“I think she’s saying she’ll go?” Rumor said. “Right?”
I nodded, but no smile tipped my lips.
“That’s very br—” Lily stopped, probably afraid if she called me brave for such a small thing, I’d chicken out. When had I become so fragile? Someone nobody wanted to upset? “That’s great, Sylvia. The farmers market is a good place with nice people. We should leave you to your art, now. See you at dinner.”
Their voices faded as they headed down the stairs and I considered my fairy bread. Maybe the baker would be at the market, too, and I could see what other treats someone who made sparkly banana bread came up with. I preferred to stay out of the way of all peopleafter everything that happened, and just with my brother’s pack, it was about as many as I could stand. As nice as they were.
Painting gave me an excuse to be alone and it helped calm my mind.
But there was no reason to be afraid. Everyone involved in my captivity was dead. There were no witnesses, and nobody who would be hunting for me to harm me further.
It would be fine.
Please let it be fine.I really was being brave by doing something most of the town probably did every Saturday with no fears whatsoever.
Chapter Six
Dax
“Pack meeting!” Archer called out as soon as he parked his car in the driveway. My stomach twisted as my mind conjured up the worst-case scenario. Maybe his meeting didn’t go well and he lost a client. Perhaps he’d gotten into an accident.
There was no end to my overthinking. Sometimes it consumed me, which was why I liked to spend every minute of every day working in some fashion. Action was the enemy of anxiety. Archer told me that. He read books like most people breathed. It wasn’t my thing. Reading was too still, almost encouraging my wild mind. The last thing I needed.
I closed the chicken coop and went inside where Talon was already making dinner. Archer came in from the front with three cloth bags. My wolf picked up the powerful sweetness of honey—and something else equally intriguing.
Archer’s eyes were wide, his movements rushed and frantic, out of character for him. He was usually composed and calculated. Everything he did was methodical. Planned. “I have news.”
“You got honey?” Talon asked, flipping the chicken in the pan. He was making his lemon chicken and pasta.
“What? Honey? Oh. Yes. I got it, but that isn’t the best thing.”
“You landed that client,” Talon continued, his back to Archer.
“Yes. Client. Human. Contracts signed. I have something important to tell you. Better than honey or money or clients. These.” Archer tossed two of the bags on the table. He moved the bowl of fruit from the island before spilling the contents of the third bag on the surface. “Smell them.”
“What?” I asked, but soon that question was moot. Sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg filled my senses, driving my wolf to want to come out and find out the source of the smell. “What? Where? Who? Name?”
I never claimed to be a smart man, but my staccato questions all but confirmed my lack of intelligence.
Talon turned off the burners and stepped toward the island. I approached at the same time and picked up one of the cards. It was made of sturdy paper, like a greeting card, and had a watercolor painting of a body of water and a small fishing dock on the front. The art was great, but the scent…I put the card to my nose and inhaled deeply.
Fuck me.
“Where did you get this?” Talon demanded, mimicking my motions, pressing a card with a sunset painting to his nose.
“I was on my way home from seeing that client and stopped at the farmers market. These are her cards. Our omega. She paints them. An artist. She wasn’t there, but she will be next weekend.”
“Ours…” I whispered more to myself than them.
“We’ll be there. We have to. Do you know her name? Was there a picture of her?” Talon was freaking the fuck out and, I had to admit, so was I.
“No. I don’t know her name, and there was no picture of her. It doesn’t matter. My wolf doesn’t lie. She’s ours. Don’t you smell it?”
Nods all around. Her scent permeated my cells and, even though it was just a hint of her, it was powerful.
“The house isn’t ready,” I said, muscles tenser by the second. My temples throbbed, a panic attack coming on.
“She isn’t moving in immediately, brothers. We have to court her. Dax, it’s fine. We’ll get everything ready.”
