“I’m positive, as long as it’s not too late for Max. I don’t want him falling asleep or something.” I try for a chuckle, but the thought makes my pulse flutter a bit.
“Max is fine,” Evan replies, easily dismissing the thought.
“It’ll take a little bit to get the flight logged and to prep the plane—”
“Plane!” Jacob interrupts Griffin.
“I’ll have Max handle it while we grab you something to eat,” Griffin finishes.
“I’ve never been on a plane.” Jacob looks over at Evan. “Did Riley have to fly? I thought we were driving.” I can’t tell if the excitement in his voice is nerves or interest.
“She did, same plane. Today or tomorrow morning, what do you say?” Evan gives Jacob the choice. Good, it should be up to him.
“I could see her tonight?” Jacob’s voice goes soft. It’s the first time he’s sounded hopeful, more like the child he looks like.
“She’ll probably be asleep when we get there, but we can figure it out.” Evan starts to back out of the small parking lot.
Griffin pulls out his phone and begins typing quickly. A moment later, it vibrates in his palm. “Max knows the plan,” is all he says.
I let out a heavy breath. Now that I know I’m getting back on the plane, my appetite has pretty much disappeared. Fantastic.
Griffin
This is exactly the kind of place I avoid. It’s teeming with humans. Evan meets my eyes in the rearview mirror. He’s silently questioning if I’m going to behave. I glare back at him. Of fucking course I’ll behave. He was the one that went all alpha just an hour ago, and now he’s judging me?
The rancid smell of sickeningly sweet soda and gasoline fill the air before the car doors are even open. And that’s not even the worst of it. There’s the stench of unwashed males and the cloying aroma of perfumes to cover all matter of human disease rampant in places like these.
Quinn reaches for the door handle, but her head turns to me. “Are we going in?” She squints and peers out the front window into the well-lit diner. “It looks a little sketchy.” Her nose wrinkles.
Evan lets out a dry chuckle. “Unless you’re worried about a foodborne illness, you’ll be okay.”
“Great, now all I can think about is nacho cheese botulism,” Quinn grouses, while opening the door.
Evan slams his door shut and gazes around the larger parking lot, scrutinizing everything he sees while Jacob meets Quinn near the entrance. I notice how close he gets to Quinn without touching her. Seems like he’s comfortable with humans, which is a little strange considering his sister was taken by humans.
Quinn pulls the door open and motions for Jacob to precede her. He’s small for a shifter, but at his age it doesn’t mean much. He has years to fill out. If he and Riley struggled as much as I think they did, it’s easy to understand why he’s underdeveloped.
Evan and I are slower following behind them. I want to ask him what the hell happened with the pack, but the set of his jaw and the fact that we’re not alone makes it a bad time. But what really keeps my lips sealed is my suspicion that Quinn’s presence played a role in why he wasn’t behaving like himself.
Most of the heads turn in our direction when Evan and I enter the restaurant. I work to control the scowl on my face. Evan saunters past me and places his hand on Quinn’s shoulder, stopping her from sliding into a booth I know neither of us would fit into. His touch on her doesn’t bother me, but I glance around, not liking the attention they’re drawing. While it’s obvious to me Evan isn’t human, he can pass under the radar much easier than I can. His height and stature make him intimidating, but he’s much better at fitting in than I’ve ever been.
Evan directs Quinn and the kid to a table near the back wall. He pulls out her chair and nods his head to the seat next to her for the boy to sit in, leaving the back two chairs open for us. It puts us in a position to watch the rest of the room. Exactly what I would have done.
Jacob reaches for the paper menu folded between the napkin holder and condiment container, his eyes scanning over the sheet quickly. Quinn’s gaze bounces around the room while she folds her hands in her lap. She looks completely out of place, and even after a long day and a trek through the woods, she still looks beautiful. Her blonde hair is curled behind one ear, while the rest is loosely pulled back in a braid. Her allure seems almost effortless.
