Chapter 13
Salem trudged up the steps of the house, his head pounding, his energy depleted, his eyes weary.
He had slept like a baby after his passionate interlude with Quinn in the field the previous night, but work called bright and early when, at around seven in the morning, the pack he worked for had an emergency.
One of the wolves ingested something that was making him sick.
While Shifters could heal from most injuries, they weren’t immune to poison, venom, and other toxins.
Three men had to hold the wolf down while he pumped his stomach.
When nothing came out, he did an ultrasound.
Something had punctured through his intestines, so Salem performed emergency surgery.
A wolf would never shift back if a foreign object was impaling them.
It turned out to be a sharp bone he’d swallowed.
As soon as the animal awoke, he shifted back and forth a few times before passing out.
Shortly after, Salem received a call from a Chitah who’d fallen out of a tree while cutting limbs, which resulted in a compound fracture.
Then he spent a few hours with a Sensor who thought blasting a giant hornet’s nest high up in a tree with a shotgun was a good idea.
Unfortunately, her aim wasn’t so good, and she knocked the entire thing loose.
As soon as the nest hit the ground, it sent an army of angry hornets into the air like fighter pilots zeroing in on their target.
Country living came with its own unique circumstances.
He set his medical bag inside the front door and sighed.
Krys peered around the recliner he was sitting in, which faced the fireplace. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Work.”
Krys rose from the chair and stretched. All he had on was a pair of black trousers, which suggested he was winding down for bed. “It’s late.”
“I was on my way but received a last-minute call. Someone’s cat had a laceration on its ear.”
“Did you tell them you’re not a vet?”
Salem shrugged. “I’m the closest there is. Treating a Shifter animal isn’t much different from a house cat.”
Krys folded his arms. “I’ve been waiting for you so I can lock the door.”
“Don’t trust that I’ll do it myself?”
He gestured at the door. “Did you?”
Salem smiled. “You should get some shut-eye. It’s late.”
“That ship has sailed.” After securing the dead bolt and checking it twice, Krys proceeded to inspect the locks on the living room windows in what had become a nightly ritual.
“We didn’t have any leftovers tonight, so if you’re hungry, you’ll have to forage.
Just don’t eat Hope’s bologna. She’s almost out. ”
“I stopped by Dragonfly’s earlier when one of the cooks had a severe burn from an oil splash. Atticus set me up with a free meal before I left.”
“Must be nice. Every time I go there, that fanghole makes me pay. We’re pack.”
“He still has to pay his employees. We don’t get a free ride.”
Krys tilted his head to the side. “You do.”
“I did him a service.” Salem walked toward the kitchen. “Eat upstairs. It’s free.”
“It’s probably leftovers from the day before.”
“Perhaps you should do him a favor, and he’ll return it.”
“Yada yada.”
Salem entered the kitchen and gulped down a tall glass of cold milk. When he finished, he remembered Quinn mentioning her love for apple cider. They had packs of instant cider in the pantry for chilly nights, so he grabbed a few and decided to take them to her.
It’s late. She’s probably asleep, he thought to himself. I’ll just set them on the cooler by the door. Unless the door’s locked. I’ll put them on the stoop. Maybe I should put them in a basket so she doesn’t step on them.
The next thing he knew, he was assembling a small food basket.
Was the food she had brought from home enough?
It was unlikely that she joined the pack during mealtime.
A few pouches of apple cider and fresh apples turned into a chocolate bar, instant oatmeal, peanut butter, crackers, almonds, pasta, red sauce, and a cucumber.
Salem carried the wicker basket outside and descended the steps on his way to the heat house. Alarmed by the sight of the open door, he entered and set the basket on the table.
“Quinn?” he called out quietly. A quick search of the rooms revealed they were empty.
His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he rushed out the door and searched the yard. “Quinn!” he whispered as loud as he could without waking half the house.
She couldn’t be inside the house—he would’ve seen her. If anything, Krys would’ve said something. He cast his gaze on the pasture and wondered if she might be out there with someone else. There were two other single men in the pack besides him.
Krys is inside, so that leaves Virgil. He even mentioned her good looks.
