Page 25 of Rescued By the Beast
"Understood."
I sigh, letting my posture relax just a little.
"Good job finding him so quickly."
Keelan looks up, seeming surprised by the praise.
"I was just doing my job."
He tries to smile, but a grimace of pain is inevitable as he presses his injured arm. My gaze lingers on the still-open flesh, on the deep cuts that will take hours, perhaps a whole day, to heal.
"Take tomorrow off," I order, my voice firm but tinged with concern.
Keelan lets out a sigh of relief, the tension dissipating from his shoulders.
"Thanks, Beast."
I find my flask of brandy in my jacket and use the fiery liquid as mouthwash, feeling the taste of death dissolve before spitting the remains onto the ground.
The muffled sound of Keelan laughing makes me look at him.
"That's right, get all that filth out." He flashes a crooked smile, though he's clearly still in pain.
"I'm fine." I stand up and put the bottle back in my inside pocket. "You, on the other hand..."
"Yeah, that son of a bitch got me good." He holds his lacerated shoulder, trying to stop the blood that continues to flow.
Without wasting any more time, I grab my phone and call Ted. He answers immediately, his voice steady on the other end of the line.
"The situation has been resolved. The body is in the forest," I inform him, passing on the coordinates. "Call in the clean-up crew and send support to Eagle, he needs medical attention and can't fly."
"Right away, boss," Ted replies without hesitation. "They're already on their way."
I put my phone away and scan the perimeter.
My cabin is a few miles north, on the edge of this forest. The desire for a hot shower tempts me, but I can't afford that luxury yet.
The monster has been killed, but the forest still needs to be searched.
I sniff the air.
Behind the Wendigo's rotten smell, I recognise the familiar odour of the team approaching.
But it is another smell that almost escapes me — subtle, but impossible to ignore once I detect it: blood.
Blood that is neither mine nor Keelan's.
There is something else there, something wrong. There are always wounded in the forest, it's the natural order of things, but this one is different. The fear emanating from it is almost tangible, terrifying, and it is infected with the monster's scent. A victim.
Something inside me shudders, a visceral reaction that makes me roar, my heart racing with an intensity I cannot ignore.
I let my beastly form emerge, my muscles expanding, and I head towards the heart of the forest.
I follow its scent.
Chapter 9
Sandra
