Logan stood still for a long moment, his senses locked onto his mate until she started her car engine and drove away.
“I’ll go grab us some coffee,” Logan offered. “I can watch the desk while we sit in the dining room.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Valerie ran her hand over the reception desk, just as she had every time she walked past it for as long as Logan could recall.
Logan went to the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee then added some cookies to the tray before carrying it through to the dining room where Valerie was seated at her favorite table overlooking the gardens.
“I like her.” Valerie turned away from the view outside as Logan placed the tray down on the table.
“I like her, too.” His smile broadened. “It’s more than like. But I don’t want to frighten her away.”
“I don’t think there’s a chance of that. The way she looks at you...” Valerie reached out and touched his hand. “She can see you have a good heart. A heart big enough to care for her and her son. And her son is the most precious person in her whole world.”
“She hasn’t had an easy time these last few months. Penny likes the idea of stability. She’d committed to staying here for at least a week...” He looked out the window, the light outside was dimming, the heavy snow clouds blocking out the afternoon sun.
“What’s wrong?”
“Penny’s sister is coming to visit.” He ran his hand through his hair as his temper flared. “Penny was supposed to go and stay with Helena, but she wound up here. I’m just worried Helena might persuade Penny to leave.”
“Why would she do that?” Valerie asked. “She’ll see that Penny and Milo are safe and happy here. She’ll see how much you and the rest of the family care for them both.”
Logan nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. I’m just concerned, that’s all. I’m scared she’ll leave my life as quickly as she came into it.”
“That is not going to happen.” Valerie’s lips were a thin line as she sipped her coffee.
“We can’t be sure about that.” Logan stared out the window. If he had his way, he’d simply take Penny and Milo to his cabin in the mountains and hide them away. But that wasn’t possible. “Penny’s been hurt. Her ex-husband left her wounded and alone. I’m scared she won’t believe in me and how much I love them.”
“You don’t think Penny, or anyone for that matter, can see how much you care for them?” Valerie asked.
“Sometimes it’s easier to do what’s expected and Helena expected Penny and Milo to go live with her. What if she persuades Penny that she’s been reckless with Milo’s future?” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table.
She shook her head. “Or she might see that this is where they belong.”
Logan leaned back in his chair, the air leaving his lungs as he processed her words. “I hope you’re right.”
“You deserve to be happy, Logan. And so do Penny and Milo.” Valerie drank her coffee and stared into the distance. “Fate wouldn’t be so cruel to you.”
“Are you so sure?”
“You just need to make them all see you are there for them.”
“That I can do. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Unless Penny and Milo leave Wishing Moon Bay. You know that’s a possibility.” The rings around Valerie’s eyes darkened. His mom was supposed to be making things easier, instead, she was worrying about Logan, just as she’d always worried about him.
“You should go get some rest.” He stood up, leaned forward, and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for coming.”
“Are you kidding? I came as soon as I heard.” She leaned back in her chair and smiled. “At last, one of my boys has a mate. You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“I think I do.” He held out his hand to her. “Come on, you need to rest.”
“If Rift wants company tonight, tell him to bring Milo to the apartment. We can watch TV together or play a game. Maybe tomorrow you should go into the attic and find some toys and games he might like.” Valerie walked stiffly, leaning heavily on her walking stick.
“Okay. But you need to take care of yourself. Don’t overdo it. I know how much you loved running around after us when we were kids, but...”
“Don’t tell me I’m too old.” Valerie waved her walking stick at him.
“I wouldn’t dream of it!” Logan chuckled as he watched her go and then took the tray of dirty cups to the kitchen. Ivan had gone home, the hotel was quiet, as if it were waiting.
His wolf shuddered. Waiting for what?
I don’t know. As a child, Logan had always thought of the hotel as a living thing. Maybe it was haunted. Although, he never believed in ghosts. Valerie had taught them all that dead meant dead. Unless you were a vampire. But vampires were held together by magic and ingesting the essence of life—blood.
The bell on the reception desk pinged and Logan headed back out of the kitchen, greeted the new guests, and checked them in.
“Could you give us a hand with the luggage?” the elderly guest, a Mrs. Madilyn, asked. “We’re not as young as we used to be.” She stared up at the ceiling and turned in a circle. “It’s changed a lot since we were here last. The hotel was darker when Rad owned it. The décor was like something out of a gothic movie. This is much nicer.”
“My mom renovated the hotel after Rad died.”
“Died?” Mrs. Madilyn asked.
“That’s what everyone assumed. He just disappeared. There are countless stories about what happened to him, but no one knows the truth. Except for Rad, I guess.” The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he came around the desk and followed the guest out to her car where her husband, a thin man in his sixties, was wrangling a suitcase out of the trunk. “My mom, Valerie, she bought the hotel. It was all legal and above board.”
“Oh, I’m not trying to imply that anything underhanded occurred,” Mrs. Madilyn told him quickly. “I was only commenting on the decor.”
