Lion Conquers All by Krystal Shannan

7

CONNIE

“Alright, people. We are almost through. Just a few more scenario questions and then you take your quiz. Let’s say you have an unconscious non-breathing adult and you are alone. What do you do first?” Connie tapped the end of her clipboard and waited.

Helen raised her hand to answer, but before Connie could speak the door at the back of the gym swung open and a familiar ache in her chest started humming again. Aarav was back. Again. This was the most she’d seen him in one day for quite some time.

She’d told him to update her about Sam. But he could’ve texted.

His face was solemn. Unreadable.

Crap. Was Sam hurt?

“I apologize for the interruption again, Connie, but do you have a Gaven Hardisty here?” He waited at the back.

Gaven stood from the table where he was and raised a hand. “I’m here, deputy. Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Just need to ask a couple of questions. Could you please come into the entry with me. Connie, very sorry. I do apologize.”

“Deputy, did you talk to my boys?” Helen spoke this time. “Was Sam there?”

Aarav had a trapped look on his face. He wanted to answer Helen, but he was doing his best to handle Gaven without freaking him out…or any of the other dozen parents staring at him.

“Sam was not there, Helen.”

“Well, shit. Had they seen him?” Helen asked, obvious worry edging into her tone of voice.

Aarav released a long sigh. “No, ma’am. Not since the beginning of the week. Mr. Hardisty, if you could—” He pointed to the front lobby.

Connie found it odd that Aarav had come in the side door of the MCC both times today instead of the front.

He and Gaven left the gym area and the door to the lobby closed with an echoing thud.

“You guys study your notes. I’ll be right back.”

She put her clipboard on the table next to her and followed Aarav and Gaven into the front entryway.

“Can you please try again?”

“Sure, but I told you, she turns her phone off to conserve battery. It won’t ring.”

“Please leave her a message then. We need to get ahold of her and find out if they are together or if he left without her.”

“What’s going on?” Connie spoke up, walking over to the two men. Her skin itched and her chest felt tight, but she needed to know the boy was okay. If Sam wasn’t responding, he could be injured. Aarav would need her expertise specifically.

“Gretchen, sweetheart. Sam Robert’s parents are worried sick. They have checked everywhere. The sheriff’s office is getting involved now. Have you seen Sam recently? Please call me as soon as you get this message. Love you.”

Gaven shook his head. “I’m sorry. I leave the phone on and charged and I never step away from it, but we have an understanding and she’s stuck with it faithfully. So I trust her up there in the park. She’s careful and she checks in every morning.”

“So you spoke with her this morning already?” Connie asked before Aarav could get the words out.

Gaven nodded. “Yeah. She said she was good. She was out at the Moss Point blind taking pictures.”

“The Moss Point blind. Do you know how to get there?” Aarav said, urgency seeping into his calm demeanor.

“Not off the top of my head. But all the maps are at my house. I could find it.”

“Good. I need you to get your things and meet me at your house, right now. Connie I apologize for—”

Connie shook her head. “It’s a missing boy. No apologies necessary. The class was nearly over anyway. I’ll dismiss and come with you, just in case you get there and need medical help.”

“Are you sure?” Aarav met her gaze and Connie felt her cheeks warm.

Good grief. Couldn’t she look directly at the man without turning red? Apparently not.

“Yes, better safe than sorry. Give me five minutes to dismiss class and then I’ll be right behind you.”

Gaven and Aarav left through the front door.

Connie returned to the gym to all the parents and teachers waiting patiently to be filled in. Nothing in Mystery stayed a secret. And there was no reason not to share about a missing boy. Maybe someone else had seen Sam.

“Sam Roberts is missing and apparently he’s dating Gretchen Hardisty without either of their parents’ knowledge. Gretchen is out at one of her mother’s blinds taking photographs and isn’t answering her phone. Has anyone seen or heard from either of them in the last forty-eight hours?”

A lot of shaking heads and whispered no’s made Connie’s heart drop in her chest. She hadn’t expected anyone to say yes, but it would’ve been nice.

“We are going to call class early. You all put the work in and I’m proud of you. Certificates for your CPR and First Aid training will be printed on Monday and available to pick up at the sheriff’s office. I’ll make sure Patsy has them. Thank you again. Congrats!”

A few shallow cheers and gratitudes went up, mostly thanking her for teaching the class. Everyone shuffled out of the gym. Within a few moments, Katherine strolled in, followed by her husband and mate, Knox. Ava and Ryder were right behind them.

“Class go okay? I saw Aarav here a couple of times.”

