9. Logan
CHAPTER NINE
logan
Six-Mile Manor
“How many are here?”
“Thirty-six came over from the Gathering Place.” Olivia sorted through paperwork on the desk between us.
“It’s been twenty-four hours, and we already have thirty-six.” My grunt echoed in the room. “I don’t think Emma’s shifter summer camp is going to be as simple as she thinks.”
“I’m sure more are on the way,” Olivia said. “Also, it’s not summer. It’s fall.”
“Semantics,” I snapped. “Do we have space for all of them?”
“Sure. We’ll figure it out,” she said. “Many of the injured shifters have healed and returned to their original homes. That helps somewhat.”
“I have crews coming back later today to hook up temporary housing and a temporary mess hall for everyone. Since we’re headed into winter, we have a dozen portable buildings scheduled for delivery this week.
The first couple of deliveries come today, and our crews will get them working.
Every foreman has a business credit card and instructions to finish out the building without checking with you first.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “Well, that’ll make it faster.”
That was when the bearded fox shifter, Jasper Sionnach, strolled into my office with a lecherous expression on his face as he looked Olivia up and down.
He and Olivia had an ongoing affair, and he came and went from Six-Mile as he pleased, which pretty much annoyed the hell out of me.
I’d have tossed him out of Six-Mile on his ass, but his brother, Flynn, was the alpha of Red Tail. Cheeky bastards.
Olivia grinned at her fox and puckered her lips at him. “Emma get off to Bear Trees?”
“Aye, she did, and I don’t believe the lass knew I was followin’ her.”
“Unlikely,” I said. “How’s Flynn?”
“Me brother is still tryin’ t’ decide.”
“Decide what?”
“Whether he wants to let his face fur carry trinkets like mine.” He made a face and tugged on his own jangling beard.
“He says it’d chime in a windstorm. Ye know…
” He shook his head to show me how it made noise.
“If ye’re not used to it, it can be distracting during sex, though yer beta doesn’t seem to mind it.
” He gave her a long, stupid-ass smoldering glance.
I said nothing but hoped my glare would drive him out of the room.
“Jasper, don’t antagonize the man,” Olivia warned, but she winked at Jasper. “Though you’re not wrong about the beard bells. It’s like a musical party every time we’re together.”
The fox shrugged at me, then puckered his lips at her. “He’s also tryin’ t’ decide whether to go huntin’ for his mate again. She’s still missin’, as ye know, and he’s contemplating mountin’ another search for her.”
“I thought he’d already given her up as lost,” I said.
“Aye, but it never lasts very long. He doesn’t want to give her up as lost to Acheron. Not without some kind of undeniable proof.”
I frowned. “So, there’s no proof either way?”
“None. But Flynn needs a definitive answer. They were mates. He doesn’t want to give up on her.”
“Understandable. No way I’d ever give up on Emma.” Never.
Jasper drew a breath as though he meant to go on about his brother, but a knock on the open door brought my eyes to the threshold of my study.
“Yes?” I called.
Phil stood there in work pants, his broad figure filling the space. “There’s a truck here with two tiny homes on the back. Driver wants to know where to drop them. He says there’s another truck about fifteen minutes behind him.”
The chair creaked when I stood. “I’ve got squares spray-painted and flagged on the far side of the main compound near the west fence, but I’ll point them where they go.”
No way I was staying in the pheromone-soaked study with two shifters who had other things on their minds.
Emma, come home soon.
Phil nodded and moved out of view. A minute later, the front door opened and closed, and Olivia shared a long look with Jasper.
I glanced from one to the other. “Don’t fuck each other in my office. The only sex allowed in here includes Emma.”
Jasper guffawed. “I take it Emma’s into threesomes, then?”
“You can fuck right off, Jasper,” I snapped.
“Heh. Don’t ye worry yer head about that, Logan. We plan on it.”
Behind me, Olivia giggled. She actually giggled.
Shaking my head, I left the manor and stalked toward the large truck idling in the driveway. Olivia had it bad for the fox shifter. Emma was right. Once Acheron went back to hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if those two made it official.
I stopped at the middle-aged driver’s door, grabbed the sideview mirror, and climbed up on the cab step. “There are squares painted on the grass over by the west fence. Drop them there, and level them there. We’ll handle the rest.”
