“Bullshit!” Evan shoves Thomas, and he ends up flat on his ass. “I can’t imagine what they left that they thought was worse than this.” Evan spins. “Do you hear me? You don’t have to live like this, not anymore.”
“I’ve protected them.” Thomas scrambles to get to his feet.
Evan spins on him again and glowers. “From what? A fucking field mouse? I can’t believe you’re even an alpha.”
“I am.” Thomas looks around at his pack. “I am!” he shouts again.
“You’re weak, abusive, and replaceable. You don’t deserve these people.”
“Just go, take him and go.” Thomas’s eyes dart around again, watching his pack. Whispers can be heard as some of the men unite into a small group.
“Do you hear that, Thomas?” Evan pauses, tilting his head to the side, and a sinister smile blooms on his lips. “That’s the sound of your downfall,” he whispers.
Two men break off from the small group and stalk over to Thomas.
Evan backs away a few steps. He widens his stance and crosses his arms over his chest, keeping an eye on the men.
“Come,” Griffin demands, and my eyes jump to his, wondering where we’re going, but he’s motioning for Jacob to join us. The boy looks over at the brewing violence before taking the first step toward us. I feel Griffin’s palm near my lower back as he guides me away from whatever is about to happen. I go willingly, this isn’t something I’m prepared to see, not now, maybe not ever.
“You have what you need.” Griffin doesn’t phrase it like a question.
Jacob stops in his tracks. “I have a bag at Chucks. Can I get it?”
“Where’s Chucks?” Griffin asks, before answering yes or no.
“Few hundred yards up that’a way.”
“Don’t run off, I’ll find you if you do, and I won’t be so nice,” Griffin warns. So nice, I think to myself. He hasn’t seemed nice at all, he’s barely done anything but glower at everyone.
“No, sir, I won’t run. I want to see my sister,” Jacob promises, before taking off in the direction he pointed to, away from the cabin where we left Evan.
“I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it really wasn’t this.” I look up at the star filled night sky through the trees. I don’t think I’m tired anymore, but I’m weary. I’ve had a lot of excitement over the past few days, even more over the last few hours.
“It’s not always like that.” I turn my attention to Griffin. His eyes are lidded as he lifts his gaze to mine. “Sometimes it’s worse.” He gives me a half smile, and I’m not sure if he’s joking or not. “Kid’s back,” he whispers, drawing my attention to his mouth.
“Should we wait for Evan?” I look back into the darkness from the direction we came from.
“No, he’ll catch up when he’s ready.” Griffin urges me forward again with his hand on my back. It’s a little easier to walk without someone right in front of me, but that means I’m the one picking the path to follow.
“Almost there,” Griffin says over my shoulder. It’s a good thing, too, my legs feel like jelly, and every bit of energy I mustered has been sapped from the walk out of the woods. “Evan isn’t far behind,” he adds.
“You see him?” I look back, but don’t see anything except the small shape of Jacob trailing a few feet behind Griffin.
“I hear him,” Griffin replies.
“Is it ever too much, can you shut it off?” I ask, hoping the talking will push me to keep my feet moving.
“What do you mean?”
“Your senses. I feel like I would lose my mind if I could hear someone else’s heartbeat. My own is annoying enough at times.” I stumble, but manage to catch myself before falling.
Griffin moves in a little closer. “It’s natural to me. I can tune out what I don’t need or want to hear. Humans do the same.”
“Really? How?” I know he’s not saying we have the ability to hear heartbeats, that would be crazy.
“If there are twenty people talking in a room, you don’t hear each word, and it turns into background noise. I do the same. There’s the car,” Griffin says, and I want to do a happy dance…well, I would if I wasn’t so tired.
“Thank God. I’m out of shape.” I sigh.
Jacob is eying the nice SUV with his old backpack clutched to his chest. “When can I see Riley?” He’s shifting from left to right slowly.
“Soon,” Griffin assures him, his tone flat.
