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“Bailey…” Greyson reprimands.
I shake my head. “Please don’t ask me that. I can’t answer any of those questions.”
She scrunches up her nose. “Any hints?”
“I have some vague bullet points, but nothing solid about the rest but even if I did, I can’t say anything. I’m sorry.”
“Drats. Anyway, go get your man. When it’s all sealed, we’ll have a girls’ night and celebrate.”
I give her a sad smile.
“Positive thinking, Erica,” she urges, then repeats, “Positive thinking.”
Yeah. Right. Sure.
“See you there. I need to take this opportunity to get a run in.” Greyson passes the bottle to Jason and then pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it while kicking off his boots as his jeans drop and quickly, before I can even shield my eyes from his nudity, he’s already shifted into a large, silvery gray wolf. He immediately breaks into a full run.
“Erica,” Jason says, opening the passenger door of Lincoln’s SUV and gesturing for me to get inside. As I do, he squats to gather Greyson’s clothes and gets in the back with Joel.
I blow out a long breath as I buckle the seatbelt.
***
We’re pulling up to a small one-story cabin. I know of this place. It’s where Tyson was raised. Where Tyson and Ivy mated and spent their first few weeks together.
There’s a classic old pickup truck already here and I see forms on the open porch that takes up the front face of the cabin.
Lincoln turns his SUV off.
A light goes on in the cabin and now I can make out Tyson stepping back outside to stand with Mason and Riley. There are two gym bags at Riley’s feet. Headlights shine a light on him, my van pulling in behind us. Riley’s body language can only be interpreted as… hostile.
Lincoln says, “Your ride’s here because your belongings are in it, but we’re gonna ask you to let us take it and park it back at our place.”
Joel had me hand over my keys when we got to the gas station, and he got out and drove it here.
“Why?” I ask.
Greyson is here. Naked. He’s opening the passenger door and helping me out, saying, “We’re asking the same of you that we asked of him. Give it seven days.”
“I thought you left,” I say, averting my eyes from his nudity.
“Needed a run before I go home. I’m heading there in a minute. You’ll give it seven days?”
“What if he leaves?” I whisper.
“He won’t leave. But we’re asking you not to leave, either.” He reaches into the back seat and grabs his jeans and pulls them on. I keep my eyes averted until I hear the zipper go up. “Sorry,” Greyson says, “I’m semi-decent now.”
“He won’t leave?” I ask.
“Pack bond,” is his answer.
I hear Riley grumble something from the porch, but Greyson is talking again. “Seven days, you two stay here and figure things out. After those seven days, we move forward. Either you two move forward together, or you don’t.”
I swallow.
“If he wants out, will you cooperate?” Joel asks.
“I will,” I answer, voice betraying my emotion.
“You’ve said you aren’t using any magic in Arcana Falls, but this isn’t inside the village limits,” Mason inquires. “Do we need to worry about you pulling magic on Rye to get what you want?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Breaking rules got us here.” I stare at my feet.
“Right. We should get your clothes and whatever you need from the van so we can head out,” Greyson says loudly, obviously for everyone’s benefit.
I rush into my bus and grab my toiletries bag, my belt bag and phone charger. Greyson grabs my suitcase and gathers the half a dozen dresses from the rack of clothes I’ve hung in the tiny cupboard.
“Two things. Something I gotta say and then a question, Erica,” Greyson whispers just as I’m about to leave the bus.
I wait expectantly.
“If you want this,” he says carefully, “if you really, really do, you gotta be patient with him.”
I barely nod, but I know Greyson reads the emotion in my eyes. He gives me a soft look.
Most of my family is female. I have a feeling I’ll like having Greyson Blackwood as a member of my family.
Though then again, Riley will cut me out of his life in seven days, so Greyson won’t likely bother with me after that.
I nod some more to show him I’m in this.
“Good.” He rubs my back. “Also… is she dead or alive?” he asks earnestly.
I blink in surprise.
“Soleil Young,” He says. “I don’t know if I need to know her, but I wanna know if she’s alive at least. For starters, anyway.”
“We think she is,” I say softly. “But I really don’t know much about that entire situation. I’ve never met her.”
He lets out a breath and I watch his eyes change shades from a dark brown to a silver color.