“There’s a boy missing. The Roberts’ son—Sam.”

“Oh, no. Should we call Col and have him—”

“No. Please. Don’t do anything. You have to let the town handle this. It’s dangerous for everyone if you get involved.”

“Connie, we can help.” Ryder stepped closer and Connie instinctively stepped back, keeping the distance between them the same. It wasn’t that she was particularly uncomfortable around Ryder. It was something she did around all men. She tried to stop it. Most of the time if she was prepared, she’d catch herself before she acted like a complete scaredy cat.

“Connie. I—” Ryder met her gaze and then froze. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine.” She grit her teeth and wished she was better at hiding her problems. She hated that she wasn’t. She hated it every time someone noticed her backing off or avoiding people. Questions came soon after. Questions were the worst.

Too many questions into her past were dangerous. She didn’t want to be moved. The Marshalls reminded her yearly to keep her past in her past.

She loved this place. Loved the people. She even liked the crazy Reylean alien people too. She didn’t want them to get hurt or attract attention to themselves. That was the only reason she was so hard on them.

“That’s bullshit, hon. You’re not fine.” Ava said, the woman’s voice was almost a low growl. “But we have a missing boy to help find. So tell us what we can do.”

“Be prepared to come help search if the sheriff organizes search parties. We’ll need all the eyes we can get. I’ve been in these search and rescue groups before. I really hope we don’t get to that point. Hopefully we will get up to Moss Point and wherever Gretchen’s mom set up the blind and they will both be there being stupid kids.”

“You know we can do more,” Knox said, staying next to Katherine. His voice was low and his expression one of confusion.

“There will be a lot of scared parents with guns on the mountain soon, looking for both of them, helping their neighbors find their missing kid. None of you would be safe. None of you are ever safe when you...change, or, anyway…I have to go.” She grabbed her purse and forced herself to walk past the group of people she knew were her friends. People she trusted probably more than a lot of people in town.

She hurried out the side door, threw her bag in the passenger seat and climbed into her truck.

The Hardisty’s house wasn’t too far. Just a few minutes south and west of town. There was a bridge a couple miles south of their place that Gretchen was likely using to access the edge of the national park.

Connie parked next to Aarav’s patrol car and walked up to the front door. It opened before she could knock. Aarav’s face greeted her. Of course he’d probably heard her car and then her walk up onto the porch. Reyleans could hear everything, even in human form, they had special abilities. Too bad they couldn’t smell better as a human too. Maybe some of those wolves would be really useful on the search and rescue team.

Lions didn’t really track by scent, did they?

“Hey, umm, did he find the map to the blind?”

Aarav watched her with those attentive blue eyes that never missed a single detail. “He’s working on the best way up there. We’ll go in a few minutes.”

“Oh, good. That’s good.” She slipped through the open door, careful to avoid touching him.

She’d made that mistake before and didn’t want to make it again.

According to him, she was his mate. Ava said he’d mentioned the whole soul call thing and that she glowed. Whatever that really meant. Her skin didn’t look any different to her, but Ava had assured her it wasn’t something she would ever see. Only mates saw the glow. And only Reyleans could see it, not humans.

So accepting it as fact was merely taking him at his word. He could be lying. He was a man, trying to say that she belonged to him. That wasn’t okay. It didn’t matter that multiple women she knew from town had also found themselves mated to Reyleans and were perfectly happy.

Connie couldn’t. She wouldn’t allow herself to be caught in another man’s web of control again. Never. No matter how kind they appeared. No matter how beautiful. No matter how much that stupid ache in her chest tugged and pulled at her resolve.

She was granite.

She was unmovable.

She would protect herself, no matter what.

Gaven came barreling out of the living room where she stood a couple of feet away from Aarav in the entry. He was waving a piece of paper.

“Found the instructions to the Moss Point blind. It’s not too far. We have to go down to the bridge south of here, cross into the park, and then follow the Red Tail trailhead about five miles. We’ll have to walk that last five miles. There’s not a road for a vehicle.”

“That’s fine.” Aarav said, glancing down at my feet. “Do you need to swing by your house for different shoes?”

“No, I have hiking boots in my truck. I’ll meet you guys at the trailhead.” Connie grabbed the doorknob before Aarav could beat her to it and was gone before either of them could say another word.

She knew where the bridge was.

She even knew that particular trailhead.

She didn’t need them to show her.

It would be stressful enough walking a trailhead with two men by herself. What was she thinking? Why hadn’t she thought of that?

Dammit.