“I know. It’s fast but I’ve got a good feeling about Lyall.”
Franklin frowns. “Didn’t you have good feelings about all the other guys you dated?”
I get his concern. It wasn’t long ago that I was swearing off relationships. “This is different. He’s different.”
Tom adds, “Why San Francisco?”
“Well, I was hoping a certain silver fox could help me and my boyfriend get a job at one of his restaurants…”
Franklin elbows Tom. “He was using us this whole time!”
He barks a laugh. “With all the money I’ve given you, I’m practically your employer already. Sure. I’m happy to help.”
How can I argue with that?
Step one of the plan, complete. The rest of my shift is pretty slow after Franklin and Tom head out, so I spend my time on my phone looking at apartment listings. SF is an expensive city, but I’ve done the math by the time I get home, and I’ll be able to afford it. Plus I’ll have Lyall with me. He doesn’t have a degree of any kind, so I’ll help him find a job at Tom’s restaurant. What skills could a Viking from the past bring to the present?
I hesitate with my key in the lock when I hear Fergus washing the dishes. My heart sinks. Telling Fergus will be difficult. There’s no telling how he’ll react. Will he be angry? Hurt? Too bad. I’m an adult, and I can make my own decisions.
Squaring my shoulders, I head inside.
Fergus smiles at me. “Hello. Did you have a good shift?”
“Yeah. Sure.” I lean on the counter, tapping my fingers. Drawing in a breath, I let it out slowly. “Gramps, can we talk?”
“Certainly.” Fergus sets the last dish in the dishwasher and turns to face me, drying his hands on a dishrag. “Are you all right? Did something happen at work?” His eyes darken. “It’s the wolf, isn’t it?”
“No. Lyall’s great. We’re great.” Fergus still mistrusts Lyall. There’s no way he’ll approve of my decision. “Gramps… is there any chance that the Council will let us be together?”
Fergus sighs. “The Council made it very clear to me that you were never to learn the truth about your past. They feared you would endanger the Erikson pack. I imagine they gave Lyall similar instructions. So long as the Council believes you are unaware, there shouldn’t be any issue, but…”
He trails off, leaving me to imagine all the horrible scenarios where our secret’s discovered.
“They’d take my memories again, right?”
“Most likely, yes. Lyall would also be punished, and his pack would face dire consequences. Lyall could be forbidden from traveling. The whole pack could lose their ability to travel.”
“I know, he told me.” My stomach churns. “Could the Council find out that Lyall told me the truth?”
Fergus is quiet for a moment, rubbing the stubble on his jaw. “I would never put it past them. They take protecting the secrets of time travel and the paranormal community very seriously.”
I wet my lip, sensing my opportunity. “And what if we went somewhere they couldn’t find us?”
Fergus’s brows furrow. “How exactly would you do that?”
“What if we moved somewhere they don’t have a headquarters?”
“You’re leaving?” The shock in Fergus’s voice makes my heart sink.
“It’s just an idea. I was thinking we could go to San Francisco. Lyall mentioned they don’t have a headquarters there. Plus one of my customers owns a restaurant there, and he can get me a job.”
Silence stretches between us. I tighten my jaw to hold back the sudden urge to apologize, to tell Fergus I’ll stay. He’s done so much for me, and I hate disappointing him.
“Soren,” Fergus says at last, a quiver in his voice I was dreading. I’ve hurt him. Damn it, that’s not what I wanted. He clears his throat. “You barely know the wolf.”
“Lyall,” I say. “He has a name. And I know enough.”
“But he abandoned you!”
