She ripped her gaze away from the trees to talk about Rhett’s sexy fingers, how good they look playing guitar, and how he could probably make a girl come eighty times in a row with those fingers, but Remi was staring back at her like she’d lost her mind, horror written on her face and her skin a little green around the edges. “I’m going to vomit if you don’t stop talking about Rhett like that. He is a disaster, Juno. You don’t want nothin’ to do with that one.”
“Not for me! Not for me.” She swallowed hard and repeated, “Not for me.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?” Remi demanded.
“I meant for the world. For the girls. Fans! He is good for country music.”
“Whyyyy?”
“Because he doesn’t do that pop stuff. He likes old-school. I mean, yeah, he had to do the sell-out tracks to push his first album, but at the end of each concert, he would sit at the mic and do a cover of one of the greats. Just him out there with a guitar, slaying Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, or Waylon Jennings. And then after each concert, the sales on those songs would skyrocket. He was bringing attention back to good old, down-to-the-roots country.” Juno shook her head and sighed. “And then he just…ran.”
Remi frowned. “Juno, if he ran, it was for a reason. You can’t out him. He’s here because he wants to be.”
“In a last-chance Crew? That man isn’t that damaged. He’s fine.”
“No, he’s really not. He might have appeared steady on stage, but here?” Remi shook her head. “There are big things wrong with all the males here, my Kamp included. If Rhett doesn’t want to be in the limelight, you have to respect that and let him be.”
“But—”
“Juno! You aren’t here to work. You’re here to just…breathe.”
Juno huffed a breath of frustration. “You sound like your dad.”
“Good,” she muttered, yanking Juno’s suitcase out of the back of the truck. “My dad knows a thing or two about a thing or two. Maybe for once in your life, listen.” She flashed a fiery glance at Juno and brushed past her.
It stung. It hurt, okay? It was hard to watch her best friend since childhood go protective over some guy she’d only known for a few months. He wasn’t even her mate either. Rhett was just her Crewmate.
Confused and a little angry, Juno clutched the strap of her purse and followed after Remi. About three yards up the uneven trail, she gave up on her heels and pulled off her shoes. The snow was freezing against the pads of her feet, but not uncomfortable. She’d always loved cold weather, or more specifically, her bear had. Remi didn’t wait for her, so Juno crunched her way along the winding trail up the mountain, stepping into the boot prints Remi had left behind. Maybe it was a good thing she had to leave tomorrow. Remi was different and didn’t seem to want her around at the moment.
But just as she was making travel plans in her head on how she would get back to the airport, Remi was waiting over the last ridge with a crooked, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
Juno came to a stop, her breath freezing in front of her. Shrugging up one shoulder, she asked, “For what?”
“Griping at you. I get all…protective.”
“I think that’s how it’s supposed to be,” Juno conceded. “They’re your Crew now.”
Remi closed the gap between them and hugged her tight, her cheek squished against Juno’s. “Yeah, but you’ll always be my Crew, too.”
Juno huffed at the ache that caused. “I never found my Crew, girl. After I left the Ashe Crew, you and Ashlynn were as close as I could get.”
“Why do you keep talking in the past tense? Ashlynn and I are still yours. No matter what life changes we all go through, nothing can touch our history.”
“Is this the infamous Juno I’ve heard so much about?” a tall sandy-haired man with about a billion muscles and the biggest smile Juno had ever seen on a man who had shifter eyes. One gold, one green, and both about as bright as the dang sun.
“All good things I hope,” Juno said, laughing as Kamp pulled her in for a hug.
“Oh, hell no, Remi told me all the shit y’all used to get into when you were cubs.”
“Oh, God.”
“I’m Kamp,” he introduced himself, releasing her from his anaconda embrace.
“I figured. I met Rhett already, and Remi told me Grim is a horrible grump.”
“Oh, you met the Crew asshole already, huh?”
Juno snorted. “Rhett wasn’t so baaaad.”
“Liar.”
Giggling, Remi pulled Juno toward a trailer park with four singlewide mobile homes. “I have to show you something so cool. I’ve been keeping secrets, too!”
“What?” Juno croaked, jogging to keep up with Remi’s tugging. “What secrets?”
“Guess who owns these mountains?”
“Uuuuuh, the Alpha? Grim?”
“Nope!! I’ll give you a hint,” Remi said, jerking to a stop in front of the last trailer on the end. “He’s big and breathes fire and his scales are red.”
Juno nearly choked on air. “These are part of Vyr’s Mountains?”
“Yep! He pays the salaries, posts the numbers to hit, keeps on Grim’s ass and everything.”
