Chapter 13
Eli looked at the car and blew out a long breath. This was insane. There wasn't an inch of free space. He and Alice had caught all the chickens and rabbits and shoved them into wooden boxes. He had packed his clothes and a few precious items.
Alice had brought more clothes for her and Lorenzo, along with seeds, some plants, and a bag.
Right before he was to get in, he remembered. "I have chickens in the shop too. I can't leave them to die of thirst."
Alice, who already was seated in the driver's seat, turned to look at their cargo. "They won't fit."
"I can't let them die." They were destined to die, but not die without food or water. It was cruel, and they did not deserve a cruel death.
Alice looked between him and the road leading away from the town center. "Do we dare chance going to the shop? If they see us in a packed car, will they allow us to leave? Will they allow you to leave? I'm no one, but you..."
Eli drummed his thumb against the roof of the car. "I'll walk, and you wait a few minutes before you come to pick me up. If you see someone outside the shop, keep driving. Go to the ranch."
"What about you? I can't leave you here. Thano will kill me."
"I doubt it."
She huffed, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. "He will be displeased."
"I'm sure he'll understand." Maybe he would be displeased.
Warmth filled Eli's heart. "I'll walk. If you're not outside the shop when I emerge with the chickens, I'll give them to Elijah.
Or maybe not Elijah since the sheriff is staying at the hotel.
I'll give them to someone, and then I'll walk to the ranch.
I can walk six miles." If he could find the way.
He believed it was mostly straight ahead, then the road split in two, but he should be fine if he stuck to the right. Maybe.
"No. If I'm not outside the shop, you come back here. If I can't wait outside the shop, I'll wait here. There is no reason for anyone to come here."
"Unless they're hunting birds or believe others will show up on the street where Romeo Moonlight's family lives."
She grimaced. "Right. I'll wait here anyway, so hurry."
Eli nodded and closed the car door. He walked with quick steps along the street.
It was as deserted as before, but now he scanned for people in hidden places.
It wasn't safe to walk if people were shooting willy-nilly.
Bullets could ricochet or he'd be unfortunate enough to step around a corner at the wrong moment.
His heart was thudding fast, and his shoulder brushed along the house walls as he moved.
It wouldn't help if they shot from across the street, but it made him feel a little better.
Shortly after, the shop came into view, and Eli slowed his steps. He looked at the spot Theodore had emerged from last time, but it appeared to be empty. Jogging across the street, he more or less dove into the narrow alleyway next to the shop. His hands shook as he pushed the key into the lock.
The rickety crate with the chickens stood right inside the door.
He looked at it. It would never fit in the car, but he could carry it as it was.
He had to cross the square to get to the hotel, but he was sure Elijah would care for them.
If the sheriff had sent people out with orders to shoot birds, he had to be in the police station, right?
He couldn't have people bringing dead birds to the hotel.
He could give them to Rosie or Lisa-Mae, but he wanted to...He couldn't leave without letting Elijah know what was going on. From one business owner to another. From one man without a security net to another.
Grabbing the crate, he pulled it out into the alley.
He locked the door and pocketed the keys.
The chickens squawked as he lifted the crate and started walking toward the street again.
He scanned every garden, studied every corner, and kept his steps light and quick.
The crate didn't weigh much, but it was cumbersome to carry and his arms were soon shaking from the awkward hold.
"Hey!"
Eli jumped and turned. Charles Riggle was walking toward him.
"What are you doing?"
Eli stared at him, not sure what to answer. "Moving my birds."
Charles looked at the chickens, then at Eli, a frown deepening between his brows. "Why?"
"The shop is closed today and tomorrow, so I asked Elijah if they could graze on the lawn behind the hotel, forage for some food."
Charles looked like he wanted to object, but what was there to object to? The sound of a car farther down the street reached them, and Eli prayed it wasn't Alice despite being almost certain it was. His time was up.
The car stopped, which confirmed his suspicion. She was most likely parked outside the shop.
"Can I go?" He looked directly into Charles' eyes. "The crate is a bit clunky to hold on to, and my arms are giving out." Not a lie, but he could put the crate down.
Charles waved a hand. "Have you...eh...talked to anyone from outside of town?"
