Chapter Ten
True
We’d all gone out for a little reconnoitering after breakfast, another amazing meal provided by our innkeeper. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit. She seemed determined to fatten us up, and when we offered to pay, insisted that meals came with the rooms for her “special” customers.
It made me feel uneasy, unworthy of her kindness. Alice had probably never told a lie or misrepresented herself in any way in her whole life, and here we were pretending to be sightseers casually wandering the countryside and enjoying the ambiance.
Looking at Shiloh, who loomed over most people, even other alpha shifters, I wondered if we were carrying it off.
His bulk implied someone who worked at a job like bouncer at a club or security for a high-profile celebrity.
Or a bounty hunter. And me? I had been called frightening, although I didn’t see it.
Serious, sure. I didn’t laugh all that often or smile at strangers.
But I didn’t know what about me menaced anyone.
Oh yeah…I was a bounty hunter.
And Lindon, same bounty hunter thing, a job he’d been brought into when he was just a young teen, but somehow he didn’t scare people.
Even when he lied, he had a sincerity that people were drawn to.
We rode a narrow line between helping and possibly putting someone in great harm. It didn’t seem to taint him at all.
While we ate, I’d fiddled around online a bit more and thought I had her nailed down at a place called the Velvet Vial.
They did aromatherapy. Scents or something.
We carried all the dishes to the sink again, but Alice chased us off before we could wash them.
“It’s bad enough you snuck around and did that last night.
I was so embarrassed. As if I’m not capable of washing a few dishes.
” She tsked, but there was no real heat in her tone, and I had the feeling she didn’t mind at all that we’d left her kitchen nice and clean.
“No, ma’am.”
She gave me a sharp look then.
“No, Alice. We never thought that about you. Just wanted to express our gratitude for the fine food.”
“Hmph.” She faced the sink and turned on the water, adding a big squirt of dishwashing liquid. “You boys go do your touristing. I never know why anyone comes here for that. It’s just a small town with nothing big to see.”
“We heard it’s a nice place, that new people move in here all the time.”
“Oh, not so much,” she replied, stacking the dishes in the filling sink. Foam rose toward the top. “We mostly just go about our ordinary days, the same faces. Small-town life. Anyway, enjoy. I find the place charming.”
“How about, I thought I heard about a new store, the velvet something?”
The other guys were quiet while we spoke, waiting.
“Oh.” She flashed a smile over her shoulder.
“The Velvet Vial. It is new, and you should check it out. If you have any aches or pains or trouble in love or with sleeping, they have the cure. Or at least something that will help. And it smells so good in there. If you go, tell Hazel, the proprietress, that I said hello.”
“We will.” Lindon stepped in and took my arm. “We’d better be going. See you later, Alice.”
“Bye.” She turned back to the sink. “I’ll be here.”
We went out the front door and started toward Main Street. “I feel like she can see right through me,” Shiloh mumbled. “She’s so nice…”
“But also scary,” I finished for him. “I know. I had the hardest time not spilling my guts. When she finds out, she’s going to hate us.”
“Not necessarily.” Lindon slapped me on the back. “Just wait and see what happens. It’s too soon to know what’s going to happen.”
We were on Main Street in only a few minutes, and I volunteered to take the Velvet Vial while they looked around elsewhere to see if they could learn anything.
“Just take it slow, True,” Lindon said. “See what she’s like what you think is going on and report back. Then we’ll plan our next steps.”
We parted ways at the end of the street, planning to meet back at the inn later.
They each took one side and I walked up the middle, headed right for the Velvet Vial.
My wolf pranced inside me as we approached, something he’d never done before, but I could ask him about it later.
The shop was freshly cleaned, the windows gleaming in the sunlight now that the fog had dissipated.
And as soon as I walked in, I saw an omega, the omega we sought, stirring something in a jar on the counter.
It had a strong odor, green and sharp but not clean like I’d have expected.
Something was off in here, and my wolf went from excited to edgy and not in a good way.
A cat sitting on a chair near the door watched us through slitted eyes, half asleep and not bothered by my wolf at all.
“Oh, hello.” The omega looked up and offered a friendly smile. “How can I help you?”
Think! Casting a quick glance around, I spotted a shelf marked Sleep Remedies. “I was wondering if you had anything to help me sleep?”
Her smile broadened. “Why yes. If only more people were concerned about a good night’s rest. Tell me about your problem.”
I had no problem, slept like a log from the moment I laid my head on my pillow. A few more lies and lightning would strike me. “I, um…”
“Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?” she asked, already scanning the shelf I’d noticed.
“Staying.” Was that even a thing?
“Okay. Before I suggest anything, do you try to go to bed at the same time at night? Get up at the same time every morning?”
“No.” Hey, a true statement!
She faced me again, looking serious. “I suggest you try that whenever possible. It can really help. But I have something that should help. It’s a cream with magnesium in it and some botanicals.
Generally, it will help you to not wake up in the middle of the night.
” She fetched a tube from the shelf and returned with it.
“You just rub a little on your wrists before you go to bed. If it doesn’t work, come back and we’ll try something else, all right? ”
I started to tell her I didn’t live near here, but why? “Thank you.” I paid her a very small amount and started outside.
Mrrow. I looked down to see the cat bumping me. It started back inside and came out again.
“What’s the matter, kitty? Did you want to be petted?” I reached down but it ducked back into the store. “Okay, well nice to see you too.”