Page 43 of Betrayed Kidnapped Mate

“Any signs of a struggle? Or a break-in?”

“No, not according to the initial report,” Aris says, “apparently, the ranger just found the cabin abandoned two days before the family was set to vacate, but their car is still sitting outside. He wanted to give him a chance to handle it before he goes to the authorities. Knows we’re on the outs with the agency.”

“Yeah, like the agency is going to be able to do anything,” I mutter, “other than put innocent people at risk.”

“Well, from the perspectives of the humans, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

We ride in silence for a moment, my Jeep taking the turns to the lake smoothly. The sun is just coming up over the horizon, shining brightly over the tops of the trees. I want to take a mental picture and show it to Rosa—another reason to stay in Rosecreek.

I understand her argument—how can I expect her to leave her home when I don’t want to leave mine? But I think, at this point, we realize that the three of us need to be together. It would be best for Kaila.

My heart skips a beat when I think about the moment I can tell Kaila that I’m her dad. I’ll have to talk to Rosa about it more, about when and how to best broach the subject, but I know I should tell her soon. The sooner I tell her, the less it will feel like I’ve been lying to her.

“Right here,” Aris says, breaking me out of my thoughts and gesturing for me to turn. I have to hit the brakes kind of hard, steering the Jeep away from the main road and toward the lake. We rumble down the gravel for a second before a little cabin on the lake comes into view.

I bring the Jeep to a stop, and we tumble out, all heading toward the cabin. Ado walks carefully, and I can basically feel the hairs on the back of his neck raised.

Inside, the cabin looks just like all the other crime scenes we’ve looked at. Not a single thing is out of place, except for the humans. The beds are made neatly like they all got up and planned to leave the cabin.

“Maybe they were out for a walk?” Aris muses, as we move room to room, each one looking like the family was planning to leave. No broken glass or overturned tables, no doors broken off the hinges. No evidence of a struggle of any kind.

“There’s no way he’s lucid, if he’s doing this,” I say, meeting Aris’s eyes. “Percy just isn’t capable of this. He wouldn’t kill innocent humans like that. He wouldn’t.”

“You don’t have to tell me, man,” Aris says, rubbing a hand over his face, “but that doesn’t mean the humans are going to like it. Hey, we have a suspect, but he’s a good guy!”

Just as Aris finishes his statement, Ado rounds the corner, holding something in his hands. He holds it out to me, and I pick it up, holding it carefully.

It’s a necklace.

“Percy’s,” Aris breathes, then turns around and kicks the wall. “Fuck. Where the hell is he? How is he getting away with the abductions, time after time? There’s no way he’s killing the humans, right?”

“I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “But we have to try and get ahead of him before he gets the next ones. I will put out an alert to the humans in the area, giving them Percy’s description. If they know what he looks like, hopefully, they can be a little more on guard. Call us before he makes it off with them.”

“Hopefully, putting out a description will also put them at ease and let them know we’re looking into things.”

When we leave the cabin, I’m standing there, holding Percy’s necklace. Aris and I walk to the car, but Ado hangs back.

“I’ll investigate the woods,” he says, holding up his phone as if to say I’ll call you if I find anything.

“Sounds good, man,” Aris says, “I’d tell you to be careful, but I know you better than that.”

I give Ado a wave, then Aris and I climb back into my Jeep, heading back to town.

“Araya would like to know when Kaila can come to the lake again,” Aris says, glancing at me from where he’s relaxing in the passenger seat.

“That’s a great question,” I say, my stomach twisting as Rosa’s argument comes back to me: You can’t surf in the lake.

“You seem…a little more relaxed,” Aris says, grinning at me. I rub my hand over the back of my neck as we pass the Rosecreek city limits sign.

“Well—some of the stress is gone. I can say that,” I say, laughing a bit under my breath.

“So, you and Rosa?”

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head, “not quite. I think—I mean, I think she’s finally accepting that we’re mates, and she told me that Kaila’s mine—”

“—obviously—”

“—but she doesn’t like the idea of moving to Rosecreek.”

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