Chapter 10 #3
As they entered the cabin, Olivia couldn’t help but observe the inside.
It was much bigger than theirs, but still felt lived in.
Evan’s toys were on a pile on the couch while a basket of laundry lay neglected on the floor.
And in the hallway, hanging from a hook by the front door was a Birkin bag.
A limited edition Birkin bag in red Crocodile leather, to be exact, which she guessed would fetch for six figures at auction.
It was now stuffed with pacifiers, diapers, wipes, and what appeared to be a backup Mr. Guppy still in its packaging.
“Isabelle?” Bo called out. “We’re here.”
“In the kitchen.” The Lupa’s voice drifted in from the room to the right. “Come in.”
The kitchen was warm and cheery, with red-checkered curtains covering the windows and pots and pans hanging from a rack over the stove. Evan sat in a high chair at the kitchen table, waving Mr. Guppy around as he babbled away.
“Oh good.” Isabelle was reaching into the oven, about to bend over to take something out when Bo hurried over.
“No, no, let me do that.” Shooing her away, he reached in to take a tray of lasagna and placed it on top of the dining table.
“Thank you. There’s two more in there,” she said.
“Aye, aye, Lupa.” Bo gave her a salute and went back for the second and third trays.
“Do you want to stay for lunch?” Isabelle asked. “Ransom’s out at the garage today and won’t be back until tonight, so it’s just us. And Silke, whenever she gets here.”
As it on cue, a knock at the back door announced Silke’s arrival, slightly out of breath and carrying two pies. Immediately, Evan let out a shriek of delight and reached out to her, sending her scurrying toward him to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Hello, my beautiful boy,” she greeted, the pies on the counter, then turned to Bo. “Are you staying?”
“Nah,” he said with a casual wave. “As I was about to tell Isabelle, I’m gonna go eat with Arlene. She’s got the front desk, right?”
“Yeah, just left her there.”
He tipped his head to Eli and Olivia. “Good to meet you both. You need anything, just holler.” And with that he left.
“Sit, sit,” Isabelle urged them.
“Can we do anything?” Olivia offered.
“No, no,” she said. “You’re guests.”
The smell of tomato sauce, basil and cheese hit Olivia’s nose, making her stomach gurgle. The last meal she’d had was at the fast-food burger place somewhere past the West Virginia border, where they’d sped through the drive through like the devil was on their tail.
“Olivia and I get one tray each,” Isabelle declared. “And I supposed we’ll have to share the pies with you guys,” she said with a laugh. A knock at the door had her frowning. “Who could that—”
Silke rolled her eyes. “I can take a guess. Come in!”
Two men walked in, both Lycans, both clearly members of the MC based on the leather vests similar to the one Ransom wore. The first man was lean and wiry, with light hair, while the second was bigger, broader, with a wide grin and blue eyes that could stop traffic.
Blue eyes spotted Olivia and stopped mid-step. “No way. You’re Olivia Jones.”
“Axle,” Isabelle said in a warning tone.
“I’m just saying. You were on that billboard on Route 9. The perfume ad. I drove past it every day for like three months.” He elbowed his companion. “Snake, that’s Olivia Jones.”
Snake gave her a nod. “Ma’am.”
Beside her, Eli tensed and placed a hand on her arm possessively, before shooting the two other Lycans a glare until they both looked away.
“They just came to check in,” Isabelle said diplomatically. “Which they’ve now done.”
“Out,” Silke said, pointing at the door. “You can meet our guests properly later when they’ve had a chance to settle in.”
He and Snake shuffled out without protest.
“What did I tell you?” Isabelle said. “Gossipy grandmas.”
“To be fair, they’ve been asking about the new guests all morning,” Silke said. “Hawk told Axle, Axle told Snake, Snake told Hardy. And you know how these things go. Anyway, let’s eat.”
As they sat down at the table, Isabelle settled Evan between her and Silke, who gave the toddler a breadstick which he immediately smashed into bits. Isabelle set one tray of lasagna each in front of Olivia and herself, serving her a portion that barely fit on the plate.
The lasagna was incredible, rich and layered, and Olivia realized this was the first real meal she’d had since Boston that didn’t come out of a paper bag or a gas station microwave. “So … good …” she said between bites.
“Thank you, Lupa,” Eli said. He seemed to be enjoying the food as well, though his eating pace was slightly less embarrassing than hers. “You’re a great cook.”
“Oh, God no.” Isabelle chuckled. “I didn’t make this. The chef from the lodge sent it over.” She turned to Silke. “How’s this one working for you?”
Silke wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Better than the last. Thank goodness for your Uncle Dante. He really saved our butts. The lodge wasn’t doing so well right before Isabelle came,” Silke explained to Olivia and Eli.
“I inherited this lodge from my mother when she died shortly after I was born. It’s a long story, but Ransom is actually my stepbrother which is why I’m human.
My dad, that’s the former President of the MC, was a Lycan and married Ransom’s mother when I was just a baby. ”
Olivia didn’t miss how the air around them tensed for a moment, but she didn’t say anything.
Silke continued. “The land’s been in my mother’s family for generations, and she built the resort from nothing.
Pa did the best he could to run it when she passed, and when I was old enough, I took it over.
For a while there, business was rough and we had cancellations after the whole Lycan outing thing.
” She shrugged. “But then it flipped completely. Once people found out we were a Lycan-friendly resort, we were booked solid for months. Tourists, curiosity seekers, couples who thought it was romantic. We had to hire more staff just to keep up.”
“That’s incredible,” Olivia said.
“It’s been a lot,” Silke admitted. “But it’s home. And the boys help out, even if they complain about it.”
“And good for the town,” Isabelle added. “The local businesses have seen a bump too. Hotels, restaurants, the whole strip.”
“But don’t worry. Your cabin is nowhere near the public part of the property,” Silke assured them. Guests don’t come back there. And the protections help.”
“Speaking of which,” Isabelle said, setting down her fork. “We’ve been in touch with the coven about strengthening the wards around the property in case Garret McCall tracks you here.”
“How likely is that?” Olivia asked Eli.
“Low,” Eli said. “But not zero.”
Reaching over, Olivia placed a hand on his thigh. “How good are the protections and wards?
“So far, they’re quite effective,” Silke answered.
“They’re designed to keep humans from wandering where they shouldn’t.
Confusion spells, redirection, that sort of thing.
It doesn’t make sense to ward against Lycans of course.
But given the situation, we asked if they could do something that might keep someone like Garret McCall from getting close. ”
Eli’s muscles stiffened under her touch. This time, she couldn’t quite tell if it was because of the mention of McCall or something else entirely.
“They’re coming out to take a look,” Silke said. “Margaux Featherstone, the matriarch, doesn’t usually handle requests like this herself, but I have a relationship with her, so she agreed.”
Isabelle snorted. “What does the hag—er, witch want in return?”
Silke waved her off. “Probably a discount on the catering for her daughter’s wedding next year. The woman drives a hard bargain, but she’s fair.” She grinned. “Mostly fair.”
Eli had remained quiet for most of the meal.
Not unusual for him, and Olivia figured anyone at the table would just chalk it up to his general disposition.
He ate, he nodded, he even answered a couple of direct questions from Silke about whether the cabin had everything they needed.
But something shifted. Once again, it was subtle, but it was there.
She tucked it away. Filed it in the back of her mind alongside every other thing Eli wasn’t saying.