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feeling.
    Didn’t like not knowing why he felt this way. Frustrated, he shrieked, closed his eyes, and went away. That other place had what he needed, and the creatures there never made him sad. No, they filled his belly and took the edge off that other hunger as well.
    When he opened his eyes, he was in a forest but the sounds of humanity were all around. Rolling to his feet, he went in search of something.
    Food. Sex. It didn’t really matter. He’d find something to make the ache go away.

Chapter 5
     
    A loud shriek and a flash of movement caught Addie’s eye. She spun and stared at the rocky hillside, but whatever she’d seen was gone. “What was that?”
    “I think it was Jett. It was definitely a demon.” Locan pointed to a pile of boulders on the hillside. “There. In the shadows. I felt it watching us, but it’s gone.”
    “Earthside?”
    “I think so. Do you want to follow?”
    Addie turned and cocked her eyebrow. “Can we find where he went?”
    “If we hurry. Demons leave a trail that hunters can follow, fulcrums not so well, but it doesn’t last long.” He reached for Addie’s hand.
    She grabbed his. “Find him.”
    He nodded. Before she had time to prepare, they were standing in a dark forest with the night sounds of a city all around. Pine and cedar scented the air, and the slight tang of salt water. “Are we in a park?”
    “The Presidio, I think. In San Francisco.” The section of land south of the Golden Gate Bridge had served as army headquarters for three nations over its two hundred plus years. Now it was a favorite hunting ground for demons for some bizarre reason. Locan knelt and touched his fingers to the thick grass. Raised his hand and sniffed. “He’s been here. Shit, Addie. He still smells a little like Jett, but the demon stench is getting stronger. We have to hurry. C’mon.”
    They ran through the thick shrubbery and heavy overgrowth, then burst out into a wide clearing that Addie recognized as a golf course. The two of them paused in deep shadows at the edge of the neatly manicured lawn. Addie raised her head and sniffed. The scent of demon must be strong for her to pick it up, but try as she might, she couldn’t recognize Jett beneath the stench. She reached for Locan and clasped his hand. “Is that him? I smell demon.”
    “I think so. If not that one, another nearby. I can still smell Jett’s scent, but it’s very faint.” He glanced down at Addie. “Can you become an owl? If you shift, you could cover more ground. Your night vision would be a lot better. But be careful.”
    Curious, she paused before shifting. “Why? What’s the danger?”
    He shrugged. “Demons eat owls. They eat anything they can catch.”
    Great. “I’ll try and remember that, okay?” Grumbling, Addie looked at a snag on a dead eucalyptus tree and thought owl. Suddenly she was clinging to the branch, flapping big wings to keep her balance. Looking down, she saw Locan staring at her with a bemused expression on his face. After all the trouble she’d had figuring out the mechanics of shifting, it probably surprised him to see her do it as smoothly as she had.
    It helped when there was a reason to shift. She seemed to need the motivation. Which direction do you think he’s gone?
    West, toward the ocean. That’s where the scent trail leads. I’ll go on foot; you stay ahead of me. Let me know if you see anything at all.
    Addie launched herself from the branch, forcing her wings down with a powerful thrust to gain altitude, but she quickly realized she’d taken on the form of a great horned owl and her wings were perfect for gliding on the strong breeze coming off the Pacific. Her eyesight was amazing, her hearing even better. She recognized the sounds of tiny creatures rustling in the grass, caught the high-pitched squeak of bats in the darkness around her. Her wings stretched out on either side, holding her aloft as she coasted on the night wind while her big head twisted this way