Claire nodded. “Makes sense. I’ll make myself look like an old woman, too.”
Seth let out a huge roar of laughter. “Aww, isn’t that sweet, Claire? We’re going to be an old married couple.”
Claire felt herself blushing and she looked down at her feet in embarrassment. But Seth seemed to love the idea, and didn’t look embarrassed at all. He swooped her up into his arms and spun her around. “Come on, little old wifey. Let’s go get packed for our grand old road trip.”
Chapter Twelve
Less than twenty-four hours later, Claire and Seth were pulling into an RV rental facility in Portland Oregon. They had left Torch Lake as soon as possible, and no one except Leif or Sofia knew that they had gone, or what they were doing. The fewer people who knew what was going on, the lower the chances of their cover being blown. Claire felt guilty about not telling the High Council what was happening, but Seth promised her that they would understand. The safety of Torch Lake came first, and in this case, the safest thing to do was to keep everything a secret.
And so, a secret it was. Seth had called in sick to work. Claire was still on sick leave, so she didn’t even have to bother calling in. They had left Torch Lake early in the morning and taken a zigzagging route across Oregon, trying their best to make their path as confusing as possible to lose anyone who might be trailing them. They’d purposely gone in the opposite direction they would need to travel in to get to Spring Landing, the small town where Torch River began. They wanted to do everything they could to avoid tipping off any Dark Warriors to the fact that they knew what was going on with the coins.
Darkness had already fallen by the time Seth finished up the paperwork to rent an RV. Claire felt exhausted down to her very bones, and she knew Seth felt the same way. Nevertheless, they immediately began to drive away from Portland toward Spring Landing. Every minute that passed was another minute of poisoned water flowing into Torch Lake. Torch Lake was big, but if the Dark Warriors had started poisoning it right after the explosion last week, then poisoned water had already been contaminating the lake for over a week. It wouldn’t take much longer for it to start making people sick—or worse.
Claire kept a careful eye out for anyone who might be following them. She constantly cast counterspells to invisibility spells, but so far her counterspells had not revealed anyone. She knew that the dark wizards might be able to cast invisibility spells that she didn’t know how to counter properly, but all she could do was try her best. So far, her best had not revealed anything concerning. It didn’t seem like any Dark Warriors were following Seth and her as they bounced along a deserted Oregon highway in an ancient RV. With any luck, their long, convoluted departure from Torch Lake had not drawn much attention. Any spies who saw them leave would have soon lost interest as they headed in the opposite direction from Spring Landing. At least, that was the hope.
After a few hours of driving, Seth finally pulled into a mostly empty RV campground.
“I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. We need to rest for at least a few hours or I’m liable to fall asleep at the wheel and get us both killed. Seems kind of counterproductive to our mission, eh?”
Claire rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Do you want me to drive for a bit?”
“Nah, you must be just as tired as I am. Let’s both rest for a few hours and then continue on. Can you cast some protective spells over the RV?”
Claire nodded. When Seth had parked the RV, she started sweeping her magic ring over it in large arcs, whispering the words to protective spells. She worked as quickly as she could, trying to stay out of sight of any of the other RVs. She didn’t think anyone out here would have any clue that wizards or shifters existed, but one could never be too careful.
With the protective spells set, Claire climbed into the RV. The inside was tiny, and although it slept two, the beds were separate. There was one tiny bed on the left, and one on the right. Claire wasn’t sure whether she should be relieved or disappointed that she would be separated from Seth while they slept. She didn’t have long to think about it, though. She had barely lain down on the mattress before she fell asleep. She didn’t even hear Seth’s mumbled good night from the other bunk.
When she woke up, Seth was gone, and the gray light of early dawn filled the RV. She sat up slowly, and went to the tiny bathroom in the back. She switched the sink on, and was relieved to see that Seth had apparently hooked up the water this morning. Last night, he’d been too exhausted. She took a quick shower, shivering under the lukewarm water. The water heater didn’t seem to do much, but it was better than ice cold water, she supposed. It felt good to rinse off after their day of traveling yesterday, and when she hopped out she quickly got dressed and towel dried her hair. The air in the morning was brisk, but she knew things would warm up as the sun rose.
A few moments later, Seth appeared in the doorway of the RV.
“Hey! You’re up. Good. We should head out soon. I just jogged down to the little general store in the campsite’s office and got us some breakfast. Nothing fancy, because we need to get moving again soon. But you’ve got your choice of muffins, cereal, milk and orange juice. I also checked out, so we can just drive off when we’re done eating.”
Claire’s stomach growled at the sight of food, and she grabbed a muffin to start chowing down. “We should do makeup before we get going, too,” she said. “I think it’s time to assume our old people personas. The closer we get to Spring Landing, the more we run a risk of coming across some Dark Warriors. We don’t want any of them to see us without our disguises.”
Seth groaned. “I’ve been dreading the makeup part.”
“Oh, come on. You’re an old pro at makeup now.”
