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Sophie wiggled, trying to get feeling back in her legs. They felt like jello thanks to the tranquilizer she’d been shot with. At least it hadn’t been enough to knock her out.
“Are you okay?”
She turned at Callum’s voice, rearing back when she realized he was butt-naked. Her eyes traveled the length of him, appraising the solid muscle that covered his body.
“Can you shift? It should help with the numbness. We have to get to Terrence,” Callum said as he turned and trotted toward one of the fallen hunters.
Sophie admired his backside, watching the way his muscles flexed with his movements before his words sank in. Terrence! Oh my God! She closed her eyes and focused on her shift.
The bones broke. She grunted as the pain nearly knocked her out. Her breath came in quick breaths while her body reformed until she cowered on the ground naked. The transformation hadn’t been as bad the second time and Callum was right, she was no longer numb.
Callum.
She squeaked and used her hands to cover her naked self as best she could. Callum walked back toward her, having dressed while she’d been shifting. He shoved something toward her and turned away with his hand still outstretched to her.
“They’ll probably be a little large, but it’s all we’ve got at the moment.”
Sophie’s eyes went to the clothes in his hands. They reeked of hunter and she shuddered, knowing exactly where he’d gotten them. At least she had something to wear. She grabbed them and set them on the ground, pulling on the too-large shirt before hopping into the pants. She tugged on the jacket, then the shoes.
“You can turn around now,” she said.
Callum turned back to her, his eyes dipping down over her form before meeting hers again. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “You?”
“Yeah.” He walked to the edge of the cliff and peered over it. “We’re going to have to get down there. Terrence is still alive.” He cupped his mouth and yelled, “Stay there. We’re coming down.”
A long yowl cried back up at them.
Sophie looked over the side. The black cat still moved but couldn’t quite get to his feet. She said a silent prayer that he wasn’t seriously injured. Medically she knew what she was doing, but there were no supplies out here to help him, wherever “here” was. Hopefully it was just a broken bone or two, and no internal bleeding.
“I think we can climb down to him. We’ll have to be careful and move as quickly as possible,” Callum said.
Sophie looked at Callum. It was going to be a tough trek down, especially without any kind of equipment. Not that she knew anything about rock climbing. She’d grown up close to the water and had been inside for the better part of her life after her capture. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to help. The cat had saved them; they owed it to him to help.
“I’ve done some climbing. I’ll go first and help you,” Callum said.
“Okay.” She was glad that he seemed to sense that she’d never done anything like this before. Hopefully she didn’t fall, but she knew if she did Callum would help her. The bear shifter seemed to be in tune to what she was thinking. It was nice.
Callum turned and began going down feet first. Sophie watched his movements. For someone so large, he moved gracefully, and she found herself enjoying the way his body glided down.
“You can start coming down now. Take it one step at a time. I’ll catch you if you fall,” he said.
Sophie blew out a breath and turned, doing her best to mimic his earlier movements. Her fingers shook, aching as they scraped against the rocky terrain. The too-large shoes made it difficult to navigate, but after a few moments, she fell into a steady groove.
She had no idea how long they were descending until hands grasped her by the waist and guided her the rest of the way down.
“You did good,” Callum said, his warm breath tickling her ear as he held her against his chest.
She smiled as she turned to him. Her breath caught in her throat at his closeness. The bear peered down at her, his stormy grey eyes gazing into hers.
Callum cleared his throat. “We need to go this way. It’s narrow right here, but it widens out in another twenty feet or so.”
Sophie blinked, then moved so she could peer past him. Callum turned and led the way.
“Do you think there will be more hunters?” Sophie asked.
“There always are.”
She sighed while pushing strands of her disheveled hair from her face. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
Callum stopped, causing her to collide with his backside. He spun around quickly, his hands going to her shoulders. “I’ve been evading them my entire life. They aren’t capturing us again. The only reason they got to me the first time is because someone I thought I could trust sold me out.”
“A Halfling,” she said.
“What? How did you know?” Callum’s brows dipped down into a scowl.
Sophie shrugged and stared at the ground. “I told you about Serena.” Callum nodded as she swallowed the lump forming in her throat at the mention of her sister’s name. “They want to create a new type of hunter. One with shifter reflexes but without the ability to shift.”
“They’re already stronger than humans,” Callum said as he gnashed his teeth together.
Sophie shook her head. She’d been locked up so long she had no idea if that were true or not, but she’d take his word for it. “Maybe so, but they don’t have our reflexes. They can’t move as fast and they aren’t as agile. It’s really hard to eliminate the gene that allows us to shift. The odds of a child being born without the gene are rare, which is why they experimented on all the babies in an attempt to remove it or keep it from manifesting a shift. In the past they used to let the children live and raised them with their way of thinking, but they had problems with loyalty.”
“What did they think would happen when they asked them to exterminate innocent people?”
Sophie grumbled in agreement.
“Is that what happened to your sister’s children? They were born with the gene?” Callum asked.
“Yeah. They were doing genetic research at the facility we were at. Part of it was to remove the gene or change it. They couldn’t figure out how to do it and the babies died every time. It devastated Serena, and the other mothers too.” Sophie wrapped her arms around her middle.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Sophie squeezed her middle tighter. “It’s okay. Talking about what they did to my sister keeps me going. I don’t want her death to be in vain.”
“It won’t be,” Callum said. “You’re going to be free, and together we’ll make sure that the hunters pay for everything that they’ve done.”