A waitress slowly makes her way over to our table. Her heartbeat picks up a few paces. The appeal of her human blood is almost nonexistent, or anyone else’s blood here besides Quinn’s for that matter. I haven’t thought about drinking from anyone else since the moment her scent pulled me from my room.
“Can I get you guys anything to drink?” The waitress pushes the ends of her dyed pink hair over her shoulder.
Quinn tips her head back, a soft but forced smile on her lips. “Hot tea?”
“We got coffee,” the woman offers with an indifferent shrug.
“Water is fine. Jacob?” Quinn touches her finger to the boy’s arm.
“Can I have a soda?” His eyes are on Quinn, not the waitress.
“Sure. Coke or…?” Quinn looks back at the server, who nods in response.
“Yeah,” Jacob agrees eagerly.
“Coffee,” Evan tells her, not lifting his eyes to address her.
“And for you?”
“Nothing.” I rise from my seat. There’s a gas station on the other side of the building. I head in that direction. The only thing I want to put in my mouth isn’t on the menu right now, so I might as well see if I can find Quinn what she wants.
A few heads follow me, but I’m adept at ignoring people. There’s a long hall with a sign pointing to showers and restrooms near the back wall. I pass those and move over to the large drink station. They have about seven different machines all offering drinks, none of them hot tea, unfortunately.
“Can I help you?” an older woman calls from a few feet away.
“Hot tea.” I check one of the machines that has cocoa and six different lattes.
“Down here, it’s probably stale, not a big seller, but there’s a few.” The woman beckons me over to a coffee pot. In a small cardboard box, there are a few paper-wrapped tea bags.
“Which will help with sleeping?”
“Phew, warm milk and brandy works for me. I don’t know about tea.” She picks up the box and squints. “This one is caffeine free.” She offers me a little bag. “Hot water’s over there.” When I turn to thank her, she’s already heading back to the checkout counter.
I fill the cup and stand there with the lid in my hands. Quinn had tea in her room, but I didn’t notice any honey, nor was there milk in her fridge. I put the top on and stalk over to the counter to pay. Here I am, making tea for a human and feeling ridiculous for doing it, but I still take her the fucking cup because I want her to be happy.
I set the paper cup near Quinn’s hand and lower myself into the hard as hell metal chair. “What’s this?” Quinn picks up the cup and fiddles with the small square that says the name of the tea. Her brows furrow tightly, then her eyes jump up to meet mine. I intend to look away, but don’t make much of an effort.
“Thank you.” Her words are soft, sincere. It pisses me off that it makes me feel good. Fucking hell, I need to get away from this woman.
Chapter 13
Quinn
“Thought it might keep you from freaking out,” Griffin snarls. It’s not even what he said, but more the way he said it, that has me holding the first swallow of bitter tea in my mouth. What I thought was a sweet gesture sours the taste even more after his comment.
I slide the cup to the side and fold my hands in my lap. Not saying a word in response. But you can bet your fucking last penny I won’t let him see an ounce of fear in me again. Especially not if he’s going to toss it in my face like that.
The waitress comes back to the table, holding my water glass and Jacob’s Coke with the tips of her fingers in the cups with one hand and E
van’s coffee with her other hand.
As soon as she sets the cups down, Jacob reaches for his. I place my hand over the top to stop him. “I’m so sorry, can I trouble you for a Coke. I changed my mind.” The server gives a slight eyeroll, but walks over to the fountain machine a few steps away and fills another plastic cup with ice and soda.
“Don’t drink that,” I say out of the side of my mouth to Jacob. “Take the one she’s bringing.” I’m not a germaphobe, but her fingers were right in the cup.
“All set to order?” she asks after placing the cup down and wiping her hands on her apron.
My mind blanks as I try to think of something that isn’t going to make me sick on the flight back. Jacob watches me, waiting. “Go ahead,” I urge him.
“I’ll have the lumberjack,” he says quickly.
“How do you want your eggs?” The server sounds bored.
“Scrambled with bacon, extra bacon.” Jacob dips his eyes in my direction, and I nod. “Toast and pancakes too.”
