Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ANGEL
“You sure you got this?” Langdon asks as he hands me the list of goods I’m to pick up in Devil’s Peak, the closest town to Garrett’s pack.
I tuck the list into my jacket pocket. “It’s just a town.”
“With humans. A lot of them.”
“I’ve been doing this for years.”
“Even so, watch yourself. And stick with Pryce. He’ll help you if you get in any trouble.”
“I don’t need a babysitter. I could go alone.”
“We don’t send anyone in alone. Alpha’s rule, one I agree with.
We have a few establishments we favor, ones we tend to know the owners and they know or have guessed we’re shifters, given the quantities or what we buy.
Even so, you never know if a new employee, patron, or random human on the street is WSSO or supports them. ”
That sends a shiver down my spine. “I’ll stick with Pryce.” I look past the shed where the pack’s only truck is stored. “You’re sure he’s coming?”
“He’s not the timeliest of shifters, but he’s good in the field. You can trust him.”
As if on cue, Pryce appears at the top of the hill and jogs down to us. “Couldn’t help it. Someone needed, um, my services.”
Langdon’s ocean blue eyes twinkle. “What services you providing sweet Winnie?”
“I didn’t say Winnie.”
“Son, her scent’s all over you. Isn’t it, Lina?”
I scent nothing on him, except the jam stain in the shape of little fingers on his sleeve. “No comment,” I say, even though I think Langdon’s spot on.
Pryce mouths a silent ‘thank you’ to me as he takes the keys from where they’re hanging in the shed. “We’ll be back by dinner.”
The truck starts with an awful clanking like someone threw a bunch of tools into a washing machine. “Doesn’t sound pretty, but it runs. You ever been to Devil’s Peak?” Pryce asks as we drive down the long, snow-covered road that I’m sure doesn’t appear on any map.
“No, but I’m sure it’s not much different than Crooked Elk. A bunch of smaller stores and humans just trying to live their lives.”
“That about sums it up. Plus tourists. Great views of Devil’s Peak from the town. We avoid the tourist shops, stick to getting supplies, and then leave, got it?”
“I thought you’re the pack’s medic. I’m surprised Damien doesn’t want to keep you close.”
“Mila, that’s Hayden’s mate, she’s a doctor.” He glances my way. “I guess you haven’t met her.”
“I saw her my first day. Very pregnant.”
“Which is why I’m going to town. Don’t want to risk her on these icy roads.
We need medical supplies on top of the usual odds and ends, which is why I have today’s run.
Once you learn your way around, you can pick another shifter to go with you.
We always have volunteers, but it’s based on highest need.
Medical trumps all else, or you’d be sitting here with Theo today.
He’s itching to look for a special present for Ellis. ”
“Just as well. She warned me to stay away from him.”
Pryce laughs. “You get that too, huh? Those two need to blood-bond already so they’ll stop threatening everyone.”
“Amen to that.”
“How long is Langdon’s list? I’m guessin’ he has everything possible on it. One good snow storm can keep us landlocked for a few months so he tends to stock up when possible.”
I unfold the paper Langdon handed me after we finished counting of the dry goods. “Boy, his handwriting’s tiny. This list is three times what I expected for one small piece of paper.”
“Please tell me he gave you money. I forgot to ask before we left.”
I tap my pocket. “Lots of cash.”
“Good. Damien doesn’t believe in buying on credit, or leaving a paper trail even though some of the owners have probably guessed we’re shifters. That’s another thing. We don’t talk about the pack or being shifters, got it?”
“Smile, neighborly attitude, offer a helping hand where possible, get the goods, leave on a good note. No lingering.”
“Exactly. We’ll split up, but I won’t be far. Howl if you get into trouble.”
“That’ll give me away.”
“Better that than getting in serious trouble. Use your judgment. I trust you.”
I chuckle. “I don’t think anyone in the pack has said that about me before.”
“You wouldn’t be doing a supply run if Damien didn’t trust you.
And Garrett sure trusts you. I don’t know how you did it, but you pulled him out of the hole he’s been living in since we lost Marla.
If you don’t mind me sayin’, I hope you’re gonna stay with us.
We’d hate to lose Garrett. You too, of course, but he’s family, which makes the idea of losing him hard. ”
“What makes you think he’d leave with me?”
“Shoot, Lina, you only need to watch the way his eyes never leave you to know he’d be lost without you. He’d follow you to Hell and back.”
I’m smiling as we pass the Welcome to Devil’s Peak sign, not only because of what Pryce said about Garrett, but because someone drew a wolf on the bottom corner. I suspect more people in the area know about their shifter neighbors, even if Damien doesn’t allow his shifters to go to town too often.