Good God, what was happening? Juno was just staring at Remi with her mouth hanging open, waiting for her to say “just shittin’ you.” But nope, Remi just grinned back at her.
“But Vyr is a recluse. He said barely two words the whole time we were growing up. He doesn’t even like other people. So…why?”
Remi shrugged. “I don’t know. He talks to me now on the phone when he needs extra help around here. He seems totally different. Still only talks when he has something to say, doesn’t take much shit…and doesn’t really joke around very much, but he’s different. I think finding his mate and keeping his dragon and stepping out from Damon’s shadow have been good for him. And he’s with Torren and Nox. I think they’ve chipped away at him. I think he wanted to help the Crew here. And maybe me, too, I don’t know. I think he talks to my dad.”
“He talks to Beaston?” Juno whispered. “What does that mean?”
“Can I show her the letter?” Remi asked Kamp, who was standing a few feet behind them.
He gave a soft, crooked smile and pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. “I keep it on me,” he said softly.
Frowning, Juno unfolded the piece of spiral notebook paper and read it.
Kamp,
This is hard. You have something of mine, and I don’t know you. All I know is what I see. What I dream. I saw you for Remi long ago, right there in those mountains you ruin. Stop ruining. Make a place for her. Take care of her. You’ve always wanted to make a dad proud. I see it in my dreams. You didn’t have that. I will be that. I will be proud, but not now. Not when you fight everything. Stop fighting. Give her Raider. Give her a cub when the time comes but for now, she needs to breathe. Be. Air.
Beaston
Juno looked up at Kamp, who was scratching his jaw and blinking hard. He handed her another piece of folded paper, and she opened it and read that one, too.
Good Kamp.
Now I am proud.
Beaston
Remi tucked her chin to her chest, and a tear fell to the snow, making a little dark spot right at the toe of her boot.
“Well,” Juno murmured thickly, “now I understand.”
“Understand what?” Remi asked.
“Why you’re so protective of what you’ve found here.”
Remi’s smile trembled, and she pointed to the trailer. “I asked Vyr why he put this trailer up here, and he said one word before he hung up the phone.”
Juno registered the house number where Remi was pointing. 1010. Holy shit. It even looked like the old raggedy trailer that had been passed around Damon’s Mountains when she’d been growing up. “Let me guess. Beaston?”
“Yep,” Remi said. Beaston and Vyr made a sanctuary in these mountains. I don’t understand all of what’s happening yet. All I know is that things keep falling into place here. I’m putting all my broken pieces back together, and I guess I wanted you to come here and see it for yourself.”
“Not for me! Not for me.” She swallowed hard and repeated, “Not for me.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?” Remi demanded.
“I meant for the world. For the girls. Fans! He is good for country music.”
“Whyyyy?”
“Because he doesn’t do that pop stuff. He likes old-school. I mean, yeah, he had to do the sell-out tracks to push his first album, but at the end of each concert, he would sit at the mic and do a cover of one of the greats. Just him out there with a guitar, slaying Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, or Waylon Jennings. And then after each concert, the sales on those songs would skyrocket. He was bringing attention back to good old, down-to-the-roots country.” Juno shook her head and sighed. “And then he just…ran.”
Remi frowned. “Juno, if he ran, it was for a reason. You can’t out him. He’s here because he wants to be.”
“In a last-chance Crew? That man isn’t that damaged. He’s fine.”
“No, he’s really not. He might have appeared steady on stage, but here?” Remi shook her head. “There are big things wrong with all the males here, my Kamp included. If Rhett doesn’t want to be in the limelight, you have to respect that and let him be.”
“But—”
“Juno! You aren’t here to work. You’re here to just…breathe.”
Juno huffed a breath of frustration. “You sound like your dad.”
“Good,” she muttered, yanking Juno’s suitcase out of the back of the truck. “My dad knows a thing or two about a thing or two. Maybe for once in your life, listen.” She flashed a fiery glance at Juno and brushed past her.
It stung. It hurt, okay? It was hard to watch her best friend since childhood go protective over some guy she’d only known for a few months. He wasn’t even her mate either. Rhett was just her Crewmate.
Confused and a little angry, Juno clutched the strap of her purse and followed after Remi. About three yards up the uneven trail, she gave up on her heels and pulled off her shoes. The snow was freezing against the pads of her feet, but not uncomfortable. She’d always loved cold weather, or more specifically, her bear had. Remi didn’t wait for her, so Juno crunched her way along the winding trail up the mountain, stepping into the boot prints Remi had left behind. Maybe it was a good thing she had to leave tomorrow. Remi was different and didn’t seem to want her around at the moment.
