Leap of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #4)(54)

It was her job to look after them. Of course, they thought it was their job to protect her, like when they’d moved to Dogwood and two bullies found her picnicking, knocked her down, and stole her food. Humiliated, she’d slunk home, but Patrin had spotted her and coaxed the story out of her. Then he and Fell had found the two big boys—almost twice their size—and taught them a bloody lesson.

I can’t let them die. She had to do something.

Each day, Gawain, Owen, and the others drove to the Twin Sisters to search in animal forms. What if there was a better way?

Gawain had said he could usually tell where Owen was, and when she hadn’t sensed her brothers, he’d said the distance might affect her ability. What if she got nearer to where her brothers might be?

Her mouth flattened. She couldn’t go with the searchers in their cars, not since she’d have to be in human form. But the Twin Sister Range wasn’t that far if going cross-country, only around thirty or forty miles. A panther moving quickly could be there in…maybe two days? If she stayed in animal form and kept away from humans, there wouldn’t be any risk to the Daonain.

Besides, her mentors had said she should spend more time in her animal form.

Picking up a pen, she started to write a note.





Chapter Fifteen





?


At least the weekend was over, and most of the humans had left the Twin Sisters area. Owen growled under his breath. Avoiding hikers was a pain in the tail.

A long day’s search had yielded no signs of the shifter-soldiers. Calling it quits, he and Gawain met up with Tynan and Donal, changed to human, dressed, and were jogging down the animal trail to where they’d parked their cars.

Leading the group, Owen could hear the rustle of the three shifters behind him.

“Pick it up, Owen,” Donal called from the rear. “We don’t have long before the moon rises, and I want to arrive early enough for the Samhain festivities.”

Owen glanced at the rapidly setting sun and picked up his pace. They’d all prefer to get there in time to chow down on the festival food.

And then there was the Gathering. Although a male’s need wasn’t as strong as a female’s if there were no aroused females within scenting distance, they’d still be fucking uncomfortable to be in a car after the moon rose.

A second later, at an intersection of hiking trails, he caught a whiff of a scent and stopped so suddenly Gawain ran into him.

“Herne’s antlers, brawd, what—” Gawain sniffed. “Darcy?”

Her feminine fragrance hung in the air. What in Herne’s name was she doing here? He pointed toward the vehicles. “You have the better nose. Can you see if she went that way?”

As Gawain jogged down the trail, Tynan joined Owen. “I know that scent. The female we rescued from Seward Park, yes?” His Irish accent was always thicker after he’d shifted from wolf.

“Aye.” Owen lifted his nose to the breeze. No other shifters. No stench of humans. “She’s supposed to be in Cold Creek.”

Had she come all this way as a cougar? If so, she must have traveled all day yesterday. He and Gawain had returned late last night, or they might have known she wasn’t in the lodge.

Gawain returned. “She didn’t take the trail toward the cars.”

“Decided to take matters into her own teeth, did she?” Donal sounded amused. “She didn’t seem the type to leave her littermates’ fates to others.”

Owen crouched to study the marks at the intersection of trails. It appeared she’d been traveling east to west, heading toward the mountain, not toward Cold Creek. “What about her own fate, healer? It’s full moon tonight.”

Silence fell as the others grasped his concern. Tonight was the full moon. Every full-grown Daonain female would go into heat…and be driven inexorably to find males to mate.

A new shifter, unused to the overwhelming need, might—would probably—do something stupid.

Donal frowned. “We’d best find her quickly and see if there’s time to get her back to Cold Creek.”

After a quick sniff, Gawain sighed. “I can’t scent her, so she’s quite a ways off. We should trawsfur if we want to catch up to her.” He motioned toward the area where they’d stashed their clothes before.

Exasperation mingled with fear as Owen led the way back to the massive tree. A female. Alone and out of the God’s territory. What was she thinking? This was the behavior of a careless female, doing what she wanted, no matter the cost.

By the God, he didn’t want her to pay the cost.

*

The sun had disappeared behind South Twin Mountain and its lower neighbors.

In the twilight, her sides heaving with each breath, Darcy halted at a trickling stream with bitingly cold water. After drinking until her stomach rumbled, she sprawled on the mossy bank and absently started washing a bloody scrape on her side.

Her paws hurt. Her muscles ached. She had bruises on bruises mixed with ugly scratches. Poor tired tinker, you’re a mess. The outings she’d had with her mentors hadn’t prepared her for long, grueling travel. All day yesterday. Today, going mostly uphill had been worse.

Disappointment was a heavy weight in her heart. She’d really hoped to feel her brothers and sense their direction in the way Gawain had said. But nothing. She had no idea where her brothers were. She’d failed, totally.