“Thanks, Rift. I appreciate you watching Milo.” They headed toward one of the tables which had just become free.
“I enjoy it. I’d forgotten how much fun being a kid is.” Rift held out a chair for Penny to sit down. She still held Milo who sat on her lap while Logan fetched menus.
“I’ll come and take your order when you’re ready.” Logan handed out the menus. “What can I get you to drink?”
“You’re busy enough,” Penny told him. “I’ll fetch the drinks and take our order to the kitchen. You go deal with your customers.”
Logan hesitated. If he insisted on serving them himself, he’d at least get to come back and talk to them and check if they were all right. The warlock’s earlier behavior had freaked him out just a little. He hated not knowing what the guy’s intention was. Perhaps he was purely trying to get a free meal and cause trouble for Logan because of the issue with the cold shower. Or perhaps it was more sinister.
He shivered. Something didn’t feel right. His hand unconsciously went to the talisman in his pocket. Was this the source of all the problems?
“If you’re sure.” He backed away, suddenly feeling the need to talk to Ivan.
“Of course.” Penny’s smile lightened his mood, she was such a beautiful woman with a beautiful heart. She deserved to be happy.
We all deserve to be happy. But his wolf agreed there was something in the air and he didn’t just mean the snow.
“Logan, how are things looking out there?” Ivan asked as he entered the kitchen. “We’re running at full capacity here. I’m going to need extra staff if things don’t slow down.”
“I’ll talk to Valerie in the next couple of days. I can’t really hire anyone new without her say so. And if Melanie is back at work tomorrow, we should cope. Especially if Penny doesn’t have to watch over the warlock again.”
“You had to mention his name!” Ivan’s eyes flashed bright but only for a moment, he was too focused on getting the next meals plated and out of his kitchen.
Logan watched his brother work, he truly was a master at his trade. Being a chef was not something the dragon shifters were well known for. Usually, they caught their food and ate it raw or burnt and crispy after dousing it with dragon fire. But Ivan had a flair for cooking, it was his passion. As he delicately placed the garnish on his dish and nodded to the server to take it out to the restaurant, Logan asked, “Does something feel wrong to you?”
Ivan wiped his hands on a towel and studied Logan for a long moment. “Why do you ask?”
He rubbed his hand over his chin and glanced toward reception. “I don’t know, I can’t put my finger on it exactly.”
“Maybe I can help.”
“So you do think something is wrong?”
Ivan came around the counter and placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Here’s what I think is happening.”
Logan swallowed down the lump in his throat as panic flared in his heart. Something was coming, he could feel it in his bones.
“After so long, you have just met your mate, and she has a son. It’s going to knock you off balance. It’s only natural.”
“Off balance.” His finger closed around the talisman in his pocket. “I don’t think that’s what I can sense. It’s something more.”
Ivan let go of Ivan and went back to work. “Try to relax.”
“That’s your advice?” The hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stood on end. His mate was about to enter the kitchen and he didn’t want her to overhear their conversation.
“That’s my advice for now.” Ivan let his calm expression slip for a moment. “It might be different when I’ve deciphered those symbols. I’m guessing this has got something to do with the talisman burning a hole in your pocket.”
“Maybe. But I think it’s more than that. Something is coming.” And he didn’t just mean his mate. But as she entered the kitchen, he tried to take Ivan’s advice and relax.
Not easy when Penny was close by and all he wanted to do was claim her as his mate. Mark her with his scent so no other man would dare touch her.
Chapter Seventeen – Penny
The winter sun rose in the sky as Penny lay curled up under the covers with Milo sleeping peacefully beside her. She really needed to get up and get dressed before going downstairs to fetch them breakfast. But she couldn’t move. It wasn’t just that every time she stuck her foot out of bed, the cold air chilled her toes. It was more than that.
She turned away from the window and its muted light and stared up at the ceiling. The chill in her bones had nothing to do with the cool air and everything to do with her decision to stay here. She’d gotten caught up in a dream where a man who was a stranger to her told her he loved her and they were meant to be together forever and she’d bought into it because he’d offered her what she wanted. What she thought she needed.
But Wishing Moon Bay wasn’t her home and after last night, Penny feared they might not be safe here. There was so much they didn’t understand about this new town and the people in it.
“It’s me.” Logan’s voice accompanied a knock on the door.
Finally pushing her foot out of bed and all the way to the floor, she slid out of bed and shivered as she pulled on a robe. Tying a knot in the belt, she padded to the door on cold feet and opened it. “I was going to come down.”
“I was coming up to check on the new guests and figured I might as well bring you breakfast.” He held up the tray filled with eggs and bacon and some delicious oatmeal flavored with cinnamon as proof.
“Come in.” She stood back and he entered the room, his eyes lingering on the bed where Milo stirred himself from his dreams.
“I didn’t realize Milo would still be asleep.” He walked silently to the small table and set the tray down without making a sound.
“Rift tired him out yesterday. All that fresh air and wrestling.” A small smile crossed her lips. Now that Logan was here, her fears for their future evaporated. The wolf shifter had sworn to protect her, and she believed him with all her heart.
