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Chapter Twelve
“What is that face for?” Gunnar asked me before we went into the school.
D-A-G-G-E-R. I spelled out the word in sign language. I’d really been trying to practice and had mastered the alphabet.
Gunnar, well, he was having a bit of trouble. “Badger?” he asked and then scanned the area frantically for some rodent, mammal thing looking to take a chunk out of my leg or maybe his.
“Dagger,” I said loud and clear and pointed to my outer thigh. Another thing my mates had decided in their meeting was that I should have some kind of weapon on me at all times, even if I was surrounded by mates and guards and who knew what else.
“Is it still bothering you?” Gunnar patted my dress right by my thigh. “You’ll get used to it.” He leaned in, and his lips brushed the rim of my ear as he spoke, sending shivers all through me. Of course, there was no whispering to be done. I couldn’t hear it even if he had. He pulled back to make sure I could see his lips. “Besides, it’s sexy. Your mates are the only ones who know all the things under your skirts.” His innuendo was coupled with a waggling of the eyebrows, making me laugh.
He also got playfully slapped on the arm for that.
“Don’t make me blush before we go into the school.”
Gunnar’s stare went over my shoulder. “Speaking of school. Turn around, my love.”
I turned to find the new headmaster standing in front of the double doors, wearing a wide grin. “Your Majesty, we are very excited to show you the changes we’ve made. Please, come inside.”
When the headmaster was no longer looking, Gunnar patted my butt, and I gasped. “You are too much.”
He chuckled. “What every man wants to hear. Come on, let’s get this over with. Maybe I can take advantage of the break in your schedule if we hurry.”
Inside the school, changes could be seen right away. At the side entrance, a wheelchair ramp had been added, which was a big change. They boasted of having new Braille books inside the library, and every handout would now be available in the same way.
“And the deaf students? Are there changes for them as well?”
The principal squared off his shoulders and smiled. “Yes, Your Majesty. We have added close-captions to all of our video lessons. Our teachers who have hearing impaired students in the classroom are aware they have to face the students when they are speaking. And for those who cannot read lips or are still learning, we have a sign-language translator on standby to help out. We have also added sign-language as a language class. The teacher is the tutor as well.”
Gunnar took my hand in his. “Is it Quinton?”
The man’s eyes lit up. “It is. You know him?”
Instead of explaining how we knew him through the Minister of Education, Gunnar simply nodded and we went about our way. We spent over two hours at the school, seeing every new fixture and the headmaster pointed out Quinton’s cottage close to the school.
The clock near the main office said we had taken up enough time. “We’d better get going. Thank you for the tour, and congratulations on all the improvements you’ve made.”
The man got bashful all of a sudden. “We have a good ways to go, but, thanks to you, we are taking it one step at a time.” He bowed and kissed my hand, making Gunnar grip the other one tighter. What did he think was going to happen? I was going to tell him to have a nice life and run with the headmaster into the next room and make passionate love to him on the desk? Shifter males, I swear.
On the way home, Gunnar and I snuggled in the open carriage. We took the same way back to the castle as we had come, but this time, there was something darker about the woods we had to go through. Like dusk had settled into this one place, and this one place alone. My wolf’s hackles were up. She was poised for a danger we couldn’t see and certainly couldn’t hear.
Gunnar didn’t say a word, but held me tighter, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against his body. He gestured to the driver and said something, but my mind was on that feeling.
The heavy anvil of impending doom.
My eyes strained to see into the darkness of the forest around us, but my wolf sensed movement, sensed a presence that was anything but friendly.
Gunnar put his hands on my shoulders and turned me toward him. “I think it’s Bors or his followers. My wolf smells him. Stay close to me.”
I nodded. A tug at the back of my head made me scream, and before I knew what was happening, I was on the ground. Someone had pulled me off of the carriage by the back of my head.
That was just plain rude to say the least.
Gunnar shifted on the now stopped carriage right before three wolves jumped on him until their fur all mingled together and I couldn’t tell who was winning. I stood and braced myself for the shift when a hand slapped over my mouth. It was my uncle. I could smell him, his fetid breath wafted into my nose.
“Leave me alone!” I screamed, but he didn’t relent. He was dragging me into the trees.
That was when I saw my saviors coming to help.