Seth shot her a glare that said he didn’t think her comment was funny, but Claire laughed anyway. They finished up their breakfast and then Claire started in on the makeup. Not too much later, they both looked shockingly like an actual older couple. They crammed into the tiny bathroom together, looking at their reflection in the mirror.
“This is so weird,” Claire said. The face staring back at her resembled her, but much older.
“Why is it weird?” Seth joked. “You don’t look a day over seventy, dah-ling.”
Claire looked at him and laughed. He looked about eighty, and she barely recognized him. “Look at us. Just an old couple traveling the country together, enjoying retirement.”
“Indeed. Are you ready to get going, old wifey?”
Claire nodded, trying to ignore the way it made her heart flip-flop in her chest when he called her wifey. She knew he was just playing a part, but it still gave her a little thrill to hear him refer to her as his wife. She allowed herself to wonder, for a brief moment, whether there was a chance that she could ever be his wife for real. He obviously had some feelings for her. After all, he’d asked for her number the first day they met, and they’d taken things all the way physically in his office. But did he feel strongly enough about her to consider a future together? Would they ever be an actual old couple together, no makeup required?
These questions burned in Claire’s heart, but now was not the right time to seek answers. They had a job to do—a big job, that would determine the fate of thousands of people in Torch Lake. There would be time later for Claire to worry about her love life. Right now, she needed to worry about the safety of the town she loved.
Despite his jovial mood when joking about being an old couple, Seth quickly grew somber once they were on the road. He didn’t talk much, and Claire couldn’t blame him. A lot depended on the success of what they were about to attempt. If they didn’t get those coins back, the Dark Warriors would be free to look for another way to use them to poison Torch Lake. Claire didn’t even want to think about that possibility, and yet, as the miles stretched behind them, it was all she could think about.
Just after noon, they pulled into Spring Landing. Claire’s heart pounded in her chest from nervousness, and no matter how much she told herself to calm down, she still
felt anxious. She felt like every eye in town was on her, seeing through her disguise. She knew that feeling this way was ridiculous. Most of the people here had nothing to do with the shifter or wizard world. They were just ordinary people, enjoying life in their peaceful small town. They had no idea that a sinister group of Dark Warriors was poisoning the river just outside their city. Claire did her best to look relaxed and normal, like a little old lady on vacation.
Seth thought that it would be best to head into town for a while and act like tourists. If they immediately headed out into the woods to look for the river, the Dark Warriors were going to get suspicious no matter how great their disguise.
So Seth drove slowly into town and parked at the small RV parking site on the far end of town. Before they left the RV, Claire carefully touched up their makeup disguise, and Seth put on a masking scent so that no other shifters would be able to smell that he was a shifter. Then they took their time lazily walking to the office and chatting with the man running the place. Claire admired how relaxed Seth was. He acted like he didn’t have a care in the world, while she felt like she might explode at any moment from the anxiety building up within her. She didn’t trust herself to talk much, so she feigned an intense interest in the display of postcards for sale in the small office. Every now and then she glanced back at Seth, who was still talking to the guy behind the desk.
Seth did a great impression of an old man. Claire wasn’t sure quite how he managed it, but he spoke in a raspy voice that made him sound like he was decades older than he actually was. He also walked in a stooped over position, both in an attempt to make himself look like an old man and to hide how tall he really was. Tallness was a huge clue that someone was a shifter, so Seth was doing his best to downplay his height. He was doing a good job, but Claire was still worried. What if a Dark Warrior noticed that the new old man in town was quite a bit taller than most eighty-year-olds?
There was nothing either of them could do about it, other than hope and pray that Seth’s stooping was enough. At least his clothes were doing a good job of hiding his muscles. Under all his baggy garb, you couldn’t tell that he was hiding biceps twice as large as a normal man’s.
When Seth was done yakking with the man in the office, he and Claire shuffled their way slowly down Main Street. They stopped at nearly every store window, acting like the displays of antique furniture, homemade wooden signs, and boutique clothing were the most interesting things they had ever seen. When they got to the Main Street Diner, they shuffled inside and asked for a table by the window. Seth wanted to make sure that they made a big show of taking their sweet time to eat.
Claire didn’t think she was going to be able to eat, with her stomach twisted up into a giant tangle of nerves, but when she sat down she realized that she was much hungrier than she’d thought. Her mouth watered as she read over the menu descriptions, and her stomach growled at the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen. Seth’s eyes peeked at her over the top edge of his menu.
“I’m starving,” he said in his raspy old man voice. Claire wanted to laugh, but she forced herself to hold it in.
“Me too,” she said, in an old lady voice that was not nearly as convincing as Seth’s. She was doing the best she could, though. “I feel like I could eat two of everything on the menu.”
“Do it,” Seth said with a wink. “Might as well fuel up for the day ahead.”
Seth’s comment didn’t do anything to put Claire’s mind at ease. It only reminded her that the day ahead was going to be very dangerous. But she was hungry enough that even that thought couldn’t keep her from ordering a huge starter salad, chicken fried steak with gravy and mashed potatoes on the side, and a slice of banana cream pie for dessert. Seth outdid her, ordering fried pickles for an appetizer, a skirt steak with a side of rice for his entrée, and a double brownie fudge sundae for desert. By the end of the meal, both of them were stuffed and could hardly move.