“I’ll take your bags up for you.” He helped the elderly gentleman drag the bags out of the car and then headed back into the hotel loaded up like a pack mule with all the luggage. As he climbed the stairs, he shivered, it was as if he was being watched but when he pushed his shifter senses outward, he couldn’t sense anyone close by, the other guests in the hotel were in their rooms.
Something is stirring, his wolf told him. But neither of them had a clue as to what that something was.
Chapter Twenty-Three – Penny
Her head throbbed as she opened her eyes, her tongue too big for her mouth as she tried to speak.
“Mommy.” Milo’s quiet voice next to her sent chills through her body. Something was wrong, something was very wrong, but her brain was full of cotton balls, and putting two cohesive thoughts together was impossible. “Mommy, are you awake?”
Awake? She forced her eyes open but there was no light, only darkness surrounding them.
“Where are we?” Penny put her hand to her head as she sat up, but a wave of nausea hit her, and she slumped back down to the floor.
Floor. She was lying on the floor. Inside. The air was cool but smelled stale, as if the room they were in had been shut up for a while.
“Mommy. You need to wake up.” The urgency in Milo’s voice gripped hold of her and forced her to focus.
“I’m awake, honey. But my head hurts, and I feel sick. I just need a moment.” She breathed in through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth. Her head started to clear but she still couldn’t recall how she’d ended up here.
Wherever here was.
The last thing she remembered was saying goodbye to Logan and Valerie and driving into town. They’d checked in at the two real estate agents who had given them a couple of brochures on properties to rent. Then they’d spotted the diner and gone in for ice cream and waffles.
Penny put her hand to her head and attempted to sit up once more. The room spun around her, at least it would have spun, if she could make out any f
eatures. It was all so dark.
“We need to get out of here.” Milo pulled on her sleeve, and she reached out and covered his hand with hers. His skin was so cold and as awareness came back to her, she felt his small body shivering against hers.
“We will.” She put her right hand behind her back and pushed herself to sit up straighter. There was a hard wall behind her. Reaching out, she ran her fingertips down the unmistakable log wall. They were in a cabin. Or a shed or a barn. Certainly not the hotel.
How did they get here?
“The lady said she’d be back. I don’t like the lady.” His small voice conveyed his terror.
“What lady?” Penny asked. Why couldn’t she remember anything past going into the diner?
“The old lady. She came into the diner and sat down at the table next to us.”
“I don’t remember. Did you know the lady?” Penny’s mind brushed up against a wall in her head. It was as if someone had put up a barrier to stop her from remembering.
“No, I don’t think so. She spoke to you. She said Logan had told her we were looking for somewhere to live. She said knew somewhere.” There was nothing familiar in Milo’s words.
“Did we go with her?” Penny couldn’t remember seeing an old lady. She certainly couldn’t remember going to see a house or apartment. Penny looked up at the ceiling. “Is that what happened? Did we go with her and she brought us here?”
“No, we were waiting for our order and she went to the bathroom, and then she left.” Milo took a shuddering breath. “We ate waffles and ice cream. They were good.”
“Then what?” Penny’s stomach convulsed
“Then we went to the car. You started acting strange. The old lady came and said she would drive us home. But she brought us here instead.”
“Do you know where here is?” Penny asked.
Milo shook his head, his hair brushing her arm as he moved. “She kept looking at me, telling me I’d go to sleep soon, and everything would be all right. But I didn’t feel sleepy. But you were asleep, so I pretended. I lay down next to you on the back seat. I couldn’t see out of the windows.” He hiccupped as he took a breath and she held him close, rubbing his small body. It was so cold, he was so cold.
“You did the right thing.” Penny put her fingers to her pounding temple. “She must have drugged me.”
“What are we going to do?” Milo’s small fingers clutched at her clothes. “She’s going to come back.”
“Sit there. Don’t move.” Penny eased her son back against the log wall and then pushed herself to a kneeling position. Her head pounded in her skull and she needed to rest for a moment to stop her stomach from lurching into her throat. As her nausea subsided, she reached out in front of her, trying to feel her way in the dark. They needed light and warmth. After that, she’d figure out how to get out of there.
Shuffling forward, her hands grasped at open air, so she kept moving. Her senses told her the room they were in wasn’t vast, so sooner or later she’d touch something. She shuddered, her skull prickling as if her hair stood on end. What if they weren’t alone in there?
She stopped moving and sat back on her ankles. Closing her eyes, she kept still until the pounding in her head quieted. She listened, straining against the silence as she slowly turned her head from side to side. Was that someone breathing? Perhaps it was Milo.
“Are you okay, Milo?” she whispered into the darkness behind her.
“Yes.” His voice was small, scared, and she wanted to unleash her rage on whoever had done this to them.
“Just stay right there.” She shuffled forward, her eyes were gradually getting used to the dark and she could make out the vague outline of objects. Was that a bed? Her hand touched a mattress, that seemed to be covered in a sheet, but no other bedding. Sliding her hand farther upward, she smoothed her palm over the wide empty expanse. “Okay, Milo, do you think you can come over here? Follow my voice.”
“Okay.” He scrambled toward her, his shoes scraping against the wooden floor.
