14
Ryu
I awoke to the sun streaming in through the slatted blinds. Blinking, I slowly became aware of my surroundings—Scar lay beneath me, his warm chest moving up and down.
That’s right,I thought,last night, we…
Scar roused from his sleep and rubbed his eyes. “Morning.”
“Good morning,” I replied. Rolling out of the futon, I grabbed my scattered clothes and dressed myself before a sense of unease descended upon me. My brows furrowed. “Have you heard anything on the baby monitor?”
“No,” Scar replied. At the crease of concern on my face, he got up and dressed as well. “Is Angel still asleep?”
“I just woke up, I haven’t checked on her yet. I’ll do it now.”
Concern bubbled up in my chest. Angel wasn’t a loud baby by any means, but she did gurgle and wake up a couple times a night at least. I’d moved her crib into the next room and put the monitor with her to alert us, but neither Scar or I heard a peep out of her.
With a frown, I pushed the guest room door open. Angel’s crib stood in the same place as before.
But when I searched for the monitor, it was gone.
My heart turned to lead. It sank to the pit of my stomach.
Fear gripping me, I peered into the crib.
My blood froze.
Angel was gone.
“Scar!” I yelled, horrified.
A moment later he stumbled into the room, obviously shocked by the terror in my voice. “What?”
“She’s not here!” I cried.
The blood drained from his face. “What!?How is that possible? Did you check properly?”
He rooted desperately through the blanket and toys, panic taking over as he realized that she was truly gone. He whipped towards me, absolutely afraid.
“Where could she have gone? She can’t even walk!” he snapped.
“I don’t know,” I replied. I swallowed with difficulty. “Let’s try to keep calm. She can’t have gone far.”
“Well, how could she get out of the crib in the first place?” Scar yelled.
“Maybe she used her magic,” I suggested. “The door was still closed when I got here—she might still be in the room.”
Panicked and unable to think rationally, Scar nearly threw himself to the floor as he checked every nook and cranny of the room. My heart raced as I did the same. But there was nowhere to hide. The room was empty, and Angel was nowhere to be found.
Letting out a snarl of frustration, Scar shifted into his wolf form. He thrust his nose into the crib and began following Angel’s scent. I watched with cautious yet tense optimism as he tracked her trail to the door. I was half hoping she’d opened the door herself somehow and let herself out, but I knew that was stupid.
Scar stopped. A snarl spread across his lips and he bared his fangs.
“What?” I blurted out.
“Her scent isn’t the only one here,” he snapped, his voice deep with his wolf’s tone. “Take a guess.”
“How am I supposed to know?” I snapped back. “Just tell me!”
