Chapter 14
The blue jays squawked in the nearby trees. Krys and I packed up the Chevy Tahoe while everyone milled around the driveway as if they didn’t know what to do with themselves. The morning sun painted highlights in the grass and flowers, dappled light casting a net of patterns across the yard.
I tossed another bag into the back of the vehicle. There were three rows of seating, so we folded up the rear seats to fit our stuff.
Tak put his arm around my shoulders. “Virgil, let’s have a private chat.” We strolled toward the open garage before he stopped. He slapped his bare chest and then examined his palm. “Damn mosquitos.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so delicious.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind. I can send Montana instead.”
Krys had volunteered to transport Cleo to Cognito, where her mother lived. Tak didn’t want him traveling alone, and neither did I. Every time Krys left town, I couldn’t sleep.
“You need your third-in-command around here,” I pointed out. “And I love road trips! Besides, Cognito is my old stomping grounds, so we won’t get lost. What’s stressing you out?”
He crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow.
Understanding the full meaning behind his body language, I did my best to hide my indignation.
“It’s better if you send someone who actually knows the ins and outs of the city.
Cognito’s a dangerous place with a lot of bad dudes.
If you walk down the wrong street, you’ll never be heard from again.
Some areas have self-designated guardians keeping the peace. ”
He glanced at Bear’s vehicle. “Do you think that’ll stand out? It’s big.”
“If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that…”
He gave me a light shove.
“It’ll blend in. Cognito’s up north by the coast, so your pickup truck would stand out more. We can always rent a car if you need this one.”
“If we run out of cars, there’s always Melody’s kick scooter.” He threw back his head and erupted with laughter.
“I want you to trust me.”
His laughter died down, and he patted my shoulder. “I do trust you.”
I hoped this trip would change his mind about me. I wanted to contribute and be considered for future jobs or assignments.
When we rejoined the group, Mercy cut across the yard and handed me a wad of cash.
“Thanks, Shortcake.”
“If you run out of money, send me a message. I’ll arrange for a messenger to send it through one of my contacts. Y’all don’t blow it all on something stupid like prostitutes.”
I snorted and put my arm around her. “If there’s one thing I don’t have to pay for, it’s nuts and honey.”
She elbowed me in the ribs.
Breed didn’t have an official banking system.
Many immortals hired Breed bankers to manage their money, and they connected with other bankers and messengers to transfer payments or deliver to clients out of town.
Human banks were monitored by the government, so we kept our financial affairs separate.
I glanced around. “Where’s Cleo?”
Mercy swatted a mosquito on her leg. “Still packin’ her bags. I think she’s having a hard time leaving.”
Krys wrapped up his conversation with Bear and strutted over.
His long hair was tied back for a change, his goatee perfectly trimmed, and I got butterflies when I saw the sun catch in his pale blue eyes.
They shone like glaciers in Arctic waters, and combined with his dark, wolfish brows, they stopped my heart every time.
He winked at me before taking the cash and stuffing it into his wallet.
Montana jogged out of the house barefoot. He arrived panting and handed me a map and a notepad.
“They have something called GPS these days,” I informed him.
“I highlighted the route with Breed lodging and restaurants. Names and numbers are in the notepad, so don’t lose it.” He blew out a breath and put his hands on his hips. “Some of them are off the beaten path but not all. Lakota added a few names in case you run into trouble.”
“Don’t lose that.” Lakota joined our circle. “I know a guy who rents out land to traveling Shifters. His number’s on that list. If you want to make a reservation for a few hours or overnight for your wolves to run, give him a call.”
“Sleeping on the ground? Sounds amazing.” I stretched my arms and yawned.
Lakota smirked. “It’s cheaper than a motel, and I put a tent in the back in case. I’ve been on the road before, and sometimes your wolf gets stir-crazy and there isn’t a safe place to let them out. I’ve stayed at this place before. It’s fenced in and has a water pump.”
I crossed the yard toward the house and tried to ignore Darcy, who was standing by the porch steps.
She smiled blithely while skipping around in a circle. “We’re going on a trip!”
Irritated, I lifted my bag. She had promised to stay home but changed her mind this morning when she heard everyone talking at the table.