“That’s it, keep coming.” She held out her hand to him and he curled his cold fingers around hers. She closed her hand, holding him tightly as she helped him up onto the bed. “Okay. Stay there. I’ll check out the rest of the room.”
“Don’t go too far,” he pleaded.
“I won’t.” Penny sat on the side of the bed and spread her hands out over the rest of the mattress just to check that there was nothing else or no one else on it. Completely empty. She let out a long breath and moved to the head of the bed. Most people had a nightstand next to the bed and on that nightstand, they had a light. Or a clock.
Shuffling forward, she reached out her hands and touched the hard-wooden nightstand. Carefully moving forward a little more, she felt the surface of the nightstand, searching for a light. A smooth domed shape that could be a lamp sat on the surface. She used her fingers to explore the contours of the lamp, searching for a switch. There. She flicked it on, but nothing happened. Perhaps it wasn’t plugged in. She felt around the edge of the base, found the cord and traced it back to a plug in the wall. Penny flicked the switches, trying every combination before admitting defeat. Either the lamp didn’t work or there was no power coming into the cabin. Which made sense. The musty smell indicated that the cabin had been shut up for a while, it made sense for the power to be turned off. All she had to do was find the main switch and switch it on.
“I think there’s a window there.” Milo pointed in the darkness and she could just about make out the outline of his hand.
“Stay there, I’ll go take a look.” She climbed over the bed and stood on the other side, her head pounding as she straightened up. Taking a couple of small steps forward, careful not to trip over anything, she made it to the log wall and lifted the blind across the window.
“What can you see?” Milo asked.
“Nothing really. We’re not on the ground floor. All I can see is trees.” She squinted into the darkness. “And snow. There’s snow on the roof outside.” No wonder it was so cold.
“It wasn’t snowing when we were in town.” Milo slid across the bed and came to stand by her side. “Can I see?”
Her jaw tightened as she fought the throbbing in her head. Leaning down, she hooked her hands under his arms and lifted him just as she’d done a thousand times or more. “See?”
“I don’t remember it snowing on the way here,” he whispered.
“Maybe the snow was already here.” She leaned her head against the cool glass, trying to think clearly. “Do you remember if we drove up a hill?”
Milo was quiet for a moment. “We might have. I remember rolling back on the seat.”
“Then we could be in the mountains.”
“I always wanted to visit the mountains.”
“Okay, we have to find a way out of here.” Penny eyed the snowy roof. Climbing out of the window would be the last resort. If either of them slipped on the roof, they could injure themselves and then freeze to death before anyone found them.
Would that be better than the fate that awaited them if they were here when their captor came back?
Something bumped outside of the room and she jumped, clinging tightly to her son. What if their captor had never left?
“What was that?” Milo cupped his hands to her ear and whispered.
“I don’t know.” Penny worked her way to the side of the window, feeling around for some way to draw the blinds back. She found it and rolled the blind up slowly, thankfully it didn’t squeak or creak and alert their kidnapper.
Although if they had been kidnapped by a shifter, they would already know their prisoners were awake and moving around. Being a mortal in a supernatural world wasn’t fun at all. As the blind slowly lifted up, the scant light from outside illuminated the room enough for them to make out the rest of the furniture. What little there was of it. Either no one used the cabin, or this was the guest room. “Let’s check out the dresser for some warm clothes.”
She hel
d her son in her arms as she tiptoed toward the dresser, which was pushed back against the same wall as the window. Penny placed her foot on a floorboard that creaked as she transferred her weight forward. She snatched her foot back and nearly overbalanced. Swaying slightly as her heart hammered in her chest, she held her breath and listened for any movement from outside the room. Everything seemed quiet. Perhaps they were alone. But she wasn’t going to take that chance. Stepping forward once more, she placed her foot a little to the left, avoiding the creaking floorboards. Two more steps and she stood in front of the dresser.
“Can you sit on my hip and hold on tight?” Milo nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck as she adjusted his weight. Just like when he was a baby, he rested on her hip, with one arm around his waist to help support him. With her free hand, she touched the top of the dresser to check if there was anything useful there. It was empty.
Penny curled her fingers around the handle of the top drawer and pulled it, the dresser rocked forward before the drawer slid open a couple of inches. She put her hand inside, gingerly checking if there was anything inside. Empty, confirming her thoughts that this was a guest room or that the whole cabin was unused.
She didn’t push the drawer closed, instead, she checked the next two drawers, all she found was a towel, which she handed to Milo. “What am I supposed to do with it?” he hissed.
“You can wrap it around your shoulders, it will keep you warmer.” She helped him drape it around his shoulders and then pull it tight and tuck it under his legs, so it didn’t slip off. “Now we’re going to go to the door and see if we can get out.”
“Okay.” Milo took one last look at the window before he switched his attention to the door leading out of the room. She could feel his small heart beating rapidly and his grip tightened around her neck, nearly cutting off her breath.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Penny rubbed her hand up and down his back.
“What if she’s here?” Milo asked.
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 17