The sound of cars, kids, and Christmas music piped along Main Street relaxes me, even though I’ve never been here before. Joe’s General Store reminds me of home, and Pryce’s insight into Garrett has me flying high.
After I introduce myself to the store manager, he assigns one of his employees, a young skittish man, to help me gather everything on my list. Pryce pops in at least twice, makes eyes contact with me, and leaves again.
Each time I see him, he has another handful of supplies.
Part of me worries someone’s going to steal them from the truck bed.
That black tarp isn’t a deterrent, but Pryce doesn’t seem worried.
Just the same, I conduct a quick count of all items in the truck bed while Jackson packs the dried goods in boxes. Together, we lift them into the back and secure the tarp.
“Thanks for all the help, Jackson,” I say with a wave before heading a few storefronts down to Hank’s Hardware for the rest of what we need.
The store manager, whose name is Mike, not Hank, runs his eyes over my list, without commenting about how tiny the print is.
With a whistle, he calls a teen over to be my personal aid.
“Can I rip it in half?” Kevin asks. “It’ll go faster, Miss Ulfson.”
“Only if you call me Lina, not Miss Ulfson.”
“Yes, Miss Ulf—I mean Lina.” He tears the paper down the middle, handing me one half, then practically flies through the aisles, grabbing items left and right. By the time he fills an entire cart, I have two items.
“You have the homefield advantage, Kevin.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
So much for Lina. “Hey, Kevin, I’ll be right back. I want to check on my truck.”
“Almost finished with my half of the list.”
“Then can you grab a box of three-inch nails, five rolls of electrical tape, and a box of serpentine belts for generators? Oh, and an assortment of O-rings, PVC pipe fittings, and… here, take the list. Fill what you can and I’ll catch up with you when I get back, okay?”
“Sure thing, Miss Ulfson.”
“Seriously, Kevin, you can call me Lina. Ulfson isn’t the prettiest sounding name is it?”
“No, ma’am. I mean, that’s not for me to say, ma’am.”
I chuckle as he disappears with the list.
“You make him nervous,” a voice says behind me. A voice I swear I know.
When I turn around, no one’s there. I scent the air to confirm if someone’s there or if I’m imagining Ronin’s voice. I pick up nothing, except the usual hardware store smells. Metal, oil, paint, and wood.
Why would I imagine Ronin’s voice now, after all this time?
The world nearly spins as I remember the last time I went shopping in a town. Ronin and I had done supply run. That was the day we were attacked on our way home. The day he was killed, my pack destroyed, and I was taken.
I scent the area one last time. Nothing. Absolutely nothing but guilt seeping in to destroy an otherwise pleasant day.
Garrett would tell me to focus on the job, not let myself be bogged down by the guilt. I wish he were here. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, imagine his arms wrapping around me.
I release the breath, nice and slow, slightly calmer. One glance at the line of four baskets by the register, and a new guilt strikes. Kevin’s doing all the work. We already have a lot to lug to the truck and he’s still filling out my list.
“Kevin, I’ll be right back. I’m going to move my truck closer to the store.” As soon as I find Pryce. He’s got the keys.
With a loud click, the back door to the store shuts. My wolf growls, low but threatening. I should run the other way, but I catch that hint of a scent that screams home.
Slowly, I open the door to the back alley. There, standing before me in the middle of the day, a tall, healthy, and very alive Ronin.
He’s alive. No, I’m imagining him. I extend a shaking hand and touch his arm. Warm flesh. Very alive.
“Is that really you?” I whisper as if talking any louder will make him disappear. “You’re dead.”
“So are you,” he says with a wide, playful grin before his expression turns deadly serious. “It’s taken me a long time to find you, Lina. I’ve been tracking down stories of a blonde shifter with blue eyes rescued from a research lab.”
One step, then another, I draw close to him. My hand shakes as I reach out to touch him, to test if he’s real or imagined.
My fingers press against his face to discover warm flesh.
“I’m real, Lina,” he says, as he captures my hand in his.
The shock is so great, my mind can’t process what I’m seeing… or what this could mean. Hope swells within me. “Are there others?”
“Yes, but not as many as you’d hope.”
“I had no hope. Only… images of dead shifters everywhere.” I swallow hard. “Who? How?” I’m afraid to ask for names, to have my new-found hope crushed with confirmation of my family and friends’ deaths.
“A hunting party that was late getting back. A few shifters visiting relatives in other packs. Many who ran, clawed and fought their way through the perimeter the WSSO had set up. And you, Lina.”