Suzanne's Sexy Shifters [Shy River Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Free Page B

No one had been left behind to coordinate the search. Frustrated by such primitive reactions—they might turn into wolves, but they had no excuse for thinking like them—Brigden turned in a circle seeking help from anyone who might have been left behind.
    Unable to locate anyone at all, Brigden glanced again at the GPS, quickly calculated the distance and decided the fastest solution would be the one that took him in the direction of the child’s last known location.
     
    * * * *
     
    Suzanne felt kind of ridiculous. Not only had the woman been unable to pinpoint exactly where she thought she’d seen the child, it was also becoming increasingly obvious that she was under the influence of some sort of drug. It was more likely she’d wandered down this walking trail to smoke in private whatever she’d been smoking and that she’d simply imagined seeing whatever she thought she’d seen.
    “Is it possible that what you saw running away was an animal? Sometimes the acoustics of the mountain can make far away noises seem much closer.”
    “I don’t know,” the woman said tiredly. “Maybe.” She ran a hand over her eyes, the lids looking puffy and swollen as the effects of whatever drug she’d taken grew more pronounced. “I was sure before, but now, I don’t know. Maybe it was, you know, like a raccoon or something.”
    Suzanne tried not to show her annoyance. There was a big difference between a raccoon and a naked child, but at least this little adventure had broken the monotony of her day. It was rather pathetic that this was the highlight of her week.
    “Come on. I’ll get you back to your tent,” Suzanne said, worried now that the woman wasn’t in any condition to be walking even the easier tracks. They were almost back to the main camping area when the sound of a child’s giggle came from behind them.
    Suzanne glanced at the woman who now wore a wide smile on her face.
    “I knew I wasn’t crazy.”
    Suzanne wasn’t so sure, but fortunately she was polite enough not to say it. They were close to the camping area so it was possible a couple of children were playing just at the edge of the clearing.
    “Head back to your tent,” Suzanne said. “I’ll double back and see if I can find him.”
    The woman nodded drunkenly, and Suzanne watched for a few moments to make certain that she headed into the group of tents before turning around and running back the way they’d come. She followed the childish giggles all the way to a small clearing about fifty paces off the main walking track.
    What she found terrified her.

Chapter Two
     
    Gideon didn’t bother waiting for his running companion. It was clear by the wolf’s size that he was more than capable of keeping up. A few minutes ago they’d picked up the scent of bear-shifter—a slightly more subtle smell than that of an actual bear—and now ran toward it at full speed.
    The sound of a human crashing clumsily through the underbrush had them both skidding to a halt, but it was the man’s scent that made Gideon smile and head in his direction. His search companion seemed surprised by his response but followed him nonetheless.
    “Gideon,” Brigden said breathlessly as they came face to muzzle. “Thank heavens. Look, I think the kid is about half a mile from here. I’m following the GPS coordinates of the human reports of seeing a lone child playing in this area. We need to find him before they do.”
    Gideon nodded his agreement. If the humans had already noticed a young bear-shifter in humanoid form, chances were the area could be filled with humans in a matter of minutes. A human child missing in wild forest would trigger a massive search. Brigden proved he was thinking along the same lines when he turned his attention to the other wolf and asked, “Can you send up a signal to the other wolves to converge on this area?”
    The wolf shook its head but turned back into a man to explain.
    “The alpha doesn’t want any wolf howls this close to