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Another tense silence.
“You said ‘claim,’” a man in fatigue overalls asked. “So, what, she owns the town?”
“No. I’m only protecting it,” Kate said, still lying back with her eyes closed.
“And we’re supposed to just trust you?” an older woman asked.
“Yes,” I told her.
“Why?” the woman pressed.
“What choice do you have? Really?” I asked her.
They stared at me.
It was Ned who finally spoke up. “All of you are questioning these folks, but what I haven’t heard yet was a ‘thank you.’ I know you were raised better than that.”
“Meaning, what?” Mayor Gene demanded.
Ned stepped closer to Gene. “Meaning, stop acting like an ass, Eugene. You’re here demanding answers from Mrs. Lennart when what you should be doing is expressing gratitude for not being dead.”
Mayor Gene took a step toward Ned. They were almost chest to chest now. “You don’t even live here, Ned. Stay out of this.”
Ned drew himself up straighter. “No, I don’t believe I will. You and I discussed this prior to me inviting the Lennarts and their people here. I told you what might happen. You agreed that it was a small price to pay. Now you’re just playing it up for the crowd.”
Mayor Gene crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s right. You told me, Edward. I don’t recall you asking me for permission to do it.”
“Ask you?” Ned’s voice was very quiet. “Since when do I need to ask you for a damn thing, Eugene?”
Gene’s face turned red. “Since I’m the goddamned mayor of this town! What gives you the right to have a say?”
“Because I’m the largest employer Penderton has. I’m responsible for the welfare of the people I employ, and that’s damn near two-thirds of Penderton. You carry the keys, but I feed the town. You know it, I know it, and everyone here knows it. And I will do whatever I have to do to protect my employees and my family. Sanders is right here.” Ned pointed to a man with thick, dark eyebrows. “Ask the builder union president if he’d rather be dead or let her claim the town for a week.”
“I don’t need to ask Sanders a damn thing!”
Sanders raised his fuzzy eyebrows. “I didn’t just hear you say that.”
“I may not live here,” Ned declared, “but my mother and my sister still do, Eugene. And the acreage that’s brought these people here is my acreage. I owned it and I gave it to them. What have you done to save this town and the people in it?”
As amusing as it was, this was getting out of hand.
I raised my voice. “We have no plans to take control of the town, demand anything from you, or interfere in your governance.”
A small group emerged from the gates and headed for us at a quick trot. Conlan, Darin next to him, followed by Helen, Luiza, and two other shapeshifters. Always happy to see my son, but the timing wasn’t great.
The town council turned to look at the new visitors.
Conlan reached us and went down on one knee, looking down at the ground. The rest of the group did the same.
A formal Pack greeting. What was he playing at? I glanced at Kate. She propped herself up on one elbow, her eyes wide. She seemed as surprised as I was.
“Greeting, Beast Lord and Consort,” my son announced. “We’ve arrived as ordered.”
The town council people gaped at us.
“Rise,” I told him.
The small group rose at the same time, as if they’d choreographed it, with Conlan looking straight ahead. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Keelan close his eyes for a second and nod in approval. Mystery solved.
The group scattered, everyone taking a spot, with Conlan moving to stand next to Keelan and Darin behind him.
This conversation was growing tiresome. “As my wife said,” I told them, keeping my voice calm but putting a bit of finality into it, “we don’t have any reason to keep Penderton.”
“So you say,” a man in overalls called out.
“We do,” I told him. “When one of us gives their word, we mean it.”
Kate nodded. “Once we neutralize the threat, we’ll take ownership of the land you’ve given us.”
Technically, it was land Ned had given us but I didn’t want to restart that fight.
“That land is in the forest, miles from here,” I said. “Keeping Penderton would make the town our territory. We would have to defend your town from threats, and as welcoming as you all are, we’re not running down here through the woods every time you have an issue.”
The man in overalls opened his mouth, but Mayor Gene waved his hand at him.
“I’m just trying to wrap my head around this claiming thing,” he said. “What does this mean in practical terms? For us?”
“Basically, nothing. Your area has been claimed for years already by the forest,” I said. “Your daily lives will remain the same.”
