I had a mountain of evidence and no Pack Council to show it to.
Of their deception and corruption, I had found no proof, and I was beginning to doubt that they were involved at all. However, the fact that the murder of the three humans had been covered up so well, kept me suspicious of them, but I was now considering only some were corrupt, not all.
Stepping out of the shower, I dried off, ran my fingers through my wet hair, and pulled on fresh sweatpants. I was starving and wanted to head to the food hall before it got too busy.
My pack hadn’t judged me for my absence, but I still felt guilty that I had chosen to wallow when they were in pain too. Coming back into the bedroom, I wasn’t surprised to find the shaman there.
“You’re back.”
“You miss nothing,” I joked. Opening a drawer, I got a gray T-shirt out and pulled it on. “It’s been a few days.” While I made sure I was here every night, I didn’t always see the shaman.
“I’ve been restless,” he admitted.
Taking a seat, I watched him closely. “Why? Kezia?”
He shook his head, his frail old hand taking hold of hers. “No, I…I don’t know.” The simplicity of his uncertainty concerned me. “I tested her blood yesterday. The same.”
He’d started drawing blood from Kezia a few weeks ago, and while I wasn’t a fan of the practice, it was very similar to what humans did in hospitals for patients. Kezia was similar to a patient in one of those hospitals, only her malady held a little more of the magic variety than the common human illness.
“Luna?”
His mouth turned down in a frown. “I know the touch of my Goddess.”
We sat in silence, and I opted to miss dinner and keep him company. Keep them both company. But as time passed, I couldn’t deny I was hungry, and my mind wandered to what they were serving tonight in the food hall. I wanted a big bowl of stew.
“What did you end up doing with that rabbit?” I asked suddenly.
The shaman startled in his chair. I wasn’t sure if I’d woken him. “Rabbit?”
Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my knees. “Yeah, you sent us to find a big white rabbit with red eyes. We put it in the study. What did you do with it?”
The shaman was watching me with a keen alertness. “Nothing.”
Leaning back, I frowned. “You let it go? I almost broke my neck catching the damn thing.”
The shaman let go of Kezia’s hand and stood. “I didn’t let it go.” He motioned to me. “Get up.”
Pushing to my feet, I followed him wordlessly as he hurried down the stairs and out of the house. The shaman had taken a small cottage on the outskirts of the town, and his speed surprised me as he hastened through the street. I’d pushed my feet into sneakers as we headed out, but while I tugged them on as I followed him, I saw a few of my pack watch us curiously.
He opened his door with a bang, and I felt my unease grow as I followed him into the one bedroom cottage. “Care to share?” Closing the door behind me, I looked around. The room looked similar to his cottage at the Anterrio Pack. It hadn’t surprised me that he chose to remain here. Whether it was because Kris and Kezia were still here, I wasn’t sure, but I knew a lot of my pack were hoping he would stay.
The shaman placed his hands on the kitchen counter, his milky eyes watching me with unnerving intensity. “Strip.”
I blinked. “What?”
He was nodding to himself, muttering under his breath. Turning, he started to pull out bags of herbs, a rolling pin, and what I was sure were chicken bones. Looking up at me, he frowned. “Take your clothes off.” I remained in place, jumping when he smacked the rolling pin off the counter. “Clothes, Cannon, now!”
I quickly undressed. “Why am I getting naked?”
“The rabbit!”
Folding my clothes, I looked at him. “You need to give me more, old man.”
“Luna sent you both to get that rabbit, a white rabbit with red eyes.”
I nodded. “Yup, I was there.” I’d also had amazing sex with my mate during the hunt for it.
“You had a druid in your pack,” he told me with a sneer. “Tricky things, druids.”