“Not until tomorrow. It’ll take us a little while to get to her,” I clarify, hoping the added info will ease him. I can see how nervous he is, and he has every right to be. We’re complete strangers to him.
“Why’s it gonna take so long?” Jacob directs his question to me.
“Havenfall is in Colorado, Jacob, but I promise you she’s there and safe. We might even be able to call her in the morning.” I look over at Griffin, I’m sure he could arrange it.
He doesn’t get a chance to answer before Evan comes into the clearing. His dark eyes are wide as he glances around. A deep rumble leaves his chest.
Jacob backs away, his movements ultra-slow.
“Everything okay?” I question softly.
“Don’t run, Quinn,” Griffin demands.
Chapter 12
Evan
It was hard not getting involved with the challenge. The animal in me knows I could have dominated the entire pack, claimed them for my own, but the other part of me knows I don’t want them for a pack, I don’t want any pack.
My bear is roaring in my head, insisting I do something to appease him for not claiming what I could have. Knowing Quinn was on the other side of the forest was the only thing that spurred him to leave the alpha challenge.
Maybe I should have had Griff come back for me later. I’m on edge, I’m ready to fight or fuck. With Quinn so close, I’d rather do the latter. She’s not a supe, I don’t think she would be willing to jump in the sack without even knowing me. She would love it. I shake away those thoughts.
Her scent is what carried me through the trees so swiftly, and now my animal wants his prize. I burst through the tree line, my chest rising and falling quickly. If I had shifted, I could have been here faster, but it was too dangerous to do so. I’m not sure I would have had complete control of the bear.
“Everything okay?” Her soft words have an effect on me. My skin isn’t tingling so badly.
“Don’t run, Quinn.” Griff’s order draws my attention, but it’s the other shifter who’s backing toward Quinn that has a snarl curling up from my chest. “Kid, stop!”
The wolf freezes, but he’s still too close to her.
“Quinn, do you drive?” I tilt my head at the calmness in Griff’s tone as he takes a step closer to Quinn.
“Yeah, yes. Of course.” Quinn’s lip quivers.
I watch as Griff nears her, then he dips his head and speaks softly in her ear while keeping his eyes on me. “He’s fine, just wired after the challenge. It’s a shifter thing.” Griff being close to Quinn doesn’t elicit the same feelings it does when the wolf gets close to her. “Ask him to bring you the key.” He takes two steps away from Quinn and crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes never leaving me. There’s a level of comfort there. I know if I ever did anything to hurt her, he could stop me. I shake my head, I’ve never once thought about hurting a woman, neither has my bear.
“May I…may I have the keys, Mr. Winters, please?” In two strides I’m in front of her. I meet her eyes then turn to find the wolf. His head is down. I feel Quinn’s hand on my chest. “You’re scaring him.” Her voice holds a thread of censure. I look back down at her. She’s so small, the top of her head just reaches my shoulder, but she’s fierce too. I can hardly believe that she would still speak up for him, even when I’m a breath away from dragging her body against mine.
I drop the key fob into her palm and stalk around to the passenger seat. I need a little space from the other shifter. The bear in me wants to assert dominance, but reason wins out.
“Get in, Quinn,” Griff instructs her softly.
I should say something to her now that we have a moment alone, even though Griff can hear us, but I can’t seem to force the words out.
“Kid.” I’m surprised to hear Griff talking to Jacob. “You get what that was, right?” He keeps his question simple. Shit, he barely even talks to people anymore unless he has to.
“I get it. The fight and the female. I’m not a baby.” I let out a grunt, the kid has more balls than I gave him credit for.
As the engine purrs to life, I turn my focus on Quinn. Her knuckles are tightened over the top of the wheel as she peers straight ahead. For a brief second, self-doubt and pity color my thoughts. I’m worried about what she’ll think of me, about how I’ll responded. No matter how much she thinks she knows about supernaturals, she can’t truly understand us, not with the limited information made available to humans.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Quinn’s soft voice fills the car.
