Chapter 42
Aiden spent the next forty-five minutes eating the slowest waffle breakfast in his life. It was also the most talkative meal he ever had in his life. No one who’d ever eaten with him before would have believed it. He’d never been loquacious, but ever since Jamie had disappeared from his life, he’d become even more morose. Not today, though. He spent most of the time chatting animatedly while Jamie ate and discreetly used his telepathy to snoop on the Lakers in the bustling diner.
They were interrupted several times by customers from Tessa’s Treats, offering congratulations on their mating. Aiden had to hide his grin when more than a couple asked in hushed tones when Tessa’s was opening back up for business. He loved his days at the shop. It allowed him to spend time with the two people he loved most in the world. Even more important than that was the fact that the bakery meant so much to Iris. Somehow baking was in her blood. He wanted the business to continue to be everything that his sister hoped for.
“You know, I think we should hire another person for the bakery,” he said to Jamie once they were alone at the table again.
Jamie took a sip of his coffee and then paused as if considering the idea. “We need to see if Iris is OK with that. It is her baby, you know,” Jamie said.
He felt a smile tip his lips. He loved that Jamie cared so much for his sister. “Of course. I just think it’d be nice to have more time off. There’s so much else to do.”
“You mean training?” Jamie asked.
“Not just training. I just want to spend more time alone with you.” He ran a hand over his hair. Talking about these things was tough, but he owed it to his mate. “I missed you when you were gone.”
“Those intrusive thoughts won’t help you. They just hurt. Push them away,” his beast reminded him.
He pushed the thoughts of Jamie being held captive from his mind once again.
Jamie chuckled. “We’re together every day.”
Aiden lowered his voice to a whisper. “There are things I want to do to you that can’t be done at work.” He grinned when Jamie turned red to the tips of his ears.
A thought struck him as Bree hurriedly burst into the dining area from the kitchen with a full tray. “Didn’t May tell us that Bree liked to cook?”
Jamie placed his coffee back on the table and wrinkled his nose. “Umm, yes, I believe so. I think she even mentioned that she was terrific at it.”
“Why don’t we see if she wants to work for us.”
Jamie gaped at him. “You can’t just poach her from this place. You know, while she’s actually working. It doesn’t seem ethical.” He scrunched up his face. “Doesn’t it seem wrong?”
Aiden laughed at the adorably flustered look on Jamie’s face. “I don’t think there’re non-compete agreements or anything like that. So, why not at least ask? She doesn’t look happy here, does she?”
Jamie bit his lower lip. “Well, not especially, but it’s busy.”
“Well, it can’t hurt to ask, can it?”
“No, I guess not.” Jamie closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.
“Any luck?” Aiden said in low tones.
He shook his head. “No. I did find out that we surprised quite a few people, though. Our mating, I mean.”
Aiden snorted. “How so?”
“There were several female wolf shifters upset that I nabbed you,” Jamie said.
Aiden choked on the coffee he was drinking. After he caught his breath, he reached across and grabbed Jamie’s hand again and squeezed it. “They’re barking or howling up the wrong tree,” he said, giving Jamie a wry grin. “I haven’t even noticed anyone besides you since…”
“Since when?” Jamie asked, grinning.
He ran his thumb across Jamie’s hand. “I don’t know. Since forever, it seems like,” Aiden said, his voice thick. He needed to change the subject before he got too moody. “Did you pick up anything else?”
Jamie glanced down at their joined hands and then back up to meet Aiden’s eyes. “Some of the seniors are uneasy about what’s going on. They’re fully on board with protecting the town; they’re just not very optimistic. At least some of them don’t believe you can protect the town like Tessa did. They grew up their whole lives in Grey Lake with Tessa as a strong presence. Not having her around has really rocked their sense of safety. Some of them have even thought of moving away from the village.”
Aiden frowned. “Understandable.” He released Jamie’s hand and pushed his plate toward the center of the table. There was still some food on it, but he had no appetite. “ I’m not even sure I can protect them.”
Jamie set his jaw. “Well, I am. I know you can do it. They haven’t seen you in action. They’re just scared. Once they see what you can do, they’ll know you can protect them. Besides, I don’t think there are many with those thoughts, at least according to the people I scanned.”
He forced the grimace from his face. “I know you have to say that, but I appreciate it anyway.”
Jamie glowered and bent over the table, leaning closer to him. “I mean it.” His voice was low, but his tone was fierce, a scowl etched onto his face. “You know I’m not a ‘yes’ man. I won’t lie to you. I’m going to tell you the truth no matter what. I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself.”
Aiden’s mouth gaped in surprise. Jamie was incensed. He hadn’t seen him that furious in a long time. He swallowed thickly.
“Apologize to mate, you foolish human,” his phoenix urged.
“OK, I believe you. I’m sorry.”
Jamie nodded and sat back in his seat. “OK then.”
Aiden coughed then reached for a sip of water to clear his throat. After a few moments of silence, he felt safe changing the subject. “So, no signs of any real trouble? No spies in our midst as far as you can tell?” Aiden asked.
Jamie shook his head. “No.”
“OK then, what’s next?”
“One of your favorite things.” Jamie smirked. “Shopping.”
