Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
ODETTE
Garrett , the low, growly voice of my mate echoed in my head. It was hard to describe the sense of warmth and rightness I felt at hearing his voice. I understood now why mates were so attached to each other. I could very easily become distracted by the timbre of my mate’s voice and forget everything else in my life. Just lay back and listen to him speak to me for the rest of my life… It sounded divine.
I couldn’t wait until I saw him in person. I imagined him having giant, muscular arms that swallowed me up and a furry chest I could bury my face in.
A rumbly chuckle reverberated through my head. Concentrate, little vixen. I need to know how to get to you first.
Shit. I hadn’t meant to send those thoughts to him. I looked down at Amelia’s little body in my hands to help me focus.
To the best of my abilities, I described our current conditions. I could practically feel his distress the more I explained where we were and how completely trapped we were . It’s too dangerous for us to even attempt getting out of here until the electricity is turned off.
I could almost hear a rumble in my head. It made me wonder if maybe I was hearing him talk to the others he was with, even though he wasn’t talking directly to me through our mate link. I still wasn’t sure how we were communicating when we weren’t bonded yet.
Just be grateful we are , came through our link from him.
Damn, I really needed to watch my thoughts. He was picking up on a lot of things I wasn’t meaning to send his way.
I heard movement overhead but it wasn’t anything distinctive. Not like when you could hear footsteps on the floor above you. Then I caught the most interesting scent, because it was completely out of place. It was salty but sweet and had a hint of finely cooked fish. Was that lemon? My fox practically salivated at the scent.
Then I realized: Garrett, I think I smell you!
We’re outside. It’s… It’s bad, Odette. Half of the store is caved in. The other half is barely standing. I can’t believe you survived this…
It was a miracle, that was for sure. I told Garrett how we almost didn’t and it was only because of my ability to see in the dark that we were able to get onto the slab of concrete that saved our lives.
My fox can squeeze through practically anything, but it’s getting her and Amelia to a place where I can do so that’s currently the problem.
We’re working on it, love. I’m trying to contain my bear from ripping through this place to get to you. Setting him loose could very easily cause the rest of the building to collapse on top of you two.
That thought was terrifying. I could only imagine how much was currently on top of us. I did not want the rest of it to come down too. The piece of concrete currently protecting us might not hold up to the weight of a second collapse.
For some reason, though, something else he said caught my attention more than our dire circumstances and distracted me. You’re a bear?
I tried not to think it out loud but that did explain the fish smell.
I heard his mental chuckle anyway. Kodiak, to be precise. My sleuth is in Maine. We flew down to help when your father called us.
Wait—I’ve heard of your pack. I mean, sleuth. You guys run like a shifter version of a SARs team.
Yeah.
You’re also one of the first packs to make a pact with witches. Your Alpha’s, like, two thousand years old!
I could almost feel his eyes rolling. Not quite that old, but yeah. He’s one of the oldest.
That was so cool. But then I realized… He lived in a completely different region than me. Would he expect me to go back to Maine with him? What about my family here? What about his family there?
What about our kits? I’d heard of mixed species mating before but I wasn’t an expert. It wasn’t illegal or anything, but it certainly was uncommon.
Slow down, love. First, we have to get you topside. Then we can figure out our future. For the record, though, I’m not opposed to moving but I would like to keep my job if possible.
Of course, he would. What he did was important. Hell, we wouldn’t have met if he didn’t. It would be selfish of me to ask him to leave that just so we could live here with my family.
Then again, I wasn’t even sure if I had a home left. If my dad’s shop collapsed, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that other buildings, other homes, had too.
My chin started trembling as a new reality dawned on me. I might be homeless.
Easy, Garrett coaxed. His voice was like smooth chocolate in my head. I know it seems bad. I can’t tell you if your house was damaged or not. But I can tell you that it’s not the end of the world. You have me now. You have my sleuth. We’ll figure it out.
I had to take some calming breaths before I was able to calm my racing heart back down. Amelia pressed her cold little nose under my chin. Her rough tongue licked me. I cradled her closer.
Okay, Garrett. What’s the plan?