15. Chapter Fifteen

Acutely aware of the man next to me, I kept my eyes on my phone the next morning. It was early—very early. We left at ‘way too fucking early' in the morning since the park ranger we wanted to talk to asked to meet in a little town called Darrington. Heath had never gone out that way but knew Seattle better, so he drove.

"You okay?" he asked. "I know riding with me anywhere must be awful, but Darrington is only an hour and a half away."

"No, I'm just distracted." I was playing Tetris. "Nothing new to talk about." I didn't want to look at him. Maybe I was a little too lonely because my mind had summoned all sorts of images it hadn't needed to during the night. It had been a very long time since my mind was capable of conjuring those sorts of images about anyone in my life.

"Well, okay, then." He sounded a bit off like I had somehow hurt his feelings. I gave him a side eye, looking over his profile. There wasn't much light in the car, but there was damn sure enough for me to see him. He didn't look disappointed. If anything, he looked as tired as I felt.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" I asked, trying to see how he was really feeling.

"Enough. I'll be fine for the day. You?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

The conversation died again.

I wish mind reading was a werecat ability. He never gives off enough of a scent for me to pick up what he's feeling. Probably useful in his world but downright annoying right now.

I saw his nostrils flare for a split second and knew I had just given him something in the air to smell. He didn't say anything, and I narrowed my eyes on him.

"What could possibly be annoying you this early in the morning?" he finally asked.

"Nothing important." I went back to my Tetris game.

"I don't believe women when they try to say that to me. What's bothering you?"

"Fine. Nothing I want to talk to you about."

"That I'll accept."

"I wasn't looking for your approval."

"I'm just saying you promised to open up to me because I want to know the woman who is completely and utterly idolized by my daughter. I figured knowing what annoys you might be a good thing to know."

"It's really not a big deal." I'm annoyed because I can't figure you out, and my subconscious definitely wants to know a lot more about you.

He stopped trying, and we rode together in silence. When I saw a sign for Darrington, I sighed happily.

"Do you think she'll be there?" I asked. "Like on time?"

"I'm more hoping she brings the other two. She mentioned there were two other rangers who knew about Gaia and Titan. The more people we can talk to, the better."

"Of course."

He turned into a little place called Country Coffee and Deli and parked but didn't get out. I followed his lead, sitting up and looking around. It was already six thirty in the morning, and the sun was out, just post dawn. A large pickup truck drove in and parked across the lot from us, followed by a second. Three rangers in uniforms jumped out, and one of them pointed to our little rental.

I got out first, hoping I would be the least threatening one. It didn't matter, though, because Heath didn't bother to wait for me to make introductions. He jumped out as well and walked up beside me.

"Haley?" I asked, looking between them. Two were women, and I didn't know who was who. "Heath, here, called yesterday and asked to meet."

"You must be Jacky," one said, smiling. She had dark hair and eyes, giving us a wary smile. "And Heath." She looked over at the wolf. "You…asked some uncomfortable questions over the phone yesterday. Geoffrey also sent word you would be in contact."

"Then you know what I am," he said, eyeing her.

"A werewolf? Yes. Jacky…" Haley looked at me, frowning.

"Werecat," I said, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was around. "You three knew Gaia and Titan." I didn't phrase it as a question. I knew they had contact with the deceased werecats, and there didn't need to be any beating around the bush about it. No one had time for that. "And you're all human. So, let's cut to the chase. Who found their bodies?"

"You're a lot like the last werecat who rolled through here," the other woman said. I raised an eyebrow. I was a lot like Jabari? He would have a hernia if he heard that. "I'm Gina. This is John." She motioned to the older gentleman, who had to be in his late forties. "And yes, we knew them. John and I found their bodies. Haley went with us to check on Titan after we discovered Gaia was dead."

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Heath said gently. "We're going to have a lot of questions for you three. Is there anywhere more private to talk?"

"Not really. We could drive further out, but there's no one here right now, so there's nothing to worry about." Haley's smile was tight.

She doesn't trust us. Can't say I blame her. There are probably too many supernatural strangers roaming through for her to feel comfortable.

"Fine." I sighed, continuing to look around. "We've heard there have also been some werewolf disappearances. Do you have anything we should hear about that?"

"No. I try to greet werewolves as they come in. That was a typical group of guys, looking to drink beer and sit around a campfire for a week. They didn't seem more or less trouble than any other group like them. It wasn't close to the full moon. They were planning on leaving about three days before. When they didn't come back down by the full moon, I got worried. Geoffrey started calling me, but I couldn't find their campsite." Haley crossed her arms like she was scared of something. "I couldn't find Gaia and Titan to ask if they had seen the wolves either. The next time we saw them was…when we found them."

