Chapter 14

It was almost dawn when the lion leading Cole stopped. They’d traveled all night without rest. The wind had been picking up for the last couple of hours, and the distant rumble of thunder and occasional sudden burst of light from the sky let Cole know that a storm was moving in. Which made him even more anxious.

“What?” Cole asked, looking around and seeing nothing.

Our journey ends here.

With that parting thought the lion turned and left Cole standing alone, wondering what he was supposed to do. Then he heard something. A voice. He followed the sound and within minutes walked into the camp where Jonas and his men were left tied up on the ground.

Jonas was struggling against his ropes, calling out to the others. Cole raced over to him. “What happened?” he asked as he worked at the ropes binding Jonas.

“Don’t know. We stopped here for the night. Jimmy Moss poured everyone drinks. I was sitting by the fire and that’s the last thing I remember. He’d obviously drugged the liquor.”

Jonas extricated himself from the remainder of the rope once Cole had his hands free. He stood and stretched then started checking his men. “Untie him, would you?” he asked, pointing to one of his men.

“Where’s Ray?” Cole asked, moving to the man who lay unconscious nearby.

“Beats me,” Jonas replied, and gestured. “But it looks like he and his brother had a falling out.”

Cole looked in the direction Jonas pointed and saw a man off to one side, his hands bound behind his back, lying on his side. “Ray’s brother?” he asked.

“Jimmy Moss,” Jonas replied, shaking the agent he’d just untied. “Scott, come on! Wake up!”

“Wh-what?” Scott came to, blinking and looking around.

“We were drugged,” Jonas replied and moved to untie the last of his agents.

Cole approached Jimmy Moss. The man’s eyes were open.

“Where’s your brother?” Cole asked.

“Untie me.”

Cole shook his head. “Don’t think so. Where’s your brother?”

Jonas joined him. “Looks like you and your brother had a falling out, Jimmy. Why’d he leave you behind like this?”

“Untie me and I’ll tell you.”

“That’s not how this is going to work,” Jonas replied, squatting down beside Jimmy. “First, let me introduce myself. Jonas Robert, CBI. And now that we have that out of the way, I’ll ask again. What happened?”

“Windrider showed up and Ray jumped me.”

“Scout?” Cole blurted. “Scout was here?”

“Well duh,” Jimmy smirked at him then sobered. “Don’t feel bad. They had me fooled too. Like I said, she showed up and Ray told me their plan. They were going to leave everyone tied up, take the money and run.”

“That doesn’t track,” Jonas said. “Bad blood between the Moss and Windriders for a long time. Doesn’t figure that Scout would take off with Ray. What really happened?”

“I already told you!” Jimmy insisted. “Christ, look at me. My own brother beat the shit outta me and left me to die so he could run off with that Indian bitch.”

“Whoa.” Jonas acted quickly to stop Cole when Cole made a move for Jimmy.

“He’s lying,” Cole insisted.

Jonas regarded Jimmy for a few moments and then planted a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Come on.”

He led Cole over to where his agents were moving around, trying to work out the last of the drugs. “Looks like we have a situation,” Jonas announced. “Apparently Scout showed up. Something happened and she left with Ray.”

“Why would she do that?” Scott asked.

“Probably had no choice,” Jonas answered. “And chances are we’re not going to get a straight answer out of Jimmy. “

“There are six of us,” Cole pointed out. “We split up and search for them.”

“You a tracker?” Jonas asked.

“No.”

“Well, there you go. We could wander around out here for days and not find them. No, we call in for support.” He raised his wrist and looked at it. His head immediately jerked back up. Cole saw the look of surprise.

“What?”

“I had a tracking beacon in my wristwatch.”

“You think Ray took it?”

“No, I’d guess it was Scout.”

“Why would she do that?”

“So we could track her,” Jonas replied then looked at his men. “Any of you remember the way back to base camp?”

One of the agents, Rick, spoke up. “I have a sat phone in my pack.”

“Smart man,” Jonas grinned. “Let’s have it.”

Rick hurried to get the phone for Jonas, who immediately called in and filled his superiors in on the situation. When he hung up the phone his face was not wearing a happy expression.

“Here’s the deal. Storm’s too strong for choppers. High winds. Lot of electricity. We’ll have to wait for it to pass. I gave them the frequency of the beacon. They’ll track her from headquarters and as soon as the sky clears will send teams to her location and a chopper to pick us up.”

