Chapter Five – Suzie

Suzie’s eyelids were heavy; sleep was calling to her. After being out in the cold, the heat from the fire was comforting, and baby Storm’s breathing was like a lullaby to her ears.

Until a loud screech made them both jump.

As soon as the panicked noise reached them, Storm was awake and crying, drowning out any further sound. Suzie, now fully alert, tested the bottle of formula, it was just about the right temperature, and so she offered it to Storm, in a bid to quiet and calm her. But Storm didn’t want it. Instead, she turned her head, her eyes open wide, searching for something she could not see. Her wails grew steadily louder, and Suzie lifted her up, putting Storm over her shoulder, and walking around the room, talking in a soothing, singsong voice.

“Hush now. Hush, sweet baby,” Suzie crooned, but it did no good.

Afraid of what might be outside, and scared Kit might be hurt, Suzie rocked baby Storm as she made her way to the front door. Pulling it open, she held Storm close to her as she braced herself against the sudden cold.

It was like a blast of ice hitting them. Storm took a breath and quieted her cries, giving Suzie a chance to listen for any other sound. There was none. None at all.

“Where are you, Kit?” Suzie asked.

The night answered her with silence.

Suzie stood still, not knowing what to do. Did she risk going out into the night with Storm? What if there was someone out there? If Kit had been overpowered, then what chance did Suzie have, and what danger would she be putting Storm in?

But Kit might be hurt, and the cold would kill him. She had no choice.

Turning around, Suzie bent down to grab her boots, balancing Storm in one arm while she pulled them on, one at a time.

Once she had them both on, Suzie tucked Storm back inside her coat and turned to face the cold. Only there was a big grizzly bear standing on the porch, looking in.

“Oh,” Suzie said, feeling pathetic. But what exactly did a person say to a bear?

The bear walked a couple of steps forward and lifted his head, sniffing the air. Sniffing her scent. Suzie's heart hammered in her chest, but she had to believe this bear meant her no harm. If it did, she would be dead by now. Hungry bears didn’t usually wait for permission to tear a person’s throat out, did they?

“Kit?” Suzie asked, putting her hand out to the bear.

The bear stepped closer and sniffed her hand, sending thrills through her body. Suzie had never come face to face with a shifter before. It was incredible. Here was the animal side of the man who said she was his mate. As they stood there, face to face, all time stood still; the cold didn’t penetrate her bones, the fear she’d felt at hearing the screech gone.

Then something more incredible happened. The air around the bear shimmered and crackled with electricity, and the bear appeared to disappear, only to be replaced by a man. Her man.

“Kit!”

“I thought you were running out on me,” Kit said, as he closed the space between them and guided her back inside the house.

“No, I heard a noise, it made Storm cry, and we were coming outside to see if you were OK,” Suzie told him.

“I am.” He held his hands out from his side. “All in one piece.”

“So what was the noise?” Suzie asked.

“A cat. Maybe a cougar, I couldn’t be sure, it moved so fast.”

“Was it the same cat…?” Suzie asked, her voice quiet. “The one who left Storm at the hospital?”

“The tracks look the same.” Kit took his phone out and showed her the two images. “Don’t you think?”

“Very similar, if not the same,” Suzie agreed, examining the photos. “So what do we do?”

“I thought about leaving the barn open. Putting some food out there, and a blanket. Try to lure it in.” Kit shrugged. “I’m fast, but this kitty was much faster. If we’re going to gain her—or his—trust, I can’t keep chasing after them.”

“Agreed.” Suzie nodded, but her concern was almost too much. “What if I wait out there, try and talk to whoever it is?”

“It’s freezing. As the clouds clear, the temperature will drop quickly. I don’t want you risking your life. Whoever it is, they have thick animal fur and shifter blood.” He took Storm from Suzie’s arms and offered the baby the bottle of formula. “And we need to keep this little one warm and safe too.”

“You have a way with her, I couldn’t get her to drink her milk,” Suzie said, as Storm began to suck on her bottle. “She just cried when I tried to give it to her.”

“Perhaps because she heard her mommy outside, and thought she was in distress,” Kit suggested.

“Do you really think so?” Suzie asked. “You know, that Storm would recognize her mom’s cry like that?”

“Why not? She would have heard it while she was in the womb. If her mom shifted when she was pregnant. Or maybe it was her father.” He looked up at Suzie. “I think the one thing we can be sure of is that Storm here has someone looking out for her.”

“Then why dump her at the hospital?” Suzie asked perplexed.

“When we finally get our kitty cornered, we can ask them,” Kit said, with a sigh.

“I hope whoever it is comes back,” Suzie said hopefully.

“So do I.” Kit sat up, his face alert.

“You have an idea?” Suzie asked.

“I certainly do.” He let Storm finish her bottle and then handed her to Suzie. “I have a camera we can set up.”

“A camera?” Suzie asked, not sure what Kit meant.

“Yes, it’s motion-activated.” Kit got up and left the room, coming back a few minutes later with a box containing a small camera.

