don’t judge yourself too harshly.”

Cynthia took a deep breath and nodded, then she wiped her hands over her eyes, brushing away the tears. “If there is even the remotest chance the children are in the forest, we have to go and check it out.”

“That would mean putting the hunt for whoever might be behind the threatening letter on hold,” Guy warned. “Unless it is the same person.”

“I accept that.” Cynthia nodded.

“Someone should stay here and guard Cynthia and the children.” Hunter wasn’t about to leave his mate and her children completely unprotected.

“I can help guard them here,” Jenna offered.

“We can also enroll the help of Brad and his deputies. I’ve alerted him to the letter you received. And I’ll personally take the original documents over to his office as soon as we are done here.” Guy glanced at the pieces of evidence once more. “The fact it was hand-delivered might give us an edge. Brad might be able to contact his counterparts in your district and get them to pull up any CCTV footage from around your house. We might get lucky and connect one of the people on your list to a car in the area. It’s a longshot. But worth a try.”

“Thank you. All of you.” Cynthia rubbed her hand over her eyes, brushing away the last of her tears. She looked done in, the events of the day catching up with her.

“You’re more than welcome,” Guy replied. “The work you’ve done helping others deserves some kind of reward. A threatening letter is not it.”

“Why don’t we get the call set up and then Cynthia and the children should get some rest,” Hunter suggested.

“We still haven’t decided where they are staying.” Jenna glanced at Flint. “We can shoehorn you into the house somehow.” She looked down at her watch. “Which reminds me, I have to go to the store before the kids get home from school.”

“Why don’t you and the children stay with me?” Hunter offered Cynthia. “No strings. If you want, I could even sleep in the barn.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to give up your bed for me,” Cynthia told him. “Let alone your house.”

“Decide while we set up the recording equipment for the call,” Guy stood up and went to the door. “Maybe if you stay at Hunter’s, he could stay behind, and Flint and I’ll go to the forest tomorrow.”

Jenna paled. “I just realized that would mean me managing the children on my own.”

“Which you would do just fine.” Flint leaned over and kissed his wife. “They are good kids and you make an amazing mom.”

“Thanks. But it just feels so alien to me,” Jenna admitted.

“Hey, Jenna, give yourself a break. You’ve only been a parent for a couple of weeks. It took me months to get used to having a child, and I carried Laurel for nine months and had plenty of time to get used to the idea,” Cynthia’s supportive attitude was mirrored in the other people in the room, but Jenna didn’t seem convinced.

“I just want to do the best for them, they’ve been through such a horrible time. They were betrayed by people they trusted and who should have taken care of them.” Jenna looked close to tears. “Children deserve to have someone to watch out for them who has their best interest at heart.”

“Which brings us back to the children in the forest,” Guy said. “And Cynthia is right. Even if this has nothing to do with the letter, we should go and check that the children haven’t been abandoned there. We all know that the police might have missed something. Something a shifter might find.”

“Thanks. All of you. It’s so good to know I’m not alone. And not crazy.” Cynthia stood up and swayed a little on her feet.

“Here.” Hunter fetched a packet of cookies from the sideboard and handed them to her. “Eat these. As soon as we are finished here, you should eat a proper meal. You’ll need your strength. I’ll cook you something and then you should sleep.”

“I’ve always been an independent woman,” Cynthia began. “But right now, I am willing to let you look after me. If only for one night.”

“I’ll take one night and hope to impress you enough that you’ll let me share the rest of my life with you.” Hunter offered her his hand and she got up from the table and walked to the door. The others were leaving the room, too, although Flint and Jenna were hanging back and talking quietly together.

Hunter knew how they felt about the children they had fostered, he was getting a similar feeling when he thought about being a father to Cynthia’s children. It was a huge step. One he relished, but that did not diminish the enormity of the situation. Hunter had always figured he’d meet his mate, get married and have children. Instead, he’d been given an instant family.

“Hunter?” They were in the corridor, alone.

He snapped his attention back to Cynthia. “Sorry, lost in a daydream.”

“I feel as if I’m lost in a nightmare,” she confided. “But not as bad as Michaela. If her son really is in the forest, possibly with other children, then we should be out there now.”

“We all need rest and to prepare,” Hunter told his mate, although he was ready to leave now if he had to. Working as a bodyguard for Bear Creek Protectors meant being ready at a moment’s notice for whatever came his way.

“They must be so scared. So cold and hungry.” Cynthia was dwelling on the children. Which would do none of them any good. They needed to focus on facts and how to move forward, not get stuck in what might be. Cynthia knew this. She just needed reminding.

“When you speak to Michaela, try to keep your voice neutral,” he advised. “Don’t mention the forest. Just ask her how she is. We’re looking for her frame of mind, more than her theories on what happened to her son.”

“I understand. It’s difficult because this is all so bittersweet. I thought I was helping everyone when I broke the trafficking ring, but Michaela and her son might have suffered more.” Cynthia’s statement highlighted her anxiety and why she was struggling with her misplaced guilt.

“You don’t know that,” Hunter said firmly. “You have no idea what might have happened to her son if he’d been sold. Until we know for certain, we assume they are lost in the forest. Alive and lost in the forest, with a chance of being found. If he’d been sold, he might be…”

Hunter couldn’t bring himself to say the word dead. It didn’t bear thinking about. What sort of person bought a child? How could anyone condone this kind of trade?

“You’re right, it could be worse. At least there is still hope.” Cynthia rubbed her forehead. “I’m just tired. I’ll feel much better once the children are settled. I still feel so guilty after what happened. It knocked my confidence. Now I’ve plucked them out of their lives and moved across country to a new town without any plans as to where we’re going to live.”

“You have somewhere to stay for as long as you want.” He gave her a crooked smile. “I hope that will be forever. But no pressure.”

“You’re a good man, Hunter.” She raked a hand through her hair. “Honestly, having you here has made it easier. Bear Creek would be a good place to settle. Especially with the friends I’ve already made here around us.”

“You’ll all have a great life here. If this is where you choose to settle down,” Hunter told her. “The mountains, the people, it’s the best place in the world.”

“And you’ve seen a lot of the world.” The weariness in her eyes told him she had seen a lot of it, too. Much of it not good.

“I’ve seen my fair share of countries and the people that live in them. Some good, some bad. But what I do know is that human spirit is stronger than I ever believed possible. If those children are in the forest, we could find them alive and well.” Hunter opened the door leading into the main office. As they entered, Thomas and Laurel looked up.

“Is someone lost in the forest?” Laurel asked. “Like in Hansel and Gretel?”

“Will they find a witch who wants to eat them?” Thomas asked.

“No, no witch,” Cynthia told them. “But, yes. There may be children lost in the forest.”

“Are you going to rescue them?” Thomas asked, sliding off his seat and coming across the room to his mom.

“Not me, not this time,” Cynthia answered as she gathered her son into her arms and kissed his cheek.

Thomas wasn’t too old for kisses, Hunter liked that. He was a good kid who loved his mom and wasn’t afraid to show affection. Cynthia had raised him well. Not all boys grew into men capable of showing emotion, but Thomas would. He also had a sense of right and wrong, which was evident in his next words.

“Why not?” Thomas asked as he looped his arms around his mom’s neck.

“Because I said I’d stay home with you and Laurel.” Cynthia hugged Thomas tightly. “And I can’t break my promise.”

“What if we let you go? You know, like a get out of jail free card in Monopoly. You could have a go on a job card.” Laurel left the computer and came across the room.

“Do you want me to go?” Cynthia asked.

“If there are children in danger, you should go. Especially since you helped all those other children. You’re good at it,” Laurel told her mom.

Thomas agreed. “I know that if I was in trouble, I’d want you to come and find me.”

“It seems as if you might be going after all,” Guy said from his desk.

“But what about you two?” Cynthia asked. “I need to keep you safe, too.”

“Why not let Flint sit this one out?” Guy asked. “He and Jenna could protect them, just like they did before. This way Jenna isn’t left alone with their two foster children either. And Thomas and Laurel can help the other two children settle in.”

“It sounds as if you have it all worked out,” Jenna said, looking relieved.

“If you are absolutely sure you can manage,” Cynthia began. “And Thomas and Laurel are certain they don’t mind me going. Because my promise was meant to keep you safe and stop you from being scared that I won’t come back.”

“You will come back to us. You always do. And you have a mate now and Hunter will look after you and make sure nothing ever happens to you.” Thomas kissed his mom. “I love you. And you are as much a superhero as Flint, even if you don’t have super senses.”

“Thank you, Thomas. You and Laurel are my heroes.” Cynthia looked close to tears, her pride in her children evident.

“We love you, Mom.” Laurel took hold of her mom’s hand and leaned in close.

“I guess we’d better make this call,” Cynthia said as she took a moment to enjoy the love of her children. “You’ll be okay with Jenna and Flint. And you’ll have two new friends.”

“We will,” Laurel assured her. “We might even help Jenna and Flint tell them about shifters.”

“Yes, we could. We can tell them about superheroes and how not all of them wear a cape and tights,” Thomas agreed. “Some superheroes turn into bears.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps if Flint wore a cape and tights, they would see he had superpowers and was a superhero,” Guy said drily. “Especially if he wore his underpants on the outside.”

“Never going to happen,” Flint said. “Although I do remember you wearing tights once.”

Guy shook his head. “That was a costume for Halloween.”

“Did he have the legs to carry it off?” Jenna asked as they all gathered around Guy’s desk.

“Okay, let’s get down to business instead of discussing how amazing my legs are.” Guy quickly changed the subject as he spoke to Cynthia, “Use this phone and I’ll record the call. If you can keep her talking long enough, I can also trace the call. If she’s in the vicinity of your house, then we can bump her up the list of suspects. If she’s not, then we rule her out for the moment and consider all other options.”

“After we’ve brought the children home,” Cynthia lowered her eyes, seeking confirmation.

“After we’ve looked for the children. I can’t promise we will bring them home. And neither should you,” he warned.

“I know.” Cynthia walked toward the desk and picked up the phone, but then placed it down again. “I want us to concentrate on finding the children even if we do rule Michaela out. The child trafficking case might still be the reason the letter and photograph were sent to me. It seems too much of a coincidence for the two things to be unconnected.”

“We will,” Guy agreed.

Cynthia picked up the phone once more and dialed a number she copied from her cell phone. As she dialed, she looked up at Hunter as if seeking reassurance

He reached out and touched her shoulder lightly, the connection between them sparking electricity from his fingertips. “You can do it.”

Hunter wished he could help her, lend her his strength. But he suspected Cynthia had enough strength of her own.

Chapter Seven – Cynthia

Cynthia stared at Guy as she listened to the phone ring. Michaela wasn’t going to answer. She was either out, perhaps looking for her child, or busy doing something else. But what else was there to do when your child was missing?

Cynthia closed her eyes and squeezed them tight to stop the tears that threatened. She could not imagine losing her children and having no idea if they were dead or alive. How did you live with that question hanging over you? How did you function?

“Hello?” A wary voice on the end of the phone jerked Cynthia back to the present and swept away the nightmare scenario running through her brain. In her nightmare, she was looking for her children in a forest filled with trees so close together it was difficult to squeeze between them. Tree roots rose up to trip her, while branches reached out to snag at her clothing, as she searched endlessly for Thomas and Laurel.

“Michaela?” Cynthia asked, even though she recognized the voice of Horatio’s mother.

“Yes, who is this?” Michaela asked.

“Cynthia Callaghan.” Her name was greeted by a sharp intake of breath and then silence. “Are you still there?”

“Yes. I’m still here.” The mother’s tone hardened, yet there was a trace of raw emotion which she was trying to contain. “What do you want? Another story so you can gain more popularity? Well, not at this mother’s expense. You have taken enough from me.”

The words were similar to the those in the letter, but Cynthia was not convinced Michaela was the one responsible for sending it. Yes, she was hurt, of course, she was. But it was a big step from words of blame to threats of possible violence.

“I’m not looking for a story. I just wanted to ask if you had heard anything. Anything at all?” Cynthia asked gently.

A pause and then Michaela’s choked voice told them, “No. Nothing. The police say there is nothing they can do, there is no trace of him. Only his jacket puts him anywhere near those men or that place.”

“There’s no way he could have dropped it elsewhere and it simply ended up at the farmhouse?” Cynthia asked.

“I told the police, Horatio was wearing it the day he disappeared from the movie theater.” Michaela was adamant and Cynthia believed her. “It was his favorite jacket. I can’t see why he would have given it away. And if he’d lost it, that still doesn’t explain how it ended up in the farmhouse, or why he didn’t come…home.”

“And the police have no clue?” Cynthia watched Guy, waiting for the signal that he’d tracked the whereabouts of Michaela. She had to keep on talking. But for once words evaded her. All she could think of were Michaela’s pain and loss.

“No, they had no clue and no intention of searching for Horatio any further.” Michaela swallowed a sob. “I am glad you broke the trafficking ring, Miss Callaghan, but I am scared for my son. They got rid of the children in that farmhouse to cover their evil deeds. I cannot help thinking...” She paused. “But we will never know.”

“Will you tell me what Horatio…is like, please?” Cynthia tensed, she had so nearly said what he was like. Past tense. Meaning she thought he was dead. Hunter’s hand on her arm made her jump but gave her instant comfort. “I’d like to know what kind of child he is. Does he like the outdoors?”

“You’re doing great,” Hunter mouthed as Michaela fell silent on the other end of the line.

Cynthia nodded and continued, “Michaela. Is he an active child? Or does he like computer games and gadgets?”

“Horatio loved the outdoors. He would trek into the woods back home and make a camp. He knew how to light a fire with nothing but what nature gave him. There he would spend the night alone looking up at the stars.” Michaela paused, at the same time Guy gave her a thumbs-up. He had traced the call. “I like to think of him that way. That if he is dead, he is up in the heavens, one of the stars looking down on us all.”

“That’s a good way to think of him. And if he is alive, he will be looking up at those same stars,” Cynthia said.

“Do you think he is alive?” Michaela asked suddenly.

“Yes. At least I hope so.” Cynthia didn’t want to give Michaela false hope, but she couldn’t help herself. “I truly hope so. I’m going to do whatever it takes to find out what happened to him, Michaela.”

“I hope you have more luck than I have.” Michaela sighed with resignation, as if she had given up. Or been worn down by lack of progress in the search for her son. Cynthia intended to follow through on her promise to help Michaela find Horatio, until she’d exhausted every avenue of investigation. “Thank you for calling, Miss Callaghan.”

“Cynthia, please.” Cynthia ended the call, her heart heavy. “It wasn’t Michaela.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Guy agreed. “I don’t think we need to send this tape to a specialist to know that.”

“But we’re still going to search the forest, aren’t we?” Cynthia asked, wiping tears from her cheek.

“Of course,” Hunter assured her. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get those kids home.”

Cynthia nodded, grateful that Hunter hadn’t said, “dead or alive.” They all knew the stakes, they all knew what the possible outcome might be.

“Go get some rest and meet back here in the morning,” Guy told them all.

“I’ll help Guy organize what you need,” Flint offered. “Jenna, do you want to head home and work on the sleeping arrangements?”

“Yes.” She looked at her watch, “The children will be home from school in a couple of hours. Why don’t you all come over to dinner and meet Jake and Marion them?”

“Are you sure that’s not too much trouble?” Cynthia asked.

“No, it’ll be good for them to get to know each other. Jake and Marion are good kids, they just struggle trusting people. Which is understandable after what they went through.” Jenna’s eyes flashed with anger. “Damn, I wish I could get my hands on the bad men behind the child trafficking. Sometimes I think jail is too good for them.”

“And that’s coming from an ex-police officer,” Cynthia went to Jenna and hugged her. “But I know exactly what you mean. I’ve helped bring a lot of people to justice, too, but sometimes I wonder what justice there is for the victims and their families whose lives are left ruined by the actions of bad people.”

“We have to believe in the system,” Guy said, although he didn’t sound convinced. “But if we come across any of them in the forest, I can’t be held responsible for what my bear might do, especially if they run.”

“If they get in the way or try to prevent us from helping the children, I don’t think any of us would hold you back.” Cynthia rolled her shoulders, trying to free the tension building there. “Okay, we should go, my children will grow two heads and scream like banshees if they don’t get fed soon.”

“We can stop off at the local diner and get something to eat,” Hunter offered.

“That sounds great. My treat,” Cynthia insisted. “If we’re staying with you tonight, it seems only fair.”

“I’m not about to argue with you,” Hunter told her. Then his face broke into a smile and he ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t intend to ever argue with you.”

“Wow, that gives me way too much power.” Cynthia sighed and shook her head. “Yesterday was a normal day. Today is about as abnormal as it gets.”

“But it’s good to be out of the house?” Jenna asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cynthia nodded. “Yes. I’m a doer. And this has shown me that I was trying to be something I’m not. I have the greatest respect for the wonderful moms who stay at home and look after their families. But that’s not me. Although, I wish it was.” She glanced at her children, a wave of sadness sweeping over her. Why couldn’t it be enough? She loved them more than anything else in the world. She should relish the time she spent with them. Yet there was a part of her, a small, niggling part of her, that wanted to go out there and change the world.

It had all stemmed from a promise she’d made to the father of her children when she found out he’d been murdered. She vowed to carry on the work he’d begun. That work ended with the arrest of Cracol Lemnisci. But she’d changed. She was no longer the woman Connor had met. Dealing with his death and bringing up the children alone had changed her. She’d worked hard to end Cracol’s reign of terror, and she was scared there was no going back to a normal life. Even if she wanted to.

But she’d promised the children. And she could not break that promise. After this trip to the forest to find Horatio, she was done with putting her family in danger.

“Shall we go?” Hunter’s touch made her jump.

“Yes.” She went to Flint’s desk, grabbed her purse and beckoned to the children. “Time to go and get something to eat.”

“Pop-Tarts?” Thomas asked excitedly as he and Laurel left the computer and followed their mom to the door.

“We’ll see.” Cynthia opened the door and they exited the office.

The four of them walked along the corridor to the front door, where Hunter buzzed them out. Cynthia took a breath of fresh mountain air. She felt alive, as if she’d woken from a dormant state. Excitement threaded through her veins. Tomorrow, she would be on the hunt again. Tomorrow, she would be out there making a difference to the lives of other people. Tomorrow, she might hopefully take the first step toward bringing Horatio home to his mother.

She didn’t dwell on the other outcome. The one where she would have to tell Michaela that her son was gone forever. She couldn’t contemplate that, not when Laurel and Thomas were by her side.

“The diner is just down the street.” Hunter led them along the sidewalk, and they followed, the children looking in the store windows as they passed by. Cynthia loved listening to their chatter. It reminded her of the reason she fought so hard to make a difference. To protect the innocence of her children.

“I can smell fries.” Thomas inhaled deeply, his small chest expanding as he filled his lungs with air.

Laurel lifted her head and breathed in, too. “I can smell pie.”

“Yum, pie.” Thomas’s eyes widened. “I’m starving.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather we just go to the store and get Pop-Tarts?” Cynthia asked.

“Nope.” Thomas shook his head. “Fries and cherry pie.”

“At the same time?” Hunter asked.

“Yuck, no,” Thomas said, appalled. “Fries first and then cherry pie. With ice cream.”

“I hope you bear shifters don’t have any weird food choices like eating fries and cherry pie at the same time,” Cynthia told Hunter. Her spirits were lifting, she felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The children would be safe here with Jenna and Flint and while she was away, she could give some serious thought as to who the letter was from.

“Here we go.” Hunter pushed open the door of the diner and they went inside.

“Hello there.” A woman with a bright, friendly smile and inquisitive eyes came over to meet them.

“Hi, Betsy. We’ve come to sample your fries and cherry pie,” Hunter said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Well, you are in for a treat.” Betsy escorted them to a table by the window with a view up to the mountains. “This is my best table. Are you new in town?”

“We are, yes,” Cynthia said. She gave Betsy a friendly smile. “I’m Cynthia, these are my children, Thomas and Laurel. We’ve heard good things about the food you serve.”

Betsy’s smile intensified along with her curiosity. “Are you staying at the hotel, or are you staying with friends?” She looked pointedly at Hunter.

“We’re staying with Flint and Jenna for a couple of days,” Cynthia replied. It was a half-truth.

“Cynthia...” Betsy tapped her pencil on her bottom lip then her eyes widened. “Cynthia Callaghan?”

“Busted.” Cynthia forced a smile on her face, hoping Betsy wasn’t too much of a gossip.

“You were here before. Just after news broke about Cracol Lemnisci. He was chasing your children.” Betsy glanced at Thomas and Laurel. “I’m so pleased to meet you all.”

“Cynthia is trying to keep her presence here quiet,” Hunter told Betsy. “I told her the food was good, but your discretion was better.”

“Oh, yes.” Betsy pretended to zip her lips shut. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks, Betsy.” Cynthia picked up a menu. “Now, what shall we have?” Betsy made herself busy and fetched them drinks while they decided on their meals. Then she took their order and left them to gaze out at the mountain while watching everyone who came through the door of the diner with renewed interest, as if she were guarding them.

“She means well,” Hunter said quietly.

“I know,” Cynthia answered. “She’s the eyes and ears of the town, I would guess. In my job, Betsy is the kind of person I would ask to keep a watch out for certain people. Or people with certain behavior.”

Hunter sipped his coffee and watched her closely, while Thomas and Laurel discussed how high the peaks of the mountains were. “You enjoy your job a lot.”

“I do. I enjoy meeting people and helping people. I also like taking down the people who are trying to hurt others.” She glanced at the children. “I never thought I’d do this kind of thing. But a man once told me you have to stand up and make a difference, you can’t always leave it to someone else.”

“Wise words. From someone who meant a lot to you.” Had Hunter guessed who had said those words?

“He did mean a lot. And he was a wise man.” Cynthia swallowed down the knot of emotion that always formed in her throat whenever she thought of the man she once loved, who had given her two beautiful children. He was a dim and distant memory, one shrouded in pain and loss.

“Was?” Hunter’s eyes narrowed.

“Was.” She tore her gaze from his and looked out of the window. Each time she revealed a little more about herself, it was as if she were tearing off a layer of protection and exposing herself, her soul to the light. “Have you climbed the mountains?”

Hunter chuckled. “Not every peak. I haven’t lived in Bear Creek for that long.”

“Oh, I figured you were born and bred here.”

“I was. At least I was born here, but my parents moved away when I was a five. My dad was military, and so we moved around a lot. But he always made sure to take me out into the mountains and teach me survival. He taught me to track and fend for myself.” Hunter looked up as Betsy approached with their order. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome. Enjoy.” She placed the plates down in front of them. “And if there is anything else you need, just let me know.”

“Thank you.” Cynthia’s mouth watered as she inhaled the aroma of chicken and fries. “This smells wonderful.”

“Well, if ever you write an article on Bear Creek, remember to mention the diner.” Betsy winked and left them to eat in peace.

“Why did you move back here?” Cynthia asked as she cut up her chicken.

“It was always home to me. We’d vacation here when my dad was on leave. Which always made my heart happy. I was looking for a change of vocation and so I moved here when Bear Creek Protectors was set up.” He grinned. “Although I still spend most of my time elsewhere.”

“You also enjoy your work.” Cynthia wondered how his life would change now that he’d found his mate. Now that he’d found her.

“I do.” He forked a mouthful of steak, fries, and peas into his mouth.

“Have you protected anyone famous?” Laurel asked. “A pop star, or a movie star?”

“A few, yes.” Hunter engaged Laurel in conversation about all the people he’d worked for. As they talked, Cynthia took a moment to reflect on her decisions. She needed to be sure she was doing the right thing.

But as she ate her food and looked out across the mountains, the face of Connor swam before her eyes. Yes. He would have approved. He would have approved of her decision to go and look for the children, and of how she was raising their children.

If only he could tell her who had sent the letter and what threat it contained. But he couldn’t help her. In the same way, she couldn’t help him when he lost his life.

Chapter Eight – Hunter

They left the diner, with Betsy escorting them to the door and watching them cross the street to the grocery store. Cynthia’s mood had shifted since she’d spoken about the man who had inspired her to become an investigative journalist. The conversation had dredged up parts of her past she’d long buried. The same was true for Hunter.

He took a last look at the mountain range before they entered the grocery store. The mountains, with their high peaks, were the reason he returned to Bear Creek. It was where he’d been his happiest. Moving around as a child had left him unsettled and he’d come back here to set down roots. He wanted a mate and a family, and he wanted his own children to know the stability he had missed.

School had been tough. He’d always been the new kid. He’d always been the odd one.

Hunter blamed it on his shifter genes. He could never be just a normal kid, particularly when puberty hit him, and he had to cope with trying to control shifting and his teenage hormones. It made for a mixed-up kid who never found his place in the world.

He grabbed a shopping cart and they dashed around the store, grabbing food for a couple of days, including a couple of boxes of Pop-Tarts. “Shall we take a dessert to Jenna and Flint’s?” he asked Cynthia. It was as if they were already an old married couple. Perhaps the presence of the children made him feel as if they had been together forever, rather than a couple of hours.

“Yes. Or maybe two.” She looked in the cooler and picked out a couple of desserts. “One chocolate, one not.”

“Why not two chocolate?” Thomas asked.

“Not everyone likes chocolate,” Laurel reminded him.

“Who doesn’t like chocolate?” Thomas asked incredulously.

“Lots of people.” His sister rolled her eyes.

“Name one.” Thomas was not about to let this discussion go.

“Laurel’s right, there are plenty of people who don’t like chocolate,” Cynthia told him. “So we’ll take one of each.” She raised an eyebrow at Hunter who nodded in agreement of her choices.

“Maybe we should choose a small gift for Jenna and Flint’s children,” Hunter suggested.

“We could, although I don’t know anything about them.” Cynthia looked around the store. “Maybe some candy for the children?”

“Sure. Do you want to choose something for Jake and Marion?” Hunter asked Laurel and Thomas.

“Sure.” The two children headed for the candy aisle while Hunter and Cynthia finished picking the rest of the groceries.

“I’ll take a selection of food the kids like with us when we drop them off tomorrow,” Cynthia said. “Their favorite cereals and cookies.”

“Chocolate?” Hunter asked with a grin.

“My son does have a sweet tooth.” She smiled, but it was forced.

“Does he get his sweet tooth from his father?” Hunter asked gently.

“He does. Along with his cheeky charm.” Cynthia swung her head around to watch her children. “Their dad was a good man.”

“He’s the reason you do what you do.” Hunter put a package of chocolate chip cookies in the shopping cart.

“He is. He was killed by Cracol. I made a promise to him that I would rid the world of men like Cracol. And Cracol himself. When I ended the trafficking ring, I thought that was it for me. I’d fulfilled my promise.”

“But you can’t just switch it off.”

“No. I thought I could. But that’s who I am now.”

“It doesn’t mean you aren’t an amazing mother, too.” Hunter paused and she stopped and turned to face him. “You don’t have to choose.”

“I thought I did.” A frown creased her brow. “You heard what happened when Cracol’s men tried to kidnap the children? I put them in danger and I can’t do that again.”

“I did. But you got through it.” He placed his hand on hers. “Do you know one thing I’ve learned?”

“That if you eat Pop-Tarts for two weeks straight, you might never eat them again?” she asked with a wry smile.

“That...and also there are many ways to live your dreams and fulfill promises. You can seek out other ways of helping people.” He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. “Tomorrow we are going to track down Michaela’s child. That’s an amazing thing to do. And I expect Horatio is not the only child who is missing in the world. You could set up a database for lost kids and try to reunite them with their parents.”

Cynthia tilted her head to one side and a smile spread across her face. “You know, you might just be worth keeping around.”

He ducked his head and brushed his lips against hers. “I am most definitely worth keeping around.”

Color flushed her cheeks pink. “I’m not used to PDAs. Wait, I’m not used to any displays of affection, public or otherwise, unless it’s my kids.”

“Get used to it, woman. I am going to shower you with affection.” The children came back with a handful of candy and put them in the shopping cart. “You got a selection.”

“We weren’t sure what candy they liked, so we got a few different ones,” Laurel sounded so like her mom. “Is that okay?”

“Sure.” Cynthia put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you in charge of the candy.”

“What about me?” Thomas asked.

“You’re in charge of making sure everyone gets what they like. Laurel is in charge of making sure you don’t eat so much candy it makes you sick.” Cynthia pulled Thomas into her arms and hugged both her children. “I’m going to miss you. So look after each other.”

“We will.” Laurel hugged her mom. “Are we ready to go? I want to see Hunter’s house.”

“We’re done,” Hunter confirmed and headed to the checkout. Ten minutes later they were in his car with their groceries stowed in the back and his new family seated next to him.

“Wow, you live practically in the mountains,” Thomas’s eyes were wide as he stared at the trees towering above their heads. In between the gaps in the trees you could just glimpse the high peaks, with their snowy caps.

“In the foothills. The mountain is way higher than my house.” Hunter loved the young boy’s enthusiasm.

“We’ve been high up in the mountains,” Thomas told him. “We had to hide in a cave.”

“And we rode on Flint’s back,” Laurel added.

“You rode the old bear?” Hunter asked. “Flint didn’t include that piece of information.”

“We both rode him,” Thomas said. “Twice.”

“Flint carried the children through the pass from Wolf Valley and then he carried them back down into Bear Creek the next day. We’re incredibly grateful to him.” Cynthia’s voice hitched in her throat.

“That must have been quite an adventure.” Hunter guided the car along the trail leading to his house.

“It was a very cold adventure,” Laurel said with a shiver and she hugged herself.

“The winters can get pretty cold up here.” Hunter drove into the clearing where his house stood, bathed in the early afternoon sunlight. “But I have a good stove and a warm fire. Want to come see?”

“Yessss.” Thomas spilled out of the car and ran around the clearing, his arms out wide, the sun on his face. “I love it here.”

“Me, too,” Hunter admitted, his eyes fixed on Cynthia who was grabbing their stuff out of the trunk of the car.

“Come on, Thomas, you can carry something inside.” She held out a small suitcase and Thomas ran back to her and grabbed hold of it.

“Thanks. Anything else?” Thomas puffed as he lifted his suitcase.

“Why don’t you use the handle, buddy?” Hunter asked as Thomas staggered backward.

“He says handles are for girls,” Laurel informed Hunter as she pulled out the handle of her own suitcase and then took one of the grocery bags in her free arm.

“No,” Hunter told Thomas. “The handle just means you can carry more stuff.” Hunter winked at Cynthia as he took her suitcase out of the trunk and pulled out the handle. Then he took a couple of the grocery bags Cynthia offered him. “See.”

Thomas studied Hunter for a moment, then pulled out the handle of his suitcase. “I can carry something else.”

Cynthia handed Thomas the last grocery bag. “Thanks, I’ll grab the rest of the stuff from the trunk.”

Hunter pulled Cynthia’s suitcase toward the house, with the two children following. When he left the house this morning, he had no idea he would be returning with his mate and her children. Strange how life could spin you around and spit you out somewhere completely new.

He took his key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Kicking the door open with his foot, he hauled the groceries and the suitcase inside. Thomas did the same, and Laurel followed behind. “Okay, let’s put your luggage at the bottom of the stairs for a moment and take the groceries to the kitchen.”

The children followed his instructions, and Cynthia came in behind them and shut the door. “Nice place.”

“I like it.” He put the groceries on the counter and then helped Thomas and Laurel.

“I like it, too,” Laurel said approvingly.

“Have you lived here long?” Cynthia put the rest of their gear at the bottom of the stairs and entered the kitchen.