“I’ll go.” He pointed at the door and moved silently toward it.
“Logan.” Milo sat upright in bed and sniffed the air. “You brought breakfast.”
“I did.” He hovered halfway between the door and the bed, unsure as to whether he should leave.
“Do you have time to sit down and eat with us? Or maybe just have a cup of coffee?” Penny placed her hand on his elbow and ushered him toward the table where the aroma of the food drifted up, making her mouth water.
“I have a couple of chores to do and then I thought I could show you around town. We never got to see much that first day.”
“No, the dolphin and the shifting and the...everything.” She waved her hands around her head. “Kind of killed the tour.”
“I figured I should show you around before the whole town is covered in snow.” Logan went to the window and pulled the drapes open wide.
Penny lifted her hand and shaded her eyes as if she were a vampire who couldn’t bear sunlight. “Those are heavy snow clouds.” When her eyes were accustomed to the light, she dodged around him and went to the window, placing her hands on the sill. “Is that snow in the mountains?”
“Yes, it snowed there last night. The peaks will remain white for the rest of the winter. They always do after the first heavy snowfall of winter.”
“And you would be up there?” She briefly looked at him over her shoulder.
He nodded. “I have a lot of cold-weather gear in my cabin. There’s always a good supply of wood for the fire which I’ve built up over the summer.” He put his hand in his pocket and took out his phone. “Do you want to see some photos?”
“Yes, please.” Milo shuffled down the bed but kept the covers wrapped around him.
“Why don’t you put some socks and slippers on and your robe? You can perch on the end of the bed and eat while you look at Logan’s cabin.” She nodded toward the chairs around the table and Logan sat down.
“No, thanks. I’ve already eaten two portions this morning. Ivan always makes too much.” He accepted the coffee, though, and sat back in the seat, looking too big for it.
“When can we go to the beach?” Milo asked. “I’d like to see the dolphin again.”
“They are not too common around here,” Logan told him. “Especially not at this time of the year. You were lucky to see that one yesterday.”
“Or unlucky,” Penny said drily. “If that guy hadn’t emerged from the water and shifted, we would never have known your secret.”
“I would have told you. Although, I probably would have waited a little longer.”
“It freaked Mom out,” Milo told the wolf shifter.
“It wasn’t the kind of thing you expect to see,” Penny grumbled.
“What other kinds of animals are there?” Milo asked. “Do shifters turn into anything they want? Like a massive spider?”
“Mostly mammals. And mostly carnivores. Wolves, bears, and big cats are the most common.”
“What about dragons?” Milo spread out his arms as if they were wings and pretended to swoop down on a piece of bacon which he picked up with his fingers and popped into his mouth.
“Dragons are rare, they mostly live on an island a few hundred miles across the ocean.”
“They do?” Penny covered her mouth as she coughed.
“Yes, they don’t like mixing with the rest of us. They see us as lower beings in their grand order of things.”
“What about Ivan?”
“What about Ivan?” Logan asked.
“He’s not like that,” Milo said.
“He doesn’t think like them. Probably because he wasn’t raised by dragons, he was raised by Valerie.” Logan drank his coffee and eyed up some of the eggs.
“Help yourself.”
“No, honestly, I’m fine.” Logan switched his attention to the weather outside. “We’ll need to wrap up warm.”
“It’s certainly chilly.” She shivered and wished he’d put his warm arms around her. Failing that, she’d love to dive back under the bedcovers. “I was going to ask Ivan if I could make a picnic for us, but I think we should take a raincheck on that. Maybe in the summer when the weather is warmer. The weather does get warmer, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, in the summer months, it’s hot here and there’s nothing better than taking a swim in the ocean.” He glanced toward Milo. “You might even get to swim with dolphins.”
“Amazing.”
Penny was making plans about their future in Wishing Moon Bay. Even though deep down she still sensed there was a threat, a danger, lurking just beyond her vision, there was nothing to say that threat might follow them if they left town. Or maybe the threat was waiting outside of town, waiting for her to leave.
“Are you all right?” Logan placed his warm hand over hers. She’d been tapping her fork against her plate.
“Sorry. I was miles away.” She dug into her eggs and bacon while Milo sampled the oatmeal. “Is it good?”
“Yummy.” Milo spooned the creamy mixture into his mouth, the color returning to his cheeks as he slowly woke up.
“I should go get on with the rest of my chores while you finish eating. I’ll meet you downstairs in the reception area when you’re ready.” Logan placed his coffee cup down on the table and got up.
“Do you want me to text you or something, so you know we’re waiting?” She moved her thumbs as if she were typing out a text message on an invisible phone.
“No, I’ll know when you are there.” He grinned as he opened the door and stepped outside into the corridor.
“Of course you will.” Penny picked up the second bowl of oatmeal and tried it. “This is good.”
“Can we live in the hotel forever?” Milo asked.
“No, we have to find somewhere of our own to live.” She tilted her head to one side. “Why?”
