“We should call Dr. Langley,” I said, staring Lacey down. “She’s medically trained and she ought to see the scene before we disturb it.” I grimaced, hating what I was about to say. “We’re going to need to cover this up. It’s going on day three of the investigation. They’re going to have dozens of people searching the woods in a few hours, along with search and rescue dogs. We’re going to need Daniel, too.”
Hunter scowled openly and Lee’s expression tightened, a steely glint entering his eyes at my words. It might’ve been at the grisly work we needed to do, but I strongly suspected it was at the mention of the warlock. They openly disliked him.
“Lovely. Glad you can see reason.” Lacey paused, her gaze sweeping over the twins, taking in their rigid postures and the way their breathing had become extra-controlled, as if they were struggling to keep their emotions in check. She pursed her lips. “Hmmm. I guess I’ll get Daniel.”
“Go,” I told her with a sharp nod. Then, when the twins shot me a questioning look, I added, “You two go get Hattie out of bed. Be discreet. Make sure she brings her kit.”
The twins nodded, then turned to trek off into the woods.
“And I’ll guard the body,” I said to myself, glancing down at the remains of the hiker. “Poor bastard.”
The forest was too silent. As if the wildlife around us were still holding their collective breath. Another sign that whatever had done this wasn’t natural.
Though I ought to have been focusing on the task at hand, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking ofhiminstead.
Harris. He had been conspicuously absent from my dreams last night—meaning they had just been ordinary, jumbled dreams, chaotic and only halfway remembered. Now that I was alone and had a moment to myself, a mix of loss and unease settled over me at his absence.
But what if something bad had happened to him? What if he was injured—or worse—and that’s why he hadn’t joined me in the dreamscape last night?
Mentally, I took hold of the mate bond thrumming between us. His energy was almost close enough to touch. Even though he was almost a thousand miles away, he suddenly felt so near that I had the irrational urge to start running in his direction.
My wolf whined in my chest, clawing for freedom. I let go of the connection, mentally turning away from him. Harris needed to stay exactly where he was. It was better that way. For all of us.
* * *
Dr. Langley and the twins arrived less than an hour later, a few minutes after Daniel and Lacey.
I felt anxious. In less than two hours, the sun would be up, and the forest would likely be teeming with search and rescuevolunteers. We were rapidly running out of time.
“I’m too old for this shit,” Dr. Langley complained, trekking through the woods, supported by Lee on one side and Hunter on the other.
“Hi, Hattie,” Daniel said brightly, waving at her. He pushed a lock of dark hair out of his eyes, grinning. He was dressed in flannel, jeans, boots, and a tan jacket, but with his delicate, almost elven features, he still managed to look out of place in the forest—more fae than man. Or, now that I thought about it, perhaps he looked moreinplace than the rest of us.
“It’s Dr. Langley when I’m on the clock,” she said, tsking at him. But she smiled back.
The twins both glowered at Daniel. They were formidable—both a half foot taller than him, six-two at least, with matching dark hair, pale skin, and cold green eyes. Identical right down to the icy fury in their gazes.
The warlock caught their expressions and a flicker of dismay swept across his face. But a moment later, he turned his attention to me, apparently determined to ignore them. “So, I guess the bleeds really are starting back up, huh?” He glanced at the dead hiker and blanched. “Oh wow. Holy shit.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah, holy shit is right.” I paused. “A warning that the rifts were weakening would have been nice.”
Daniel bit his lower lip. His ears turned red. “This stuff isn’t really an exact science. I didn’tgetany sort of warning.”
“Maybe whatever did this crawled out of the bleeds the last time they opened,” Lacey pointed out, glaring at me. She often jumped to Daniel’s defense, which hadn’t earned her any goodwill with Lee and Hunter. “Or maybe it’s not corporeal. It could have been a wraith or something.”
“No ordinary wraith did that,” Lee said, gesturing to the hiker’s body.
“The point still stands. The monster could have already been in the woods,” Lacey shot back, glaring daggers at the twins. “It’s not Daniel’s fault.”
“Fine. If that’s true, why bide its time?” Hunter argued, his voice even colder than his twin’s. “Why attack now? Why this hiker?”
“That’s why we’re here! To figure that out!” Lacey snapped.
“And you’re helping in what way, exactly?” Hunter demanded.
“I don’t see you two doing anything useful, either.”
“We’re here to find out if we can narrow down what did this,” Dr. Langley said firmly, giving me a sideways look I had no trouble interpreting as:Control your people, Alpha.