"So, first, the wolves go missing without a trace, and the only ones who could have possibly found them showed up dead two weeks later," Heath muttered, shaking his head. "We pretty much already knew that."

I had an idea, but I knew if I didn't get it done in one day, Hasan would be furious.

"Can you take me to the territory line? Drive me closer to where one of them lived? I might be able to learn something."

"The other guy, he had a weird name, asked for the same thing," Gina informed me, looking down. "We took him up there, and he seemed really spooked or something. He just started walking out into the woods with his stuff and hasn't…come back either."

"Yeah. His name is Jabari, and he's got a one-track mind. I promised someone important not to go into the woods." I ran a hand through my hair, realizing my ponytail wasn't holding up. I readjusted it and looked at Heath. "What do you say? Want to check out something closer to the area?"

"We don't have much of a choice. At least, I don't. I'm going to have to go into the woods at some point."

"Yeah," I sighed. "You promised to find the wolves."

"Why didn't Geoffrey send anyone out?" John asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Are you one of his?"

"No. I'm a friend and came into town with Jacky to figure out what the hell is going on. He wasn't going to send anyone out until he knew what was going on with Gaia and Titan, and I can't blame him for that. Why didn't you tell him they were dead?" Heath eyed the group in front of us.

"We…we didn't know if he did it or not." Haley shrugged. "It wouldn't be hard for wolves or anything else to get out here, and we wouldn't have any idea. The last thing we wanted was for the wolves to overrun our mountain…Gaia and Titan were important to us. They helped rescue humans, brought them back if they got lost or hurt. They also kept other…things like you out. And sure enough, now that they're gone, we've had two other werecats and a werewolf show up, so far."

"I'm sorry," Heath said, calm and composed, nothing bothering him.

I wasn't calm or composed. These humans had enjoyed a very close relationship with two very reclusive werecats, who had been out there saving people. Did they make sure to do it in human form, or would I find some weird local legends about a big cat that was a benevolent spirit?

"Look, we can bust out some four wheelers and take you up to the trail we used to get to Gaia and Titan's shared home. Visiting their private homes…we normally park at their shared home and hike in opposite directions. It's not easy, but you can probably see one of their houses and get back before nightfall." Gina motioned for us to follow her, and the other two rangers backed off as we stepped forward. She pulled out a map from her pocket and began pointing at different areas. "This is where they would sometimes live together. This is where Gaia lived. Her territory included Mt. Baker. Titan held more territory, reaching down past Glacier Peak. He was a lot harder to visit."

"Let's just…get toward their territory." I was getting more of a feeling as I got closer. The set-up of the land and mountains made me wonder if these werecats didn't have circular ranges. It was entirely possible they'd had something a bit more unique. The only reason my territory was as clean of a circle as it was? I was lazy and didn't feel like finding better lines. Their centers would still be their homes, and it would be a sizable distance from any borders. I drummed my fingers on the hood Gina had used as a table for the map.

"I wonder how they used the natural geography when it came to marking their territories…"

"What was that?" John stepped closer, but I shook my head.

"Personal curiosity," I explained. I knew some werecats used cliffs, ravines, and bodies of water to help mark their territory. Hasan's island territory came to mind. He ‘owned' it, beach to beach, on all sides, even though it definitely wasn't a circle.

"Okay." The human shrugged and backed away again. "Well, we can get moving when you want."

I nodded to Heath, who just jerked his head. I followed him back to the car, and we loaded up. Once Haley's truck started moving, we followed behind.

"They wanted to have nothing to do with this," I announced blandly. "They'll help us as much as they can, but they don't trust us."

"No, they don't. I think they want answers as well. Not a bad thing since it puts us on the same side."

The same side. I thought about it. Everyone seemed to be hoping they stayed on the same side now—the wolves, the werecats, and the humans. If any of this turned out that someone was at fault, the lines would start being drawn, and it was possible a war could break out. Sobering to think about, which was why I tried my damnedest not to think about it.

We followed behind the rangers for a long time until they stopped at a closed road. John jumped out, opened it up, and began to wave us through. We followed Haley, stopping for the man to jump back in the truck behind us with Gina after he closed the road again.

It was a gravel, potholed mess that ran switchbacks up the side of a mountain. I wasn't sure how high we were going, but I popped my ears once, at least.

The road seemed to never end, but Haley stopped at a clear opening, and we pulled up next to her, rolling my window down as she did.

"We have a small service building up here. There's no electricity, but we keep the four wheelers there, along with spare gas. I just wanted to check in on you."

