Kage rolled his eyes. “That’s what? Four days? And he changes at night? Not exactly—”
“You know how he is,” Zar said, though quietly.
“Kage, please,” I cut in. “He’s uncomfortable. You don’t have to ridicule him for that.”
Kage muttered something with Jason pulling his hand, also silently trying to shush him. He and Jason sat together on the floor against a sealed off old fireplace.
I was on the edge of the futon beside Isaac. Gabriel sat in the only chair. Andrew was cross-legged on the floor leaning against the futon.
“I’ll talk to him.” I set my notebook aside. “Is it unlocked? In the meantime, we know a town to find casters from Traigh. If anyone has ideas about our approach and how we go about this next part of searching for suspects, that’s our first order of business. We’ll be right back.”
Another sinking of spirits to step out in coat and shoes and find it raining. A dull, misty rain, but with darker clouds rolling in. It was still cold. The night must have been chilly. Andrew couldn’t stay in the caravan in weather like this unless bundled up, preferably with others.
Kage’s first words on seeing me this morning had been, “Jay and I get to stay with you tonight.” Last time he’d placed dibs on a night we’d both almost been killed before we had to worry about any sleeping arrangements.
I hurried through the rain to yank open the trailer door and scramble in.
The great, dark bulk of Jed lifted his head from his forepaws where he lay on a blanket in the walkway.
“Hey.” I shut the door. “What’s up?”
Jed twitched his ears, darted his eyes away, and hesitated. No bounding in for a greeting or anything like that.
“Good morning.” I sank down on my knees on one of the blanket edges. “You all right?”
He stood up slowly, possibly deciding he wasn’t in trouble. He stretched and yawned, bowing down his forelegs and extending them until his eight toes were spread and his elbows popped. Then he shook himself and slightly wagged his tail as he stepped up to me. Being taller than me when I was on my knees, he lowered his head, ears easing back.
I cupped his chin in my palm and kissed his whiskers. “You good out here last night? I worried with us being broken up. Sounds like the only trouble you had was maybe Kage being a jerk.”
Jed gave me a quick look, our faces very close. I could never get used to how big he was.
“I’m sorry. He’s still not feeling well, I think, and it makes him snappy. He wants to be at his best. Jason’s not so great either and that has him anxious—with the same result. Plus he’s just lost his father and grandmother and friends…” I slowly stroked down Jed’s mane. “That’s no excuse to be an asshole. It’s just a tough time for all of us. You know that.”
I dropped my hands back to my lap.
Jed looked down at them. After a pause, he lowered his nose just enough to touch my knuckle. I stroked his head and he sat down close so I could get a good reach.
“We all need to talk. If you don’t have an opinion, you can attend in fur.” I stroked each side of his face, watching how the fur changed colors from warm brown undercoat to black guard hairs. “After the meeting, we’ll know what we’re doing and go from there as far as what shapes we’re in and where we’re heading next. For now it’s just talking everything out. I’d still like you to attend, though. You need to know what’s going on like everyone else.”
Jed regarded me, then rested one massive paw on my thigh.
I pressed the top with my left hand, stroked over his head with my right, and stood up. “You all right?”
He looked up into my eyes.
I reached for the door but hesitated. “What about Zar? How’s he doing?”
Jed pinned back his ears.
“That’s what I was afraid of. Hang on. I’ll open the front door and you run straight up there. We’re in a busy urban area. Just a second.”
We soon joined the others and I found my place again. Jed, after a sniff around the room, which he’d seen in skin last night, flopped at my feet and began licking his now wet paws.
I took up my notebook.
Traigh dashed past, shouting goodbye to Isla, slammed the door, and ran to catch his bus. This was apparently Isla’s cue to switch off the radio and also run upstairs to get ready to leave.
“Okay,” I said. “What are we doing? Any thoughts?”
