Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan saw Piers glance toward him as if awaiting his confirmation about the composition of the dark spot on the ground.
He had already inhaled almost instinctively. Despite the lessening of his senses in human form, he did catch the scent of what the spot appeared to be: blood.
Not that he could inform Maya of his certainty.
But even though it was blood, she was right. He couldn’t be sure it was human blood, and even if it was, that the blood belonged to the man who’d apparently been a victim of an attack last night.
Ryan, while in human form, had met Morton, had inhaled his scent, but that wouldn’t tell him what his blood alone smelled like. Even if he shifted and inhaled this aging and foliage-tainted scent, he might have a better idea but wouldn’t be sure.
For now, he would just act like a regular human—at least to the extent he could.
“Wow,” he said to Maya. “That certainly looks like it could be blood—but you’re right. We’ve no way of knowing if it could be Morton Fritts’s. Even so—”
“Even so,” Maya repeated, pulling her camera from the bag over her shoulder and filming the spot, then pulling back to take in more of the area. “We can inform the authorities.”
Enough time had passed that, even though Ryan believed he also caught a faint aroma of canines in the area, he couldn’t be certain. That could simply be his expectation—or imagination.
Either way, he didn’t want the blood to be human, and if it was, he didn’t want it to be the result of an attack by wolf, shifter or otherwise.
Or an injured, or dead, wolf’s blood.
“Yes, we can,” he said, “although since Morton apparently survived it would be better if he told the authorities where he was hurt. Maybe he already has. That might not matter now anyway. It’s not like a crime scene where one human attacked another.” On the other hand, he wasn’t about to mention it but identifying which wolf it was, assuming Fritts had been mauled by a canine or two, would be particularly interesting to him—and to the rest of Alpha Force. He again traded glances with Piers, who was undoubtedly thinking the same thing.
Perhaps it was, in an unusual kind of way, a crime scene, after all—one involving another human in a nonhuman form...
“You’re right. I guess the best thing would be just to mention it to the authorities, maybe show them the pictures I took, and let them decide if they want us to show them where this is. It could just be the result of a wolf or other predator catching its nonhuman dinner. And they’re allowed to do that.”
“Right.” He looked at her. She appeared almost fierce as she nodded toward him, clearly willing to do a lot to defend the wildlife she cherished.
“And in any event, even if it happens to be Morton’s blood we can’t tell whether he acted aggressively first or just protected himself. The authorities might not care either way, but I certainly do.”
“Me, too, of course.” Ryan shrugged off the sudden desire to pull her into his arms for a hug. To thank her for her attitude. That was all.
Not because that sudden desire meant anything else...
“Okay, then,” he continued. “Thanks for pointing that spot out to me. It never hurts to have information, even if it doesn’t make sense to use it. Now, let’s head back down to the park.”
* * *
Maya found herself smiling nearly the entire hike down the hill. That was partly because of the company she was with: other wildlife lovers.
But in addition, Piers gave her the handle of Rocky’s leash, and she got to be with the wolflike dog nearly the entire walk. She had to be careful, of course. Although Rocky stuck with her, he could topple her over if he ever decided to start running while she held the end of his leash.
But he didn’t, good dog that he was. She patted him often.
Rocky and she led the group, and she heard Ryan and Piers behind her, talking. Which in itself was interesting. They discussed what else they would do for the rest of this day.
They also asked again when she intended to give her next talk, about staying away from wild animals for safety. She informed them she had a phone number to call to set it up, and they agreed she should ask for a time tomorrow afternoon.
“I can give a call to work out the time as soon as we’re back in the park and I get a better signal,” she told them.
She looked forward to her next talk, especially considering all that had happened in Fritts Corner since she’d last happily discussed the resurgence of wolves into this area.
Now, that talk could have become a little controversial, but she was going to do all she could to encourage the incredible excitement of having some previously missing wildlife return—yet stress how people should react for their own safety, as well as the wolves’.
She would also need to make certain somehow that it was well publicized so a lot of people would know about it and, hopefully, show up.
And as many as possible remain pro-wildlife despite the now more obvious need to be careful.
They reached the area at the base of this portion of the hillside, then took time to walk around it into the park.
There, near the podium, Maya handed Piers the end of Rocky’s leash and made the call she’d planned on. She reached City Manager Perry Fernander, and he OK’d the following afternoon at one thirty for her next talk.
“All set,” she said as she pressed the button to hang up.
“Good deal,” Piers said, and even Rocky, standing beside Piers with his leash slack, panted a little in a way that resembled a laugh.
“I take it you’ll come,” Maya said to Ryan, who also stood beside them.
The tall man’s brows went up, although he didn’t smile. “Of course not,” he said, “despite my insistence on your giving this additional talk and scheduling it as soon as possible, and—”
“I get it,” Maya said with a laugh at his sarcasm, and her insides seemed to warm at the idea that he would be there to listen, maybe to help her, or maybe to contradict her if he didn’t like her approach.
