A silence fell between them, one that wasn’t filled with tension. Duron didn’t feel inclined to take his hand from Beaumont’s as they continued on their quest, following the scent which was drawing them out of the rainforest and closer to individual homes.
Not more than half an hour later, Duron’s nose twitched madly, while working to filter the increased smells coming beyond the tree line.
He gently tugged Beaumont’s hand to get him to stop. His free hand pointed to the trees in front of them.Can you see the wall?
To the normal eye, the trees looked like they continued, only they didn’t. Duron could feel the magic wards that encouraged him to take a different route away from what appeared to be a fifteen-foot-high wall behind the trees.
Yes. It’s warded, too.
His lips curled up at the edges at Beaumont.It’s Selina’s magic. Feels the same as what’s surrounding the Putney home.
Protective? It doesn’t make sense.
Duron glanced sideways. His raccoon could easily see Beaumont’s deep frown lines. He agreed.It doesn’t.
The cell phone in his pocket vibrated. Reluctantly, he let go of Beaumont’s hand and fished it out. The screen lit up his face as he opened it to read the message.
The time has changed, I’m meeting in five minutes. I’ll put on my tracker so you can find me if this all turns to shit. Something is setting off my animals. Fucking weirdest feeling, felt nothing like it before!
As he read, Duron felt all his animals surge together. His thumbs flew over the screen as he typed back.Don’t go!He always listened when all his animals pushed together. They were never wrong when it came to alerting him to danger.
Wyatt was in serious danger, Duron felt it in every fiber of his body.
The three dots appeared, then disappeared.Come on, Wyatt, don’t be a fucking fool.
His whole body tensed when the dots reappeared, but he already got a sinking feeling about what the message would say. Wyatt was never one to back away from danger. He never quit a job, not once. They had trained him well.
I trust you to cover my ass.
“Fucker,” he hissed at the message. His heart pounded hard against his ribs as Beaumont crowded closer to look over his shoulder, and he typed back.Listen to me, my animals are going crazy. Don’t go in there without me.
The message got read, but no dots appeared as the tracker app alerted him to Wyatt switching it on.
He’s not going to listen, is he?
No.Duron opened the app, his gaze on the map as the GPS worked to locate where Wyatt was.Come on! Come on!Time was ticking down, and Duron felt every wasted second.
His breath came out in a noisy rush as the app told him that Wyatt was a quarter of a mile from where Duron was standing. Somewhere behind the wall.
He typed quickly.We’re right here, Wyatt. Listen to me. Wait!
The air got trapped in his chest as he stared at the cell phone, willing Wyatt to listen to reason. When twenty seconds ticked by and the message remained unread, a slither of sweat slid down the side of Duron’s cheek, making the cuts sting. It barely registered as he cast a glance at Beaumont.We need to find a way in past the wall, now!
Do you have an animal that can climb?
If it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, Duron would have laughed at such a silly question. He set the timer for four minutes, then shoved his cell phone at Beaumont.Hold on to that.
Duron, hands free, dropped the pack on the ground, and before Beaumont could do more than blink, he took hold of his mate and lifted him.Move around my back and wrap your arms around my neck. Leave your legs dangling so I don’t crush them on the tree trunks.
When Beaumont did as he asked, Duron ran for the nearest tree. The weight on his back hardly slowed him down. His hands shifted into that of his baboon.
We really need to talk about how many animals there are inside you.
The sense of pride was back as he nestled his head against Duron’s neck and gave him a sweet kiss.
Heat that wasn’t the kind that came from excessive weight carrying, spread to parts that had no business right then getting hot. Duron used the wall he had in his mind to block out his sexy thoughts and trained his focus on finding Wyatt.
Scaling the tree, he was mindful not to let any of the branches catch Beaumont. He ascended, swinging from tree to tree until he was right at the top of the wall. The wards were stronger, and he took a second to adjust to the repelling power. He brought forth all his animals, allowing the power to surge through him. He forced the power out, so it protected Beaumont. The groan in his ear didn’t sound like pain.
