Page 39 of Scarred Resolve

The sun was still up when we landed in Fairbanks. On the flight, Niko and Davor reminded me that this was going to be difficult to adjust to. There were only a few hours when the sun was considered down, with sunsets near midnight and sunrises around three in the morning. I just glanced at the times to get an idea.

“We’re hunting during the light, no way around it,” I said, actually grateful for it.

“I think the cover of the dark would have been nice, but oh well,” Niko said as he threw his bag over his shoulder.

I knew Niko didn’t hold on to the events from the Black Forest the way I was. If he was thinking about the unnatural night we had dealt with while Rainer was hunting for him with Dirk as his bait, it wasn’t bothering him at all. I could still remember the moment the sunrise washed over Landon and me, everything I hoped and dreamed for as we fought for our lives.

I was glad for this unusual daytime. It was at least natural, and it was light. I would take light over endless, creeping shadows any day.

We didn’t have to rent a vehicle yet because right as we landed, I could identify the BSA agents who knew we were on our way. I had sent word through Beth that we wanted to see everything they had cleaned up from the campsite. It was easy enough to coordinate in two days.

“Agents. You’re going to be our ride, right?” I looked over the two men, each wearing the crisp suits that most agents did when they had something work-related going on.

“We are…” One looked at Davor.

“He’s here to help Niko and me,” I explained, aiming for happy and bright. “That’s really all you need to know.”

“Miss Leon?—”

“That’s all you need to know, agent,” I repeated calmly. They looked at each other, and I could see them wondering if they would get promoted or a raise if they dug into who our mysterious friend was. It would at least give them a better evaluation when that time of year came around. They had to decide if those potential benefits meant making a stink with me, though. I couldn’t read their minds, and their scents weren’t proving useful, so we would all have to wait and see.

“All right. Come with us. We shouldn’t be out here for too long. There are half a dozen werewolves working at the airport.”

“There always are,” Niko muttered with a chuckle.

Davor trailed us quietly, his shoulders slumped as he tried to be smaller. He wasn’t much shorter than Niko, whose wiry, lanky, rockstar-like frame made him feel taller than he was. He was just about six feet, only a little taller than Davor, but that lanky frame compared to Davor’s more proportional one made it seem more different than it was. Davor’s shrinking was accompanied by the scent of cautiousness. He didn’t like where we were, so I picked up the pace once I saw the large SUV they brought, wanting to get Davor out of the public area.

“How far are we?” I asked as I tossed my things into the back and helped Niko arrange everything so it would fit.

“Ten minutes.”

“Great.” The sooner we were done in Fairbanks, the sooner we could get on the trail properly. I had to sit in the middle of the backseat and was grateful neither of the guys was as big as Jabari or Hasan, or even Landon and Dirk. It still wasn’t comfortable, but that’s what I got for not sending word there would be three of us. It was also the fault of the BSA, thinking only Niko and I would be coming without attempting to confirm that.

Assumptions and all that. There’s a saying about this about being assholes. It’s only for ten minutes… until we have to come back.

Once we arrived, we were quickly escorted inside and taken to a storage room. The agents signed their names and added a list of us—Jacky Leon, Niko Brandt, and unidentified. I barely listened to the agents explain to Niko where we were going, what was kept there, and why. I knew when a door opened that we had reached the room with everything from the campsite.

I always forget how much someone can bleed…

“We’ve been trying to be careful about handling it since we know you have the need to get the right scents from?—”

“What we’re looking for, you wouldn’t be able to mask, but thank you for that consideration,” Niko said, heading inside first. I let Davor through next, waiting a second before I looked at the agents.

“Turn off all recording and listening devices in the room if you don’t want them broken.”

I stepped inside, leaving them with that. Niko was staring at the first table while Davor pulled out that tiny laptop and a small box. He hit a button on the box, causing it to emit a weird white noise that gave me the urge to shake my head.

“That’s to ruin their audio capture,” Davor explained in the softest whisper, barely audible over the white noise.

“And the laptop is for?” I kept my volume matching his.

“Just note-taking,” he said as he looked at the same things Niko was.

Before we could really get into it, an agent threw the door open.

“Turn that blasted thing off,” the older gentleman snapped as he marched in. He reached for it, and Davor grabbed his wrist, holding it with ease.

“Then turn off the surveillance.” Davor was calm, but I saw his werecat eyes now, the light green seen in a lot of house cats. “And don’t touch my things.”

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