“Five years or more. I bought it as a retreat from the world, but when I came to work for Guy and Flint, I renovated the place and installed modern conveniences. Of which I hope you approve.”

“I do.” Cynthia nodded. “It’s a great house.”

“Big enough for a family.” He clapped his hands together. “Do you want to see your rooms?”

“Oh, this might end in World War III,” Cynthia warned him.

“I think I can handle it.” Hunter picked up the suitcases from the bottom of the stairs, all three of them, and carried them upstairs, with the children following.

“You might have handled pop stars and movie stars, but two kids, it’s not as easy as I make it look,” Cynthia warned him.

“Are you challenging me?” Hunter called down from the top of the stairs.

Cynthia shook her head. “I’m confident you can sort it out. After all, fate brought us together. And fate knew I had two children.”

Thomas paused on the stairs. “Laurel and I won’t argue.”

“We might if one room is super big and the other is teeny tiny,” Laurel admitted.

“Well, lucky for us, the rooms are the same size, with practically the same view.” Hunter led them along the hallway to the first doorway and flung it open. “See, this room and the room next door are almost exactly the same.”

Laurel and Thomas went inside and ran straight to the window. Cynthia dropped the stuff she was carrying and stood in the doorway surveying the room. “Nice.”

“Isn’t it?” Hunter beckoned her to the doorway just along the hallway. “This is the second room.”

“They are almost identical. Whoever owned this house must have had two kids and a keen sense of self-preservation.” Cynthia patted Hunter on the arm. “And you must be a wise man for buying a house like this.”

“I always figured I’d have a couple of kids.” His eyes darkened with desire as he looked down at her. “But I might have to extend the house since I would love us to have a child of our own.”

She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “That is a conversation for another day.”

“Sorry.” His brow creased. “That was careless of me.”

“No. It’s something we should talk about.” She leaned against the doorframe looking drained. “I can’t believe I’m just accepting this as real.”

“Our relationship?” A sudden chill threaded its way through his body. He’d taken it for granted that she would be his mate and live with him for the rest of his life. But she already had a life. Would she simply give up her independence to come live with him here?

“Our relationship, the mating bond.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s just hit me how surreal this is.”

“Real,” he corrected.

“If someone I know came up to me and said they were planning to spend the rest of their lives with a man they just met, because he could shift into an animal and there was this thing called a mating bond, I’d have told them to get out of there as fast as they could. It sounds like a cult or some kind of brainwashing method.” She hugged herself, pulling away from him.

“Hey, we can take it as slow as you want. We can date, do all the things normal couples do.” He reached for her and pulled her back toward him. “All I’m asking for is a chance. A chance to make you see how perfect we are for each other.”

She nodded. “That I can do.”

“So it’s too soon to give you a ring?” He gave her a lopsided smile which she returned.

“Maybe we should wait at least until we’ve known each other for twenty-four hours.” She backed away from him as Thomas and Laurel came running toward them.

“The rooms are the same,” Laurel said.

“Does this mean you have chosen who is sleeping where?” Hunter asked.

“Nope,” Thomas said with a cheeky grin.

“Let’s toss a coin.” Cynthia held her hand out to Hunter. “Do you have a coin? My purse is downstairs.”

Hunter took a coin out of his pocket and handed it to his mate. “What’s mine is yours.”

Cynthia took the coin but made no comment. “Okay, Laurel, you choose. Heads or tails.”

“Why does Laurel get to choose?” Thomas asked.

“Because someone has to choose,” Cynthia replied.

“I choose heads.” Laurel watched as Cynthia flipped the coin and it caught it in her hand.

“Please be tails, please be tails,” Thomas repeated over and over as Cynthia opened her hand.

“Heads,” Cynthia called and showed them the coin.

“Oh.” Thomas sighed, his shoulders slumped forward.

“Which room?” Cynthia asked.

“You said I get to choose,” Laurel told her mom, who nodded. “I choose whichever room Thomas doesn’t want.”

Thomas stared at his sister, mouthing her words to himself. “You’re letting me choose?”

Laurel shrugged. “I got to choose when we moved to the last house. So you should choose this time.”

Cynthia’s eyes opened wide. “I’d forgotten that.” She hugged her daughter. “That’s very generous of you to remind us.”

She shrugged. “The rooms are pretty much identical. As long as I can put some pictures on the wall, I’m okay with it.”

“So which is your choice?” Hunter asked, proud of Laurel for her generosity.

Thomas looked from door to door. “That one.” He pointed to the first room.

“Then let’s get you settled. Don’t unpack, since you’ll only be here for one night.” Cynthia picked up Thomas’s suitcase and carried it back to the room he’d chosen while Hunter took Laurel’s suitcase into the second room.

“Did you have a favorite room?” Hunter asked out of curiosity.

“Not really. But I like this one.” She walked over to the window. “I can see the town over there.” She pointed to the tops of the roofs in the distance.

“And the mountains over there.” Hunter pointed to the high peaks in the distance. Snow still clung to the slopes, and a mist was flowing down into the valleys as the afternoon turned to evening.

“Yes, that’s the pass between Wolf Valley and Bear Creek, isn’t it?” She pointed into the distance to a gap between the mountain peaks.

“Yes, it is.”

“When it’s summer and you and Mommy have found those children, will you show me the mountains, please?” Laurel asked quietly.

“I will. We can explore them all. Maybe go camping.”

“Or we could stay in Walt’s cabin again. I liked it there.” She turned away from the window. “Is this really our new home?”

“I hope so. Do you like it?” Hunter asked. In all of the plans he’d had racing through his head, he hadn’t stopped to consider what the children thought about coming to live here with him.

“I do. I really do.” She shuffled her feet, her toe digging into the carpet.

“Is there something wrong?” Hunter asked quietly. Cynthia and Thomas were in the other bedroom, their voices muffled.

“I just want Mommy to be happy. And I want us all to have a home.” Laurel wiped a tear from her cheek. “I want us to be a real family.”

“You’re okay with me being part of your family?” he asked. “If that’s what your mom wants, of course.”

“I’d like that. You could do boy things with Thomas. He likes boy things.”

“I can do that. But I can also do girl things, too.”

Laurel frowned and gave him a strange look. “Like what?”

“I’m good at braiding hair and makeup. I once had to apply makeup for Sasha Fallan.”

“The Sasha Fallan?” Laurel asked.

“Yes. Her makeup artist didn’t arrive on time, and she was due to go on stage, so I had to help her out.”

“You’re one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, Hunter,” Laurel told him.

“I’m nothing special,” Hunter replied. “But I will be here for you and your mom and Thomas whenever you need me.”

“You are our Bear Creek Protector.” Laurel laughed and then flopped down on the bed. “Can I have stars on my ceiling, please?”

“You sure can.” He walked toward the door. “I’m going downstairs to make some coffee. Call me if there’s anything you need.”

“I will.” Laurel pushed herself up on one elbow. “Thanks, Hunter.”

“You are very welcome.” With that he left his new family to get acquainted with his house, while he went downstairs to prepare for the trip to the forest. He only hoped the outcome would be successful.

But more than that, he also hoped they would figure out who was behind the threatening letter. One thing for sure, they were losing focus on why Cynthia had come here in the first place.

And maybe that was the point.

Chapter Nine – Cynthia

“You’re saying we shouldn’t go?” Cynthia asked Hunter as they drank coffee at his kitchen table, while the children played outside

“I’m saying we should consider that the letter was supposed to point us in the direction of Michaela and her son. Anyone who knows you and has followed your career knows you would go and try to find him if there was a chance he was alive in the forest.” Hunter had a point, although she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“You think I’m being set up.” Cynthia glanced nervously at the doorway, hoping the children couldn’t hear.

“They’re still in front of the TV.” Hunter’s super senses were a little freaky. But damn useful.

“So we ignore Horatio and any other children who might be in the forest?” Cynthia asked. “And stay here and wait… For what? What if nothing else happens? Are we supposed to live our whole lives looking over our shoulders?”

“No. That’s not what I’m saying. We just need to look at this from all angles and make sure if it is a trap of some kind, we don’t walk into it blindly.” Hunter’s bodyguard training and experience gave him a different perspective on this, she got that, but was this really a setup?

Cynthia rubbed her forehead; her brain was ready to explode and all she wanted to do was lie down and switch off for a couple of hours. Once refreshed, she would see the problem from all sides. Right now, she was still dealing with uprooting her family at a moment’s notice and getting them on a plane because of a letter.

“What if I overreacted? This might be nothing. Just someone making a joke, trying to scare me.” She twisted her coffee cup around and around in her hands.

“And what if it’s not?” He reached out and covered her hands with one of his large, warm, strong hands. Capable hands. Hunter was a capable man.

“I want to do what’s best for my family, my children, but I also need to know I did right by Horatio and Michaela. And right now, I don’t.” Cynthia ran a hand through her hair. She couldn’t afford to get this wrong. Never had the pressure of her job weighed so heavily. Until Cracol, no one had threatened her family or drawn them into her work.

Surely, he was behind this. Cracol had long arms and they could reach far outside of his jail cell.

“We go ahead with the plan. Jenna and Flint can take care of the children, along with Sheriff Brad and his deputies. Bear Creek is the safest place for them.” Hunter was convinced of this, which soothed her nerves.

“I trust you.” Cynthia raised her eyes to his. “This is what you do, isn’t it? Risk assessment for your clients.”

“It is.” He nodded, his hand still firmly clasped around hers. “I know how much the children mean to you. And I also know you need closure for Michaela. So we go ahead as planned, but we go on high alert. If there is danger in the forest, then we will be ready for it. We need to remember that just because the police have moved on from the farmhouse and the forest, the people working for Cracol might not. But I agree, this needs dealing with now.”

“Thank you.” She pulled her hand out from under his and dashed a tear off her cheek. “That’s what I needed to hear.”

“I’ll keep you safe, Cynthia. I promise.” He pulled his hand away and stood up. “We should get ready for dinner.”

Cynthia got up from the table and helped Hunter wash and dry the cups. The kitchen was neat, tidy and unlived in. Reminding Cynthia of how much Hunter worked away from home. Would that change if they lived together and had a child of their own?

If not, would she be happy raising another child almost solo?

“Do I have time to shower?” Cynthia asked after she’d checked on the children.

“Sure, the bathroom is at the top of the stairs.” He hung the dish towel from a hook and turned to look at her, looking faintly sheepish. “We never discussed where you were going to sleep.”

“I figured I’d share a room with you. Isn’t that where you put my suitcase?” Her forthright answer was met with a slightly bemused look from Hunter. “We can sleep side by side. I trust you.”

With that she turned around and left the kitchen. Climbing the stairs, she examined how she felt about sharing a room, and a bed with Hunter. Since her relationship with Connor, she’d lived a solitary life, only occasionally taking a man into her bed, and never at home. Affairs were something she shielded the children from, but that was about to change.

Luckily, they liked Hunter. The fact he was a bear shifter helped, she was certain. However, it was more than that. Hunter was a good man, an honest man. The children were good at picking up on these traits, she’d taught them how to make their own judgments where other people were concerned, she’d taught them to use their instincts and trust them.

Now she had to follow her own advice and trust her instincts. Instincts that told her Hunter was right, they were about to walk into a trap, but she could see no way around it. If there was the remotest of chances that Horatio or any other child was in the forest, she had to go there and find them.

Or she could let someone else go. There was a choice. She could stay behind, sit this one out.

No, she couldn’t. She needed this over. Even if she put her own life at risk.

She needed to make sure the children were safe. Then, after the threat was neutralized, she would take her career in a new direction and help reunite children with their parents. Runaways, those kidnapped by bad people, there were many children estranged from their families for various reasons and she’d like to be the catalyst who brought them back together.

“You look pretty, Mommy.” Laurel watched her mom walk into the sitting room with a look of approval on her face.

“Thanks, Laurel. I thought I’d better wear a dress.” Cynthia spent most of her life in jeans or combats, teamed with a T-shirt or polar fleece. “Why don’t you and Thomas go and get ready? We need to leave soon.”

“Okay. Come on, Thomas.” Laurel raced out of the room, with Thomas hot on her heels.

“They’re good kids.” Hunter got up from the chair where he’d been working on his laptop.

“They are,” she agreed.

“And Laurel is right, you do look pretty.” He kissed her cheek and placed the laptop down on a side table.

“Homework?” Laurel indicated the laptop.

“Something like that. I’ve been using Google Maps to get a good look at the area we’re going to tomorrow.” Hunter headed to the kitchen and she followed.

“And?” Laurel asked.

“Guy gave me the location of the farmhouse Cracol used. It’s extremely remote, with miles and miles of forest surrounding it on all sides. There are woodland trails leading deep into the forest, which might have been used to transport the children.” He hesitated.

“It’s okay, I also know the forest is a perfect place to hide a dozen bodies or more.” Cynthia wasn’t naïve, she understood the realities of the situation. “Until you said that some men don’t have the stomach to kill children, I was convinced they had either been murdered or disposed of in some other way. I believe that’s why the police moved away from the area and prioritized their resources where they would get better results.”

“I don’t want to give you false hope.” Hunter turned around and wrapped his strong arms around her. “But I also want you to live in hope.”

“I know. It’s okay, I’ve seen enough of the world to know happy endings are never guaranteed.” She gave a wry smile. “Actually, I’ve seen enough of the world to know happy endings are rarer than unicorns.”

Cynthia hated this jaded feeling that had crept up on her. She’d always strived to keep positive, no matter what. One person saved, one bad guy in jail, even small results made it worth the risk.

Hunter dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Happy endings are more common than you think, and we will have one and so will Horatio and Michaela if it’s possible.”

“Let’s try to make the almost impossible, possible.” She tilted her head back and gazed up at him. “Did you find anything other than a lot of trees?”

“I looked for landmarks. Places a child might hide.” Hunter leaned against the counter, his expression troubled. “I suppose I’m trying to figure out why the children didn’t try to find their way back to civilization. Did they get lost, or did they stay lost for a reason?”

“They might be scared. Injured. Perhaps one of them is too small to walk far.” Cynthia thought of the multitude of reasons a child might not try to get home. “Cracol’s men might have threatened them. Violence either toward the children themselves or their families. I’ve spoken to children who kept quiet about abuse, simply because their abuser told them if they spoke out, their mom or dad would be killed.”

Hunter rubbed his chin, his eyes dark with anger. “Bastards.”

“There are a lot of bad people out there, who will say or do anything to get what they want. But there are more good people. Many more. People who will help others.” She shrugged. “Maybe Horatio found someone like that who took them in.”

“But who didn’t get in touch with the authorities?” Hunter asked.

“When we find him, we’ll ask.” She smiled softly. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to meet Jake and Marion. I know how much adopting them means to Jenna and Flint.”

“Okay. Give me two minutes and I’ll be ready.” He crossed the kitchen, pecked her on the cheek and went upstairs. Cynthia pressed her hand to her cheek, his kiss seemed to sear her skin, but there was no mark there. She could not deny the feelings he evoked in her. They were meant to be together, she could feel it in her soul.

Yet she didn’t know if she was ready to have a deep and meaningful long-term relationship. Raising her children was her priority and she’d decided to do so alone. If she continued with her career, her time would be split between the children and her job. Would she ever find the time to be a good wife, too?

Scared. That was her problem, she was scared of commitment, scared of losing the man she loved again.

And that was natural. It was also something she had to deal with and come to terms with. The chances of her losing a man she loved again were slim. Lightning rarely struck twice.

“We’re ready!” Laurel ran down the stairs, with Thomas behind her.

“That’s an interesting combination,” Cynthia told her son, who wore a pair of sweatpants coupled with a button-up shirt.

“You didn’t pack any good pants,” Thomas told Cynthia.

“Why don’t you wear a pair of jeans?” Cynthia suggested.

“You always say jeans and a button-up shirt don’t make for a smart outfit,” Thomas said.

“Is that right?” Hunter stood at the top of the stairs in a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt.

“I might have. Once.” She swallowed hard. Hunter looked as sexy as hell and she longed to unbutton his shirt one button at a time. “But you two handsome men have shown me the error of my ways.”

“So I’ll go put jeans on?” Thomas asked.

“I think jeans would look better than sweats with that shirt.” Cynthia held out her arms. “But before you go, can I get a hug from you two? I want to store them up since I’ll be missing you so much for a few days.”

The children launched themselves at her and she held them close.

“You’ll do great, Mom. You’ll find the children and bring them home to their parents.” Laurel buried her face in Cynthia’s neck while Thomas hugged her as tight as his small arms allowed.

“I’ll do my best,” Cynthia promised. “I’ll do my best.”

Chapter Ten – Hunter

“So jeans and a button-up shirt not your thing?” Hunter asked as they left his house and walked to his car. The children were running around in the gathering twilight, letting off some steam before they went for dinner at Flint’s house.

Cynthia chuckled. “Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.” He held out his hands and indicated his shirt and jeans. “What’s wrong with this look?”

Cynthia held up her hands and lowered her voice. “In my defense, when I made that comment, Thomas was wearing the most lurid Hawaiian shirt you’ve ever seen.” She shrugged. “So I told him he couldn’t wear a button-up shirt with his jeans.”

“Hawaiian shirt, those can get pretty wild.” Hunter nodded in agreement before wagging his finger at Cynthia. “But a mother should never dictate what her child wears. They have to learn to express themselves,” he teased.

“This was to a friend’s smart-casual dinner. She’d have thrown a fit if Thomas had arrived in the shirt.” Cynthia laughed at the memory. It was good to see her happier and more relaxed.

“I was joking, a mother, or a father for that matter, has to guide their children through life. You’re a good mom.” Hunter opened the car door and leaned against it.

“I’m an okay Mom. I think if I had to do it all over again, I would do things differently.”

“Hey.” He slipped his arms around her waist. “Take the compliment.”

She leaned her head on his chest, stifling a sob. “It’s been hard, you know, being alone.”

He placed his hand on the nape of her neck. “But you did it, and they are good kids, well-grounded and capable of thinking for themselves. You did good. Don’t beat yourself up about things you can’t change.” He kissed her neck, and she trembled, her arms encircling his waist as they stood together, the sound of children’s laughter filling the silence.

“Thank you.” She lifted her head and looked at him. “Sometimes you need to hear those words to believe it.”

“You are welcome.” He inclined his head toward the car. “We do need to go.”

“Laurel, Thomas, time to go,” Cynthia called.

“Coming!” Thomas swung around and ran toward the car, while Laurel did one more loop of the house.

“In you go.” Cynthia helped her son into the car and then turned around to look for Laurel. “Where is she? Laurel!”

Panic swept over her and she half ran, half stumbled forward toward the house. Hunter came around the car to stand by her side. He lifted his head and scanned the area. Nothing but Laurel and a couple of bunny rabbits running for cover.

“She’s there, it’s okay.” He placed a hand on Cynthia’s shoulder as Laurel came rushing around the side of the house, her face alight with excitement.

“Rabbits!” She pointed back around the side of the house. “There were rabbits eating the grass.”

Cynthia took a deep breath, was she going to tell Laurel off for taking too long? She let her breath out and the tension in her shoulders dissipated. “Wow, rabbits. I didn’t know they would be brave enough to live that close to a fierce bear shifter.”

Hunter chuckled. “What can I say? I’m a pushover really. Unless anyone tries to hurt those under my protection.”

They all got into the car, although Cynthia’s face looked a little flushed, she looked relaxed and happy. Hunter wanted to sweep all her pain and anguish away. It wasn’t fair that she’d worked so hard and sacrificed so much to bring down a man like Cracol only to be left blaming herself for the missing children.

The journey to Flint’s house passed quickly as Hunter told the children about the area they lived in and the story about Calder and Elia. Calder Harrahand was one of the first people to live in Bear Creek and he was part of the very history of the town and surrounding area.

“There’s a display in the museum we could go and see when your mom and I get back,” he told them. “It’s great, there are life-sized models of Calder and Elia.”

“I wonder where shifters came from,” Laurel asked. “We never learned about them when Mrs. Fennel taught us about the human body.”

“I bet you didn’t,” Cynthia said. “Maybe we should give her a lesson on shifters.”

“No, they are a secret,” Thomas said. “And we have to keep their secret just the same as we would have to keep Spiderman’s or Superman’s identity secret.”

“Good point,” Cynthia said as they arrived at the house. “I wonder how Jake and Marion will react when Jenna and Flint tell them about shifters.”

“I’m sure they’ll be just fine,” Hunter said. “Once they are settled in and know that Jenna and Flint are there for them, they’ll be just fine.”

“So Jenna and Flint aren’t their parents?” Thomas asked.

“No, they are being fostered by Jenna and Flint until the adoption goes through,” Cynthia explained patiently. “Which means they either didn’t have any parents or their parents didn’t want them.”

“You would never not want us, would you, Mommy?” Thomas asked, troubled by this information.

“No, never. But sometimes things happen beyond our control.” Cynthia half turned in her seat. “It doesn’t mean their parents loved them any less.”

“Shall we go and meet them?” Hunter asked, breaking the tension in the car. This small family had been through a lot and sometimes it seemed as if they were hanging on a knife edge. No wonder Cynthia was unsure about leaving them.

“Yes, let’s.” Cynthia got out of the car and the children followed. “Do you want to carry the desserts?”

“Yes, I’ll carry the chocolate dessert,” Thomas offered.

“Of course.” Laurel rolled her eyes. “I’ll carry the candy, too.”

They approached the house, and the front door opened. Flint appeared in the doorway, waving as they walked up the driveway. “Just in time, Jenna’s just about finished cooking.”

“We brought dessert.” Thomas held out the chocolate cake as an offering to Flint.

“So you did.” Flint bent down and took the dessert from Thomas. “This looks wonderful.”

“Dinner smells wonderful, too.” Cynthia kissed Flint on the cheek. “Does Jenna need a hand?”

“She told me she had it all under control.” He didn’t sound convinced. “She wants everything to be perfect, she thinks she should be able to cope with motherhood and the house and work. I’ve tried to explain these things take time. It’s been a big upheaval for all of us.”

“She wants to be a superwoman to match your superman.” Cynthia squeezed past Flint. “Can you look after the children, and I’ll go see Jenna? With the desserts.”

Flint handed over his dessert and then Cynthia took the other one from Laurel and headed into the house, leaving Hunter with the children and Flint. “Come in, come and meet Jake and Marion.”

“Okay, guys.” Hunter waited for the children to follow Flint and then took one last look outside and followed, making sure the door was firmly shut behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, but when he pushed his well-honed senses out, he couldn’t sense any danger.

“Everything okay, Hunter?” Flint asked. He was waiting in the doorway leading to the sitting room.

“Yes, everything is fine. Habit.” He tried to explain it away, but Flint’s eyes narrowed, he wasn’t fooled. “I’ll get the kids settled and then we’ll talk.”

“After dinner,” Hunter told his boss. “There are a few things we need to discuss.”

Flint nodded and then opened the door. “Let’s go. I hope you two like Jake and Marion.”

“I’m sure they’ll get along fine,” Hunter assured a nervous-looking Flint.

Flint opened the door into the sitting room, where two dark-haired children sat watching TV. They both looked up nervously and Jake reached out for Marion’s hand as the strangers walked in. They’d been through an ordeal and learned to depend on themselves and each other. Hunter could appreciate how difficult this transition must be, from orphans with no parents who had been used by child traffickers, to moving into a new home with two people who wanted to be their new parents.

Strange and awkward at best, his bear agreed.

“Hello, Jake, Marion.” Hunter entered the room, keeping his body language relaxed and open. He didn’t want to tense up and appear hostile.

“Hello,” Jake said, his eyes quickly assessing Hunter before moving on to the two children.

“I’m Hunter.”

“Are you?” Marion asked quietly.

“Am I what?” Then his expression cleared. “A hunter? No. Well, not in a bad sense. But I can hunt pretty good if I have to.”

“What kind of things do you hunt?” Thomas asked.

“I... I sometimes hunt people who try to hurt the person I’m protecting.” Hunter fumbled for something to say.

Because I usually do the hunting, his bear reminded Hunter.

As if he didn’t know.

“You’re a bodyguard, too?” Jake asked.

“Yes, I am. Although I’m not as experienced as Flint.” Hunter approached a chair across the room from Jake and Marion. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

“No, go ahead.” Jake shuffled a little further away.

Laurel and Thomas moved closer to Hunter, the room charged with tension and Jake sized them up. Hunter’s eyes narrowed as he assessed Jake, then he glanced up at Flint who raised an eyebrow. This was a test, if Hunter wasn’t mistaken.

“I live up in the mountains,” Hunter went on. “A little higher than this house. I often go out on the mountains and hunt there, too. But mostly I like to track. You know, big animals. Bears, wolves, the occasional lion.”

Jake glanced at Marion, who’s almond-shaped amber eyes stared steadily at Hunter. “What do you do if you track a big animal?”

“Say hi to them. They’re often my friends. You know, who like to shift and go up in the mountains for some downtime.” Hunter watched Jake and Marion closely, while Thomas, who was perched on the arm of the chair, gasped and swung his head around to look at Hunter. “It’s okay, I think Jake and Marion know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“We might,” Jake agreed, and Marion visibly relaxed.

“Our mom was a snow leopard,” Marion said. “I don’t know what happened to her, one night she never came home.”

“And that’s how you ended up being sent to foster care?” Flint asked.

Marion nodded and moved closer to Jake. “We never got there.”

“But now you have Flint and Jenna to protect you both,” Thomas said. “Just like they protected me and Laurel from the bad men.”

Hunter surveyed the two children on the sofa, they couldn’t have been more than eight or nine, it was a miracle they had survived and not been sold. Or maybe Cracol knew about shifters and planned to keep them until they were old enough to shift. “Did the men who took you know you were shifters?”

Jake shook his head and gave Marion a warning look. “I told Marion not to say anything. To anyone. It was our secret.”

“Good plan.” Flint nodded.

Jake looked a little relieved. “Are you shifters?”

“We are. Both of us.” Flint glanced toward the kitchen. “Jenna and Cynthia aren’t, but they know about shifters.”

“Jenna is your mate?” Marion asked her foster father.

“She is. And she’s great with children if you give her a chance,” Flint told them pointedly.

“I suppose we could,” Jake again sounded relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and transferred to Flint’s.

“We want to make this a great home for you and Marion. I realize you find it strange.” Flint approached the children cautiously, as if scared he might frighten them away. “We promise to try our best.”

“We know, the lady from social services, Fiona, said you were nice and kind. That you would be good parents.” Marion’s voice broke and she buried her face in Jake’s shoulder.

“We don’t want to replace your parents,” Jenna stood in the doorway, with Cynthia behind her. “But we want to help you and give you a home and a new family.”

“It’s difficult to trust people after what you’ve been through,” Flint said gently, although his gruff voice rasped like metal grinding against metal.

“But you can trust Flint and Jenna,” Laurel said. “We know because they helped us when the bad men came for us.”

“I wish someone had been there for us when the bad men came,” Jake said, sounding young and vulnerable.

“We’re here now,” Jenna came around and knelt in front of the sofa. “Please, give us a chance.”

Marion looked at Jake and nodded. “I suppose.”

Jenna hugged them both briefly and then let them go. “Come on, dinner is ready.”

“And then we can have dessert,” Thomas said happily.

“And candy,” Laurel reminded her brother.

Hunter wished all children could have a happy childhood where their only worry was whether there was a chocolate dessert after their meal. But Cynthia was right, happy endings were rare. Not as rare as unicorns, but rare enough that you had to grab hold of them and not let go when one drifted past.

Chapter Eleven – Cynthia

“You think it’s a trap?” Jenna asked as the adults drank coffee and the children played in the sitting room. Since Jake and Marion’s admission that they were shifters, they seemed to have let their defenses down.

“Hunter believes someone is setting me up.” Cynthia was tired, her head had been going around and around in circles since Hunter told her his suspicions earlier. Like a dog chasing its tail.

“How could they know you would go to the forest?” Flint asked. “How could the person who sent you the letter know you would go back to the farmhouse?”

“Perhaps they knew I’d likely talk to Michaela.” Cynthia looked down at her hands, which grasped her coffee cup much too tightly. But she needed to feel the warmth through her fingers. “Michaela has been vocal about how the police have let her down and how the investigation should not have become public until the police had raided all the places the children were being held. She has a point.”

“How did the investigation become public?” Jenna asked. “When we saw it on the news with your name linked to it, we assumed you broke the story.”

“No, someone tipped off the press. The story broke and the police had to play catch-up. They did everything they could, but they were outplayed.” Cynthia picked up her coffee cup and drank the bitter liquid, grateful for the buzz of caffeine. “We were lucky Cracol was already in police custody or we might have lost him, too.”

“Wow, that’s terrible.” Hunter shook his head. “I had no idea how deep this went.”

“Very deep. Bribe the right people and you can get away with anything. For a time.” Jenna pressed her lips together, she’d seen firsthand how corruption spread if left unchecked.

“So whoever sent the letter figured you’d speak to Michaela and then go back.” Flint didn’t sound convinced.

Cynthia inhaled deeply. “After Michaela’s interview with the press where she accused the police of abandoning her son, I made a request to the team in charge of the investigation.” She looked up, meeting the eyes of the other people around the table. “I requested a new search of the forest. I offered to find the funding they’d need. I was turned down.”

“You think they were hiding something? The police investigation into the trafficking ring had been infiltrated?” Hunter asked.

“No.” Cynthia shook her head. “I know the detective in charge of the operation, and he is as straight as they come.”

“Then why?” Jenna asked. “Usually these things are about funding and resources. If you offered to finance it, why did they turn you down?”

“Because they didn’t need the publicity that would come with it. They didn’t want it to become a media circus.” Cynthia could understand their reasoning, even if she didn’t agree with it. “Their conclusion was that the children from the farmhouse were gone, either dead or sold. They’d done a helicopter search and found nothing. To divert the public’s attention back to the farmhouse and the forest would have delayed other areas of their investigation.”

Cynthia’s heart ached for Michaela. How could she ever rest? How could she ever get on with her life if she believed Horatio was still alive?

“Someone thinks they know you well enough to persuade you to go and look for Horatio yourself.” Flint got up and refilled everyone’s coffee cup. “And they would be right.”

“It makes sense,” Cynthia continued. “I have gone over every other person I’ve ever had dealings with. Every person who I have helped jail and none of them fit in with the letter. It has to be connected to this case, to the farmhouse and the forest.”

“Agreed.” Jenna smiled as the children broke out into peals of laughter in the next room. “Although I don’t want you to go, I think having Thomas and Laurel here will show Jake and Marion it’s okay to be a child. And it’s okay to be a shifter.”

“They’re good kids. We’ll figure it out.” Flint put his hand on Jenna’s shoulder and squeezed it.

“You knew they were shifters.” Jenna half turned to face her husband. “Didn’t you?”

“I had my suspicions and so did Fiona, which is why she thought they would be a good match with us,” Flint admitted.

“You knew and you didn’t tell me,” Jenna accused. “What about being honest with your mate?”

“I didn’t know for sure and I didn’t want you to feel out of your depth.” Flint sat down in his chair and tried to explain further. “All this talk about shifters being superheroes, I didn’t want you to feel as if you might not live up to their expectations.”

“That is very sweet,” Cynthia told Flint. “I don’t know about Jenna, but it is hard not being the same as you guys.”

“It is.” Jenna leaned against Flint, who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “At least this way I got to know them a little first.”

“And proved to yourself what a good mom you are.” Flint kissed her and then turned his attention back to tomorrow and the mission to rescue the children. “This has given me something to think about. Shifter children hiding out.”

