Chapter 102 Chapter 102
Calum pulled the bag with his phone out of his pack, then tossed the pack into the car. His hands were shaking, and he was exhausted, having never run that fast and far in animal or human form. It had taken him a lot longer than he would have liked to find the direction his car was in. Popping the trunk, he went to get something to eat and some water. Then what? He had no idea.
He chewed the dry protein bar without tasting it as he looked back up the mountain. He couldn’t just drive away and leave Dale up there, or the other two if they were also chained to a wall. Shaelan, he couldn’t leave her either. He shook his head and tossed the rest of the bar into his trunk as he opened the bottle of water. Why hadn’t he made her come with him? What was going to happen to her when they discovered he was missing? He growled as he pictured her swollen mouth and bruised jaw. If someone had done that to her for having his scent, then what the hell would they do to her if they found out she’d helped him escape?
Drinking the entire bottle, he crunched it up in his hand and then pitched it in the trunk as well. “Fuck,” he rubbed his hands over his face and heaved out a breath. Dropping his hands onto his hips with a smack, he looked around him. He couldn’t go back up alone, he’d already proven how useless that was.
What if… she’d gotten Dale out? Would he even be strong enough to shift and hightail it out of there? He’d looked pretty run down. “Shit,” he hissed out a breath between his teeth, “could this get any more fucked up?” Sighing loudly again, he slammed the trunk and went and climbed in the driver’s seat. He had to get help. Closing the door, he started the car, then grasped the steering wheel and glared at it.
Looking out the window of the car, he tried to think this through. This was what he did, he was the enforcer of the group he’d grown up with. When there was a situation, he came up with the plan. This was the situation of all screwed up situations. As it stood right now, he had no plan and no idea what to do.
“Fuck!” He smacked his palm against the wheel and turned the car off. How long were these damn herbs going to be in his system messing him up? He wasn’t at all comfortable with the possessive feelings he had toward Shaelan. He would protect any female, been raised to do nothing less than that… but this… this was on a whole new level. He’d tried to ignore it as he booked it down the mountain, but even on four legs it nagged at him to the point he’d stopped a few times, debated about running back. Which was the stupidest thought he’d ever had… in his life.
He grunted, “If it’s so stupid, why the hell are you going back up there?”
Shaking his head, he got out of the car and went to go get some protein bars and water to put in his pack. He’d be calling in the cavalry before he moved from this spot, this time. Have some back up en route in case he didn’t make it back. Again. Where could he send them though? He jammed the bars and water into his pack as his eyes surveyed the various outcroppings and plateaus he’d just come down. Had to be somewhere he could watch for them, and others. He was not getting shot again. The thought of being chained up… he’d go out fighting this time. To the death, if need be.
Staring at the phone, he waited until there were bars and sent his location. He typed quickly, trying to fit it all into a short message that he hoped they’d figure out. Only he could end up on a mountain where the signal seems to come and go with the breeze. Hitting send the second time, he prayed it got to them and wasn’t lost floating around on a signal in the clouds for the next thirty years.
Sealing the phone in the bag, he put it back into the pack and zipped it up. He had to stay on two legs for most of the foreseeable future. He didn’t know what area they stalked to shoot animals full of darts, but surely, they wouldn’t shoot a man. Would they? Grabbing his sunglasses, he shoved them on his face and hoped he didn’t look anything like that green-eyed, naked man they’d chained up.
He had to check that Shae was okay and then get back to the lookout location, where he hoped they would join him after he’d left the directions in his car. Even if Devin used his jet to get here, it would still take them a day, at least, maybe more, depending on what was going on back home.
If they had managed to get Dale out, Calum figured he’d drag him back down the mountain, even it meant he was away from Shae, to get his clansman to safety. As much as he didn’t want to leave her—why the hell that was he’d figure out later—he felt the obligation to look out for one of his own men, first.
Shae paced past Nona again.
Nona sighed, “You have me almost praying someone gets sick, so we have an excuse to get outside of these walls.”
Stopping, she clutched her head between her palms. “I know. I’m sorry. I just…” She went back to the window and looked out it. “What’s going to happen when they discover him missing?”
Nona shrugged, “They probably already have by now.” She motioned to the window. “What do you see going on down there?”
Checking again for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, she crossed her arms to hug herself. “Nothing unusual.”
Nona chuckled, “That’s what you want to see. Now if you see them hiking up that hill in this direction, then we have something to worry about.”
“Do you think he made it?”
Nona made a thoughtful noise, “size and shape that one was in, he’d probably run all the way home by the time they found his empty cell.”
Shae nodded and hoped so, but didn’t at the same time. She’d felt ill and jittery since she had watched him disappear into the weeds.
“Are you okay, child?” She heard the chair scrape back on the floor, then Nona was beside her pressing a hand against her forehead. “You’re quite warm.” She turned Shae’s chin and looked into her eyes, then poked her in the arm. “Mmm.”
Shae grimaced, “What is it?”
Nona gave her an odd look. One Shae couldn’t identify. “How are you feeling? Aside from worrying they’re going to find out you let their green-eyed man go?”
Shrugging, she huffed out a breath. “I’m just anxious and have the jitters.” She scowled, “hasn’t exactly been a normal last few days.”
“Was quite the homecoming.” Nona continued to stand there and look at her. “I’m afraid we may have stirred the pot too soon.”
“I have no idea what that means.” Which, she decided was normal, half the time she really didn’t understand what Nona was saying when she used her little sayings.
“It means I think you’re coming into the change.” She blew out a breath, “we may have caused it by sending you to…” She clasped her hands together, “the time you spent with your Calum.”
My Calum? She’d ponder that later. “You mean my,” she lifted a hand, not knowing how to say it without turning three shades of red. “I’m starting to change into a cat because of being near another cat?”
“Mmm,” Nona nodded slowly, “something like that.” She, too, turned to look out the window. “Your mate can bring that on faster.” She gave a small shrug. “Or could just be your age and it’s your time.”
“I doubt he’s my mate,” although the thought pleased her immensely, “you guys said that was almost unheard of now.”
“In the clan, yes, but he’s not from here, is he?” She turned and went into the kitchen.
Shae watched her then turned back to the window. She couldn’t just stand here and keep turning this over an over in her head, she’d have a breakdown. “I’m going to go for a walk, Nona.”
“Seems a good idea, child, I’ll get dinner started.” She called from the kitchen.