Free Unconditional by Lauren Dane

growled.
    “What? Do you need something out of the pack? Water maybe? Food? No, I don’t guess you’d be eating Luna bars as a nine-foot-high wolf beast.”
    He continued to examine her, sniffing the air.
    “Is there something for me to worry about? God, Josh I feel like I’m in an episode of Lassie . Did Timmy fall down the well?” That did make her laugh but he snorted again.
    Then that rush of magick, and he stood up, naked as the day he was born. And still beautiful.
    “ Lassie ?”
    “Uh.”
    He shook his head with a wry grin. “The pack? Unless you want me to stay naked? Though if hikers came around, they might not think it was so great.”
    “Oh!” She handed over the backpack. “Only if they were insane. I mean, there’s water in there.”
    “I had some.”
    He got dressed quickly.
    “What were you growling at me for?”
    “You’re upset. My wolf likes it even less than the man does. He wants to carry you off deep in a forest and keep you there until you’re happy.”
    Oddly touched, she smiled. “Did you find anything?”
    They began to walk, she guessed back to the parking lot.
    “I found a trail a few times. But you did your magick, right?”
    His wolf had stopped and sniffed, pressing his body into hers a few times. She’d already been using her othersight, and there had been a faint trace of mage magic, but nothing of Allie. She explained that to him.
    “Yeah I thought so. I followed it until it died out. I didn’t scent any other witch but you though. Back to your upset.”
    “I checked my messages. Nothing new. We’re at a dead end.”
    He sighed. “We’ll keep looking. We aren’t giving up, Michelle.”
    “I just…I want to help her.”
    He stopped and turned to her. “You are . You’re here looking for her every waking moment. You’re doing all you can. Let’s connect with Pam and Damon, see what they’ve found.”
    They headed back to the lot after he’d made a call to meet up with the other two.
    Damon shook his head when they came out of the woods. “Nothing. We fanned out, checked near the waterways, the paths, everywhere. Nothing.”
    She exhaled, disappointed. “Thanks anyway. I appreciate your help more than I can say.”
    Josh turned to Damon. “Go back to the office and check in. Let them know I’ll be home if they need me.” Then to Pam. “Appreciate the help. Keep me updated.”
    She nodded and said her goodbye to Michelle before she got in her car and drove away with Damon.
    He moved to the car and opened her door. Deflated, she slid inside.
    He got in, and once they’d gotten back on the road again, he spoke quietly. “Come back to my place for a while at least. Please? There’s nothing to do right now. You’re run down. You need some rest and I’d like to pamper you a little. I’m a good cook. Let me make you dinner.”
    “I…” She closed her mouth. What was she arguing for? The longer she spent with him, the more she wanted him. More than that, she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to be with someone who knew her, all of her, and wanted to be around her anyway. She was too tired to be lonely that night. “Okay.”
    He relaxed. “Good.”

Chapter Six
    She checked her phone every few minutes until he finally put a hand on hers. “Your phone is on. You’ll hear it if you get a message or a call. My people all know where to reach me too.”
    He’d called Damon and his mate, Gina, to come over for a bit. Josh had wanted to hold her. To kiss her and fuck her senseless to wipe the worry off her features for at least a little while. But he forced himself to be patient.
    Nina called to report she’d hacked the cameras at the rest stops and that they’d stopped working for fifteen minutes at the first stop and six minutes at the second. Michelle figured it was a spell of some sort, but at least they could work out a rudimentary timeline based on that information.
    But it was pretty close to what she’d already figured out, so she took some