Page 92 of Scent of Home

“Uh, I don’t mind the intimate one on ones, but the big shows, I don’t really enjoy anything about it. What I love the most is writing songs, but my cousin, she’s better.”

“You’ve said that, but when you sing, you’re magic, Locke. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Locke grins, a pleased little smile that reaches his eyes.

“I’ve read your books.”

I stop, shocked. “You’ve read my books?”

Locke takes my hand and tugs me along. “Fuck yes. The song East, I wrote after I read one of your poems.

I close my eyes. My writing had reached someone. Not just someone, but Locke. It had inspired a song.Shit, Shane, be cool. Don’t cry in front of the omega.

“Okay, umm, okay.”

Locke chuckles and jerks to a stop in front of me. He reaches up and cups my cheeks. “I am an extraordinary omega, and I wouldn’t have just ordinary alphas. I know that because I met you, and you were exceptional, which meant I had to be something special, too. Of course, I’ve read your work, many people have. You are talented, sensitive, you see the world in a way that many people can’t, and you put it into words that paint a picture in my mind. You are amazing.”

Locke hums and steps back.

I follow him, unable to do anything else.

But inside me, everything thrums with happiness.

Bray bursts out of the bookstore, almost running, and hides right up against Erin. The sun is almost set, and after today, Finn’s explosion, the accident, I just want to get my pack home.

The threat is in the town, I can feel it. Something here that isn’t sitting right. That sensation of ill-ease returns.

I keep my eyes peeled, searching every dark shadow. I spot Jess hobbling down the street on her crutches and an impulse grabs me.

“I’ll be back.”

I hurry off, leaving the pack behind. I manage to catch her just as she enters the lobby of the hotel.

“Excuse me, Doctor James,” I say politely as I edge around him. Doctor James blinks and treads up the stairs, ignoring me, I don’t take it to heart. He’s a weird one. But when it comes to doctoring there really is no one better.

Jess sits down heavily on an armchair in the foyer and glares up at me. “I suppose you’re here to yell at me.”

I shake my head and crouch in front of her. “I heard about the accident, but I just want to hear what happened to you from your own mouth.”

She shudders and looks over my shoulders. “Why do you care, Shane? Leave me be.”

“This is important, Jess. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t.”

She searches my eyes, and all I can see is misery in hers. Maybe that’s why she agrees.

“It was the last night of the festival. I was taking some of Mrs Yowee’s sewing entries back up to her room, just helping clear the hall for the kids to play the next day.”

She sighs heavily and reaches down to rub her thigh above the cast.

“I thought I heard something. I turned, and there was nothing there, but I was scared, so I hurried. So careless, I must have missed the step or something because I remember falling, and then nothing. I just woke up in Doctor James’ office.”

I frown. “And there was no one else there?”

“No. I was alone. Why?” She wrinkles her nose and huffs. “I swear, the stairs were shiny, though. Weird, right?”

“Shiny?”

“Yeah, like, shiny. But they have a runner on them. It doesn’t make sense. Doc said my brain is a bit muddled.” Jess touches her head, her eyes darting everywhere. “Ridiculous. I must have slipped,” she murmurs to herself.

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