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Holding the sketch pad against his chest, Wiley looked out at the trees at the back of the yard as they swayed lightly. Birds darted here and there. A squirrel was feeling brave and climbed out of a nearby tree to search for food. Luckily, Ruby was asleep by his feet. “It must be wonderful to hear them. Do they use words?”
“Occasionally it’s like words, but it’s more like images and feelings—it’s hard to explain.” He reached down to ruffle Ruby’s fur. “Like this one here. She’s happy being around us right now. Always, really. She’s projecting the feeling of contentment. She’s a sweet-natured dog.”
“She is. I just love her.”
“She loves you, too. Quite a bit, in fact. It helps that, like Dane, you sneak her food.”
Blushing, Wiley opened his mouth to kind of apologize just as Clay walked out of the house and approached them. He looked good in his jeans and a loose T-shirt, but he’d obviously been helping Dane with something, as dirt streaked his clothes.
“You two want to take a ride with me?” he asked.
Baer sat up. “Where to?”
“I was going through receipts earlier today and found a reoccurring charge for a storage room about an hour from here. I can only assume one of us set it up in the past. There’s no date on the receipt, but when I went through the books, I saw it’s been on a reoccurring payment for more than thirty years.”
“You’re kidding?” Baer stood up. “Maybe it’s full of more antiques.”
“Or the spell books Flo mentioned,” Wiley said.
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Clay shoved his hands into his pockets and squinted into the sun. “I don’t want to go by myself, so I thought you two could ride along. Help go through things and possibly move things out, if needed.” Clay lifted his head and looked toward the trees. “I’m guessing Grey and Lucien are out in the clearing, practicing.”
Baer nodded. “I left them there not too long ago. Do you want me to run and grab them, too? Might be good to have the Fire Weaver along in case we meet with trouble.”
“I doubt we’ll encounter anything. This has been quietly paid all this time. We’ll just sneak in. The two of us should be able to handle anything that comes up.”
Wiley jumped up, more than ready to get out of the house again and be included in an adventure. A thirty-year-old storage unit sounded exciting. He’d been addicted to a show on television where people bid on storage units that had been let go. Anything could be in there. He grabbed his sketch pad and ran a hand over his swim trunks. “I’m just going to put on some jeans really quick.”
Baer nodded as the three of them and Ruby went into the house.
It didn’t take long for Wiley to change clothes and throw on his tennis shoes. He stopped sharply at the top of the stairs as all the hair on his body suddenly rose. He’d nearly charged down the stairs without thinking, without counting! Panic threatened to crash over him. With his hand gripping the railing, he sucked in several deep breaths, pushing back the rising tide and getting control over his frantic emotions.
He carefully took the first step, then the next, counting under his breath. A cold sweat covered his body, but he made it to the bottom without anything bad happening. Fuck, he hated how this disrupted his life. He’d been so excited about going to the storage unit, going on an adventure with Baer and Clay even if nothing happened.
“This does not control me. I am still living the life I want to live,” Wiley said softly to himself. It was a mantra he and his therapist had worked out when he got frustrated.
After taking a couple of deep breaths more, he hunted for Queenie and found her lounging in a stream of sunlight in the billiard room. He kneeled next to her and carefully rubbed her. She must have been in a good mood, because she stretched under his hand, offering up more fluffy fur. Queenie, for all her grumpiness, went a long way to settling his anxiety.
“You be good to Ruby while I’m gone,” he chided as he scratched behind one ear.
She opened one eye to look at him before closing it and stretching out her paws. He wished he could hear her thoughts, but more than likely she was ignoring him.
Snorting, he stood and sought out Baer and Clay. The two Weavers were in the garage, next to Baer’s Jeep. They climbed in, Baer dropping behind the wheel. As usual, he steered like he was fighting other vehicles for room on a racetrack. Wiley sat in the back and just held on.
The whole drive, they talked about what could be in storage, guessing anything from antiques to clothes. Baer had the top off the Jeep, allowing the wind to dance over them as they traveled down the road. The sun was shining brightly overhead. It had been a quiet fall without the threat of a hurricane or even a violent thunderstorm in months.
