“It’s going to rain on us.” It’s obvious she won’t take no for an answer on giving me a ride when she waves me over to her. As I get close, I see there’s a woman in a truck idling beside her with the door open.
Jenny flicks her magazine at me impatiently. “Let’s go, Cordy!”
My heart swells when she calls me that.Cordy.
I’ve never heard that name come from anyone else’s lips but Keiran’s. Without asking, Jenny is calling me that like we’vebeen friends forever. Rain starts to patter down around us and Gus clears his throat.
“You ought to get indoors, Cordy. You’ll catch a cold.”
I smile at him. I was right about having friends and them calling me by my favorite nickname. Turns out I like hearing them say my nickname more than I ever liked it from Keiran. Figures.
“You too, Gus. I’ll see you around.” I hesitate, rock back a step and pause. It’s time to go. I know that but Gus has been good to me. He’s my friend even if he doesn’t quite know how to talk to a wolf. I rush forward and throw my arms around him and give him a hug. My shifter strength makes itself known when I hear Gus let out a wheezing breath so I loosen my grip some.
“I’m glad we met,” I tell him.
Gus chuckles and hugs me back. “So am I. You’re a good one. Promise if you ever need anything you find me in town. If I’m not at the bus depot ask for me at Barista Witch.” I remember the coffee shop I saw earlier and grin. Gus hangs with witches. Neat.
We break apart and I give him a smile. “I will. I promise.” Then I take off at a jog towards Jenny and the waiting truck.
“See ya ‘round. Stay dry!” Gus calls out to me.
I wave as I reach Jenny. “Bye Gus!”
“Inside now.” Jenny ushers me into the warm and dry cab of the truck and clucks at me about getting wet.
“You’re going to get sick like that.”
“I have a strong immune system,” I tell her.
It’s true, all shifters do. I don’t say that though because telling Gus I was a shifter left me weak-kneed. I’ll have to take a breather to rally before I tell Jenny what I really am.
The truck is nice and clean. The truck has a big bench seat that I settle onto between Jenny and her friend.
“I’m Carla,” the other woman says and sticks her hand out for me to shake.
“I’m Cordy,” I say, deciding that I want to test out the name some more. I can be anyone I want now so why not? A thrill runs through me when Carla nods at me, accepting the name I’ve given her.
“Nice to meet you, Cordy. Where we heading?”
“Um, east. Not too far though. I’m going to Red River but I’ve got a hike I want to start on.”
“Right now?” Jenny asks. She’s buckling herself in and stops to give me a frown. “It’ll be nightfall in just a few hours and that storm isn’t anything to play with. When a storm rolls down off the mountain it’s best to be indoors. You don’t want to be out in these woods after sundown.”
“Especially not with the ferals prowling,” Carla adds. “There was another attack on hikers this weekend. Seems like every week there’s another one.”
Jenny makes a face at that. “Those ferals are going to run off the tourists. Bunch of good for nothings.”
I fidget in my seat. The plan to tell Jenny that I’m a wolf suddenly doesn’t seem so smart.
“You can come stay with us tonight,” Jenny declares. “We can take you to Red River in the morning. The woods?” She shudders and waves her hands. “Too dangerous with those monsters roaming.”
“I can’t,” I blurt out to stop Jenny’s planning. A woman like Jenny is like a rising tide. There’s no stopping her once she puts her mind to something. I’ve seen it enough with Maud. If I don’t stop her now there’s no telling what the plan will be before I’m able to make it to Bloodstone Pack.
“I mean,” I clear my throat and try again, “I can’t, even though I’d really love to stay,” I tell her honestly. “You’ve been so kind to me from the minute we met but I’ve got to see thishike through. It’s something I’ve been putting off for a long while now.”
Jenny looks like she’s about to start arguing with me but Carla pipes up. “She’s got business to attend to. From the sounds of it, very important business,” she tells Jenny. “Don’t you, Cordy?”
I nod and give Carla a grateful smile. “That’s right, I do. Mau-” I start but correct myself. There’s no easy way to explain what Maud is to me, “My grandma sent me out this way to do this. The sooner I get it started then the sooner I can come back to town and see you both.” It’s not a lie. The sooner I get to Bloodstone Pack and get a feel for how it’ll go the faster I will be able to return to Oak Fast. In Frostclaw, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere on my own, but I won’t live like that again.