Chapter 6
“Hello.” I smiled while my pulse seemed to be jittering all over the place. “Sorry to bother you. Your neighbor, Margaret, on Preston Road, suggested we speak with you.” I pointed vaguely south. “We’re part of the community and we’re looking for a couple of people for some information. Calum and Frim? If that rings any bells?”
The middle-aged witch who had opened the door only gazed at me. Could she understand what I was saying? I couldn’t catch everything in some of the accents around here.
She wore a black dress, salt and pepper hair bound up in a bun as if about to leave for a formal evening. It was the middle of a weekday afternoon. She glanced at Andrew by my shoulder, back to my eyes, and finally said, “May I ask what you’re doing here?”
Her voice was very soft. It was not Scottish. To my ear it was a hybrid. An Eastern European type accent, maybe Czech or similar, with Scottish undertones of someone who had learned her English here. I thought of what Orion had told us about vanishing packs and deaths in that part of the world, seized by the impulse to ask this woman if she knew anything.
But we had already agreed about that. We were treading very, very carefully.
“Of course,” I said, also soft. “There’s been trouble in the community.” This was a universal passcode in the English-speaking world. She would know what “the community” meant. “We’re trying to find answers. Our latest lead suggests these two men may be able to help. Any ideas where we might find them? Calum and Frim?”
Again, she took a moment to answer. “Are you in trouble?” Brows drawing in a touch.
“Yes.” I dropped my voice even more. “But we’re seeking to help ourselves and many others. First by finding them.”
“Perhaps you should come inside?” She took a step back, definitely frowning now.
“No, thank you. We don’t want to draw attention. We’re only looking for these two men.”
She nodded, again watching me, glancing to Andrew, and back. He and I were alone on her front steps in the gray drizzle of the mid-September day in Linlithgow, Scotland, a short drive west of Edinburgh.
The town was steeped in fascinating history and nestled on the bank of a lake, not to mention near the coast. Exactly the sort of place I’d love exploring on the side while taking a vacation to Edinburgh. Or would have enjoyed in a former life.
At last, she said, “Go up to Stirling. Take a left, past the golf course. Keep going until you find Brethgillian. In the center of the village is a brick house with a red door facing south. Knock and tell Shona what you told me. She’s lived in the community here all her life and she’ll be able to tell you if there’s anyone by those names in the area.”
“Thank you very much. That’s a great help. Any idea how long it takes to get to Stirling from here?”
“By car? Half an hour. Another ten or so for Brethgillian.”
“Then we’ll go up now. Thank you.” I longed to shake her hand but kept my distance, nodding as we backed away.
She only watched us go. After that first slight frown she never stopped looking a little worried the whole time.
We walked back from the neighborhood to Saint Ninian’s Road, where the rest waited, parked on the street in shouting distance. No caravan, but we had the Jeep and the three motorcycles here. A traveling circus just for two people to knock on a couple of doors. Following the “not splitting up” plan was already becoming a bit of a headache.
They watched us in silence from inside the Wrangler or beside it. All but Gabriel, who was on his phone again and finally looked up. Godde
ss, I was glad he was here—but he really needed to stop with the phone. I’d mentioned twice to him specifically we had to keep phones to a minimum just in case anyone could track us by electric-related magical means with them. Gabriel seemed to feel he was keeping his phone time to a bare minimum already.
I met Isaac’s eyes as we walked up. “Do you know where Stirling is?”
“Just up the M9. Not far.”
“Let’s go. To the golf course, if you know it. Then we’ll stop and regroup with the bikes.” Glancing to the others, who nodded. Gabriel was paying attention now.
“Everything all right?” Isaac asked.
“I think so. Good plan, going on instinct…” I glanced around at all of them, noting Kage’s frown, Zar’s gaze directed at the sidewalk, and Jed’s shutdown avoidance, away from the rest, loaned bike keys in his hand.
“This one felt safe also?” Jason asked. “And said where they might be?”
