“Anyway,” Jessie said, her focus snapping back to them, “this is Aurora, Austin’s niece.” Jessie pointed to her. “And Broken Sue.”
“Broken—BrokenSue, did you say?” the woman asked. Humor and delight peeked through her drawn face. She’d gotten quite a shock earlier, that was clear.
“Just Sue is fine, if you like,” he replied.
“Yeah.” The woman bobbed her upper body.TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!!!!!“You don’t look broken. You look like you do the breaking. Heads, bones—but hey, I’ll work with what you give me. Broken Sue, Sue, you just let me know. I’m in. Do you guys actually go to the gym, or are magical people just in good shape? You look like you’re ready to crush a skull with your bare hands.”
“We don’t work out in a gym, but we do work out,” Ulric said. “You know, flying and?—”
“Never mind. Forget I asked.” The woman waved to cut Ulric off. She reached for her newly poured whiskey with a trembling hand. “I’m Fred. Fred Foster. Sounds good, right? Alliteration. Well, Broken Sue, Sue for short, I’ve had a helluva start to the afternoon, let me tell you.”
She blew out a long breath and stared at nothing for a while.
Fireworks of movement exploded all over Sue’s body.Bewildered. Humored. She’ll fit here.
Aurora answered in kind.Definitely will.
“I feel like I should create a new name,” Aurora murmured, reaching for her bourbon on the rocks with a twist as Jessie clued into them again. The training was officially starting.
“Your dad is already wary about this setup,” Sue replied. “He worries about your being in Alpha Steele’s territory, given thedanger.”This is a passive warning. “I’d give it a while before you spring any new changes on him.”
Jessie shook her head. “No idea.”
“But at least you knew he was communicatingsomething,” Aurora said with an encouraging smile. “That’s good!” She glanced at Sue. “Way too subtle.”And Iknow. You don’t have to mother me.
Apologies,he replied.
“What’d I miss?” Hollace walked over in that unhurried way of his. The world could be falling down around him and he wouldn’t pick up the pace. The man made an art of looking stylishly unaffected.
Aurora decided she would try to learn it. That sort of thing would be great for morale and peace of mind in a pack, especially in a volatile one like Uncle Auzzie’s.
Jessie blew out a breath and leaned her face against her palm, with her elbow on the bar holding her up. “Not a lot. Broken Sue wiggled a bit, Aurora said a few things before barely twitching, Broken Sue then basically mimed an apology, I think I need a coffee because I’ve just realized how crazy tired I am, and we might be migrating toward calling him Sue instead of Broken Sue. Did you realize how many people we have around here with made-up names? It’s actually quite a lot. What does it say about me that I never noticed?”
“Thunderbird,” Fred murmured absently, staring at Hollace, her eyes tight. “Enormous thunderbird…with lightning…”
“Nuthouse.” Hollace pulled a chair next to Jessie’s. “It keeps things fun.”
Tristan entered the bar with a cocky strut that did wonders to hide his exhaustion. All the senior staff were under a lot of pressure and working long hours. He glanced down the bar, sighting Jessie, before checking his watch. He didn’t veer her way. If he’d wanted practice deciphering body language, itwouldn’t happen now. Instead, he took a seat at the other end, where Uncle Auzzie was talking with two shifters who handled border patrol. They needed to make some adjustments for the people going away.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Fred downed her drink, pushed it aside, pulled the laptop closer, and braced her fingers against the keys. “I’ll rationalize the magic later. Stalking has commenced. Point me in the right direction.”
“Concern!” Jessie pointed at Sue. “He’s concerned.” She bit her lip, her gaze shifting to Fred. “We all are. Hopefully, Fred can help.”
Austin
“Sir, can I have a moment?”
Tristan stood at the bar, waiting. He’d come in earlier to meet about the territory line, then left again with Jessie. He was doing a great job keeping her to task, but the added duties had increased the fatigue that now lined his body.
Austin held in a sigh. He was exhausted, famished, stressed beyond belief, tired of bad news within the alpha and pack rumor mills, and wanted nothing more than to go home to his mate, find a quiet room, and relax. Tristan deserved his time, though.
“Sure.” He stopped at the end of the bar.
Brochan, sitting on his own at the other end, rose and started their way. He’d been in and out all day, meeting their people and conferring with Austin. He was another of their number who had been tasked with more than his fair share of duties, but he didn’t complain. Actually, Brochan constantly asked what morehe could do. Neither of these men had downtime, and neither of them voiced their exhaustion or need for a break.
Tristan eyed Austin. “Beer?” He took a seat and pulled out the barstool next to him. “I’m buying. I’m through practicing being a shifter for today.”
Austin allowed himself a smile and gratefully took the seat. The guy on Tristan’s other side grabbed his drink and evacuated, taking his friend with him. Brochan waited for them to get out of the way before sitting next to Tristan.