"The sheriff is the only outsider I know of who's here right now."
Charles studied him. "Best keep it that way."
Was it a threat or a warning?
Charles grimaced. "I don't know if you have any means of contacting them, but--"
"You realize you'll get us all killed, right?"
"Hopefully, they'll keep their distance and leave us be." Charles looked toward the sky.
"The moment one of them is hurt, we'll be slaughtered. What they did last year will be mild compared to what will happen if a crow is killed."
Charles met his gaze. "Are you guessing or have they told you?"
Eli didn't reply. He hadn't minded learning Charles was on the board. He didn't think he'd allow Eli to stay in town if he learned the real reason he didn't have a wife, but he'd believed he'd act smart when it came to the others.
One of the birds made an attempt to fly and crashed into the side of the crate. "I better get going."
"If you hear from them, warn them not to come into town."
Eli shook his head. "We'll get slaughtered.
Your stupid decisions will get us all killed.
" Then he hurried on before Charles could say anything else.
He made sure to keep his distance from the police station, and he didn't see anyone else on his way to the hotel.
Instead of going in through the entrance, he rounded the old stone building and found the kitchen door.
He put the crate down and knocked. Unless Elijah was in the kitchen, he most likely wouldn't hear it, but hopefully he was there. Or maybe he was sitting at the front desk. Eli knocked one more time, and the lock turned. He took a step back to not be in Elijah's face when the door opened.
Elijah stared at him. "Eli?"
"Can you take my birds?"
Elijah's eyes widened. "What?"
"I can't leave them to starve to death."
Looking around, Elijah motioned for him to come inside. "What's going on?"
"The sheriff is handing out a bounty for every bird shot within the town limits. They shot a crow right outside my shop."
The color drained from Elijah's face. "A crow or a crow?"
He shrugged. Since the others hadn't descended on them yet, and vampires could move pretty damn fast, Eli was leaning toward an ordinary crow, but he didn't know for sure.
Maybe Thano was waiting for Alice and him to get out of town before they attacked.
"If people start dying, I think we'll have the answer. "
"Fuck." Elijah rubbed a hand over his face, then he looked at Eli. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm...eh...heading out."
Elijah's eyes widened. "Out? Where?"
"To Thano's."
Elijah's mouth dropped open. "Are you...and him...Thano."
What to answer? "Romeo has moved his family too."
Elijah grimaced. "They're evacuating you?"
"I...guess? I don't know. Thano said to pack some things and go. I can't fit the birds, and I can't leave them to die should I be gone for more than a couple of days."
"What about the shop? What will we eat?"
Eli grabbed the bunch of keys in his pocket and removed the shop key from the ring. "Take this. If things go to shit, grab whatever you want in the shop."
"Eli." Elijah didn't take the key, instead, he curled his fingers around his wrist. His mouth moved but no words came.
"I don't know what's gonna happen, but they're shooting at birds in the middle of the streets. Stay inside and stay safe." He took Elijah's hand and placed the key in it. "If I don't come back."
It was painful to let go of the key. The shop was all he'd cared about for years, but it wasn't worth his life, and if it could help Elijah...
He reached for the door handle. "I'm sorry to dump the birds on you.
They'll need food, water, and shelter, but I figured you could build some kind of enclosure back here.
" He gestured at the back of the hotel. "I get my feed from Joshua Fagan, though I don't know if they'll come in now when the toll has been implemented.
This time of year, they do fine to free range, but come winter, you'll need to feed them. "
"Eli." Elijah looked stunned.
"I know. I'm sorry." He was quiet for a moment. "I'm sure I'll be back in a day or two."
"The rest of us might not be alive by then."
Eli grimaced. "You've never done anything to upset the others."
Elijah rubbed his neck. "If the sheriff has people shooting crows, I'm not sure it matters."
Eli wasn't sure either. "Stay safe." He opened the door to the sound of Elijah's slightly hysterical chuckle.
* * * *
What was taking them so long? Thano was pacing the gravel road in front of Romeo's house. Almost everyone had left, but Humbert was sitting on the doorstep of one of the barely-standing cabins and watching his every move. It was tempting to pull the shadows close and hide, but he didn't.
"I hear a car."
Thano looked at Humbert. "Yeah?"