“Only another place to ask, but yes. She was all right as far as I could tell. No funny feelings.” I looked to Andrew, who nodded. “I won’t need another small scry as long as we can follow leads like this, which does feel safer than scries right now, even chancing a few strangers. So far so good. Let’s go.” I walked up to Gabriel as everyone moved. “Gabriel? Please turn off your phone.”
“Location is off—” Gabriel started in a miserable rather than argumentative tone, yet it was still an argument.
“I’m sorry. Stefan mentioned keeping phones off and staying out of contact unless it was an emergency. Magic and electronic communications … I don’t know what they might be able to pick up. Just to be safe.”
Gabriel said no more but woke up his phone to turn off.
Andrew had given his keys and helmet to Zar, while Jed had Thomas’s bike and Gabriel had his own. The three brothers followed us on the motorcycles while Isaac drove, I was in the passenger seat, and Kage, Jason, and Andrew rode in the back.
Kage had driven part of the time up through England and Scotland. Now Isaac was the only one who knew the area. Kage didn’t seem to care if he drove or not. For the past couple of days he’d ranged from biting everyone’s head off to silent, watching Jason, talking quietly alone with him away from the rest of us, and generally avoiding conversation.
They had all lost family members or friends in the fire and attacks several days ago on the Sables. The rest were in hiding in London and I’d asked my pack not to communicate with them. This, along with my wards before we’d left, were the only ideas I had for keeping them hidden from magic eyes.
I didn’t blame anyone in our own pack for being angry right now. Angry, scared, shattered, desolate, withdrawn. Each one of us suffered grief, fear, desperation to end this.
Yet only Kage was lashing out this way. As much as they had been through, Isaac, Andrew, Jed, and even Jason after Paris were holding up remarkably well. Gabriel, a relative stranger to me, was hard to judge. Uncomfortable with us, feeling the need to communicate with people at work while he was supposed to be on vacation now—plus used to being the boss—I wondered if he was regretting having volunteered to come along. Then there was his own grief facing the loss of his mother and other family right at the point when he might have reconnected.
Ancient Scottish towns and green countryside flashed past while I told Isaac what our witch informant had said.
Red door facing south.
Gabriel. Kage. Zar.
I doodled notes while we drove, trying to make a priority list. Everything was a priority. Everything wanted to be a header.
A little scrying, a little common sense and being careful who we approached, leads from one member of the community to the next, and a whole lot of listening to instincts. Not only mine and my magic, but theirs, and soliciting feedback. They were, after all, wolves.
By the time we reached the tiny village of Brethgillian, situated on a river with green hills in the near distance and a feeling of timeless rural charm, I had to force myself back to focus.
Red door. Calum and Frim.
No matter how much I longed to head my priority list with Kage and Zar.
Chapter 7
Once more, I knocked—Andrew at my side, Isaac and Gabriel in sight, the others around the corner where we’d been able to park.
There was a paved street and sidewalk, but the whole village seemed storybook in its medieval bones and one-horse-town scale.
I tried the bell. Still nothing.
“Wait?” Andrew suggested. “Another door vigil?”
I nodded. “We’ll wait. She could be at work, or just out for tea. I don’t suppose this place is large enough for a restaurant?”
“No village in Britain is too small to have a pub. Fish and chips at the end of the street also.”
“There is?” I looked quickly to my right. We hadn’t driven down that far. “Did you see a sign?”
“Smelling it now, darling.”
“Should we rotate? Half keep watch, half eat lunch, then switch? What do you think?”
“Listen, Belle.” Andrew faced me in front of the red door with a critical look. “You can’t start asking for a show of hands on everything. I noticed you didn’t ask Gabriel if he would mind turning off his mobile. You said kill the bloody phone, only in your own way. I get what you’re going for. Just don’t forget who you are.”
“No… I know.” I glanced the other way to Isaac and now Jed watching us at the corner, fifty yards away. “Thank you for being … your own voice…” I looked at him.
“That extra voice in your head? You’re welcome. For every silver there has to be at least one core member willing to tell her exactly what he thinks of her ideas. Even if everyone else is too smitten to say what he really thinks of her.”