“We can’t just sit and do nothing,” Cole argued. “You said yourself there’s bad blood between Scout and Ray Moss. And he’s got her.”

“Nothing we can do,” Jonas pointed out and rubbed at his right temple with one hand. “Whatever they gave us packed a punch.”

“And left a nasty aftertaste,” Rick added. “Anyone have a mint or gum or something?”

Jonas reached into the pocket of his jacket and when he withdrew his hand, his face was wearing a smile. “Well, well,” he said and showed the others the device in his hand.

“What’s that?” Cole asked.

“A tracking device,” Jonas said and turned it on. Cole walked over to look over his shoulder at the display. “What’s that blip?”

“If my guess is right, it’s Scout.”

“Can you tell where she is?”

Jonas studied the display for a few moments. “About twelve miles north of our position.”

“Twelve miles? That’s a long way on this terrain.”

Jonas nodded. “They must’ve left shortly after we passed out.”

“But we can track them with this, right?” Cole asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Jonas turned to his men. “Wait here for pick-up. If you get anything out of Moss call HQ and fill them in.”

“You’re going after them alone?” Rick asked. “I mean just the two of you?”

“That’s the plan,” Jonas replied. “You have a problem with that?”

“No sir.”

“Good.” Jonas handed him the sat phone.

“Keep it. In case you run into trouble,” Rick said.

“Take it,” Jonas ordered. “Report to HQ every hour. We’re headed north. With luck, by nightfall we’ll reach their location. If the choppers are able to lift off, they’ll reach the location before us and can pick us up once they’ve secured Moss.”

Rick nodded. Jonas grabbed his pack and his rifle and turned to Cole. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s get moving.”

Cole fell in step with Jonas, leaving the others behind. Twelve miles was a lot of distance to cover and the direction they were headed would call for some climbing. He just hoped Jonas could keep up, because nothing was going to stop him from reaching Scout.

* * * * *

Scout climbed the rest of the way up the ridge. When she reached the top she stopped, taking a look around. Ray shoved her to get her moving again. A cabin of dark weathered wood sat in the shelter of tall trees beyond the narrow clearing. Behind the clearing, a face of rock stretched up a good one hundred feet to a narrow plateau and then rose again.

Her heart sank. The lay of the land was not favorable. With the cabin backing up to the cliff, escape was limited. The cabin looked out over the small valley they’d just left, giving an excellent vantage point. To either side were rocky outcroppings and thick brush. There was probably a way out in either direction, but it was hard to tell. This could be a sheltered plateau with no way out but the way they’d come.

She gave Ray grudging respect for the selecting the location. From a defensive point of view, it was well situated.

He shoved her again and she mounted the wooden steps leading onto the narrow porch. Keeping his gun trained on her, he unlocked the door and gestured her inside. She walked to the center of the room, turned, and faced him as he closed and locked the door behind him.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Now we play,” he said, dropping his pack and placing his gun on a table beside the door.

“Play what?”

“The game is called ‘do what Ray says or die’.”

“Then pick up that gun again,” she replied, “because if you touch me, I’ll kill you.”

He laughed and approached her. When he reached for her, she struck out. Her fist caught him a glancing blow on the chin. She didn’t wait to see what would happen. As soon as she struck, she tried to run around him, intent on getting to his gun.

He grabbed her by the hair and jerked hard enough to unbalance her. She stumbled and he laughed and hauled her to her feet, slinging her around and releasing her. She flew into a wooden table, her hip impacting painfully before she rolled. Her head banged against the table as her body bowed back painfully, the sharp edge cutting into her back. Pain blossomed sharp and cutting.

And with the pain came a surge from the beast within her. All night she’d looked for an opportunity to transform. But Ray stayed too close and kept his gun on her. She hadn’t had a chance. Now the beast inside was demanding release. For a split second she resisted, then changed her mind. It might be her only chance.

But before the thought was finished, he had hold of her leg. He yanked her hard, pulling her off the table. Scout was scrambling to find something to grab hold of, trying to break her fall. But Ray was big and strong and had a good grip on her.

She hit the floor hard enough to knock the wind out of her, but still kicked with her free foot, hoping to dislodge him. Ray laughed and reached down to grab her shirt and haul her up. She wasn’t even fully on her feet when his fist caught her in the side of the head.

And the world went black.

An ache in her shoulders woke her. When she tried to move her arms and couldn’t, she was pulled to consciousness fast and hard. Fear flooded her as she realized her predicament.