Salem’s hands balled into fists as he marched across the yard. He’d never wanted to punch someone as badly as he did in that moment. If Virgil was seducing her, he had found a new low. He knew Salem was attracted to Quinn. Wasn’t there a code among packmates? Maybe there wasn’t.
Up ahead on the path that led to the barn and stable, a figure loomed by the well. As he drew nearer, he recognized Quinn’s plaid pajamas and cami top. Her head was hung low, arms stiff at her sides.
“Quinn?”
She didn’t reply.
He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger and brushed back her wavy hair. Her eyes were glazed and hooded. “What are you doing out here?”
“Looking,” she mumbled.
“For what?”
“Something.”
“How long have you been out here?”
“When the blue sky was Tuesday,” she murmured in a monotone voice.
His shoulders sagged with relief when he realized Quinn was sleepwalking. While it wasn’t a common occurrence, she was sleeping in a new place and likely had a lot on her mind with work.
Salem put his arm around her. “Can you walk?”
“Okay.”
Instead of waking her up, it was better to lead her back to bed.
She wasn’t in any danger, and it would only prevent her from falling back asleep if she knew she was wandering around the property.
It wasn’t always easy to wake someone up while they were sleepwalking since it was the deepest stage of sleep.
If he could get her back to bed, she would slip into REM.
At least she hadn’t shifted.
Every few paces, she came to a stop and stared at her feet.
“Did you see it?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s this way. Keep walking and we’ll find it.”
“Okay.”
Her lovely red hair smelled like green apples. It must’ve been her shampoo, and he breathed it in a second time as they neared the heat house.
Once inside, he sat her down on the bed. Quinn kept her head hung low, her tresses shielding her face while he dampened a washcloth in the bathroom.
Salem knelt before her and cleaned off the bottoms of her feet where she had walked through the dirt. “What were you doing out there?” he asked rhetorically.
His stomach turned when he realized how she could’ve fallen into the well and no one would’ve known. Every Shifter knew not to morph on someone else’s property, and it was likely she was suppressing her animal from coming out in the heat house, afraid it might tear up the furniture.
Quinn growled, so he put the washcloth aside. Her animal might be awake in there, and he certainly didn’t want it coming out. Their animals were protectors, so he was cautious not to provoke it.
“Lie down.” He nudged her shoulders.
When Quinn obediently lay on her side, he gingerly lifted her legs and tucked them beneath the covers.
Knowing how powerful emotions were to a Sensor, he stroked her head and focused on his relaxed and calm mood. “Close your eyes. It’s time to sleep.”
After a few slow blinks, her eyelids dropped like anchors to the bottom of the sea.
Salem took the wet cloth into the bathroom and tossed it into the hamper.
He lingered in the doorway, his hand on the light switch as he admired this angelic creature.
Copper waves spread out against the cream-colored pillowcase like a splash of color on a white canvas.
She was vibrant inside and out; even her alabaster skin had a smattering of freckles, and it turned pink when she exerted herself.
Quinn’s eye color was like two pieces of stained glass fused together.
He wished they could’ve been intimate in the light of day so he could disappear in her green eyes and study that fiery ring around her pupils. Quinn was a sensual being, vivacious and full of life.
So opposite him.
Salem had thought his desire for her would be sated once they were intimate. Fantasies rarely lived up to the reality, but in this case, it was just the opposite.
He wondered if he hadn’t exacerbated the situation, because now he couldn’t get her off his mind.
Despite his hectic work schedule, he’d found himself daydreaming about her all day.
The way she smiled, her smell, the sound of her laugh, the feel of her fingertips skating across his back, her passion for her work, her interest in his thoughts and feelings.
In fact, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
In the brief time they’d known each other, he had revealed more about himself to Quinn than to his own packmates.
Now he wanted to know everything about her. She was elusive when it came to her past. Salem had never made it a habit to invite himself into people’s personal lives, but now he wanted to know why she’d needed to save her father. There was more to the conversation she’d had with Scott.
After soaking in her beauty a moment longer, Salem switched off the light. He hated himself for jumping to conclusions earlier and thinking she was cheating on him.
Cheating.
Now that was an interesting word that popped into his head unexpectedly. One would actually have to be in a relationship to cheat.
Then again, they were masquerading as a mated couple…
For the time being.