But somehow she had an urge to impress him—even as they both did their best to help wolves.
For now, though, she called the police department, put the speaker on so the men could hear her conversation and told the dispatcher who answered about having heard about a possible wolf attack last night and seeing something today that could be blood near a path in the middle of a hillside, then described the general area. The woman put them on hold for a minute, and when she returned said the authorities had already been informed by the victim about what had happened and where. She thanked Maya, then hung up.
Which gave Maya some sense of relief. She had done her duty but didn’t have to follow up anymore about that unnerving patch of darkened red on the ground.
But she wished she had more information—like where the attack actually had happened and what had provoked it...
And now, their hike was over and so was anything else she needed to do with these men, at least for the moment. It was late afternoon. They were about to split up, probably not see each other again until her talk tomorrow.
That disappointed her. She wanted to hang out with them—and the dog—even longer.
“Hey, you guys care to join me for dinner tonight?”
She noticed that Piers looked at Ryan, as if he’d go along with whatever the other guy said. Too bad, in a way. She would rather have just invited Ryan, but those two seemed always to stick together. Sure, they had a common employer and common goal, but...
Well, in some ways it might be better not to get Ryan alone. She found the guy much too attractive.
“Sure,” Ryan said. “There’s someplace we need to go first, but we could meet you. Any ideas where?”
“Not really.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the time. “It’s about four now. How about if we meet around six, in the hotel lobby? We can ask there for a restaurant recommendation.”
“Sounds good,” Ryan said.
They walked in the same direction, toward the hotel, for a few blocks, but then the men excused themselves.
“See you later,” Ryan said, and Piers reached for Rocky’s leash.
Their splitting up then somehow made Maya feel a bit bereft. But she felt really good that she’d see Ryan later.
They could talk more then about what she would say in her presentation tomorrow. Could discuss wolves even more. Spend a little more time together, even with Piers present.
And as they left Maya figuratively kicked herself for even thinking such thoughts. Ryan and she might share a love of wildlife—but nothing else.
* * *
“So where are we going?” Piers asked. He had ceded the handle of Rocky’s leash to Ryan, who now upped the speed of their walk along the street in a different direction from the way Maya had gone.
“I’m hungry.” Ryan resisted the urge to pivot around to determine if he could still see Maya. He would see her later anyway. And how much trouble could she get into while in town? “I need some snacks. How about you?”
“Oh, then we’re going to the grocery store to sound the Sharans out about...well, whatever info we can get from them, right?”
“You got it.” Ryan turned back to aim a grin at his aide. They’d learned that Maya had visited the grocery store earlier that day and said hi to its owners, but she wouldn’t have any idea of Ryan’s suspicions about them.
She probably hadn’t the slightest idea that shapeshifters even existed except in books, movies and TV, and that was a good thing.
He needed to make sure she stayed safe, didn’t create any waves that would give more credence to the claims of the locals who weren’t wildlife fans and that was all.
Except for learning what he really needed to know while here...
They’d reached the block containing the Corner Grocery Store. The place was crowded this late afternoon. Not good, Ryan thought.
Its owners might have less time to talk if they were busy handling customers.
On the other hand, he had some ideas of what to hint about that could get their attention—fast.
“It would be best if you wait outside with Rocky,” he told Piers. “He might not be welcome, and he’s also likely to be bumped or have his paws stepped on in that mob.”
“Got it. We’ll go for a walk. But call if there’s anything you need.” He accepted the end of Rocky’s leash back from Ryan, who then headed inside.
He stopped first near the entrance, close to the few cashiers, then went around them to the heart of the place when he didn’t see either of the Sharans.
For such a relatively small grocery, there seemed to be a good selection of all kinds of products, Ryan thought. The aisles were barely wide enough for carts going in opposite directions, and those he glanced at had a lot of stuff in them.
This probably wasn’t the best time to buddy up to the owners—and hint strongly that tomorrow afternoon, around one thirty, they ought to be in the park again listening to Maya.
They’d been pro-wolves before, and should be again, but it was also a good thing for them to see their fellow locals’ reactions once more, especially when Maya told them to stay away from wildlife around here for their own safety.
That should be something the Sharans promoted as well, whether or not they had anything to do with the attack on Fritts.
Or if they were the wolves who’d appeared ready to hurt Maya before he’d come along...
“Hello, can I help you?” A medium-sized guy with narrow shoulders who appeared to be in his early twenties had approached Ryan. Did he work here?
“Oh, I’m fine,” Ryan said. “Just deciding what to look for.” He paused. “And I had a couple of questions for the owners—the Sharans, right? I met them the other day.”
