Rescued By the Mothman (Monster Bounty Hunters #1)

Chapter 5

Sable

Well, that had gone swimmingly. I watched the car peel off and veer dangerously around the first bend. My whole body was screaming to follow her. But I knew if she got even a glimpse of me chasing her, she’d drive in even more of a panic. Nausea grew as my stomach roiled at the thought of her racing through these twisty roads while upset.

I flew up higher. Higher than I would normally be comfortable with, and watched her drive into the distance. She was on high alert and knew I could fly. There was no way of following her without being spotted or going dangerously high. I dropped back down to the ground reluctantly, my mind spinning.

I couldn’t do it. With a large bound, I leapt back up and followed her from as high as possible. I kept above the clouds, trying to resist the buffeting of the winds, and listened carefully for the tone of her car’s engine. The light was blinding up here, even on a gray day. I squinted and kept listening. Once I had the sound committed to memory, I followed it. My moth hearing was often an inconvenience. I’d taken to wearing ear plugs day to day to block out the worst of the commotion. But now I’d struggle through the pain to keep her safe.

As I tracked her, half blind and struggling with a world of sounds stabbing my ears, the noises of the engine seemed to get less frantic and strained. She was calming down and driving more sensibly. My heart rate slowed. It had been beating like a drum since the moment I saw her face for the first time. It had turned into an entire carnival of drums when she fell into my arms. I couldn’t tell how long I’d been lost in her eyes. A green that reminded me of the honeysuckle in my childhood garden. Long enough to let my quarry get away.

I heard the car stop and dipped briefly below the clouds. We were at another house. She banged on the door.

“Uncle Rez, please let me in.”

She sounded frightened, and it twisted my stomach into a knot. The door opened, and she dashed in. Red hair flowing behind her. She was safe. I wanted to stay here. Watch over her. Make sure that no harm came to her ever. But I had a job to do. I thought of my sister and turned back. I had to find Delaney.

When I got back to the redhead’s house, I did a quick tour of the place to make sure Delaney hadn’t snuck back. He was her brother, but I’d heard him insulting her. That made my fur stand up with anger. She’d sounded confused. I didn’t think she knew what he’d done. That gave me hope she wasn’t a terrible person. Although it shouldn’t matter if she was a terrible person. She was a stranger. Nothing to me. Right?

I told myself that I was looking for clues about Delaney, but as I wandered around her house, it was the little things about her that caught my attention. The way she had cozy, colorful blankets and cushions on every seat in the house. A riot of colors that still somehow seemed to work together. The trinkets were organized carefully on shelves that told me about her life. Seashells she’d collected. Pictures of her with what I assumed were her parents. A little clay monster that looked like it had been made for her by a child. None of the items looked like she had purchased them from a shop. These were all things that had sentimental value.

I laughed. The feisty beauty who had stamped on my foot and tried to run me over had a gentle heart. Perhaps that was why she’d tried to help her brother. I wondered how I’d feel if my sister had turned out to be such a terrible person. Heartbroken probably. I’d want to save her. Change her mind somehow.

I made my way upstairs. The largest bedroom was hers. More coziness. Her bed was neatly made. My cock hardened at the thought of her in this bed. The things she’d probably done here. I couldn’t help it. My mind filled with thoughts of her here, touching herself. Crying out. Moaning. My mouth was watering, and it took more self-control than it should have not to reach down and begin pleasuring myself. To not sniff her bed sheets.

I made myself leave, my eyes lingering on her bedside table. I wondered what naughty little toys she kept in there.

“Don’t get into trouble,” I murmured to myself. “And definitely don’t be a creep.”

I dragged myself out of the room and explored the others. One contained some gym equipment and the thought of her lifting those weights and sweating did nothing to ease the ache growing in my groin. The next bedroom was a guest room, and it was a mess. Delaney. He couldn’t have been here long, but already there were things strewn everywhere, like he owned the place.

Now this I didn’t feel guilty about rifling through. I discarded dirty clothes off to one side of the room. No sign of a phone. He probably had that on him. No laptop or anything useful. But there were some letters. Weird in this day and age. I flipped through them, catching brief excerpts.

“Obviously, we are very sorry to hear about Billy. He was a great asset to the cause. We don’t have funds to send you right now. But we appreciate everything you’ve done. I suggest moving from your current location. People are asking about you. About your activities in the prison. Good luck.”

“The group is temporarily disbanding until the heat is off. We’ve attracted too much attention. I’ll be in touch with a new contact number when we are ready to meet up again.”

He was definitely working with other people. Although Delaney was hardly a mastermind criminal, he’d done enough damage, and I dreaded to think how much an entire group of angry idiots could do. I tucked the letters into my back pocket. They could be useful evidence.

There was nothing else of interest in the room. So, I left, resisting the temptation to return to the one bedroom that was tempting me the most. I’d violated her privacy more than enough for one day. I looked around at all her stuff as I walked out to the front door and picked up some post. Clarissa Delaney. That was her name. Clarissa. It suited her. I knew I’d be moaning it to myself later. As I put it down, I noticed a Hoodie hanging up. Big and yellow. I picked it up, pressing it to my face. As I breathed, the scent of honey and a spicy woody scent that reminded me of evening primroses washed through me. I swayed as I inhaled again, feeling like I’d downed an entire bottle of tequila. Could you be drunk on a person? I put the Hoodie back and stumbled out of her house. I didn’t know what was going on, but the smell felt like home.