“Are you hurting? Shepherd probably has pain medicine.”
She propped up her head. “No, just tired.”
“I killed a lion with my bare hands.”
“Is that so?” She chuckled quietly. “I always knew you were a badass since the day I took all your weapons.”
Shepherd rested his arm on the ledge of her crawl space. “Here, drink this.”
She looked warily at the pea-green liquid inside the bottle he offered her. There were chunks floating around, and it didn’t look anything like a protein shake or energy drink.
“It’ll help you heal up faster. You really need to shift one more time.”
Blue leaned on her elbow and sniffed the drink. “Do I want to know what’s in this?”
“Probably not. Just pretend it’s beer and chug it down.”
“Easy for you to say.” Blue grimaced after a few gulps of her drink. “I’ll shift later on when my falcon has enough strength to fly. If I do it now and she’s still weak, I won’t have any energy left to shift back.”
I saw the bigger picture. It wasn’t just about Blue being vulnerable but also her animal. If her falcon couldn’t fly, any wild animal could come along, trap her, and gobble her up. What a gruesome thought.
“I’m sorry I slowed everyone down.” Guilt bled from her expression. “I should have been paying attention.”
Viktor joined Shepherd’s side and patted her head. “You are alive. That is all that matters.”
She leaned into his palm. “I made a stupid mistake. I shouldn’t have wandered that far from camp. But it was too risky to keep trash in the open or store it close to where we’re sleeping. I found a spot and started digging a hole with my axe. I didn’t even hear him coming from behind. A knife cut through my shoulder, and I shifted on instinct. Then he grabbed my feet and covered my head.”
I stepped down from the rock. “If it’s any consolation, we stabbed him back. Karma’s a bitch, and so am I.”
She lowered her arm to lie back down on her side. “I wish I could have stabbed him myself, but I couldn’t do anything with that damn hood on my head.”
Viktor set down the satellite phone beside her. “I will leave this with you. I do not know if the compound will have outside communication. If they do, you’ll be the first I call. If we do not return in three days, contact Wyatt and get yourself out of here.”
She pushed it away. “You might need it.”
He stroked his silver beard. “This is not up for debate. We are many; you are one.”
“Thank you,” she rasped.
“You have been a great service on this mission, and your duty is not over. I want you to have Wyatt arrange for transportation. We will need a way back home, and that will be one less worry.”
Her eyes gently closed. “I will.”
I patted Viktor’s arm. “Do we have enough in the budget for a helicopter?”
Viktor gave me a “hell no” look.
“Just thought I’d ask. I’m homesick. When I get back, I’m making a special trip to Ruby’s for hot apple pie and ice cream.”
Blue smiled, her eyes still closed. “And hamburgers.”
Shepherd walked away and ran his hand over his short hair. “I just wanna see my kid.”
“And I want to see my partner,” Claude added while he put more dry wood on the fire.
Matteo appeared like a ghost as he stalked into the cave. He clenched his fists and snarled. “I lost their scent.”
Claude cursed and kicked the wall. The twins flinched as he paced around the growing fire.
