Aaron smiled. “Actually, it’s in several pieces outside the entrance to the cavern.”
“What?”
“Broken in the struggle when Cole and those helping him tried to escape. Tim and the other were killed, you and I were badly injured, but two helpful shifters from the local pack drove us here, where we could get help.”
The pieces sort of fit together, but there were glaring holes. “So you picked up my phone from my flat?”
“I did.” He smiled. “I also fed your devil cat, too.”
Fuck, Smudge!Logan had forgotten all about her. “Thank you.”
“Welcome.”
Logan sighed. “So you picked up my phone and took it with you all the way to St Neot?”
“Yep.”
“If anyone had traced it, they’d have known I hadn’t gone ahead at all. That you and Jacob were lying.”
Aaron shrugged. “But they didn’t. They had no cause to. Jacob commands a lot of respect in the pack, they took him at his word.”
“If you hadn’t managed to kill everyone at the cav—”
“But we did. Stop stressing over things that have already happened. There’s always a risk, Logan. You should know that better than anyone.”
And he did. He just wasn’t used to Aaron being the one putting himself at risk. “Why here though? Why take us somewhere over an hour’s drive to another pack territory when they could’ve taken us to the nearest hospital?”
“To keep it out of the news. Having a candidate escape from London, where there are so many packs within such a small area, would look very bad for national security. If the McKillan Pack can’t keep one of their own from escaping...” He spread his hands out. “If we turn up at a hospital in the South West, far away from home and near death, there are going to be questions. And gossip. You know how packs are out here, especially when it comes to the London packs. A lot of them hate us.”
With good fucking reason.
“Isaac Mothecombe is an accomplished surgeon who has a private clinic well away from prying eyes. It was the perfect place to bring us. At Jacob’s request.” Aaron finished and clasped his hands in his lap. “As far as McKillan and the others are concerned, we were overpowered and left to die.”
“By humans,” Logan offered. “Overpowered, left to die, and relieved of Cole, by humans.” Jeez, they were going to crucify them. “We can’t go back.”
“We have to.”
Logan shook his head. “Why do we? You know what they’ll say, right?”
“That we’re weak and don’t deserve to be part of the pack.”
“And yet you still want to go back?” Logan stood, needing to expel some energy. He paced. “They’re going to treat us like shit. We’ll be the laughing stock.”
“For a while, they will. But it won’t last forever.” He sat up a little straighter, the action seeming easier for him now. “But what’s the alternative? Exile? Where the fuck would you go, Logan? No pack would dare take you in. They wouldn’t risk incurring McKillan’s wrath, and you know he’d never agree to a transfer.”
“Because he’ll want to punish us for letting humans get the best of us.”
“But when that’s over and done with, we can go back to helping people.” He sighed. “And come January, there’s going to be a whole new set of people who need it.”
“We?” Logan raised an eyebrow. “We can go back to helping people?”
Aaron flushed and looked away. “I’ve been talking to Jacob about doing what you do. He’s putting out some feelers.”
“You want to do what I do, even after all this?”
Expression fierce, Aaron nodded. “I want to help people like my brother. If you hadn’t been there for him, I—” He swallowed thickly. “Let’s just say I’m glad we didn’t have to go that route.”
They sat in silence for a few moments: Logan struggling to take it all in, and Aaron content to let him.
