Page 14 of Stolen Mate

“I can’t resist the beauty. I’m going to go for a quick walk, but I’ll be back in plenty of time.”

“Catch,” Trudy said tossing her a geo-tracker from a basket on the front desk. “The Refuge is pre-programmed in there. If you get lost, it’ll get you home. And the other end is bear spray. The bears don’t come too close to Mystic River, but we do get the occasional one. Spray first, ask questions later.”

Tess found herself warming to Trudy just as she had with Dash. With the latter she hadn’t felt anything particularly arousing but just that he’d be a good friend to have. Same with Trudy. She followed the path out of town and headed towards a stand of trees that seemed to run up the coast and to the river.

The forest was amazing—like something primeval—with its tall, ancient trees and the scent of the wind blowing through them with just a hint of sea air. It wasn’t like anything in the Pacific Northwest where she had hiked extensively, but it was almost as if she had some genetic memory of the place that had left an impression on her psyche from long ago.

She could feel her spirit guide rumbling happily as if she, too, were glad to be home. Home? Odd that she should think of it that way. Ever since they’d started up Mystic River, she’d felt as though she was experiencing a homecoming. Even though the headache had worsened and was now accompanied by nausea, she was happy to be home. There it was, that word again—home.

Suddenly her stomach seized and the pain in her head exploded, dropping Tess to her knees. There was a fire racing through her blood, and the buzzing of bees that had been just an uncomfortable hum roared to the forefront of her brain. The spirit bear inside her head roared in defiance and rage, and then everything went black as if someone had rung the curtain down.

CHAPTER 7

COLBY

“Colby? It’s Dash,” he said into his cell, walking back from Trudy’s to the pub.

“How is my favorite reindeer-shifter this fine evening?” asked Colby, taking a long draw on his favorite brew as he put his feet up on his desk.

Many people didn’t know, but Dash was far more involved in the resistance against the Shadow League than they thought. They’d picked up a number of tips that had panned out.

“I’m fine. Remember that story you told me about that girl one of old Henry’s crew had snatched off the streets in Anchorage?”

“Teresa Travers?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. She got away from old Henry and ended up here in Mystic River? Almost started a war?”

Colby nodded, even though there was no one to see. “That’s been close to thirty years ago. Why do you ask?”

“That picture you had of her—the one by the campfire.”

“Yes, a member of the clan took it. I was still a child.”

“It stayed with me. She was a real beauty.”

“That she was, and I liked the composition of the picture. Henry was frantic when they discovered her gone. She was pregnant. As I recall, the story went she was guiding a couple on a photography hunt. She’d given birth and the sire of the child came to take the baby from her. There was a fight and they both ended up dead. The child was never found. Why bring that up?”

“Because I think that child just came looking for her family.”

Colby’s feet hit the floor with a thump as he came forward in his chair. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be without a DNA test. When she walked out of the airport at Kodiak, I thought I was seeing a ghost. She’s staying at Trudy’s. I think they’re coming by the pub tonight. I thought you’d want to know.”

“You thought right. I’ll head down your way. I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.”

Colby ended the call. Damn Sean Campbell. If he hadn’t turned up as Winter’s fated mate, she’d still be in Mystic River. This was just the kind of thing she was good at. He didn’t doubt Hamish’s abilities as a beta, especially in a time of war, but the man had all the subtlety of a jackhammer. Draining the last of his beer, Colby called down to the garage to have them bring up an SUV. He was heading into town.

* * *

DEREK

Derek had been more than halfway home when he received a call from Trudy at The Refuge. He’d had his tunes cranked up and was singing along with Garth, sipping a sweet tea. Trudy wouldn’t have used his cell if she wasn’t concerned about something. Hamish had asked Derek to keep an eye on Trudy for him while he was away. Away doing what, he wasn’t at liberty to say.

“Derek? Did I catch you at a bad time? Or before you left the office?”

“No, you’re good. I was just headed out of town.” It was a total lie; he was almost home.

“I have a new guest and she went out for a walk about two and a half hours ago. We were going to go to The Workshop for a burger, but she hasn’t come back. I called her cell and there’s no answer.”

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