Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Three: Hidden In The Floorboards

Jadea

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I was surprised it hadn't just jumped out of my rib cage yet. I was jittery from the adrenaline. I was scared, though I was sure I deserved a pass for that one seeing as we were tracking down my mate, Adam, and his children.

They were all in danger.

And we didn't know what to expect inside Mrs. Lindsay's house.

Taking a deep breath, I caught the scent of the wolves Garret and Derrick had picked up on. Then, there was Sargent Moore. Pausing right at the threshold, I took one more deep breath. I didn't pick up on the smell of blood, which was a good sign. Listening intently, I shifted my ears trying to pick up on any heartbeats.

I heard one.

Taking a cautious first step inside, I looked around.

The house looked tidy. Nothing so far seemed out of place. There were no signs of a struggle.

Without a sound, I padded into the entranceway and made my way towards the first room on the right, where I had picked up on the sound of a heartbeat.

"It has to be Sargent Moore." Garret stated.

"Any movement?" I asked the rest of the pack.

"None." They all responded.

Good.

"I'll go in first, just in case it isn't," I said.

"I've got your back, Jay."

I slunk into the large entranceway and slowly walked into the elegant little living room.

Instantly, I was hit by Anika's and Aidan's scents. Toys were scattered over the floor, the coffee table and couch. They had been playing in here with Mrs. Lindsay. It was eerie how everything had been abandoned. The half drank tea cup sitting on the table. The half done puzzle. The half built Lego robot. I could almost see them all playing and enjoying their time together; and then the intruders had come...

"Jadea?"

I snapped my gaze to the right and saw Sargent Moore silhouetted against the moonlight shining in from the large window. Padding over to him, I stuck my nose in his palm in affirmation.

"I've only just gotten here myself. I found the place like this," he nodded towards the scattered toys. "I cleared the rest of the house but I haven't found them. I'm sorry. Do you know what has happened?"

"Garret."

He answered my call and came trotting into the room. Right as he stopped at my side, I shifted. Sargent Moore's eyes went large and round as he took in my naked state. He stuttered something unintelligible before dropping his gaze, his cheeks flaming red.

Usually, I would have milked the heck out of this situation. But tonight wasn't the time for that. Time was of the essence. Reaching into the bag Garret carried, I pulled out the little cotton sundress I had in there for emergencies such as this. Pulling it over my head, I refocused on Sargent Moore. "I don't know exactly what has happened. But I will tell you what I do know." I gave him a detailed summary of what I learned thus far tonight, which wasn't much.

"What phone did he call from?" Sargent Moore asked in that serious, detective voice. He'd pulled out his little notepad and was jotting down some things.

"Adam's..." I replied deftly, my voice drifting off as the wheels in my brain turned.

Right as I said it, I snapped my gaze down to Garret's. "Blade, did you ever remove the tracker from Adam's phone?"

"No!" he responded just as ecstatically. "I'll need Briar's phone."

Garret immediately left the building to take the phone to him.

"Where's he going?"

"It doesn't matter. Is it too soon to file for a missing person's report?"

"Nope. Not in your case."

"Perfect! I need you to get on that for Adam, at least. Possibly even Mrs. Lindsay, Anika and Aidan. I still need to clear the area myself before I can confirm they are missing--

"They aren't here," he interrupted. "I've already searched the house."

"Please, don't be that dense."

"What?" he asked so innocently, I had to remind myself he was just a mortal.

I huffed a heavy sigh, trying to rein in the annoyance. "There are hidden spots immortals can make in houses, or anywhere really, to ensure they are hidden from other immortals. If immortals can't find other immortals in these hiding spots, do you really think a mortal, such as yourself, would be able to find it?"

"Good point," he relented, deflating. I hadn't meant to be mean, but right now I wasn't in the mood to play nice.

"Stay here. Let me clear the area before I tell you what I need you to do."

He nodded and returned his attention to his little notepad. He was furiously scribbling away on it, and I had to wonder what he was writing.

I at least left the living room before stripping and shifting back into my wolf form to save Sargent Moore from any more embarrassment or trauma. Though I was fairly positive he had nerves of steel. "Blade, any luck?"

"Not yet. I'm leaving the phone in Briar's capable hands while Garret and I help you."

"Thank you." He was the best at finding those little hiding spots. Mainly just noticing the slight difference in how big a room should be compared to what it was. Same for closets and such. If there was a hiding room in the house, he would find it.

"We will need to check the attic too."

"What if we just called out to her?" Derrick asked.

"Mrs. Lindsay knows not to respond to voice commands. She wouldn't know the difference between a really good recording, or the real individual," I replied.

"Good point."

Garret and Blade met me in the entryway and we went room by room, looking for any little nuances. When we got to Mrs. Lindsay's room on the second floor, Blade paused. He actually put his nose to the ground and tracked the scents scattered in the bedroom.

