“A couple scouting packs,” Clayne said. “Not as many as this bunch, but we’re still talking at least three or four of them. No doubt, they’re looking for Declan and Kendra, too. Hopefully, they’re not having better luck than we are.”
Tate swore. “What the hell do we do now?”
“Hang here while we try to pick up Declan and Kendra’s physical trail,” Ivy said.
Wemeaning her, Clayne, and Tanner.
“Again?” Tate scowled. “That took forever before.”
“It’s the best we can do right now,” Ivy said.
And it was a hell of a lot better than they could do on their own, that was for sure, Angelo thought.
She gave Landon a long look, then turned to follow Clayne and Tanner in the jungle.
“You heard Ivy,” Landon said. “We hang tight here until they get a bead on Declan and Kendra. Until then, let’s make sure we’re ready if any more hybrids decide to show up.”
Angelo dropped his pack and pulled out his NVGs. The sun was already going down, and if recent experience was any indication, they were going to be in for another all-nighter.
***
Kendra hadn’t checked Declan’s wounds since the sun had gone down an hour ago, but they’d all closed up, even the deep ones. She never would have believed it was possible, but he really was healing himself. She knew shifters healed fast. She’d personally seen how quickly Ivy had recovered from the torture those freak doctors had put her through. But as bad as those wounds had been—punctures, scalpel cuts, pieces of skin sliced off—they’d been minor compared to the ragged claw marks crisscrossing Declan’s body.
She didn’t know how Declan had been able to keep this talent hidden from the DCO for so long, but ultimately she didn’t care. He was going to live, and that was the only thing that mattered to her. It had been a long day in the cramped shelter waiting for him to wake up, and from how slow his breathing and heart rate still were, he was probably a long way from coming out of his hibernation.
She gently smoothed his hair back from his forehead. She’d figured out a while ago—when she’d laid her ear on his chest to convince herself that his heart was still beating—that her touch wouldn’t rouse him. It had been beating…albeit very slowly. Since then, she’d held his hand, refusing to let go. Even that simple contact made her feel better.
As she sat holding his hand, she kept an ear out for hybrids, but so far she hadn’t heard any. And in between doing that, she’d daydreamed about all the things she and Declan might do once they got back home. Making love topped the list, of course. Followed by going out to dinner. Or maybe they’d just get takeout. That way they wouldn’t have to leave her apartment—or his—for days. She wondered what his place looked like. Probably very rustic, with lots of wood and outdoorsy furniture. But mostly she just wanted to hang out with him and make up for all she’d missed with him in the past seven years.
Kendra was still smiling at that image when she heard a noise outside. Her heart catapulted into her throat. Just because she heard something, that didn’t mean it was a hybrid. There were all kinds of animals out here in the jungle.
Pulse pounding, she slipped on her NVGs and quietly moved aside the branches covering the entrance to their shelter just enough to take a quick peek.
The trees along the stream were sparse enough to allow a little moonlight to filter through them and illuminate the scene. She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle a gasp. Two hundred yards away, a pack of hybrids were slowly crawling along the bank of the nearby stream, sniffing the ground. In the green backlight of the NVGs, the glow from the creatures’ eyes was unmistakable.
She could definitely make out three of them for sure, but there could have been more. They were moving slowly, following the exact route she and Declan had taken earlier that day. As much as she wanted to believe that they’d keep following the stream and pass her and Declan by, she knew that wasn’t going to happen. It was only a matter of time before they reached the shelter.
She glanced at Declan. He was sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the danger they were in. With her low on ammo and Declan in a self-induced coma, the fight would be over before it started. Once she was dead, the hybrids could do anything they wanted to Declan. She wouldn’t let him be tortured the way Ivy had, not when there was something she could do about it.
Kendra flipped up her goggles and leaned over to kiss Declan hard on the lips. He didn’t respond, but she liked to think he could sense her. “I love you, my big, gentle teddy bear, and don’t you ever forget it.”
She kissed him again, softer this time, then gently wiped away one of her tears that had fallen to his cheek. She wished she could write him a note, so he’d know what had happened to her, but there wasn’t time for that, even if she had something to write on.
She traced her fingers along his scruffy jaw, regretting all the things she hadn’t gotten a chance to say. But another clatter of rock on rock from down by the stream reminded her that she had no time for this. She grabbed her M4, dropped her NVGs back into place, and eased out of the shelter.
Kendra knew she couldn’t go directly toward the hybrids. She needed to lure them well away from Declan before she tried to take them out. That way, if she failed—which was pretty likely—Declan would still have a chance. Best case, they wouldn’t be able to find him at all. Worst case, at least she’d give him time to wake up.
She closed her eyes and tried to get a feel for which way the wind was blowing. Ivy had taught her the trick of turning until you felt the breeze on your cheeks, and it pretty much worked. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the wind would carry her scent down to the hybrids. If she moved slowly and carefully, and didn’t make any noise, she stood a good chance of getting away from the shelter without them realizing that she was there. As fast as her heart was beating, she’d be amazed they hadn’t already heard it.
She turned parallel to the stream and headed away from the hybrids, which meant she was going in the same direction they were. Moving quietly along the rocky slope she was on proved difficult while wearing her goggles. The less-than-stellar depth perception the things provided made avoiding all the stones damn near impossible. But she did it, at least long enough to get out ahead of the slow-moving hybrids before slipping down toward the stream.
She turned to look over her shoulder. It took a few moments to find them in the dark. Three of them were crawling along the ground on their hands and knees, sniffing as they went, while a fourth walked beside them.Crap, she could recognize the one walking—it was Marcus’s second-in-command. And he was leading his group of hybrid bloodhounds right toward Declan’s hiding spot.
They were moving at a slow pace. If she was trying to escape, she very likely could have, but that wasn’t what she was trying to do.
It was hard to tell for sure, but the hybrids were probably getting close to the section of the stream where she and Declan had headed up the slope to their makeshift shelter. If the creatures were locked on a good scent, they’d be turning up the slope any second.
She needed to get their attention before they reached that point.