“It has?” Cynthia asked and then she understood what Flint might mean. “The reason why Horatio hasn’t tried to make it out of the forest is because he is dealing with shifting for the first time?” She ran her hands through her hair, excitement building. “Horatio was in his early teens. You said children don’t shift until they hit puberty.”

“That’s right.” Hunter was following her train of thought with enthusiasm. “If he can’t control it, if he can’t shift back, he can’t ask for help. Especially if he’s stuck.”

Flint nodded. “He might also have trouble shifting back to his human form. Sometimes, especially if emotions are running high, it can be difficult to shift back the first couple of times.”

Hunter rubbed his hand over his chin. “He might be stuck.”

“First we have to find out if Horatio is a shifter,” Jenna gave Cynthia a pained look. “You’ll have to call Michaela again tomorrow and somehow ask her if her child is a shifter.”

“I’ll have to think about how I can do that without just asking outright,” Cynthia said thoughtfully.

“Just ask,” Flint told her. “If she has no idea what you are talking about, just explain it away and move on.”

“I can do it,” Cynthia said. “And if he is a shifter, I’ll find out what he is so we will at least know what animal we need to look for.”

“I hope you can bring Horatio home and reunite him with his mom.” Jenna’s face contorted in pain. “I never knew how hard it would be taking in two children who have lost their parents. I’d give anything to reunite them with their mom and dad.”

“But we know that isn’t going to happen, so we have to be the best parents we can be for them,” Flint reminded her.

“I know. And now that we know what we are dealing with, we can be, we can get ready.” Jenna gave a nervous smile. “Even though I have absolutely no idea what to expect.” She glanced at Flint. “They can get stuck?”

“Not if they have a good teacher who is patient and sensitive,” Hunter replied, with a swift look toward Flint.

“I have patience,” Flint insisted. “Sometimes.”

“Well you have a few years to cultivate your patience,” Jenna told him. “Because when they start to shift, we have to be ready. We have to have earned their trust.”

“We will. Don’t worry. I’m very trustworthy.” Flint might be gruff on the outside, but Cynthia had to agree he was one of the best people she’d ever met.

“I would totally trust you with my life,” Cynthia said. “And the life of my children. Which is why they are staying with you both.”

“We’ll look after them, just as we did before,” Jenna insisted.

“So this forest?” Flint steered the conversation back to the reason they were leaving the children. “It’s big and dense. If Horatio has shifted, he could be anywhere in there.”

“I know, but I’m confident we can find him.” Hunter’s confidence made Cynthia feel more at ease. She’d seen the size of the forest when the farmhouse was discovered as a hideout. It would take months for a police search party to cover it all, but she was confident her two superheroes, Hunter and Guy, would get the job done. In days. Was she hoping too much?

“I was looking at the landscape earlier,” Flint got up from the table and fetched a laptop, which he set down in front of them, the screen turned toward Hunter and Cynthia. “I believe this is a good location to start. But that was before we factored in the chance of Horatio hiding out because he’s a shifter.”

Hunter pointed at the screen. “This area might contain an old cave system.”

Cynthia peered closer. “Yes, the ground rises up. There might be shelter there. But Horatio wouldn’t necessarily have known that.”

“He would have traveled across the forest, hunting and looking for shelter.” Flint sat back in his chair. “It’s all speculation since we have no idea if Horatio was taken into the forest. Or if he’s alone. If we factor in him being dumped with other children, that changes things significantly,” Flint stared at the screen, as if willing it to send him a subliminal message.

“In what ways does it change things?” Cynthia asked, her face pale. “Would he hunt the other children?”

“No, he has control over his instincts, he’s still Horatio inside, he just can’t bring the human side of himself back into this world,” Hunter reassured her. “But this is all speculation. We don’t know that shifting is even a factor in this.”

“So all of this is just guesswork?” Cynthia’s work depended on facts, that was how she’d brought down Cracol in the first place. But those facts had to be carefully distilled for the information at hand. Information they could only gather when they reached the forest.

“Yes, all guesswork. When we reach the forest, we will have a better idea of what happened to the children. If there is any scent left behind, we should be able to follow it,” Hunter exchanged a quick glance with Flint, which Cynthia caught. Her job relied on her picking up the smallest of changes in body language or expressions. Those minute changes often told much about what a person was thinking or feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Cynthia asked.

“There’s nothing exactly wrong,” Hunter assured her.

“But?”

“But the strongest scent would be from a cadaver.” Flint grimaced as he said the word.

“So if Horatio or any of the other children are dead, they will be easier to find.” Cynthia pressed her lips together. She understood only too well. “We’re going in to find the children, and the best way to find them is if you pick up their scent, but that might mean they’re dead.”

“Pretty much,” Hunter confirmed. “But even if there is no scent, we can find them.”

“You’re lucky, Guy has managed to persuade Liam to come with you,” Flint looked pleased with this new information.

“Liam? That’s such good news,” Jenna replied. “He’s an eagle shifter, he’ll be able to cover a lot more ground. Or sky.”

“Excellent,” Hunter agreed. “He’ll be our eyes in the sky. If he can scout ahead, we should be able to split up and look for the children in a more systematic way.”

“One piece of good news,” Cynthia said. “I’m more nervous about this than I have been about most of my investigations. I’m too emotionally involved in this to look at it with a clear head.”

“You’ll feel better tomorrow when you are on the ground,” Flint assured her. “Whenever we were going out on maneuvers, it was always the night before that was the worst.”

“True, the anticipation can be hard to handle,” Cynthia agreed. Looking at her watch, she picked up her coffee and drained the cup. “We should go and get an early night.”

“The children could have stayed here overnight,” Jenna offered. “That way you could have gotten an early start.”

“I’d like them to sleep under the same roof as me one more night. But thank you, Jenna. And you, Flint, for your kindness.” Cynthia hugged Jenna.

“I wish we were coming with you,” Jenna admitted. “I’d love to help find those children and bring them back home.”

“If there are any more orphans, shall I send them your way?” Hunter asked Flint.

“I think we might have our hands full with the two we’ve got.” Flint’s expression softened. “But never say never.”

“Let’s hope we can return the children to their homes.” Cynthia’s expression faltered. “I just hope we find them alive.”

“Were there many children still missing?” Hunter asked.

“Yes,” Cynthia admitted sadly. “Although they were not all at the farmhouse and they had disappeared over a number of years. Cracol had been operating this child trafficking ring for some time.”

“We can’t dwell on the past,” Hunter told her. “We have to focus on what you accomplished when you brought them down. You stopped Cracol from being able to hurt any other children. You should be proud of yourself.”

Cynthia recalled Connor and how he knew about Cracol all those years ago. If only she’d been able to bring Cracol down then. But Hunter was right. She’d done her best, she had to console herself with that. And now she had a chance to do more.

“I am proud, but it hurts to know there are people like Michaela out there, mothers who lost their children and might never know what happened to them.” She rolled her shoulders, straightening her back. “I want to do this in the hope that if there is one child out there who needs to be found, we’ll find them.”

“We will,” Hunter agreed. “So let’s get home, get some sleep and start a new day tomorrow, with a new mission.”

They said their goodbyes, the children seemed to have gotten along well together, which alleviated some of Cynthia’s concerns. As they got into Hunter’s car, she hoped that when they returned from the forest, she would be able to put all of this behind her and concentrate on her future and her family’s future without this nagging guilt hanging over her.

One child. If they could only return with one child, she would let it go. That was the promise she made to herself as they drove back to Hunter’s house. More would be a bonus, of course. But she would settle for one child.

Chapter Twelve – Hunter

He woke the next morning with his mate by his side. They had shared a bed, but no more. This wasn’t the time for anything more intimate. She didn’t have the same urge to mate as he did. And he respected that. He was willing to wait for as long as she needed.

One thing that wouldn’t wait was Thomas and Laurel. They were up early, full of excitement at spending a few days over at Flint’s house with Jake and Marion.

“Anyone would think you are glad I’m going away,” Cynthia teased as she poured the orange juice and made toast in the kitchen.

“We’re going to miss you,” Laurel told her mom, giving her a hug.

“But Flint promised he’d take us into the mountains. We might even visit Walt’s cabin.” Thomas chewed his toast and looked longingly at the high mountain peaks.

“I see.” Cynthia watched her children indulgently. “It would be nice to see the mountain without snow, that’s for sure.”

“Yes,” Laurel pretended to shiver.

“The last time we were in the mountains, it was covered in snow,” Cynthia told Hunter. “We nearly never made it off. There was a big snowstorm coming. Liam and Kit came and got us on their ATVs.”

“Wow, you really did see the mountain at its worst, and survived.” Hunter sat down with his coffee and two pieces of toast. He’d normally have cooked a big breakfast, but they were eager to start the day and drop the children at Flint’s before meeting up with Guy and Liam at the office.

“It was cold. Luckily it didn’t put any of us off being in the mountains,” Cynthia finished her breakfast and began cleaning up. It was strange having someone else in the kitchen, even stranger for someone else to clean up.

“When we get back, I’d love to take you up there and show you some of my favorite places,” Hunter said as he drank his coffee. “It’s such a wonderful place. In the summer we can go and swim in the mountain pools.”

“Can we?” Laurel asked excitedly. “I’ve just learned to swim.”

“I can swim with armbands,” Thomas said.

“We can all go. Although the water in the pools will be cold. Some of it is from the ice melting on the mountain peaks.” Hunter finished his coffee and helped Cynthia, while the children went upstairs to brush their teeth and get ready to leave. “Are you okay?”

“A little nervous,” she admitted.

“About the children going into the mountains?” he asked.

“Yes, but not because I don’t trust Jenna and Flint, but because they’re exposed out there if anyone approaches.” She looked up at him with concern deeply etched into her features.

“The thing with the mountain is it kind of clears your brain. Clears your senses,” Hunter explained. “It’s the same with the forest.”

“What do you mean?” Cynthia asked as she handed him a cup to dry.

“You know the saying, you can’t see the forest for the trees?” he asked, and she nodded. “Well, in the town or other populated areas you can’t sense an individual. You are surrounded by shifters and ordinary people. Any one of whom could mean the children harm. But on the mountain, it’s wide open and clear with hardly any people.” He glanced at the mountain through the window. “Practically no people at this time of year.”

“So if you sense someone, you can pinpoint them on the mountain, but in the town, they would just be background noise?” Cynthia asked, looking happier as she understood Flint’s reasons for taking the children into the mountains.

“Yes, and the mountains are his home turf, he knows them better than most people. And I’m sure they’ll take a satellite phone.” He lowered his voice. “And if they were really in trouble, there is a local dragon or two who might swoop down and breathe fire over the bad guys.” He widened his eyes and nodded sagely. “That is one thing you cannot do in a crowded place.”

Cynthia burst out laughing. “Now you are teasing me.”

Hunter pulled back and shook his head. “I promise you it’s true.”

“And a shifter can’t lie to his mate?” She still wasn’t convinced.

“Exactly.” He finished drying the cups and checked his watch. “We should get going, we have a long way to travel today.”

“Maybe you could ask the dragon to carry us to the forest,” Cynthia suggested, but she kept her voice low so the children could not hear.

“I admit, I don’t know who it is. Although I do have my suspicions about a certain social worker who has a nose for shifter children.” Hunter turned around, but Cynthia grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back to face her.

“You mean Fiona? The woman who placed Jake and Marion with Jenna and Flint?” Cynthia looked like a dog who had picked up a scent.

“That is purely speculation,” Hunter told her. “And is strictly between you and me. What do you journalists call it…off the record?”

“Oh, absolutely. I promise. Off the record.” She made sure he understood her promise was as unbreakable as his. “I just never...a dragon.”

“Why not? If a person can shift into a lion or a bear, why not a dragon?” he asked.

“Why not indeed.” She turned and looked out of the window, gazing at the mountains in the distance. “Being here makes me think anything is possible.”

“Bear Creek and the mountains have that effect on me, too. It’s a magical place.” Hunter dried his hands and hung up the towel. “Okay, everything is done. It seems like I only just got back home and now I’m leaving again.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay? You could go into the mountains with the children.” Cynthia listened to the sound of Thomas pulling his suitcase down the stairs, with a thump, thump, thump.

“No, they are in safe hands. And my hands were made to keep you safe.” He threaded his arms around her waist and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on the nape of her neck. She shivered in his arms.

Cynthia leaned back, her head resting on his shoulder. “I’m glad you are by my side, Hunter.” She turned around and faced him. “I’m scared I might not be able to return the love you deserve.”

Hunter shrugged. “You and I are meant to be. We’ll work it out.”

“You truly believe that, don’t you?” She stroked his cheek and kissed his lips. “I’ll try to believe it, too. But my life so far has left me struggling to believe that everything that happens is because of fate.”

“You mean the children who got hurt?” Hunter asked. “I don’t have those answers, Cynthia. I only know how fate works with the mating bond that exists between a shifter and the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their lives with.”

“Well, I believe we make our own fates. Whether that means I belong with you for the rest of my life, or not, only time will.” Cynthia’s expression softened. “That might sound harsh, but I have my children to think of. I have to do what is best for us as a family.”

“I know. And that’s okay. If fate doesn’t get these things wrong, then I have nothing to worry about.” He kissed her on the cheek. “But you do like me, right?”

“I do.” She held up her finger and thumb. “Just a little bit.” Then her expression sobered. “I’ve just never had a serious relationship since Connor. When he died, it broke my heart and I didn’t want to open myself up to that kind of pain again.”

“But now, you’re willing to take a chance on me.” He could accept her wariness, she’d had her heart broken, something he’d never experienced. He always knew his mate was out there and so he’d never experienced love, real, true love between a shifter and his mate, until now. The mating bond was both a blessing and a curse. But right now, as he stood with his mate in his arms, it was definitely a blessing.

“I should go and help Thomas.” Cynthia kissed Hunter’s cheek and slipped away from him.

“I’ll do it,” Hunter offered. “You get yourself ready and I’ll make sure the children have everything and are ready to go. I also plan on leaving a spare key with Flint in case they have forgotten anything, or they need something from the house.”

“Where have you been all my life?” Cynthia joked as she went out into the hallway and watched Thomas bumping his suitcase down the stairs.

“I might have been missing for the first part of your life, but I plan on being there for the rest of it.” Hunter slid past her and ran up the stairs to grab hold of Thomas’s suitcase. “Shall I give you a hand, buddy?”

“I can manage,” Thomas said, straining to carry his suitcase down the next stair.

“What have you got in there?” Cynthia asked. “It looks twice as heavy as when we arrived.”

“I went outside and collected some rocks,” Thomas said.

“Rocks?” Hunter asked with amusement.

“Souvenirs. I never got to take any last time, and if we suddenly go back to our house again, I want to have something to remember the mountains.” Thomas allowed Hunter to help him with his suitcase.

“Thomas, honey, I don’t think we’re going to go back to our house and our lives there.” Cynthia looked up as Laurel appeared at the top of the stairs with her suitcase. “If it’s okay with you two, I’d like us to make a new life here in Bear Creek.”

“Really?” Laurel asked excitedly. “Because I really want to grow up and have a shifter as my mate.”

Thomas made a face. “I’d like to be a shifter.” He made his hands into claws and roared.

Hunter laughed as he took the full weight of the suitcase in his hand. “You’d make an amazing shifter. But you make an even more amazing nonshifter. You have the heart of a lion and the roar of a bear.”

“Is there no way I can become a shifter?” Thomas asked.

“Sorry, not as far as I know.” Hunter carried the suitcase to the front door where Cynthia helped Thomas to open it up and remove some of the rocks. “I’ll help Laurel.”

“Is that really my room?” Laurel asked as they came downstairs.

“It sure is,” Hunter told her.

“Only I heard you and Mom talking and she said she wasn’t sure about fate.” Laurel looked up at him with uncertainty in her expression.

“Your mom wants to be careful. She wants to make up her own mind about me and our relationship. That’s a good thing, people would draw their own conclusion,” Hunter explained.

“Mommy always says we should make our own minds up and not be swayed by other people.” Laurel pressed her lips together as if she were considering this. “I’m sure she’ll see that you belong together.”

“I hope so, Laurel. But if she doesn’t, then that is her choice, I would let her go. I don’t own her. Just as Cracol and the people who worked for him didn’t own the children like Horatio. We are all free. Or should be.” Hunter carried the suitcase to the front door, but as he set it down, he realized that wasn’t true. He was no longer free, he was a slave to the mating bond.

Luckily, he was okay with it. As long as Cynthia chose to be his.

Chapter Thirteen – Cynthia

An hour later, they took Laurel and Thomas to Flint’s house, where Jenna met them at the door with a warm welcome, and a much more relaxed expression on her face. Learning that Marion and Jake were shifters seemed to have broken down the barriers between them.

“Come on in.” Jenna held the front door open and after kissing Cynthia goodbye, the children ran inside with their suitcases and backpacks.

“Thank you so much.” Cynthia hugged Jenna. “You have my cell number if you need me, although reception might be bad.”

“It’s okay, I have the number of the satellite phone, too. Guy made sure to give it to me. He knows I worry. About you as much as the children.” Jenna rubbed Cynthia’s back. “Take care of yourself, Cynthia. And don’t worry about the children, they are safe here. Sheriff Brad has his deputies on full alert.”

“They’re safer here than they would be with me.” Cynthia could never protect Thomas and Laurel in the same way the shifters of Bear Creek could. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“Take your time.” Jenna nodded. “And you take care of her, Hunter.”

“Don’t worry, I will.” Hunter took hold of Cynthia’s hand and warmth flooded her body. A warmth that gave her comfort at this difficult time. She was still torn between her own children and the lost children. “We should go.”

Cynthia nodded and with one final look past Jenna’s shoulders to where her children were laughing with Marion and Jake, she turned around and walked back to the car, her final decision made.

On the way, Cynthia made a very awkward phone call to Michaela. It soon became obvious she had no idea about shifters, and Cynthia ended the call.

“I’m sure Michaela thinks I’m crazy now.” Cynthia looked out of the window, her thoughts elsewhere.

“But at least we’ve ruled out Horatio shifting and getting stuck.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “It’ll be okay.”

“I hope so.”

Cynthia and Hunter drove in silence the short distance to Bear Creek. They went straight to the offices of Bear Creek Bodyguards, where Guy and Liam were waiting.

“Hi, good to meet you again.” Cynthia held out her hand to Liam, who shook it warmly.

“Glad to be here. I’m hoping we’ll locate the children and bring them home,” Liam said.

“If they are out there,” Guy reminded them all. “Sorry, but I don’t want us to get our hopes up too high. This might be a wild goose chase.”

“Well, you have a wild bird at your disposal. But I’m not a goose,” Liam joked. “Seriously, as long as we do everything possible to locate them...even if we come back empty-handed, I can live with it.”

“Me, too,” Cynthia said. “We only have scraps of information that points to any children being out there...” She met each of them with a steady gaze as she added, “Alive.”

“Cynthia is right. If we find bodies, that will give the parents closure. But that’s not what we want the outcome of this mission to be.” Guy indicated the supplies laid out by the door. “Let’s get loaded up and on our way. We’ll take the truck. Hunter, you can drive while I bring Liam up to speed.”

Cynthia helped load the truck, grateful that none of the men treated her like a girl. She was part of this team, an equal part, and they accepted her as that. However, she’d often come up against men who treated her as lesser than them. In certain cultures, men didn’t see women as equals and she’d fought hard to overcome that prejudice throughout her career.

Once the truck was loaded, Hunter climbed into the driver’s seat and Cynthia sat beside him, while Guy and Liam sat in the back. As Hunter drove out of town, Guy set up his laptop and they began discussing strategies.

“I’ve sectioned the forest into eight. We’ll search one section at a time. Liam will fly above our heads, criss-crossing the territories as much as possible. He’ll relay everything he finds back to me, and then we’ll adjust our positions based on his intel.” Guy tapped his keyboard and studied the map and the terrain, talking over his plan with Liam.

“Hopefully, my eagle will work better than the thermal imaging camera the police used. I should be able to sense anyone in the forest even if they are underground. As long as they are not deep underground.” Liam sounded confident, and Cynthia warmed to the eagle shifter even more.

“Have you ever been on a group mission?” Cynthia asked Hunter. “I don’t know your background, so I’m not sure.”

Hunter looked in the rearview mirror at the two men in the back seat. “No. I’m not Army or Special Forces, neither am I police. I’m used to working alone, although I have worked with Guy on occasion if the job required two bodyguards.”

“Two bodyguards, your employer must have been important.” Cynthia was not good at switching off her reporter’s brain. She liked details.

“It’s not always about how important someone is, believe me. We’ve met people who think more security makes them look more important.” Hunter settled back in his seat for the long drive. “People think if they have a big enough ego, their bank balance will soon follow.”

“You must have also met many genuine people. Good people. I know I have. For every dirtbag that’s out there, there are a dozen other people trying to do the right thing and help other people.” Cynthia had met plenty of good people, from all walks of life, from all social spheres, the rich, the poor, there was no stereotypical good person just as there was no stereotypical bad person. Nothing was ever that cut and dried.

“Sure, some of the nicest people I’ve met have been those who you might expect to be arrogant assholes.” Hunter shrugged. “It’s what makes life interesting, don’t you think?”

“I do.” She watched the scenery pass by for a while, letting her mind wander as the truck ate up the miles. In the back seat, Liam and Guy discussed the operation to find the children, and then their conversation switched to talk about Bear Creek and the people who lived there, people she had yet to meet.

Cynthia settled back in her seat and closed her eyes, letting the conversation wash over her. She might not know the people Guy and Liam were talking about, but she already liked them. They were good people. It made her decision to uproot the children once more and move them to Bear Creek seem like a really good idea. A really, really good idea.

So good, she fell asleep, rocked by the gentle motion of the truck speeding down the highway and the sound of the voices in the vehicle, like a lullaby. As she slept, she dreamed. Dreamed of her own children playing happily with Jake and Marion. They looked up as a car pulled up outside Hunter’s house, and Michaela got out, followed by Horatio.

She’d met Michaela during the aftermath of the raid on the farmhouse where no children had been found, but several items linking the building to the trafficking ring had been discovered. Including Horatio’s jacket, screwed up in a garbage bag.

Michaela had shown Cynthia a photograph of her son. He was all she had left after her husband had died a couple of years earlier. Cynthia’s sympathy was endless, having raised her two children after the death of their father, she knew how difficult it was and how emotionally draining it could be with no support from another parent.

Yet she had support now. She had Hunter. Hunter, who was her fated mate. If she believed in fated mates.

If she could allow herself to believe in fate.

“Cynthia.” Hunter’s touch jerked her awake.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“The forest,” he told her gently, his hand on her shoulder as she tried to sit upright. “Take it easy, you’ve slept for a while, give yourself a minute.”

“I’m fine.” However, the world swam around and around as she tried to focus.

“Here.” Hunter handed her a canteen of water and a candy bar. “Drink, you’ll feel better.”

“Thanks.” She took the water and the candy bar from him. “I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

“The last couple of days have been stressful, your body and mind needed time to get over it.” He took a look out of the window, and she followed his gaze, realizing they were alone in the truck.

“Where are Guy and Liam?” she asked, she couldn’t see them out of the window.

“We’re about a mile from the farmhouse. They’ve gone ahead to scout it out.” He turned his attention back to her. “Liam will shift and fly overhead. If he can’t sense anyone around the farmhouse, Guy will move in. Once they think it’s safe, they’ll come back and we’ll move in.”

“It sounds as if you’ve got it all figured out,” Cynthia said approvingly. She sipped the water and then took a bite of the candy bar. The sugar rush worked, even though it would only be temporary. “Will they call you on the satellite phone if they find anything?”

“They will. Or they’ll return to the truck. It depends which is safest. We’re trying to keep our element of surprise and not tip anyone off to us being here until we’re ready.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this all out. You have three experienced shifters at your disposal.”

“That makes me feel much better.” She smiled, feeling more like her usual self. “Seriously though, I do know that if there is any chance of finding those kids, it’s with you guys.”

“Come on, let’s get you moving. Stretch your legs here. Once they get back, if it’s all clear we’ll be going in to search the farmhouse.” Hunter got out of the truck and went around to the passenger side.

Reluctantly, Cynthia slid out of the truck and landed on wobbly legs. “Urgh, I think I’ve gone soft over the last couple of months.”

“You’ll soon get your fitness back, once we start trekking through the forest.” Hunter watched her, his eyes hungry, not for the candy bar in her hand, but for her. A flush of heat spread across her cheeks and threaded through her veins.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Cynthia stretched out her leg muscles as she finished her candy bar and took another long slug of water. “I’m feeling better, thanks.”

“You look better, too,” Hunter told her with a smile that made her insides turn to liquid fire.

Damn it, how was she supposed to concentrate on their mission if all she could think of was Hunter’s hands on her body? She had to focus. They were here for the children.

“They’re back.” Hunter tensed and turned around to face the forest as rustling sounded in the undergrowth.

“Are you sure it’s them?” Cynthia asked.

“Yes.” Hunter relaxed as a bear ambled out of the forest and sauntered up to the truck. “All clear, Guy?”

The air around the bear shimmered and for a second the large creature seemed to disappear, and then Guy stood there in its place. Cynthia reached out and put her hand down on the hood of the truck. “Wow. I’d forgotten how crazy cool shifting is.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been described as crazy cool before,” Guy admitted with a grin before his face grew more serious. But before he had a chance to speak, a large bird swooped down and landed on the ground. A second later, Liam walked toward the truck.

“The farmhouse and the surrounding area are clear. There are no humans, no shifters...and unfortunately, no children.” He cast an apologetic look at Cynthia.

“It’s okay, I never expected to walk into the forest and find them right away. Not without a long search. If they were that easy to find, the police would have found them and they would be back with their parents already.” Cynthia turned her attention to Guy. “Did you find anything?”

“The farmhouse has been in use within the last couple of days. The stove has been lit and the toilet is backed up.” He wrinkled his nose. “The scents are of men. Not shifters. No sign of the children being back here.”

“Can you scent the children at all?” Hunter asked.

“That’s where it gets a little tricky. The new scents are overpowering compared to anything else. I only skirted the edge of the farmhouse, I figured since there was no one there we’d all go take a look. I’d like Cynthia to try to recall everything she saw when she was here before and compare it to what we see today.” Guy held his hands out as if holding something. “We need to find anything that might have a scent on it. Something from one of the kids or even the scent from the ground they lay on if it’s undisturbed. Old bedding... Anything that might give us the best chance of tracking the children.”

“But not if they were driven away in a vehicle?” Cynthia asked.

“No, if they were driven away, we are going to have to go back to the original plan of searching the forest grid by grid.” Guy indicated the direction of the farmhouse. “I suggest we get moving. We’ll set up camp in the forest, near enough to the farmhouse to sense if anyone visits, but far enough that no one will know we’re there.”

“Unless they’re a shifter,” Liam added.

“Unless they are a shifter,” Guy agreed. “But there is no scent of a shifter in the immediate vicinity of the farmhouse.”

“What about the truck?” Cynthia asked. Where it was parked now, it might as well have a big neon arrow pointing at it to tell people they were here.

“Once we have everything unloaded, I’ll drive to the diner we passed a few miles back and leave it there. I’m sure the owner won’t mind if I pay him for his trouble,” Hunter told Cynthia.

“We passed a diner?” Cynthia asked, her stomach rumbling at the thought of food. Yes, she’d certainly gone soft in these last couple of months. Before that she’d go hours, days if necessary, without food as she hiked to some remote area of the world or hid out waiting to capture criminal activities on camera.

“We did. I’ll grab you something to go,” Hunter offered.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” she insisted.

“You could grab us all something to go,” Liam suggested. “I’m starved.”

“I’ll get what I can,” Hunter said as he helped unload the last of the equipment out of the truck.

“You go, we’ll get this moved to the farmhouse,” Guy said. “Meet us there as soon as you can. With food.”

“The boss man has spoken,” Hunter said, giving Guy a quick salute.

“This is going to be a fun trip,” Cynthia stated as she pulled her own pack out from the pile of other equipment.

“You have no idea.” Hunter kissed her cheek and then jumped into the truck, started the engine and drove away back down the road. A road she had no recollection of. She rubbed her forehead, at least she was feeling better now, more like her usual self. The sleep had done her good, and since she wasn’t sure when she might get another good sleep, she was not complaining.

“Let’s split the equipment down,” Guy ordered. “We should be able to move it to the farmhouse in one go.”

“Why didn’t Hunter drive the truck there?” Cynthia asked as she hauled another pack toward her.

“Don’t overload yourself,” Guy instructed. “We don’t know what surveillance they might have around here. If we cut through the trees, we can keep ourselves out of view of anyone watching the trail leading to the farmhouse. But that means covering some uneven terrain.”

“Since this might be a trap, we’re being extra cautious,” Liam explained.

“Don’t we want to spring any trap they might have set?” Cynthia asked. “If we deal with any threat first, that makes it easier to look for the children afterward.”

“True, but we want to spring the trap on our terms,” Guy said. “Which means we have set our own trap.”

“That’s the plan?” Cynthia asked. “A trap of our own?”

“That depends on what we find.” Guy stopped arranging his own pack and stood up straight, his hands on his hips. “There’s so much we don’t know right now. But we’re going to work our hardest to find the children. We just have to be patient.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I know how these things work. I’m normally extremely patient…”

“But this is too close to home.” Guy nodded, his expression clouded. Did he wish they’d left Cynthia back in Bear Creek?

Cynthia decided it was time to stop asking questions and get moving instead. The long drive had eaten into their daylight hours and they didn’t want to get caught up in any kind of ambush in the dark. However, they had to make sure they weren’t missing anything at the farmhouse. One small vital clue could be all that stood between finding Horatio and the others, and them being lost forever.

They split the packs down, with Cynthia carrying much less than her fair share, but there was no way she would make it to the farmhouse with more weight on her back. However, Guy and Liam seemed to manage easily, it was as if the packs weighed nothing at all.

“Super strength and super senses,” Liam joked as they set off toward the farmhouse, crossing through the forest at a roughly forty-five-degree angle.

“Impressive.” Cynthia could only imagine what it must be like to have enhanced muscles and be able to shift into another creature. “Does it hurt?”

“Does what hurt?” Liam asked. “Shifting?”

“Yes, when you change from human to bird, does it hurt?” She could only imagine how weird it would be to have feathers popping out of your skin.

“No, I don’t change. I don’t morph into something else. It’s like we both exist at the same time but only one of us can be present in the world at a time,” he explained.

“Wow. So your other side, your other self goes to like an alternate universe?” Cynthia asked, unable to switch off her reporter’s brain.

“Something like that.” Liam suddenly stopped. So did Guy.

Cynthia’s heart raced as she listened, but all she could hear was the sound of the forest all around them. She itched to ask what they’d heard, but she knew when to ask questions and when to keep her mouth shut. This was one of those keep your mouth shut times.

“To the north,” Liam hissed.

Guy nodded and turned his body to face what Cynthia presumed was north. “I can sense it. Faint, very faint.”

“What?” Cynthia asked quietly.

“There’s something out there,” Liam whispered.

She strained her ears to hear. She strained what she assumed was her sixth sense, the part of her that told her if something was wrong. Nothing.

“It’s gone.” Guy relaxed and hitched the pack up on his shoulder and carried on walking. “Let’s get to the farmhouse.”

The pace was faster now, and Cynthia struggled to keep up with them, but she forced her legs to work harder, her lungs to breathe deep. There was no way she was going to hold them back and slow them down. However, she was relieved when the farmhouse came into view and Guy signaled for them to stop.