“It’ll be extra,” she informs us.
“It’s fine, whatever he wants.” I smile at Jacob.
“Anyone else?” the waitress inquires.
“I’ll have dry toast, sourdough if you have it, if not white is fine,” I tell her, and fold the menu back up.
Evan lifts his eyes from his menu and stares at me. “Double bacon cheeseburger and fries with a side of potato skins and ranch. That’s it.” He dismisses the waitress before she can ask Griffin if he wants anything. “Dry toast?” he questions as soon as she leaves the table.
“I’m not that hungry anymore.” I look away from him. It’s the truth, but I don’t want to talk about it. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Evan slowly turn his head and glare at Griffin.
Choosing to ignore them, I pull my phone out of my bag and check my emails. It’s all garbage, but I spend a few minutes reading and deleting them just to pass the time.
“Lumberjack, burger, and toast. I’ll be right back with your skins, anything else?” The waitress sets her hands on her hips and looks around the table.
“Just the ranch.” Evan flips the top bun off his burger and onto the fries before reaching for the ketchup and mustard.
“Ranch,” the girl repeats, and heads back to the kitchen area.
I reach for the little tray holding the tiny packets of jelly and pull it over. It’s mostly strawberry, but I find two orange marmalades near the bottom. When the waitress returns with the potato skins, Griffin snaps, “We’ll take the check.”
I manage to eat a full piece of bread while Jacob pretty much cleans his plate. The kid was shoveling it in so fast I almost felt like reminding him to breathe.
I drop a twenty on the table and push my untouched bread over to Jacob before rising from my chair. “I’ll be right back.” Jacob comes to his feet next to me. His eyes wide.
I pat his shoulder. “It’s fine. I’ll be right back,” I promise again.
Jacob lowers himself back down, and when I turn, Evan is now standing. I hitch my bag higher up on my shoulder. “Does anyone want anything from next door?” I pick up the discarded tea Griffin gave me and push in my chair. I’m an adult. I don’t need anyone to escort me.
“I’ll get whatever you need,” Evan offers.
“No, sit, eat. I’ll be right back.” I don’t wait for his response before walking away. I dump the full tea into a trash bin on my way over to the store. Petty, yes. Worth it? Definitely.
The coolers are lined with drinks. I pick up a ginger ale to help settle my stomach and grab a Coke for Jacob before heading to the register. When I get back to the diner, the guys are all standing near the door, waiting for me.
“Ready?” Evan asks as he props the door open.
I exit with a nod and a quick, “Thank you.” The rear passenger door opens freely as I climb into the seat I vacated. Griffin takes the seat in front of me, leaving the back for Jacob. He tosses his bag on the floorboard and drops into the seat with his hand covering his belly.
“Eat too much?” I grin while twisting off the cap to my ginger ale.
“Maybe, but it was so worth it.” He lets out a small belch.
“Here, I got you this.” I hand over the cold soda. Jacob takes it from me, his eyes trained on the bottle. “I thought you might want something to drink later.”
Griffin looks over his shoulder, spying the bottle, then faces the front without saying anything.
“Thanks, Quinn.” Jacob’s voice is small, but his tone is sincere.
“You’re welcome.” I let my eyes roam over his face, he and Riley look so much alike. “Your sister is going to be so happy.”
A smile blooms on Jacob’s face at my words, but it falls away quickly. He reaches up and runs his finger along the bruise on his cheek. “She’s gonna be pretty mad at me too,” he admits.
“Why would she be mad?” I tilt to the side as Evan makes a right turn, taking us back to the airport.
“I promised I’d stay away from Thomas, but he found me at the barn one day.” Jacob looks out the window. His shoulders are slumped forward.
“She’ll be too happy to be mad, you’ll see.” I give his hand a little squeeze of reassurance, positive I’m right. The next several minutes pass in relative silence.
As the car slows to make the turn into the airport, my stomach cramps up. I know it’s nerves, so I do what I can to ignore it and focus on how happy Jacob will be to be back with Riley.
