Chapter 24

For an hour, Caleb and Diana searched for clues, listening to every sound they could hear—the shivering of pine needles and leaves; the whoosh of the wet, chilly breeze; the rustling of a deer moving through the underbrush; Diana's rapid breathing.

He moved closer to her and rubbed her arms, her cheeks, and her nose red. Part of him wished she'd stayed back at her cabin, but another part was glad she was with him where he could keep an eye on her. Twice,he’d smelled the scent of Alfred and Ross on the breeze;he thought it was an old scent, yet he didn’t trust her being alone.

“You’re not too cold, are you?” he asked, his voice hushed.

Her eyes had darkened and grew wide. He’d sensed it, too—someone watching, and a hint of something else. He moved closer to the smell and caught sight of drops of dried blood spread over a cluster of brown leaves. Diana crouched beside him, barely breathing, yet he could hear her heart beating hastily. He lifted to his nose a leaf covered