Cynthia fell in behind Liam and stopped walking, grateful for the chance to catch her breath. Again she pushed her senses to their utmost, again she could hear nothing.

“All clear. We’ll go to the edge of the clearing and dump most of the packs. If it’s still all clear, we’ll go into the farmhouse and start our search. Cynthia, if you have any information about the case that might help what we see in there, let us know.” Guy ducked under a low branch and stalked across the clearing, which had once been the vegetable garden where the farmer grew food for his family. The previous owner would never have guessed how his home would be used by a future purchaser.

Cynthia had details on all the past owners. During the investigation, Cynthia had gone through the past history of the farmhouse thoroughly, including vetting all of the past owners and their families. She’d built up a picture of the farmhouse that told her it had once been a profitable working farm. However, ten years ago the farm had fallen into disrepair and the once fertile land became overgrown. The encroaching forest had soon claimed back the land and new trees had rooted and thick shrubs had spread.

It had made a perfect hideout for Cracol’s men. Isolated and forgotten, it was not a place many people passed, either by accident or on purpose.

“Are you okay?” Liam asked as he followed Guy out into the clearing, while Cynthia hung back under the protective canopy of the trees.

“Yes. The place just gives me the creeps.” She shuddered. “When I visited here it felt as if I was looking into the very depths of hell.” Cynthia took a step forward and then another. “I don’t think I’d ever really seen evil until I came here.”

“Did you visit any of the other sites where the children were held?” Liam asked as he walked with her toward the farmhouse. His voice might be soft and gentle, but his senses were trained on the area around them. He was on high alert but was good at hiding it.

“A couple of others. But nothing like this.” She pulled the strap of her pack forward, easing the strain on her shoulder. “Did you work undercover?”

He swung his head around to look at her, his eyes narrowed. “How did you guess?”

“You’re good at masking your actions. Your emotions. You put a shield up around yourself.” Cynthia gave a short laugh. “Maybe it takes one to know one. I’ve been undercover. It’s how I cracked this case. But luckily I didn’t have to abduct a child to gain their trust.”

“I’ve done some things I’m not proud of in order to earn the trust of some very bad men. I know it was the right thing to do, but that doesn’t make it sit any easier. But I don’t think I could live with myself if I’d had to abduct a child, or seriously hurt anyone else, either physically or mentally. But I know people who have. And those people have brought an end to unimaginable reigns of terror.”

“The higher the reward, the harder the risk.” She stopped ten feet away from the farmhouse. Police tape circled the house, it looked untouched since the police had raided it. Yet according to Liam and Guy, someone had been here recently. But who? And why?

“If you want to wait here, we understand,” Liam said.

“No. I’m here to see this through to the end.” Cynthia took a deep breath and braced herself for what they would find inside.

Liam walked on ahead and she followed, picking her way over the rocks which were part of a half-ruined wall that once kept the cows off the farmer’s beans. She could picture the house in its former days, she could see the vegetables growing and hear the sound of children laughing. Screwing up her eyes, she shut out the other images that tried to force their way in. The same images that often haunted her dreams.

Children, scared and alone.

“Cynthia.” Guy’s call brought her back to the real world. She took a moment to appreciate the sun on her face before she pulled herself together and put on her professional persona, the one who could deal with anything life threw at her. She was no longer just Cynthia, mom to Thomas and Laurel. She was Cynthia Callaghan, a woman who had brought crime lords to their knees and would do so again if it meant saving lives.

Chapter Fourteen – Hunter

Hunter reached the farmhouse and found the others waiting for him outside. Cynthia looked pale, but there was a firmness in her expression, a steeliness to her eyes he hadn’t seen before.

“Food?” Hunter passed around the food he brought from the diner to the subdued people before him. “That bad?”

“That bad,” Guy confirmed. “Although we’ve only done a peripheral search. But there’s something about the building...a sense of misery.”

“Eat, you’ll feel better,” Hunter instructed Cynthia, who held her food in her hand, but hadn’t taken a bite.

“I doubt anything is going to make us feel better,” Liam told Hunter. “But you are right, we need to eat. This is just the beginning and we have no idea what we’ll find, either in here or out there.”

Cynthia nodded in agreement and bit into the large filled baguette he’d bought from the owner at the diner. The woman had also given him some useful information. Information that he needed to share.

“Wendy, the owner of the diner, was helpful,” Hunter began. “It seems she has been taking more notice of who comes and goes along the highway since she found out what was happening here.”

“She has?” Cynthia asked. “Wendy Bloom was one of the people the police interviewed, she said she hadn’t been aware of any suspicious activity at the farmhouse. But she did recognize some of the men the police arrested. She told the police in charge of investigating the trafficking ring, that these men used to come by every couple of weeks. Wendy thought they were traveling salesmen, and this was their route. There was no reason for her to connect them with the farmhouse since she believed it was still abandoned.”

“Has she seen anyone suspicious in the last few days?” Guy asked.

“She isn’t sure.” Hunter paused and looked up at the house. “But on Thursday she served a couple of guys who were in a phone company van. They said they were doing work in the area, but she said the area is covered by a different utility company. When she tried to question them further, they clammed up.”

“Could be unconnected to this place,” Guy pointed out.

“It could. Except while she was telling me, one of her regular diners said he saw tire tracks leading down to the farmhouse on the same day. Fresh ones. He thought the sheriff had been back to the farmhouse.” Hunter watched as Cynthia ate, pleased to see the color back in her cheeks.

“We should find out if they have.” Guy reached for his phone.

“I already have. Wendy kindly called the local sheriff to check if he’d sent anyone down to the farmhouse lately. He said no one from the local police force had checked there for a week or so. She asked him if the detective in charge of the case had been back. He said not as far as he was aware and that if the detective dealing with the case had sent someone here, he would have informed the local sheriff as a matter of respect.”

“Good work. So the simple answer is the guys from the phone company came here. They’re the ones that left the tracks.” Guy fell silent as he thought this over.

“That would tie in with the fresh scent we picked up before.” Liam eyed the farmhouse warily. “The question is, what were they doing here?”

“Only one way to figure that out.” Cynthia stood up. “We won’t find it sitting here.”

“So we’re looking for some kind of device that might tip them off that we’ve arrived. Or that you have arrived.” Guy pointed at Cynthia.

“But who is setting this trap?” Liam asked as he stood up and stretched. “Cracol? I don’t see what he has to gain. If he wanted to hurt you, he would go after your children.”

“Maybe that’s what the plan is. Once they know I’m here, they go after the kids.” Cynthia’s face paled.

“We’re only going to find out if we spring the trap,” Hunter didn’t like this one bit. However, he didn’t want Cynthia living her life forever looking over one shoulder to whatever or whoever might lurk in the darkness. “Flint and Jenna can keep the children safe.”

“I know.” Cynthia inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly as she fought to control her panic.

“So let’s go and find the trap.” Guy got up and headed toward the farmhouse. “Where were the children kept?”

“They were kept in the cellar underneath a trapdoor in the kitchen,” Cynthia pulled out her phone and scrolled across the screen. “Here are the photos I took at the time.”

The three men crowded around and looked at the photographs on Cynthia’s phone. They showed a trapdoor which had once been covered with an old rug with a table positioned on top of it. The whole imaged depicted a house that had been left to rot. However, the next images showed the trapdoor open, and modern soundproofing installed to mask any noise from the cellar below.

The next set of images were of the stairs leading down into the cellar, which was dark and unlit. Except for the soundproofing, there was no indication of what the next images showed. As Cynthia swiped through the images, they descended down the stairs and into the cellar. There, the floor area had been divided up into eight small cells.

“The images do nothing to describe the smell and the feeling of hopelessness,” Cynthia told them. “We’d hoped to find the children who had been shut in these pens, but they were gone, and the pens hastily cleaned out.”

“But the police were sure this was part of the operation?” Liam asked.

“Yes, there was human waste found in the drains, plus some blood samples were taken from the walls.” Cynthia put her phone away, as if unable to look at the images any longer. “They never matched them to any missing children.”

“But you matched an item of clothing to Horatio?” Guy asked, even though they had discussed it before. It was as if he were going over the facts and sifting through them in his head.

“Yes. There was a jacket worn by Horatio the day he disappeared. There was also a toy, a plastic dinosaur which the parents of one of the other children, Joey Leonard, said was his favorite toy. He wouldn’t leave home without it. Joey disappeared from a local park two months ago.”

“You didn’t mention Joey when we discussed people who might be behind the letter.” Guy studied Cynthia closely.

“They are not responsible for the letter,” Cynthia said firmly. “They were grateful the child trafficking ring was broken. They never held me responsible for not finding Joey.”

“And you are certain they couldn’t be hiding their true feelings from you?” Guy pressed Cynthia, who shook her head firmly.

“Cynthia has a good feel for people,” Liam told Guy.

“Does she?” Hunter sounded jealous of Liam’s assessment of his mate. Hunter never got jealous. “Sorry, I’m not sure what came over me.”

“The mating bond has that effect on a shifter.” Liam brushed it off. “But Cynthia did figure out I’d been undercover. Which leads me to believe she would pick up on anything off about Joey’s parents.”

“I met them a couple of days ago. I’m certain I’d have known if they resented me or wished me harm,” Cynthia insisted. “In the same way I knew it wasn’t Michaela as soon as I spoke to her.”

“Good point.” Guy turned his attention to the farmhouse once more. “Let’s go in carefully. If someone has set a trap here, it would seem likely they would set it down or around the basement.”

“Since that’s where I’d naturally go to if I wanted to find out more about this operation,” Cynthia agreed.

“Then let’s tread very carefully.” Guy entered the farmhouse through the wooden front door that was once painted blue, but now stood faded, the flaking paint littering the floor of the hallway beyond. A sour smell lingered on the air, a mixture of decay and damp. Hunter longed to turn around and go back outside and run through the forest, breathing in the scent of pine and good, fertile earth.

But this was where his mate needed to be, and he would stay by her side every step of the way. Even if each step was over rotted-out floorboards and fragments of old cloth which used to be brightly colored drapes hung at the windows. It was as far removed from the lives of the people he usually guarded as it could possibly be.

“Fan out and look for anything that looks out of place,” Cynthia instructed as they entered the hallway. “Everything in the house is in much the same state as the hallway, so if you see anything that looks new, or clean, then it’s likely suspect.”

“Let’s search the other ground floor rooms. Then we’ll head upstairs,” Guy added. “Once we’re certain the house is clear, we’ll enter the kitchen.”

“Okay.” Hunter stuck close to Cynthia as she made her way toward a door to her right.

“This is what used to be the sitting room. The other door is the dining room.” Cynthia reached out for the doorknob and turned it slowly. She pushed it open slowly, looking at the doorframe for any sign of a disturbance. Hunter was fully aware someone may have attached some kind of incendiary device to the doorknob, but he couldn’t smell anything suspicious.

“I never knew my bodyguard training would be so useful,” Hunter confessed.

“I told you, you never know when explosives might be rigged in a room. Or a car, or a garage,” Guy called over as he and Liam entered the other room.

“Guy trained you to sniff out explosives?” Cynthia asked.

Hunter nodded and laughed. “Oh, yeah, I have been thoroughly trained. So too has my bear.”

“I won’t send a man or a woman into the field unprepared,” Guy said as Liam entered the dining room. Then his face became serious as he followed.

“Ready?” Cynthia looked up at Hunter who nodded.

Slowly, she pushed the door wider, until there was room for them both to step inside. Cynthia was right, the room was filled with rotted-out furniture, the sofa, in particular, looked as if something might have been living in it. The smell of urine filled the air, stinging his eyes.

“I should have picked somewhere a little nicer for our first date,” Hunter joked.

Cynthia forced a smile on her face. “It’s terrible, isn’t it? I can’t even begin to imagine what the children who were brought here must have thought.”

“Let’s not dwell on that now. We’re here to try to reunite the children with their parents. That’s a good thing. A positive thing.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, making her jump a little. “And don’t ever blame yourself for any of this. You helped uncover this operation, the children had already been taken, and what the men did with them when they knew the police were closing in on them was not on you.”

“I know. But it still breaks my heart.” Cynthia put her hand on her heart...and then froze.

“What is it?” Hunter whispered in her ear.

“There.” She pointed at the floor, but he couldn’t see what she saw. “The wire.”

He moved around her, taking each step with slow precision. “I see it.”

Hunter crouched down and placed his hands on the dirty floor. Then he crawled forward, tipping his head to the side as he tried to figure out what the wire was attached to.

“What do you see?” Cynthia hissed from behind him.

“The wire goes into the floor.” He pointed to where the wire was threaded between two exposed floorboards. “It’s attached to something inside the sofa.”

Hunter cursed himself for not picking up the scent of humans before. They had been in this room, but the scent of ammonia from the stale urine masked it almost completely. He just hoped it hadn’t masked explosives, too.

Carefully, he moved forward, one step at a time until he was next to the sofa. As he reached out to lift the rotted-out fabric, Guy’s voice shouted, “Clear,” from the other room.

“We have something,” Cynthia called back.

The sound of footsteps approaching and then entering the room told Hunter backup had arrived. “What do you see, Hunter?” Guy snapped.

“There’s a wire going down between the floorboards.” Hunter pointed to the location of the wire. “It’s attached to something that’s hidden inside the sofa. I can’t tell what it is yet.”

“Cynthia, you should get back out of the way,” Guy instructed.

“I might be able to help see what’s in there,” she replied, taking out her phone. “I have a great zoom on this thing.” She hunkered down and pointed the phone at the sofa. “If Hunter can expose what’s in there, I’ll get a photo of it.”

“Hunter, can you lift the fabric and let us get a clear shot of the equipment?” Guy asked.

“Yes.” Hunter reached out with steady hands and parted the fabric. “It looks like a small box.”

“I’ve got the picture.” Cynthia stood up and walked carefully back toward Guy and Liam.

“Hold still until we’ve figured out what this is,” Guy instructed.

Hunter kept his cool and kept his hands steady while behind him the others examined the photo.

“It looks like a signal box. A transmitter of some kind,” Liam said. “This here isn’t just a wire, it’s a camera. The kind you use to look under doors or in small spaces.”

“Like when you’re trying to find a stash of drugs or other contraband in the space between walls,” Guy added.

“But what are they recording?” Cynthia asked. She turned around and looked at the equipment. “What if it goes under the floorboards and comes out in the cellar?”

“If it does, what are they recording?” Liam asked, as he knelt down and slowly crawled closer to Hunter.

“I’m going to take a closer look,” Hunter said as he inched forward, taking a better look at the equipment. “There’s a green button flashing on the inside, it shows there’s power reaching it. I think there’s a battery pack.” He craned his neck forward. “Yep. There’s a battery pack wired to it, and an antenna sticking up.”

“It’s sending a signal somewhere. Can we track it?” Hunter asked.

“Not easily. I don’t have the right equipment,” Guy told them.

“What we really need to know is what information it’s sending,” Liam said as he ran his fingers along the wire that went between the floorboards. He gave it a gentle tug. “There isn’t much give in it.”

“It has to go to the cellar.” Cynthia put her hands on her hips. “My guess is it’s to record any movement down there.”

“And since we believe the letter was sent to specifically get you back here, they must be hoping to film you.” Guy ground his teeth together, his chest rumbling as he mulled over this information.

“You know what we have to do,” Cynthia told Guy.

“We don’t have to do anything,” Hunter said as he let go of the fabric of the sofa and got up. He crossed the floor to join the others.

“This is why we are here. To stop them once and for all, and to find out who sent that letter. They’ve made sure I’d come here. Now we play them on our own terms. Isn’t that what we agreed?” Cynthia asked.

“It might be what we agreed, but that doesn’t mean I like it,” Hunter said firmly.

And he didn’t like it, he didn’t like it one bit.

Chapter Fifteen – Cynthia

Opening up the trapdoor was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. What if the men had come back here and hunted down the children? What if when she opened the door, she was met with the sight of Joey and Horatio dead?

How would she find the words to tell Michaela she’d failed?

“Death has a strong smell. An unmistakable smell,” Hunter told her gently. “We can’t smell death.”

She nodded, reached down for the bolt keeping the trapdoor locked and pulled it back. Then she yanked up the trapdoor and covered her mouth as the stench hit her. “Still not death?”

“Still not death,” Hunter assured her.

“Good to know.” Cynthia’s hand trembled as she placed it on the handrail and reached for the light, which was just inside the door. In an instant, the darkness was illuminated, and she could see each of the twenty wooden steps that led down into the cellar.

“It’s okay, just act naturally as you go down, but look for the camera, it should be somewhere on your right.” Hunter placed his hand on her back, sending his strength into her. It helped. In a small way, it was comforting to know he was there. That he would always be there.

She took a deep breath and stifled a sob, not wanting to show her weakness. Not that she was hiding it from the men who were with her, more that she was hiding it from whoever might be watching. “I’ll let you know what I see.”

They had concluded that only images were being captured by the camera, no sound. She would be free to talk, and she was also going to film the whole thing because that was what she would naturally do. This feedback would give them something to work with.

Hopefully. It was all unknown. All she knew for certain was this was the place she had to be. This was where she was being lured to and this was where the threat must end. She didn’t let herself worry about whether the children were out there in the forest. They would deal with that afterward.

“There’s nothing to see, only the steps,” Cynthia said as she walked down the wooden steps carefully. They had been reinforced and repaired, unlike the rest of the house, but they still didn’t feel safe. “I’m about to look to my right, I think this is about level with where the camera goes under the floorboards.”

She was approximately halfway down the stairs, she could see the cells below, but couldn’t tell if they were all empty. As she swung her head slowly to the right, she aimed her phone in that direction, too, sweeping it in a wide arc as she turned away from the camera, which she had seen in the corner of her eye.

“It’s there. There’s no sign that it’s recording.” She kept going down the stairs, forcing herself each step of the way.

“We have to assume it is recording and anyone watching will be alerted to you being here,” Guy said.

“Okay, I’ll keep going.” She wanted to turn around and run back up the stairs, and never set foot in this hellhole again. The stench was almost unbearable, and she wished she hadn’t eaten before she came down here. But if she hadn’t eaten, she might not have had the strength to go down those twenty steps.

“What do you see?” Hunter asked from the top of the stairs as she reached the bottom. It was if they were on different planes of existence, the distance between them too great for them to ever be together again. Her heart ached to feel his presence, her body ached for his touch.

“Nothing yet.” She pushed the thought of the distance between them to the back of her mind. He was only twenty steps away from her. If she needed him, he would be by her side in an instant. His super senses would track down any danger, his super strength would keep her from harm.

“I’m here for you.” Hunter’s words were exactly what she needed to hear.

“I’m going to work my way along the length of the cellar,” she called up as she left the relative safety of the steps and headed for the first cell. The door stood open and she pointed her phone toward it, the light from the gadget illuminating the darkness just enough to show it was completely empty.

What had she expected? A body. She screwed up her eyes for a moment and forced herself to breathe even though the smell was horrendous.

Moving to the next cell, she found it empty also. And the next. Cynthia worked her way along the row of cells to the right. She counted six and then had to turn to check the remaining two, which were positioned on the back wall of the house and tucked under the stairs.

“There’s something here.” Her heart hammered in her chest, and bile rose in her throat. She didn’t want to look, she didn’t want to know what horror awaited her.

“Are you okay?” Hunter asked, the need to be with her and protect her evident in his voice.

“Yes. I’m okay.” She had to do this alone, she couldn’t alert anyone else who might be watching to the fact she was not alone.

Cynthia shone her phone in the direction of whatever was on the floor in the cell. She took a moment to compose herself, whatever it was, she would get through this, she would get over it and move on. When she started the investigation into child trafficking, she knew she would find scenes disturbing and heartbreaking, she could not back away now.

“Talk to me, Cynthia.” Hunter’s voice gave her strength and focus.

“There’s something on the floor. It looks like a bundle of clothes. I’m going to take a closer look now.” She crouched down, her legs unsteady, but her resolve firm.

“Be careful, is there something you can use to touch it?” Liam asked. “A stick or something similar.”

Cynthia looked around for something to use, but the cellar had been almost completely stripped out by the police when they raided the house. Backing away from the pile of clothes, she went to the corner of the cellar, where a stick lay discarded on the ground. Bending down, she picked it up warily, not knowing where it had come from. Certainly, the police would have removed it for forensic testing if it had been down here before. They had removed everything that might have DNA samples attached and the stick was the kind of makeshift weapon used to threaten the children.

“Are you still with us?” Hunter asked.

“I am, I’ve found a stick. I’ll use that to search through the clothes.” Cynthia returned to the pile of clothes and steeled herself for what she might find. “I’m about to move the clothes.”

She prodded the clothes gently at first, trying to feel for any resistance, anything that might indicate this was something other than a few dirty garments. It was soft, no bones belonging to a dead body. Inserting the end of the stick under the outer layer of clothes, she flipped it over and then repeated the action until all the clothes were laid out in front of her.

“What do you see?” Hunter asked, frustration in his voice.

“I’m not sure.” Cynthia crouched down to get a closer look at the pile of clothes. “They look familiar.”

“Familiar how?” Guy asked.

Cynthia closed her eyes for a moment, trying to pull a memory out of her head. Where had she seen these clothes before? She was suffocated by her surroundings and found it almost impossible to focus. Her brain was screaming at her to run, to turn around and get herself out of there before it was too late. They had no idea what the camera was for. They had no idea how much danger they were in.

How much danger all of them were in all in. She’d pulled the men waiting in the kitchen into this mess and they might be about to pay the consequences.

“Cynthia?” Hunter’s voice called her name and she grabbed hold of it as if he were throwing her a lifeline.

“Joey,” Cynthia said, suddenly remembering the description his parents had given to the police. “A blue T-shirt with the number nine on the back. And a pair of blue denim shorts. But there’s more. A couple of other kids’ shirts and pants.”

“Do any of the clothes belong to Horatio?” Hunter asked.

“I can’t tell. I’ll bring them up.” She took a step back, pulling away from the clothes that belonged to the missing children.

“No, leave them there, the police should examine them before they are moved,” Liam called down.

Of course, they should. She knew that. However, she wanted to take them out of this place, just as she would want to take the children they belonged to out of this place. “I need to check out the next cell.”

The last cell. Cynthia hoped it would be empty. She hoped that whatever they wanted her to see was here.

But would it be that simple?

No.

As she inched her way along the cellar toward the last cell, she caught sight of something pinned to the wall. Photographs. Images of four children. Two she recognized as Joey and Horatio, two she had never seen before.

Cynthia lifted her phone and shone the light on them, her mouth dry with fear. What did this all mean? Why would someone incriminate themselves by leaving these clothes and photographs here?

“Talk to me, Cynthia.” Hunter’s voice seemed closer.

“I’m okay,” she assured him. “There are photographs on the wall. Horatio and Joey, plus two others, a boy and a girl.”

“What kind of photographs?” Hunter asked.

“Like mugshots.” She closed her eyes briefly, fighting nausea in her stomach. “We found similar photos in one other location.”

“Taken by the kidnappers?” Hunter asked savagely.

“Yes.” Cynthia stepped closer, her foot brushed against something on the ground. Closing her eyes, she steeled herself to look at the ground. Hunter had assured her there was nothing dead down here, but it didn’t stop her brain conjuring up images of broken bodies. But it was just a child’s toy.

Cynthia reached out for it but didn’t pick it up. She couldn’t destroy potential forensic evidence. But then as she looked closer, she recognized it. This was Thomas’s toy. Her mind reeled and the world spun. As she stared at it, she saw the envelope with her name on it tucked underneath the toy. This had all been staged for her. They’d known she was coming. The question pressing on her brain was what exactly did they want?

“I’m coming down,” Hunter called.

“No,” she called loudly, her voice firm. “I’m coming back up.”

Cynthia quickly bent down and retrieved the envelope but left the toy where it was. As she straightened up, she took one last look at the photos and then swung around, walking quickly, but not running back toward the stairs. Climbing them took all her strength, the shock of what she’d seen below almost too much.

“What did you find?” Hunter asked as he watched her climb the steps. He held out his hand to her and she took it, grateful for his strength as he pulled her out of the cellar.

“There are some clothes belonging to Joey. There are four photographs on the wall.” She looked down at the envelope in her hand, with her name scrawled in the same handwriting as the letter. “And there’s this.”

“Have you looked inside?” Guy asked as he took the envelope from her.

She shook her head, reluctant to let the envelope go, but needing an unbiased view on what she’d seen and what she’d found. “There was also one of Thomas’s toys down there.”

“One of Thomas’s toys?” Hunter asked, his voice hoarse with barely concealed rage. “They’ve been to your house?” He quickly looked up at Guy. “We should contact Flint and check that they are safe.”

Cynthia put her hand on his upper arm and tried to calm him. “It’s okay. We thought we’d lost it in the move. But I think it was taken from the house when Cracol’s men came for the children originally.” She was remarkably calm. Perhaps because she knew they were entering the end game. The letter contained the reason she’d been drawn back here.

She was, in some ways, about to learn her fate.

Chapter Sixteen – Hunter

Hunter fought to control the urge to punch something. More specifically, he fought the urge to hunt down the people who were taunting his mate and punch them senseless.

Or worse, his bear added.

Or worse. Much worse, Hunter agreed.

“Let’s all take a breath before we see what’s in the envelope,” Guy said. He looked at each of them in turn, his eyes meeting Hunter’s last of all.

“I’m okay.” Hunter clenched his fists and then let go of the tension in his body.

“Open it,” Cynthia instructed him. “I need to see what’s inside, and then we should call the police.”

“Unless whatever is in this envelope changes that.” Liam pressed his lips together. “I’m just saying what we’re all thinking. This is the trap. We walked into it, and now it’s about to be sprung.”

Guy slid a finger under the flap of the envelope and opened it, pulling out a single sheet of folded paper. Carefully, he unfolded it and scanned the information it contained. “Whoever set this up wants Cynthia to go to a set of coordinates in the forest. Alone.”

“No,” Hunter snapped.

“Why?” Cynthia asked.

“If you go, they will reveal the location of the children in those images.” Guy locked eyes with Cynthia. “We know this is a trap. They know you will do whatever it takes to get those children back.”

Hunter clamped his mouth shut, even though in his head he was yelling, no, she could not go. But this was Cynthia’s decision. “So what do we do?”

“I’ll go. You follow,” Cynthia said calmly. “You’re all shifters. They won’t be expecting a couple of bears and an eagle to be looking out for me.”

“I don’t like it,” Hunter said. “We have no proof they even know where the children are anymore. Those photographs, were they taken here?”

Cynthia looked down at her phone and tapped the screen. Then she held it out for them all to see the video of the cellar. “It’s difficult to make out.” She looked closer. “I have no idea who these children are. Horatio is wearing the sweater that was found here. And Joey was already wearing different clothes. No, these photos could be old.”

“They are just trying to lure you into the forest,” Guy said. “We all know that. But we don’t know if they really have information on these children and where they are.”

“You know I have to go.” Cynthia reached out and took hold of Hunter’s hand. “I can’t live with myself not knowing if I could have saved them.”

Hunter nodded. “I understand. And we’ll all do whatever it takes to protect you.”

“Not whatever it takes,” Cynthia said. “I don’t want you to risk your lives for me.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. They’re expecting you to go alone. I’m assuming they will be watching.” Guy looked around the kitchen. “Just as they might be watching now. We tried to be thorough, but we might have missed something.”

“So the camera was to simply alert them to me being here?” Cynthia asked. “They’re not about to come crashing through the door?”

“No. I always thought it would be too risky for them to come back here.” Guy inclined his head toward the door. “We should go.”

“What about all the equipment?” Cynthia asked as they went back out into the hallway.

“We’ll sort out what you need. In case you get stranded out there or have to hike further on.” Guy took out a map of the area and spread it on the old floorboards. “These are the coordinates. It’s a two-hour hike. From there they might ask you to walk on somewhere else. My guess is they will lure you deeper into the forest.”

“Out of sight, out of sound,” Cynthia said quietly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have ears and eyes on you at all times,” Liam told her. “Don’t forget you have eagle eyes on your side.”

Cynthia smiled, trying to look relaxed, but the tension in her body was evident. “I have every confidence in the three of you.”

“And we have confidence in you,” Hunter said. “Remember what Liam said, about how you can sniff out a liar. You have to put all your personal feelings aside and use your professional head. Just because they say they know where the children are, it doesn’t mean they do. Even if they dumped them in the forest, it doesn’t mean they still know where they are.”

“Don’t let my heart rule my head. That’s what you are saying.” Cynthia nodded, and then went to him, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be back. And then we can start getting to know each other and move on with our lives. I know this is hard for you. And I want to thank you for not trying to stop me.”

“I’ve already learned you are not an easy woman to stop. You have your own mind and your own ideas. And I will never be the person who tells you what you can or can’t do or what you are capable of. You need to find out those things for yourself, you need to push your limits.” Hunter pulled her close and inhaled her scent. “Come back to me.”

“I will.” Cynthia hugged him, holding onto him as if she didn’t want to let go. She was scared. She had every right to be.

“We’ll be there for you. Just use your intuition.” He pulled back from her and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand while Liam and Guy went outside into the sunlight and breathed in fresh forest air. “You might not be a shifter, but you have your own superpowers. You wouldn’t have gotten so far in your career and taken down so many bad people if you didn’t have your own unique brand of super senses. Never forget that.”

“I won’t.” She kissed him, her hands threaded around his neck, and her lips hot on his. Hunter held her close, the heat from his body ignited in a furnace of desire.

Then she stepped away from him and became Cynthia Callaghan, investigative reporter. The warmth in her eyes faded to be replaced by a coolness, she’d buried her feelings, it was the only way she could survive the things she saw. In that moment, Hunter had a unique insight into the woman he loved. And he could not be more proud. She sacrificed a piece of herself to save others.

Hunter would make sure she didn’t sacrifice all of herself for those children. He would rather sacrifice himself than live in a world without her.

The contents of Cynthia’s backpack were quickly rearranged. They added in food rations for five days and a small tent she could erect to keep off the worst of the elements. Only when she shouldered the pack did they all realize it was heavy for her small body. Small compared to the three shifters at least. To Hunter, she was perfectly formed, and he loved every curve of her body.

“Are you certain you can manage?” Liam asked as he pulled the straps, testing the weight.

“I’m sure. If it gets too heavy, I’ll ditch something.” She stood before them, confident and strong.

“Just remember, we are here for you,” Hunter said. “You might not see us or hear us, but we will have eyes and ears on you. Either from the sky or the ground.”

“I know. I trust you all. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be so willing to walk out into the forest with no phone signal.” She held up her phone.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a satellite phone?” Liam asked. “We brought two.”

“No, if they search me, it’s the first thing they’ll take. I’m okay. I have you guys. And anyway, you might need them.” She looked at each of them in turn. “I should go. See you soon.”

Hunter kept his feet firmly on the ground, even though he wanted to follow her into the forest. “See you soon.”

The three shifters stood together and watched her walk away into the forest with only the map and a compass to show her which direction she needed to take. Hunter wished he could follow her even now, but the three shifters had to hang back. The plan was for Guy and Hunter to take the rest of the gear back to the truck and then skirt around the route Cynthia was taking.

Meanwhile, Liam would shift and fly overhead, keeping a close watch on Cynthia and alerting Guy and Hunter if they needed to get back here faster. But for now, none of them could sense another person, shifter or otherwise, for miles.

“She’ll be okay,” Guy assured Hunter as they collected the rest of the gear and headed back toward the truck.

