“Yeah,” Bernard nodded blinking at the money.
“Well, there you go then. That should tide you over, right? Did you take the train here or the Other World Gateway?” Barry asked, patting the owl shifter on the shoulder. “Had to be the gateway!” he laughed as if it was at his own short sightedness. “GGB is too far by train for a quick trip. Let me walk you back. Lots of folks get lost in the snow out here. Money won’t do you any good if you can’t make it home, huh?”
Barry walked away with Bernard and Mori and Preston exchanged a look I couldn’t read. I just hoped that Barry wasn’t going to off Bernard. The guy seemed pretty clueless. I started to sit down on the porch then remembered that Mori and Preston weren’t snow demons like me. So, I ushered them both inside, glad that I’d put the massage table away earlier.
Mori plopped onto the sofa and Preston grabbed his phone to see all the missed calls and text messages from Bernard. He had been at it since the first time the vibration interrupted us.
“I don’t think he’s actually coming here,” Mori said. “I think he just told Bernard that because it made sense. It was a good way of covering his tracks.”
“Why though? If he already told him he was going to visit his mom, why would he tack on a lie?” Preston asked, plopping down on the sofa next to his twin.
“Maybe he was going somewhere else altogether. Like he wanted people to look for him in places that he wouldn’t be. Like anyone who knows who his mom is has to know he’s not telling the truth,” Mori said. “Maybe it was a clue for someone else. Who knows? Maybe he did go to see his mom, and she decided to sacrifice him instead of the baby since she can’t get Andy?”
I went into the kitchen to gather up some snacks because I couldn’t stand them theorizing any more about where Venal might be when I knew exactly where the fucker was. He wasn’t going to hurt anyone anymore unless someone stubbed their toe on him. I made sandwiches and did my best not to think too hard about it. Sure, I wasn’t on any links with anyone here yet, but it seemed like bad luck to think about it. I glanced out the kitchen window, trying to see the snow pile that was really Venal.
The back door swung open as soon as I turned my back and went back to making sandwiches. I turned around, bread knife in hand and found myself face-to-face with Barry.
“Stop staring out the window. They’ll think you’re worried he’s coming too,” Barry said, picking up the piece of bread I just sliced and taking a bite before heading back into the living room.
How long was I supposed to keep this a secret? How long could I let Preston worry that this loser was going to show up and cause him a headache? Sure, he probably wouldn’t be happy with me…. I mean, he thought it was hot when I said it earlier, but I wasn’t so sure about how he’d feel with it in action.
“Babe?” Preston called.
“He’s making sandwiches. He knows you two,” Barry laughed. “I took a look around outside after I walked Bernard to the gateway. He’s not been out there. No one strange has besides the owl guy. I can stay if you want, though.”
Was Barry really not going to say anything to his sons? I bit my lip. Maybe it was for the best. Venal was out of the way for good. There was nothing for anyone to worry about, but Preston didn’t know that, and his scent said he was about to run and get his baby and hide out. Going along with that felt a bit like gaslighting.
Shit! I wasn’t going to be Barry’s favorite son-in-law but I could live with that. I couldn’t live with letting Preston worry any longer. Hell, maybe I already let it go on too long. I put the sandwiches on a plate and made my way into the living room. Barry’s eyebrows hit the top of his head as soon as he saw my expression. I expected him to tell me to shut up or to try to drag me back into the kitchen, but he didn’t. He merely took asandwich from the plate and waited to see what I was going to do.
“Preston, I need to tell you something and I should’ve told you earlier,” I blurted out the words. “Venal isn’t coming here.”
“Did you see something?” he asked, standing up, ignoring the sandwiches.
“No, not that way,” I shook my head, wishing I could’ve sent Venal off on a mission to find his true-mate. That would’ve been a simpler way to solve the problem.
“What’s going on?” Preston asked.
“He was here earlier. Still sort of here. He pulled a gun on me and was rambling about how he was going to take Baby Andy so that his mom left him alone and I couldn’t take….”
Preston didn’t let me finish. He ducked down to get his machete from under the chair. I found it while cleaning up earlier but left it where it was because with psychos running around you could never have too many weapons at hand.
“Mate! Venal can’t take anyone! He’s frozen! Like literally an ice statue hidden in the snow!” I said and Preston let the machete drop to the floor. His weight hit me all at once with no holding back and a nano second later I was on the floor with him wrapped around me. He nuzzled into my chest and I hugged him. This wasn’t the response I expected.
“Come on, Mori. Let’s go home,” Barry said. “Leave the lovebirds to figure out life.”
“Did you know he did that?” Mori asked.
“You and Preston are probably the only two in town who didn’t,” Barry sighed. “Word gets around here and the snow has eyes.”
“And no one--- Wait! You told me to keep it a secret!” I said, still holding onto my mate.
“Wanted to see if you would lie to my son,” Barry shrugged. “You did what needed doing. No one’s going to argue with you on that. He’s lucky you got to him before one of the archers did or a group of teenage bears with something to prove. He’s a big fucker but they travel in groups and don’t play nice about cubs. Hell, five hundred years ago, they’d have cubs of their own. They’re at prime cub protecting age according to their hormones. Now, they get to be kids for a lot longer but those instincts are still there and it’s fresh in their minds how big and scary the world is to a cub.”
“You… I don’t get it,” I shook my head.
“I needed to know what sort of alpha you were. You did well, kiddo. Don’t sweat it,” Barry said.
His words didn’t assuage the guilt in my bones. I only told Preston once he was upset about the prospect of him coming here.
