His earlier words had become a reality, however, the roads all but washed out again with the rain, and there was no traffic on the back roads. It was one less thing for Tav to worry about in some ways, knowing that Lora had not been struck or picked up by an unsuspecting tourist. At the same time, it meant that she was down there, racing through acres of unexplored terrain. While Tav knew the area like the back of his hand, there was far too much area for a single man to cover—even with wings.
She shouldn’t have shifted tonight. The full moon isn’t until tomorrow, Tav thought furiously. But the fact that she had turned told him that someone had been wrong about the ebb and flow of the tides. It was not the first time it had happened, but Tav wished desperately that the calendars had been accurate on this particular month.
Wishing isn’t going to help anything. I need to find Lora and bring her home until she learns to control herself.
He had planned it all out for the following night in his mind’s eye. He would lock her in the shatter-proof room, monitor her closely and keep his distance as she figured out what was happening to herself. What he had envisioned had not been pretty, but it was a lot prettier than this scenario. It had not occurred to him that she might turn early.
That’s why she was acting so bold. She was already turning. Dammit, why didn’t I see the signs?
He knew why. He had been so hopeful that Lora was finally seeing things the right way, that she wanted to be with him, he had ignored the warning signs.
And now she’s on the run, lost and probably scared out of her mind.
At the moment, Tav realized that she was high on adrenaline, the shift of her body overtaking her so that she did not understand anything else but the need to run and be free. But eventually, that would give away to fear.
I have to find her before that happens.
He swept lower into the trees, listening for signs of disruption among the woodland creatures as he moved, but wherever Lora had gone, he was not getting a sense for her.
Tav fell to the ground and rested, his claws curling into the foliage as he lifted his massive head to catch whiff of Lora in the air beyond.
There was no sign of her, not anywhere. And the more he strained, the more disheartened he became.
He closed his eyes and willed his well-honed senses to lead him in the proper direction, but the more he tried to find her, the more his frustration mounted.
Wherever she had gone, it was not where he was looking.
Tav had lost Lora’s trail, and he had no idea where to start looking again.
Tav was so antsy, he felt like he was going to jump out of his own skin. His brothers were not making matters any easier.
Andreas smiled cockily, shaking his head in disbelief.
“You lost a new shifter?” he demanded. “How does one even go about that?”
“Is this something you have experience handling?” Tav fired back, and Andreas snorted.
“No, of course not. But I understand why you needed those pills now. Damn, only you could get yourself into such a stupid mess.”
“Can you help me or not?” Tav hissed, spinning to face his brothers. Of his siblings, only Andreas and Luke had come to his aid that stormy night, and for that, Tav was grateful. He would have much preferred Benedict’s sensibilities or Rhode’s natural instincts, but he got what he got.
“We need to get out there and find her,” Tav told them, folding his arms over his chest. “And I have no idea where to start.”
“She couldn’t have gotten far,” Luke pointed out, nodding at the shattered front window. “She’s injured.”
“If she’s turned, she can heal,” Andreas muttered, rolling his eyes at his older brothers. “And I assume you’ve looked around here.”
“You’re right!” Tav said, realizing that Luke was onto something. “She can’t heal as well as we can. Not yet.”
Tav nodded at Luke.
“How far could she have gotten?” Luke demanded, sitting forward as he saw that they were finally getting somewhere after an hour of back and forth.
“I took off after her right away, but I didn’t see her,” Tav said slowly, his mind racing. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. “If I were hurt, I’d hide somewhere safe and dry.”
“Good. Yes,” Luke muttered. “Where would that be? Anywhere nearby come to mind?”
“There are a slew of caves up the trail. I’ll check them out.” Tav spun toward the door, but Luke called out for him before he could.
“Get me a map,” Luke suggested. “Drea and I will split up and check other areas.”
Andreas groaned loudly and dramatically, causing both his brothers to shoot him a scathing look.
“Have you got something better to do tonight?” Luke barked. “No one forced you to come.”
Andreas sighed and flopped back on the sofa as Tav scoured the junk drawer for a map of the area.
“This is where the caves are,” he explained, pointing to the spot he intended to go. Luke nodded. “There’s another system a bit further off, down the peak.”
“We’ll look at it. Keep your ears honed. I’ll send you a signal if we find her.”
Tav paused and eyed his brothers warily.
“She’s in an almost manic state,” he warned. “She’s not the same woman I’ve gotten to know over the last few days.”
Luke smiled sympathetically.
“Being turned against your will can have that effect on you,” he reminded Tav gently. “Don’t worry, brother. We’ll find her and make sure she’s brought to safety. You can count on us.”
Tav offered Luke a grateful smile and headed back toward the door, a growing feeling of dread overwhelming him as he moved.
I shouldn’t have let it come to this. I should have told her right from the start what was going on with her. This is all my fault.
Yet he knew playing the blame game wasn’t going to improve matters. The only thing that was going to make things right was finding her.
He prayed that if he wasn’t the one to locate her, Luke was. Tav knew that Andreas would only make matters worse. He was happy that he had help searching for Lora now, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, he had already lost her.
No way, he growled to himself, throwing himself back into his dragon body to fly toward the cave systems. She’s my soul mate, and she’s not going anywhere.
16
Blurs, burs, sticks and stones.
That’s all she recalled for over an hour. Her feet ached as she bolted across the trees, her eyes blinded with tears and confusion until suddenly, abruptly, she stopped.
Lora’s breaths were uneven, rough, painful. She could barely see, hear or smell, and when she tried to turn around, she fell onto her face, scratching her cheeks and hands painfully.
What the hell is happening to me?!
She didn’t move from where she was sprawled for a long time, rain seeping down around her neck and shoulders, soaking her skin until slowly, she realized just how uncomfortable she was.
What am I doing out here? Where is Tav?
She rolled over onto her back and stared at the leaves swaying in rhythm to the night rain, not a star to be seen overhead.
A terrible sense of déjà vu began to consume her, and abruptly, Lora was brought back to the afternoon she woke in Tav’s house.