Page 55 of My Fugitive Wolf
"Well, if we use fake IDs, I might be able to get a job as a paramedic. It's not the same salary level as a surgeon, but it's something." Only then did she realize something. "I...wish my parents were here to meet you. You would have liked them."
Kellen put down his fork and reached for her hand. "I'm sure I would have. If we can ever get Riverstone off of our backs, you can return to Helena."
"I'm sure someone contacted my station and let them know about my grandfather. The station chief would have put me on indefinite leave when I failed to show up for work. He's a good hearted guy, and he's seen how people react to grief." Not wanting to kill her good mood entirely, she switched topics. "Do you have any idea of where we're going to put down new roots?"
"Leo keeps a list of possibilities. We'll all discuss the details and vote on it."
"Have you seen the list? Anything that stands out to you as a possibility?"
Pushing back his plate, Kellen folded his arms on the table. "I don't remember the exact list, but it might be time to leave the Rockies. Traveling long distances and resettling is not half as difficult as it used to be. There were a few small towns in the Northeast—Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. We'll have to avoid any wolf shifter packs already there. We'll pick a place like this one and plant our seeds there."
"Fall in New England sounds lovely."
He tucked that same rebellious hair strand behind her ear again. "Yes it does, just like you."
His gesture might have led to more if his phone hadn't buzzed. "It's Leo."
Samara collected the empty plates and brought them over to the sink and turned on the faucet. While she washed, she heard Kellen's half of the conversation. "Really? That's interesting. Do you think it'll work? Can you get what you need locally?"
He was quiet for a minute while Leo talked. "It'll be her decision. Come back up here and we can discuss it. I won't force this on her if she doesn't want it." Another pause, then, "Yeah, yeah, we're fine. Get those thoughts out of your head, you pervert."
She heard Leo's laugh even over the running water. Placing the last dish in the dish rack, she asked, "What was that all about?"
He motioned for her to join him on the sofa. This time they sat together, and Kellen took her hand into his. "Leo says that they think they know a way to get your wolf shadows active again."
Her stomach tightened with doubt. "How?"
"Let's just sit tight for now. They're coming back up and will explain things when they get here."
Samara couldn't respond with her mouth as dry as sandpaper. Did she want to do this? To her shame, she couldn't even answer herself.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Ten minutes later, the trio returned with Grace holding the door open for Leo and Stephen who both carried cases of water. If the three of them guessed what she and Kellen had been up to since they left, they didn't indicate it. They dropped the water cases on the kitchen counter, while Grace retook her seat on the floor.
"I don't think we're going to need that much water for the rest of the trip back," Kellen said, as he tugged Sarama back to the sofa where they sat next to each other.
"It's not for us." Stephen returned to his seat while Leo ripped open the plastic securing the water bottles. "It's for Samara. We think we know why her wolf shadows are dormant."
Kellen's arm, already around her shoulders, squeezed her tighter.
"All right," she said. "Let's hear it."
"You were right about the colloidal silver. You drank so much that it knocked out both your shadows," Leo said, while he pulled out a bottle of water. "However, the shadows are still in there but are restrained by the silver that's still in your body. If we can get rid of the silver, you'll be able to communicate with your shadows."
Samara sighed. "Let me guess, drinking a mountain lake's worth of water will wash out the silver."
"Exactly." Leo handed her the bottle of water. "Your body has been washing out the silver naturally?—"
"—which is why you no longer look like a Smurf—" added Stephen. "But you're still slow to heal because you were train hopping at the time, you weren't eating or drinking as much as you should have been until you started working at the restaurant?—"
Leo picked up one of the too small garbage buckets from the kitchen and placed it next to the sofa where Samara sat.
"—so, you couldn't...uh...eliminate as much silver as you could have if you had a proper diet with lots of liquid." Leo's attempt at politeness only made the conversation funnier.
Samara glanced at Kellen. The look on his face was comical. He saw what she and Grace had seen earlier. All she could do was laugh again along with Grace.
