Chapter Twelve
Shiloh
True came pounding up the steps of the inn and in the door, wild-eyed.
True, the calmest, most clear thinking of us all.
Lindon and I were sitting in the kitchen eating turkey sandwiches and pasta salad, sipping tall glasses of iced tea, and trying to leave some room for apple cinnamon crumble with vanilla bean ice cream when he arrived.
Alice had left us to our own devices while she made up the rooms and did whatever other chores being an innkeeper required, so we were able to discuss business as long as we kept our voices down.
And we had a lot to talk about. Although we had not seen the quarry or even gone into the shop where we’d believed she was, we’d both smelled that muddled sweet/awful scent all through the street.
It was disconcerting at best, and we did not know where to go with that.
We were hoping to get more information from True when he returned.
True was talking loudly long before he got to the kitchen.
So unlike him and also possibly dangerous.
I stood and clamped a hand over his mouth. “Shhh. Alice is upstairs. She’s older but has not given the least indication of any hearing loss. So, unless you want to blow our cover, shut up.”
He nodded, so I released him.
“Now, sit down, grab a plate, and eat while we talk.”
“But I’m not hungry.”
“If Alice thinks any of us doesn’t get enough, she’ll cook more and I want to be able to move fast if we need to.” I pushed the bowl of pasta salad toward him. Eating might help settle him down. Usually it was me they had to do such things for.
“Fine.” He set a small bag down, scooped up a big spoonful of the Mediterranean salad with artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, and feta cheese. “Is that enough?”
“Sandwich,” Lindon said. “Then tell us all about it.”
“You want me to fill my mouth and then talk.”
It did sound odd when he said it that way. But after he ate half a sandwich and some salad and washed it down with iced tea, he did seem calmer.
“All right,” Lindon said. “Talk. Was she there? Was she the one we are looking for?”
“Yes, and maybe more than we knew.” He turned the glass around slowly, ice tinkling against the sides. “I hardly know how to explain it.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning and maybe we can help. So you walked in…” Lindon encouraged.
“I walked in and she was standing behind the counter fooling with something in a jar. There were bottles and packets and containers of all kinds everywhere, and they all had scents, strong ones in many cases, but all I was really getting was one, and it was very weird. My wolf loved it and hated it at the same time.”
“Interesting,” Lindon said. “Go on.”
“And then she smiled at me, and I almost forgot my name.”
“Even more interesting.” I pushed aside my lunch plate and went to the freezer for ice cream. “Did she tell you hers?” We had a name for her, of course, but many omegas on the run used a pseudonym.
“No, she didn’t. She just asked me what I needed and I panicked and told her the first thing I saw on her shelves. A sleep remedy.”
“You?” I nearly dropped the half gallon, chuckling. “If I’m not mistaken, you can sleep anywhere.”
“I’ve seen you pass out on a rock with a smaller rock for a pillow while on assignment,” Lindon added.
“To be fair, I told her I didn’t have trouble falling asleep, just staying that way,” he protested.
“Also not the case,” I pointed out, “but it doesn’t matter. You had to say something, and it was a harmless thing to ask for. Better than something to help in the bedroom.”
“Shiloh.” Lindon shook his head, but he was grinning. “In any case, we also smelled something good and bad at the same time, and both of our wolves reacted with confusion. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it’s not a big street and smells do carry.”
“Especially from a business like hers that’s all about smells,” I agreed. “Maybe I should go watch for her to come outside and follow her to where the scents no longer travel.
“A good idea,” Lindon said. “But I propose we take turns watching for her to leave the vicinity of the store.”
“Fine. I’ll take the first turn.” For some reason, this mattered to me. Luckily, nobody complained.
Each time one of us took up a position near the shop to watch, the strangest thing happened. That three-legged cat—it moved so well I hadn’t noticed its tripod status before—would come and keep us company. Weird, but not unwelcome.