“You can sit in the back with the luggage,” I told her.
She huffed. “The luggage?”
“Either that or on the roof. Better yet, stay here and keep the chickens company. They seem to know when you’re around.”
As I approached the vehicle, Krys took my bag. “Holy shit, what the hell did you put in here?” He chucked it into the back, and it hit the floorboard with a thump.
Quinn leaned against the vehicle, a smile flirting around the edges of her mouth. “Peanut butter. Am I right?”
Not only was it my Shifter craving, it was also the most delicious food ever created. I also packed pretzels for Krys, but I didn’t mention that part.
Salem added a small bag to the pile. “Medical supplies… in case.”
Krys jerked his head back. “In case of what? We can heal.”
Salem stroked his beard. “It might be prudent to carry a first aid kit for the child, don’t you think? Besides, Virgil is accident-prone, and you can’t shift everywhere.”
Krys shaded his eyes and turned his gaze up to the house. “I’ll go see if Cleo’s ready.”
“I’ll go too,” I said, walking with him.
Krys had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Are you sure you got everything? I think you left the kitchen sink behind.”
“Are you implying I overpack?”
“I have one bag,” he bragged while heading up the stairs. “You have three. Plus the peanut butter trove.”
“A man can never be too prepared.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to grab the whipped cream before we go?”
“And what do you propose I do with that?”
He turned left and strutted down the main hallway. “I’m sure you’ll think of something. That’s why I’m holding on to the cash.”
“What sordid little rumor have you been hearing that you think I have to pay for sex?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Bethany.”
I should’ve known people would take that encounter out of context.
I swiftly joined his side and lowered my voice. “For your information, she stole money from my wallet the next morning. I didn’t pay for sex; I was robbed.”
He stopped in front of Cleo’s door. “So why didn’t you ask for it back?”
I shrugged. “When she walked in the bar the next day, she had a new handbag. Don’t you know it’s a sin to take a Gucci bag away from a woman?”
“You ready to go?” Krys knocked before opening the door and peering in.
I wrinkled my nose at the paint fumes.
Cleo stood on her tiptoes and painted white dots, which I guessed were stars, on the dark blue wall behind the door.
My gaze lowered to the images below. They were childlike, but it was obvious by the long dark hair, blue eyes, and black clothes that one of them was Krys.
The girl was obviously her, and she was holding his hand.
A wolf stood beside them, but it was imagined so poorly that a toddler could’ve drawn it.
There were trees off to the side and what looked like a tiger floating above one of them.
Krys stroked his goatee, and I wondered what he was thinking.
“I wanted to paint stars all the way up to the ceiling and make it a night sky,” she explained, barely noticing we were behind her. “But I can’t reach that high without a chair. I guess it’s too late now. You’ll probably paint over it anyhow.”
“We’re not painting over it,” he said, a slight bend in his voice. “It’s time to go.”
She set the brush in the can and turned while staring at her feet. “Do you like my shoes? Aunt Mel made them especially for me.”
They were white with thick treads, and a grey-and-white leopard pattern was painted all over them.
“Those are the coolest shoes I’ve ever seen,” I told her. “Now I’m jealous.”
Her half-hearted smile waned when she looked around her bedroom one last time. The moment her lower lip quivered, Cleo collected her earphones and went to get her oversized bag.
“I’ll get that,” Krys offered.
Cleo bolted from the room without a word. The thought of not having her as my neighbor or hearing her giggle made my inner wolf unleash a mournful cry.
Krys wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. “This sucks. I should be happy she’s getting her mom, but…”
I gave him a hug. “She loves you. More than anyone else in this house, I think. You helped her through all those rough nights.”
He sniffed before backing up. “I did what anyone would do.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Krys Kelso. You’re that girl’s hero.” I strode out the door while he grabbed her stuff.
After reviewing the route last night, we estimated it would take roughly two days. Because Cleo had little control over her shifting habits, flying was out of the question. Tak briefly considered one of the newer trains before deciding it was too risky to have us trapped if anything happened.
Krys stopped at the coat closet at the base of the stairs. “Did you get your hat?”
