My heart was thumping in my chest while I waited for Zion in front of the pack house. It was time for him to leave on his one-day trip.

While I was eager for him to go so I could go back to that forest and check it out, I also started missing him badly.

He was in his office, reviewing some last-minute plans with Jamie and Isaac. We argued earlier that he should take more men than the two he was travelling with, but he was so persistent in being stubborn. He claimed he was strong enough to ...