Chapter 9
Monday morning, while Fallon was cleaning up the kitchen with Tris after breakfast, Avi walked inside with an armload of packages and set them on the kitchen table.
“Look what came for you, sweetheart.”
“Oh, wow! This is so cool!”
“There’s a big box on the porch from the fabric store. I’ll take it into the sewing room for you.”
“Thanks!”
She picked up the packages, said goodbye to Tris, and headed upstairs to the bedroom.
He’d really encouraged her the day before to shop for anything she might need or want.
She’d gotten some things at the safari park, but she’d had limited options and hadn’t really been able to choose things she really liked.
But as she opened the packages and saw the things she’d picked out, she couldn’t have been more excited, even though a little thread of sadness wove underneath it.
It was amazing that she had access to clothes and shoes and toiletries, that Avi was so kind when she didn’t have a penny to her name. But she wished she could share the experience with her mom. And Sunny.
“Hey, there you are,” Avi said. He plopped on the bed. “How’s everything look? Whoa, are you okay?”
She blew out a breath and looked down at the cardigan she knew would be perfect for the cooler evenings coming in the fall, and then she smiled at him.
“I miss my mom.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want to be sad all the time. I just hate that I can’t talk to her. She would love to see these clothes and to shop online with me. I’m trying to build a new life, but I keep feeling like the old life isn’t done with me yet.”
He hummed. “I think it’s natural to feel that way, especially with things up in the air with your mom.”
“It’ll just take time.”
He nodded, then gave her one of his sweet smiles that made her heart flutter.
Holy crap, she really liked him a lot.
Pushing away the sad feelings that edged around her happiness, she said, “Want to see what I picked out?”
“Hell yes.” He let out a wolf whistle, then sat up and helped her open the packages and lay the clothes, shoes, and undergarments on the bed.
“I thought I said you didn’t need to get panties?” he asked, touching a pair of lace bikinis.
“I can’t go commando all the time.”
“Aw.” He made a pouting face and she laughed, tossing a pair of socks at him.
After all the packages were open, they cut the tags and got them into the laundry basket to be washed.
“We’ll really go shopping once things settle down here and we’re able to spare someone to come with us for an escort for safety’s sake,” he said as he carried the basket to the laundry room.
“When do you think that might be?”
“I don’t know, a few days, maybe a week. Why?”
“I’d like to visit Sunny sometime.”
“Oh yeah, we could totally do that too. Once it’s safe, though.”
“Of course.” She looked at the laundry basket and then at Avi. “I think I want to call Sunny.”
“I’ll start your laundry, and then I need to help Crew out in the fields.”
“I’ll come find you,” she said.
“Hey, how about a date tonight?”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“Something super romantic, I promise.”
“You’re the best at that.”
She gave him a kiss and walked out of the laundry room and out onto the back porch, dialing her best friend’s number.
When Sunny answered on the third ring, Fallon made sure to check in with her first and see how things were going at the park.
“You’re safe, right? You haven’t heard from that jaguar asshat?”
“Nope, not a peep since the flowers. The important thing is, are you safe? And how are things going with your honey?” Sunny asked.
Fallon smiled as warmth spread through her. “Things are great here. And safe. I’m glad you’re safe too. What’s the burger of the day?”
Sunny and her mate Seneca ran the burger stall at the safari park.
“Hawaiian style with grilled pineapple on a sweet roll, and a really awesome sauce.”
“Sounds yummy.”
They talked for a long while, about the farm and the park, their mates and starting families. And finally, the conversation turned to her mom.
“I haven’t heard from her,” Sunny said. “But she’s a strong lady and I know she’s okay. She’ll get free when she can. You can bet she’s biding her time and being careful, and not leaving until she knows she can get away without being followed.”
“That’s a good point.”
“She’s tough and sneaky.”
Fallon chuckled. “She sure is.”
“It’s good that we’ve both found our soulmates and have people around us who have our backs. You’ve got the herd, I’ve got the park, and both groups watch out for each other.”
“I don’t want to be afraid anymore, but every now and then a little bit of fear works its way into my brain.”
“I think that’s normal. Hell, after Dario came for us, I was twitchy as heck in the park. I kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye, worried that we’d be attacked again. Sometimes the brain is a messed-up thing, you know?”
“Yeah, for sure. But you feel okay now? Out in the park.”
“For the most part. But I also know I can’t just be afraid all the time. Otto doesn’t know where you are, so you’re safe there. But I am sorry about Avi’s cousin causing problems. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”
“Certainly seems that way. But it’s worth it. To be with our soulmates.”
“It really is.”
Fallon and Sunny chatted a little while longer as she made her way from the back porch around toward the fields where Avi and Crew were working. As she ended the call, something caught her eye in the tree line: a quick glint of silver among the sunlight-dappled shadows.
She froze and stared. Was it sunlight reflecting on a leaf?
Or…something else?
Her heart started to pound as worry plagued her.
Lifting her phone to her ear, she dialed Avi’s number.
“I think I see something in the woods. Hurry!”
* * *
Avi and Crew ran to her while she stayed rooted in place, staring where she’d seen the glint of something. After telling them what she saw, they stared into the trees for a moment and then strode forward, disappearing into the dense woods.
It felt like ages before she saw them again.
They walked to her, and Avi gave her a hug.
She melted into him, soaking in his warmth.
“Did you see anything?” she asked.
“Nothing obvious, I’m sorry,” he said. “We didn’t see anything metal anywhere, no people or strange scents. We did see a small area of mashed grass, but there’s no telling how long it’s been like that or if it’s recent.”
Crew put his hands on his hips with a grumble. “We don’t doubt you saw something, but we don’t know what it was.”
“I don’t think it’s Otto,” Avi said, reassuringly. “There’s no reason to suspect he knows where you are. But whatever you saw, it’s gone.”
“We’ll stay alert,” Crew said. “Thanks for letting us know what you saw. And definitely carry a walkie with you from now on when you leave the farmhouse. Sometimes the cell service is spotty out here.”
“I will,” she said.
“Do you want to come work with us in the field?” Avi asked. “I can walk you back to the house if you’d feel better inside.”
She shook off the worry. “I’d love to help. I don’t want to be cooped up on such a beautiful day.”
He looked at her curiously, then smiled. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
She nodded and walked with him toward the fields. For the first time since Colton’s attack, she’d been feeling safe and hadn’t been looking over her shoulder quite so much. Now the safety she’d felt seemed to have cracks in it, and she didn’t like that feeling.
The sun was warm on her face as they walked, and Avi’s hand in hers helped steady the nerves that fluttered in her chest.
It was probably nothing, right?
A trick of light, some crushed grass from a passing animal. Nothing more.
But she appreciated Avi and Crew taking it seriously, and that helped to heal some of the worry that was rearing its ugly head.
He gave her hand a squeeze as they reached the rows of corn used to feed the animals. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Always.”
“I’ve got you too.” She wasn’t much in the fighting department, but her jaguar had claws and fangs, and she’d use them if she had to. To protect her mate and the herd.
Whatever came next, no matter if it was Colton or Otto, she wasn’t facing it alone.
And that’s what really mattered.