Aiden groaned. Jamie knew he hated shopping. He’d do it for his mate, though. At least Jamie wasn’t frowning at him anymore. Aiden quickly typed out a text to Iris about offering Bree a job at Tessa’s. His sister quickly texted back a thumbs up emoji. He showed the message to Jamie.
“Great,” Jamie said.
Aiden nodded and gestured to Bree for the check and a pen.
Aiden left cash on the table to cover the bill and a nice tip. He wrote his phone number on a clean napkin. When Bree returned, he handed her the note. She frowned and stared from Aiden to Jamie and back.
“Sorry, but we don’t have business cards yet. I just thought… if you’re ever in the market for a job based entirely in the kitchen, just give us a call,” Aiden said in a low voice. “Iris would love it if you’d consider.”
“Oh,” she said, drawing out the word. A smile tipped the corners of her mouth. She gazed around the busy diner nervously. “I’m still in school. I’m only doing this part-time.”
“Oh, that’s fine with us,” Aiden said.
“I wouldn’t have to wait tables?”
“We might need you to help at the counter occasionally, but you’d be primarily in the back, helping me and Iris,” Aiden said.
“I might be interested then.” Her eyes flickered with the tiniest hint of excitement.
“No pressure. Call if you want, whenever you want,” Aiden added.
After paying, Aiden followed Jamie toward the exit. As they weaved around the tables and booths toward the front door, Aiden was struck with an uneasy feeling. It felt both like spiders crawling up his back and kittens fighting in his belly. Jamie reached out a hand to open the door, but Aiden grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, wait up one minute.”
Jamie turned slightly, a quizzical look on his face.
“Something’s off,” he whispered. “I have a weird feeling.”
Jamie’s eyes went wide. “How weird?”
Aiden moved in front of Jamie and peered out the glass door leading to the parking lot. “I’m not sure. I just feel like something’s about to happen.”
“Like a prediction?” Jamie asked.
“Sort of. I don’t know.” He turned back from the door. “Just stay here for a second. I need to check something.” He opened the door and took one step outside. He gazed up at the sky. Something seemed off about the sky. When they’d walked into the diner, it had been a mostly clear morning sky, blue with some puffy white clouds. Now there was no hint of blue. Gray clouds blanketed overhead. Even more bizarre was the orange hue tinting the edges of said clouds.
“Something’s not right,” his phoenix agreed. “Where are all the sounds? It’s too quiet.”
His beast was right. The street in front of the diner was dead. No cars driving either way. No people on the sidewalks. His vision changed to that of his beast. He scanned the skies, searching. He knew something was out there. Something very wrong.
Screech! Screech!
“What the hell is that?” Jamie said. He peered around Aiden, looking up.
Aiden swung around. “I told you to stay inside.”
Jamie ignored him and held up one finger. “Shhhh. I’m trying to figure out what that sound is.”
Aiden grabbed Jamie’s hand and tugged him back toward the diner. “C’mon, get back inside. I don’t like this.”
Screech! Screech! The sound was closer.
“Is that a bird?” Jamie asked.
Aiden stilled. Oh, no! He pulled Jamie inside the diner by his arm. He closed the front door and ran a hand through his hair.
“What?” Jamie asked.
Aiden grabbed his hand and turned to face the patrons. He held up his free hand. “I need everyone to listen to me!” Aiden imbued his voice with all the power he could muster.
The din of the restaurant immediately ceased. Heads swung in their direction.
“I think something’s about to attack. I need all of you to stay calm.” He turned to a wide-eyed Bree. “Is there a basement in the building?”
She shook her head.
Shit! He needed to get these people out of here.
“I’ll get Leah,” Jamie telepathically told him.
“Thanks,” he answered his mate silently.
Until Leah could evacuate them all, he needed to keep these people safe. “OK, is there a cold room or a walk-in freezer?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Bree croaked. “We have a big freezer.”
He surveyed the customers. Some of the children were whimpering. “Can we fit everyone in it?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“OK, Bree, I need you to get everyone inside the walk-in. I need a list of everyone’s names. Jamie’s going to contact Leah, and we’ll see about evacuating everyone.”
“Already done. She’ll be here soon,” Jamie told him silently.
Bree immediately sprang into action. She and another waitress began herding the customers back into the kitchen area.
Screech! Screech!
The sound was yet closer.
“You know what that sound is, right?” an elderly man asked. Aiden remembered he was a bear shifter who was an old family friend of Beau’s. He didn’t look like he was in a hurry to hide.
“What’s that?” Aiden asked the bear shifter. He didn’t have time to banter with this man. He needed to block the front window with furniture or something. “We need to shut the lights off. Make it dark in here. Get something to block the windows.”
“I think you know what’s out there, don’t you?” the old shifter asked.
Screech! Screech!
The sound seemed to be right above them.
Aiden froze, his back to the man and Jamie He stared out the front window. Aiden knew it was a phoenix shifter. He could sense it. He nodded once and then turned around to face the two men.
“What? What is it?” Jamie asked. His head swiveled between the old man and Aiden.
“We can’t just stay on the defensive,” the man said. “Something needs to be done.”
“I know,” Aiden murmured.
Jamie grabbed him by his forearms and shook. “What is it?”
“I think it’s dear old Dad.”