But just as she was making travel plans in her head on how she would get back to the airport, Remi was waiting over the last ridge with a crooked, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
Juno came to a stop, her breath freezing in front of her. Shrugging up one shoulder, she asked, “For what?”
“Griping at you. I get all…protective.”
“I think that’s how it’s supposed to be,” Juno conceded. “They’re your Crew now.”
Remi closed the gap between them and hugged her tight, her cheek squished against Juno’s. “Yeah, but you’ll always be my Crew, too.”
Juno huffed at the ache that caused. “I never found my Crew, girl. After I left the Ashe Crew, you and Ashlynn were as close as I could get.”
“Why do you keep talking in the past tense? Ashlynn and I are still yours. No matter what life changes we all go through, nothing can touch our history.”
“Is this the infamous Juno I’ve heard so much about?” a tall sandy-haired man with about a billion muscles and the biggest smile Juno had ever seen on a man who had shifter eyes. One gold, one green, and both about as bright as the dang sun.
“All good things I hope,” Juno said, laughing as Kamp pulled her in for a hug.
“Oh, hell no, Remi told me all the shit y’all used to get into when you were cubs.”
“Oh, God.”
“I’m Kamp,” he introduced himself, releasing her from his anaconda embrace.
“I figured. I met Rhett already, and Remi told me Grim is a horrible grump.”
“Oh, you met the Crew asshole already, huh?”
Juno snorted. “Rhett wasn’t so baaaad.”
“Liar.”
Giggling, Remi pulled Juno toward a trailer park with four singlewide mobile homes. “I have to show you something so cool. I’ve been keeping secrets, too!”
“What?” Juno croaked, jogging to keep up with Remi’s tugging. “What secrets?”
“Guess who owns these mountains?”
“Uuuuuh, the Alpha? Grim?”
“Nope!! I’ll give you a hint,” Remi said, jerking to a stop in front of the last trailer on the end. “He’s big and breathes fire and his scales are red.”
Juno nearly choked on air. “These are part of Vyr’s Mountains?”
“Yep! He pays the salaries, posts the numbers to hit, keeps on Grim’s ass and everything.”
Good God, what was happening? Juno was just staring at Remi with her mouth hanging open, waiting for her to say “just shittin’ you.” But nope, Remi just grinned back at her.
“But Vyr is a recluse. He said barely two words the whole time we were growing up. He doesn’t even like other people. So…why?”
Remi shrugged. “I don’t know. He talks to me now on the phone when he needs extra help around here. He seems totally different. Still only talks when he has something to say, doesn’t take much shit…and doesn’t really joke around very much, but he’s different. I think finding his mate and keeping his dragon and stepping out from Damon’s shadow have been good for him. And he’s with Torren and Nox. I think they’ve chipped away at him. I think he wanted to help the Crew here. And maybe me, too, I don’t know. I think he talks to my dad.”
“He talks to Beaston?” Juno whispered. “What does that mean?”
“Can I show her the letter?” Remi asked Kamp, who was standing a few feet behind them.
He gave a soft, crooked smile and pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. “I keep it on me,” he said softly.
Frowning, Juno unfolded the piece of spiral notebook paper and read it.
Kamp,
This is hard. You have something of mine, and I don’t know you. All I know is what I see. What I dream. I saw you for Remi long ago, right there in those mountains you ruin. Stop ruining. Make a place for her. Take care of her. You’ve always wanted to make a dad proud. I see it in my dreams. You didn’t have that. I will be that. I will be proud, but not now. Not when you fight everything. Stop fighting. Give her Raider. Give her a cub when the time comes but for now, she needs to breathe. Be. Air.
Beaston
Juno looked up at Kamp, who was scratching his jaw and blinking hard. He handed her another piece of folded paper, and she opened it and read that one, too.
Good Kamp.
Now I am proud.
Beaston
Remi tucked her chin to her chest, and a tear fell to the snow, making a little dark spot right at the toe of her boot.
“Well,” Juno murmured thickly, “now I understand.”
“Understand what?” Remi asked.
“Why you’re so protective of what you’ve found here.”
Remi’s smile trembled, and she pointed to the trailer. “I asked Vyr why he put this trailer up here, and he said one word before he hung up the phone.”
Juno registered the house number where Remi was pointing. 1010. Holy shit. It even looked like the old raggedy trailer that had been passed around Damon’s Mountains when she’d been growing up. “Let me guess. Beaston?”
“Yep,” Remi said. Beaston and Vyr made a sanctuary in these mountains. I don’t understand all of what’s happening yet. All I know is that things keep falling into place here. I’m putting all my broken pieces back together, and I guess I wanted you to come here and see it for yourself.”