Her wrists were tied together and looped over a climbing stake that was driven into the wood of the wall facing the door. Her feet were inches off the floor, leaving her dangling like a fish on a hook.

And Ray was sitting in a chair across the room watching with a smile on his face. Scout felt real fear. She had no choice, she had to chance the transformation. She willed it to come. And nothing happened.

That changed her fear into genuine terror. If she couldn’t change, she had no chance. He would kill her. Desperation inspired a last-ditch effort. Focusing all of her energy, she closed her eyes and send out a mental scream for help.

“That’s right, pray,” Ray said.

Scout opened her eyes. “Not much challenge in killing something that’s tied up and can’t fight back. Or is that how you like it, Ray?”

“You’re the one hanging on the wall,” he said. “Not as much fight in you as I’d hoped.”

“Cut me down and I’ll see if I can’t do better.”

He laughed. “That’s what I always liked about you, Scout. You always were spunky.”

“And you were always bigger, stronger and faster,” she said, playing to his ego. “Remember when we were kids and they’d have those festivals in town every spring? Remember the year you got stuck with me in the three-legged race because Jimmy had broken his toes kicking that cinder block like a dumbass?”

Ray chuckled. “Had to carry your scrawny ass the whole way.”

“But we won,” Scout reminded him. “Because you were faster than everyone else.”

“And smart enough to know that the only way to win was to carry you.”

“Yeah, that too,” she agreed, then grimaced and let out a little groan. “Let me down, Ray. Please. You can leave me tied, just let me get some circulation back in my arms.”

He pursed his lips, contemplating her for a few moments, then stood and crossed the room to her, picking up a long-bladed hunting knife from the table. “You try anything, and I’ll slit your throat.”

“I won’t try anything,” she promised.

He grabbed her by the front of her pants and lifted her up. She struggled to get her arms to work, and finally managed to work them over the spike. Ray released her. Her feet hit the floor and her legs crumpled. She collapsed, her limbs feeling numb and useless.

Ray backed away from her and reclaimed his seat. Scout rubbed at her legs and stretched them out in front of her, jiggling them against the floor to work out the numbness.

“Remember when a bunch of us kids dared Jimmy to jump off that big rock at Raferty’s lake and he didn’t know that the water was down, and he sunk up to his butt in the mud?” Scout asked and chuckled. “He was mad as a hornet. Me and the other kids were really giving him the business. And he chased us down and caught me and threw me in the water and held me down. I thought he was going to drown me for sure. Probably would have if you hadn’t stopped him.”

“He always did have a temper on him,” Ray said with a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. “And you were always such a smart-ass, daring him to do dumb shit.”

“I did have a talent for that,” she agreed. “And every time it got my ass in a sling.”

“Wonder you made it this long. Half the town wanted to wring your neck by the time you were fifteen.”

She shrugged and climbed to her feet, leaning against the wall. “But not you. Always wondered about that. Why did you pull my ass out of trouble so many times, Ray?”

“Figured you needed it. You didn’t have anyone else.”

She nodded and looked down. She’d just been seized with a strong awareness. There was a lion in the area. Her call had not only been heard but was being passed on. Help would come, but she needed to get out of the cabin. She pushed away from the wall. “So, why’d you turn against me?” she asked.

“I think you’ve got that backwards,” he replied.

“What do you mean?” She walked over in front of him.

Ray rocked back in the hardwood chair, standing it on its back legs.

“Well, you said it yourself last night. You nearly killed me with that piece of firewood.”

“You threatened to shoot me,” she argued. “What’d you expect me to do? You’re the one who told me to fight back. Remember? I was eleven and those white kids were bullying me, and you ran them off and told me that you weren’t going to save my sorry ass again if I didn’t learn to fight back. That if I didn’t look out for myself no one else would.”

“I didn’t say split my head open,” he replied, but with a grudging smile on his face.

Scout leaned down, putting her hands on the edge of the seat between his legs.

“So, why’d you pull that gun on me, Ray?” she asked softly. “I thought we were friends.”

“So did I.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I was wrong. Can’t be friends with someone whose old man ruined your life.”

“Jed didn’t ruin your life,” she insisted, forgetting about trying to get him to remember good times when they were friends.

“Like hell. He turned his back on my father and got him killed.”

“That’s not true!”

“It’s the fucking gospel. If you and your fucking grandfather hadn’t shown up and gotten Pop all upset, he wouldn’t have been unfocused, and that cat would’ve never gotten him.”

