The stutter returned, confirming my hypothesis. I had no idea why, but Sebastian only stuttered when I was nearby but not touching him. I had no idea what that could even mean.
Before the conversation could progress, there was a light rap at the door. I scented the air and found wolf and…turkey. I shook my head and opened it to admit the two shifters.
The wolf stepped forward, his distress palpable, and stepped right into my face.
"Can you fight?" he demanded.
"What?" Sebastian gasped from the bed. "Jackal?"
"Get up and get dressed," Jackal shot back, his eyes never leaving mine. "We need to get the fuck out of herenow." His eyes narrowed. "I need to know who is in charge here, Alpha." He almost swallowed the growl that slipped out. "What is your status?"
"Stand down." From the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian dressing as instructed and the turkey hovering nearby, literally biting his lip. "What's the situation?"
The Beta relaxed ever so slightly at my response.
"Thank the Gods," he growled. "I know why there aren't any shifters in this Godforsaken town," he ground out. "It’s a clan town."
"Clan?" I raised a brow at him. "You mean hunters?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "And I think they're onto us."
"Onto us, how?" I demanded, recalling as much as I could about the humans who lived in large groups to hunt shifters. "Don't leave anything out."
Jackal inhaled sharply. "There's a watch posted in the square across from the motel," he started. "Vlad and I noticed them when we left, but it didn't seem odd." He shrugged. "But now I've seen three different duos rotate through. They've all stood in the same place, and they've all had had their eyes glued to this door."
I nodded. That was a pretty good sign that we were being observed but didn't scream hunters. "There's more?"
"We found a clearing in the woods," he said, shaking his head. "A small farm, I guess. Large crops of wolfsbane, garlic, castor beans, hemlock, nightshade, and oleander."
"Fuck," I said, and the wolf nodded. "So, no fruit, vegetables, just poison?"
I bit back another oath when he nodded. I could curse after I'd gotten this group of civilians to safety.
"How are we set for transportation?"
"My Harley is out front, but it can only carry two," he said. "Rafe can arrange transport from the next town over, but we have to get there, first."
"Rafe?"
"My Alpha," Jackal explained. "Blood River pack."
"How far to the next town?"
"Three hours south and east on foot, two if we can push it."
"But we have to get out of this room without being seen."
Jackal nodded.
I looked over my companions, inspecting them carefully. The Beta in front of me was fit, strong and capable. He looked like he could be a force to be reckoned with, Beta or not. The turkey -Vlad, I reminded myself – was a little softer around the edges and, as a turkey, he wasn't going to be able to move very fast in either form. Then there was Sebastian. His wolf was small but strong and fast. Unfortunately, I had no way to gauge how well-healed his internal injuries were. I couldn't leave the Omega unguarded and I wouldn't let him out of my sight. I ran through the options again in my head and made the obvious decision.
"The moon hasn't risen yet, and it'll be fully dark soon." I glanced casually out the window, confirming that we were still under observation. "For whatever reason, they're comfortable with you coming and going."
Jackal nodded.
"Take Vlad with you on the bike," I instructed the Beta. "Stop on the main drag and start an argument. You want them watching you, but don't let them get close. As soon as you start, Seb and I will take off out the back window. If you can, give us five minutes before you hit the road. If it looks like they're moving on you, gun it. We'll be fine." I grabbed the backpack and tossed it to Jackal. "I'd appreciate it if you could take this."
Jackal nodded silently and held his hand out toward his mate. Vlad looked worriedly at Sebastian before moving slowly across the room.