Sophie closed her eyes briefly, glad to hear his words. When she opened them again, she continued on behind him. The ground widened further and though she could technically walk next to him, she chose to stay a few paces back, not wanting him to see her upset.
“Where did you grow up?”
Sophie blinked at the sudden change in subject. She smiled, forcing her thoughts away. “China. We lived on one of the small islands. There were lots of trees and the beach to play on.”
“That explains your accent. It’s nice.”
“I didn’t think I had one anymore.” She laughed. “I was forced to learn English when the hunters brought me here. I haven’t spoken Mandarin since...” She trailed off and briefly closed her eyes. She and Serena spoke in Mandarin when they wanted to speak privately. The last time they spoke in secret was the day before Serena hung herself.
“I grew up in Alaska. I miss the cold sometimes.”
“Alaska?”
“Yeah. We lived in Sitka. My parents and a few other bear families owned fishing boats. Sitka’s the sixth largest port in the US. We sold salmon. I wish I could have it more often now. It reminds me of home.” Callum stopped talking long enough to hop down a short drop. He turned and offered her his hands.
She slid her hand into his warm, calloused palm. “Thanks.” Jumping, Callum held her steady as her feet landed on the uneven ground.
He held her gaze a moment, then nodded at her and turned back around.
“Alaska sounds nice,” she said, wanting to return to their quiet but casual conversation.
“It is. I’d like to go back sometime, but...it’s also the place I lost my family and friends.”
She could relate to that. When she was younger she used to dream about returning home to her family’s cabin. Her parents were always there and they spent all day playing in the waves and picnicking on the beach. The dreams always turned into nightmares, ending with a blazing inferno and her and Serena’s capture.
“On the bright side, Tennessee is nice. That’s where Sanctuary is,” Callum said, drawing her from her thoughts.
“Oh?” she asked. “What is it like?” Hopefully she would get to find out for herself someday soon, but until then, she wanted to know more about this safe haven he kept referring to.
“We have a lot of different species of shifters there. Everyone gets along and helps each other out. I’m sure you’ll fit right in,” Callum said.
“Any tigers?”
“No, sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know we’re a rare breed. At least we were when I was a kid. I heard my parents talking about it. They’d already picked out a mate for Serena.” Serena hadn’t been keen on the idea of having her mate chosen for her. It would’ve been a better fate than the one she’d been dealt.
“I’ve never met another tiger shifter,” Callum said.
“It was only my family and three other shifter families on the island. The rest were humans,” Sophie said.
Callum stopped and looked around, shielding his eyes as he looked up at the sun. Sophie followed his gaze. It was at its peak.
“I know what it’s like to be alone. I’m the only bear shifter at Sanctuary, and I don’t usually come across other bear shifters in my travels. If you ever want someone to talk to...I know what you’re going through.” Callum clasped the rocky wall with one hand and made his way down a set of stair-like rocks built into the side of the cliff.
“Thanks.” His words hit her hard and she swallowed as tears pricked her eyes. Serena was dead – even if her body still lived. If the child somehow survived, she’d never know. Her family was gone. She was truly alone on this Earth. A sob got stuck in her throat and she swallowed it down. Now wasn’t the time to be crying.
“What the...”
Sophie snapped out of her pity party and moved so she could stand next to Callum.
“This is the spot.” The bear shifter moved forward and squatted next to a red stain on the rocks. He touched it with his fingers and lifted them. The tips came away crimson. “Still fresh.”
“Do you think he got up and walked away?” Sophie asked, twisting so she could survey the area. The land fanned out further here, leading into another set of woods.
“He knew we were coming,” Callum said as he stood up. “And it looked like his leg was broken.” He walked a few feet away to where the grass began, then knelt again. His fingers grazed the grass and Sophie bit her lip, wondering what he was looking for.
“These prints, they’re too small to be his human ones. And this...” He paused to point at the ground. “It looks like someone dragged him.”
Sophie didn’t see anything, but she had no idea how to track either. “Dragged him where?” She didn’t see any buildings or tracks that resembled a vehicle. Where would they have taken the cat?
“That’s a good question.” Callum stood and ran a hand through his hair, glancing around. “Do you hear anything?”
She cocked her head to the side, listening. The sounds of nature, birds and forest creatures filled the air, but nothing seemed out of place to her. She opened her mouth to tell Callum as much when a whooshing sound filled the air. It wasn’t another copter, but a car. “The road. I think we’re close to the road.”
Callum narrowed his eyes then turned, taking off at a sprint. Sophie followed, struggling to keep up with him as she tripped over her too-big shoes and pants.
Ahead, the trees parted and she could make out the silvery path of a road. Callum stopped just before he made it to the clearing. He ducked down and motioned for her to do the same.
Sophie didn’t question it. She dove down, hiding in the pine trees as a car hurried past.
The bear shifter stood again and continued his path to the road. He crouched and touched a spot. Sophie brushed debris from her pants as she made her way to him.
“There was a car parked here. It looks like whoever it was dragged him all the way here and got him in the car.”
“Hunters?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. There’s only one set of footprints and I’ve never known them to work alone.” Callum wiped a hand over his face. He glanced around the area. “But this place is too isolated for someone to just be out and about and stumble upon him by accident.”
“What do we do?” Sophie asked.
“I don’t know, but we can’t stay here. Hopefully whoever took him is friendly,” Callum said.
Sophie stared at the road. She didn’t know who had taken the cat shifter, but hopefully it wasn’t the enemy.