“I know she can take care of herself, but I also know things go wrong,” Hunter told him. “She’s too emotionally involved.”

“The same could be said about you,” Liam said lightly. “You have to take a step back and let her get on with her job. She’s good at what she does and I’m certain if anyone can get through this with the children safe and the bad guys in jail, it’s Cynthia.”

“You’re right. I know you are. But damn it, right now I just want to tear the head off of something.” A low growl emanated from his chest. “And I know I have to get rid of that tension before we go back out there. I don’t want to risk Cynthia or anyone else by overreacting.”

“You’ll be fine,” Guy told him. “You’re a professional, too. You can find a way to compartmentalize your private and professional feelings.”

“And you know this because you have a mate?” Hunter bit back. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re right. I don’t have the experience you have on that front. However, I do have experience working with you and I know what you are capable of.” Guy slapped him on the back. “You just have to dig in and find the part of you that’s you, that’s not attached to Cynthia.”

“I don’t think there is a part of me that’s not attached to Cynthia,” Hunter half-joked. “Thanks, though, Guy.”

“You’re welcome.” Guy stopped and looked around. They were in a dense piece of the forest, it was time for Liam to shift and fly over Cynthia. Hunter sure would feel better having the eagle shifter watching over his mate.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been jealous of a bird,” Hunter admitted as Liam shifted and took to the skies. He had one of the satellite phones with him and would alert them if Cynthia got into any trouble.

“You’ll be back by her side before you know it,” Guy told him as he turned back toward the diner where Hunter had left the truck.

“I know and I’m grateful to Liam for watching over her,” Hunter admitted. “But I won’t be happy until we’re all back safe in Bear Creek.”

With Cynthia and the children under his roof and the bad guys in jail. But he knew for Cynthia to be truly happy and for her to move on, they needed to find the children, too.

It was looking more and more as if they needed a miracle.

Chapter Seventeen – Cynthia

Cynthia kept her mind on navigating toward the coordinates given in the letter, not easy when there was no trail to follow. She assumed this had been part of their plan. Whoever they were.

Anyone could see she was traveling alone, that there was no backup crew following her.

Not a human backup crew anyway.

However, above her head, an eagle soared, before catching a thermal and drifting out of sight, lost behind the tall trees of the forest which seemed to go on forever.

She pushed herself harder, knowing she was traveling too slow. If she didn’t go faster, she would reach the rendezvous point at nightfall. That would leave her at a disadvantage, she wouldn’t be able to see who she was meeting with, she wouldn’t be able to identify them to the police.

If she ever got the chance.

Cynthia guessed they were not meeting her in the middle of a forest to show her where the children were out of a sudden need to clear their conscience. If the children were there. If there was any truth to what the letter said, then there would be a trade. Her life for theirs.

Or was this just a decoy, a ruse to get her out of the way so they could get her children?

But her children were safe. She’d spoken to Flint before she left, and he’d insisted they were all safe and no one would get through the ring of shifters who would protect them at all costs. It seemed if anyone went to Bear Creek in the hope of getting her children, they would be in for a nasty surprise.

‘What you took from me, I will take from you.’ The children seemed to be the most obvious of targets, but Cynthia didn’t buy that.

This was all too convoluted, too planned.

She stepped over a fallen log and began the slow descent into a wooded valley. An hour or so more and she would be there. A cry from Liam’s eagle reminded her she was not alone, she would never be alone.

Yet when she stood in a clearing at the coordinates given in the letter, she felt very much alone. There was no eagle above her head, no bear shifters lurking just out of sight. At least not as far as she could tell. She’d never wished for shifter senses more than she did now.

She waited. There was no sound other than the birdsong and the rushing of wind through the bare trees. The forest must be an incredible place in any other season, but in late winter, in the pause before the sun warmed the ground and everything began growing anew, it seemed a desolate, cold place.

Too cold for children to survive out here alone.

“I didn’t think you’d come.” The voice came from the forest, but as she swung around to face the owner of the voice, she saw nothing.

“How could I not when your letter was so compelling?” she asked, keeping her voice light, even though her heart was heavy. This was it, the reason she was here.

“I thought so, but I didn’t think you were brave enough to face up to what you’d done.” The voice had moved a little to the left, but even though she turned to follow it she still couldn’t see anyone.

“What I’ve done?” she asked. “I haven’t done anything other than uncover a group of sick individuals who thought they were entitled to hurt children and use them as if they owned them.”

“And that very action meant those children were lost to their parents,” the man said.

“You mean the children from the farmhouse?” Cynthia caught a glimpse of movement but couldn’t see a face or any distinguishing feature.

“Those children had to be disposed of. Of course, they were supposed to be permanently disposed of, but that didn’t work out.” Closer. Was he closer now?

“Your men didn’t have the nerve to kill them?” Cynthia took a step forward toward the edge of the clearing and the person took a step back, snapping a twig underfoot.

“Oh, my men had the nerve, but the children slipped through their fingers and out into the forest. We hunted them, but they eluded us. Until a couple of days ago.”

“Ah, so that’s when you decided to send me a letter. So kind of you to rescue the children for me.” Cynthia walked a couple of steps forward and stood at the very edge of the clearing. “Where are they?”

“I’ll take you to them. But first, you have to make a choice,” the man said.

“Of course, I do.” Cynthia placed her hands on her hips. “Out with it.” She tried to keep her voice level, even though she was scared, scared she would make the wrong decision and the children would suffer for it.

However, she didn’t think that would happen. Since she was fairly certain the person in the trees had no idea where the children were either. He was bluffing. But why? Why get her to come out here into the forest? If he wanted her dead as a way of revenge, why not just kill her in her bed?

She really needed to stop thinking of things like that. It wasn’t helpful at all.

A rustle of a holly bush close by told her he was closer now, then she saw him. Or at least saw his clothes. He wore a ski mask, his face covered except for his eyes and nose. She might be able to identify him just from those features, but she doubted it. She needed to get a closer look and preferably pull the mask off his face.

“Put this on.”

Oh, so that confused things just a little. The figure in front of her in the ski mask didn’t belong to this new voice. There were two of them. She should have guessed really. This made things a whole lot more complicated.

A hood landed at her feet and she looked down at it, not wanting to pick it up, let alone put it over her head.

“Why would I put it on?” Cynthia asked. “We all know I’m not getting out of here alive.”

Unless they really were going after her children. Had she gotten it wrong, was kidnapping her children still their end game? Kidnapping them and... She couldn’t think of them like that. She had to wall up her emotions and keep her mind straight.

“If you don’t put it on, you won’t get to see the children.” The man’s voice was compelling, but she didn’t believe him. However, she did recognize it.

From somewhere deep in her past, her mind latched on to a memory. She’d heard his voice before. But where? It certainly wasn’t Cracol or anyone to do with that investigation. She tilted her head. “Do you have any proof you know where the children are?”

She needed to keep him talking, to try to figure out who he was and where she knew him from.

“You saw the photographs,” the man said. “Now put the hood on.”

“Those photographs are old. They were taken in the farmhouse.” She took a deep breath, taking a chance, risking this whole thing going wrong. “I don’t believe you have any idea where the children are.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, calling her bluff. “Are you so sure that you are willing to walk away, and not know the truth?”

“Show me a photograph of them. Not from the farmhouse, but from wherever they are now,” she demanded.

“I don’t have any.” Cynthia was certain this was the truth. She was also certain he didn’t have any photographs because he had no idea where they were. For Cynthia, this was good and bad news. It was good that the children were out of this man’s grasp, but bad because it meant they might be dead after all.

But he’d said they’d slipped through his men’s fingers. Not Cracol’s fingers. So this man was higher up the food chain. Had he taken over from Cracol? Or was he Cracol’s boss? Connor, the father of her children, had once talked about there being a Mr. Big, someone to whom Cracol answered, but that had been during one of his rambling conversations when he’d drunk too much whiskey in a bid to blot out everything he’d seen, everything he knew.

What had he said? A name. Not the name of the big boss, but the name of an informant. Hansel. Like Hansel and Gretel. But what was his last name? Cynthia tried to conjure up the image of Connor. She needed to swallow down all the pain that came with memories of her first love and remember what he’d said. Hansel had come to him and offered to help. He was an informant, and Connor knew it was a made-up name, a pseudonym to keep his true identity a secret.

Hansel Salvador. That was it.

This Hansel Salvador had given Connor times and dates. Those times and dates had gotten the father of her children killed.

“I know you,” Cynthia spoke slowly and deliberately. “I know who you are. I know you don’t have the children. You lost them. Your men let them go. It’s over for you.”

“You have nothing on me,” the man said simply. “There is nothing to connect me to any of this. It’s all in your mind.”

“Too late for denials,” Cynthia told him. “The very fact that you are here and know about those photographs at the farmhouse.” And she had one more piece of evidence, one she’d stored for a long, long time.

“But if you don’t make it out of the forest, who is there to tell the story?” the man asked as he came closer to her. “There is no cell phone coverage here and if you are wearing a wire, it will never be found, just like your body will never be found. This is a large forest. Things get lost here.”

“Why did you ask me to meet you here?” Cynthia asked, stepping back into the center of the clearing. “To kill me?”

“Since we both know you are not getting out of here alive, and I’m told you came alone, I’ll share my thoughts with you.” Hansel stepped into the clearing. She could see his face clearly now, his graying hair, his face with deep wrinkles. He was old, too old to be running around in the forest in search of revenge.

But here he was. Thinking he could scare her with his threats.

“I’m listening.” She held out her arms as if offering him a chance to explain.

“A few years ago, a man tried to bring down one of my more unique businesses. I had to put a stop to him. And I did.” The old man smiled as he walked toward her, his gait not as stiff as she’d supposed for a man his age.

“You killed Connor.” It was a statement of fact he did not deny.

“And I thought that was the end of it. My empire grew, my influence widened. And then...” He unfolded his hands and looked her square in the eye. “You.”

“Me.”

“Yes, a woman.” He wagged his finger at her. “I admit I did not see you coming.”

“But I did come, didn’t I? I came and took what was yours and now you want to take what is mine.” She put her hands on her hips. “Is that your plan? To take my children?”

Hansel wagged his finger at her. “No, no, no. I’m done with children.”

“So what?” Cynthia heard the eagle cry above her head but didn’t look up. Hansel stepped forward, oblivious to the danger he was in. Unless he drew a gun and shot her... She didn’t flinch from this thought. She doubted he was ready to kill her just yet, and when he did, he was going to go for something much more creative. He was that type.

“So, I want you to think of your poor orphaned children and consider if it was really worth it. I want you to die knowing that they will be alone in this world for the rest of their lives. That their mom was killed by the same person who took their daddy from them before they even got to know him.” Hansel’s voice rose in pitch as he looked to his right. But the man with the hood was gone.

The surprise registered on his face.

“Lost something?” Cynthia asked vehemently.

Hansel put his hand in his pocket, but before he could pull out a weapon, Hunter crashed out of the trees and punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.

“That’s one way to make an entrance,” Cynthia stated coolly.

Hunter cocked his head to one side. “I thought so.”

Cynthia sagged forward, her energy depleted as the enormity of what might have happened hit her. Hunter checked to see if Hansel was unconscious before heading over to his mate and scooping her up in his arms. “Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, as if he were her anchor in a stormy sea. “He wanted to kill me as revenge. He wanted my last thoughts to be regret for going after him and leaving my children alone.”

“I know.” He kissed her cheek. “It’s all over now.”

“Where is the other guy?” Cynthia asked.

“Guy took him out just as that guy stepped into the clearing.” Hunter stood up and pulled Cynthia to her feet, “It’s okay, it’s over.”

“No, it’s not,” she told him. “Hansel said the children escaped.”

“And you believe him?” Hunter nodded, not arguing with her. “Let’s get the police out to the farmhouse and get these two arrested. Then we can focus on finding the children...” he hesitated. “But you know there is a chance they simply got lost in the forest and didn’t make it.”

“I do. Of course, I do. But there is also a chance they did make it, and that they are still out there waiting for someone to bring them home.”

And if that duty belonged to anyone, it belonged to Cynthia. She could not walk away. Not now.

Chapter Eighteen – Hunter

“Nothing has changed, we still have the same goal as when we arrived in the forest this morning,” Guy said as they left the local police station where they had all given statements and watched the formal arrests of Hansel and his accomplice, both of whom refused to give their real names.

“I agree,” Hunter wanted to find the children, not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because Cynthia needed closure on this whole episode of her life. Hansel’s admission that Connor had been killed because of the questions he was asking about his business did not sit well with Cynthia. Her pinched features and creased forehead told him of the tension building inside her.

“We should all get a good night’s sleep and then start fresh in the morning,” Liam suggested.

“You’re right.” Cynthia’s disappointment was obvious. “We all need to eat and then sleep.”

“Hey, in the morning, first thing we’ll be back in the forest trying to hunt those children down. If they are out there, we’ll find them.” Hunter’s assurance did little to alter Cynthia’s mood. Her exhaustion was evident. “Listen, why don’t we find a hotel and order in?”

“I’m okay. We can go and grab something to eat first,” Cynthia insisted.

“A hotel and take-out sounds perfect to me,” Guy said. “I’d love a hot shower before we eat.”

Cynthia shuddered. “I know what you mean, the stench of that cellar is still in my hair.”

“That’s settled then. We’ll get a couple of rooms, eat and sleep, and be up early in the morning.” Liam looked up and down the street. “The sheriff said there was a good clean hotel this way.”

“Come on, let’s get in the truck and drive there,” Hunter said. “We can unload all our gear and then repack it tomorrow before we leave.”

“Good thinking.” Guy pulled open the rear door of the truck and got in, Liam followed.

“Are you doing this for me?” Cynthia asked quietly. “If you guys want to go and get something to eat at a restaurant and have a beer, I’m okay on my own.”

“I’m not leaving you alone. Not tonight. Too much has happened, too much emotional stuff.” He stroked her cheek and then pulled her into his arms. “If you need to talk, I’m here for you.”

“With that jealous streak of yours, I’m not sure me talking about my first love is appropriate or fair,” she answered.

“Hey, it’s part of who you are. I’m here for you. Honestly, I’m man enough to take it.” His fingers slid under her chin and he tilted her face up so she had to look at him. “Don’t ever think I won’t listen. And I’m not jealous of Connor. I’m proud of what he did, and he made two incredible children with you.” Hunter dropped a kiss on her lips.

“I’m a lucky woman. To have one amazing man in your life is a blessing, to have two makes me feel a little greedy.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Thank you. For yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

“All of the tomorrows,” he reminded her.

“All of the tomorrows.” She ran her hand down his chest, fire trailing her fingers. “Now, let’s go eat.”

Hunter chuckled as he pulled open the door to the truck and helped her inside. She settled herself in the seat and pulled on the seatbelt, her face pale as she stared out of the window at the street ahead. He wanted to gather her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay. But for everything to be okay they needed to find the children and he couldn’t promise her that.

If he were honest, he doubted they would find the children. If what Hansel said was true, the children had escaped into the forest, with no food and no water. Since no one had reported finding four children, it was doubtful they had made it out of the forest. Could they have survived this long in the forest? Were they out there right now, half-starved, or worse?

He didn’t want to think about worse.

“There it is, the Hunter’s Rest,” Liam said, pointing to a sign outside the hotel. “It was made for you, Hunter.”

“As long as one of those beds is made for me, that’s okay.” Hunter turned into the parking lot and stopped in a spot close to the hotel. The lights from inside the hotel shone out like a welcoming beacon. “It looks cozy.”

“Since when do you like cozy?” Guy asked. “You must be getting old.”

“Not old. Mature,” Hunter answered. “I have a mate and children to think of now.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you?” Guy asked as he opened the truck door and got out.

“One day, you’ll find your mate,” Liam told him. “If not, we’ll always find a place at the table for you, won’t we, Hunter?”

“What’s your mate like, Liam?” Cynthia asked, she seemed to have snapped out of her melancholy mood on the short drive to the hotel.

“Perfect,” Liam declared. “She’s everything I could have asked for in a mate.”

“They all say that,” Guy said with a wink.

“It’s nice that you’ve found the right woman, Liam.” Cynthia linked arms with Guy. “And I am convinced fate has the right woman for you just around the corner.”

As they walked into the hotel, Hunter was convinced that Guy looked around the corner as if hoping his mate would be there. “One day,” Guy said with a sigh.

“Hello.” The man behind the desk smiled warmly, he looked as warm and cozy as the hotel, with twinkling blue eyes and haired tinged silver at the temples.

“Two rooms, please,” Guy asked. “Two singles and a double.”

Hunter glanced at Cynthia, not sure if she wanted to share a bed with him. But she didn’t seem fazed by it and she must’ve realized the double bed was for them. “I’ll go grab the bags,” Hunter said once they knew the hotel had rooms for them.

“I’d give you a hand, but I don’t think I have the energy to lift anything,” Cynthia admitted. “I just need to eat, shower, and sleep.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them.” Liam followed Hunter outside.

“I’m ordering room service and getting an early night,” Hunter told Liam. “I don’t think Cynthia will keep her eyes open for more than another hour. She’s exhausted.”

“Yes, we’re going to get food and then sleep. We need to be back on the road early tomorrow.” Hunter opened up the back of the truck and hauled out the first of the backpacks. “We’re taking them all in, right?”

“Yes, Guy said he wanted to sort through them, take out what we might not need.” Liam put his hand on Hunter’s shoulder and added, “He’s going to call in a few favors.”

“For what?” Hunter asked, turning his full attention on Liam.

“He’s going to spend the evening making phone calls and getting a few more shifters to come down here and give us a hand.” Liam’s face turned serious. “We both know those kids have been out there too long to survive. Unless they have survival skills or any kind of bushcraft skills, it doesn’t look good. We need to find them fast and that is a big forest.”

“That would be amazing. I know how much this means to Cynthia. I’m convinced a part of her will die inside if we fail.” Hunter looked down at the ground, fighting a tide of panic in his chest. “I don’t want to lose her to this. Today we saved her from Hansel. If those kids are dead and we could have prevented it, she won’t forgive herself.”

“We’ll do whatever we can. You know that and she does, too.” Liam picked up a couple of the backpacks. “It’ll be okay. I have a good feeling about it all.”

“I’ll have a better feeling about it all once I’ve eaten,” Hunter confessed.

“Come on. You get that mate of yours to your room, feed her and then make sure she sleeps.” Liam went back into the hotel and Hunter followed, but not before he took one last look over his shoulder toward the forest in the distance. He wished he could send his senses out far enough to locate them.

“Tomorrow is going to be a hard day.” Hunter grabbed the last of the suitcases and followed Liam back inside.

Guy was signing the hotel register and paying for the rooms on a credit card. “I’ll bill this to the business,” he said easily as he smiled at the receptionist, took the receipt and the room keys and headed to the elevator, with the other three following behind.

“Thanks,” Cynthia said. “I can repay you.”

“Not necessary.” Guy handed her one of the keys. “This is not your sole responsibility, we all have a share in the outcome now.”

“Thank you. All of you. I know there is no payday at the end of this for any of you. I appreciate you giving up your time.” She smiled, but her eyes filled with tears, which she quickly scrubbed away.

“We’re here because we want to be, because this is the right thing to do,” Liam assured her. He slipped his arm around Cynthia’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “You’ve done so much for the children. It’s the least we can do to be here as backup.”

“You’re going to make me cry even more,” Cynthia told Liam, as she hugged him right back.

For the first time, Hunter didn’t feel that pang of jealousy that made him want to rip someone’s head off. The mating bond was still strong, in fact, it was stronger than ever. But he no longer questioned whether Cynthia felt the same way. He trusted the mating bond in the same way he trusted his shifter senses.

“We’re room twelve,” Guy held up his key.

“And we’re room eighteen.” Cynthia hugged Guy and Liam. “Goodnight, and thank you.”

“Have a good rest.” Guy’s eyes filled with sympathy for Cynthia. “None of this is your fault.”

She pressed her lips together. “I know. But my brain can’t help going through all the different scenarios that might have made the outcome different.”

“We have no control over what has happened,” Guy told her sagely. “All we can do is look to the future and make it the best one we possibly can.”

She nodded and turned away from the two men and walked along the corridor to room eighteen.

“We’ll take the backpacks,” Guy offered. “Just keep the essentials you need.”

“Here you go.” Hunter passed the backpacks to Guy. “Keep me updated with whatever you arrange.”

Guy’s eyes flickered to Liam’s. “Liam told you I want to call in as much help as possible.”

“Yes. I think it’s the best plan of action. The more eyes and ears out there, the better.” Hunter nodded his thanks and then turned around to follow his mate to their room.

“This looks glorious.” Cynthia turned around and flopped down on the bed, closing her eyes as she spread out her arms, her fingers running over the cotton quilt, which was decorated with soft green leaves to reflect the nearby forest.

“Why don’t you go shower and I’ll order in some food?” Hunter asked.

“I don’t think I can move.” Cynthia cranked open one eye and looked at him. “I think I could sleep for a week.” However, she pushed herself up on one elbow and then rolled up to a sitting position.

“What do you want to order in?” Hunter asked, getting his phone out of his pocket and scanning the nearby take-outs. “Pizza?”

“Oh, yes. Pizza sounds amazing, and some fries.” She licked her lips, already tasting the food.

He chuckled. “I’ll order it now. Go shower.”

“Yes, boss.” She slid off the bed and came toward him.

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “The shower is that way.” He moistened his lips, watching her move, wanting to taste her more than the pizza he was about to order.

As she stood right close to him, she bent her knees and reached for her suitcase. “But my clean clothes are here.”

A small smile played across her lips as his cheeks colored. He’d anticipated a kiss, but she only wanted her clothes. He was far too focused on what was underneath her clothes, the image in his head conjured from thoughts of her showering naked.

“If you need a hand with anything...” he offered.

“I’ll bear that in mind.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

Hunter watched her go and then lifted his own suitcase and placed it on the bed before calling the pizza place and ordering a couple of pizzas and fries. The order would be here in the next half an hour. He took the opportunity of going over the day’s events and sorting through his feelings about the whole thing.

Seeing his mate at the mercy of Hansel and his henchman had been difficult to watch without reacting. He’d wanted to run in there and hit them to the ground before grinding their faces into the dirt. But he’d kept his cool, and let things play out. He was proud of his self-control.

We got the bad guy in the end, his bear told him.

We did. Now we get our mate. Hunter frowned. That wasn’t exactly what he meant.

I get it, his bear assured him. We have one less obstacle to get over before we get our happy ever after with our mate.

One less. But they still had a huge obstacle to overcome. One that might mean they never truly got their happy ever after.

Hunter hoped fate would not let that happen.

Chapter Nineteen – Cynthia

The shower was great. The smell of pizza better. The sight of Hunter the best.

“I’m starving.” She joined Hunter who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, the open pizza box in front of him.

“Help yourself.” He picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite. “Oh, this is as good as it smells.”

With her wet hair wrapped in a towel and another towel wrapped around her body, she climbed on the bed, her tiredness eased by the shower and the thought of food. Her stomach growled in longing as she picked up a handful of fries and ate them. “These are good, too.”

Hunter tried the fries and Cynthia ate a couple of pieces of pizza before they spoke again. They were comfortable in each other’s company, the need to fill each silent moment with words in the past. What they’d shared over the last couple of days had cemented their friendship. Although their relationship was already more than friendship, she could see that so clearly now.

“When we’ve eaten, you should call Flint. It might do you good to check in on them before bed.” Hunter licked his fingers.

“I talked to them while you were giving your statement at the police station.” Cynthia smiled to herself, recalling Thomas’s excited voice as he told her about their trip into town to get camping equipment. He was so excited. “I wanted Jenna and Flint to know they should be safe now.”

“But they’ll watch over Thomas and Laurel just as closely,” Hunter assured her.

“I know.” She sighed and paused between pizza slices. “Do you think it’ll ever go away?”

“Will what ever go away?” Hunter asked.

“The need to look over our shoulders. To always be on the lookout for the bad guys.” Cynthia clasped her hands together in her lap.

“Yes. It will. I’ll make sure it does.” Hunter’s fierce expression told her he meant every word, but it was an impossible promise.

A big fat tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away. This should be an evening of elation, they’d finally caught the bad guy, the man who was responsible for all the misery inflicted on the children and their families. But elation was not what filled her heart. Instead, dark dread penetrated her very soul. Dread that she would fail to bring Horatio, Joey and the other children back to their parents.

“Sometimes it feels as if I’ve lost sight of why I started all this,” she admitted to Hunter.

“That happens to most people in their life.” He slid closer to her across the bed and tucked his finger under her chin, lifting her head so she had to face him. “It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’ve evolved.” He placed his hand over her heart. “You started this because of what was in here. What you felt for Connor. You were robbed of the father of your children. You wanted to avenge his death to give some meaning to it. By hunting down the men who were behind his death, you were giving it purpose. By finding those men and ending what they did, you gave credibility to Connor’s investigation. It was real. He was right.”

More tears flowed and she sobbed, her chest aching as she tried to contain the sadness, the despair that had built up inside her with each passing year since Connor had died. He was right. She fought so hard, sacrificed so much for the man she thought was the love of her life. Yet this man before her was supposed to be the love of her life, too.

“It feels like a betrayal,” she admitted as she leaned forward and buried her face in his shoulder.

Hunter’s strong, capable arms closed around her and he held her close. “Us?”

“Yes.” A strangled sob erupted from deep inside her. “I loved him so much. If he were still alive, this thing between us would be a lie.”

“If he’d stayed alive, we’d both have walked different paths and maybe we wouldn’t have been fated to be together.” He took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him. “Listen, I can’t explain how any of this works. I don’t know exactly how, or why some people can shift and others don’t. It doesn’t stop it from being a fact. I don’t know why we were fated to be together.” He shrugged. “But what I do know is how I feel about you.”

“I have so much baggage all stored up inside me. It feels as if I’m about to explode,” she admitted sadly.

A small smile crept across his mouth. “Then explode.”

She gave a short laugh. “I think that’s why I can let myself love you.”

“Because I’m here to scrape up all the mess and put you back together again whenever you need me to?” He gave her a lopsided grin.

“Because you are willing to accept me just the way I am. You aren’t afraid of the love I have for Connor. You aren’t afraid of the love I have for my children. There’s no competition, there’s no pressure to feel more for you than for anyone else in my life.” Cynthia stroked his cheek and leaned forward, her lips pressing against his.

“I love you, Cynthia,” he murmured against her lips. “And that will never change. It will only grow deeper with each passing day. I don’t expect you to feel the same. All I hope is that you will give me a chance. Give us a chance.”

“That I can do.” She sat back and looked at the man who was her mate. His fair hair, with hints of translucent red, was cut short, while his hazel eyes reminded her of the dormant forest she’d walked through earlier today. Like the forest, Hunter was ready to grow and blossom in the new beginnings of their relationship, of their love. As she sat still, watching him, she realized she was ready for her own love to unfurl and grow again.

“Let’s finish eating and get some sleep,” Hunter suggested, although she was certain he wanted more than to sleep beside her.

Was she ready for a physical relationship with Hunter? As they ate, and talked small talk, she tried to analyze how she felt. That part of her life was nonexistent, bottom of a list of other needs and desires. But Hunter had awoken that part of her. The part that wanted to express her love and feelings for another human being in a physical way.

As they cleared the bed of the pizza boxes and Hunter went to the bathroom, Cynthia dug through her suitcase for a T-shirt she could wear in bed. She certainly hadn’t packed any sexy lingerie. Yet as she pulled the T-shirt over her head and then slipped between the sheets, she could not deny the first stirrings of arousal. However, mixed in with this was confusion.

Would it be right to complicate their relationship now? Tomorrow was a big day for them, a long, arduous day of searching the massive forest for the children. Perhaps they should both save their strength?

But as Hunter exited the bathroom and stalked toward the bed, she admitted to herself the extent of her need for him, her desire for him.

Cynthia watched him, longing in her eyes. He was the best of men. Which, considering she’d spent the last few years of her career experiencing the worst of men, meant a lot to her. More than a lot. It meant everything. He would be there for her through everything life threw her way. Not just because of this thing he called the mating bond, but because he was a good man, loyal and true.

“What?” he asked as he lifted the sheets and slid into bed beside her.

“Just you.” Her heart hammered in her chest, so loud she wondered if his super senses could hear it.

“Just me in a good way?” he asked, unsure of himself.

“In a very good way.” Cynthia reached out for him, her hands threading around his neck and she pulled herself into his body, feeling the heat and his arousal.

She slid her hand across his chest, and he shivered with desire, a small groan escaping his lips. “You don’t have to...”

“I know. I want to. I want you.” She slipped her leg over his thighs and climbed on top of him. “It’s as if you’ve opened up a part of me I’d shut off, shut out.”

Hunter slipped his hand over her shoulder, his fingers stroking the nape of her neck as he pulled her head down toward his. They kissed, his mouth soft, gentle, questioning her as his tongue slid along her lower lip. She opened her mouth, allowing him in just as she was allowing him into her life. Cynthia stroked his chest, her fingers teasing his nipple and she felt him harden further, his need for her evident. But he didn’t push her for more, he let her set the pace.

Sitting up straight, Cynthia tugged at the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up over her head. Hunter cupped her breast in his large work-worn hand and brushed his thumb over her nipple. Her nerve endings exploded, sending signals through her body that ramped up her arousal. Her inner muscles clenched, needing him inside her. She wanted to be wrapped around him, feel him stretching her, impaling her on his hardened length.

Cautiously at first, she slid backward over his thighs and then reached between them to slide her fingers around his hardened length. Breath hissed through his teeth, and his hips jerked upward as if he were thrusting into her. Encouraged by his response, she stroked her hand up and down, feeling him harden further. Hunter lifted his head off the pillow and kissed the soft sensitive flesh of her full breasts before sucking the hardened bud of her nipple into his mouth.

Her hand tightened around his hard length, squeezing him as Hunter grazed the taut bud with his teeth. She bit down on her bottom lip, fighting for control. Was it possible to come without him even touching her intimately?

Cynthia closed her eyes and fought against the orgasm rushing toward her. The ache inside her was deep and needy, she wanted to come around her mate. Her mate. For that was what she accepted Hunter as.

Her true mate.

She rose up, pushing herself off his thighs before guiding him into her. His hard length brushed her outer lips before she sank down on him slowly. He breached her inner walls, filling her, stretching her. Only in this moment of intimacy with Hunter did she realize how much she’d missed connecting with another person on such a deep level.

Hunter groaned against her, his tongue rolling over her nipple as she moved on top of him. His hands ignited a fire deep within her as his fingers trailed across her skin. He excited her on every level, made her believe anything was possible, even an everlasting relationship with him, a man who could shift into a bear.

She rose up on her knees before sinking down on him once more. Circling her hips, she lost herself to the incredible friction created by their bodies. Hunter let go of her nipple and slipped his hand around the nape of her neck, drawing her head down so their lips met. His tongue explored her mouth, teasing her as he mimicked the rhythm of their more intimate joining.

Cynthia couldn’t hold it together much longer. Her need for him, to come around him, and feel him climax inside her drove her arousal higher, much higher. It was as if she were floating above the canopy of the forest, flying on toward the mountains surrounding Bear Creek, and then rising higher to fly among the stars.

When she came, it was sudden and shattering. Her body tensed, her inner walls gripping Hunter’s hard length, before pulsing and throbbing around him. It was as if she were detached from the earth. But she was not alone, he rose with her as his own orgasm swept over him. His hands went to her hips and he guided her body as he arched his back and thrust into her hard and fast.

