Chapter 21
Jamie’s hands trembled as he pulled the toast from the toaster. What’s wrong with me?
“You’re just excited that you’ll soon be with your mate,” his wolf answered.
“What? No, it’s not that,” Jamie insisted. “Besides, that wouldn’t make me anxious. I feel anxious right now.”
“You haven’t been with anyone for years. It’s natural to be nervous,” the wolf answered.
Jamie groaned out loud. “That’s not why I’m like this. When did you become a certified therapist anyway? It’s just me worried about Aiden recovering from his first shift. That must be it.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself,” the wolf said, disbelief evident in his tone. “But finish cooking. Mate’s hungry.”
Jamie rolled his eyes. He placed two plates with toast, scrambled eggs, and sausages onto a tray that already held two steaming mugs of coffee. He lifted the tray and was about to head back to Aiden’s bedroom when he shuffled bleary-eyed and shirtless into the kitchen.
“Hey, I was just on my way with this.” Jamie nodded at the tray in his hands. “I thought I told you to stay in bed.” He forced himself not to stare at Aiden’s naked chest. Why was this so weird?
“My stomach wouldn’t let me. Breakfast smelled too good. I had to come out and investigate.”
Jamie chuckled and placed the tray on the counter. “Well, since you’re out of bed, take a seat.”
“Yes, sir,” Aiden said with mock seriousness. He took a seat and watched as Jamie placed the food and beverages on the table.
Aiden tucked into the food with gusto as Jamie ate at a more modest pace. His mind wandered to the immediate issue, how to train a newly born phoenix. “Hmmm.”
“Hmmm what?” Aiden asked between mouthfuls.
“Just thinking about what Deacon said about training. You know, the flying and flame throwing drills?”
Aiden grunted. “What about them?”
“Well, I mean is that how to train a newborn phoenix? I mean, none of us really know, do we?”
“Well, he’s not exactly newly born. Amber’s the newborn phoenix. Mine is”—Aiden paused as if searching for the perfect word—“newly awakened from a deep sleep. Well, sort of.”
“True, but does he automatically know how to fly? I mean, if we pushed him off a building, would he be able to fly, or would he just fall?” Jamie asked.
Aiden’s jaw dropped and then he frowned. “You’re not dropping me off a building,” his phoenix grumbled inside Jamie’s head.
Jamie chuckled and answered out loud. “I wasn’t planning on it. I’m just wondering if he or you can fly right away.”
Aiden shrugged, but the phoenix answered telepathically. “I’ve been dreaming about it for years. I always assumed I could do it. We’ll see if I can take flight.” He scowled, then added, “From the ground.”
“Don’t worry. You’re not getting away from me that easily,” Jamie teased. He peered up and froze at the heat in Aiden’s expression.
“Mate looks eager.”
Ding, ding, ding.
His wolf’s nonsense was interrupted by the doorbell. Aiden frowned.
Jamie gulped. “I’ll get it.” He stood up and walked from the kitchen to the front door.
“I’m coming, too.” Aiden was on his heels. “We don’t know who that could be.”
“At least put on a shirt,” Jamie said as he reached for the doorknob.
Aiden glanced down at himself as if he’d forgotten he was still half-naked. He then swung his gaze up to Jamie with a smirk. “No time. Let’s see who it is.”
Jamie sighed and then peered out the peephole. Two elderly women stood on his doorstep. He squinted and then recognized them as Finn’s mother, Frankie, and her friend Edie. “I think we’re safe.” He opened the door.
Jamie opened his mouth to greet the women but was rendered speechless by the scowls on their faces.
“Boys, let us in. We want answers.” Frankie MacLeod pushed her way inside, Edie right behind her.
He looked at Aiden questioningly. Aiden shrugged and followed the women into the living room.
“What do they know?” Jamie asked Aiden telepathically. “Do they know Tessa’s dead? I don’t know what Heath told the wolves in his pack.”
“I have no idea,” Aiden answered silently. “They look pissed, though.”
“Please, take a seat,” Jamie said, gesturing to the sofa with a hand before dropping into an armchair. Aiden took up a position leaning against the arm of the chair. “How can we help you?” Jamie asked.
Frankie swung her gaze between the two men, her eyes briefly dropping to Aiden’s bare chest, and grinned knowingly. “We hate to interrupt you two boys, but we needed answers, and my son and his friends haven’t been forthcoming.”
“Sorry?” Jamie asked. He decided to play dumb and see what they knew.
“We know that Tessa’s gone,” Edie said.
“What do you mean?” Aiden asked.
“Dead, gone for good,” Frankie barked.
“How do you know this?” Aiden asked.
Frankie sighed heavily. “We’ve lived in Grey Lake our whole lives. We were close to Tessa. We knew she was at the end of her life as the Tessa we knew. She’s been out of sight for too long. She’d been keeping in touch with us telepathically, but then she stopped a couple of weeks ago. We hoped she’d been reborn,” Frankie answered. She glanced to Edie presumably for support and then back at Aiden and Jamie. “But no one is telling us anything.” Her sharp blue eyes gleamed with tears of frustration.
“We’re old, but not useless. We’ve seen a lot in our years. We want to know what’s going on. She was our friend. We deserve to know what happened to her. Besides, maybe we can help,” Edie said.
Jamie peered up at Aiden, lifting an eyebrow.
Aiden shrugged. “Tell them.” He took a step away from the arm of the chair. “I’m going to get a shirt. I’ll be right back.”
Jamie let out a long breath and then turned to the two women. “OK, where should I start?” Jamie asked.
“Start at the beginning. What the hell is happening in our town?” Frankie asked.