“You got it.” He scanned the main grounds and did a double take. Then another. He raised and lowered his ball cap as he watched shifters walking back and forth, some dressed, some not. “Never been out this way before. Didn’t know there was a nudist compound out here.”
“What makes you think it’s a nudist compound?
” I growled. “If you’re going to leer, at least get it right.
This is an invitation-only sex cult. Anybody here after five o’clock without an official invite gets escorted out by security,” I added, not caring how outrageous it sounded.
“Didn’t you see the upside-down pineapples on the gate? ”
His eyes widened. “’Fraid I missed those, sir. Didn’t know that’s what those meant. I’ll get these dropped off and get out of your hair as quick as I can.”
“See that you do.” I hopped down.
No way I was going back into the house while Jasper and Olivia were in there, stinking it up with noisy sex and love hormones.
The air brakes hissed, and the truck moved toward the west fence.
That was what I got for using a third-party delivery company for the tiny houses. While the third-party option had been faster than peeling Blackwood Construction employees from other tasks and renting a truck for the week, strangers on the property always made complications.
Phil jogged toward me. “What would you like me to do, Alpha?”
“Make sure he doesn’t run over the septic tanks out there. Marked their locations in black.”
“Yes, sir.” He darted off again.
By lunchtime, four tiny turnkey homes had been placed in a row.
Appliances were already in. Four shifters, possibly six, would be assigned to each one.
That made space for at least sixteen shifters, twenty-four when I made them squeeze.
Construction workers crawled over the houses, hooking them up to water, sewer, and electric.
Olivia joined me on the lawn, her cheeks flushed and her upper lip sweaty. “Hey.”
“You all cleared out in there?”
She glanced over her shoulder, spotting human Jasper as he moved across the manor’s front porch. Her mouth twisted in a half-smile. “Looks like it.”
When Jasper reached the top step, he morphed into a fox, swished his tail in our direction, and then loped toward the trees.
“We have space for at least twenty-four in these houses, more if you’re smart about it and sell it well.
Emma wants the kinds mixed up, so if we can avoid it, don’t assign more than one of any kind of shifter per house.
The interiors are all finished and should be hooked up to utilities by the end of today. ”
“How much did they charge you per house?”
“Hundred thou.”
She winced. “Ooof, that’s a sizable dent in the bank account, but a good buy per. Maybe we can start an Airbnb for shifters. DenBnB… or maybe SafeDens. Make back some of the investment. Could be decent ROI.”
“Yeah, and Jasper can be the host.”
She snickered. “He’d be hella good at that, and he’d probably ensure a few repeat customers. Good sex and all. Not sure whether his ass would qualify as an amenity or not.”
I sighed. “Maybe we table that as a discussion for later. Joint venture options. Might be able to get some of the Port Orleans shifters or the Alaskan shifters to visit.” I took a deep breath. “If you’re that worried about it, we can cash in a few of our investments.”
She shrugged. “Only matters if—no, when—we survive Acheron.”
“I’ll risk it all for the cause. Cost doesn’t matter.
Personal or otherwise.” I turned toward her.
“Let’s have a meeting in the training gym tonight at seven o’clock.
Call it orientation and set up training for twelve hours later.
Seven a.m. sharp. Rain, shine, or late nights.
Send an invitation to Sophia for breakfast tomorrow.
If she declines, offer the other days of the week. ”
“Yes, Alpha,” she murmured. “You worried about her?”
“Emma? Or her mom?”
“Yes.”
I shoved a hand through my hair. “I’m always worried about Emma. I’m only marginally worried about Sophia, but I promised to take care of her.”
Six Not-Nude Hours Later
Olivia arrived in my study and stopped at the desk. “Dr. Wise asked if she could tag along for breakfast tomorrow morning. I already told her yes. Guess she’s besties with Sophia now.”
“At least Emma’s mom has that.”
“You ready for dinner?” She frowned and tipped her head to the side. “Not sure I’ve seen you eat anything today. You feeling okay?”
“Haven’t had time to eat,” I admitted. My stomach chose that moment to roar and make a liar out of me if I said I wasn’t hungry.
“Thought so.” Olivia smirked. “Barbecue on the patio. Phil’s working his shifter magic on the grill. Come eat before your orientation, or your growling is going to scare the newbies.”
We left the manor and made quick work of the distance between the headquarters and the patio near the gym. The smell of burgers and hot dogs permeated the air in outdoorsy deliciousness and inspired more complaints from my stomach.