Firebreak (Jackson's Hollow #2)

Chapter 15

Ryker crouched in the trees, carefully noting the landing point of the black, unmarked helicopter. Highly suspicious in the middle of nowhere West Virginia. He'd been smelling a lot of activity around this area as well, but hadn't yet been able to determine a source point–it was as if something was deliberately muddling the scents, causing them to lead off into ghost trails.

The helicopter was a lucky break.

Prowling cautiously toward the sound of the still-rotating blades, Ryker ignored the fact that he wasn't smelling anything besides the woods here. Scents could no longer be trusted. He did know that the pull from his bond with Jo hadn't grown any weaker, so that was a good sign.

Voices drifted through the woods, and finally Ryker spotted what he'd been looking for–signs of security. There was a chain link fence a few hundred yards in front of him, surrounding some kind air strip or landing field. It was hard to tell how big it was from his place among the trees.

He felt a thread of excitement course through him. He was close to Jo now, he had to be!

For what had to be the millionth time, he shoved at their bond, trying to get it to give. If Jo had broken down once and let him in, maybe she would do it again. He was desperate to hear from her after the last time. It had left him feeling panicky, her emotions bleeding over into him. He had to force himself to be logical and make a plan. Honestly, back home, Brett should've been proud.

Wishing he was smaller, like a real wolf, Ryker stayed in the shadow of the woods as he prowled along the line of the fence. He wasn't sure where the fence turned; it seemed to stretch on forever. Wherever this was, it was huge. Yet somehow still a secret compound.

Growling to himself, he padded along and then crouched down at the edge of the forest. Anger rippled across his skin. It was lucky he was already in wolf form. He knew Jo had to be in there, but he wanted to make sure. He also had to figure out how he was going to get her out.

If only she would talk to him...

It was nighttime, and by now, she was probably asleep. Which meant her defenses had to be weakened? He had heard sometimes that mates could share the same dreams, but it was rare. Still, maybe if he could fall asleep, he could get in contact with her whether she liked it or not. He was all for respecting her boundaries, when she wasn't in a hell of a lot of trouble. He hadn't tried it before because it seemed pointless; she had every mental wall up she could find. But now? Maybe he had a chance.

Falling asleep was going to be hard. Turning, he headed deeper into the woods, looking for somewhere safe to settle down for a few hours. He had mostly been napping on and off since Jo had been taken. He wasn't sure if he had hit REM sleep in days.

He found a set of bushes and undergrowth that were pressed up against some medium-sized boulders. Better than nothing, he supposed. He flopped down on a bed of leaves, still in his wolf form. While he rarely slept like this, all wolfed out, he could. Plus sometimes the connection was more powerful when he was wolfed out. Maybe that would help. At this point, he was willing to try anything.

Stretching out his claws for a moment, Ryker huffed. If only Jo had said something to him before she ran off home. He hated this. So much. He wriggled deeper into the leaves. Had he done something to make her not trust him? Or was this a misguided attempt at protecting him? He had thought about her choice so much that his head hurt. He couldn't figure it out, and since she wasn't talking to him, he couldn't ask her for answers.

As he rolled the grouchy, worried thoughts through his mind yet again, he eventually drifted off to sleep, a headache coming on as he scratched at the block Jo had put up. She had to let him in now.