Page 58 of The Hidden Guardian
“Local Girl Wanted in Connection to her Brother’s Death.” The headline reads and below it another picture of me and Colton from my living room mantel. “If you see this girl, please call–”
“Those bastards.” I grab the newspaper.
Renall touches my shoulder,“It’s going to be alright; they can’t find you here. It’s all to flush you out.”
“She’s drawing attention to us, Renall,”I can understand Zev too with Renall’s hand on me.“You are supposed to be Warrior Clan—smart, strategist in battle—but this girl has made you weak, and she hasn’t even given you pussy yet.”
A growl vibrates, growing louder as Renall takes his hand off my shoulder and steps before Zev. Whatever he’s about to say, he obviously doesn’t want me to hear.
Slow and thick, Renall’s growl comes—a threat. Zev’s eyes widen a bit, and when he growls back there’s an edge of fear. He knows this conversation is over so he slips around Renall and opens the door.
Onai stands on the other side, hand up, ready to knock when she sees her father. Her eyes widen in surprise as she shifts out of his way. There’s a tray of food in her hands and a naked man I’ve seen around the cave beside her. Zev looks to his daughter then to the man before stomping past them.
“Uh, we brought dinner. Why was my father here?” Onai asks. Placing the tray of food down beside the fire, I hold up the newspaper, trying to catch Renall’s eye as he welcomes the man into our cave.
“Oh shit.” She pulls the newspaper from my hands.
“Autumn, this is Trefaun,” she murmurs, never taking her eyes from the paper.
Trefaun’s hair is so dark it could be black, and his eyes are amber against the moon rocks. “Hi.” I give a small wave, but he only stares back at me.
“I thought you guys could use some dinner. I didn’t think you would want to go back out there,” Onai mentions. Renall watches our male guest carefully before sitting beside me, placing a hand on my knee territorially.
Onai and I share a look as Renall reaches for a piece of meat. He growls his thanks to both of them. They take a seat on pillows behind the table.
The paper crinkles as Onai opens it. “Wow, is this your brother?”
I hide tears as I nod. Renall rubs my thigh.
“He’s pretty hot.”
“Yeah,” I snort. “He was always popular with the ladies.”
“They are saying here that someone named Victoria said you just disappeared shortly after a camping trip.”
“Vicky?”
“Your house was ransacked, and they are concerned for your safety. They think whoever killed your brother has possibly found you. They are urging anyone who knows anything or has seen you to call the police.”
“Great,” I deadpan.
“In a small paragraph here under a photo it says that Victoria is extremely worried, she told officers you were highly depressed and possibly suicidal the last time she saw you. She urges anyone with any information to please call and that she hopes to see her best friend again.”
I allow her words to sink into me and simmer. If I stay here, I may never see her again. If Renall hadn’t been there, the newspaper would be right because the same people who killed Colton would have killed me.
Renall splits his piece of meat and hands it to me. It’s a charred lump that I can barely identify. I take a bite … it tastes like pork. When I look up, Trefaun has his eyes trained on me and Renall. Probably instinctively, because one wrong move and Renall will rip his throat out.
“So,” I break the silence. “Does anyone know what happened yet?”
Renall’s hand remains on my knee so he can understand our conversation.
“Father is talking to them in the apothecary as they get their wounds tended to. They are pretty shook up. But they state they lost the demons before they even got close to the cave.”
“That’s what they are worried about? Our location and not the fact that you just lost yet another member of the pack?”
Renall squeezes my knee.“The location affects everyone. The wolf only affects his Guardian.”
“No offense, but that’s bullshit.”