“I don’t want to lose it. Stuff always gets lost on road trips. Wallets, hats, tempers…”
“Yeah, it’d be a shame if we lost all that peanut butter.”
I breezed out the front door while following behind him. “Don’t be a hater. I put pretzels in there too.”
While marching down the steps, he stopped and glanced back at me. “Seriously? You packed my pretzels?”
I weaved around him before I wound up doing something embarrassing, like blushing. Virgil Nightingale blushed for no man or woman.
Archer caught me while Krys loaded Cleo’s bag into the Tahoe.
It was obvious by his prosthesis and the pungent odor of coconut oil mixed with sweat that he had been working out in the gym all morning.
“Keep clear of his wolf,” he warned me quietly.
“Especially at night. You know how he shifts in his sleep. Even I can’t get near him. ”
I put my arm around Archer and walked him to the car. “Have a little faith I’ll come out of this alive. But if I’m tragically eaten by one of my packmates, bury my ashes by the daisies.”
Krys flicked a glance at us. “You talkin’ shit about me again?”
Archer stepped out of my grasp. “Just saying goodbye.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Archer pulled his cousin into a hug and patted his back. “Drive safe, cousin. Stay out of fights.”
“That takes the fun out of it.”
Tak crouched in front of Cleo. “I want you to pretend Krys is your father.”
She tugged on her drawstrings, confusion clouding her features. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want people calling the police and creating problems for us.
” He lifted her in his arms as he stood, and tears slipped down his cheeks as the alpha said goodbye.
After setting her down, he pressed his forehead to hers and said what I could only assume was a prayer or blessing in his native language.
Everyone remained quiet until he finished. Then each person shed their own tears while saying their goodbyes. Cleo remained stoic, but I knew it wrecked her to leave the only family she knew.
Quinn gave her an especially long hug before giving her a glass piece of a snow leopard and a wolf. It wasn’t until Hope gave her a dreamcatcher that Cleo buried her face in Hope’s bosom and wept.
“Be brave,” Hope said. “Leopards are brave. This isn’t goodbye, you know. When you’re old enough, you can visit anytime.” She held her at arm’s length and smiled. “Your mother will be so happy to see you.”
Cleo wiped her eyes. “Are you sure she’s my mother? What if it’s not true?”
Tak joined his mate’s side. “She knew about the birthmark behind your right shoulder. She also revealed your father was a snow leopard.”
Cleo hung her head.
“You were born in July, and you’re a year younger than we guessed.”
“I don’t feel fourteen.”
We guessed she was fourteen when we found her, but we were a year off. Whatever trauma she had gone through in life had aged her in the eyes.
“Don’t be in a rush to grow up,” he told her. “Fourteen is a good age.”
“I didn’t even get a party.”
Tak gave a wistful smile. “Your mother was there on that special day to bring you into this world. She’ll give you another first birthday, and this one you will remember always. On that note, we should start calling you by your true name: Bailey.”
Cleo rolled her eyes. “I don’t feel like a Bailey.”
Everyone chuckled softly.
Cleo gripped Krys’s arm. “Come on, Dad. Let’s go before it gets sappy again.”
Bear handed her a paper sack filled with shortbread cookies for the trip. When Darcy climbed in next to her, I gave her a black look. All she did was smile irreverently while waving at me through the window.
I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up while Krys adjusted his seat controls.
“Can I ask something?” Cleo said from the middle row.
Krys put on his shades and twisted around. “You gotta pee? Better do it now.”
“No, not that. Can you call me Cleo? I know it’s not my real name, but I just want to be Cleo for a little while longer.”
“Whatever you want, kid.”
“Thanks.”
I tapped my fingers on the armrest and sighed.
As if reading my mind, Darcy poked her head between the seats. “Chillax, my dude. Stop giving me all the dirty looks. We’re gonna have a blast! Can you open the sunroof? Please, please, please?”
In exactly fifteen seconds, she forgot about the sunroof and listed the destinations she wanted to see, most of which weren’t anywhere close to our route. Then she begged me to pull out the map for her, which I ignored.
Two Shifters, a crossbreed, and a ghost on their way to the most populous Breed city in the nation. Nothing crazy about this trip.
Nothing at all.