Considerably.

She turned her attention away, securing the pack, tightening the straps.

“Will you be able to communicate when you’re a wolf? I’m sorry if my questions are stupid or offensive.” She lifted her shoulders. “I just don’t know.”

“You’re not stupid. They’re good questions. And you can’t know until you’re told. I want you to ask me anything. If I know the answer, or can get it for you, I will. Do you understand?”

She couldn’t hide the grin at the corners of her mouth. “It’s really hard to concentrate on even a very sweet promise when you’re naked. I’m sorry, you’re just…” She waved a hand at him.

“Just what?”

He was close again, and despite his nakedness, the heat blasted from him, enveloping her.

She swallowed hard, feeling more than a little like prey. “Magnificent. You’re magnificent.”

He reduced her to whispers, so she gave them. She was a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. There was something between them, something beyond what they’d once had, past the hurt of their parting. To deny it, to deny what he was there naked, tall, hard and gorgeous and helping her? It would have been cowardly.

His smile was all arrogant male, and it sent a shiver through her. “I’ll properly thank you for that. Later. For now? Yes, my wolf can understand you. He can’t talk, obviously, but just speak and we’ll work it through. He’s bossier than I am, my wolf I mean. He’s going to steer you where he thinks it’s best. Stay close.”

He bent and magick washed over her, warm and soft, sun-dappled bark and pine sap. And in the place of the magnificent man, stood a massive and no less magnificent wolf.

Honey gold fur, intelligent blue-green eyes. His paws were the size of canned hams and he reached above her waist.

Before she could stop herself, she’d stretched a hand to touch and then snatched it back. “Sorry!”

The wolf snorted and pressed his body against hers, butting her with his giant head until she gave in and slid her fingers through soft fur, over his head and down his back. She knew that werewolves were larger than regular wolves, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined. Josh’s wolf was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen.

“You’re beautiful,” she whispered.

He turned, his nose, cold and slightly wet, his eyes gazing into hers. She held him, one palm on either side of that massive head.

Just a look, and she felt it to her toes as something passed between them. He jerked his head then, snorting, and she got the feeling that was his wolf telling her to follow him. So she did as he trotted off.

She hiked for several hours with him leading. He sniffed a lot of stuff. Growled here and there as he changed direction. He made her sit, and she ate a protein bar and drank some water while he disappeared for about twenty minutes. She’d needed the rest but had no idea what he’d done while he’d been gone. Probably ate a rabbit or peed or something.

Though it wouldn’t do for her to think of him as a dog, it still amused her. She checked her messages. No new leads. No new sightings of the SUV either. Nothing. She was thoroughly disheartened by the time he trotted back to where she was.

She stood and shouldered the pack again, and he 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.”

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 notes and ended up staring out the window again.

The loneliness seemed to flow from her in waves. He could fix that. Or try anyway. Gina was awesome. Funny, warm and totally accustomed to being surrounded by Others. She was exactly the kind of person who’d extend friendship. And clearly Michelle needed it. He wanted her to understand it was possible to live in a vibrant community of likeminded Others. Sure she couldn’t announce that witches existed to the world, but she didn’t always have to hide it either.

Damon and Gina arrived, and as he’d figured, Gina was warm, holding her hands out to Michelle.