There’s a man pushing back the tall, chain-link gate barring the entrance. Evan glides the SUV through the gap slowly and returns to the same area where we landed.
Max, the pilot, is already waiting for us near the plane’s stairway. “Whoa,” Jacob breathes. “We really are flying.” He scoots forward and leans between the two front seats, his eyes as wide as saucers.
“Yup.” I open my door when the car rolls to a stop. As I climb out, Griffin is right in front of me. I look away from him, acting like I didn’t even notice him. When I take a step, he places his hand on my arm, stopping me.
“Quinn.” Griffin’s voice is rough as he says my name. I lift my shoulder, dislodging his hand, but pretend I was just straightening my bag.
“Yeah?” Evan and Jacob are already heading toward the plane. Jacob looks over his shoulder, watching me as he goes.
“If you don’t want to fly, we can stay here until tomorrow, give you time to talk to your doctor.”
“I’m fine,” I deadpan, before turning on my heel and walking away from him. Truthfully, I’m still nervous, but the flight here wasn’t that bad. I can get through it, if for no other reason than to prove to him that I can.
Evan is walking a bright-eyed Jacob all around the outside of the plane and pointing out things. I give them a nod and rush up the stairs so I can get into a seat. Near the back, where the four chairs and table are, there’s a single set of seats across the aisle. Before sitting down, I toss my bag on the seat near the window, then I fall into the other plush chair and buckle up for the ride.
Griffin
“Damn, you’re an asshole.” Evan stalks up to my side, no humor accompanies his words. Not that there should be, I am an asshole. “You know that, right?” he asks when I don’t respond.
I take one last look around the crappy airstrip, ignoring him. I knew the moment the words came out of my mouth I was an idiot. When I was walking back to the table with her tea, like some fucking errand boy, I got pissed at myself. She didn’t even fucking ask for it. I did it because I wanted to. So I acted like a dick to her because I was mad at myself.
I deserved watching her face fall and the hurt fill her eyes. I wanted her to say something back, to deny what I said, but she just sat there, pretending my words didn’t matter.
Evan grabs my arm when I move to walk away, his grip firm, punishing. “She’s not responsible for how you feel. It’s not her job to fight your demons.”
I turn to face him slowly. The truth of my friend’s words resonates. He knows
me well enough to know exactly why I belittled her about her fear of flying. I said it because Quinn Shaw fucking scares me, and I don’t scare easily. It’s on the tip of my tongue to deny his assumptions, but he would see it for the lie it is.
Not learning anything from the last time I lashed out, I do it again. “You’re one to talk shit. You were ready to rip that pack apart, Alpha.” I sneer the word in his face. Evan releases my arm and takes a step away from me.
“Yeah, it’s fucked up that I’m drawn to a human I barely know, who doesn’t understand the mate calling. Difference is, I would kill rather than see her get hurt.” Evan stomps away then, his words the perfect parting blow because he knows I hurt her.
Max is standing in the doorway of the plane, waiting for me. He’s smart not to say anything. I would probably end up ripping his throat out.
I drag my phone out of my pocket and send a quick text for an excuse to still be out here. When I can’t stall any longer, I make my way over to the plane, not eager to get back to Havenfall.
Evan
The young wolf is prowling around the interior, his head low as he inspects every inch of available leather and wood. Quinn is in the way back, her head turned to the side with her eyes closed. She’s pretending to be sleeping, or relaxing, but I can smell the sooty anxiety she’s fighting to hide.
I drop myself into one of the front seats. It’s clear Quinn wants to be alone, not that I blame her. I can’t believe I didn’t call Griff out on his bullshit at the restaurant. I watched Jacob peer up at me, he was waiting for me to say or do something, but I didn’t. Truth is I’m just as fucked up in the head as Griff accused me of being. I could have been talking to myself outside.
I don’t know many shifters who have mated with humans, maybe this is why. The bond may not be as strong as if she was a shifter, I can’t think of any other reason why I would let Griff treat her like that, why I would allow him to be close to her.
Havenfall Harbor: Book One Page 13