Eve waited, holding her breath, as Arec listened to Michael on the other end of the phone. Arec listened, then looked at Eve and nodded. “He found them?” she asked, hurrying to his side. Arec moved the phone away from his mouth and told her, “He has their trail.” Eve put her hand over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. She hurried to the couch and sat down. As she waited for Arec to finish his conversation with his brother, she leaned forward with her hands clasped so tightly that her fingers turned white. After Arec hung up the phone, he looked at Eve and said, “He’s going to track them and call back when he has more information.”“Do you think it will take long?” she asked, her brows drawn upward in concern. “I’m not sure,” Arec told her, walking to the couch to sit beside her. “Michael is an excellent tracker, so I don’t think he’ll lose their scent.” He reached over to unclasp her hands and held her hands in his. “Linda’s going to be okay,” he told her. “How do
When Eve met with Arec in the gym, she had changed into her workout leggings and tank top. She saw he had put on an old t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts and had spread the gym mats across the floor in preparation for their session. He was already warming up for their session and grinned as he spotted her. “Ready to warm up?” he asked her, leaning with his hands pressed against the wall to stretch his legs. She nodded, stretching her arms and shoulders as she walked toward him, and said, “Let’s do this.” Squatting, she moved from side to side to stretch her leg muscles. She stretched her legs out before standing. Arec stood from the wall and stretched his arms before jerking his head toward the center of the room. She nodded once. They walked to the center of the room and faced each other. Arec crouched into a fighting position and nodded at her. “Aren’t you going to transform first?” she asked, frowning as she waited for him to do so. He shook his head and said, “Not to warm
“What?” Arec asked, scrambling to his feet. “You mean to tell me Michael lost Craig and Linda’s trail?” Bella nodded, not looking up as a tear falling from her eye and rolling down her cheek. “He’s still out there, looking for them,” she said, “but he lost it on the other side of the creek.” “Damn it!” Arec swore, hitting the palm of his hand with his fist. “I knew we shouldn’t have left,” Eve said, scowling at him. “We should have stayed to help him search.” Arec walked over to Eve and put his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged it off, glaring at him. “I wanted to stay to help, but you told me Michael would be able to find Craig’s trail,” she said. “Now look what happened. Linda’s out somewhere with Craig, and we don’t know where they are.” Arec reached for her again, but she stepped out of his reach. “You should have let me stay,” she told him before stalking out of the room. Arec started to go after her, but Bella held him back. “What are you doing?” he asked his
Eve ran down the road, occasionally looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. She retraced the route back to the creek where Michael had lost the trail. Checking over her shoulder again to see if anyone had followed her, she crouched beside the creek, looking at the bank. “I don’t know if I’ll find anything,” she muttered. “It’s been searched by Michael, but I’ll look again for Linda’s sake.”She looked at the dirt and vegetation beside the creek and frowned. “How am I supposed to know what I’m looking for?” she muttered. Several indentations in the mud at the water’s edge that looked like footprints caught her eye. “These might belong to Craig,” she said, tilting her head to study them, then frowned. “Or they might be Michael’s.” Standing, she looked up and down the creek, then closed her eyes, trying to picture the scene. “I doubt Linda went willingly,” she muttered as she thought about what had happened. “So, she’d be struggling.” Eve opened her ey
Arec and Eve followed the trail through the trees. Arec pointed out the signs of someone crossing through the area as they went. Eve nodded as he did and continued to look for signs that Craig had taken Linda this way or that Michael had been there. They reached a small clearing in the trees, and Arec stopped. “What is it?” Eve asked, stopping behind him. “Did you find something? Did you smell something? Is it Linda?”Arec remained silent but held up his hand to quiet her questions. He scanned the clearing before nodding and waving her forward. She moved behind him as he crept forward. “What’s that?” she whispered, nodding toward a rustling noise to her left. Arec turned toward the noise, ready to defend them, when he relaxed and called out, “Come out, Michael. You’re scaring Eve.” “I’m not scared,” Eve protested as Michael exited the bushes. Arec greeted his brother before stepping aside to let him approach Eve. Michael walked toward her with an uncertain look on his face. Ev
While Arec and Eve waited for Michael to return, they looked around for a comfortable place to spend the night. “Do we really have to spend the night in the woods tonight?” Eve asked after a few minutes of searching for a spot.Arec looked at her and frowned as he nodded. “This will be our best chance to find Linda,” he told her. “We’ll be close enough to find her and get her away from Craig.”“When you put it like that, it makes sense,” Eve said. “I just don’t have much experience sleeping outside.”“You’ve never been camping?” he asked her, his eyes wide.She shook her head and said, “My family’s idea of roughing it was when the internet went out, and we had to read books.”Arec chuckled and shook his head.“Well, we’ll try to make it as comfortable for you as much as we can,” he said. “But I can’t guarantee you’ll like it.” Eve looked at him and smiled weakly. “I’ll be okay for tonight,” she told him before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him. “As long as I hav