“That’s a load of shit and you know it. What happened to your dad was horrible, but it wasn’t Jed’s fault.”

“He might as well have put a fucking gun to his head as turn his back on him that way! He didn’t give a rat’s ass what happened to my father or the rest of us. All he cared about was his high and mighty ideals—”

Scout acted before she even thought about it. She curled her fingers around the edge of the seat and lifted, sending Ray toppling over backwards. She saw her chance and took it. She raced for the door, scrambling with the lock. Flinging the door open, she ran across the porch, down the steps and across the clearing. She was halfway to the drop-off when bullets pelted the ground around her.

She froze and turned. Ray was nowhere to be seen. She took a step back, closer to the drop-off. Bullets kicked up dirt in front of her. She scanned the area, looking for the source of the gunfire.

And a lump the size of a mountain formed in her gut. Cleverly hidden, a metal rig sat camouflaged by brush and tree limbs to one side of the house. On it was mounted an automatic weapon.

Scout had heard about that kind of apparatus. They’d been banned in almost every state in the country. Some enterprising hunter came up with the brilliant idea of making hunting a sport that could be enjoyed from the comforts of home. He developed a rig and mounted a video camera and gun on it. It was operated by a wireless control, connected to a computer.

Sitting in front of the computer, thousands of miles away, a person could move the camera, scanning the area. If an animal was spotted, all they had to do was use their computer mouse to target. A click of the mouse triggered the weapon. Thus, enabling someone to kill an animal while sitting in the comfort of their own home in front of a computer.

But such an apparatus needed power, she considered, and looked harder. She couldn’t spot a power source. It had to be somewhere. If she could find a way to take that out, then the rig wouldn’t work.

But right now, she seemed to be pinned down. Another message had a shiver race down her spine. Jonas had discovered the tracking device and was coming after her. And Cole was with him. She sent her own mental message, hoping the lions could communicate it to Cole somehow. If he and Jonas approached the cabin, they would be sitting ducks.

Unless she figured out a way to sabotage Ray’s rig. “Okay, I got the picture. I can’t run. I’m coming back in. Don’t shoot.”

With far less confidence that she wanted to admit, she made her way back inside the cabin.

“Lock the door behind you,” Ray ordered, appearing in the doorway across the room.

Scout did as she was told. “Take a seat,” Ray said.

Scout straightened the chair she’d tipped over and took a seat. Ray leaned against the doorway. “You can’t get away from me, Scout. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Yes, Ray, I do.”

“Then you’ve got two choices. Live or die.”

“What do I have to do to live?”

Ray grinned. “I’m going to tell you.”

* * * * *

Cole and Jonas knew they were close. But they were in a small, steep valley, with cliffs rising around them on three sides. The storm had moved in on them and the sky was filled with lightning. Jonas scanned the landscape. “Chances are he doesn’t know we’re coming. Which means he won’t be watching for us. If we spit up and approach from the east and west, then we’ll stand a better chance of one getting him in a crossfire.

“He has Scout,” Cole pointed out.

Jonas’ eyes narrowed fractionally then he shrugged off his pack, opened it and dug out a handgun. “You know how to use this?” He handed it to Cole.

“Yeah.”

“Then here’s the plan. You get his attention. I’ll take him out.”

“What if he uses Scout as a shield?” Cole asked.

“You don’t worry. I’ll make the shot. You just get his attention.”

Cole shoved the gun into the waistband of his pants. “Fine. Can you make the ascent by yourself?”

“I’ll manage. Let’s move.”

He turned away and stopped dead in his tracks. “This could be a problem,” he said in a low voice.

Cole looked ahead of Jonas and saw them. Six lions. All standing motionless watching. He could only hope one of them was the male that had led him to Jonas’ camp.

“Let me handle this,” he said and slowly walked in front of Jonas. “We’re trying to find Scout. A man has her. He plans on hurting her. Can you help?”

We have given her our word to assist you. The human she is with has a fortified structure, with weapons on metal trees that can kill anything that approaches.

Cole nodded, feeling an odd sense of relief. He didn’t know how the lions would help, but it felt good to know that someone was behind them. And if Scout had communicated with the lions, it meant she was okay.

“They’re here to help,” he told Jonas.

“Help?” Jonas gave him a dubious look. “They’re lions.”

“Look, I don’t have time to explain. I’m just going to have to ask you to trust me,” Cole replied. “They’re here to help. Apparently, he has her in some kind of structure up there that has a good defense. We’ve got to get close enough to figure out what it is, so we stay together.”

