Page 38 of Lion Conquers All
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I wish there was something I could do. I wish we had known faster. Started looking faster. I don’t know. I just—”
Aarav gestured to the floor next to her. Connie nodded, giving permission.
He turned and let his back slide down the wall until he was sitting shoulder to shoulder. He was warm and smelled kinda great. Connie caught herself before she asked him to purr again. That wouldn’t really go over well in such a public place.
“I don’t think the kids are at one of her mother’s sites.”
Connie released a deep breath and let her head nod slowly. She didn’t think so either. They would’ve found at least some trace of them before now. Anything. Even a fresher campfire.
“Which means we wouldn’t have found them, even if we had started hours earlier. They didn’t leave a trail.”
“On purpose.” Aarav leaned a little closer. “They ran away. They aren’t just out for a camping trip.”
“Dammit.” The curse slipped out between her lips. She hadn’t wanted to consider that possibility, but he was right. “Do you think they’re even on the mountain at all?”
It was his turn to release a slow breath. “I don’t know. We’ll know more when Ryder reports back. Maybe if the boys saw them before the storm hit.”
“Didn’t Ryder leave hours ago. Did he…shift?”
“Yes. The three juveniles are almost always in their beasts. But I saw them when I went out to the Tragher boys’ camp site.”
Connie’s heart leapt in her chest. “What were they doing around the children? Was everyone okay?”
“Connie. They are teenage boys at heart too. They were curious. They were watching from a distance. We saw them when the boys went back to my patrol car with me.”
“The Traghers saw them?”
“It’s fine, Connie.”
“But it’s not fine. You don’t understand what could happen. It would only take one person. One mean selfish person making a comment to the wrong person. And then everything would change.”
She leaned closer to Aarav, soaking up his warmth.
To hell with it.
She twisted her body and wrapped an arm around his shoulder and laid her head over his heart. The softthunk thunksoothed her nerves. The scent of him filled her lungs. The strange energy that flowed through her every time they touched calmed her fear. It wasn’t as good as his purr, but it was enough for her to head off the approaching panic attack.
He moved an arm to wrap around her shoulder, pulling her tighter. Then he relaxed and moved his hand to her hair. He stroked through the tangled strands, slowly running his fingers through it piece by piece, smoothing it out.
The way he alternated between tugging at tangles and stroking through the smooth parts lulled her away from every other thought running rampant in her mind. She might have even dozed for a few minutes. She wasn’t sure.
She was only sure that she was safe. And right now, that was enough.
16
RYDER
Snow was falling now. Not hard, but enough that visibility was reduced to about half. He climbed to a rock ledge and lifted his head to the sky and howled.
It was getting late, had to be close to eight or nine by now. August in Denali was normal to have sun until well on toward ten o’clock for most of the month. At least that’s what the chart on the wall in the community center had said.
He had at least another hour of light. Maybe two if he wasn’t judging correctly.
An answering howl came from maybe a few miles away. Then another. And another. He’d found them.
He leapt from the rock and ran toward the wolves. Every few minutes he would howl again and wait, listening. The boys were working their way closer to him too.
