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leaving Dennis alone in the open, but he didn’t have any options. They needed those tranq guns and if the plane held any food at all, grabbing it now could be the difference between surviving and dying. For all he knew, a street could be right over the hill, or they could still be miles into a strange forest. He wouldn’t know until he explored further.
    Brushing back Dennis’ hair, KC placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “When I get back, I want you to be yelling at me about wandering off alone. Understand?”
    KC’s muscles ached, his hands shook from the stress and an enormous headache pulsed behind his left eye, but he still needed to secure rations.
    He gave a careful look at the burning engine. The fire looked like it might die out, giving KC a burst of hope that using the plane for shelter might be all right if they had no other options. He knew both Talan and Lou would be alerted when the plane didn’t land and they didn’t get their phone call.
    Phone!
    “I’m an idiot! I can call.”
    KC reached into this pocket and sighed when his fingers wrapped around the small cell phone. Pulling it out, he looked at the dead screen.
    “Shit!”
    In between his mating with Dennis and getting ready for the trip, KC had forgotten to charge his phone. “Charger,” KC muttered. He knew he’d at least remembered to bring his solar chargers for both his cell phone and his computer. At the time he’d laughed at himself, but old habits died hard so he’d brought them anyway.
    First, though, he had to find whatever he could to take back to his mate. A small first-aid kid tucked in a side cabinet was his first prize. “Bingo. You’re bound to have some aspirin or something in you.” A small refrigerator netted several bottles of water, a shrink-wrapped pound of smoked salmon and a gallon of milk. KC left the milk and grabbed the salmon and water. The salmon would be good protein until they could find something else.
    If they got desperate, they could transform into their animal forms and hunt. KC wasn’t super fond of eating small, furry creatures, but he’d do what he had to in order to survive.
    He also grabbed one of the blankets folded in a small cubby. He didn’t want to have too much to carry. Walking into the cockpit, he kept his eyes averted from the dead pilot as he

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searched the area for additional treasures. He found a sack lunch the man had obviously brought to eat later.
    “Thanks,” KC told the dead pilot as he passed.
    Exiting the plane, he set down his treasures and managed to pop open the cargo hold door. In a plane this size it wasn’t huge, so he easily found his and Dennis’ bags. He tucked his stolen finds into Dennis’ roomier bag.
    Laden but happy with his collection, KC headed back to Dennis. “What the hell…” The spot where he’d left Dennis was empty. A slight indentation on the underbrush was the only sign the other man had ever laid there.
    KC dropped the bags and looked around. Did Dennis wake up and leave on his own?
    Surely he would’ve headed back to the plane. He didn’t want to shout in case Dennis was a captive and it alerted the captors to KC’s presence, but then wouldn’t any group that found Dennis be curious about any others who might have been there? His head whirled with thoughts of what could’ve happened to his mate. It wasn’t like they were in the middle of unfriendly territory. They were in the United States, and even if Dennis’ sister had turned feral, she wouldn’t have the accomplices or the ability to mastermind his capture.
    The stress and pain in his head forced KC to sit down. His head pulsed from the headache he’d pushed to the back of his mind while he’d focused on getting everything together.
    As the world faded to black, KC realised he might have a concussion.
    * * * *
    Dennis woke to sound of shouting. “I deserve to see him, he’s my brother!” Candice’s shrill voice pierced through his head as he heard a deeper rumble counter