Page 4 of Protector

I’m hugging my duffel bag, staring unseeingly out of the window on my train car.

The last two days have been… not fun. Definitely not fun.

The night I brought Cal home, I stayed out until I was sure he was gone. Only then did I go back to apartment, my proverbial tail between my legs which was pretty fucking annoying since I haven’t had the chance to let my wolf out in a while.

For the first time in my life, I thought the worst of my twin. I should’ve known better. True, the initial shock of having her fated mate walk into her apartment hand-in-hand with her twin took a few minutes to wear off enough, but when it did? She instantly noticed I’d disappeared. Leaving Cal behind, she went after me—but I was already in another car, speeding away so I could put some distance between me and the happy couple.

I scared her by running off. I’m Jeannie Lipton. I don’t run off. I stand my ground and fight… but I didn’t this time. And since I left my phone behind when I bolted, she couldn’t even call me to promise and swear up and down that she’ll reject him if that’s what I want her to do.

Oh, no. She just waited until I was back home to pack my shit before she unloaded that on me.

The worst part is that she meant it, too. She’s sacrifice her fated mate and any future happiness for me in a heartbeat and never think twice.

And that’s exactly why I told her that I’d never forgive her if she did. By that next morning, the last of my heartache switched over to joy for Lorelei. She deserves a happy ending.

As for me, at least I have a job to do.

To get to Winter Creek, it takes three separate trains: two that are actual human-run trains on a normal schedule, and the final train that’s operated by supes. Makes sense. This is a sanctuary city, a place where supes go when they need to hide out from the rest of the real world, and it’s been like that even before the curse that kept the small town trapped in time.

It’s not the only supe retreat. There’s on in California, another in Georgia, and the larget sanctuary is a mixed community of witches, vampires, and shifters up north in Dyea, Alaska. Winter Creek is the smallest of the three; it’s also bloodsucker-free which is nice since I can’t stand the scent of rotten meat that clings to most vamps.

Not like the witches smell any better to my shifter’s nose…

There’s one in my train car now. Wearing the uniform that marks her as an employee of the supernatural train line, she has an innate rich, earthy smell that has undertones of pure shit.

She keeps her distance from me, though her customer service-friendly smile is infallible.

“We’re arriving at Winter Creek. When we reach the platform, make sure to take all your luggage with you. There’s a bridge to cross over, then stairs that lead you down into the sanctuary. If you choose to leave, our next trip will be during the next new moon. Thank you for riding Arcane Express.”

Because she did such an amazing job with her speech, I make sure to keep my lips together when I return her smile.

Under the shit, I can sense just how nervous I make her. She’s probably hoping like hell she’s not working the train when I do need to hitch a ride back to New Jersey.

If I need one…

My plan was to slip into the sanctuary city unaware. Thanks to the stasis curse that was placed over the town seven decades ago, the supes here don’t often get visitors. How can they when any supe who enters knows that they’re trapped here until the curse is broken?

That’s why Fallon is here. As the reincarnation of Jolie Bordeaux, she’s the only one who can break it. And if she can’t? Well, there are a couple of perks when it comes to being Luna-touched. If I want to leave, the stasis curse won’t keep me here.

The curse won’t, but my dedication to doing my duty will. Until the Luna releases me from it, it’s on me to keep an eye on Fallon.

It was easy to do that when no one around us knew I was a shifter. It’ll be impossible to hide that secret in a supe sanctuary, and I”m not even going to bother trying. It’s better if I find a spot to watch from a distance, only letting her know I’m around if I have to.

That was the plan—and it goes to hell the moment I leap down the last few stairs on the other side of the ‘creek’ that gives the sanctuary its name and land in a crouch on the solid ground again.

Creek. Right. That’s a raging fucking river under a rope bridge that led from the train platform to the stairs. I’m lucky I didn’t fall when the Luna-damn thing started swaying. If I had? I’d probably have gone splat against some of the boulders being slapped by the rapids down below.

So distracted by the death river and the bridge that is basically the anti-welcome to this place, my wolf warns me too late that two seconds after arriving in Winter Creek, I’ve already been caught.

His scent reaches me a spit second before he steps out of one side of the trees that line the dirt path in front of me. It’s earthy. Salty. I get… sea spray that can’t be the freshwater creek, and… sage. Yes. Sage.

Male.

Mate.

Mine.

My breath catches in my throat when I see him.

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