But they still had to wait. Wait on word from Nox, wait on the plan, and wait until the timing was completely right. She wanted to somehow snatch a weapon from one of the henchmen and fire it in Archie’s direction, even just to scare him slightly.
Kelli had never used a gun, nor had she killed anyone before. She, like them, had to be patient.
TWENTY-FIVE
NOX
Nox waited for Kelli to be finished at her undercover job and return to the cabin she had been residing in. He had spent the day speaking to the local authorities about the ongoings of Archie and his racket and received some helpful information from one of the detectives.
The detective was a young man named Loki, who looked like he could have been a shifter himself. Without the presence of the wolves protecting Archie’s interests, he felt safe and shared as much as he could with Nox and Roland.
“There was always something about a disease that he brought up,” Detective Loki said, sitting and twirling his thumbs. “He would say that the shifters who went about town were in his control because of this disease and threatened to infect us with it many times.”
Nox brought a finger to his lips, frowning.
“He threatened to infect humans with it?”
Loki nodded.
“He said that if the police force came after his operation, he would use these shifters against us, that they were rabid, or something or the other.”
Roland and Nox looked at each other, an understanding passing between them like light through a diamond.
“So this is why you’ve stayed away from the old mines?” Roland asked.
Loki nodded again, still twirling his thumbs and nervously spinning in his chair.
“There aren’t a lot of shifters around here other than the wolves. So it’s been like some horrible fairy tale you hear about as a kid. And it’s something that you don’t want to fuck with.”
Nox nodded, understanding him completely. There were certain parts of the country that were more used to the presence of shifters once the veil fell, but a small town like the one they were in wasn’t one of them.
Roland and Nox left the police station with a clearer idea of what the hell was going on. Nox spent most of the day debriefing with Roland until he met with Kelli in the cabin.
They embraced each other with intensity and vigor as if they would never be able to do it again.
“Mmm,” Kelli moaned beneath his lips.
Her lustful sounds aroused him, but he felt strange about making love in a place where Archie and his henchmen could burst in at any time. Instead, they resolved to sit and cuddle, immersed in each other’s warm and inviting love.
“I told them today,” Kelli whispered, leaning against Nox on the couch. “I told Nevel, and I’m pretty sure he told Elise telepathically.”
Nox sat up and turned his beloved to face him. Her eyes swam with excitement as he was sure his own were.
“You were able to get some time alone?”
Kelli shook her head and gave him a mischievous look.
“Archie was distracted, so I took my chance,” she said, looking thoughtful. “I could sense Nevel’s understanding, even though I’m not some fancy wolf shifter.”
Nox smiled broadly, feeling like his face was porcelain, and it just might crack.
“You are so wonderful, Kelli. I hope you know that.”
She lifted one of his hands from her shoulder and bit into the knuckle. His cock moved in his pants, which didn’t help the whole not-having-sex thing.
“I would like to think I know that sometimes,” she murmured.
He pulled her to his chest, and they returned to their lounging position. She sighed, moving her hands over him in little circles.