The different perspective that age brings, I suppose. It’s optimized to be an easily defendable location. With the river flowing in from the west, the only weak points would be someone contaminating the water, raining down fire from above, or dwindling supplies with such a massive population. It’s in an awkward enough location that no one traveling on the nearest highway would venture this far out of their way unless they were desperate, yet the place is thriving.
Catching sight of Reid in the rearview mirror, I find his jaw clenched and a murderous glint in his eyes. The others haven’t put it together yet, but I’m sure they’ll wind up at the same conclusion the two of us have.
Khalida is a safe haven hiding in plain sight.
With a silent warning glare for him to keep his mouth shut, I flick my gaze to Sabrina to drive my point home. She’s already perking up at the sight of the city, and I put a hard stop to spitballing theories for a reason. She needs a break from all of the doom and gloom so she has a chance to regroup before the emotionally draining meeting with the men that may or may not be her fathers. I’m not keeping it a secret; I’m not even sure that I’m right. But if Sebastian knows about other shifters and only warned us to steer clear of Raiden’s playground and not demand we get the hell out of dodge and bring Sabrina home immediately, it means that we aren’t walking into the lion’s den.
Not far off the mark, though.
Pulling out her phone, Sabrina keeps herself occupied, buying me a little longer to continue my silent argument with Reid. I get where his head’s at; our encounter with the fox masquerading as their coworker and friend. That doesn’t exactly paint other shifters in a good light, but like all people, actions fall on the individual. Jonathan doesn’t represent all foxes any more than Reid is a poster child for wolves. We all fuck up, but it’s not because of what we are, it’s who we are.
If I’m right and this place really is a refuge that shifters can live in without needing to tiptoe around humans as much so there’s less risk of revealing ourselves, it could be a melting pot of different species. It would mean that Sabrina isn’t inmoredanger, she’d be in less since we’d be around people that understand the sanctity of mate bonds.
“The fox attempted to kill her on the claim she was too much of an exposure risk. He called us abominations,”a voice snarls in my head and I jolt in my seat. Up until now, my inner beast has always been a driving force of instinct, not quite so... sentient.
Feeling like an absolute idiot, I mentally reply,So we should... leave?
“We remind them of their place beneath us on the food chain. Weak men lash out in fear of that which they don’t understand. Wolves keep to ourselves unless someone is suicidal enough to take a strike against us. Then, we grant their wish with a slow death.”
Interrupting the voice encouraging me to wage a war on the rest of the world, Sabrina looks up from her phone and says, “I’d like to swing by somewhere before we find a motel, if we can.”
Slade catches her eye in the mirror. “Of course. And for the record, unless it’s absolutely necessary, I’m insisting on actual hotels from now on. Where would you like to stop?”
I’m not sure she even realizes that she’s muttering under her breath instead of inside of her head. “It’s not awkward unless you make it awkward. You’ve literally fucked people in the middle of the woods and during a snobby dinner party; you’re the sort of person people my age envy, so embrace it.”
Bo has to look out the window to hide his expression, while Reid simply stares at the side of her face with a soft smile that speaks volumes. She forwards the address to Slade’s phone, and he glances away from the road long enough to tap the link to bring it up before slowing to a stop right in the middle of the thankfully abandoned road. Throwing an arm around the passenger seat, he faces her with a raised eyebrow, but doesn’t say a word.
“What?” Reid asks from her side, but she simply bites her lip and shakes her head.
Slade smirks. “I’ll let the others know we’re making a detour so they don’t worry, but you know as well as I do, they’re going to tail us anyway and insist on following you in.”
“Not if you tell them we’re stopping for something lame like tampons,” she argues.
Chuckling, he fires off a text and resets the GPS before refocusing on the road. “Are you kidding me? Were we not living in the same house during your last period, or did I imagine that?”
Bo snorts. “She was so buried in work I don’t think she even remembers. Grabbed whatever snack we slipped in her hand while working with the other, had to move her to the table so that her computer wouldn’t overheat on her lap with her heating pad.” As she mumbles an awkward apology, he pulls her into his side with a laugh. “It’s nearly impossible to get you to notice us when you’re concentrating on something, but it’s pretty damn adorable, not gonna lie. Even if it makes us want to do some stupid shit sometimes to get your attention.”
“Most guys would be uncomfortable talking about this, you know,” she points out.
Slade rolls his eyes. “We grew up with Emmy.Emmy,Sabrina. I don’t think I even need to paint that picture for you, but needless to say, we’re well versed in how to navigate shark infested waters at this point.”
It serves to lighten the anxiety that had resurfaced in her eyes in the face of the phone call with Sebastian, her laughter mingling with the others’. And while I smile, I remain on the fringes despite being right here, and develop a new respect for everything Hunter and Kaige have endured the past few weeks.
It’s a special brand of torture to be this close to the sun, yet unable to bask in the blissful agony of burning under her attention.
I’m pretty sure that’s why I feel so much better as a person despite feeling like utter shit right now. Sabrina fused my warring personalities together so I could become whole, and I rewarded her gift with one mistake after another.
As we enter the city and I get my bearings, I have a vague guess of where we might be headed, but know better than to ask. A few turns later though, and I’m sure of it, my eyes closing as I thump my head back against the headrest in relief.
Sabrina claimed to want a fresh start, but I didn’t actually believe that she meant it. How could shenotcarry over residual resentment after everything? But that’s one of the things that makes her so uniquelyher.She’s a captivating contradiction of epic proportions.
Bo whistles low in appreciation. “Slade’s right, that’s about to be one crowded store.”
We pull into a parking space in front ofCarina's, the others right beside us a minute later. Windowless, the black painted brick building attempts to fade into the background compared to the other shops on this block. The only splash of color is the dark purple door, and the matching sign plastered above it in an elegant script.
“You’re not all coming in,” Sabrina adamantly declares as Reid climbs out to allow her escape.
“Like hell we’re not,” Cin counters, hopping out of the truck alongside Hunter and Kaige.