The foreign wolf scents were strongest in here, as if they had spent an extended amount of time in it. My stomach started twisting into knots. Had they found the hidden room?

Blade moved in circles, seeming to follow a particular scent. It led him into the large, master bathroom. First, he looked up at the little attic access. Under it, there was obvious debris as if it had been opened and closed. My pulse was pounding out a frantic rhythm in my ears, terrified that the attic had been Mrs. Lindsay's hiding place. I was terrified the other wolves had noticed the debris and had found them.

Could they be laying dead, in a pool of their own blood up there?

"Jadea, you need to breathe," Garret commanded, his face appearing before mine. His eyes boring into mine sternly. "Maybe you need to step out for a moment?"

"No. I'll be ok." I replied weakly, taking several deep breaths to calm myself.

Blade ignored us, his nose back on the ground. An instant later, he was back out into the bedroom. He went straight for the bed this time. It was a ginormous, gorgeous dark wooden bed. It had to stand at least four feet tall. There were four sets of drawers on either side that looked to be rather spacious. At the end of the bed, there was a rather small cupboard like door for more storage under the bed.

Blade scratched at it for a moment before he got it to open up. I was honestly surprised to see how spacious the area was. The drawers on the sides of the bed gave the impression that there wouldn't be that much room. The space was large enough for an adult to crawl into.

"I'm shifting," Blade announced. "I think there's a floor access here."

"You think Mrs. Lindsay has a hiding spot in her floor?" Derrick asked.

"It's uncommon, but not unheard of," Blade noted.

He shifted and then shimmied himself into the space. When he was where he believed the access door was, he rasped his knuckles against the floor in a code most wolves knew. It was a long shot, her knowing the code. She was mortal, but her son had undergone the turn to become a werewolf himself.

We held our breath, waiting in suspense. Was there a hidden space in the floor? Had they tried to get to it, and had been unsuccessful? So many what if's! It was driving me insane!

It took a moment, but there was a reply knock. It had all of our hearts jumping with hope. "Mrs. Lindsay, it's Blade. Jadea, Garret and Sargent Moore are here. We have come to take you to safety." He said loud enough for her and the littles to hear.

"Oh thank the gods!" came Mrs. Lindsay emotionally charged, muffled reply. "If you would just give us some space, we will come out."

Blade quickly backtracked out of the hole and shifted back into his wolf form before the kids saw him in his birthday suit. He figured it would be less traumatizing that way.

Seconds later, Aidan and then Anika crawled out, followed by Mrs. Lindsay. The two children looked utterly scared and shaken, especially when they were faced with three rather large wolves. Their large blue eyes—so much like their father’s—stared back in fear and for an instant I regretted not staying in my human form. They would have at least had a familiar face to look upon and a pair of safe arms to fall into. They were still so very young. Anika, the older of the two, was only seven and Aidan was roughly eighteen months younger.

"Let's go downstairs, shall we?" Mrs. Lindsay suggested shakily, taking the children's hands.

Anika paused when her eyes fell on mine. She c****d her head curiously, her dark curls falling into her eyes before letting go of Mrs. Lindsay's hand to wrap her arms fiercely around my neck.

Perhaps, she had recognized the color of my eyes? Maybe, she felt just as safe and comfortable with my wolf form as she had been when I was in my mortal form? It was hard to say.

Mrs. Lindsay nodded and then led the way down the stairs.

"Everything is still clear outside, right?" I asked nervously. Anika had gently fisted her hand in the scruff at my neck as we followed.

"Yep. Everything's still good out here."

"I'm glad the littles were found safe and sound!" Briar stated, relief evident in her tone. "Those poor little dears! They must be terrified."

Mrs. Lindsay led the way into the living room where Sargent Moore looked up from his notepad and started. "Well, if this isn't a welcomed surprise! Mrs. Lindsay. Anika. Aidan."

"Sargent Moore," Mrs. Lindsay replied back tiredly.

I quietly left Anika's side and shifted once more, pulling the dress over my head quickly. I needed to hug them. To let them know they weren't alone. I needed to tell them I missed them and that they would be okay. That I wouldn't let anything bad happen to them.

When I rounded the corner again, Anika spotted me first and cried out. She rushed into my awaiting arms and I crushed her against me. Aidan followed and I held them near and dear to my heart. We all broke down into sobs.

"We were so scared," Aidan cried, his red hair—just like Adam’s—got in his eyes and I gently stroked the hair from his face.

"You were all so brave," I whispered back tersely, kissing their foreheads. I buried my face in their shoulders, their hair. Smelling their familiar scents, allowing their presence to sooth me, calm me. Center me.

They were ok.

And they would remain that way. I would make sure of it.