“I’m their son, Pete,” the guy said. He did in fact have his mother’s light brown hair, not streaked as hers was but with a sheen to it—like a wolf’s? His nose was longish, as well.
If he was their son, he was probably a shifter, too, assuming Ryan was correct and both older Sharans were. His scent suggested that as well, along with his physical resemblance to his parents.
Then Pete, too, should hear what Maya—and Ryan—had to say tomorrow.
And what had he done last night, while shifted beneath the full moon? Might he have been the one who’d attacked Morton Fritts?
“Good to meet you, Pete. Are you a champion of the latest presence of wolves in the area like your parents are? I met them at a talk given by a representative of WHaM the other day—Wildlife Habitat Monitoring. I’m Ryan Blaiddinger, and I work for US Fish and Wildlife.” He held out his hand while studying Pete’s face.
His expression froze for an instant as if he was shocked, or at least uncomfortable, at being approached by a wildlife proponent.
Was that because, as a shifter, too, he tried to keep his opinions to himself to avoid any kind of strife with regular humans?
Ryan didn’t get the opportunity to push for an answer, though, since Kathie Sharan walked up and stood close to her son.
“Hi, Ryan,” she said with a smile. “Welcome. I’m sure Pete’s already asked, but can we help you find anything? As you can see, we’ve got a lot of stuff here—including people buying it.” She blinked at her own joke, and Ryan gave a short laugh, turning his head to once again take in the crowd. He’d already noticed the many aromas of food—as well as the buzz of people talking. There were even scents of sweet, fresh baked goods in the air.
“Yes, I do see that. And I don’t want to take up much of your time. Since I’m just visiting and staying in a hotel, I don’t need much in the way of groceries except maybe some snacks. Jerky sticks, maybe, roast beef and bread for sandwiches, and some fruit. And I think I’ll get some extra dog food for Rocky.”
While he was in human form, he felt a lot happier eating produce than while he was shifted—although he rarely had to eat while shifted anyway. But he wasn’t about to ask them for beef products that he might love to devour. He couldn’t really store and cook in his hotel room. Beef jerky was okay as a snack. So was sliced roast beef. But neither were his favorite food. And he tended to feed Rocky high-quality dog food.
“Sure. Pete, why don’t you show Ryan where those are?”
“Thanks,” Ryan said. “Oh, and I just started to tell Pete about the next talk Maya is giving in the park tomorrow. I’ll be there, too. Since we heard about what happened to Morton Fritts, she’s going to be describing how everyone, even wildlife lovers like us, can stay safer—like not getting too near them. And I wonder how close you and your family get to wildlife, and people, at times like last night. Full moon and all, you can certainly see what’s out there a bit better than on other nights.”
He looked Kathie deeply in her dark brown eyes, reading the shock on her face. Her son must have seen it, too—or maybe he was just reacting to what Ryan said.
“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quickly, planting himself in front of his mother.
“Really? Maybe not.” Ryan smiled, then stepped out of the way as someone pushed a grocery cart a bit too close. “Although your even saying that suggests otherwise to me.”
Their conversation, or maybe the way they were all regarding one another, apparently grabbed Burt Sharan’s attention, since he was suddenly with them, as well.
“Is something wrong here?” the beefy guy demanded, his arms fisting at his sides.
“I don’t think so,” Ryan responded, although he knew the question hadn’t been directed at him. “Just met your son, and I was telling Kathie and him that Maya plans to give another talk, this time about how to deal with wild wolves now that some are back in the area—hopefully to prevent any more incidents like the one with Morton Fritts. Although there’s a possibility that couldn’t happen again for about a month anyway.”
He kept his expression innocent and calm as he looked straight into Burt’s shocked face. “What are you talking about?”
“Just the possibility of different kinds of wolves showing up around here—not just gray wolves, for example, but...well, others, too.”
Burt grabbed Ryan’s arm in a rough grasp. “Look, if you’re insinuating—”
“It’s okay, dear,” Kathie said. “I don’t think Ryan means anything besides letting us know that he’s on our side—on the side of everyone who appreciates wildlife, including whatever wolves happen to show up. Right, Ryan?”
He’d already reached down and pried Burt’s hand away. “Exactly,” he said. “But I really do think it would be a good thing for all of you to come to tomorrow’s talk. Can I count on you?”
He looked first into Kathie’s face, and though it was pale she had raised her chin and appeared strong. She nodded.
Ryan then glanced at Burt. His face was flushed, but he no longer looked angry. Worried, maybe. Which was probably a good thing.
“Yeah, I’ll be there. Pete, too.” Burt glanced at his son, who nodded.
Pete’s expression was unreadable to Ryan, but that was okay since all three of them might be shifters.
And the talk tomorrow would be to benefit all wolves, no matter what their background.
But Ryan had a pretty good idea what their background was—and hoped to be able to get them to admit it.
Which might only happen when he admitted at least part of his own background, too.