Page 14 of Haunted By the Shadow of Death

“Yes?”

“Louise. I’d shake your hand, but…” She held up her muddy, gardening-gloved hands. “Do you garden?”

“No, but I’d like to. If you need any help around here.” The area looked like it had been large before and was in the process of expanding.

“We’re pretty good. There’s others who help me tend the field, but we’re off season so they are busy with other projects. I’m just doing some cleanup and prep.”

“Looks like quite a garden.” It probably had to be with the amount of bodies they had to feed. From my initial guess, it looked as if somewhere around two hundred people were living here.

“We’ve done okay, but once Death Day hit, everyone in the pack who wasn’t staying here pulled in closer. Come spring we’re expanding it out to that tree, so I’m trying to get a sense of where everything might be laid out best.”

I could see the stakes she’d been marking the ground with in the distance.

“Do you have any kind of blessing or words you could offer?”

She was smiling, but for some reason, in spite of her asking, I got the sense she didn’t actually think I’d give one. It made my next words hurt a little, as if I were just saying the lines she’d laid out for me.

“I’m still finding my way around that side of things.”

“Maybe when you get in the swing of it?”

“Yeah, sure.” Something about her initial charm was wearing thin, like a bad piece of costume jewelry left out in the rain.

“Have to say, I never thought we’d get a guide here. Lots of people talked about it, and we all wanted one, but we didn’t think Kicks would ever be able to pull it off,” Louise said.

The more she said, the stiffer I grew. It wasn’t like Kicks had made a secret of wanting a guide for his pack. We were mated, probably in part because he’d wanted something from me in exchange for offering me a safe haven. I shouldn’t be bent out of shape by hearing it, but I was feeling a little dinged up at present.

She rambled on about something, but I was having a hard time focusing. My relationship with Kicks was viewed as transactional, and every shifter here knew it.

“Piper?”

It wasn’t until she said my name that I realized I hadn’t heard her.

“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

“I hope you didn’t take any of my silly comments to heart. I’m sure Kicks cares about you. I didn’t mean to imply that he was just with you because you’re a guide. There’d have to be some sort of feeling of some kind for him to make you his mate. I can’t imagine he’d completely forgo the ability to have children just to get you here.” She shrugged, her body language at odds with her words.

The fact that she’d opened that statement up as an apology was just as farcical.

“You know, I’m just going to head back. It’s been a long couple of days.” I should’ve told her to go to hell. I wanted to, and if it was just me she’d try to turn the pack against, I would’ve. But I was learning Charlie had to live with all the consequences to my actions as well

“Sure. All that traveling.”

“Hey! Piper!” Evangeline yelled, waving me over from the other side of the field.

“I’m going to go see what she needs. I’m sure we’ll chat again.” I really had to work for the smile I gave Louise, and it wasn’t only to keep the peace. Damned if I’d openly show that her words had left marks.

“See you around,” she said, waving before going back to her work.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I said, joining Evangeline.

“What did Lousy say to you?” she asked, motioning for me to walk with her.

“You mean Louise?”

“Yeah, Lousy. What did she say? I could see your face from a mile away.”

“I take it you don’t care for her.” I didn’t need to ask why after talking to the woman.

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