Dark Guardian #4: Shadow of the Moon Read online

  My stomach dropped as though I’d just reached the apex of a roller coaster and was careening down at the speed of light. I didn’t think I’d be safe at Wolford. But I wasn’t certain I was safe here anymore either.

  SIX

  Later that afternoon a light snowstorm hit, and I blinked as the snowflakes landed on my lashes while Daniel walked with me to the Hot Brew Café. I prepared him a double-chocolate hot chocolate, which he took to the sitting area by the fireplace. Again he turned so he was watching me. I must have been growing accustomed to his presence, because it didn’t irritate me.

  Then the rush started, and I didn’t have time to think about Daniel, full moons, or harvesters. It was a little weird that working hard was so relaxing, but it actually relieved some of my stress.

  It must have shown on my face because when we began closing up, Daniel walked over to me and said, “You actually enjoyed that.”

  “Yeah, I did.” I liked being around people—human people. I wished I could experience the same sort of connection with my own kind.

  When we were finished closing for the night, Spike let Lisa, Daniel, and me out the front door. A guy in a silver Range Rover was waiting for us. His name was Chip, and he was apparently Lisa’s main squeeze for the night. He was husky and had a beard that made him look like an authentic mountain man. After introductions were made, Daniel and I climbed into the backseat and Lisa buckled up in the passenger seat.

  “This is going to be so much fun,” Lisa said. “Chip packed a picnic basket for us. We’ll take it to the top of Devil’s Grin.”

  “What’s Devil’s Grin?” Daniel asked.

  “The tallest slope,” Lisa explained. “Skiing down it is for the more experienced skiers. You can decide when we get there if you want to give it a try.”

  “So we can ski?” I asked.

  “If we want. My friend Jake is a ski patroller. He’s sorta throwing an unauthorized party on the slopes tonight. Lights will be lit but only on the lower slopes. His girlfriend, Trish, has access to the rental equipment. No charge for us.”

  “I can’t believe how many people you know,” I admitted, in awe that one person could have so many friends. Or how much they were willing to do for her.

  “Oh, you know. I’m the party girl. Can’t party alone.”

  But when we arrived, we discovered the party had been canceled. The ski patrollers were out in force, and they were far from relaxed. Some were pulling toboggans.

  “Sorry, Lisa,” Jake said. He was tall and slender. Like all the other patrollers, he wore a red jacket to identify himself. “Just before we closed the slopes, we learned that a nine-year-old boy got separated from his dad up on the mountain. We had the dogs out searching, but they’ve had no luck. We’re pulling everyone in to regroup.”

  “That’s awful,” Lisa said. “What can we do?”

  He gave her a tired grin. “Go home so I don’t have to worry about you getting lost.”

  I exchanged a glance with Daniel, and while I couldn’t read his mind or sense his emotions, I knew what he was thinking. But if the dogs hadn’t had any luck, how could he?

  I saw a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye and glanced back. A couple was sitting on a bench. The man had his arm around the woman, who was staring blankly at the snow and turning in her hands what looked to be a blue knitted cap.

  “Are those his parents?” I asked.

  “Yep,” Jake said. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, if you can believe it.”

  “Is she holding her son’s hat?”

  “Yeah, the dad found it near a tree. Unfortunately the storm that came through this afternoon erased any tracks.”

  I turned back to Jake. “Surely there’s something we can do. We could make hot chocolate for the search patrols, if nothing else.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Lisa exclaimed. “Let us do that.”

  “Okay, yeah, sure,” Jake said. “They’re actually filling thermoses at the first aid station. Just go introduce yourself. Trish is there. I’ve got to get back to the patrol.” He glided away on his skis.

  “You go on,” I said to Lisa. “We’ll join you in a minute.”

  She furrowed her brow, and I jerked my thumb over my shoulder and mouthed, Restroom.

  Thankfully she didn’t ask why I needed Daniel to stay with me if I was going to the restroom. I figured she was so upset by the boy’s disappearance that she wasn’t thinking clearly. She and Chip walked away.

  “So you want to help fill thermoses?” Daniel asked.

  “No, that was just a ploy so Lisa doesn’t leave without us and we have an excuse to hang around. Do you think you can find the boy?”

  “I don’t know. The dogs couldn’t, but I’m willing to give it a try. I’ll need you to stay close, though. Carry my clothes so I’m not stranded without them.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Let’s talk to the parents, then.”

  We walked over to them. They barely noticed our arrival, their worry was so intense. Daniel crouched in front of the mother and I knew it was because he wanted to get closer to the cap, to smell the scent of the boy. Wolves, like dogs, have incredible olfactory senses. They can pick out individual scents. It was the reason they were so good at tracking.

  “We’re sorry for what happened to your son,” Daniel said quietly.

  The mother, with tears in her eyes, just nodded.

  “What’s his name?” I asked.

  “Timmy,” the dad said.

  “Tim,” the mom corrected with a wavering smile. “He decided he was getting too big for Timmy.”

  “Thought he was big enough to go off on his own,” the father added.

  “Which slope were you on?” I asked. I could have asked Jake, but I was trying to provide Daniel with the time he needed to hone in on the scent he wanted.

  “Misty Trail.”

  “I’m sure they’ll find him,” Daniel said.

  Again the parents just nodded. I felt so helpless as we walked away, but I was grateful that I couldn’t feel what they were feeling. We stopped by a map of the area that had all the slopes marked. “There it is,” I said, touching a trail far to the north.

  “We’re going to need to get you a flashlight, so you can follow my paw prints,” Daniel said.

  “I actually have a penlight in my pocket.” He looked at me, and I shrugged. “Never know when it’ll come in handy.”

  Daniel, though, with his keen senses would be able to see in the dark. I didn’t want Lisa to worry about us, so we went to the first aid station. I told her that Daniel had search and rescue experience and we were going to join in the search. One of the workers showed us on the map exactly where the father had last seen his son. I grabbed a hot thermos, and we headed out before anyone realized we weren’t sanctioned to be searching for Timmy.

  We started up the mountain. I didn’t have any worries about getting lost. I knew Daniel would find me, and I knew he would be able to lead us to safety. Strange how this afternoon I’d contemplated for a brief time that maybe he couldn’t be trusted and now I was putting my life in his hands.

  We hit the ski lift that would take us to the top of Misty Trail. It was still running so the patrollers could use it. We took up our position and dropped onto the bench when it hit the backs of our legs. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but Daniel’s arm ended up around my shoulders. I wondered if all guys were as into touching as he was. I’d gone so much of my life without the touch of Shifters that in some ways I was starving for the intimacy. And Daniel seemed to be so good at providing it.

  “Do you ski?” he asked as we swung out and up over the slope. There was a little more moon tonight. It was almost to its first quarter. A little more moonlight glittered off the snow. It was stunning. I wanted to be out here sometime when I had no worries.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Some.” He lifted the hand that had been resting on my shoulder and stroked my cheek. “I think tonight could have been fun.”