Page 16 of Haunted By the Shadow of Death

“Nope. Has to be big.” She was off already jotting notes down on a paper, clearly no stopping her.

“I really don’t want to put you out.” This had been a bad idea. What if no one showed? Well, it was unlikely, since they wouldn’t want to insult Kicks. It would probably be okay. Plus, at the pace Evangeline was scribbling away, I wasn’t sure I could stop her. “Can I at least do something for you in return?

“Yes,” she said with zero hesitation. “You can go to this thing with me tonight.”

“What thing?” This was definitely a bad idea.

Her scribbling paused. “I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t want to ruin your appetite.”

Chapter Seven

It was the next morning when I was watching Charlie, Buddie, and Rastin fish and spotted Kicks in the distance, making his way to the cabin. I’d woken up alone, and though there’d been breakfast in the kitchen, I hadn’t seen Kicks.

He met my gaze and tilted his head in the direction of the cabin.

“Go ahead. We’re good,” Rastin said, following my gaze.

Kicks was by the fireplace, loading wood into it, when I walked into the cabin a few moments later.

“Thanks for bringing breakfast,” I said. The whole situation was surreal. I was officially living here, as his mate, with Charlie.

“No problem.” He straightened, wiping his hands on his jeans. “How are you settling in?”

“Pretty good. Thanks.” I didn’t know what I was, but I didn’t feel settled. More like a jumbled-up mess trying to find my footing again. I was like the “after” picture on one of those cube towers got knocked over.

“What do you want to do for dinner? I usually just eat whatever Evangeline whips up, but we could figure something else out.” He walked across the room toward me, getting closer and closer, looking rugged and fresh and smelling like heaven.

“I’m fine with that as long as Evangeline doesn’t mind cooking for us, too.” This was my life now? Him? Me? Here together planning dinner? What happened when Charlie made more friends and I lost my buffer completely?

“She doesn’t just cook for me. She puts out a spread in the main hall, and people swing by and grab whatever they want. I’ll just pick up enough for all of us.”

“She doesn’t mind?”

“Mind? No. She’s got assistants and waitstaff. She gets to spend her days playing with recipes and doing what she loves. We all get to eat well. It’s a win-win.”

He reached out, touching the collar of the flannel I was wearing. For a second, I thought he was going to cup the back of my head and pull me in for a kiss. The thought alone, and the fear he could sense it, was enough to make my skin turn red. I saw him fighting a smile, and my face grew redder.

“I have to get something out of the bedroom,” I said, trying to put some space between us before he sensed anything else.

He followed me in. “I can bring you into one of the nearest towns to grab some new clothes. Feel free to take whatever I have that you can make work.”

That would be slim pickings, considering how much larger he was.

“I’m actually more concerned about finding a gift for Charlie.” His birthday was fast approaching, and getting presents these days wasn’t so easy if you didn’t know how to drive a motorcycle.

“One of the pack members is a train enthusiast. If you want, I’ll see if he’ll trade for one of his trains.” He was leaning a hip on the bureau, watching as I pretended to look for something in my bag.

“Really? That’s great. What do you think he’d want?” All I had were the few things in my bag.

“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks,” I said, sounding as awkward as I probably looked. The whole situation felt alien. I was the one who usually handled things.

He motioned to my bag. “You know, you can put your stuff away.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said.

He straightened, looking as if he were going to leave.

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