"We're fine," I called back. Haley nodded and continued the drive.

It was another thirty minutes of potholes and tight turns before we reached the secretive little service building. Three ATVs were parked there, and one dirt bike that made me excited. I jumped out before Heath had the chance to turn off the car and walked quickly toward it. It was an older model, but the same brand as mine. I would be able to drive it.

"So, we can haul you—"

"I'll take this," I told Haley, pointing at the bike. "I own one of my own."

"You have no protective gear," she pointed out. "Just ride with one of us like the werewolf has to."

"I know how to use an ATV," he said lightly, walking over. "Why don't a couple of you get together, that way if we need to stay out longer, you aren't stuck with us."

Haley narrowed her eyes on him, then me. "When we come back, you are too. You aren't taking our gear out there completely unaccounted for. You could get us fired."

"Then we'll check it out today and come back if we have to on foot," I said, looking at Heath. "Let's not lose their jobs for them."

He shrugged. "I still want to drive my own. I don't ride bitch. Haven't in decades."

"But you did have a pack member act as your driver," I reminded him.

"I needed to concentrate on something else at the time." He looked me over. "Like the werecat who had come to my city."

I nearly blushed from the way his eyes trailed over me, looking away, hoping he wouldn't notice. Once again, visions of a half-naked Heath danced in front of my mind's eye. I shook my head jerkily, trying to dispel the thoughts.

"Fine, you two can do whatever you want." Haley stomped into the building and brought out keys. She tossed me one and Heath another. I swung a leg over the bike and turned it on, giving it a minute. It was an old thing, but it would work. Heath revved the ATV he had jumped on. Haley grabbed another with John helping Gina onto the back of his.

"You'll notice there's no cellphone service out here, so be careful," Gina called out from the back.

"We'll be fine unless we go over a cliff," Heath called back. Haley went first, and I took off to follow her. Heath, followed by John and Gina, was behind me. When we hit a bump, I lifted off my seat to better handle the landing, laughing when Heath cursed behind me at the same bump. Haley was right. It wasn't an easy ride and, while I wouldn't tell her, it was harder than I was used to.

No one else noticed it but Heath and me. I slammed on my brake about ten minutes into the winding ride and narrowed my eyes at an invisible line.

"What?" Haley demanded from in front of us.

"This is a territory boundary," I said softly. I had expected to find it much earlier, like when we were bringing up the cars.

"And?" Heath pulled along beside me. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Its placement doesn't make much sense to me."

"They roamed all of these mountains. There's no way this is the line," Haley snapped. "What are you talking about?"

"This is where their territories technically stop," I snapped back. "You're human, so you don't feel it the way I do."

"How big would you guess by the map?"

"Smaller than mine?" I sighed. "Where are we right now, technically?"

"North Cascades National Park," Gina answered as she and John stopped behind us.

"There's a chance they made multiple territories," I commented, still thinking about it. "Or smaller territories that didn't require much maintenance and commonly roamed outside of it. Jabari would have noticed this too. It's not common, but in an area like this, it makes sense. They wouldn't be too worried about another werecat coming for them. While werecats are reclusive, not many of us are this reclusive. We like to live on the border of human society, not completely removed from it. I'll have to explore more to figure it out, but by your description, their territories, especially Titan's, should have been passed into much further south. We should have noticed on that road. The 20." I tapped my foot. "Did Titan spend most of his time down South?"

"Yeah, but he came up here often to visit Gaia."

"Then we're visiting her territory and definitely not still in his own." I looked at Heath. "It's going to be a long day."

He leaned closer. "Are you avoiding crossing into the territory?"

"A little," I admitted. "I've only ever been in one werecat's territory, and that was Hasan's. There are…things I have to pay attention to."

"Is there a chance their territories have gotten smaller since they died?" He ignored the humans waiting impatiently around us. Haley perked up at the question. Part of me wondered if she didn't like not knowing everything about the werecats who had lived here. Now, she was getting the education of her life.

"No. The magic doesn't work like that. It fades with time, either because we're dead or not in it, refreshing our connection to the land, but it takes a lot of time or another werecat claiming it for the magic to truly disappear. And it's not a shrinking. It just fades and fades until it's all…free." I shrugged. "At least, that's how I was taught."

"I would trust your education on the matter more than anyone else's," he said with a small smile. "What are you looking out for? All I can tell is that werecat land is right in front of me. I know when I'm in your territory or when I'm about to enter it but that's it."

"The feel of the land," I whispered. "Let's get to it."

I slid off the bike and let Heath go ahead of me, pushing it along until I crossed the invisible border.