“I wish.” His features relaxed. “That sounds like fun.” His nostrils flared. “You traveling alone?”
She’d seen that move. He was sniffing her. “Yes.”
“That’s brave. I mean, most women don’t do that. It’s a dangerous world. You’re safe here but you know what I mean.”
“I do.” She was afraid to bring up Lavos but all those dire warnings he’d given her resurfaced. She wasn’t sure if she could trust the clerk or if he’d lunge across the counter to try to kill her if he thought she knew he was a Werewolf. She glanced at his name tag. “Volti. That’s a cool name. I’ve never met someone with that one before.”
“It’s Russian,” he mumbled. “You’ll find a lot of us in this area.”
“Ah.” Russian Werewolves, or is that just an excuse for the odd name? “Very cool.”
“Thanks.” His gaze darted down her body and then back up. “What’s your name?”
“Jadee.”
“What do the initials stand for?”
“It’s just Jadee.” She spelled it. “My parents weren’t exactly the types to do the norm, including give me a name like Mary or Tammy.”
“Hippies? We get some of them in the summer. They come out here saying they’re trying to communicate with nature or find their karma or some such shit. No offense.”
She laughed. “None taken. I bet you do get some odd visitors. This is far off the main highways.”
“Yes, it is. You should have stuck to them though. The next motel is about thirty miles down the road and it’s kind of a dive.”
“I have an RV. I can sleep in it.”
“I like those.” He stepped out from behind the counter and walked to the door, peering toward Digger’s. “Nice. It’s a big sucker.” He came back to her. “I don’t see too many women driving them.”
“It belonged to my father. I inherited it.”
“I’m sorry.” His features softened. “I’d be bummed if I lost my dad. We’re close.”
The front door of the store swung open and Digger came inside. He recognized her right away—his mouth fell open and his eyes widened. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Volti’s voice took on a deeper tone.
“Um…” Digger gave her a once over. “Nothing. This is the lady with the engine troubles?”
“Yes.”
Digger took a few hesitant steps, giving her a suspicious look. “You ever been in this area before?”
He’d definitely recognized her. She was certain of that. He knew she had, so why did he ask? It might be because it wasn’t safe to talk in front of the clerk. She’d play along. “Not this town but some of the ones nearby.”
Digger’s dark eyes started to lighten and he advanced fast, gripping her by her arms. She dropped her purse, stunned. He was trying to control her mind. His eyes didn’t exactly glow. They were a dark, deep brown but they looked eerie as hell with some yellow lighting them up.
“Goddamn,” Digger hissed. “She wasn’t supposed to come back.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s the only survivor from when those bloodsuckers took out that small human town. Lorn said he wiped her mind and sent her back to the lower forty-eight. I was sure he’d told her to never return to Alaska, so what the hell is she doing here?” He kept his gaze locked on her. “You’d better call Lorn, Volti.”
“Are you sure she’s the right one?”
They were talking as if Jadee wasn’t there. Did that mean that Digger thought he had her under his control? Was she supposed to be like some breathing, brainless doll? He looked furious and scary. She masked her features and held very still, prepared to pretend. She didn’t know what he’d do if he realized she was more than aware of what was going on, in control of her body and thoughts.
“I thought that damn RV looked familiar but I didn’t walk up and inspect it. It’ll have California plates but the tow car had Washington ones. That’s why I didn’t put it together.” Digger leaned in a little. “Hold real still, sweetheart. No need to be afraid. We’re going to send you home so we don’t have to kill you. Her heart is racing.”
She tried to slow that down. He either had super-good hearing or he could feel her pulse.
“Lorn is busy. The delegates from the clans are here. They arrived this morning. They’re all up the hill at the lodge. I’m supposed to send any humans on their way so they don’t stick around.”
“Call Lavos then.”
“He’s up there too. He dropped in about half an hour ago and said he had to go kiss some ass. I think we should handle this. Put her to sleep and I’ll carry her to the back storeroom while you go find out what’s wrong with her engine. We’ll wake her up and send her on her way as soon as you get it running right. I’ll even fill her tank. She’ll just remember it was something trivial you fixed fast, she pumped her own gas, and took off.”
“She got food.”
“Not a problem. I saw how she likes her hot dogs. I’ll just get her fresh ones. She won’t even notice a time gap if we implant that she arrived here whenever you get her engine going.”
“Sleep,” Digger ordered.
Jadee closed her eyes and let her body slump. It was going to hurt if she hit the floor but the idea of letting the two Werewolves know she was immune might be more painful, since Digger mentioned killing her.
The mechanic didn’t allow her fall. He held her up until Volti walked up behind her and grabbed her under her arms. He lifted her off her feet, against his solid body.
“Her keys are on the counter.” Volti turned with her. She let her head fall forward, playing dead to the world. He adjusted his hold on her to free a hand when they must have reached a door. He bent back to keep her body against his front. Then he eased her down on something soft. She waited until she heard a door close before she peeked.
It was a small storage room and there was a sleeping bag on the floor, where she’d been gently dumped. She listened, hearing Volti and Digger softly speaking from the other room. She just couldn’t make out what they said. She sat up when she realized she was alone.
She saw the back door and rose up, walking toward it. There was a glass window and she peeked out. The big log cabin up the hill was within sight. That had to be the lodge they’d talked about. Lavos would be there.
