Page 25 of The Healer

Harriet held out a container with dark chocolate showing through the semi-transparent sides. “I’ll keep your dinner in the warming drawer.” She trailed them onto the porch, tugging her cardigan around her, then with a wave, returned to the house.

“How’s Noah and Jase?” Aiden met Rhys’s gaze briefly. “How’s Willow?”

“Will?” Rhys grinned. So, that’s the lay of the land. He hadn’t known Aiden was interested in her. “She tried to seduce me this morning.”

Color splashed across Aiden’s cheeks. He pinched his lips as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it.

“It’s why I decided to visit.” Rhys peeked at Aiden. “I’ve got to find a mate before my brother’s women try to seduce me.”

“Women?” Aiden gaped. “None, well, maybe a few, and Will isn’t…wasn’t…we didn’t—”

Rhys laughed, slapping Aiden on the shoulder. “Relax, pup.”

“Not funny, bro.” He glared.

Arching his brow, Rhys met Aiden’s matching eyes. “Yeah, well, if you like Will, then pursue her.”

“Shut up.” He stomped into the bar and disappeared through a hidden door behind the counter.

Rhys sighed, removed his jacket, and headed for a bar stool, planning on sitting for a while. His ears twitched, proving he heard the random conversations, the shot-down come-ons, and the swindling at the pool table his brother kept in the back. He didn’t listen in, preferring to sip his beer, savoring the bitter flavor coating his tongue. Bitter? That made him think of the suckbloods’ inability to taste human food. Suckbloods? He shook his head, loving how Callie’s terminology had snuck into his vocab.

Callie. Lunar help him, if only he could get over the damn woman. She wasn’t meant for him, but his bear disagreed. If only Rhys had met her first. If and maybes had plagued him for months.

Grumbling, he took a long pull from his beer.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you, Rhys.” Aiden broke the silence between them as he wiped down the bar counter. “I mean, I asked you to visit but never expected you to come.”

Rhys pursed his lips, the chilled swig of beer pooling on his tongue. “Needed time away to clear my thoughts. How are folks treating you here?”

“Your call to Dane helped. He took one look at me and realized I wasn’t planning on challenging him for alpha.” Aiden pushed his pseudo-glasses up his nose. He didn’t suffer from poor eyesight, but it did make him look timid. The Whitakers had the same brown hair and blue eyes, but where Rhys was a mountain of a man, a grizzly, Aiden was more of a black bear. “So, what’s the real reason behind the visit? You know, we do hear things, what you city-folk get up to.”

“Yeah, there’s talk you formed an alliance with the de Winter hold. My gramps is rolling in his grave,” said an old cougar to the left of Rhys.

“But I hear some vamp wanted to start a war?” asked an old wolf who sipped her white wine spritzer, raising it at the old cougar in greeting.

“We’re always at war,” the cougar grumbled. “But you’ve done well, son. Alrik was a mean bastard.”

“That he was.” Rhys couldn’t agree more. The fight for supremacy had been easier than he had expected. He only wished he had challenged for alpha sooner.

“Is this about a woman?” Aiden asked, still intent on finding out the reason behind Rhys’s visit.

So much for an evening in company. He grunted and pushed his empty beer bottle aside. Before he spilled his failure, he rose, tossed a few bills on the table, then saluted Aiden. Rhys wasn’t running. It was a strategic retreat until he could gather his thoughts and intentions.

Tugging on his jacket, he savored the chilled wind as it slashed across his cheeks. He squared his shoulders and strolled to Cromwell’s. As he meandered up the road while the late sun set behind the towering pine peaks, his stomach growled. The possibility of one of Harriet’s roast beef dinners fueled his stride.

Chapter Ten

GET IT DONE

Inherballetflats,Ilona scampered down the stairs, the aroma of bacon calling her. She peeked into the dining room, and like a king at a banquet, Dane sat at the head of the table with platters of food spread out before him.

“Morning, how did you sleep?” He grinned and gestured with a fork for her to join him.

“Like a baby.” Ilona slipped into a chair and reached for the bacon platter.

He scooped a pile of pancakes onto his plate and drizzled a ton of maple syrup over them. “When you’re done eating, I’ll take you to Amos. He’s at Tuesdays for the annual pool tournament.”

“On a weekday?” She frowned.

---