Page 7 of Healer's Call

“We’re all going to live together in one house?” I can’t help repeating, trying to keep my panic at bay.Why didn’t anybody tell me this?

Max meets my eyes in the mirror. “We’ll make sure you’re okay with everything before we leave.”

I hear his words, but I can’t focus on them through the panic coursing through me. It was bad enough thinking about being in a new state, with a new pack; but I thought at least Ava would be with me and we’d be living together. But with a bunch of shifters? “Hey, breathe,” Raechel says, patting my leg. “Max is serious; we won’t leave you there if you’re not absolutely okay with it. Besides, I’m sure you’ll still have your own place. That’s how it is for Samantha.”

“Samantha’s pack is like that?” I ask in almost a whisper.

“Yeah. They all live in one big building, but it’s like apartments,” Raechel explains. I don’t turn around to see how Ava is handling this new bit of information. I’m afraid she’ll be on the plane with Max and Raechel and Blaine as soon as they’re ready to head back. I rub my arms, trying to keep myself calm. We drive for a little while longer before Max pulls onto a road that looks more like a long double driveway. Raechel leans forward and grabs the back of Max’s chair. “Good grief. How long is this driveway?” I lean forward too, anxious to see what’s coming. And then Max drives around the bend, and the building comes into view. It’s absolutely silent for at least sixty seconds. “Okay, I’m just going to go out on a limb and say that this pack has some money,” Raechel says.

“Or they’re into serious gambling,” Ava mutters from the backseat. I don’t say anything, because I can’t. Max parks the car, and he and Blaine open the back door. I climb out of the carand stare up at the...whatever it is. It’s too large to be a house, but it’s too gorgeous to be called a building.

Raechel, Ava, and I continue to stare. “How much do you think this place is worth?” Raechel asks.

“Fifty million,” Ava tosses out.

I turn to her. “You’re just saying that.” She just shrugs, not convincing me that she’s not serious. I turn back to the front of the largest mansion I’ve ever seen. There are not one but three fountains in front of the house. The house is larger than most apartment buildings I’ve seen, but a thousand times more gorgeous. Everything is white with large, dome-shaped windows. There’s a second-floor balcony that runs the length of the building and wraps around the corner.

“Are you going to go in or just stand there staring?” Max asks, stopping next to Raechel with his hands full of luggage.

“I don’t know,” Raechel says with a grin. “It’s pretty gorgeous.”

“Come on, Angel,” he says, nodding his head towards the door. “I bet the inside will be nicer than the outside.”

“I doubt that,” she argues good-naturedly as she walks to the car to grab a bag. Ava and I follow her and grab our luggage as well. We follow Max and Blaine up to the massive double doors that open before we get there.

“Welcome to the Orlando Pack,” a guy says a little stiffly. My guess is that they don’t get a lot of visitors. That guess is confirmed a moment later when I notice several people have stopped to stare at us. I turn away from the searching eyes and focus on the building. We enter a huge open area with a modern chandelier that looks more expensive than a house. Everything is decorated in white with fresh greenery. There’s a huge winding staircase off to the right that leads to the second floor where there’s another huge chandelier. There’s floor to ceiling windows everywhere letting in the sun, and everything isdesigner—from the couches to the lamps to the floor rugs. I can just tell it’s expensive.

“This place is insane,” Ava mumbles next to me, and no less than four heads turn our way. I face her and give her a look, hoping she’ll remember that everybody here has shifter hearing. She shrugs and looks away, typical Ava.

“I’ve been instructed to show you to the rooms you’ll be staying in while you are here,” the male who met us at the door says.

“Thanks,” Max rumbles. We’re led over to the ornate stairs. When we get to the second floor, I shake my head in amazement. It looks like the inside of a fancy hotel, one I don’t make enough money to even step inside. We walk down the hall quite a way and then turn and walk down another long hallway before the shifter stops at a door. He opens it, and steps back.

“This one is for any of you that are not staying.”

“I’ll take it,” Blaine says and disappears a moment later.

“The next two rooms are for those not staying as well,” he says, pointing at two doors across the hall from each other.

Max eyes the man. “My mate stays with me.”

The man doesn’t even bat an eye. “Got it. You can choose which room you want then.”

“Come on, Big Guy,” Raechel says, putting her hand on Max. “Are the girls staying here too?”

“No,” the shifter says. “The healers will be in another part of the building.”

Raechel turns her surprised gaze on us and then shrugs. “Okay. Let us just drop off this stuff, and then we’ll come with so we know where you’re staying.”

She and Max disappear, leaving Ava and I with our guide. I shift on my feet for a moment, trying to build up courage. I take a deep breath and turn to the man. “What’s your name?” I blurt out and instantly regret it.

“James.” He doesn’t seem to be bothered by my lack of social skills.

Raechel and Max join us a moment later. “Okay. Let’s go see your rooms,” she says, rubbing her hands together.

“The healers’ rooms are in the beta wing.” With those ominous words, James leads us back down the hallway.

Chapter 5

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