Page 11 of Haunted By the Shadow of Death

Duncan had talked once about pack structure before Death Day, and how some pack members preferred being close. Others would live in the vicinity and blend into a nearby neighborhood. But when things got bad, they’d all pull back to one location, as seemed to be happening here.

The pack might not welcome me into their home, but I could see myself living here quite happily. Something about the land spoke to me, calling to me as if I were home. I’d never felt a sensation like it in my life, not even when I’d lived in California with my mother.

People were coming out of their homes, the excitement evident in the hurried footsteps across their wooden porches and the sounds of their voices. Various pack members walked over, greeting Kicks and the others and then carefully taking me in, schooling their voices to neutrality.

Kicks made a few quick introductions to people I could barely see in the dark and surely wouldn’t recognize come tomorrow.

Another pack. Another round of judgments. Would they welcome me because I was a guide, or despise me for being human?

I spun to locate Charlie and found Buddie carrying him snugged against his chest. Charlie’s expression was content in sleep.

“Where do you want me to deposit the little guy?” Buddie asked.

I looked about, having no idea.

Kicks pointed to a larger cabin sitting slightly higher on the hill, right beside the river. “The door will be open.”

Buddie nodded and headed that way.

“It’s late. Go with Buddie and you can get Charlie settled. I’ll bring in our stuff. You can meet everyone tomorrow.”

Every shifter in the area would’ve heard him, giving me an out to deal with all the introductions tomorrow. I wished there was an out that would take me into next month, or next year. I was tired of introductions to new packs, and experience had robbed me of optimism.

I walked beside Buddie to the place I’d be calling home for at least a little while. Kicks might’ve thought declaring me his mate meant this was forever.

Nothing was forever.

Someone must have prepared the place in anticipation of our arrival, as lamps were already burning. A toasty warmth filled the air along with the sound of crackling wood. It did my body good after riding on a motorcycle. It might take a week for my hands to thaw from the stinging wind.

The place wasn’t as rustic inside as it appeared on the outside. The floor might’ve been wide-planked wood, but the furniture, large, masculine pieces, seemed newer. Buddie was already settling Charlie into a smaller bedroom as I peeked around, finding the only other bedroom and glimpsing at it through the doorway.

The bed was huge, and again, it had a large dresser, which looked as if it would hold a lot. My couple of items wouldn’t even take up an entire drawer.

“I’m going to go see where I’m supposed to crash,” Buddie said.

I nearly jumped, as if I’d gotten caught snooping.

“You can stay here,” I said a little too quickly, nodding toward the couch and hoping he’d take my offer. I hadn’t even known where I was going a few seconds ago, and now I was giving away the couch.

“Thanks, but I want to go get the lay of the land around here. I’ll come back and crash if I don’t find somewhere better.” He smiled, making me wonder if he was going to be looking for a warm body to crash next to.

“All right,” I said, predicting he wouldn’t be back.

He left, and I hoped he didn’t find anywhere tolerable. He would, though, because Buddie was pretty resourceful.

Charlie was still sound asleep when I checked on him, pulling the comforter up closer to his chin. I listened to his breathing for a few minutes then ran a hand over his head, testing his temperature. No matter how hale and healthy he was now, those memories of him still haunted me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get past seeing him almost die. I put another blanket over him before I forced myself to leave him be.

I walked out back into the main living area, scoping out our new home for the time being. The kitchen was open to the living room and seemed pretty well equipped. A quick check told me the water was running but the refrigerator was empty and turned off. I didn’t know if that was a permanent situation or done to conserve energy.

I walked back to the other bedroom, the idea of going in it feeling strange. I grabbed the throw blanket on the back of the couch and settled in.

Chapter Five

I’d woken alone in Kicks’ bed, no memory of being carried there, my bag on the dresser. He had come back to the cabin at some point before I woke, leaving a basket of muffins and some kind of sausage. Charlie was making a dent in his second muffin as I tried to swallow my first bite.

“Can I go see if there are any kids to play with?” Charlie asked in a tone that made it sound like he was afraid he’d never see another child in his life.

“There’ll be kids here. I’m sorry we had to leave, but you will make new friends. I promise.” If Groza didn’t hate me, he’d still be there with his other friends. Sicko she was, she’d been willing to burn him alive in order to kill me. Sometimes when I thought of her I feared the anger was so thick that I had a rotten spot on my heart that would never heal.

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