“We set this up, and when someone enters the barn it will start filming. I can hook it up to my computer and we can watch remotely.” Kit looked at the settings on the camera. “Couple it with some food and a warm blanket, and we might very well capture this cat…on camera, if not in real life.”

“You have it all figured out, and there was me thinking you were just a pretty face,” Suzie said. She had to admit she liked Kit a lot. He was both kind and thoughtful, but also able to think outside of the box, something that happened a lot in her job with Social Services. The number of times she had worked out how to make families compromise, and how to fit round pegs into square holes, were too many to count.

Her thoughts turned to Fiona. If ever there was a square peg to be fitted in a round hole, that was Fiona. But the dragon shifter made it clear there were always ways of working these things out. A wave of affection passed over Suzie. She might have butted heads with Fiona on more than one occasion, but Suzie knew Fiona was both older and wiser on so many levels, and she missed her input on this case.

Fiona always seemed to have an instinct as to how a shifter parent or child might behave. Suzie was out of her depth here, and worried she was going to mess it up and Storm would never be reunited with her real mom.

“There.” Kit came back from the kitchen with a packet of sandwiches and a Thermos of coffee.

“Cats have paws. There is no way whoever is out there will open the Thermos,” Suzie said. “As far as I know, cats do not have opposable thumbs, even shifter cats.”

“They don’t. But if anything is going to tempt our feline visitor to shift back into their human form, hot coffee is it.” He moved toward Suzie, and added, “There is one more thing I would like to add to this lure.”

“And that is?” Suzie already figured it out. “The blanket.”

“Yes, it has the scent of Storm on it.” Kit passed Suzie another blanket, and she swapped them over, making Storm wriggle. The baby was now fully awake, her legs kicking and her eyes, not quite able to focus, scanning the room. Suzie still had the impression she was searching for something. Or someone.

“Go for it, we’ll sit right here.”

“Good, because I need you to let me know if the camera is working. Do you have your phone on you?” Kit asked.

“Sure,” Suzie said, taking it from her pocket.

“Good, give it to me. I’ll add my number to your contacts. When you see the camera working, text me and let me know.” He stood up, the camera, Thermos, sandwich, and blanket in his arms.

“You look as if you are going on an expedition,” Suzie said, grinning at him. “At least, a child's version of an expedition.”

Kit looked down. “You are right. My brothers and I used to go out and watch the stars when we were kids. The light pollution up here in the mountains is negligible. This is about all we would take. Besides a flashlight, which my youngest brother, Neil, would always switch on and blind us. Then my oldest brother, Jacob, would yell at him.”

“Why?” Suzie asked.

“Because once he switched it off, we would have to let our eyes get used to the dark again before the stars really popped out of the sky at us.” Kit shook his head but smiled fondly. “Every damn time.”

“I never had any siblings,” Suzie admitted. “I always wanted a brother or sister, if only to argue with.”

“I hope that means you want more than one child,” Kit said.

“I do.” Suzie’s eyes misted over, but she blinked her unshed tears away. “I just didn’t expect to meet someone and be talking about kids before we’ve even been on a date.”

“Things move fast when you have a shifter as a mate,” Kit admitted. Then his expression softened. “But I’m willing to go as slow as you need to go. We have the rest of our lives, there is no need to rush into anything.”

“Is that what you want, to take it slow?” Suzie asked.

“No. Not at all, but what I want is not as important as what you need,” Kit said.

Suzie stifled a yawn. “I think what I need is to go to bed.” She looked at her watch, but it was only seven.

“Listen, I’ll go set this up, and then make you something to eat. We can watch for any movement on the camera at the same time.” Kit backed out of the door.

“Do we have to keep watch?” Suzie asked. “You know, take it in turns?”

Kit chuckled. “No, there is an alarm that will go off if the camera is activated. I’m a light sleeper, I’ll hear it.”

“OK.” Suzie nodded, and stifled another yawn as Kit left the house to go and set up the camera. It was a smart idea, and once it was activated, the images it sent back to the computer were clear.

Can you see me? Kit texted to Suzie’s phone as he waved his hand at the camera.

Yes, Suzie sent back her reply.

Great, all working, he answered.

If the animal Kit had seen came back, this was their best chance of identifying it. Even if they never shifted into their human form, maybe one of the local sheriffs might be able to put a name to the animal. In this way, they might just find Storm’s mommy. Even if they were not reunited, Suzie desperately wanted to know that Storm’s mommy was OK.

“Do you hear that, Storm? We might find out who you are.” Suzie bent her head and kissed the baby’s head. “And if we don’t, then I promise I will make sure you find the perfect home to grow up in.”

An unbidden, but not unwelcome thought popped into Suzie’s sleepy brain. What if Storm was the first of many children she and Kit welcomed into their lives? Fiona had successfully adopted. Why couldn’t she and Kit?

Because you have only just met, her subconscious tried to tell her. But Suzie no longer cared. She knew she was with the right man, and that it didn’t matter that they had only just met, and had never been on a date.

They were meant to be together. She didn’t need to be a shifter to understand that.