With his newly installed security monitor situated on the kitchen worktop, Seb got into the habit of checking it whenever he was in there. Even though all it ever showed was the empty front step and the path beyond—and the postman every morning—it had become habit to stop and watch for a few seconds. A small part of him still expected a couple of shifters to pop into sight, teeth and claws out, marking up his new door.
His foot throbbed as though stirred by the memory of that night, and Seb rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was a big guy, six foot three, and though not overly muscular, his size tended to make people think twice before giving him grief. Despite knowing shifters were amongst them all the time, and even after seeing Jared all banged up, he’d never been scared for himself. Until now.
The fear wasn’t as bad as it had been when he’d fallen down the stairs, but suddenly, knowing that only the front door stood between him and one or more potentially violent shifters unsettled him.
And just like that, the sun-filled warmth of the outdoors lost all its appeal.
Seb closed his eyes and leaned back, resting against the edge of the worktop. It wasn’t something he wanted to admit even to himself, but if he let himself dwell on it, going outside knowing what could be waiting for him was enough to make his hands shake.
Which was ridiculous. Tim had as good as said the threat was minimal, just speculation and caution on their part. Seb had nothing to worry about. And unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life cooped up in his house or continually looking over his shoulder, he needed to suck it up and go outside. People were looking out for him; he knew that. Just because he couldn’t see them didn’t mean they weren’t there.
He made his way downstairs and then stopped to send a quick text to Tim, just to be on the safe side.Finally going to test my limits.
TheDare I ask?he got back made him smile.
Taking a walk to the shop.
Be careful. Call me when you get back.
Tim’s concern warmed him instead of irritating him as he’d expected, and Seb sent a quickWill dobefore slipping his phone into his back pocket and unlocking the front door.
As expected, no one was on the other side, but his heart raced and still he breathed a sigh of relief.
For fuck’s sake, get a grip!
Shaking off the wariness clinging to him, Seb locked up, pocketed his keys, and set off along the path to the road. Over the past week and a half, he’d become relatively proficient at getting around on his crutch. His hand still got sore sometimes if he used it a lot, but the shop was only about a ten-minute walk away. Fingers crossed, he should be okay. He’d also remembered to take his rucksack, so there’d be no awkward carrier bags to manage on the way back. Not that he planned to buy much on this first trip.
The road wasn’t a main one by any stretch of the imagination, but cars still travelled up and down it, the intermittent flow of traffic a reassuring sight. He glanced behind him and then up ahead, trying to spot any suspicious cars or people, but nothing stood out. In all honesty, he had no idea what to look for anyway.
He reached the small Tesco Express without mishap and felt a little foolish as he walked inside. Nothing was going to happen in broad daylight. In fact, nothing would probably happen at all, ever. In the cold light of day, back in the outside world, it all seemed foolish. What would anyone have to gain by messing with him?
Tim, Alec, and whoever else might think he was in some sort of danger, but they were wrong. Seb wasn’t a shifter, wasn’t anyone’s bonded mate, wasn’t even part of their pack, regardless of what Tim said. No one in their right mind would waste their time on him.
Feeling slightly better, Seb paid for his pint of milk, chocolate bar, and newspaper, shoved them in his backpack, and left the shop with a smile on his face, finally able to fully enjoy the sunshine.
That lasted for all of two minutes.
Not quite sure what had suddenly changed, Seb slowed his pace, glancing around him to try and see what had made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Nothing looked any different than it had twenty seconds ago, but Sebfeltit: that niggling awareness of someone watching him.
He shrugged it off and carried on walking. Tim had said P-Pack were still keeping an eye on him. They were obviously keeping their distance; that was all it probably was.
He resumed his earlier pace, trying not to speed up as he headed for home, but his gaze darted back and forth, continually scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Every car or van that drove past set Seb’s nerves on edge, and he couldn’t stop himself from peering inside, trying to get a look at the occupants.
Like I’d be able to tell a shifter from a regular human.
The feeling persisted, though, and the closer Seb got to home, the worse it got. Rationally he knew it must be his mind playing tricks, but that didn’t make it go away.
A white van sat parked on the kerb outside his flat, and Seb stumbled as he came to an abrupt stop. It hadn’t been there when he left, and it had no identifying marks or logos that he could see. Just as he reached for his phone to call Tim or Jared,someone,the passenger-side door of the van slid open and one of the P-Pack shifters who’d come to apologise to him—Mark?—got out.
He turned, saw Seb, and grinned at him, pointing at Seb’s crutch. “Pretty quick with that thing, aren’t you?”
Seb shrugged, his heart still pounding. Seeing a familiar face should have reassured him, but it hadn’t. “How long have you been here?”
Made sense they’d been following him, so of course it was their presence he’d felt. But no matter how many times he repeated that thought in his head, it still sounded hollow.
“About twenty-five minutes. We saw you leave the house, so Will followed you on foot and I brought the van around.”
Mark pointed back up the road, and when Seb glanced behind, he recognised the guy jogging towards them. Even though it was unlikely, he had to ask. “And you haven’t seen anyone else?”