Cynthia rode him, matching his pace as she came, not once, but twice. The tension in her body intensified and she cried out, letting go of all her pent-up emotions. She slumped forward, completely spent, and Hunter wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding her tight. This was where she belonged, by his side, in his arms.

Cynthia pressed her lips to his chest, her fingers stroking his toned muscles. As she lay there, contentment covered her like a warm comforting blanket, and she closed her eyes and slept.

Chapter Twenty - Hunter

“So many people,” Cynthia said as they arrived at the disused farmhouse.

“Guy put a call out for volunteers from Bear Creek, and these are all the people who came.” Hunter put his arm around her shoulders. “They are all shifters. Which means we should be able to fan out and cover the forest a lot quicker.”

“That’s amazing.” She swallowed hard. “I just hope we have a positive outcome.”

“I’m hoping that, too. But whatever happens, at least we’ll know. You’ll know. And that will give you and the other families closure.” Hunter dropped a kiss on her cheek. “But I have a good feeling about today.”

“Me, too.” She smiled brightly. “I have a very good feeling.”

“Okay, everyone.” Guy clapped his hands and the group of around fifteen people, faces he knew from Bear Creek, some he’d met, some he hadn’t ever spoken to, turned and gave their full attention to Guy. “We’re going to pair up. Then spread out. Liam has marked out zones on the map. We have enough people to cover most of the forest. The plan is to concentrate on the denser areas, this is where we suspect the children will be if they are in hiding.”

“Do we know why they might be hiding?” Walt, a wolf shifter, asked.

“We’re unsure,” Liam replied. “We know the children ran off and escaped. At least that’s what we’ve been told, although the witness is not entirely trustworthy. Why they never made their way to safety, we don’t know. One of our theories is that one of them might have experienced a first shift.”

“And got stuck? Or frightened the other children?” Kit, a doctor from the local hospital and also a bear shifter, asked.

“Take your pick, there are so many variables, we just don’t know.” Guy shrugged. “We all have the ability to sense them, human or shifter. Let’s use that and see if we can bring them home.”

“I’ll be the eyes and ears in the sky,” Liam told them.

“And me, too.” A young woman who Hunter didn’t know held up her hand.

“Thanks for volunteering, Angel.” Liam winked at the young woman. “Two bird’s eye views are better than one.”

“I didn’t want you to exhaust yourself trying to keep an eye on all of these earth-bound shifters,” she replied.

“Okay. Liam and Angel will be watching over us as best they can but they will be stretched thin. We’ve also gathered as many satellite phones as we can, but there are not enough for every pair to have one. So we’ll divide them up so there is one in every other section. If you need to call the rest of us in, go to the nearest section with a phone. Or alert one of the eagles.” Guy looked around at the group. “Cell phones do not work in the forest, unfortunately.”

“Or we could just roar loudly,” Hunter suggested.

“We could. As long as you are not a lion.” Guy looked directly at a young man with shoulder-length hair. “A lion roaring might trigger a lion hunt in the forest.”

“Would that be a bad thing?” the young man asked.

“It might give us a better chance of finding the children,” one of the volunteers said.

“I don’t know. I’d personally prefer to be out there with you guys rather than tramping around the forest with a bunch of disorganized locals,” Walt replied. “We’ll cover more ground and our senses are far superior. If those children are out there, we’ll find them.”

“Which brings me to my final point before we split up and start searching.” Guy glanced in Cynthia’s direction. “There is no way to pretty this up. The children might be dead.”

“Understood,” Kit answered for everyone as they all averted their eyes, looking at the farmhouse, the scene of such misery, or out into the forest where the children might be hidden away. Lost in their own thoughts, Guy gave them all a moment to contemplate what they might find out in the forest. Or worse, what they might not find.

None of them would be satisfied if the children remained lost forever, their fates unknown.

“Okay. Liam, do you want to organize the groups?” Guy handed the task over to Liam, while he approached Hunter and Cynthia, beckoning them to one side.

“Thank you so much, Guy.” Cynthia hugged the older man.

“Don’t thank me yet.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “We might still end the search with nothing to show for it.”

“I know, but this is our best shot.” Cynthia seemed more confident this morning. As if something inside of her had changed, shifted to a new, more positive place. Hunter would like to think it was their night together, but he was certain it was deeper than that. But a man could dream...

You always were a dreamer, his bear told him bluntly. But today is about reality.

“Where do you want us to go?” Hunter asked, leaning toward Cynthia. She might not be a shifter, but they were a team in this, and he wasn’t about to leave her behind.

Guy indicated the truck. “We figured you could drive around the perimeter of the forest and drop off a couple of groups who are being sent to the north side of the forest. Then circle back around to the sector we thought would best suit you both.”

“Am I holding you back?” Cynthia asked. “I know I’ll slow Hunter down. I don’t want to be the weakest link in this chain.”

“No, we want you out there,” Guy insisted.

“And you won’t slow me down.” Hunter turned to look at Cynthia. “This is your job, you have unique insights the rest of us don’t have.”

“Are you just flattering me?” Cynthia asked.

“No, honestly.” Hunter slipped his arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You know these kids. You studied this operation. You might see something we don’t. In the same way, the eagles might see something the bears don’t, or a wolf might catch the scent of something a bear might not.”

“You would make a good politician,” Cynthia joked. “But I do appreciate what you are saying.”

“Hey, he’s your mate, he can’t lie to you,” Guy joked. “So you know it’s true.”

“He can’t lie about anything?” Cynthia asked as they walked over to Liam to find out which section of the forest was theirs to search.

“Well, he also can’t hurt you,” Kit said with a grin. “So there is this very thin line you can walk that keeps everyone happy.”

“And does your mate know this?” Liam asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I think she figured it out a while ago,” Kit admitted. “But neither of us mentions it.”

Hunter noted the look of love and devotion that flashed across Kit’s eyes. He couldn’t wait for his relationship with Cynthia to be that easy and natural. The mating bond might tell him who his mate was, but they still had to get to know each other. They needed to learn each other’s likes and dislikes, what their goals in life were and where their lives were heading.

Since meeting each other, everything they thought and believed about their futures had been turned on its head.

“So here?” Cynthia pointed to an area on the map which was to the east of them.

“Yes, but you’ll drive all around the forest perimeter with two other teams and drop them off here and here.” Liam pointed to two more sections drawn on the map. “Here and here.” He stood up straight and looked at the forest. “As you drive around, we figured if you stop at various intervals and see if you can sense anything, that might narrow our search inward.”

“Right, you want us to check that they aren’t somewhere along the edge of the forest.” Hunter nodded. “We’ll do our best, but there might be houses dotted around the periphery of the forest, too. That might make it difficult to shift and use our senses.”

“No one said it was going to be easy.” Guy grinned. “But we’ve got to try.”

“You’re right, we have to try everything.” Cynthia nodded toward the truck. “We’re good to go when you are ready.”

“We’re ready now.” Liam folded the map away.

“Okay, people, let’s move out.” Guy’s deep, commanding voice called everyone to attention. “You all know your tasks. You all have your coordinates. Keep in contact either by phone or eagle.”

A couple of the shifters chuckled and then they moved off in pairs, with only Kit and Wyatt, plus a couple of other shifters Hunter hadn’t met before, hanging back. Angel, the other eagle shifter, also meandered over to speak to Liam.

“Hello, I’m Cynthia.” His mate introduced herself to the others.

“Wyatt.” The wolf shifter shook her hand.

“We have met, under snowy circumstances,” Kit grinned at Cynthia.

“Of course I remember, you and Liam brought us down off the mountain.” Cynthia smiled warmly at Kit. “Thank you for checking the kids over that day. I was so scared they’d get hypothermia.”

“My pleasure, and my job,” Kit said easily.

“I’m Charlie. Good to meet you, Cynthia. I saw the news report about you breaking the child trafficking ring and so when Kit told me you were looking for volunteers, I wanted to help.” Charlie leaned forward and shook Cynthia’s hand.

“Lion shifter?” Hunter asked.

“I sure am. I promise not to roar.” He stepped backward and the last shifter came forward to say hello.

“The name is Rob, I also work for Bear Creek Protectors.” He shook hands with Cynthia and then turned to Hunter. “Good to meet you, too, Hunter. Our paths have never crossed before, but Guy speaks highly of you.”

“Thanks.” Hunter glanced at Guy. “He’s a good man to work for. And Flint, too.”

“It was Flint who offered me the job. I met him when I was a raw Army recruit. A lifetime ago it seems. Now I’m looking for a way to support myself and my sister, she’s been left alone with a couple of kids to raise after her mate was killed.” Rob put his hand up as he saw the sympathy in their faces. “It’s okay, we’ll be okay.” But that sadness that lingered in his expression said it was far from okay.

“If there is anything, we can do for you and your sister,” Hunter said. “Just ask.”

“Thanks. I think we can handle it. But thanks all the same. Well, we should get started,” Rob said with a nod to Hunter. He sauntered off, his head down as if lost in thought.

“Ready?” Cynthia asked Hunter, who watched Rob with curiosity.

“Yeah, I was just thinking of how I would cope if anything happened to my mate. To you.” He fixed Cynthia with a possessive look. “It’s my job to protect you.”

“There are some things you can’t protect me from,” Cynthia told him. “And it’s not your job to wrap me up in cotton balls. I have to go out there and take risks and take chances. If not, I’d stagnate.”

“Yeah, I know. But still...” Hunter looped his arm through hers. “Come on, let’s go find these children.”

“I hope we’re still as optimistic by the end of the day,” Cynthia told him as they got into the truck. Kit slid in beside Cynthia, and the other three got in the back. With one last wave at Guy, they set off back down the trail, heading toward the road, while above their heads two eagles flew in ever-increasing circles.

“This is it.” Hope surged in Hunter’s heart.

“This is it.” Cynthia settled back in her seat and looked out of the window. “I wish I could hear what you hear and see what you see.”

“I’ll tell you as soon as we hear anything,” Hunter assured her.

“Thanks.” She looked so vulnerable here among the larger-than-life shifters filling his truck. But to him she was life. Every beat of his heart was for her, because of her.

Because he loved her.

Chapter Twenty-One – Cynthia

Cynthia strained her ears, but she could hear nothing over the hum of the engine. Could the shifters? Or were they as unaware of the sounds of the forest from inside the truck?

“Can you filter noise out?” Cynthia asked Kit.

“Filter out sounds like the engine?” he asked, half turning toward her.

“Yes.”

“I can’t exactly filter them out, but I can hear things above other noises.” He lifted his finger and his eyes went out of focus. “I heard the eagles.”

“Really?” Another question sprang into her head. “When you’re...whatever animal you are...can you understand each other?”

“You mean can the eagles talk to each other? Or can Hunter and I have a conversation as bears?” Kit asked.

“Exactly!” Cynthia’s face flushed with excitement. “You guys have this incredible insight into how animals communicate.”

“We can understand body language, and emotions. But we don’t speak like people speak, we don’t have words.” Kit half-smiled. “And we don’t know for sure that’s what real bears or eagles understand.”

“I tried to talk to a wolf once,” Walt piped up. “In the same way I’d speak to other shifter wolves. I got about the same response as if I were talking to a wolf shifter I’d not met before.”

“You mean it’s different than talking to someone you know?” Cynthia asked, swiveling around in her seat.

“Sure. It’s like talking to a stranger. To begin with, it’s awkward no matter whether you are a wolf or a human.” Walt shrugged. “We learn the nuances of our friends.”

Cynthia nodded. “Thanks for sharing that with me.”

“Our pleasure.” Kit turned his attention back to the forest as Hunter turned off the road. They bumped down a disused trail that was full of potholes.

They drove for about a mile or more, the trail getting gradually worse until it became impassible. Hunter switched off the engine and they all got out of the truck. It was a beautiful day, Cynthia could almost feel spring on the air, the trees were stirring, the sap would soon be rising. Yet she didn’t forget how cold it would be tonight when the temperature dropped. How cold it had been for the last couple of months out here in the forest.

“Would they have survived out here?” she asked quietly, noting the bare branches. “There are no nuts, no fruits on the trees.”

“That depends,” Hunter answered. “If you know what to look for, you could survive out here. Especially if you can hunt.”

“If there was a shifter among them then I’d say they could survive for sure. A predator could hunt by instinct.” Kit looked around. “Let’s shift and head off inward a little more. Liam is hoping we can cover a large area of the forest on this western side by truck.”

“Let’s do it.” Walt shifted instantly and loped off into the trees. Charlie followed next, his lion an impressive if somewhat odd beast to see in a forest like this.

“You know, I must be getting used to this whole shifter thing since I’m not as freaked out at seeing a lion as I should be.” Cynthia hugged Hunter quickly. “You know, I haven’t seen your other side yet.”

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Rob shifted into his bear and disappeared into the undergrowth in seconds.

“Special Forces,” Hunter muttered as Rob faded into the undergrowth.

“You can tell that from the way he behaves as a bear?” Cynthia asked.

“Sure.” Hunter shrugged and took a couple of steps away from her. “Ready?”

“I am.” Cynthia nodded. She’d seen Flint and a couple of other shifters change from human to animal, but this felt special. Hunter was hers. And hers alone.

She watched as the air around him shimmered, like a heat haze on a hot summer day. Then he disappeared from the forest, and for a moment she was alone surrounded by nothing but trees. Then a large shape loomed out of the shadows. Slowly its outline became firmer, its features appearing, a snout, soft fur, and even softer eyes, like warm chocolate.

“There you are.” Cynthia stepped forward and the bear lifted his head and gave a low rumbling growl, but she wasn’t afraid. “You can’t hurt me.”

She trusted in those words as she approached him, her hand outstretched as she touched his fur, burying her fingers into the deep pelt. The bear looked up at her love in his eyes, if it was possible for a bear to express love. As she stroked his head and stared into his eyes, she was certain that was what reflected back at her.

Cynthia swallowed hard and took a step back. “Go do your job.”

The bear ran off into the forest, leaving Cynthia alone with her emotions. Was she in love with Hunter? Was it possible since they’d only know each other a couple of days?

Love didn’t have a timetable. It didn’t follow rules. If she had love in her heart for Hunter, that was okay. Hell, after all she’d been through, it hardly mattered if people talked about her behind her back and said she’d rushed into a relationship. She had no one to answer to but herself and her own conscience.

And her two children. But she was certain they would not argue about Hunter being in their lives.

He’d make a damn fine father. She smiled to herself. Wasn’t that what she secretly wanted? A man who could make them all happy. It was her secret longing, one she didn’t tell anyone, one she hardly admitted to herself.

In public she’d always worn a mask that said women can do anything, they don’t need a man. In private, that was also true, but needing a man and wanting a man were two separate things. And she wanted a man. A specific, incredible man.

Who was also a bear.

Focusing on the task of finding the children, Cynthia put her feelings for Hunter away. She would take them out and examine them properly once this was over. Once the children were found. And yes, she did believe they would be found. Until she knew for certain something terrible had happened to them, she had to stay positive.

As she waited for the shifters to return, she listened to the sounds of the forest all around her and imagined the faces of Joey’s and Horatio’s parents when she brought them home safely.

But what of the other two children? Didn’t they have parents who missed them? Why hadn’t they been reported missing?

When they found them, they could ask them. But a rustle in the undergrowth and the appearance of Walt’s wolf, followed by Charlie’s lion, told her this search was going to take a little longer.

“No luck,” Charlie said as he shifted back into his human form.

“There’s always the next section.” Walk didn’t sound too surprised at not having found them. “But I’d guess they were deep inside the forest.”

“Is that where you would go, if you didn’t want to be found?” Cynthia asked.

“It sure is.” Walt shook his head, his hands on his hips as he turned around and looked back into the forest. “What I don’t understand is why they haven’t been found.”

“We guessed they were either afraid or incapable,” Cynthia answered. “Who knows what threats were made against them.”

“But most kids would want to go back to their parents,” Charlie insisted, joining in on the discussion.

“What if Cracol’s men said their parents would be killed if they went home?” Cynthia shrugged. “Although that would make me question why they ran away in the first place. Controlling children, or anyone for that matter, is often focused on making threats. If you tell, we’ll kill your mom. If you run away, we’ll kill you and your parents, or siblings. Children, particularly, are susceptible to this kind of threat.”

“So if we take that away, what other reasons would there be? Since two of the children haven’t been reported missing,” Hunter asked as he and Rob returned to the truck, shifted back into human form.

“I don’t know.” Cynthia shook her head, perplexed. “Maybe they are siblings. They are trying to keep each other safe. Threaten the life of one, the other will do as they are told.” Cynthia buckled up her seatbelt as Kit, the last to return, got into the truck beside her.

“Or maybe there is a shifter in amongst their numbers and they are afraid to return to civilization. Or afraid he’ll be hurt if he’s caught. If they don’t know about shifters, they’ll think he’s a freak who might get experimented on.” Kit shrugged as the others all turned to look at him. “We’ve all seen the movies.”

“Okay, you might be right,” Hunter agreed.

“If he is the one who helped them escape, it stands to reason they might not want to get him into trouble, particularly if he is stuck.” Kit pulled the truck door closed and Hunter set off for the next point on the map they were supposed to stop and search.

“What if one of them is sick or hurt?” Cynthia asked.

“That might be the answer. The rest of them would feel compelled to stay and help protect him and care for him.” Kit pressed his lips together, not happy at the thought of the children out there alone. Cynthia had exactly the same feelings, she guessed the others did, too, and the people in the truck all sat in silence, the atmosphere more serious as they reached the next stop-off point which they also found empty.

“Walt and I are leaving you at the next stop,” Kit said as they drove back along the road. “I hope next time we see each other we’ve got good news.”

“Me, too,” Cynthia said. “Do you have everything you need?” She eyed their half-empty backpack.

“We’re traveling light, we’ll sleep in our shifter forms if we need to.” Cynthia remembered the old cabin belonging to Walt, it was the place Flint and Jenna had taken the children when they were hiding in the mountains. There were no modern conveniences there and yet Walt had lived there for years all alone. She had no doubt a couple of nights sleeping rough in the forest were nothing to him.

They soon reached the next stop-off and Walt and Kit got out of the truck and sucked in the forest air. “We’ve got one of the satellite phones.” Kit patted his backpack. “If anyone hears anything, they’ll relay it back to me and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“It’s good to know there’s a pediatrician so close.” Cynthia hugged Kit. “Good hunting.”

“You, too. I’m certain we’ll find them. If they are out there.” Kit hugged her close. “Whatever happens, what you did was incredibly courageous. Never forget that.”

“I won’t.” Cynthia dashed a tear away and sniffed loudly. “See you both soon.”

She watched in awe as they shifted, then the wolf and bear melted into the forest as if they were never really there. Cynthia and Hunter stood side by side, listening, but there were no sounds to be heard. “I can only sense Kit and Walt,” Hunter said, with some disappointment. “We should move on. We still have an hour or more driving before we reach the place where we go on foot.”

“We get out at the stop after the next one.” Rob climbed into the truck.

“I can’t wait to stretch my lion legs.” Charlie stretched his long limbs before also climbing back into the truck.

Cynthia nodded and turned back to the truck. She couldn’t wait to get out there and play her own part in this rescue mission. Right now she felt useless, like a bystander watching the emergency crews work after an accident.

They drove on, but the next stop also drew a blank. Not letting her disappointment get to her, she recalled what Walt had said about the children likely being in the deepest part of the forest. He was right. They would stay there if they wanted to stay hidden. Yet she still struggled with the idea of them living out here alone for a couple of weeks. Surely, one of them would have risked making contact with their families or the authorities.

Even if one of them was sick, would that be enough for them to all stay hidden? They were old enough to know the authorities would take care of them, that as soon as they were alerted, a search and rescue team would be deployed.

“What if one of the people they saw at the farmhouse was a police officer?” Cynthia blurted out.

Hunter swung his head around to study her, his eyes dark, menacing. “Of course, that would be why they are hiding out here.” He slammed the heel of his hand into the steering wheel. “We just handed over Hansel and the other guy to the local police. What if one of them is receiving a payoff?”

Cynthia dragged her backpack toward her and rummaged through it looking for the satellite phone. Then she punched the keypad and called Guy. “Hey, we had a thought. What if the children saw a police officer at the farmhouse? That would give them cause to stay hidden. They might have been told that all of the local police are in on it. They wouldn’t know who to trust.”

“Shit,” Guy muttered a couple of other curse words under his breath. “I’ll get hold of Brad. I’ll also pull in a couple of favors with old colleagues.” He paused. “Good thinking, Cynthia.”

She sank back in her seat, her elation at the possible breakthrough in the case gone. “Bastards. We might already be too late. Hansel Salvador might already be free.”

“Guy will get backup in place,” Hunter assured her. “And if Hansel or the other man gets free, we’ll hunt them down. No rock unturned.”

“No tree left uprooted,” Rob muttered with vehemence. “I can’t stand corruption on any level.”

“Me neither.” Cynthia nodded. “No wonder they didn’t talk, they probably figured all they had to do was hang on until we left town and they would be free.”

“Not on Guy’s watch,” Charlie assured her.

“Okay, this is where you two get out and we continue on.” Hunter stopped the truck in a small clearing. “Good luck. Keep in touch.”

“We will.” Charlie nodded to Cynthia. “You’re good at what you do, Cynthia.”

“And we’re good at what we do,” Rob assured her. “We will find them.”

“Thanks,” Cynthia replied, trying to sound confident, but she was more concerned than ever. If these children were truly that scared and feared the police above all else, they would do whatever it took to stay hidden.

But Rob was right, these were good men.

“Special Forces,” Hunter whispered in her ear. “I’m certain of it.”

“So you think Rob will find them?” she asked, walking back to the truck.

“He might.” Hunter followed her but took one last look over his shoulder at the vast expanse of forest. “But honestly, this is going to come down to luck as much as anything else.”

“Luck?” she asked.

“Or fate.” He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms. “Don’t forget, I’m a big believer in fate.”

She leaned her head on his chest. Fate was something she was struggling with. If Hunter believed in fate, then fate had put these children out here. How could that be right?

“Well, fate needs a kick up the butt. Those children need to come home.” With a big sigh, she stood and absorbed Hunter’s warmth and love, hoping it would sustain her through the rest of the day and beyond.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Hunter

They reached their destination, and Hunter parked the truck off the road, tucked away behind a clump of trees. Then they put their packs on their backs and walked into the forest, this time they were not coming back unless someone found the children or the search was called off.

“I get what you mean about fate.” Hunter broached the subject gently. He didn’t need super senses to know Cynthia was brooding over what fate meant and what control it had on their lives.

“I know what it means to you. But I can’t see how it works for those kids.” Cynthia shrugged apologetically, her mouth twisted to one side.

“I told you before that I only believe that fate brings mates together, that it doesn’t control their whole life.” He paused, sorting through his thoughts.

“Yes, I remember.”

“So for me, we were brought together for a reason.” He listened to the sounds of the forest before walking on.

“Yes, so you could help me and the kids...” Her expression cleared. “And you think that it’s more than that. We were brought together to find the children.”

“Exactly. We would not be here right now if fate hadn’t brought us together. So perhaps our mission, task, whatever you want to call it, is to find the children. Or to instigate the events that mean the children are found.” It seemed pretty plausible, even after he’d put his thoughts into words.

“Okay, I can go along with that.” Cynthia nodded and cracked a smile. “The forest is beautiful. I wish we were here under happier circumstances.”

“When this is over, we should trek through the forests, maybe even over the mountains.” He half turned to look at her. “Me, you, and the children. We could pack up some camping gear and go camping for a week.”

“I like the sound of that. I like the sound of getting away from it all.” Her expression softened. “I sure do like this forest.”

“Let’s see if you still feel that way if we have to spend a night out here.” Hunter laughed. “The temperature will drop. It’s going to get really cold.”

“It’s a good thing I have a big bear shifter to keep me warm.” She thumbed the backpack. “There had better be a tent in here.”

“A tent? I’m a hunter, a primal beast from the mountains. We don’t use tents.” Hunter’s expression reflected mock shock.

Cynthia giggled. “Does that mean you are going to use your body to protect me from the elements?”

He arched an eyebrow. “I was going to build you a shelter out of branches and dead ferns. But I like your idea better.”

“Maybe we could find a hollowed-out tree or a cave.” Her suggestions were made lightly, and it was good to hear her happy.

“You know, that might be a smart idea.” Hunter stopped walking and looked at the ground, kicking the dirt.

“I was joking, I’m almost certain Guy said he was putting a tent in my backpack.” Cynthia came back to him and planted her feet hip-width apart as she studied him. “What am I missing?”

Hunter looked up, his eyes slightly out of focus. “What you were saying about finding a cave. Or a hollowed-out tree.”

“You think that’s what the children might have done?” she asked.

“Perhaps. But the one thing they would have done or would have needed to do to survive was find water. You can hunt out here and stay alive, but you can’t live without water.” He held out his hands as if he’d had a eureka moment. “We should have thought about that and factored it into our search.”

“I agree, and it’s a good starting point.” Cynthia folded her arms. “The only problem I see with that is if we make the wrong assumption, we might not search in the right place.”

“The wrong assumption?” Hunter asked.

“Yes. It’s like if you get a lead on a story and you focus on it so much you get tunnel vision.” She opened her arms wide and turned around, indicating the whole of the forest. “There are rivers and streams running through the forest. But it’s winter, so with the rain, there might be streams or springs that aren’t on the map.”

“And if we all head to the riverbanks, we might walk straight past the children and never know.” Hunter nodded his head. “Agreed.”

Cynthia turned around to face him once more. “On the other hand, that is a good idea. So we should pass it on to Guy and maybe get the eagles to check the rivers out.”

“Smart lady,” he told her.

“Thank you.” She pulled the satellite phone out of her backpack. Guy had given one of the phones to Cynthia since she was the most knowledgeable about the case and it was the easiest way to get hold of her at short notice if they needed someone to talk to the press.

At least that was Guy’s reasoning, Hunter also suspected it was because she was least able to protect herself if trouble came their way. The satellite phone meant she could call for help. Although Hunter had no intention of her needing to call for help. He was there for her every step of the journey.

Hunter focused on the forest around them while also listening to the brief conversation between Cynthia and Guy. His orders were to carry on as planned and explore their sector, paying particular attention to waterholes. He would relay the message to the eagles who would fly low over the forest, focusing on the watercourses.

“Good job, Cynthia,” Guy said.

“It was Hunter’s idea.” Cynthia turned her head and smiled at Hunter. “I’m not the kind of person to take credit for another person’s idea.”

“You have integrity, I like you even more, for a reporter,” Guy said with a chuckle.

“Did you talk to the police?” Cynthia asked.

“I spoke to Brad and a couple of people I’m still in contact with at my old department. I also got hold of the detective who made the original arrests. He is making inquiries.” Guy put emphasis on the last word.

“You mean he’s pissed,” Cynthia made her own interpretation.

“That would be putting it mildly.” Guy paused, there was a noise of some kind behind him. “Gotta go.”

Cynthia frowned as she put the phone back in her backpack. “Sounds as if something is going down back at the farmhouse.”

“Maybe the police force got wind of what we’re doing,” Hunter suggested. “Which means we should move on. The truck is hidden, but not enough to fool anyone who knows the area.”

Cynthia nodded, took a gulp of water from her canteen and offered it to Hunter. “I’m good to go.”

They trekked on through the forest, Cynthia keeping up with his fast pace and not complaining, even though he could tell by her breathing that she was struggling. He wasn’t setting the pace to cause her discomfort or to prove he was stronger and faster than she was. No, he was setting the brisk pace to cover more ground, ground that was deep enough inside the forest that if the police did come searching for them, they would not be found before nightfall. If at all.

Hunter was good at tracking, he’d been brought up by a father who loved the mountains and forest. Being good at tracking also meant he’d learned how to mask his own tracks. He guided Cynthia across thick grass where they left no footprints and along stream beds dried up from where a watercourse had altered its route, the small stones and shingles left behind would make even the most expert trackers falter.

“Are we going around in circles?” Cynthia asked at one point as they stopped for a drink and a snack. “Because I’m certain I’ve seen that tree before.”

“Not quite a circle, but I have looped back.” Hunter finished his energy bar and shoved the wrapper into his pocket. “If we do get followed, they’ll be lost in an endless loop.”

“You’re good at this kind of thing.” His mate sounded impressed as she stood up, ready to continue.

“I have walked a lot of trails and tracked a lot of animals. And people.” He looked up into the trees. “Before I joined Bear Creek Protectors, I was contemplating joining the Bear Creek Ranger Service. Days spent walking over the mountains was very appealing. If I happened to find a lost person on the way, even better.”

Cynthia nudged him in the ribs. “I know you care about people so don’t go covering it with a glib comment.”

“Glib?” Hunter frowned. “I have never been called glib in my life.”

“You have now.” She nearly walked into him as he stopped dead in his tracks. “Did you hear something?”

He shook his head but didn’t move and Cynthia stood silent beside him, letting him use his senses to figure out what exactly had made him stop. “I sensed something.”

“What kind of something?” Cynthia asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“I don’t know.” He looked up at the sky through the bare trees. “Maybe it was one of the eagles passing overhead.”

“Or?” She placed her hand on his arm and he turned to face her.

“Or it could have been another creature out here. Just a regular animal.” He saw the hope in her eyes and didn’t want to kill it, but he also couldn’t allow her to have false hope that he’d sensed one of the children. “There are a lot of us out here.”

“I know. But is there a chance it might have been one of the children?” she asked.

“There is a chance, yes. But I can’t say either way.” Hunter wanted to tell her he’d sensed the children, he wanted to lead her straight to them. But he couldn’t. However, he had felt something. Something different, he was certain it was a shifter and not a shifter he’d met before. Walt’s words returned to him. The old wolf was right, once he’d met a shifter, scented them or sensed their presence, they were somehow stored in his brain, a little like a database for shifters he’d come into contact with.

The presence he’d felt was not in his database. Which ruled out the eagles and the other shifters, he was certain.

So what did that leave?

Any number of possibilities, his bear told him. It could be a shifter out here enjoying the forest.

You’re right, Hunter agreed with his bear. Even at this time of year, there could be half a dozen or more shifters in the forest out for some alone time. The presence he felt could have been one of those. Or it could have been the children.

Or it could be someone connected to the child trafficking ring out here looking for them, his bear told him. By coming here in force we have kicked the hornets’ nest and there is no telling where this will end.

His bear spoke the truth. Hunter might not like it, but it was still the truth. Which meant they had to search hard to find the children first. If he had to lay a wager, he would bet on the Bear Creek shifters over anyone else out here.

He would also bet on Cynthia. With her set expression, she would leave no stone unturned, no riverbank unsearched.

And he would be by her side every step of the way.

Chapter Twenty-Three – Cynthia

As the day wore on, her hope wore out. If the children were out here, they were well hidden and even the idea of the children being camped out along one of the watercourses had proved wrong.

The only consolation was that they hadn’t found the children dead.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hunter asked as they stopped for a moment to take a rest and a drink.

“Disappointed,” Cynthia admitted.

“Don’t be, we have a big area to cover and this is only the first day.” He accepted the canteen from her and took a drink before handing it back. “Thanks.”

“How many days do we have to search?” Cynthia asked. “The others will need to return to work.”

“We have a day or two yet.” He slid his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. “It’s okay. We’ll search every part of the forest if we have to.”

“But the longer we go without finding them, the less chance we have of ever finding them.”

“That doesn’t mean we won’t ever find them.” He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “Temperature is dropping, we could think about making camp.”

