Leap of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #4)(53)

“It appears the Scythe are tossing the females into Puget Sound. Some bodies have washed up, ones that aren’t on any missing persons lists. One female was pulled out of the water recently. Blond. Blue eyes. About your age. She had a woven leather band around her right ankle.”

“Barbara. She was my only real friend in Dogwood.” Darcy’s voice was only a whisper. “She died the day I escaped.” Grief turned her eyes a molten darkness.

“I’m sorry, Darcy.” Why didn’t she yell? Shout in anger? Even cry? Had he ever met anyone more restrained? It was as if she was the very opposite of his mother. “I’ll have Calum tell Tynan you identified her.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

By the God, he hated to see this muting of her spirit. “Gawain was going to the tavern for a beer and wanted me to bring you along.”

“I’m not going to be good company right now.”

He snorted. “I’m never good company. Doesn’t matter, little female.”

“I’m short, Owen. Not little.”

“There’s a difference?”

Her huff of annoyance made him grin.

Pleased, he gave her shoulder a light shake. “Do you want to brush your hair or do some female thing before we leave?”

She stared at him. “Some female thing? Don’t you brush your hair?”

“Of course I do, but…” He eyed her. “A lot of males complain their females require hours to prepare to leave the house. I was being…thoughtful.”

Her lips curved up. “Oh. Got it.” She swiped her hands over her damp cheeks. “I’m ready—I guess that means I’m not very female.”

“You,” he breathed, “are very female.”

When her eyes widened, he gave her hair a light tug and opened the door.

As she preceded him down the hall, he smiled. He’d come awfully close to stepping in his own scat there, but he’d done well enough. She was coming with him—and smiling.

Males might be wrong about female preparation time, but they were certainly on scent when they said no male could understand one.





Chapter Fourteen





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Breakfast time was over in the lodge, and the fishermen and vacationers from the cabins had dispersed. As morning sunlight streamed through the dining room windows, Darcy finished wiping down the tables—her self-appointed chore. Taking charity was like chewing on sand, but she couldn’t job hunt when she was being hunted and might have to leave.

Frustration made her want to kick something as she carried her cleaning caddy into the kitchen.

Across the room, Bree loaded the dishwasher, assisted by Shay.

Darcy glanced at the small hole in the baseboard. “I thought you had brownies to clean up.” She’d caught glimpses of the little housekeeping OtherFolk. Bree’s kitchen was always spotless.

“Oh, we do,” Bree said. “They won’t touch electrical appliances though. I only run it after breakfasts when there are so many dishes from serving the lodge guests.”

“She feels guilty if she leaves too much of a mess.” Grinning, Shay pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. “So, Darcy, what are you going to be up to today?”

“Well…Gawain said I need to learn to hunt something bigger than rats and rabbits.”

“Aye, you cougars have a fondness for deer.” He nodded to his mate. “Bree does amazing things with venison if you want to try.”

“That’ll give me a goal.” Out of habit, she glanced at the calendar and frowned. Almost to the end of October. She’d been in Cold Creek nearly a month. Too long. Were her brothers back from Russia? Surely, the Scythe wouldn’t kill Patrin and Fell until the last minute. Would they?

Life held no guarantees.

“How is the search going for my brothers—for the shifter-soldier camp?” She should have asked Owen or Gawain yesterday, but they’d headed off to bed soon after supper. Guilt swept through her. In addition to directing the search for the camp, the two males were fixing up their house and mentoring her as well.

“Nothing yet, but Calum’s called in more shifters to help. Owen will be handing out assignments. Come and see.”

Darcy followed Shay into the dining room and to the “map wall.” Three maps showed the nearby fishing spots and hiking trails. Another map was their small county—Azure—and the surrounding Whatcom and Skagit counties. Next to that was a map of Washington State.

Shay pointed to the Twin Sisters Mountain Range and made a semi-circle around the South Sister with his finger. “They’ve finished the west area and are working their way south and east. It’s slow going. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and they have to avoid human hikers.”

Darcy studied the map silently, seeing the tiny tent symbols indicating camping areas filled with humans. It was amazing Calum could get any shifters to search there.

She felt so useless. “Thanks, Shay. It helps to know they’re trying.”

He gave her a pat on the shoulder. “They are, Darcy. Give ’em time.”

Offering a weak smile, she headed upstairs to her room. She wanted to be patient, but her brothers were running out of time. What could she do? Her control wasn’t perfect yet—she still shifted to cougar if she got scared or hurt.