Page 56 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

“You can.It’s not too late,” she replied in a low voice.

“I’m not so sure it isn’t.If only....”

His voice faded and he looked back over the valley.He had almost broken a sacred promise.The more he was with Tracy, the more he wanted to share.It was making him reckless.

“How long do you think Van and Peterson will be gone?”he asked.

Tracy looked up at the sky.A scattering of stars could be seen mixed within dark spaces.The last colors of the day were fading on the horizon.

“A few hours.Why don’t I make us some dinner?I don’t know about you, but the crackers I had for lunch are long gone,” she suggested.

“Sounds good.Thank you.After that, it would be best if we take turns keeping watch.If you take the first watch, I’ll get some rest.You can wake me when Van and Peterson return.I will take over then,” he said.

She nodded.“Sounds good.”

They retraced their steps.He picked out a meal while Tracy heated the water with her small burner and propane tank.They worked in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they prepared the meal, then ate.

After their simple meal of vegan stew and crackers, he retrieved the toiletry items he had packed.He walked along the ridge several hundred feet before he stopped, brushed his teeth, relieved himself, and washed up with the small towelette that Tracy had given him.

Refreshed, he headed back to camp.Tracy gave him a rueful smile when he raised an eyebrow at the small fire she had built.She did a good job using the stones she had gathered while he was gone to shield it.

“I hope you don’t mind.It was getting chilly.I figured between the elevation, wind, and the dryness of the wood, we should be okay,” she said.

“I don’t mind.You did a good job protecting it.I didn’t even notice it until I was a few feet away.”

“Get some rest.I’ll keep an eye on things and let you know when the guys return,” she said.

He hesitated before nodding.While he had made the suggestion, guilt pulled at him for resting while she stayed awake.He knew she had to be as exhausted as he was.Neither one of them had gotten much sleep the night before.

He climbed into the tent and laid down on the sleeping pad.Pulling the quilt over his body, he rolled onto his side so he could stare out the screen at her.The memories of holding and loving her last night filled his mind.Their coming together had been mind-blowing and had affected him on a level that rocked his world.

There had been one point when they were coming together that he could see tiny glowing threads of silver connecting them to each other.He knew it had to be his imagination.Mystical, magical bonds weren’t real.

Were they?

Doubt ran through his mind.Was it possible that something magical had happened between them?He thought of the scroll that Cyrus had shown him years ago.There had been a line written at the bottom.He hadn’t understood what it meant.He still wasn’t sure, but he had never forgotten it.

When the two halves of the Earth meet and accept each other, harmony will grow from the seeds of acceptance and nurture a new world of peace where once enemies thrived.

Were the two halves of the Earth humans and shifters?He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of the tent.Fatigue pulled at him.He tried to remember who had written the saying, but his exhausted brain couldn’t pull the name from the deep recesses of his memory.

It was strange that he remembered the saying after all these years.He would have to remember to ask Cyrus about it when they arrived.The peacefulness of the trees creaking in the wind, the occasional snap of wood from the fire, and his exhaustion from not getting enough rest the night before finally lured him into a light slumber.

Chapter14

“Morning.”

Mitchell nodded to Peterson as he rolled out of his tent and stretched with a low groan.Peterson scratched his belly and looked around.Tracy was boiling water for their drinks and had laid out a selection of breakfast bars.From the glum expression on Peterson’s face, he wasn’t overly enthusiastic about their morning meal.

“Coffee?”Peterson asked with a hopeful expression.

“Almost ready,” Tracy responded.

“Did you find anything last night?”Mitchell asked.

Peterson shook his head.“No, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there.”

Mitchell nodded.“It could have been my imagination.”

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