Eve stared at Craig as he walked out of the house’s back door and scanned the trees. She shrunk back before realizing they were deep in the trees and doubted he could see them. “He’s not able to smell us, is he?” she whispered to Arec as the thought hit her. Arec shook his head, not taking his gaze from Craig, who finally nodded and walked back into the house.“Now that we know he’s in that house, that must mean Linda’s inside too, right?” Eve asked, not taking her eyes from the door Craig had used to go inside the house.“Most likely,” Michael said, nodding once. “I did catch her scent around, though it was faint.”“I wonder if he’s keeping her in a basement room or something,” Arec mused, scratching his chin.“That’s possible,” Michael said, looking at the house. “It does look like the basement windows are blocked, at least on this side.”“So, what’s the plan?” Eve asked, finally tearing her gaze from the house to look at the brothers.“Let’s move around the house, keeping as out
Eve looked at the clock on the wall behind the desk for the fifth time before looking at the immaculately dressed blonde woman sitting behind it. She cleared her throat, but the woman continued to ignore her.“Excuse me,” Eve finally said, tapping on the desk with her nails. “My name is Eve Rolands, and I need some information.” The woman slowly looked up from the papers she’d been reading to look at her. A faint sneer crossed her face as she looked Eve over before composing her face back into the bored look she’d been wearing. Eve briefly wondered if putting her long dark hair in a bun looked too matronly before mentally shaking her head. She knew she looked good in her blue jacket with the matching skirt and heels. Her upswept hair showed off her simple but tasteful necklace and earrings. Looking down her nose at Eve, the woman asked in an equally bored voice, “How can I help you?” Eve flushed but didn’t let any other sign of embarrassment show. Tugging at the hem of her jacke
Eve stared at Craig as he walked out of the house’s back door and scanned the trees. She shrunk back before realizing they were deep in the trees and doubted he could see them. “He’s not able to smell us, is he?” she whispered to Arec as the thought hit her. Arec shook his head, not taking his gaze from Craig, who finally nodded and walked back into the house.“Now that we know he’s in that house, that must mean Linda’s inside too, right?” Eve asked, not taking her eyes from the door Craig had used to go inside the house.“Most likely,” Michael said, nodding once. “I did catch her scent around, though it was faint.”“I wonder if he’s keeping her in a basement room or something,” Arec mused, scratching his chin.“That’s possible,” Michael said, looking at the house. “It does look like the basement windows are blocked, at least on this side.”“So, what’s the plan?” Eve asked, finally tearing her gaze from the house to look at the brothers.“Let’s move around the house, keeping as out
While Arec and Eve waited for Michael to return, they looked around for a comfortable place to spend the night. “Do we really have to spend the night in the woods tonight?” Eve asked after a few minutes of searching for a spot.Arec looked at her and frowned as he nodded. “This will be our best chance to find Linda,” he told her. “We’ll be close enough to find her and get her away from Craig.”“When you put it like that, it makes sense,” Eve said. “I just don’t have much experience sleeping outside.”“You’ve never been camping?” he asked her, his eyes wide.She shook her head and said, “My family’s idea of roughing it was when the internet went out, and we had to read books.”Arec chuckled and shook his head.“Well, we’ll try to make it as comfortable for you as much as we can,” he said. “But I can’t guarantee you’ll like it.” Eve looked at him and smiled weakly. “I’ll be okay for tonight,” she told him before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him. “As long as I hav
Arec and Eve followed the trail through the trees. Arec pointed out the signs of someone crossing through the area as they went. Eve nodded as he did and continued to look for signs that Craig had taken Linda this way or that Michael had been there. They reached a small clearing in the trees, and Arec stopped. “What is it?” Eve asked, stopping behind him. “Did you find something? Did you smell something? Is it Linda?”Arec remained silent but held up his hand to quiet her questions. He scanned the clearing before nodding and waving her forward. She moved behind him as he crept forward. “What’s that?” she whispered, nodding toward a rustling noise to her left. Arec turned toward the noise, ready to defend them, when he relaxed and called out, “Come out, Michael. You’re scaring Eve.” “I’m not scared,” Eve protested as Michael exited the bushes. Arec greeted his brother before stepping aside to let him approach Eve. Michael walked toward her with an uncertain look on his face. Ev