“So early?” she asked. “I could go on for a couple more hours.”

“I know you could. But we’ve been walking all day and if we get tired, it’ll make tomorrow even harder.” He looked down into her eyes, but she looked away.

“If I were a shifter I could go on all night.” She didn’t want to let on just how tired she was and just how much of a failure she felt for not being able to keep up with him.

“This isn’t a competition.” Hunter dropped a kiss on her cheek. “And maybe staying in one place might be better. You never know, they might come to us.”

“Right.” She turned to face him. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better.”

“That’s what I’m here for. And anyway, it might work. Once they smell the food we’re going to cook.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “A shifter thinks with his stomach.” She patted his toned abs.

“Too right they do. So let’s get cooking.”

“Before we put up the tent?” Cynthia asked.

“We can split down the chores,” Hunter suggested. “You put up the tent and I’ll collect some dry firewood.”

“Okay, I can do that.” Cynthia took her backpack off her aching shoulders and let it drop to the ground.

Hunter shook his head. “Not here, we need to find a better campsite.”

Cynthia looked around. “We’re in a forest, I’ve seen nothing but trees for the last four hours, how is this not the same as any other campsite?”

“You’ll see.” He picked up her pack and hitched it on his shoulder, then took hold of her hand. “This way.”

She watched as he assessed the wind direction and the angle of the sun. Then he led her deeper into the forest. At least she thought it was deeper, she honestly had no clue which way was north, which way was south and as for east and west, she could only tell by the dipping of the sun.

“So where did you learn all this?” Cynthia asked as he stopped and checked the ground before moving on.

“My dad used to take me camping when I was younger. My mom used to joke that she was glad to have the men out from under her feet. Of course, she missed us when we were gone. But she understood the need to be out in the wild, so my dad took us. He would teach us all about survival, just as his father had taught him and his father before that.”

“A family tradition. I like it.”

“And one I hope to continue with our children.” Hunter waited for her reaction.

“Hunter...” She closed the distance between them. “I just need a little time to adjust to the thought of more children.”

“Is it something you want?” Hunter asked.

“I guess, since we didn’t use birth control, that it is. I’ve always wanted more children. But I want it to happen naturally. I don’t want any pressure.” She placed her hands on his chest. “Is that okay with you?”

“Sure it is.” He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her cheeks, waking a fire inside her.

“I know it’s a lot to ask since I already have two children. I know you want your own...” She was lost in his mesmerizing eyes.

“It’s okay.” He lowered his head and kissed her lips. “If we didn’t have kids, it wouldn’t make or break our relationship. I’d just as happily climb all over the mountains and walk through the forests with your children. Because they are my family now, too.”

“Are you trying to get me into bed?” she asked breathlessly as he broke their kiss.

“I might be.” He kissed her again, nipping her bottom lip with his teeth, while his hands roamed her body.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, it’s working.” Cynthia hung on to him, her fingers gripping his arms as she tried to stay on her feet.

“We should get the tent up and make a fire.” He stood for a moment and let her senses come back to her. When he was certain she could support her own weight, he let her go, leaving her swaying like the trees in a breeze.

“I sure could get used to having you around.” She watched him as he walked away. Damn, he was hot. His broad shoulders and strong back...and his toned butt.

Cynthia sighed and turned away. If she didn’t get a grip, she’d never get the tent up and they’d be sleeping under the stars. With only Hunter’s body to keep her warm.

“What a hardship,” she muttered as she opened her backpack and pulled out the tent. “We’re going to sleep in that?”

It didn’t look big enough for one person, let alone sharing it with a shifter like Hunter. However, when she unpacked it and spread it out on the flat ground, she figured they might fit in if they squeezed tightly together. And she was all for squeezing tight with her mate.

While she worked, she let her mind loose, freeing it from the confines of the tight control she kept on it while she was working. Usually, this freedom meant she dwelled in the darkness of her job, but today, instead of worrying about the lost children, she focused on her future with Hunter. A twinge of guilt tried to sidetrack her, but she figured she’d allow herself to indulge in a little daydreaming about being the wife of a man like Hunter.

Or anyone’s wife. That kind of relationship had seemed to slip through her grasp. Since Connor’s death, she’d kept herself focused on her children and her job. Maybe it was time to readjust that focus.

Did that mean her plans to go back to work would once more be put on hold? When she’d set off to find the children, she’d decided that this was who she was. A woman who went out to protect those who could not protect themselves, to give a voice to those who could not speak for themselves.

Would she be content as a wife and mother?

Her hand stroked her stomach, she could still remember when it was swollen as she carried her children. Cynthia had reached a place in her life where she believed she would never find a man she could trust to help her raise her children. This had led to the belief she would never have any more children. But Hunter challenged all those beliefs. Each and every one of them, and she loved him for it.

“I thought you’d have that up by now.” His voice in her ear made her jump.

“You shouldn’t creep up on people like that.” Instead of feeling scared, she was elated to have him so close. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as his breath warmed her skin.

“I’ll light the fire.” As quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone, placing the wood down on the ground and then breaking off small bits to make kindling.

Cynthia focused on her own tasks, even though the nearness of him invaded her thoughts and her body seemed to be pulled toward him. She guessed that’s what they called animal magnetism. Smiling at her own joke, she focused on the tent and began putting it together.

“There.” She stood up, her arms folded across her as she looked at the small two-man tent. “It’s going to be a squeeze.”

Hunter came to stand next to her as the fire he’d made crackled and spat. Small flames danced over the wood, and soon the smell of smoke filled their little campsite. “I can’t wait to squeeze in there with you.”

“I can’t wait to eat.” She looked past him toward the fire. “I don’t suppose we have coffee in the packs, do we?”

Hunter nodded. “Instant, yes.” He took her hand and led her to the fire, where he’d cleared the ground and set out two logs for them to sit on. “Okay, let’s make dinner.”

“Our first time making dinner together.” She set their packs down on the ground and they rummaged through them, sorting out all the cooking utensils, and the small kettle into which Hunter poured some of their precious water and set it to boil.

“We might need Liam to make provision drops if we’re out here too long.” Hunter pulled out some packets of dried food and set them down on the ground. Then he unwrapped a couple of fruit pies. “I asked the lady at the diner to wrap them well. I figured we might need a treat tonight.”

“You figured right.” Cynthia helped Hunter prepare the food. They boiled water for coffee and to add to the emergency rations, but Hunter also had some partly-baked bread rolls which he cooked in a makeshift oven made from rocks he’d found on the forest floor. “You really are a keeper.”

“Thanks. If all I have to do is cook for you and keep you warm, I’m in for an easy life.” He sat down on his log with a plateful of food and a cup of coffee beside him on the ground. He looked so at home out here in the forest.

“This would be like a vacation to most people.” She ate her food and washed it down with her instant coffee, which was so good it rivaled anything she’d ever tasted. She suspected it was because she was so hungry and hadn’t drank coffee all day.

“I often thought it would be great to take people into the mountains and teach them survival skills.” Hunter ate slowly, savoring each mouthful, while Cynthia wanted to eat as fast as she could. But she slowed down and enjoyed each mouthful.

“Why don’t you?” she asked. “It’s a good way for people from the city to learn about the wilderness around them. You could make it shifter focused.”

Hunter waved his fork at her. “That is a good idea.” He paused and looked at her with his head tilted to one side. “Although one of us will have to stay at home and look after the children. And your career is important to you.”

She chased a piece of bread around her plate with her fork. As she watched it, she tried to figure out exactly what she wanted from life. “I don’t mind staying at home. I miss the kids. I think when this all happened, I had a rush of nostalgia. You know, I thought I was missing out on something. But it turns out the thing I’m really missing out on is watching my children grow up.”

“There’s a common ground somewhere.” Hunter got up and came to sit beside her. “It doesn’t have to be one thing or another.”

She thought about his words for a moment. “You might be right. I could ask at the local paper if there is an opening for a reporter. I could cover local news while also tackling wider issues.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, and what newspaper wouldn’t like Cynthia Callaghan on their news team?” He finished his food and stared at the fire. “I never guessed I’d fall in love with someone famous.”

“Really? I’m surprised, since you spend so much time guarding the rich and famous.” She nudged him. “So this is it, we’re planning our lives together.”

“We are.” He stood up and began to tidy the camp. “We should get some sleep. If not, we’ll stay up all night talking.”

Cynthia got up and helped him put everything away. “We don’t want to attract wild animals,” she said with a small smile, which she hoped was sexy, but might look like she had a stomach ache. She was out of her comfort zone when it came to flirting.

“You drive me wild.” He caught her in his arms and pulled her close, a growl rumbling in his chest.

“I am falling for you.” She stroked his cheek and then leaned forward to kiss his lips. “In a big way.”

“That’s my plan,” he told her. “Lure you out here into the forest and offer to worship you with my body.”

“And there I was thinking you only planned to protect me with your body.” She slipped her hands around his neck. “Want to go make out in the tent?”

“I can think of nothing I want more.” He let her go and picked up the backpacks, checked there was nothing left out and then stamped on the fire, pitching them into darkness.

A shiver of desire and fear raced through her. She was alone in the forest with a bear.

How crazy was that?

Chapter Twenty-Four – Hunter

Cynthia drove him crazy, she got under his skin like no one else ever had. His heart beat for her, pumping blood through his veins so he could truly worship her. Not just her body, but everything about her deserved his undivided attention.

As he fumbled with the opening of the tent, her hands closed around his and helped him with the zipper.

“Anyone would think you were a little excited to be sleeping under nylon tonight,” she purred.

“I am excited.” He shouldered his way into the tent and set Cynthia down on the sleeping bag she’d laid out for them.

“How excited?” she asked.

“You have no idea.” He lay down next to her and pulled her close.

“Can you give me an idea?” Cynthia asked.

“No. I can give you a reality.” He slid his hands under her sweater and lifted it up, dragging it over her head.

“You are my new reality.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips as he threw her sweater to the corner of the tent, which was all of a foot away. But he figured it was the thought, or the action, that counted. His need for her burned hot and fierce, like wildfire, all-consuming. It didn’t matter where they were, soft comfortable bed, or hard forest floor, he would always want her anytime, anyplace.

He unzipped her jeans and she wriggled out of them, his elbows hitting the roof of the tent as he fought to get them off her feet. Over her boots.

“I forgot about those.” He slid down to the end of the tent and unlaced her hiking boots, which he placed at the end of the bed. He wasn’t going to throw them and risk hurting her.

We can never hurt her, his bear’s words echoed in his head.

Hunter knew it wasn’t as easy as that. Accidents happened. Sometimes no matter how hard you tried, people got hurt.

His bear growled in agreement and settled down in the corner of his mind to sleep.

“Maybe you should get naked, too.” Cynthia propped herself up on one elbow and raised an eyebrow, indicating his clothes.

“Sexy and clever.” He winked at her and she giggled.

“Not clever, it’s human nature to want to see your man naked.” She settled down to watch him strip his sweater over his head, followed by his T-shirt. Then, somehow, with his body contorted at odd angles, he managed to remove his jeans.

“I’ve been in some tight spaces before, but this is the worst.” He collapsed down by her side and pushed his clothes to one side.

“Then let’s make this the best.” She kissed his chest, small butterfly kisses that drove him wild. His need for her grew with each moment he spent with her. His hunger for her remained unsated.

“It already is the best.” He kissed her shoulders, turning her gently onto her back, and sliding between her thighs as her tongue curled around his nipple. He groaned, a primal sound that filled the small space of the tent. Her scent thrilled him, her touch aroused him.

“I could get used to this.” She kissed him, her own hunger matching his as she spread her thighs wider and he nestled deeper between them.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He nipped the sensitive skin of her neck, and slid his hands between their bodies, pushing her panties to one side and slipping a finger inside her. She was as aroused as he, ready for him. But he wanted to push her further, until she ached for him with every fiber of her being.

In and out he stroked her inner walls, listening for her sighs of contentment. The tension in her body grew, her fingers stroking his skin were firmer, her tongue more insistent as she licked his nipples. Cynthia slipped her hand down over his back, and lower, to press against his butt as if urging him on.

She wanted him, he was in no doubt about that. And he could not hold on much longer. The need to bury himself inside her was almost too much. It overpowered him, an uncontrollable urge.

“Make love to me,” she whispered in his ear.

“Your wish is my command.” He lifted his head, a frown creasing his forehead. “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said to a woman. No, that’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said to anyone.”

“I like cheese.” She kissed his lips and he entered her, pushing deep inside her. She gasped against his mouth, her teeth nipping his lower lip as she wrapped her legs around him.

Hunter moved, slowly, deliberately, taking her, claiming her out there in the wilds of the forest.

Forgotten were the reasons they were here in these intimate moments where a shifter took his mate. The world outside did not belong to them, and they did not belong to it. They were the only two people in existence as he made love to Cynthia, the woman who would be his lifelong partner and hopefully, the mother of his children.

The friction between their bodies was incredible, his nerve endings on fire as they made contact with her flesh. Hunter flexed his hips and pulled out of her, before thrusting deep inside her once more. Over and over, he impaled her on his hard length until he could hold on no longer.

With a guttural cry, he came, jerking into her, his seed filling her.

Cynthia shifted under him, changing the angle of her body. She needed more and he would give her what she needed. In everything they did. In every facet of their lives, he would fulfill this promise to his mate.

Sliding his hand between them, he touched her, stroking her mound, teasing the sensitive bundle of nerves between her thighs. Her voice rose, small cries as she climbed toward her own climax. Her fingers clutched at him, her nails digging into his flesh as at last she came, her inner walls pulsing around him.

Hunter strained to push deeper, as she gripped him tight, her orgasm powerful. She nipped his neck, driving him crazy. He wanted to stay like this forever, the high of making love to her was addictive.

But the high of lying by her side, holding her in his arms when their orgasms had subsided, was even more.

“It’s like being in our own little cocoon.” Cynthia reached up and touched the roof of the tent.

Hunter pulled the sleeping bag around them as a shiver passed through her. “And I’ll be your warm blanket for the night.”

She turned onto her side and faced him, stroking his face with her fingers. “From now on I want you to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night.”

“I’ll always be here.” He kissed her cheek and held her close as his senses roamed out into the forest. There was no one else out there in range. They were all alone.

And he liked it that way. Just for tonight. He knew that Cynthia’s children would always be there and would often be the last thing they saw at night if one of them was working away or if the children had a bad dream. But he understood the sentiment behind her words.

Just as he was beginning to understand the complexities of their lives together. Not just because Cynthia had children, but because of their careers, too. But he was certain they could make it work. That’s what relationships were all about. He’d seen it with his parents, even though they were mates and meant to be together, it didn’t mean that life was always perfect.

There was conflict, there were choices made and sacrifices, too. But through it all, they loved each other and that was one thing that would never change. He’d grown up knowing that.

“What was that?” Cynthia sat up in the tent, her breathing rapid.

“I’m not sure.” Hunter shifted his body and sat up, his ears straining to listen to the sounds of the forest. He’d fallen asleep without realizing. Lulled by images of Cynthia and her children and the life they would lead together.

“There’s something out there,” Cynthia spoke so quietly it was no more than a whisper.

He nodded, his senses pushing out further into the forest. But he didn’t have to push too far, his senses picked up the presence of another shifter almost immediately. If he hadn’t been asleep, he would have sensed it from a greater distance. “It’s a shifter.”

Cynthia’s hand clutched his arm. “A good or bad shifter?”

Hunter shrugged, aware that whoever was out there might be able to hear everything they said. There was only one way to find out. He would have to go out there and confront them. “Stay here.”

He pulled on his pants, unzipped the tent flap and slid out. There. He saw it, a small bear, fully grown but immature. The bear looked up at Hunter from where he was sniffing around the fire. It froze, small eyes fixed on Hunter, and then turned to run into the woods, which were still shrouded in darkness.

He was fast, but Hunter was faster. In one swift leap, he shifted in midair and ran after the bear as he left the perimeter of the camp.

Hunter knocked the young shifter to the ground. The young bear rolled over and over, before leaping to his feet and running into the forest.

Hunter had a choice. Let him go and track him or follow close behind.

His bear swung his head around and looked back toward the tent. He couldn’t leave his mate out here alone in the forest. His first need was to protect her.

And she’ll tell us to follow the bear cub, his bear told Hunter.

He wasn’t exactly a cub, Hunter said.

Near enough. And he was scared. His bear lifted his head and sniffed the air. We can track him, he’ll lead us to the others.

There are others. You are sure? Hunter asked his bear.

I could smell them on his fur. He’s not alone in the forest.

Hunter shifted back to his human form when he reached the tent and slipped back inside. Cynthia was hurriedly pulling on her clothes.

“Was it one of the children?” Cynthia asked as she crawled to the end of the tent and pulled on her boots. She couldn’t help staring as Hunter scoured the tent for the rest of his clothes and finished dressing.

“It was, we’re certain,” Hunter said then shook his head. “I’m certain, my bear smelled the others on the young bear’s fur.”

“You got that close to him?” Cynthia asked.

“We caught him at one point, but we let him go. It might be easier to track him than for us to try to make him talk.” Hunter pulled his sweater over his head. “If he’s distrustful, he might not give the others up.”

Cynthia thought about this for a moment. “You’re right.” She quickly laced her boots and crawled out of the tent. “Are we packing this up?”

Hunter followed her outside and then turned to look at the tent, where only a couple of hours ago they had made love. “No, we’ll leave it here and travel light. I can come back and fetch the rest of our gear later.”

“Do we leave everything?” Cynthia asked, stepping away from the tent.

“No, we need to take what food we have, water and the satellite phone.” Hunter knelt and began rummaging through the packs, transferring everything they might need into one.

“Shall we call this in?” Cynthia asked as he handed her the phone.

Hunter paused and stared into the forest. “No, let’s leave it for now. The scent is strong, the trail should be easy to follow. Once we’re certain we’re close, we’ll call it in.”

“You don’t want to them to be scared off.” She tilted her head to one side. “I agree. The last thing those kids need is to feel as if they are under attack.”

“Let’s go.” He tucked the backpack over his shoulder and grabbed hold of her hand.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go on ahead?” she asked. “I don’t want to slow you down.”

“You won’t,” he assured her as he lifted his head and scented the air.

“I will.”

Hunter turned back to face her. “When we find them, you are going to be the one to convince them it’s safe.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “They are going to trust you far more than they will trust me.”

She patted his chest. “Don’t be too sure. You are the one who is going to help the shifter child. If he’s stuck, you are the one who can help him.”

“There, a perfect team.” He kissed her forehead and they turned toward the direction the bear had run off in, both of them knowing this was the final leg of a long journey.

But they both knew it was potentially the hardest part, too.

Chapter Twenty-Five – Cynthia

Cynthia followed close behind Hunter, treading where he trod and stopping when he stopped to allow him to listen to the sounds of the forest. Sounds that were lost to her. She wished she could upgrade her senses to match Hunter’s. Instead, she learned to rely on him.

“He went this way.” Hunter hunkered down and cleared a clump of undergrowth to one side, pointing at the ground.

“A paw print.” She leaned over and studied it. “A bear paw print.”

Hunter nodded. “The tracks head into the forest. We are still a good way inside our section, but if it looks as if the children are inside one of the other sections, we should let Guy know.” He looked at his watch. “But I’d rather let the others sleep. That way they can take over in the morning if we don’t find them before we tire.”

“Before I tire,” she corrected. “I suspect you could go on for a day and a night at least.”

Hunter glanced over his shoulder, his eyes resting on her lips. “Tired shifters make mistakes, just the same as tired humans do.”

“And we can’t afford to make mistakes.” Cynthia nodded. “If we do, we might lose them forever.”

“That might be a little overdramatic, but yes, there is a chance they might hide better or even leave the forest.” He sighed deeply.

“Maybe they might risk calling their parents,” she suggested, still unsure of why at least one of them hadn’t gotten hold of a parent.

“They might. But it’s a risk. They might stay on the run. Let’s hope we find them before they get a chance to slip away.” He stood up and straightened the backpack, before setting off downhill toward an opening in the trees. As they got closer, the moon slipped from behind the clouds and reflected off a small pool of water.

“Water.” Cynthia kept her voice low. “Are they close?” Even before she’d asked the question, she knew the answer. Of course, if they were close Hunter would have sensed them and relayed the information to her.

“No, but they might use this as a watering hole. If they have plastic bottles or something else to store the water in, they might just visit here once or twice a day.” He followed a game track that led to the small pool of water. There they stopped once more and examined the banks. “I’ve lost the scent, it’s mingled with so many others. We can examine the ground for tracks, if not I’ll move away and try to pick it up again.”

Now that she knew what to look for, Cynthia helped look for bear pawprints. She didn’t find any, but what she did find was a footprint. “Here.” She pointed at the ground. “It’s a small shoe print. Too small for a man, so it has to be a woman or a child.”

Hunter came around to examine the print. “Good find.” He placed his hand in the tread of the shoe, feeling the ridges and dips. “We had rain a couple of nights ago. So this is fairly fresh.”

“In the last couple of days?” she asked for confirmation.

“I’d say so. Possibly the last twenty-four hours since the watering hole is well used by smaller animals and the footprint is still clear.” He backed up, looking at the ground.

“How well can you see in the dark?” Cynthia asked, wondering if night vision was another shifter perk.

“Okayish.” He dumped the backpack on the ground and dug out a flashlight. “Let’s see if we can follow the shoe prints. It should start getting light soon, that will make it easier to follow them.”

Hunter set off into the forest, with Cynthia trailing behind. “Still no scent to follow?”

He looked over his shoulder. “It’s difficult so close to the watering hole. The bear scent is mixed up with others. I’m certain that’s why the bear came here.”

“Clever.” She stumbled over a tree root but quickly righted herself, promptly walking into Hunter’s back.

“I’ve picked up the trail again.” He lifted his head and smelled the air. “They’re close.”

Cynthia’s heart hammered in her chest. “All of them?”

He nodded.

“Can the bear shifter sense us?” Cynthia whispered.

“His senses won’t be as strong, so he won’t sense us right away, but he will when we get close and that’s when they might run.” He turned around and indicated the satellite phone. “We should call backup now, we need the eagles in the sky.”

Cynthia nodded and pulled the phone out of her pocket. She dialed Guy’s number and explained the situation.

“Okay, I’ll get the others up and rendezvous with you.” He took down their location, sounding incredibly alert even though she’d woken him in the middle of the night. Even as she spoke on the phone, she could hear him rousing Liam and Angel.

“What happened with the police?” she asked quickly.

“I had an interesting talk with the local sheriff. I’ll tell you when we meet up.” He ended the call and left Cynthia and Hunter with nothing else to do but wait.

“Will they take long to get here?” Cynthia asked Hunter.

“The eagles can be here fast. But Guy will have to drive around the perimeter of the forest and then run.” Hunter shrugged. “There won’t be any traffic on the road and he’s fast, so an hour tops.”

“An hour.” She itched to get in there and find the children. Cynthia could think of nothing she would rather do than hold the children in her arms and tell them everything was going to be okay and there was nothing to be scared of.

Was that a lie? From what she’d seen there was always something to be scared of. Some bad person waiting to corrupt the innocent or destroy another person.

But she also knew there were good people in the world. People like the shifters who had come out into the forest to help track down the children with no reward another than the knowledge it was the right thing to do.

“We can move in a little closer,” Hunter said as he watched her in the darkness. He’d switched off the flashlight so the children wouldn’t be alerted to their presence if they saw the light.

“I don’t want to spook them,” she answered.

“We’re good for another couple of hundred feet.” He nodded in encouragement.

“How far away are they?” she asked as she followed him closer to the children.

“About a quarter of a mile away.” He grinned at her surprised expression. “It takes practice to extend your senses that far. My guess is the kid in there is only capable of a hundred feet or more. But I don’t want to take the chance he might have honed his senses over the last couple of months.”

“Will our child be a shifter?” Cynthia asked, taking them both by surprise.

“Yeah, yeah, he or she will be a bear shifter.” Hunter grinned.

“Any preference, boy or girl?” Since she already had one of each, Cynthia didn’t mind what sex their baby was.

“Nope, as long as it’s healthy and happy, that counts for everything.” He stopped walking and slipped his arms around her shoulders. “And anyway, maybe we might have more than one child. So we might have one of each.”

“Sounds like you want to start a soccer team,” she joked as she rested her head on his chest. “A houseful of happy kids does sound wonderful.”

He dropped a kiss on her head. “What if these kids don’t have homes to go to?”

Cynthia looked up at him, searching his face for hidden meaning. “You would adopt one of these lost kids?”

“Sure. In a heartbeat. I don’t think it matters who a child’s parents are, they all need to be loved and nurtured. Can you imagine not having anyone in the world to report you missing? Yet two of these kids could have fallen through the cracks and no one would ever know they were trafficked.” He gave her a gentle smile and she took it.

“You are a special kind of man, Hunter.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips.

“I’ve been told that before.” He kissed her back, his lips scorching hers. Then he suddenly lifted his head and look up at the sky. “Incoming.”

He took hold of her hand and they stepped back, looking up at the inky black sky. As they watched, the sound of feathery wingbeats reached Cynthia, which meant they must be close. “There.” She pointed into the air as two large eagles appeared, although she figured Hunter had probably known the exact direction the eagles were coming from minutes before she did.

“You found them.” Liam shifted midair and landed on the ground, knees bent, as if it was as natural as walking.

“Almost certain,” Hunter replied as a second eagle landed.

“Hi, Angel.” Cynthia was pleased another female was here. Hunter was right, the children might respond better to a woman, a mother figure. Or they might not. Experience told Cynthia there was no hard rule on anything, particularly where children were concerned.

“Hi there.” Angel smiled brightly, looking a little nervous. “I’ve never skulked around in the forest at night before.”

“Welcome to the dark side,” Hunter said enthusiastically. “Bear shifters are renowned for skulking in the dark.”

Liam laughed quietly. “I am not going to disagree with you.”

Hunter put his hand up and the group fell silent. “There are more shifters coming.” A frown creased his brow. “It’s Rob and Charlie.”

“Guy said to go on without him if we have enough numbers.” Liam turned around and looked into the forest.

Cynthia stared as hard as she could, but she couldn’t see or hear what the others heard. “Will six of us be enough?”

“Should be, as long as they don’t all run in different directions, we can track them overhead. So that means we only have to convince two of them we’re the good guys.” Liam switched his attention to Cynthia. “You know their parents, right?”

“I do. I’ve met with Horatio’s mom several times and spoken to Joey’s parents over the phone. They live some way away and never traveled to meet me and I didn’t want to leave the children,” Cynthia explained. “Horatio’s mom is named Michaela, and Joey’s parents are Samuel and Lisa Leonard.”

“Use their names, make them aware that you know who they are and that their parents are waiting for them to come home,” Liam advised.

“What if the threat that’s kept them here is their parents?” Angel asked. She shrugged. “I’m just having a hard time believing they didn’t go straight home without a damn good reason.”

“Let’s go and ask them.” Rob lifted his head as if scenting the air, then his eyes became slightly unfocused. “Four of them. One shifter. Three humans.”

“That’s what I sensed,” Hunter agreed.

“Wow, you can push your senses further than me,” Angel said. “I’m going to have to practice.”

“When your career depends on it, you learn,” Rob said curtly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, it’s okay. I get it. You’ve all worked in the forces; your life does depend on it.” Angel pointed around them. “Which direction?”

“This way.” Rob went first, striding into the forest, his attention focused on finding the boys.

“He’s a little intense,” Angel said. “But I like him.”

They all followed, walking in single file behind Rob, with Hunter at the rear. Cynthia walked immediately in front of Rob and kept glancing over her shoulder to see if his expression had changed, hoping it would give her some indication of whether the children were on the move.

“You could just ask me to tell you,” Hunter hid a smile, but she saw his teeth flash white in the growing light. The sun would rise soon, and the day would finally dawn when she could tell Michaela she’d found Horatio. It had been a long time coming.

“Sorry, I’m just so nervous about the whole thing. I’m scared something will go wrong at the last minute,” she confessed.

“I’d have thought out of all of us you might be the one with the coolest head, since you’ve covered the story all the way along and are used to all this clandestine stuff,” Angel said.

“I usually am, but I’m too emotionally invested in the outcome.” She needed those boys to be safe. She needed them to be in one piece. She needed to bring them home.

Yet the nagging question Angel had asked persisted in her head. Why hadn’t they gone home? Why hadn’t they found help?

And would she be able to convince them that she and the shifters with her now were the good guys?

Chapter Twenty-Six – Hunter

They were close, he could sense the four children. But had the children sensed their would-be rescuers? And if they had, would they run?

Hunter trusted every one of his companions. He was certain they could bring this to a calm and successful resolution. If they were given the chance.

The group stopped in their tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Cynthia hissed as he placed his hands on her upper arms.

“There’s someone else out here,” Hunter spoke quietly, his lips close to her ear, his breath caressing her skin. He closed his eyes, pushing all thoughts of how much he wanted his mate out of his mind. This wasn’t the time for seduction, it was time for protection. Both his mate and the children needed protecting...because whoever was out there in the forest were strangers.

“Three.” Liam showed three fingers as he mouthed the word.

Hunter could tell from Angel’s expression she could not sense the other people yet. He turned his head to one side, trying to distinguish if they were shifters. He was certain they were not. That left a small dilemma. Did the shifters risk exposing themselves, or did they take down the three people in their human forms?

“How do we know they are bad guys?” Cynthia asked quietly. “They might just be hikers.”

“True,” Rob replied. “We need to find out.”

“I’ll go,” Cynthia offered.

“No,” Hunter said quickly.

“Yes.” She turned around and squared up to him. “I can approach and say I’m lost. You can all follow and surround them. If things go south and they mean me harm, you can swoop in and save the day.”

“Why don’t I go in and say I’m lost?” Hunter said in return.

“Because you aren’t believable,” Angel answered. “Cynthia is right. If she goes in, they will either react in a helpful way, and we will know they are innocent bystanders and carry on with the plan. But if they react in a negative way, then we know they are scumbags and deserve to be hunted down by a marauding bear.”

“I would not like to cross you, Angel,” Rob said lightly, then he switched his attention to Hunter. “But she’s right. If you go in there, they’ll be suspicious and maybe think they’re being set up.”

“You don’t really look like the type of person who gets lost in the forest.” Cynthia patted Hunter’s chest and moved away from him.

“Really?” Hunter asked lightly, trying to hide how much he hated this plan. “It sounds as if you are being sexist.”

Cynthia chuckled. “No, I’m being truthful. You can’t get away from preconceptions. Believe me, they would be more likely to fall for the story of me being lost in the forest than you.”

Hunter let out a long, drawn-out sigh, which was met by a raised eyebrow from Liam. “We’ll be there for her every step of the way.”

“You’ll have to be since I have no idea where they are.” Cynthia walked to the front of the line and Hunter followed.

“I’ll guide you there. But before you go in, I’m taking a closer look.” He swung his head around to look at Angel. “While we’re dealing with this, why don’t you go and take a look at the children?”

“Good plan,” Rob agreed. “It’s getting light. Fly as high as you can so they don’t suspect you or sense you.”

“Okay. That I can do.” Angel shifted and took off into the air, flapping to maneuver between the branches that crowded in on them in this part of the forest.

“Ready?” Rob asked Cynthia.

“Yes.” Cynthia waited for Hunter to pass her and then followed him into the forest, keeping close. He desperately wanted to grab hold of her, put her over his shoulder and carry her off to safety, but that wasn’t part of the plan.

