Page 83 of Fae Devoted
She sniffed the air, strained her eyesight and hearing. All clear. Bending at the knees and forward at the waist, she walked in an exaggerated hunch to Jeremiah’s version of a heads-up. Squatting on her heels, she frowned and studied a narrow strip of soft ground a few yards in front of the marked tree that she didn’t see until almost on top of it.
How did I miss this?
Adjusting her rifle, she stole to the edge of the dirt trail. Large paw prints, which could never be mistaken for a dog or gray wolf, littered the trodden path in both directions as if Jacob’s brother had paced its length. She touched one of the partial impressions, the imprint preserved in dry soil. This wasn’t the first time Jeremiah had been there. It rained two days ago, so recently at that.
Johnnie swept the terrain again. Still trees and more trees and…wait. Her gaze tripped over a section of scenery just beyond the forest trail.
Something wasn’t right.
She squinted, and the landscape changed. Her eyes watering, Johnnie struggled to make out what was on the other side of the path, the image distorted as if her lids were smeared with oil.
Was that a…barn?
She sucked in a gasp and dropped to her stomach, landing on her elbows with her torso laid across the width of the trail. Her scalp prickled, and the familiar silken slick of Anwyll magic dashed her hopes of going unseen. She blinked, and the barn became clear, along with a farmhouse, outbuildings, and short fence that looked like wood but felt like iron, even from a distance. Oh, and running soldiers. Lots of running soldiers armed to the teeth, their automatic weapons pointed at her.
Obeying the shouted order, she tossed away her hunting rifle and placed her hands over the back of her head.
Looks like I’ll need forgiving sooner than expected.
Chapter 25
Jacob, it’s meagain. I’m still following Jeremiah. He’s gotten off the interstate and is heading west on a two-lane highway. I think it’s…M-28. He’s still driving the same rental that Mater Russo told us about, the gray Tahoe, and…yes, it’s definitely M-28. I just saw a street sign.
Oh, and don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Really. I’ve stayed far enough behind Jeremiah that he shouldn’t notice me, but if he does, I’ll turn around and come back.
Okay, okay. Of course you’re gonna worry, but just…don’t worry too much. And tell the Alpha not to worry either. I’m fine. Ugh, I said that already, didn’t I?
But Jacob, try to understand. If there’s even a chance I can find where Jeremiah’s staying, then I have to take it. If we lose him now, who knows how long it’ll be before we catch up with him again?
Long pause.
I know how much you love your brother, and I won’t let you down. I promise. And, um…just in case I get abducted by aliens or something, I wanted to tell you that I forgive you for being a boneheaded Ferwyn male, and I’m sorry for shutting you out. And, well…I love you, Jacob.
A soft laugh.
Wow, I just told you I loved you for the first time on voicemail. I know you already knew. I mean, how could you not? I’m pretty sure everyone did. My family, Noah, Abby, Penny…the entire Walker Pack. And after the Dance started, the bond pretty much outed me big time, huh?
Anyhoo, I’m going to try to contact the Guard next. Maybe I can persuade them to interrupt your meeting. I’m not sure what I will say to convince them, but I’ll think of something.
I’ll update you again soon…bye.
Tucker tore the phone from his ear. He’d listened to Jo’s message so many times in the past hour he had it memorized.
“Anything,” he barked at Commander Baxter’s head tech. The Anwyll went byGarath,although Tucker got the impression it was his handle and not his actual name.
“It seems the GPS tracker on your vehicle is damaged,” the witch said without irritation, as if it were a part of his job description to be snapped at on a daily basis. He tapped on his keyboard and studied the moving data on the largest of a trio of desktop monitors, ignoring Tucker’s bad attitude and the three males crammed into his small office.
“My beta’s truck was in a recent accident,” Samuel explained.
“Where is she?” Tucker’s voice sounded rough and mean, his chest tight with a visceral fear he struggled to hide, afraid the intensity of his emotion might distract Jo at a crucial moment during her self-imposed mission.
I know how much you love your brother, and I won’t let you down.
Didn’t Jo realize how much he lovedher? More than his own life—more than his twin’s life if it came down to that terrible choice.
“Where. Is. She?” Tucker repeated, pivoting on his heel and doing another sporadic circuit of the cramped space, hand scrubbing his nape raw as he paced. He couldn’t stand still while his she-wolf was out there all alone; Jo had driven too far away for him to sense if she were scared or in danger.
Mater Russo’s people hadn’t been given enough time to do more than a quick patch job on the truck after the rogues’ attack. They could have been on the road and his mate’s tail an hourago if he’d thought to take it in for repairs at any point this past week. Instead, he was stuck here imagining—
