“Vehicle tracks.” Riley pointed to the wide depressions where tires had compressed the soil. “Something heavy. SUV or light truck.”
I circled the area, mentally measuring the dimensions. “They parked here, probably for less than an hour. Look at the way the grass is still trying to spring back.”
“And over here—” She moved to the far side of the clearing where several metal components lay half-hidden in the brush. “Portable pen parts. They transferred the luminooks to a larger containment unit before transport.”
The realization hit us at the same time.
“They’re collecting them.” Riley’s expression darkened. “The fence cuts at the pens, the missing wild younglings. They’re systematically targeting luminooks.”
“And possibly other creatures we’ve brought to the surface. A mother chumble will protect her young, but?—”
“A bullet will end that much too fast,” she said with a frown.
“But why?” I knelt to examine the discarded pen components, careful not to touch them. “They’re beautiful creatures, but they have no practical value. They’re not medicinal or edible.”
“They glow,” Riley said. “Their bioluminescence is unique. If someone discovered a way to harness or replicate it…”
“The pharmaceutical applications alone would be worth millions.”
She nodded grimly. “Or military applications. Imagine soldiers with natural night vision, or equipment that generates light without heat signatures or batteries.”
My stomach clenched at the thought of the gentle creatures being experimented on, their bodies dissected to unlock the secrets of their glow. “We need to get those luminooks back and protect the others.”
“And find out who’s behind this.” Riley surveyed the clearing once more, her investigator’s gaze missing nothing. “These people may be back.”
I called my contacts in the surrounding towns, and they said they’d be on the lookout for vehicles with cages holding the glowing creatures.
As darkness settled over the forest, we documented everything we could, photographing the tire tracks, collecting soil samples, and marking the location on my phone’s GPS. When we finally started back toward town, the first stars were appearing overhead.
Riley walked beside me, her steps sure despite the gathering darkness. In the glow of our flashlights, I could see the determination in her face, the set of her jaw that spoke of a woman who wouldn’t back down from a fight.
“You’re incredible,” I said.
She glanced up, surprise flashing across her face. “What?”
“Your investigative skills. The way you read the scene, pieced everything together. It’s impressive.”
A hint of color touched her cheeks. “It’s just training.”
“It’s more than that. It’s instinct. Intelligence.” I hesitated. “Courage.”
She looked away, but not before I caught the vulnerabilityin her eyes. “I’m not brave, Dungar. Brave people don’t spend two years running and hiding.”
“That’s exactly what brave people do.” I stepped closer, drawn to her like gravity. “You stood up to one of the most powerful men in the country. You testified knowing his family would never stop hunting you. That’s not cowardice, Riley. That’s the definition of courage.”
The moonlight caught in her hair as she shook her head. “I did what anyone would’ve done.”
“No. You did what almost no one would have.” I reached for her hand, enveloping it in mine. “Most people would’ve looked the other way, protected themselves. You chose justice instead.”
Her fingers curled around mine. “And now I’m paying for it. I always will.”
“You’re not alone anymore.” I squeezed her hand. “Whatever comes next, we face it together.”
The word “we” hung between us. In the silver-dappled darkness of the open plain, with her hand in mine, something shifted between us. This was deeper than attraction. Stronger than the pull of the mating bond.
I was falling in love with Riley James. Not because magic declared us mates, but because every layer she revealed made me admire her more. Her strength. Her intelligence. Her unwavering moral compass. The mating mark might have drawn me to her initially, but my feelings now had nothing to do with ancient orc magic and everything to do with the remarkable woman walking beside me.
We made it back to my house late. Riley headed straight for the shower while I made a detailed report of everything we’d found, organizing the evidence we’d collected and updating my security protocols to account for the potential threat.