And we have to stick to the plan? his bear asked.

We do, Hunter replied. But if there is any sign that Cynthia is going to get hurt, we’ll change the plan.

“How much further?” Cynthia asked quietly as they moved on silent feet through the forest. She’d learned quickly to place her feet where he placed his, so they made no noise. The others all followed in the same direction but fanned out through the trees.

“Fifty feet, maybe less.” He kept his voice low, aware that any noise in the pre-dawn forest might alert the others to their presence. “Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely.” She caught hold of his arm and pulled him back toward her. “I’ll be fine.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ve been in worse scrapes.”

“That’s not comforting to know.” Hunter held her close. “But I’m incredibly proud of you.”

“Thanks.” She took a step back and looked in the direction they were traveling in. “Can you sense anything?”

“Only that there are three of them. Not shifters. But since they are walking in silence, that’s about all I know.”

“Why don’t I go in and find out what they are doing?” she suggested. “I’m good at getting information from people fast.”

“Not until I’ve had a closer look.” He hated the idea of her going on alone, even though he was certain she could handle it, Cynthia was strong and confident, and he would be by her side in a heartbeat if she needed backup.

So will the others, his bear reminded him. We are not in this alone.

No, we’re not, Hunter agreed. But Cynthia is our mate. And our responsibility.

His bear chuckled. I can just imagine what she’d say if she knew you saw her as our responsibility.

It’s a good thing she can’t hear our thoughts, Hunter tapped Cynthia on the shoulder and put his finger to his lips.

She nodded and stuck close to his side as he closed in on the men. Straining his senses, he tried to pick out anything that might give away the reason for them being in the forest.

Unfortunately, they were being exceptionally quiet.

Hunters, his bear said with a low growl.

“Stay here,” Hunter whispered into her ear and pointed at the ground. The other shifters stopped, too, and held their positions while he ventured forward.

Cynthia pressed her lips together as if forcing herself not to speak, but then she nodded and stood still as Hunter moved closer.

Ducking down low, he approached the men. He was much closer than he would have liked. If these men truly were hunters, they would be alert to any sound in the forest. Hunter could not afford to snap a single twig.

Carefully, he drew closer and then shadowed them along the trail. He could see them through the trees, but he doubted they could see him. Not unless they looked directly at him. However, they were more intent on looking at the ground. The man in front stopped every few steps to put his hand on the forest floor, or occasionally brush away dry leaves.

Definitely tracking something, his bear said.

Hunters. One of them had a shotgun on his back. Whatever they were tracking, they planned to shoot.

They’re here for the children, his bear growled.

Or for the bear, Hunter replied. They might simply be tracking the bear. They might not realize it’s a shifter. They might not know there’s such a thing as shifters.

Or they might be working for Hansel. His bear was not convinced of the men’s innocence. In his eyes, they carried a gun while tracking children, and were guilty until proven innocent.

“This way. There are more tracks here. We’re getting close,” a man’s voice, more than a little cranky, reached Hunter.

Hunter kept to the shadows, hugging a thicket of scrubby brush. It was the best cover he had since the forest was so bare. But it was enough in the low light of dawn. Enough for him to see a man in uniform trailing behind two other men, who were dressed in camouflage gear and hiking boots, toward the place where the children were.

“Are you sure?” the man in uniform asked as his shirt got snagged on a branch. He yanked it loose and eyed the tree as if he wanted to tear it from the ground and burn it to hell.

“Yes, I’m sure,” the lead tracker spat.

“Chill, Tanner,” the third man said. “Deputy Gill here is only doing his job.”

“A job he can’t do without us,” Tanner said sharply. “You’d think after living out here close to the forest all of his life he’d have learned to track.”

“I can track people. But I’ve never had the need to track a bear before.” Deputy Gill tapped his sidearm. “But I can assure you, I’ll have no trouble shooting it when you lead me to it.”

We need to act and act quickly, his bear said as they slowly slid back away from the three men.

“What did you hear?” Cynthia asked as he made it back to her side.

“They’re tracking a bear.” Hunter ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I don’t know if they realize the bear is a shifter or not. One of the men is with the sheriff’s office, the hunters called him Deputy Gill.”

“Let’s check in with Guy.” She took the satellite phone from her pocket and dialed the number quickly. As she spoke to Guy, Hunter looked around, watching and listening as the other shifters stood alert and ready to fight. They needed a plan and they needed one fast. “Guy, we’re close to the children, but we have a problem. There’s a Deputy Gill out here with what looks like a couple of hunters, they are tracking a bear. We think they’re tracking the shifter child.”

“I’ll ask Sheriff Cartwright. He’s here with me,” Guy made certain Cynthia understood she had to be careful what she said.

Cynthia’s eyes lifted to lock with Hunter’s. “The sheriff is coming, too.” She spoke so quietly that only Guy would hear.

“Yeah, he’s a little way behind me. So I’ll talk fast. It would be quicker if we had four feet, but we’re stuck on two, I’m almost certain he doesn’t know about shifters and I want to keep it that way. Go in and apprehend the men if you have to, but make sure you secure the children. Specifically deal with the shifter child, if there is one. We should be with you in twenty minutes. Understood?”

“Understood,” Cynthia replied.

Guy cleared his throat. “Sheriff Cartwright is right here. What was that name again?”

“Deputy Gill. That’s what Hunter heard.” Cynthia was silent, listening intently to what Guy said.

“Deputy Gill.” Guy paused. There was another person with Guy, and Hunter could hear the two talking together quietly in serious tones. “Are you sure?”

“Guy?” Cynthia glanced up at Hunter, her brow creased as she waited for more information. “Anything? We don’t have much time. They’re getting away. They’re heading for the children.”

“The local sheriff, Sheriff Cartwright, is unaware of any of his officers being involved with the child trafficking ring but he’s new here. Deputy Gill has worked in this area for years and been passed over for promotion several times. He even put in for the sheriff’s job and voiced his opinion loud and clear when an outsider was brought in,” Guy relayed this information to Cynthia.

“So we think that might be the stressor? The reason Deputy Gill is working for Hansel Salvador? He’s involved because he didn’t get a promotion?” Cynthia asked. “How long ago was this?”

“Six months,” Guy repeated what the other person, who Hunter presumed was Sheriff Cartwright, told him.

“The original investigation noted that the farmhouse was a recent addition to the trafficking ring. Horatio and Joey were some of the last children abducted. They had only been missing for a week or two when the trafficking investigation finally uncovered Cracol’s involvement.” Cynthia spoke so both Guy and the shifters around her could hear.

“Gill did this because he was pissed over not getting a promotion?” Sheriff Cartwright’s voice was loud and angry. “What kind of man does that?”

“The kind of man who thinks he has nothing to lose.” Cynthia raked her hand through her hair. She looked tired, but there was a spark in her eyes as hard as steel. “Do you know who the hunters might be?” Hunter gave a quick description, which Cynthia relayed to Guy, but Sheriff Cartwright drew a blank.

“You need to get moving. We’ll see you soon.” He dropped his voice low and repeated, “Get this done before we reach you.”

Hunter nodded. “We will.”

Cynthia ended the call. The others had all regrouped and had likely heard the conversation for themselves. “I’ll go on alone and distract the men. I should be able to stall them long enough for you to get the children.”

“No.” Hunter had another idea.

“I know you’re worried about me, but this is the best way,” Cynthia insisted. “I can stall them.”

“But I can lead them away from the children.” Hunter moved closer to his mate and placed his hands on her upper arms. “They are searching for a bear. So let’s give them one.”

“The Hunter becomes the hunted.” Rob nodded. “I like it.”

“I don’t.” Liam put his hand up. “They have guns.”

“Guns that could shoot Cynthia just as fast as they could shoot me.” This was not open for discussion.

“They are less likely to shoot a woman,” Liam said calmly. “They are out here to hunt a bear. Not a human.”

“Do you think that would stop Gill if he has something to hide?” Rob asked curtly. “If he had to, he could shoot them all to cover his tracks. Especially if he recognized Cynthia from the news. If he’s that deeply involved in this crap, there’s no telling what he might do.”

“Perhaps that’s his plan,” Cynthia suggested. “If Sheriff Cartwright doesn’t know these men, then maybe Deputy Gill hired them from out of town so when they go missing no one will know they were here.”

“This is getting far too complicated.” Hunter ran a hand across his stubbly chin. “I can avoid their guns.” He turned to Cynthia, whose jaw was set firm. “You need to go to the children.”

Cynthia opened her mouth to answer when a flicker of movement above their heads heralded the return of Angel. “Let’s see what our eye in the sky has to say.”

Angel landed and shifted instantly. “I saw them. At least I saw three of them. Including the shifter child.” She held her hands up to stop them asking questions. “I can sense all four of them. But only see three. The fourth child is inside a small dugout shelter. I think he might be sick.”

“Go to the children,” Hunter instructed. “Leave the men for me.” He lifted his head. “I sense Guy and Sheriff Cartwright. I’ll lead the hunters back toward them.”

Cynthia sighed and nodded. “Don’t get yourself shot.”

“I won’t.”

“Because I’ve just gotten used to the idea of having you around.” She kissed his cheek and walked away, heading toward the children.

Hunter stood still and watched her go, the others followed. All except Liam. “I know what I’m doing. But I also understand your concerns.”

“Just be careful. Stick to the trees where they can’t take a clear shot at you.” Liam shrugged. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, you’re a better tracker than anyone I know.”

“Thanks. I just have to take everything I know about hunting and turn it around.” He looked over his left shoulder, he could still sense the hunters and Deputy Gill. He skirted around to the left before heading directly for the men in the forest. He was certain Cynthia could look after herself, but he wanted to be by her side to make sure she stayed safe. He didn’t want to take any chances. Not with his mate. But they had a job of their own to do. One that he could not fail.

His bear grumbled menacingly inside his head, but Hunter was not going to lose his cool. Cynthia could handle herself, she could keep out of danger. This was what she did, this was her job, just as it was his job to look after people and protect them.

We should be protecting her, his bear roared.

Not yet. If this is the police officer that the children were afraid of, then it would be great to get proof. Proof that could get him put away for a very long time. Proof that could stop him from abusing his power in the future.

But how did they know the children were here? Why were they coming for them now?

Cold dread filled Hunter. What if they already knew where they were? What if only the bear shifter had gotten away? What if the other children were captives, held deep in the forest where no one could find them?

Let’s take them down and ask questions later, his bear insisted.

I couldn’t agree more. Hunter saw the men through the trees, he could sense the children not too far away. He could not let the men find the children and harm them.

Time to break cover. He shifted into his bear and ran forward, toward Deputy Gill and the hunters. With a low growl, he made sure they saw and heard him. Then he turned around and ran, heading for Guy and Sheriff Cartwright who were close by.

The hunters called out, partly in shock, partly in excitement. A shot rang out, but it hit a tree ten feet to his right. They were not good shots.

But that didn’t mean he was safe. He had to keep a good distance between them, so he didn’t get himself shot, while also leading them toward Guy and Sheriff Cartwright. He changed the angle of his path through the trees so that Guy and the sheriff wouldn’t be in the direct line of fire from the hunters’ guns. Instead, his bear would pass around ten feet to the north of them, which would give them a chance to react.

“Hey, Deputy Gill. Drop your weapon!” The sheriff’s voice cut through the forest like a lumberjack’s well-sharpened axe cuts through a log.

Deputy Gill had other ideas and turned his weapon toward the sheriff. “Not happening.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” one of the hunters called out.

“He’s in a whole mess of trouble and your next actions will determine if you are in the same trouble,” Guy called out with authority.

“What he means is, put the guns down, boys,” Sheriff Cartwright’s demanding voice had the desired effect and the hunters lowered their weapons.

“We’re only here to track a bear. The deputy said it had been straying into people’s back yards and killing their pets.” Tanner sounded scared, as if he knew he was caught up in something bigger than he was led to believe. “Said it was only a matter of time until it killed a small child.”

“Thanks for your help, boys,” Sheriff Cartwright said. “But there have been no bear attacks reported as far as I’m aware.”

“Care to explain, Deputy?” Tanner asked.

“I spotted some bear tracks while on patrol. I was just following up. Making sure I do my job and keep people safe,” Deputy Gill sounded genuine, but they all knew he was lying.

“Keep people safe, or trying to cover your involvement in the child trafficking?” Sheriff Cartwright asked.

Deputy Gill had no answer. Instead, he turned and tried to run away, but Hunter was not going to let him escape. On silent paws, he skirted around the group of men until he stood behind Deputy Gill. Then he leaped on him and knocked him to the ground.

The hunted had become the hunter.

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Cynthia

The children were close, this nightmare would soon be over. For them, at least.

As for Cynthia, she wondered if she would ever get over the toll of the last couple of months. It had cost her both emotionally and physically.

She forced herself to concentrate on the present, instead of hiding in the past. She’d get over this. Her concern was whether the children she was about to encounter would. This whole episode must have taken a much bigger toll on them and their families.

“Ready?” Rob asked gently. “I’m certain when we get a little closer, they’ll know we’re here.”

She nodded. “I’m…” A gunshot ripped through the forest. “Hunter.”

“He’s okay,” Liam assured her. “I can sense him running through the forest.”

Cynthia let her breath out slowly, her knees weak at the thought of losing Hunter. Of losing the man she loved once more.

“We should go, the gunshot freaked the kids.” Rob ran forward and Cynthia followed close behind, with Angel next and Liam at the rear.

Cynthia’s mind raced as her heart hammered in her chest and she tried to stay on her feet and not trip over a tree root or get snagged up in the tree branches that seemed to reach out to her and drag her back, as if preventing her from reaching the children.

But nothing was going to stop her. It was time for this to come to an end once and for all.

With Hansel, or whoever he was, in custody, the child ring was gone, broken for good. She suspected Deputy Gill had been sent out here to tie up all the loose ends.

“The bear is running,” Rob called over his shoulder as he broke off and headed right.

“What about the others?” Cynthia asked.

“Straight ahead.” Angel took the lead and they ran on until they broke out into a small clearing, where two frightened children were standing ready to fight.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Cynthia told them. She put her hands up and tried to convey a non-threatening air. “We just want to help.”

“We don’t need help.” One of the children stepped forward, holding a thick branch in his hands as a weapon.

“Don’t you want to go home, Horatio?” Cynthia barely recognized the child from the photo given to her by Michaela. “Your mom has been looking for you. She knew you were alive. She called me when the trafficking ring was exposed, asking me to help find you.”

“Called you?” Horatio asked savagely. “So you are the police?”

“No.” Cynthia shook her head quickly. “I’m Cynthia Callaghan. I’m an investigative reporter…”

“The Cynthia Callaghan?” the other young boy asked.

“I’m afraid so.” She shrugged and then said, “I’m flattered that you’ve heard of me.”

“I saw your interview on YouTube. The one about slave labor.” He looked a little in awe, as if they were meeting at a signing event, not here in the middle of a forest. A forest that had been their home for weeks.

“Why didn’t you go home after you escaped?” Cynthia asked. “Why are you still here?”

“Because we don’t want to go home,” Horatio said firmly. “So go on, turn around and go away.” There was a hitch to his voice, as if he were fighting back tears.

“We can’t do that,” Cynthia said calmly. “We can’t leave you here.”

“Don’t you understand, we don’t want to go back home.” Horatio spat the words at her.

“What happened?” Cynthia asked, taking a step closer. “Did they threaten you?”

The young boy who had recognized Cynthia looked up at Horatio. He moistened his lips as if ready to speak, but Horatio shot him a sideways glance that changed his mind.

“Please, let me help you. If they threatened you or your families, we can keep you safe. The men behind this are in custody. Including the policeman. Deputy Gill, is that his name?” Cynthia asked.

“We don’t know his name,” the young boy said quietly, averting his eyes so he didn’t see the look Horatio shot him.

There was a rustling in the trees behind them and the two boys straightened up, their weapons raised as Hunter’s bear ran into the clearing. In an instant, he shifted into his human form. “Are you all okay?”

“How did you do that?” the younger boy asked. “How did you change back?”

“It’s easy when you know how.” Hunter came closer. “Your friend, he’s stuck, isn’t he?”

The boy’s face paled. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“The bear shifter.” Cynthia looked over her shoulder as the sound of someone else approaching reached them. “Here he is.”

Rob entered the clearing, carrying a juvenile bear who sat quietly in his arms. “We need to help him.”

Hunter ran forward and knelt beside the small bear as Rob placed him gently down on the ground. “He’s a little quiet.” Hunter ran his strong hands over the small bear cub. “And thin.”

“He’s been hunting for all of us,” Horatio said, coming over to the small bear cub. “Is he going to be all right?”

“He’s had a shock, that’s all.” Rob looked up at Hunter. “He can’t shift back to human form.”

“Then we’ll have to teach him.” Hunter gently cradled the young bear’s head in his hands and looked into his eyes. “We’re going to walk you through this. I’ll talk and Rob here will demonstrate.”

Rob got up. “I’ll shift into a bear just like you.”

“He did it without thinking. To protect us when we ran away.” The other boy stepped forward, away from the small hollow in the ground where another boy lay. Cynthia hunkered down to get a closer look.

“Hey there, are you okay?” She reached out and placed her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up.”

The young boy coughed and pushed himself up on one elbow. “I’ve got a cold,” he croaked.

“We need to get you somewhere warm and get you some medicine.” Cynthia reached under the small child’s body and cradled him to her.

“We have nowhere to go,” the young boy said. “That’s why we stayed here. If we go back, we’ll be split up.”

“You and your brother?” Cynthia asked gently as she stood up with the young boy in her arms.

He nodded. “That’s why we stayed here.”

“What if I promised I’d do anything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen?” Cynthia told the boy. “What’s your name?”

“Jake, and my brother is Greg.” He coughed again, his small body almost too frail to take the retching that followed.

“I promise. I’ll help you find a home.” She looked over her shoulder to where Rob stood as a bear. “Let’s join the others. Then I’ll call for backup. We have a doctor with us, he’ll be here as fast as he can.”

Cynthia carried Jake to the others and set him down next to Hunter. Then she sat down next to him on the cold forest floor and hugged him close, sandwiching him between herself and Hunter, hoping their combined body heat would keep them warm.

“That’s it, Greg. Focus on your human form.” The air around the bear shifter shimmered, the air filled with an electric current, and for a moment, the young bear faded away. However, instead of the human Greg reappearing, the bear came back.

“Here.” Cynthia passed Hunter her mobile phone. “There’s a photo of him on there.”

Hunter scrolled through her phone to find the image while Cynthia dialed Guy on the satellite phone. “We have them.”

“Great. Are they okay?” he asked with concern.

“Yes, but I don’t think they are strong enough to walk out of here.” Cynthia brushed the hair back from Jake’s face. “One of them is sick. We need Kit.”

“I’ll call him and send him to your coordinates,” Guy said quickly. “He can meet you where Hunter parked the truck and check him over. We can get them all to the hospital from there.”

“Thanks.” Cynthia ended the call quickly. The faster Kit got here, the better. “Kit is on his way.”

“Good.” Hunter gave her a brief smile and then turned his attention back to Greg, who was still in his shifter form. “Let’s try this one more time. Here is a photo of you.” Hunter turned the phone screen toward the young bear. “Visualize yourself as a human and then step into that body. Feel yourself as a human. Let go of the bear.”

The air shimmered once more, and a look of concentration came across the bear’s face as he slowly faded from the forest, leaving nothing in his place.

“Where’s he gone?” Jake asked anxiously, pushing himself to a sitting position. He gripped Hunter’s arm. “Where’s my brother?”

“Give it a moment.” Hunter put his arm around the young boy. “He’ll be back.”

They watched the empty space where the young bear had been lying on the ground. At first there was nothing and then a shadowy figure appeared, before it slowly became more solid, more real.

“Greg.” Jake leaned forward, reaching out to touch the young man who appeared before them.

“Jake,” Greg threw his arms around his younger brother and pulled him close, holding him so tightly Jake erupted into a fit of coughing.

“Let’s move,” Rob said. “I’ll carry Jake, are the rest of you able to walk?”

The three others nodded. “Thank you,” Greg said tearfully as he held his hands up and stared at them. “I thought I was stuck like that forever.”

“No, you just need to learn to control it. We all started off like that, unsure of ourselves.” Hunter stood up and helped Greg to his feet. “You should be proud of yourself, you kept the others alive.”

Greg ducked his head. “What else was I supposed to do? And it wasn’t just me. Horatio cooked the meat I brought back.”

“Not everyone would have done what you did.” Cynthia wanted Greg to understand that what he’d done had made the difference between life and death for the other children. “Hunter’s right. You should be proud of yourself. In the same way you should all be proud. You kept each other alive.”

She wanted to ask the question burning in her head, but Angel beat her to it. “Why didn’t you go home or at least get help?”

“They said they would hurt our families if we went home. They said the police would come. That there would be a fight and my mom would be killed and everyone would think it was an accident.” Horatio wiped a tear from his dirt-stained face. “When we had the chance to escape, we nearly didn’t. But Greg said they were going to kill us. So we ran.”

“My brother has very good hearing,” Jake said quietly.

“That’s his shifter genes,” Rob told the young boy he was carrying.

“Is my mom okay?” Horatio asked.

Cynthia nodded. “She is. Do you want to talk to her?”

Horatio swallowed down his tears and nodded. “More than anything I want to hear her voice.”

“We can call her.” Cynthia tapped Hunter on the shoulder. “Do you still have my cell phone?”

“Sure.” He handed it over. “There’s still no signal this deep in the forest.”

“I know, I just need Michaela’s number. Then I can call her on the satellite phone.” Cynthia quickly scrolled through her cell phone menu until she found Michaela’s number. “It might be a little early in the morning, but let’s see if she’s awake.”

Cynthia tapped the number into the satellite phone and then held it to her ear, waiting for an answer. She wanted to give Michaela some kind of warning rather than just hand the phone over to Horatio. If she answered. The phone rang and rang, then suddenly a breathless Michaela answered. “Hello. Who is this?”

“Michaela. It’s Cynthia. Cynthia Callaghan.” Of course, she was making the call from an unknown number. Michaela was right to be suspicious.

“Cynthia. Is everything all right?” There was hope mixed with fear in her voice. “You have news.”

“I have something even better than news.” Cynthia’s voice shook as she handed the phone to Horatio.

“Mom.” Horatio’s voice was answered by a wail from his mom. “Mom, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“I thought you were dead. Deep down, even though I searched for you, I thought you were dead.” Michaela sobbed down the phone. “I want to hold you in my arms and make sure you’re real.”

“I love you, Mom.” Horatio broke down in tears, big heavy sobs as he told Michaela he was sorry.

“It’s not your fault,” Michaela said. “None of this is your fault.”

“She’s right,” Cynthia said gently. “This is not your fault. Bad people did this to you, and you dealt with it in the best way you know how.”

“Can I talk to Cynthia?” Michaela asked her son. “I want to find out where you are so I can come and meet you.”

“Bye, Mom. I love you.” Horatio handed the satellite phone to Cynthia, then turned away, hiding his face as he scrubbed away his tears.

“Thank you.” Michaela broke down in tears, her voice a strangled sob.

“You don’t have to thank me, Michaela. It was you who kept pushing, you who never gave up hope.”

“I wanted to say I’m sorry. For blaming you for Horatio’s disappearance from the farmhouse. You’re right, this is no one’s fault but the people who took him. No one’s.” She paused. “Is he okay?”

“I think so. We need to get him checked over by a doctor, he and the other children have lost a lot of weight.” Cynthia placed her hand on Horatio’s shoulder. “As soon as I know where they’re sending the boys, I’ll call you.”

“Boys? Horatio wasn’t alone?” Michaela asked with relief.

“No, he was with three other boys, they kept each other alive.” Cynthia followed Horatio as he walked behind Rob who was carrying Jake.

“Have you told their parents yet?” Michaela asked.

“You’re the first. I’ll call Joey’s mom next. But the other two children, brothers, they don’t have any parents. They were living rough on the streets when they were picked up.”

“Homeless children?” Michaela asked incredulously.

“They didn’t want to be split up in foster care, so they ran away.” Cynthia reminded herself of her promise to help them stay together.

“You know it’s just me and Horatio. I always wanted more children…” Michaela didn’t finish her sentence.

“Give yourself some time, Michaela. You and Horatio need to come to terms with what’s happened.” Cynthia would love Michaela to foster Greg and Jake. But they were going to need a foster home that understood about shifters. “I have to go.”

“Goodbye, Cynthia. And thank you again. Thank you.” The call ended and Cynthia slowed her pace, wiping her eyes as unshed tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Are you okay?” Hunter approached from behind, carrying the backpacks.

“Yes.” She nodded. “This is finally over.”

“The boys will be all right, with some time and love.” Hunter put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her around to face him. “I heard you promise Jake that he and Greg wouldn’t be separated.”

“I had to. After all, they’ve been through, I had to. I have to.” Her firm expression told Hunter there was no room for argument, but he wasn’t going to give her one.

“I agree. And if that means we foster them until something more permanent comes up, then I’m all for it.” He grinned at her surprised face. “A houseful of kids. Every shifter’s dream.”

“And there was me thinking I was this shifter’s dream.” She placed her hands on his chest and stood on tiptoes to kiss him.

“You are my dream. You are my reality. And our future together is going to be filled with ups and downs, good times and bad. But we’ll face all of it together.” He slid his hand over her shoulder and up to the nape of her neck. He rubbed his thumb over her sensitive flesh, sending a shiver down her spine.

“I like the sound of that. I was afraid you were going to try to sell me a future where we all lived happily ever after.” She tilted her head to one side. “And I don’t think I’m ready to believe in that just yet.”

“Oh, we’ll have a happy ever after. That is our destination. But the road we take to get there… I suggest we take the scenic route and take in all the hills and valleys, the sunshine and the rain.” He kissed her lips, and tendrils of desire unfurled deep inside her.

“I want to take that journey with you.” She took a step back from him, aware that they had to catch up with the others but needing to say something first. Something important. “I love you, Hunter. I didn’t think I would… I didn’t think I could. Not so fast. But I do. And I want to spend the rest of my life’s journey with you by my side.”

“I love you, Cynthia. From the first moment we met.” He took her hand and they turned to follow the others. “Fate led us here.”

“I think it did,” she agreed. Cynthia didn’t know exactly what forces led them here to the forest. It might be fate, it might be luck. But whatever it was, she was certain this chapter of her life was over and a new one was about to begin.

Epilogue

“And how did you enjoy the renaissance faire?” Cynthia asked Jake, who was dressed up in a fabulous costume. He looked every inch a knight in shining armor.

“It was so fun. I had a sword fight with the black knight.” He beamed as he held his sword aloft. Cynthia’s heart swelled with pride and happiness at the joy and excitement on his face.

“Did you win?” Cynthia asked.

“I did with the help of my brother, Greg.”

“And a little help from Horatio,” Greg added excitedly.

“Who is soon to be our brother too.” Jake looked across to where Michaela and Horatio were playing a game of horseshoes.

“It’s so good to see you happy,” Cynthia beamed as she switched off her microphone. This was her first assignment for Bear Creek News, and it felt good to be reporting on such a wonderful event. It was even better to see all the boys who had endured so much together, here, and happy.

“I just wanted to thank you again,” Joey’s mom, Lisa, said as she watched the boys run off together towards Horatio and Michaela.

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s enough to see them all here and all happy and to know that the man behind the child trafficking ring is finally behind bars.” Cynthia put her microphone in her pocket.

“And you? How is your new life here in Bear Creek?” Lisa asked.

“Good. I’m happy, the children are happy.” She smoothed her hand over her stomach. “And although this isn’t national news yet, I’m pregnant.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Lisa looked up as Hunter approached. “Congratulations to both of you.”

Hunter slipped his arm around Cynthia’s shoulders. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Cynthia leaned against her mate. “You might change your mind when you have to change diapers and get up in the middle of the night.”

“I can’t wait,” Hunter kissed her cheek.

“I should go and catch up with the boys.” Lisa backed away. “You will make amazing parents.”

“Thanks,” Cynthia watched her go and then turned around to face Hunter. “You already are an amazing dad.”

“And you are an amazing mom. And an amazing woman.” He pulled her close, hugging her tight. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”

“Maybe once or twice.” She lifted her head and kissed his lips.

“No kissing, Mommy, you are working.” Thomas and Laurel ran over to join them.

“Maybe a family hug then.” She held out her arms and the children joined them in a family hug. For once she was content, with no need to save the world. Cynthia was ready to embrace motherhood, at least for now.

But if ever someone needed her help. She would be there. But right now, she was happy to be there for her children and Hunter. The future was exciting. And she was ready to embrace it, knowing she had a wonderful man by her side.

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Other Books By Harmony Raines

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READING ORDER FOR

Bear Creek Clan and Bear Bluff Clan

Complete Box Set

Or available individually
suggested reading order

(each can be read as a standalone
but why not start at the beginning and get to know all of the characters?)

Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book One)

Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Two)

Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Three)

Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Four)

Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book Five)

Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book One)

Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book Two)

Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Three)

A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Six)

Home Or Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Four)

Fated To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Five)

Lonely Bear (Bear Bluff Book Six)

Wolf Valley Raiders

Complete Box Set Out Now!

Or available individually
suggested reading order

Redeem the Wolf

To Catch A Wolf

Reclaim the Wolf

Awakening the Alpha

Biker Bears

Forbidden Bear

Secret Bear

Christmas Bear Brothers

Complete Box Set Now Available

Or available individually
suggested reading order

Santa Paws

Christmas Catastrophe

Bear Humbug

Fated and Mated

Love at First Site

Her Scars To Bear

Her Choice To Bear

Her Russian Bear

Who’s the Daddy?

Complete Box Set Available

Or available individually
suggested reading order

One Bear and a Baby

Her Bear and a Baby

Second Chance Bear and a Baby

Baby Protector Bear

Return to Bear Bluff

Complete Box Set Available

Or available individually
suggested reading order

The Bear is Back in Town

His Bear’s Necessity

Black Bear Down

Who Bears Wins

When Bears Collide

Wish Upon A Bear

Cowboy Brother Bears

Complete Box Set Available

Cowboy Bear Blues

Cowboy Bear’s Mate

Cowboy Bear’s Fate

Return to Bear Creek

Daddy Bear

Mountain Bear

Honey Bear

Forever Bear

Storm Bear

Silverback Dragon

P.I. Bear

Doctor Daddy Bear

Bad Boy Bear

Silverback Bear

Ranger Bear

Christmas Bear

Hero Bear

Undercover Eagle

Single Daddy Dragon

Secret Baby Bear

Silverback Wolf

Awakened Dragon

Treasure Bear

Silverback History Bear

River Run Wolf

Silverbacks and Second Chances

Cursed Bear

Lucky Bear

Fated Bear

Song Bear

Blind Date Bear

Christmas Bears

Sleighed

Claused

Wrapped

Hero Mine

Bear my Fate (Hero Mine Prequel Book 0)

Hero Mine - Kurt

Bear Bait (Hero Mine Book 1)

Shifters Prime Sleeping Lions

Complete Box Set Now Available

Living a Lion

Freeing a Lion

Fighting a Lion

Chosen by the Karal

Complete Box Set

Or available individually

Deceit

Love

Power

Hunger

Devotion

Warriors of Karal

Stranded

Found

Taken

Hunted

Allies

Sci-Fi Romance

The Princess and her Alien Rogue

The Princess and her Bounty Hunter

The Dualis

(Mate of the Cave Bear)

Found (Book One)

Lost (Book Two)

Return (Book Three)

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