Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(24)

Cole shot his gaze away and frowned. “Fine.” Not the most eloquent word in the English language, but damn it, he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Fine.” She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.

He turned his attention back to the road. They’d only passed a few cars so far. No one paid them any mind, and he didn’t think they would. It wasn’t as if a person’s first thought would be that the car they passed happened to carry two shifters that had broken out of their enclosures. To humans, that would be so far beyond the norm it wouldn’t seem possible. The SAU’s propaganda had shown the shifters to be nothing more than animals. Those that listened to the SAU were grateful that shifters were locked away from their children. It was safer for them if the shifters didn’t have rights and a decent way to live.

“I don’t know how you can still scent Frank and my boys.” Her voice broke on that last part, and he heard her let out a shaky breath.

He grimaced. “I actually can’t scent him that well anymore,” he admitted.

“What?” He felt her gaze on him, but he kept his eyes on the road. The last thing they needed was to get into an accident because he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“I told you it would be hard after awhile. I have a general direction, and I know we’re going to go check those abandoned buildings near the capital. That’s all we can do, Anya. I know it sucks, but without more to go on, we’re going to have to find the Unseen.”

He heard her hit her head against the headrest. “I was honestly hoping you wouldn’t need to find another way. I thought maybe your super magic Tracker powers would get us there and get us out quickly so I could smash Frank’s head in and find my babies.”

He liked the sound of her vengeance, but he hated having to disappoint her. He didn’t understand the depth of need within his soul when it came to her. It was like a bullet to the chest, the fractured tendons and sensations that came with what he felt for her. It wasn’t as if he’d felt it right away either. It had been a slow burn at first that had built to an explosion of desires and utter helplessness when it came to her.

His cat had chosen.

The man knew it wouldn’t be as easy as a call to mating.

“We’ll find them, Anya,” he said softly, ignoring his growing emotions. He didn’t know how to deal with them anyway. He’d never felt or done anything like this before, and it damn sure wasn’t the right time for it now. “I’m going to get us closer to the city and then find someone to help us if I can’t get a lock on Talbot. We’re not going home without Owen and Lucas. No matter what.” He turned to see her studying him.

“No matter what,” she vowed right back. “I know why I’m doing this, Cole. But why are you? Because you’re the Tracker? Is this a duty to you?”

His jaw clenched. He wanted to save those cubs because they were hers. They were shifters, Pack. They might not be cats, but they were his, as well. He wanted them as his young, part of his mating. And it scared him more than he wanted to admit how much he wanted to see them again and watch them grow into the men they would become.

Instead of laying himself bare, he growled, “You said we’d table this discussion until later. Don’t ask questions you’re not prepared to hear the answer to.”

Her eyes widened and she turned her attention back to the road. He did the same, his grip on the steering wheel painful.

They drove for almost an hour until they reached the center of the city. Here it looked as if part of the metropolis had moved on, as if nothing had happened. Yet other parts were abandoned, unused, unwanted. If he remembered right, many of these old buildings had been slated for renovations or reconstruction before the virus hit. In the updated parts of the city, humans hustled and bustled on their way to work or to enjoy the sites. It looked as if the only troubles on their minds were their day-to-day lives, rather than what they were clearly ignoring, what was locked up only a few hundred miles away. It never ceased to amaze him what people did to forget the cruelty in their lack of actions.

The vehicle they were in wasn’t one of the older ones on the road, thankfully. Whoever had been in that house hadn’t left it empty for long—meaning he and Anya blended into the world a bit better than they would have otherwise. Since the city was also situated high in the Rocky Mountains, the air temperature was a bit cooler during the season. That boded well for what they were wearing since they had to keep their sleeves down to cover their brands. Sure, humans had half sleeves and full sleeves when it came to ink, but their brands were a bit more noticeable since neither he nor Anya had any additional ink on their arms. He frowned. If he were to go on more trips like this, he’d have Gibson give him full sleeves. He’d blend in more with all of that ink instead of just the stark brand on his arm.

When they pulled into an old motel that looked like it had seen better days, he furrowed his brows.

“We’ll stay here for a bit. I need to see if I can catch the scent of another shifter. Hopefully, they’ve heard something. If not, we can start searching for places where Frank might be holding the children. It’s a long shot, but we’re not giving up.”

“I knew it was going to be hard, but damn it, it seems like it’s an uphill battle that…” She cut herself off, her bear in her eyes. She fisted her hands on her thighs, and he reached over and placed his hand over one of hers. She didn’t relax her fist, but she didn’t punch him either. That had to be progress.