Free Grif (Tales of the Were - Redstone Clan) by Bianca D'Arc Page A

connection. “Don’t take chances.”
    “Hey, I called you, didn’t I?” Grif tried to inject a little humor into a situation that could very well be prove to be deadly.
    Timmons had killed their sister. He’d evaded the best trackers Grif could hire for months now. He was both skilled and treacherous—a very bad combination.
    “I’m glad you called. We’ll be there shortly.” Steve’s voice was solid and reassuring.
    Of all the brothers, Grif and Steve were probably closest, not only in age, but in temperament and experience. They’d both served in Army Special Forces and had trained in ways, and with weapons, the other brothers had not. All in all, Grif was relieved that both Steve and Matt, their youngest brother, were on their way.
    Once out of sight of Lindsey’s house, Grif loped into the woods, on the trail of the elusive scent, but it was lost. Could he have imagined it? Was he losing his mind? This was not the first time he thought he had scented Bill Timmons’ unique brand of evil, but every time he searched for the trail, the scent soon disappeared. It was entirely possible he was imagining things. He hated to think what that could mean to his sanity.
    One thing was sure, he definitely needed backup. If he was losing it, someone would need to look after Belinda. If he wasn’t losing it and Timmons really was somewhere nearby, he would need help protecting the women. Not only did he have to take care of his little sister, but now Lindsey, regardless of her humanity, was under his protection as well. He refused to let either one of them down.
    Steeling his resolve, he headed for the cabin at a lope. His brothers were already on their way. As far as he was concerned after this last scare, the sooner his brothers got here, the better.

Chapter Five
     
    When the cougar reappeared the next night as Lindsey was finishing up the sweat lodge in the backyard, she took it as a good sign.
    “Welcome back, Spirit Guide,” she said aloud to the cat. “I’ve decided that’s what you must be. It’s as good an explanation as any, I guess.”
    The cat just sat, watching her for a moment, and if she had to name the expression on his face, she’d call it amusement. But perhaps that was just her imagination. Cats were pretty inscrutable. Even the big ones.
    He started to move around the ceremonial building she’d put together out of tree limbs and other greenery, as if inspecting her craftsmanship. She watched as he moved around the perimeter, sniffing here and there, then moving back to look at the whole.
    “Grandpa told me how to do this, but except for that one time, I never saw it in person.” She stood back from her somewhat lopsided creation. “How does it look?”
    The mountain lion made a noise low in his throat that she had no way of interpreting.
    “I’ll take that as approval.” She smiled and crawled inside the small structure, dragging some of the extra provisions she thought she might need later. Clean towels in a closed basket, jugs of water and fire-starting tools all went in and she took a moment to set things up to her liking.
    She shouldn’t have been surprised when the cat followed her inside, taking up a position across the ring of stones she’d made for the fire she would start later and just watching her.
    “I’m getting this ready for tonight. Grandpa gave me very specific instructions. Tonight is the full moon. I’m going to start this fire at sundown and begin the ceremony he taught me before he died.” She sat back on her haunches and surveyed the small environment she’d created. “It’s been a long time coming, but maybe after tonight, if I do this right, he can finally be at peace.”
    A silent tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away, smiling.
    “No time for the sentimental stuff now.” She worked her way out of the small building. “I’ve got to get ready. And hope those werewolves leave me be long enough to get through this.”
     
    Grif followed her