“Ivan is a better cook than you.” Milo looked up as she gasped in shock. “I love your cooking, but Ivan is better.”
“I know he is. And maybe we can eat here some of the time. But we need our own space, and I don’t want to live in a hotel room for the rest of my life, do you?”
“What about the apartment where Logan lives? Can’t we live there with him since you are mates?”
She nearly choked on her oatmeal and took a drink of coffee to clear her throat. “Firstly, the apartment belongs to Valerie who owns the hotel. She’ll be moving back here, I expect, once she’s better.”
“Where will Logan live then? With us?” Milo’s questions were innocent enough, but she wondered where he’d gotten this from.
“Secondly, we have to get to know Logan and everyone else in town. Slowly.”
“But Rift said that you two were fated mates and that you were meant to be together. He thinks that’s why the car broke down and why we found the road leading to town.” Milo placed his empty bowl on the table. “I like Rift. He would be my uncle if you married Logan.”
“I think Rift likes to talk too much. Some things are not meant for your ears. Not until you are older.”
“Oh, he wasn’t talking to me.” Milo gave her one of his mischievous grins. “He was talking to Valerie on the phone while he thought I was asleep.”
“You were eavesdropping while pretending to be asleep.” Penny got up from her chair and came around the table. “Do you know what happens to little boys who listen to conversations they are not meant to hear?”
Milo giggled and scooted back on the bed. “They get tickled?”
“They get tickled.” She pounced on the bed and tickled her son’s tummy and under his arms until he giggled so hard, she thought he might be sick. It was her favorite sound. Children should laugh and play, and not get bogged down with the worries of the grownups around them. She’d have to tell Rift to be more careful when he was talking about shifters and mates and all the other crazy things that might happen in Wishing Moon Bay. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get dressed. Why don’t you wear the warm clothes we got from the attic? I washed them and dried them for you last night. They smell pretty good now.”
“Okay.” Milo hugged her before he jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom.
“Make sure you brush your teeth.”
“I will.” He closed the door behind him, and Penny went to the window to look out at their new hometown. Their room looked across to the bay where the heavy gray sky seemed to sink into the ocean which was equally as gray. The snow was there, ominous and threatening.
Yet when it fell, it would cover everything in pristine whiteness. She’d have to ask Logan if there was a sled Milo could borrow. They could hike over to the lower slopes of the mountains and sled down them. Perhaps his wolf would pull the sled to the top. The wolf they’d seen was so white he’d be camouflaged in the snow. She reached out her hand and touched the cold glass, turning her head from side to side. She was wrong, it wasn’t the snow clouds that were ominous and threatening, it was something else entirely.
The sense that she should pack up all their belongings and leave town settled on her shoulders once more. But she wasn’t about to give up the promise of her new life. She wasn’t going to be chased out of town. She’d been running when she arrived here, she was not going to run again.
Chapter Eighteen – Logan
Logan whistled a happy tune as he went back downstairs, and as he crossed the reception area, Sophie came out from behind her desk with a gift bag in her hand. “Logan.”
“Yes.” The tune died on his lips as he stopped in his tracks and faced the receptionist. “How are you doing today?”
Sophie looked up at him through her eyelashes which she batted against her cheeks. Her makeup was perfect, as always, her lashes thick and luxurious, but they didn’t hide the dark pools of her eyes. Logan shivered as she smiled brightly and handed him the s
mall bag. “I wanted to say sorry for...overreacting.”
“Overreacting,” he repeated, unsure of what answer to give. “That’s okay.” He accepted the gift. “You didn’t have to get me anything. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“Oh, I think there is.” There were those eyelashes again. Sophie smiled demurely. “I made a mistake. You have been so kind to me since I started working here and I repaid you by having a hissy fit because you found your mate. I should be happy for you. Supportive even. Instead, I was rude.” She pointed at the gift bag. “I hope you enjoy it, I know you like scotch whiskey.”
“I do.” He raised the bag an inch or two and smiled. Awkwardly. Because the whole thing was just that...awkward. Sophie was acting kind of creepy.
That’s the effect you have on most people, his wolf reminded him with a wolfish snigger.
“Anyway, think of it as an apology gift.” She inclined her head slightly. “I am sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” He backed away toward the kitchen and Sophie went back to her desk.
“Oh, one more thing.”
“Yes.” Logan was about to turn around and get out of there as fast as possible, but her words stalled his exit.
“Room one.”
“What’s wrong with that guy now?” Logan sighed, his plan to take Penny and Milo down to the beach fading away.
“Nothing. As in, I think he’s gone.”
“Gone.” Logan’s voice rose as he strode back to the desk. “Has he paid his bill?”
“No, but his car was gone when I came into work this morning and the key was here. I went and knocked on the door but there was no answer, and no one has seen him at breakfast this morning.”
“He could just have gone out early this morning.” Logan ducked his head and looked out of the window at the sky and its threat of snow.
“He might have.” She took the key down from the hook behind her and slid it across the desk. “Don’t you think you should go and have a look?”
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 13