My intent is to tell her no, but it comes out in more of a grunt, so I shake my head in denial.
“Okay.” She barely breathes the word. That, more than anything, has me unclenching my teeth. She seems like she’s trying to bring back some normalcy.
“That back there…” I don’t even know what to say, so my words trail off. I’m not used to having to explain to a human the nuances of being a shifter, an alpha shifter at that.
Quinn reaches over slowly and places her hand on my forearm, her touch is as light as a feather. “I may not completely understand, but I get it, Evan. I’m not judging.”
Well, fucking shit. Something in my chest warms, making me want to squirm. I’m a fucking polar bear, I don’t squirm. I feel the scowl on my face, but I fight the tightening of my lips. Before I can respond, the rear doors open, and Griff gets in behind me and the kid behind Quinn.
I glare over my shoulder, but the wolf’s eyes are firmly on his lap. Unstable pack life would have taught him that lesson early. Pity that I can’t get control over myself enough that it wouldn’t be necessary.
With a jerk, I force myself back into my seat and look forward. Pissed that I’m acting like a cub who can’t regulate his beast.
Griff leans forward. He’s so tall that it’s not much of a reach for him to be halfway between the two front seats. “Head back the way we came. The motel’s not too far from the airport.” His fingers trail down Quinn’s shoulder so softly she doesn’t even react. I wonder if he realizes what’s happening here.
Quinn puts the truck in gear and does a slow, three-point turn to get us back on the two-track lane. She’s going much slower than I would, but she’s not blessed with shifter eyesight. When we reach the main road, she looks over at me. “Left or right?” Her complete trust appeases the baser part of myself. I want to roar in response.
“Left here, and another a few miles up.” I remember the route easily. She nods, flicks on her blinker, and pulls out, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
The drive is quiet, but with every mile we put between us and the pack, I feel my muscles loosening up. I’ve been indirectly involved in a challenge before, but never have I had the urge to take the pack as my own. I glance over at Quinn from the corner of my eye. Her shoulders are a little tense, but her grip on the wheel is much more relaxed. She was the catalyst for the change. Her presence was like flipping a switch, one I’m not sure I want to deal with.
I’ve told myself since I was old enough to walk away from my pack that I never wanted another, that I didn’t want the responsibility or the notoriety that comes with the position. But all I was thinking about in that moment was building my pack, not for myself, but to keep her safe. The only thing that stopped me was knowing that mismatched pack couldn’t offer her any real safety.
Griff gives me the address for the motel, and I feed it into the GPS on autopilot. I’m way too consumed with my own thoughts for much else.
Knowing I wanted Quinn, that I felt something for her the moment I spied her walking up the road to Havenfall, was jarring. But I managed to convince myself it was only because I wanted to protect her, just like I want to protect everyone at Havenfall. It’s my fucking job, after all. I steered clear of her after leaving her with Wes on purpose. However, what I’m feeling for her is getting harder to deny. And it goes beyond mere attraction.
I curl my hand into a fist. I don’t like not feeling like I’m the one in control. Staying away from Quinn Shaw should be my number one priority.
Quinn
“In two hundred feet, you will arrive at your destination.”
“Thanks, I wouldn’t have guessed,” I mutter, wishing I was familiar enough with the car to shut off the GPS. The dim yellow lights of the motel are the only sign of life I’ve seen since pulling into this tiny town. The few shops that line Main Street were all shuttered up tight. Most of them were so rundown, they looked like they hadn’t been open for years.
My stomach gives a rumble. I was hoping to find a restaurant, even fast food on the way back. You’d think all the excitement would have curbed my appetite, but I’m starving. Plus, Jacob looks like he could eat for a week before he’s full, he’s as thin as a rail.
Evan hooks his thumb in my direction. “She’s hungry.” His words somehow come out accusatory.
“I’m fine.” I scowl while turning into the pothole laden parking lot. I get that he could hear my stomach—hell, everyone in the car probably heard my stomach—but he didn’t need to point it out.