Jonas looked from Cole to the lions and back at Cole. “If you’re wrong about them, we could be dead men.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“Then let’s go.”

Cole looked at the lead lion. “We’re going to scout the area and find out what the defenses are. Can you take us there?”

As one the lions turned. With no other course but the one they were set upon, Cole and Jonas followed. The rain hit in a deluge, and the wind picked up. Thunder shook the ground, and the sky was ripped by blinding flashes of lighting. Thanks to the storm, it took them two hours to reach the site, approaching from the east, along the wall of the cliff.

Both men hunkered down behind an outcropping of rock. “I’m going to try and work my way to the other side,” Jonas said. “Wait for me here. I’ll go back down and to the west.”

Cole remained hidden but scanned every inch of the landscape. His eyes passed over it the first time but came back. What the hell was that? He worked his way closer, taking care to move slow and make as little noise as possible.

What he found made his blood run cold. There was no way to get to the cabin without being spotted. He returned to the rendezvous point and sat down to think. The lions were all lying on the ground, silently watching.

Seeing them gave Cole an idea. While he waited for Jonas to return, he outlined his idea to the lions. By the time Jonas returned, the plan was set, and the lions had disappeared.

“He’s got cameras set up along the edge of the roof, covering every angle of approach. And some kind of rig mounted on a metal stand to the side of the house fitted with a camera and an automatic.”

“There’s a matching setup along this side,” Cole informed him.

“Which makes a surprise attack impossible,” Jonas replied.

“Not necessarily,” Cole said with a smile, and quickly explained his plan to Jonas.

Jonas listened and just shook his head. “You’re willing to gamble her life on a bunch of lions?”

“Yes.” Cole was surprised to hear himself say it but knew it to be true as the word emerged.

“Then we might as well get some rest,” Jonas replied. “Still a couple of hours ‘til nightfall. Let’s find some cover.”

Cole nodded, and they worked their way back from the house, settling beneath a large overhang to wait, hoping that his gamble paid off.

* * * * *

Scout got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She’d stalled as long as she could. Ray was getting impatient. She knew the lions were gathering and understood their plan. What she had to do to ensure success was keep Ray diverted from his bank of monitors in the back room.

He’d shown her his setup when she returned to the cabin. She had to give him credit. It was impressive. He had cameras mounted on the roof, constantly monitoring the area. Motion sensors were mounted atop each camera, and two hunting rigs stood on either side of the house.

His power came from a massive generator in a basement, beneath the cabin. The gas was vented up through a pipe in the walls that ran outside in what appeared to be a double chimney.

She never imagined Ray was such a paranoid man. To have devised such an elaborate and secure stronghold was the mark of someone either very paranoid, or someone who figured that at some point in their life, they’d find themselves in a standoff and wanted every advantage they could have.

Right now, Scout wished for an advantage. Ray expected her to walk out of the bathroom door, naked, and give herself to him. To do things to and with him that made her stomach churn with nausea.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Where was her inner beast? In answer to the question a low growl came from her throat. She was a skin-walker. She felt the ability strong and sure inside herself. She smiled at her reflection. With the power of transformation available to her she could face what she had to do. She turned away from the mirror. It was time.

Just as her hand closed on the doorknob, the sound of thunder and roar of the wind made to seem tame at what sounded like hundreds of blood-curdling screams and roars. “Get the fuck out here!” Ray shouted.

Scout tucked the towel more securely around her body and went into Ray’s monitoring room. “Stay right there where I can see you!” he shouted, and then cut his eyes toward the bank of monitors. “What the fuck’s going on?” he asked.

Dark darting shapes moved quickly and randomly across the field of vision of the cameras. As they watched, a lion’s face appeared, mouth open wide. Within a split second the screen was black.

“Fucker took out the camera,” Ray breathed and turned his attention to the camera on the eastern rig. He panned back and forth but could not lock onto anything. The sound outside was deafening. Scout saw sweat appear on his face, running down his forehead.

He swiped at his face with his hand and switched to the view from the western rig. Big dark shapes flitted across the field of vision. Ray’s hand moved to the mouse. He clicked and a rattle of gunfire added to the cacophony outside.

Scout saw her chance and started to make her move, but at that moment the door to the cabin burst open.

Ray was on his feet, gun in hand and knocking her out of the way by the time Jonas was in the room. Cole was right behind him. Ray squeezed off five shots in rapid succession.