Eve ran down the road, occasionally looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. She retraced the route back to the creek where Michael had lost the trail. Checking over her shoulder again to see if anyone had followed her, she crouched beside the creek, looking at the bank. “I don’t know if I’ll find anything,” she muttered. “It’s been searched by Michael, but I’ll look again for Linda’s sake.”She looked at the dirt and vegetation beside the creek and frowned. “How am I supposed to know what I’m looking for?” she muttered. Several indentations in the mud at the water’s edge that looked like footprints caught her eye. “These might belong to Craig,” she said, tilting her head to study them, then frowned. “Or they might be Michael’s.” Standing, she looked up and down the creek, then closed her eyes, trying to picture the scene. “I doubt Linda went willingly,” she muttered as she thought about what had happened. “So, she’d be struggling.” Eve opened her ey
“What?” Arec asked, scrambling to his feet. “You mean to tell me Michael lost Craig and Linda’s trail?” Bella nodded, not looking up as a tear falling from her eye and rolling down her cheek. “He’s still out there, looking for them,” she said, “but he lost it on the other side of the creek.” “Damn it!” Arec swore, hitting the palm of his hand with his fist. “I knew we shouldn’t have left,” Eve said, scowling at him. “We should have stayed to help him search.” Arec walked over to Eve and put his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged it off, glaring at him. “I wanted to stay to help, but you told me Michael would be able to find Craig’s trail,” she said. “Now look what happened. Linda’s out somewhere with Craig, and we don’t know where they are.” Arec reached for her again, but she stepped out of his reach. “You should have let me stay,” she told him before stalking out of the room. Arec started to go after her, but Bella held him back. “What are you doing?” he asked his
When Eve met with Arec in the gym, she had changed into her workout leggings and tank top. She saw he had put on an old t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts and had spread the gym mats across the floor in preparation for their session. He was already warming up for their session and grinned as he spotted her. “Ready to warm up?” he asked her, leaning with his hands pressed against the wall to stretch his legs. She nodded, stretching her arms and shoulders as she walked toward him, and said, “Let’s do this.” Squatting, she moved from side to side to stretch her leg muscles. She stretched her legs out before standing. Arec stood from the wall and stretched his arms before jerking his head toward the center of the room. She nodded once. They walked to the center of the room and faced each other. Arec crouched into a fighting position and nodded at her. “Aren’t you going to transform first?” she asked, frowning as she waited for him to do so. He shook his head and said, “Not to warm
Eve waited, holding her breath, as Arec listened to Michael on the other end of the phone. Arec listened, then looked at Eve and nodded. “He found them?” she asked, hurrying to his side. Arec moved the phone away from his mouth and told her, “He has their trail.” Eve put her hand over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. She hurried to the couch and sat down. As she waited for Arec to finish his conversation with his brother, she leaned forward with her hands clasped so tightly that her fingers turned white. After Arec hung up the phone, he looked at Eve and said, “He’s going to track them and call back when he has more information.”“Do you think it will take long?” she asked, her brows drawn upward in concern. “I’m not sure,” Arec told her, walking to the couch to sit beside her. “Michael is an excellent tracker, so I don’t think he’ll lose their scent.” He reached over to unclasp her hands and held her hands in his. “Linda’s going to be okay,” he told her. “How do
Eve gasped as Arec made the suggestion that Linda had been abducted. “Do you really think someone took her?” she asked. Arec and Michael sniffed the air before looking at each other and nodding. “What is it?” Eve asked, looking at them. “What do you smell?” She inhaled, then shook her head. “I don’t smell anything,” she said. “That’s because your senses are dulled when you’re not in your wolf form,” Arec told her. “Whereas we can still access our Lycan senses when we’re not in that form,” Michael said. “So, what are you smelling?” she asked. Arec and Michael glanced at each other again before Arec said, “We smell Craig.” “What?” Eve cried. “You think he has Linda?” Arec looked at Michael before nodding. “His stench is all over Linda’s car,” he said. Eve ground her teeth, and her hands balled into fists. Her eyes narrowed as she sniffed the air. She shook her head before she said, “I can’t smell anything, but I will find him and make him give Linda back!” “You
“So, how was your day with Linda?” Arec asked when Eve returned to the house, carrying her purchases inside. “It was nice to see her again,” Eve told him, smiling as she set the bags down. “You look like you had a good time,” he told her, grinning and nodding toward her shopping bags. Her smile widened into a grin as she waved toward the bags. “I think we bought out the entire shopping area,” she said. “At least, it felt like it.” Arec smiled and shook his head. “Should I even check the bank account?” he asked. Giggling, Eve shook her head and said, “It’s probably best that you don’t.” “Then, I won’t,” he said before picking up some of the bags in his left hand while holding out his right arm for her to grasp. She picked up the rest of the bags and slid her arm through his. They walked out of the living room toward the staircase. When they reached her room, she dropped her bags and dug her phone out of her purse. “Let me text Linda and tell her I made it home safe,”