Page 24 of The Guardian's True-Mate

“I know. I don’t know if Cardian will be up for it.”

“Well, if he doesn’t do it soon you two won’t have much of a choice about when it happens.”

“I know!” I snapped and then apologized before the anger was even out of my voice.

“Hey, I’m just trying to help, Dakota,” Blithe frowned.

“I know and I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “I don’t know how to handle this. I probably would if I had more brain cells right now, but I don’t. I’m sorry I bothered you guys over birds that probably were just passing through.”

“That’s one theory, but don’t sell yourself short. We’re wolves. If there was a bird out there, you’d have seen it. If there were as many birds as you described, you’d probably have seen one of them at least. Just because both things are happening at once doesn’t mean one of them isn’t true. Why don’t you take a few minutes to yourself, calm down, have some tea or something and I’ll finish up the dishes.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I know you want to get back to Cord and the kids.”

“I’m sure,” Blithe said. “Just take a few minutes to get your thoughts together.”

Chapter Sixteen

Cardian

“What’s in the shed?” Duke stopped outside of the red and white barn looking shed in the backyard.

“That’s where your cousin keeps all his baking supplies, I think. Terrick mentioned something about it being temperature controlled.”

Duke stopped and put his ear up to the outside wall of the shed and waved me over. I pressed my ear against the wall next to his and held my breath. Something scurried around inside. Whatever it was, its little claws sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

“Do you have the key?” Duke mouthed to me.

I held up a finger and sprinted back inside through the front door. As I wasn’t prone to fits of baking, I didn’t have a key to the shed. Since it was locked up tight, I hadn’t considered it a security threat either. I did have a key to the house’s front door. I’d restolen it out of the laundry when Dakota left it in his pocket the first night we met. Eventually, I’d have a copy made if we stayed in my brother’s house long enough.

“Brother,” I said over our family link as I stood outside Scott and Terrick’s bedroom door, praying I wasn’t interrupting anything too personal.

“Yes?” he called back aloud.

“Can I get the key to the garden shed? Something’s scratching around inside of there.”

“What? Nothing can get inside of that shed. It’s Moonscale made and ---” he stopped mid-sentence and a second later he opened the bedroom door with the key in hand. “Come on,” he said aloud. “Let’s go hunt ghosts again.”

“Sorry, brother,” I sighed.

“Me too. I thought we left the hauntings behind.”

“Bears, birds, and deer. What’s next, lions?” I laughed and shook my head.

“They’re not native here. So let’s hope not,” Terrick sighed as we made our way through the house into the backyard.

Duke still stood guard over the shed. The rustling around hadn’t stopped.

“It sounds like someone is rolling around inside,” Terrick said.

“Do you see them?” I asked.

“Oh, yes, brother. Not only can I see ghosts. Now I can see through walls,” he rolled his eyes at me as he stepped past Duke to unlock the shed. “Scott’s not going to be thrilled about whatever animals broke into his baking shed.”

“We’ll replace what we have to toss,” I said.

“It’s not that simple,” Terrick sighed. “Scott alters a lot of the ingredients. It’s all magic.”

“Oh,” I said and left it at that as Terrick swung the door open.

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