Page 5 of Sigma
“I saw your nostrils flare and before you shifted, you holleredshe’s mine,” he said. “We need a plan to keep her safe. It’s never been serious. We’re good friends. It was just a bit of fun. That night’s moon… lots of hookups between unattached pack members.”
“Stop,” I gritted out, trembling revving up.
“I won’t go there again. You won’t smell her on me again, Jared.”
That declaration meant I again shifted against my will, and he had to back off for another twenty-four hours.
When he came back, I felt half-dead. This is probably why we were able to talk it out to the degree we did without me shifting yet again, though it wasn’t much of a talk.
I told him I’d leave. He told me he wanted to help me find a solution. He suggested we talk to the shifter doctor connection his pack has with the SCC, and I told him it was out of the question, because I know what happens when the SCC catches any whiff of an anomaly among supernaturals. He told me the fact that I didn’t want to kill him for being with her meant something. I told him Ididwant to kill him, with every ounce of my being, but that he was my only friend, so I knew it wasn’t a great idea. He laughed that off. I didn’t find it funny.
And then I went off on an assignment, and he called while I was gone to ask if I could scope out Silver Hills and their Wyatt Meadows problem, which put some much-needed distance between me and Arcana Falls. But the anxiety I felt – the lack of sleep, the lack of appetite, the dreams I’m actually remembering when I do manage to catch more than an hour of sleep… I should’ve known it was a sign of what was on the horizon.
I should’ve told him to meet me in town with my trailer rather than hauling it back to the spot I’d been using.
But I suppose I selfishly wanted a couple more days here breathing the air she breathes, for closure.
I should’ve hit the road immediately after I nearly ripped Linc’s throat out. I was surprised he didn’t ask questions about my plans when he brought the trailer back yesterday. I suspect because of our history he’s been letting things simmer to seeabout a solution or more likely looking into potential solutions himself.
It was certainly understood that if I fucked up, there would be a price to pay. He dropped the trailer off and said, “We’ll talk in a couple days. Call if you need me.” His vibe was clear.
And if that scent hits my senses again, I will fuck up.
His phone chimes and he pulls it out. “I’ve got to take care of something. I’ve given your Airstream another wipe down. Opened all the windows, too.”
“I’ll have to give it another day before I pick it up and hit the road,” I say. I can’t smell that scent again.
A moment of loaded silence. He knows I’ve got to hit the road.
“What’ll you do then?”
“Go back to the motel in town, I guess.” That’s where I stayed after leaving the junkyard while they dealt with that Meadows fucker.
“And after that?” he asks.
“I won’t be within a hundred miles of Arcana Falls.”
“Thinkin’ it’s time I take this to my council, Jared.”
“I’m hitting the road,” I repeat.
“Even still…”
“Yeah.” I grind my teeth, surprised it took this long.
“Past time. Maybe Rye or Grey can talk to the coven. See if there’s something they can do to help.”
This is a surprise. But not really. I’ve never wanted others to know, and this is why I live the way I’ve lived. I didn’t like getting quizzed by that alpha doctor from the SCC at Silver Hills, which had me tweaked, but there were more important matters at handthat took his attention. I suspected he wasn’t about to let it all drop when I told him it was just a birth defect that I had no scent. He wanted me to come to his clinic for a workup and gave me his card. I was non-committal on purpose, becauseno. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.
But if I’d trust anybody with my truth besides Lincoln Fowler, it’d be the other six on his council. Solid guys; every one of them.
“I shouldn’t have left it this long and if something goes wrong, it’s now on me,” he adds.
“I understand. I shouldn’t have come back after Silver Hills. Shoulda got you to meet me with my trailer in town.”
“I have to tell them. And chances are, they’re gonna vote to level with Sis.”
I wince.