“Maybe not the best choice to eat so much,” Claire groaned.
Seth smiled. “Don’t worry. The overstuffed feeling will wear off after a little while. And damn. That was some good food. Let’s sit for a while and have some coffee.”
Claire wasn’t going to argue with that. She was so full that even coffee sounded like too much to her, but she was happy to delay the storm she knew was coming. And she was happy to sit lazily with Seth, acting like they were a couple in love without a care in the world. She could get used to this. As they slowly sipped their coffees, Claire admired how handsome he was, even when disguised as an old man. Whichever woman was lucky enough to grow old with him was going to be very lucky. Claire tapped her foot nervously on the diner floor and wondered if that woman might end up being her. She knew she should stop thinking about this right now. She should focus on the task ahead of her and worry about love later. But it was impossible to sit across from Seth and not think about whether their futures would intertwine.
After a few cups of coffee, Seth struck up a conversation with their waitress, telling her that he wanted to see the woods around here, and asking if there were any trails that weren’t too hard on an old man’s knees. This was all a farce, of course. Seth and Claire had carefully mapped out where all the trails surrounding Spring Landing led to, and they knew exactly where each trail was in relation to the beginning trickles of Torch River. They planned to walk along the largest trail that went closest to the river’s head. There was a small trail that went closer, but Seth worried that it was too strenuous for an old couple to walk on. If the Dark Warriors saw them attempt it, they might get suspicious and realize that Seth and Claire weren’t an old couple after all.
Once they were as close as possible to the river’s source, they would make a wild, quick run for it. Seth would shift into dragon form and Claire would pull her magic ring out of her pocket, where it was hidden, to ready herself to attack. Then they would hope and pray that their disguise had done a good enough job of taking the Dark Warriors off guard. If everything was timed perfectly, Seth should be able to stop any Dark Warriors from making a getaway with the coins. They had no way of knowing for sure how many guards there were, but Seth could handle a large number of enemy shifters and wizards by himself. It would be up to Claire to pick up the slack.
She shuddered. She’d never fought anyone in her life, and, although she knew the basic attack and shield spells that every wizard learned in high school, she didn’t think she had what it took to stand up to dark magic or evil shifters. She was hoping that Seth would be able to hold back the Dark Warriors without her help, although she knew that hope might prove futile.
There was only one way to find out. She stood with Seth as he stood and thanked the waitress, then shuffled out of the diner with him. They slowly made their way to the end of Main Street, and past the RV parking lot to where several trails branched off into the woods.
Seth smiled at her, and then, in his old man voice asked, “Fancy a walk, dear?”
Claire gulped and nodded. She took his offered arm, and silently prayed that this wouldn’t be the last walk she ever took.
She would like the chance to grow old for real, after all.
Chapter Thirteen
Seth kept up his shuffling, stooped walk, despite the fact that the crick in his back felt like it was literally killing him. He also kept his pace slow, which felt like torture. He wanted nothing more than to run down the path as fast as he could, shifting into dragon form and flying at the Dark Warriors in a rage.
But he couldn’t. Not yet. Patience would win this game. Beside him, Claire shuffled along, occasionally pointing out an exceptionally pretty tree or bush. She was playing her part well, even if her old person voice wasn’t quite as convincing as his. Seth couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked, even as a supposed old lady. He wondered if that was really what she would look like when she grew older. He wondered if he would get to find out with her.
He hadn’t talked to her about his feelings yet. She knew he was attract
ed to her—that much was obvious. But she didn’t know how serious he was about wanting to be with her. He hadn’t realized himself, until he’d slept with her. Now he knew, deep in his soul, that she was his lifemate. But he didn’t know how to tell her. Things with this trip out to get the coins had happened so quickly, and there was so much tension in the air. He knew she was nervous about what they were about to do. She’d told him how she’d never fought in any real battles before, and he had seen the anxiety growing in her expression with every passing minute. He hadn’t wanted to add the stress of making relationship decisions on top of all of that.
He admired her courage. She was putting her own life on the line to take the best shot at saving thousands of lives in Torch Lake. A lot of women wouldn’t have done that. They would have insisted on going to the High Council and letting them make the decision on what to do. Claire would have certainly been within her rights to do that. But she hadn’t. She had stepped up to the plate, and Seth was so damn proud of her.
He was also determined to keep her safe. No matter what happened in this battle, and no matter how many enemy wizards and shifters he had to face, his most important goal was to keep Claire away from harm. Even if it cost him the coins. Heck, even if it cost him his own life. He would make sure Claire came out of this alive.
Seth took a deep breath, pretending to be enjoying the fresh forest air. In reality, he was just trying to steady his breathing and calm his racing heart. He hadn’t felt adrenaline like this since… well, since he’d rescued Claire from the exploding Torch Lake Today building. They were getting close to the point on the trail where they planned to make a run for the coins. Seth guessed they had less than five minutes to go, even walking at their snaillike pace.
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