Page 35 of Secretary's Obsession

They stayed silent as they used their scent to head back to where the car was. Only when they got there, the car was gone.

Scott’s demon roared, and the branches of the surrounding trees shook violently.Motherfucker.

Their combined distress engulfed them, and the demon headed in the opposite direction from which they’d come.We’re going to end up going in circles.

No, my instincts say we need to check everywhere before we leave this forest.

The force with which his demon spoke left Scott speechless.

Unsure how long they trampled through the dense trees, they came to a halt and their heart skipped a couple of beats.

Can you smell that?

George!

It was faint, but it was there. His demon closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.I can’t scent blood or death.

Never had those words meant so much, Scott worked to control the urge to sob.See, I was right, he’s just lost track of time having fun in his bear form.

He sensed his demon wanted to argue, but for the first time, he refrained.

Come on, we need to find him.

They took off slower than Scott would have liked, but the scent veered off and was mixed with another less familiar scent that Scott knew was Dougal’s.

“What’s got you clambering around these woods in the dark?” asked Dougal. Scott couldn’t actually pinpoint where the voice came from until Dougal stepped out from behind a huge tree. His clothes blended with the foliage, so only the whites of his eyes were obvious.

“George, where is he?” his demon demanded impatiently.

The white disappeared, and Scott fought his demon to take control.Where did he go?

How the fuck do I know,his demon fired back.

Then the white was back. “George left hours ago. I can’t sense him in the forest. He’s not here.”

They deflated, their knees buckled, and they crashed to the ground, wailing, “Georgeeeee.”

“Stop that caterwauling, it won’t do anyone any good.”

His demon was quicker to recover, just. “Sorry. I can’t sense George. It’s like he’s disappeared off the face of the realm.”

Dougal’s coat brushed the side of their arm as he hooked a hand under his. “Get up, we need to go get Dakata so he can summon Merihem. We’re gonna need them all.”

“For what?” they asked together as Dougal hauled them up.

“To get him out of the clutches of his family, ‘cause they’ll be the only ones who’d have taken him,” he said, sounding way to matter-of-fact for Scott.

“You know who his family is?” The hurt left a bitter taste in Scott’s mouth.

“Yes.” He patted their arm. “Now, don’t go getting your demon in a twist, he only told me when he’d had a little too much of my homemade brew. That could make the devil confess after two cups.”

How Dougal could see where they were going, Scott didn’t know and didn’t care. When Dakata and Silas’s house came into view, all he could think about was how Merihem had the skill to locate anyone.

Only if they’re alive.

Why the hell did you have to say that?The sliver of hope that came with thoughts of help fled. All Scott could think about was how, in a few minutes, his life could be over. Because one thing was for sure, if George was dead, then Scott didn’t want to live without him.

Chapter Twenty

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