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Chapter Nine
The next morning, I woke up alone in an unfamiliar bed. Confused, I looked around the room for any signs of where I might be. The art on the walls answered the question. It differed from the room where I’d borrowed the too-small top, but the artwork was just as rare.
“Come in,” I called at the soft tap on the bedroom door.
Philip entered with a tray, which he placed on the bed next to me. “Breakfast in bed for the birthday girl.”
The various aromas coming from the tray were enough to perk me up. “Mmm, coffee,” I said accepting the mug he handed me. “Thank you. This is a bit extravagant for breakfast but thank you.”
“Mr. Fraser wasn’t sure what you’d prefer. Enjoy what you’d like. Leave what you don’t.” He clicked his heels and turned to the door, his shoulders moving slightly in response to my laugh.
Thinking about what a mystery Philip was, and wondering how old he was, I let my eyes wander over the pancakes, French toast, pastries, eggs, and a plate piled high with bacon. I grabbed a few slices of bacon, carrying them and my coffee out onto the balcony overlooking the backyard.
The staff had already cleaned it up and brought it back to its regular status. Still beautiful, just not as majestic. I sat on the chair and listened to the birds in the forest talking to each other. I’d just taken a bite of bacon when a loud screech pulled my attention to the sky. Down came Henry, shrieking his head off.
“Uh-oh, what’s going on?”
He was all kinds of riled up as he hopped back and forth on the railing, flapping his wings, and squawking at me.
“I think he wants you to follow him,” called a voice from the yard below.
I peered over the railing to see Liam looking up at us. “I think you’re right. I’ll be down in a sec.”
I gulped down the coffee. “Ooh hot, hot, hot,” I chanted before shoving another piece of bacon in my mouth. I ran out of the room and down the stairs to the back patio.
Pulling off my dress, I shifted as I ran. Liam shifted too. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw his wolf. Oh, we had some talking to do when we were done with whatever this was. He yipped and snarled at me. His wolfish way of telling me to move my ass.
Henry circled above waiting impatiently for us to follow him. Our wolves ran through the trees at top speed toward my house. I smelled the fire a few miles before we got there. I urged my wolf to move at a near-impossible speed and she flew out of the woods to see my house fully engulfed in flames.
She let out a heartbreaking howl as she paced the tree line. Liam’s wolf slid to a stop as he exited the trees and turned toward her. She growled at him, but it didn’t stop him. He nuzzled her and licked her face. Wanting him to leave her alone, she snapped at him. On a whine, he took the hint and backed up.
I shifted not caring that I was naked even though I could hear the telltale sirens of the firefighters arriving. Most of them are shifters so they wouldn’t care. But then I remembered my hidey-hole of emergency clothes. I moved to a rock, lifted it, and pulled a bag from the hole. I quickly threw on the shorts and t-shirt and ran to the front of the house. I passed Philip on the way. He had a bag with him, which I assumed held clothing for Liam.
Sure enough, Liam came speeding around the house fully clothed only a few moments later. I watched the firemen work, knowing it didn’t matter. The house was a goner. It had clearly been burning for a while.
One of the men approached us. From his light blond hair and so-light-they-were-almost-white-blue eyes, I knew he was from the Winter pack. “You the owner?”
“I was.”
“You have any enemies?”
I glared at him. “You know I do. This was arson then?”
“We need to get the investigator in here, but I can smell the gas. No doubt it’s coming back as arson. Your insurance company’s investigator will want to know where you were.”
I finally noticed the gas smell myself. It had been there the whole time, but I’d been so focused on the rubble that was once my home. “No problem.”
After what felt like days, Liam drove my car back to his place. I wasn’t in the frame of mind to handle a vehicle.
Seeing that I’d just lost everything, including my new laptop, I was even more grateful that he had recovered my stolen computer. At least I still had my work. I would think about what to do about a house later.
My hand went to my necklace, and I hoped I still had Isaac.
Once back at his house, Liam left me to wallow for a while. I wandered through the gardens and the forest behind his house. I couldn’t figure out what I was most upset about. That house had been a living hell for me when my dad was alive. I’d only stayed because it was right in the middle of forest land, and I didn’t have the money to get a new one.
It had held so many horrible memories, even after Isaac had helped me come up with renovation plans to rearrange the layout and make it a different house. So why the hell did I give a shit if it was gone?
The only things I would miss were my books. I collected every edition of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein I could get my hands on. I’d had a nice collection going and now I’d have to start all over. Thanks to the gift from Liam, I had a start. Still, it felt like I’d lost my friends.
