Ostor and Tark dismounted from their sorhoxes, Sel and Ruugar not far behind.
“Max pinned a note to the front of the jail,” Dungar said, joining us. “Good thing he did, or we wouldn’t have known where to find you.”
“Will created a diversion,” Sel said as the cars pulled away. “Carmichael’s people led us away while they grabbed Hail.”
Greel’s jaw tightened. “We should’ve seen it coming.”
“No one could have predicted this,” Allie said. “Will must’ve been planning this for weeks, watching us, waiting for the right time.”
My brothers seemed to realize how close we’d come to disaster.
“So while we were running around the outskirts of town, our mates organized a rescue with kitchen tools and angry chumbles?” Ostor sounded impressed.
“Tressa found the chumbles.” Allie stroked the wolf’s head. “She somehow knew to bring them here when we needed help.”
Everyone looked at the white wolf sitting beside me, looking smug. She’d saved the day, and she knew it. Her tail wagged, thumping the ground.
“Let’s get you home,” Greel said, looking at my cuts. “Where we can clean those properly.”
“That would be wonderful,” I said, swaying. The rush of energy was wearing off, leaving me bone-tired and aching all over.
Allie frowned. “If you start showing signs of a concussion?—”
“I’ll let you know.” I tugged her close again, putting my arm around her.
“You’d better,” she said with a heavy sigh.
The next morning,I sat on our front porch with my head and wrists wrapped in clean bandages. My head still throbbed with each heartbeat, but the cuts were healing well. Allie had done a good job caring for my injuries, her gentle touch better than any doctor’s.
The morning air smelled like pine and wildflowers. Birds sang in the deep grass, their cheerful songs strange after what happened yesterday. The normal feeling of it all seemed unreal after what we’d been through.
Will was in custody, facing charges that would keep him locked up for a long time if the jury agreed. Fernandez had called to say Will was already talking, trying to make deals about other stolen art, the deaths. The paintings Allie’s father had supposedly stolen were still missing, but that was a problem for another day.
“Tea?” Allie appeared in the doorway with two steaming mugs.
“Please.” I took one, breathing in the minty scent. The warmth felt good in my hands.
“Any news from t-town?” I asked, putting my free arm around her as she sat beside me on the extra-large chair.
“Holly called. Margaret and her husband will be here anytime to help fix it.” She sounded amazed, like she couldn’t believe people would care enough to come all this way to help what were basically strangers. “And Sel says everyone in town is volunteering as well.” Allie leaned into my side.
“Good. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
The pottery barn wasn’t only a business. It had brought our community together. It was where visitors and locals created beautiful things, where being human or orc didn’t matter.
“I still can’t believe it’s over.”
“The immediate threat is,” I said carefully. Will was locked up, but questions remained about the stolen paintings and what Allie’s father had been involved in. The mystery wasn’t solved, though we’d put that on hold. “We’re sa-safe now.”
“I love that,” she said softly.
The town was starting to wake up, and I could just make out people walking along the boardwalk, tourists and locals starting another day in our peaceful valley. That peace was fragile, maintained by ordinary people willing to stand up for each other.
“What are you thinking about?” Allie asked, following my gaze.
“How our mates handled yesterday.” I smiled, remembering Aunt Inla with her frying pan, Holly’s rolling pin, Jessi’s determination, and Beth’s calm even when Max disobeyed and could’ve been seriously injured. “I imagine my brothers are still proc-processing it.”
“We’re not helpless.”