She’d seen that move. He was sniffing her. “Yes.”
“That’s brave. I mean, most women don’t do that. It’s a dangerous world. You’re safe here but you know what I mean.”
“I do.” She was afraid to bring up Lavos but all those dire warnings he’d given her resurfaced. She wasn’t sure if she could trust the clerk or if he’d lunge across the counter to try to kill her if he thought she knew he was a Werewolf. She glanced at his name tag. “Volti. That’s a cool name. I’ve never met someone with that one before.”
“It’s Russian,” he mumbled. “You’ll find a lot of us in this area.”
“Ah.” Russian Werewolves, or is that just an excuse for the odd name? “Very cool.”
“Thanks.” His gaze darted down her body and then back up. “What’s your name?”
“Jadee.”
“What do the initials stand for?”
“It’s just Jadee.” She spelled it. “My parents weren’t exactly the types to do the norm, including give me a name like Mary or Tammy.”
“Hippies? We get some of them in the summer. They come out here saying they’re trying to communicate with nature or find their karma or some such shit. No offense.”
She laughed. “None taken. I bet you do get some odd visitors. This is far off the main highways.”
“Yes, it is. You should have stuck to them though. The next motel is about thirty miles down the road and it’s kind of a dive.”
“I have an RV. I can sleep in it.”
“I like those.” He stepped out from behind the counter and walked to the door, peering toward Digger’s. “Nice. It’s a big sucker.” He came back to her. “I don’t see too many women driving them.”
“It belonged to my father. I inherited it.”
“I’m sorry.” His features softened. “I’d be bummed if I lost my dad. We’re close.”
The front door of the store swung open and Digger came inside. He recognized her right away—his mouth fell open and his eyes widened. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Volti’s voice took on a deeper tone.
“Um…” Digger gave her a once over. “Nothing. This is the lady with the engine troubles?”
“Yes.”
Digger took a few hesitant steps, giving her a suspicious look. “You ever been in this area before?”
He’d definitely recognized her. She was certain of that. He knew she had, so why did he ask? It might be because it wasn’t safe to talk in front of the clerk. She’d play along. “Not this town but some of the ones nearby.”
Digger’s dark eyes started to lighten and he advanced fast, gripping her by her arms. She dropped her purse, stunned. He was trying to control her mind. His eyes didn’t exactly glow. They were a dark, deep brown but they looked eerie as hell with some yellow lighting them up.
“Goddamn,” Digger hissed. “She wasn’t supposed to come back.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s the only survivor from when those bloodsuckers took out that small human town. Lorn said he wiped her mind and sent her back to the lower forty-eight. I was sure he’d told her to never return to Alaska, so what the hell is she doing here?” He kept his gaze locked on her. “You’d better call Lorn, Volti.”
“Are you sure she’s the right one?”
They were talking as if Jadee wasn’t there. Did that mean that Digger thought he had her under his control? Was she supposed to be like some breathing, brainless doll? He looked furious and scary. She masked her features and held very still, prepared to pretend. She didn’t know what he’d do if he realized she was more than aware of what was going on, in control of her body and thoughts.
“I thought that damn RV looked familiar but I didn’t walk up and inspect it. It’ll have California plates but the tow car had Washington ones. That’s why I didn’t put it together.” Digger leaned in a little. “Hold real still, sweetheart. No need to be afraid. We’re going to send you home so we don’t have to kill you. Her heart is racing.”
She tried to slow that down. He either had super-good hearing or he could feel her pulse.
“Lorn is busy. The delegates from the clans are here. They arrived this morning. They’re all up the hill at the lodge. I’m supposed to send any humans on their way so they don’t stick around.”
“Call Lavos then.”
“He’s up there too. He dropped in about half an hour ago and said he had to go kiss some ass. I think we should handle this. Put her to sleep and I’ll carry her to the back storeroom while you go find out what’s wrong with her engine. We’ll wake her up and send her on her way as soon as you get it running right. I’ll even fill her tank. She’ll just remember it was something trivial you fixed fast, she pumped her own gas, and took off.”
“She got food.”
“Not a problem. I saw how she likes her hot dogs. I’ll just get her fresh ones. She won’t even notice a time gap if we implant that she arrived here whenever you get her engine going.”
“Sleep,” Digger ordered.
Jadee closed her eyes and let her body slump. It was going to hurt if she hit the floor but the idea of letting the two Werewolves know she was immune might be more painful, since Digger mentioned killing her.
The mechanic didn’t allow her fall. He held her up until Volti walked up behind her and grabbed her under her arms. He lifted her off her feet, against his solid body.
“Her keys are on the counter.” Volti turned with her. She let her head fall forward, playing dead to the world. He adjusted his hold on her to free a hand when they must have reached a door. He bent back to keep her body against his front. Then he eased her down on something soft. She waited until she heard a door close before she peeked.
It was a small storage room and there was a sleeping bag on the floor, where she’d been gently dumped. She listened, hearing Volti and Digger softly speaking from the other room. She just couldn’t make out what they said. She sat up when she realized she was alone.
She saw the back door and rose up, walking toward it. There was a glass window and she peeked out. The big log cabin up the hill was within sight. That had to be the lodge they’d talked about. Lavos would be there.
