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It might have been a ‘small jet,’ but it was incredibly luxurious. Miska had been right, the pilot knew what he was doing. The only indication she had that the jet was even airborne was watching the ground as it fell away.
They left two of the surveillance team behind to keep an eye on her cabin and the other two—Miska and the pilot—were now whisking her off to Ghost Moon Manor. Miska had taken command of her bag, stowing it away without even looking at it.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“Are you guys always this nice to people who demand to see your leader?”
“Only those to whom the alpha wants every courtesy extended.”
“Oooh, I’m going to hold him to that,” she teased. “And no to the coffee. I only drink one or two cups a day and then I switch to my real addiction—Diet Coke, or water if you don’t have it.”
Miska chuckled. Salem found him to be easy and good company. “We made sure to have it once we knew it was one of your preferred beverages.”
“Do I even want to know how you know that?”
“Nothing as nefarious as slipping into your cabin…”
“You mean breaking into my place and snooping around?”
“My way sounds so much nicer, but yes.”
Salem laughed. “So why didn’t you? An attack of conscience?”
“No. It was easier to just follow you when you went to the grocery store.”
That made her laugh even harder. “Isn’t it fascinating what you can find out about someone by just following them around while they do the most mundane things?”
“It is. Would you like some of those low-fat Wheat Thins and spinach dip?”
“Now I’m not sure whether to be amused, annoyed or impressed.”
“Go for two out of three---amused and impressed. The alpha cautioned us that you were a formidable warrior, so I think I’d like to avoid annoyed.”
“Well, you can’t know everything from a trip to the store. For instance, do you know what my favorite Girl Scout Cookie is? No you do not, because I haven’t seen anyone selling them.”
“Mine are the ones with the toffee chips.”
“Those are good and will do in a pinch, but I’m a sucker for samoas.”
Miska nodded and then spent the rest of the flight answering her questions. She was careful not to ask anything too revealing, even though she was dying to know, because she didn’t want to compromise him. Ghost Moon Manor had been the self-sustaining home of the Ghost Moon Pack for more than two centuries. They raised their own food—having impressive greenhouse and pasture systems—and they hunted, fished and gathered what they wanted from the forests and mountains.
As they approached their destination, Miska asked the pilot to fly them over their entire range so she could get an idea of how much territory they controlled. She was impressed.
“And this isn’t the manor’s only land holding. Our territory is much larger, and we keep those within it safe and happy,” said Miska with pride in his voice.
“Do you worry about people trying to encroach on it?”
“Not much. We have a kind of buffer zone and make sure any threat is neutralized there. Many have tried over the years to harm our people, but the alphas of the pack have always kept us safe. Cullen has been alpha for many years and there isn’t one of us who wouldn’t die for him.”
“That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?” she asked, wondering how he would answer given what Charlie had told her about shifters, and wolf-shifters in particular.
“Not at all. He would put his life on the line for any of us and has done so on more than one occasion. A few years ago, there was a group trying to traffic in female shifters. They got hold of two of ours, the alpha got them back. The traffickers never troubled us again.”
Salem decided it was best not to ask why but was beginning to understand that the information Charlie had given her had not painted an accurate description.
The closer they got to the large manor house that dominated the landscape, the more Salem felt dizzy and off-kilter. She was thankful when the plane’s wheels kissed the ground as they landed. She could see a lone figure waiting by an SUV. The plane rolled to a stop and Cullen walked toward the plane, waiting for the stairwell to be let down. She stepped out and inhaled deeply. The air was brisk, cold and clean. It seemed as if nothing bad had ever touched this land. It was as pristine and wild as it had been before any kind of human—shifter or not—had ever walked the Earth.
“Salem, welcome to Ghost Moon Manor,” said Cullen with a smile.