“She needs food,” Evan continues like I didn’t even speak, his tone even gruffer than before. I hit the brakes a little harder than necessary, stopping in front of the tiny little motel office. I want to tell him he’s being rude, but doing so would mean I was being rude, so I bite my tongue.
Evan opens his door as soon as the car comes to a stop, but as he leans forward to climb out, he hesitates and looks back into the rear seat. “Come on, kid.”
Jacob reaches for the door handle and follows behind Evan without a word. I watch the much smaller boy meet Evan on the walkway to the office, where they pause for a brief moment. Evan lays his hand on Jacob’s shoulder, and I watch his lips move to see if I can read what he’s saying, but it’s fruitless.
Once they resume walking, I push the button to turn the truck off and open my door. The quiet of the evening hits me first. There’s no hum of traffic or sounds of people. I can hear crickets and frogs in the distance, but that’s about it. Turning, I examine the U-shaped motel and the few other cars in the lot. Our new SUV sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the older model cars dotted around the area.
Griffin steps out of the backseat, ducking his head low and gracefully sliding out. I watch a curtain from the room in front of us flick back into place as he comes to stand near my side. I can still see a shadow through the threadbare drape, so I know they’re still watching us.
Pretending to ignore them, I lean against the side of the truck, but I’m really wondering what would bring them way out here to this rundown motel.
Griffin tips his head back and gazes into the darkness above. I watch the knot in his throat bob as he swallows. The glow from the overhead light hits just right, so I’m able to make out a small scar on his neck. It’s only a few inches long, but the rest of his skin is flawless, so it stands out.
When he lowers his chin, I’m still looking at the spot. I quickly try to recover by jerking my eyes away from him, but it’s obvious I got caught staring.
An obnoxious bell sounds, and I turn to see Jacob and Evan coming from the manager’s office.
Jacob has his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he observes the area around us. Evan makes his way over to where Griffin and I stand. He opens his fist and three keys dangle from his hand, all on large, diamond-shaped key rings. “The girl inside said there’s a truck
stop near the interstate or a bar on the other side of town.”
“Bar’s probably not a good idea.” Griffin flicks his eyes toward me. I wonder what that’s about. It’s not like I’m going to get drunk or something. The bigger problem would be getting Jacob in a bar.
I almost open my mouth to tell them not to worry about it, but I am hungry. “I can just go by myself if you guys aren’t hungry,” I offer instead.
“No, not happening.” Griffin fixes his eyes on me.
“You want to put your bag in the room, kid?” Evan tosses one of the keys in Jacob’s direction. Jacob swipes the keychain out of the air and looks down at it in his hand. When he peers up, he scans the motel, I’m assuming looking for the room number. My eyes follow the same path and I note the shadow still behind the curtain in room twelve.
Jacob fists the key and gives a slight shake of his head. “I’ll just keep it with me.” I don’t blame him, doesn’t seem like the kid has much, I probably wouldn’t want to separate from my stuff either.
“Let’s go.” Griffin pulls open the rear door and motions for me to climb in. Guess I’m not driving anymore. Once I’m seated, Griffin lowers his head and moves to come in after me. Surprised, I scoot across the seat quickly.
Evan starts the truck and the dash computer lights up, showing the time. It’s barely eleven, even though it feels much later. We could be home in a few hours instead of staying in this seedy motel.
“We could just go back tonight,” I suggest, looking over at Griffin.
“Did your doctor call?” Evan turns so he’s looking into the backseat.
“No, but it’s fine.” My eyes dart to the back of Jacob’s head. He’s been without his sister for weeks. I can handle a few more hours on the plane. “I’ll probably sleep anyway.”
Griffin and Evan make eye contact. Their silence lasts for a few seconds when Griffin finally asks, “You sure?” He sounds doubtful, and that, more than anything, makes me want to get on the plane. I’m not going to let a little fear keep me from doing something, especially when I know how long Jacob has been waiting for Riley.
Havenfall Harbor: Book One Page 12