Page 55 of Lion Conquers All
Connie turned around. Sarah was jogging toward her, quickly closing the gap between them, leaving her brother the sheriff in custody of her husband. Who also seemed to perfectly capable of controlling the asshole.
“I know you’re close with the deputy sheriff and I know he’s one of—well, he part of their group, so I assume you know some things.”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” Connie stared at the floor. She wouldn’t give them away. Never. She had no idea what Sarah knew or didn’t know and she wasn’t adding to the pile.
“Deputy Di’Rham is like his friends who live out on the other side of the river. They are special somehow. Different. I don’t know how, Col showed me something and I don’t quite understand what it was, but that’s fine. They can help and they’ve been hiding it because—”
“Because the town will turn on them if they know the truth. The government will hunt them down and either kill them or lock them away in a very deep dark hole. You’re asking them to risk everything.”
Connie wrapped her hands around her waist to hide the shaking. Her whole body was trembling now. “And they will, because that’s how good they are. They are noble and proud and they love this town and they would do anything to protect the people in this town. And it’s been killing them to hold back while these children were missing. If they didn’t have wives and children, I don’t think they would’ve hesitated. Now they’re making a choice they can’t take back. One look at them and you’ll be afraid too. You’ll turn on them. And I’ll lose the only man who’s ever really loved me.”
Aarav did love her. Him and his lion.
She couldn’t let him do this without telling him. He was making a choice without all the facts.
“I have to go.”
A hand on her arm sent chills up her spine. Connie twisted and fought to control her urge to react. She hadn’t expected Sarah to reach for her. She hadn’t anticipated being grabbed. “Don’t touch me.” The words left her mouth a bit harsher than she would’ve liked, but it was too late to call them back.
Sarah pulled her hand back like a snake had bit her. She met Connie’s gaze for a second and some sort of strange understanding passed between them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I hope you can do what you say. I really do hope you can protect them, but I don’t think you will be able to even if you want to.”
“I’m coming with you,” Sarah said, the jingle of keys accompanied her words. “I’m driving. Calvin and I brought the 4-wheel drive down this morning. We’ll need it for the snow if we’re going out to their cabins.”
Connie stared. Her brain empty and frozen.What the hell?
“Or I’m going without you.” Sarah took a couple steps toward the door.
Connie glanced back at Calvin and the sheriff and then the SAR table where people were scrambling around on multiple radios.
“Calvin can hold down the fort, Ms. Callahan. I plan to be as close to the place where your friends will return to with my son.” She held up a keychain and pointed at the door. “Coming?”
Dammit.“Yes.”
23
AARAV
“They aren’t going to let us stay if they see there’s a fucking dragon living across the river! I like my home. I like this town. I don’t want to live on the run with the triplets! What about Penny and Kann? They have four!” Naomi crossed her arms and stomped her foot.
She was so tiny next to her mate, but she was strong. Looks were deceiving in her case. A dragon lived inside the small compact woman with bouncy brown curls and a smile for days.
But she wasn’t smiling right now. And fire flickered in her gaze.
“Shuarra, what if they were our children missing?”
Col’s voice was calm and low.
“Fuck.” Naomi sat down on the couch, defeat in her slumped shoulders. Tears ran down her cheeks. “You know we’re going to lose everything.”
“You don’t know that for sure.” Col knelt in front of his mate and cupped her face in his hands. “The children could already be dead, Naomi. We can’t leave them up there alone any longer. We shouldn’t have waited this long to search for them. If we find bodies, I’ll never forgive myself, and neither will you.”
The rest of the tribe stood around the room.
Silence hung in the air like a shroud of fear.
A few of the other females wiped tears from their cheeks.