I paused as I’d been meaning to turn. “What do you really think of me?”
“I think you need a joint.”
For a beat we simply looked into one another’s eyes, deadpan.
“We’ll come back to this conversation another time…” I said. “Let’s get lunch.”
We started back, Andrew saying, “I fancy mine on Gabriel’s break. Need a chat with him about our shooting lessons.”
“And I would like to talk with Zar. I’m sure we can sort out sensible groups.”
They’d tried the handguns out on the road yesterday, at the loneliest place we could stop for Gabriel to give Isaac and Andrew a lesson in loading and handling the things. No ear protection or ranges or anything fancy like that. Just a couple shots into a dirt hummock for each. The two pistols were illegal so we had to be careful about them being seen, much less learning to shoot. I didn’t even know what make they were, didn’t want anything to do with them, but still glad a few people would know how to use them.
Andrew had said it was easy, just like a video game—which made me wonder where he’d played them. Isaac was more dubious, though attentive.
The first lunch shift became Kage, Jason, Zar, and me, while the other four waited to keep watch, pretending to be indecisive tourists. Not that there seemed to be any tourists around. Linlithgow had been thick with them. But Linlithgow was a metropolis compared to this place.
We’d bypassed prime lunch hour and walked right to the counter in the fish and chips shop. It was little bigger than a food truck with two metal tables out front on the sidewalk. Jason asked for all the fish they had ready behind the glass. The rest of us each got a bundle of chips—all of it served in paper—and applied our own salt. There was no other condiment besides malt vinegar, making for easy choices.
Jason crashed his armload of fish onto one of the rickety tables out front. Kage joined him. I was about to follow, but Zar had taken a seat at the other table rather than dragging the chair over.
Jason, who had already burned his fingers, offered me one of the parcels of battered chunks of fish. When Zar shook his head at it, I selected a small piece and gave the bundle back. Kage was telling him off about burning himself while Jason started on his second fillet
and Zar ate fries, gazing off down the street.
“Better than in Brighton,” Jason gasped, tongue burnt.
I joined Zar. No idea what to say. Wanting to take his hand more than anything, say I was sorry. But I’d done that. He needed so much more. Or so much less? He clearly wanted to be left alone, yet I had been leaving him alone. He was only getting worse, more silent, more apart.
The chips weren’t as hot as the fish but Zar and I chewed slowly anyway. We ate for a couple minutes with only Kage and Jason talking.
“Flakier, and batter’s not so heavy—better snap.”
“But the fish is also lighter,” Kage grumbled, unimpressed. “Not much substance.”
“Have this one. Did you get enough chips? We don’t know what dinner might be.”
“Zar?” I said quietly after a while.
“I’m fine.” Zar didn’t look at me.
I ate more fries. “Just because we have a lot to get done doesn’t mean we don’t have time for each other—for ourselves. We make time. It’s the only way we keep going.”
Zar didn’t answer.
“If we go back to Traigh’s place tonight, will you stay with me? We can talk—”
He was shaking his head. “I don’t want to talk, Cassia. I just want to find these people. That’s it.”
A chill trickled down my spine like early winter. Why had he called me that instead of Cass? I didn’t mind him not looking at me—avoidance, needing time—yet that one word loosed fresh warning bells that made my blood run cold.
I reached to cover his hand with mine. “Hey…? Zar, if you can’t talk to me about what you’re dealing with, what about your brothers? Gabriel’s here—”
Zar pulled his hand away, sending that icy feeling settling into my stomach next. “Sure. Maybe I’ll talk to him.” Tone flat, but conveying a cold hint as well. Obviously intending no such thing. He went on eating, facing across the street instead of toward me.
Reminded of morning sickness, I could hardly manage a few more fries before giving the remainder of my parcel to Kage.
Moonlight Magic: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (The Witch and the Wolf Pack Book 9) Page 4