It was as if time had moved into slow motion for Scout. First, she saw one of the male lions go down. Then she saw Jonas’ body whirl sideways as the slug entered his shoulder, propelling him around. A split-second later blood exploded from Cole’s chest. She saw his eyes go wide. Before his body hit the floor, a scream was ripping loose from her throat. And it was not the scream of a human. She had transformed in the space of a breath.

Mindless with rage and grief at the sight of Cole being shot, she lost touch with all reason. With the strength of her lion’s form, she pounced on Ray, her claws digging into his shoulders as her mouth clamped onto the side of his neck. Her back legs moved, claws digging at the backs of his legs, as he screamed and thrashed, trying to dislodge her.

Suddenly the room filled with lions. They poured through the open door, crashed in through the windows. Scout released Ray as a large male attacked him from the front. The sound of lions feasting, and Ray screaming was lost to her mind. Her eyes were on Cole.

Jonas had made it across the room to Cole. His hands were plastered to Cole’s chest. He looked up wide-eyed as she approached, making her aware of her form. She transformed before his eyes, falling to her knees beside Cole.

To his credit, Jonas overcame his shock and shook his head. Scout fell down across Cole’s body. “No! No, no, no!” she screamed. “You can’t die.”

“He’s gone, Scout.”

Jonas tried to lift her off Cole, but she fought away his hands.

“No, I won’t let him die.”

She turned and screamed to the lions. “Help me! Please!”

As if of one mind, they stopped and came to crowd around her, Jonas, and Cole. A big male, the one Ray had shot, lay down beside her. “We have to save him,” she told him. “I can’t do it alone. Please, help me.”

There is but one way, the lion’s thoughts rang in her mind. I will join with him.

“Will that save him? You’re wounded. Weak.”

But I have the strength of my brothers and sisters. Unlike humans, we are able to forge one single mind from many in a united goal.

“I’ll do whatever you say. But if this works, will he…?”

Yes, he will be as you are. Neither human nor lion, but one who walks both worlds.

Scout considered it. Would Cole hate her? But surely, he would rather be a skinwalker than die? She had to try it. She couldn’t lose him.

“What do we do?” she asked the lion.

Close your eyes and free your spirit.

She nodded and looked at Jonas. “Please, don’t interrupt. Okay?”

He nodded and she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened herself to the Sight. Energy captured her, sending her spiraling into an endless void of white. She felt the energy of the lions with her. She felt the male lion with her. Saying a prayer to be granted the power, she put her free hand on Cole’s chest.

Light like that of a sun going nova flared, blinding her. “Cole,” she whispered before consciousness evaporated.

Sunlight was streaming through the opened door and broken windows when Scout woke. Jonas was lying on the floor beside her, as she lay draped across Cole. She sat up with a jerk. The male lion lay dead beside her. Had it worked? She placed her hand on the side of Cole’s face. He opened his eyes.

“Cole!” She grabbed him as he sat up. “Oh god, Cole!” She wrapped herself around him, sobbing and crying his name.

Cole held her, looking around at the destruction. Jonas was sitting up, staring at him in amazement, and surrounding them were lions. What seemed like hundreds of lions crowded into the small cabin.

“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay,” he soothed Scout and pushed her back to look at her.

She tore his shirt open, seeing the unblemished skin. “It worked,” she breathed and looked at Jonas with a smile as bright as the sun. “It worked.”

“Indeed, it did,” he replied with a smile.

Cole stripped off his shirt and gave it to her. Until that moment she hadn’t even realized she was naked. She slipped it on and turned to the lions. “I will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for me. Whenever you need me, I will be there for you. Without question.”

A large female walked over and licked her face. We take care of our own, Skin-Walker. You are one of us.

Scout’s eyes filled with tears. One by one, the lions filed out of the cabin. Jonas looked over at Ray’s remains and rubbed his chin. “Either of you have any suggestions as to how I’m going to write this up?”

Cole and Scout looked at one another then at Jonas. “Jonas,” she said. “You’ve…seen things. Things that are best kept secret. I know I’m asking a lot, but—”

“Some things are best kept secret,” he agreed. “But at some point, you and I need to have a serious discussion.”

“I know, and we will,” Scout agreed and extended her hand. “Thank you.”

Jonas nodded. Scout cocked her head to one side. “Choppers. Two, maybe three miles out.”

“I guess we better get our story together fast,” Cole suggested.

Jonas nodded, looked around then blew out his breath. “Okay, this is the way it played out…”