"It's coming closer."
Thano took a deep breath and waited. Not long after, Romeo's car drove toward him. Alice parked it in front of one of the cabins and got out. The front door of Romeo's house opened, and people exited. Thano ignored them and went to meet Eli who was gingerly getting out of the passenger seat.
Thano touched his arm. "Did it go okay?"
Eli shrugged. "Alice told me to pack." He gestured at the car, which was packed to the roof.
"I have chickens and rabbits in there. I couldn't leave them to die should I stay here for a few days."
Thano hadn't spared any thought for the animals, but it was good they were here. It meant there would be something for Eli to eat. "My house is some distance away. There is no road, so we can't drive there."
Eli's eyes widened. "Oh." He glanced at the car. "I guess I'll have to walk back and forth a few times."
"I'll help!" Humbert flew from where he'd been seated. "Where are the rabbits?"
There was a small smile on Eli's lips, and Thano stepped a little closer.
He wanted to feel Eli's heat against his skin.
Eli looked at him, a bewildered look in his eyes.
Thano slipped an arm around his middle and rested his cheek against his shoulder.
Eli stiffened. "Thano?" He whispered, but Thano was sure anyone who listened could hear him.
He muzzled Eli's throat only to have him jerk away. Thano didn't let him go, though.
Romeo cleared his throat then chuckled. Thano assumed there was some silent communication going on between him and Eli, but he didn't care. He blew out a breath and slumped against Eli, not realizing how tense he'd been until now.
"Thano." Eli placed a hand on his neck, and he shivered.
"Mmm."
"Maybe we should...eh...get a move on."
Reluctantly, Thano let go of him and met his gaze. His eyes were wide, and he looked nervous. Then Thano looked at Romeo who was trying hard not to laugh. Thano flashed fangs at him, but instead of being scared, he stopped trying not to laugh and let it tear free.
"I'm not trying to steal your man." He held his palms up. "No need to bite me."
Eli gaped at them.
"Where are the rabbits? I want to see the rabbits." Humbert was peering in through the car windows.
"Do we need to build coops?" Romeo looked between the car and Eli.
"Yeah, Alice and I grabbed them and shoved them into wooden boxes. There was no room for any big structures, but I packed some feed."
Romeo nodded, and Thano feared he wouldn't get any alone time with Eli before it was time for the meeting.
"Right. Humbert, you know what to do. We need two coops. One for chickens and one for rabbits."
"How big?"
Romeo looked at Eli as did Thano. "I...eh...I have fourteen birds and eight bunnies."
"Wow, fourteen. You must get a lot of eggs."
Eli nodded. "Twelve hens and two roosters."
Before anyone could say anything else, Byrd and Lark landed and shifted into human form next to the car. "Did you bring my shinys?" Byrd focused on Eli as if he too was a shiny. Thano gritted his teeth.
"I did. They're in--" He gestured at the car. "Somewhere in there."
Byrd yanked the backseat door open. "Where?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Eli walked closer to the car. "We packed as much as we could."
Alice walked over too and lifted things out of the trunk. "This is my bag, and these here." She placed several plants on the ground. "We can plant them in Romeo's kitchen garden."
Alice's things were quickly carried off, while Eli's formed a smaller mountain on the gravel.
"Take everything to my place." Thano looked at Byrd and Lark. They weren't strong like bigger shifters and vampires, but they could carry bags. Emeric dropped the shadows he'd had around him. Eli startled, but no one else showed any surprise.
"I want to carry the rabbits!" Humbert was dancing around, his clumsy bear feet all over the place.
"They bite." Eli grabbed one of the wooden boxes. "Better hold around the bottom." Eli showed Humbert how to carry it. "If you stick your fingers in, they'll nibble on you. Or the black one will at least."
"They're different colors?" Humbert tried to peer through the gaps in the crate.
"The sooner you get to where they should be, the faster you get to see them." Thano's voice was clipped, but he didn't care. He didn't like having people in his home, and he feared they'd linger today.
Eli looked at him, and he grimaced.
"Are you okay?" Eli spoke low as he bumped his shoulder.
Thano waved a hand, not wanting to give a real answer. He was okay, but he wanted a break from it all.
* * * *