Page 35 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

S aturday morning, when we got up and opened the blinds, we discovered the city was blanketed in a thick fog.

"Hmm." I dug through my suitcase wondering what to wear for the day.

"What's up?" Devon asked, walking up to run his hand up and down my back in a motion we both found comforting.

"I'm trying to decide what to wear." I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him close to me.

"We're gonna be on the water so it's likely to be cold, but dress in layers in case it warms up."

"Good idea." I released him and went back to the open suitcase, pulling out several items and tossing them onto the bed behind me.

After breakfast, we headed to the marina where we were supposed to meet Donovan, the non-shifter who was the reason for the trip, for a tour of Puget Sound.

We found the area with little trouble and I spotted him as we walked down the pier.

Something told me this was the man we were here to see.

He was about Hank's age, somewhere in his mid-thirties.

He was about average height, maybe 5'11" with average features, the kind you wouldn't easily spot in a crowd, the only thing that really caught my attention, was his hair.

He'd once had a common men's cut but it looked like he was more than a few weeks overdue for a trim, and had gone shaggy.

He was busy on a boat on one side of the pier, checking the engine and likely going through a pre-start system check.

"Mr. Donovan?" Devon stopped beside the boat. "Donovan Tours?"

The man looked up with a broad, friendly smile. "That's me, the name's Reece. You must be my morning tour." He wiped his hands on a rag, before extending one to Devon.

"That would be us. My name's Devon," Devon shook his hand then turned toward me. "and this is Nickie." I shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Nickie." He said.

"Nice to meet you, too." I replied.

"Welcome aboard." He stepped out of the way. "Watch your step, it can be a little tricky if you're not used to it." I stepped onto the boat, careful to plant my foot solidly on the bobbing boat. Devon followed with ease, as if he were used to boarding a moving deck. Hell, as far as I knew, he was.

"If you'll just give me a few minutes to finish my check, we'll be on our way." Reece said. "You're welcome to step inside if you like." He motioned to the small sheltered area that housed the controls.

I was a bit chilled still, so I went inside and found that the room wasn't as small as I'd thought. There was plenty of room for the three of us and more, inside the shelter. Devon followed me inside and sat beside me on a bench seat along one side of the room.

"It didn't occur to me to ask if you get seasick." He laid one arm along the back of the seat behind me.

"I wouldn't know."

"You've never been on a boat before?"

"Nope."

"Well, I hope you do all right. Getting sick would make it difficult to do what you need to do here."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm pretty sure I can do it." I said confidently.

"So soon?"

"Yeah. Oddly enough, I knew when he shook my hand. Physical contact seems to make it easier for me to tell a lot of things. If I don't touch someone, it takes longer though."

"That's good to know though, in the future we can just find a reason for you to shake someone's hand, then you don't have to spend a of couple hours in their company."

I nodded, agreeing.

Reece stepped inside, a smile still on his face.

"All right, we're almost ready to go!" He said. "Just a couple more things. Have either of you ever been on a boat or the ocean before?"

Devon nodded, but I shook my head.

"That's fine." Reece continued. "The sound's not quite the same as the open ocean but the way the water moves is much the same. It’s a little choppy today, so the ride might get a little bumpy, especially when we're moving at a good clip, just so you're aware.

You can move around and look at things, just remember to hang on, the floor moves on a boat and you're not used to that.

" We both nodded. "And the last thing is life jackets.

We shouldn't need them but in case we do, they're under the seat you're sitting on.

Just lift the seat and pull them out." He paused for a second.

"Any questions?" I shook my head and looked at Devon to see if he was going to ask anything but he shook his head too.

"Nope, I think we're good." Devon said.

"All right, if you have any questions or need to stop for any reason, don't hesitate to ask." Reese turned to the controls and started the boat.

Several hours later we returned to the dock.

Devon helped Reese tie the boat up, before holding out one hand and helping me out.

He held onto me for a few moments as I got used to the ground not moving beneath me.

We thanked Reece for the wonderful tour and went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Back at the hotel, Devon headed for the shower, eager to wash the salt off his skin. I dug my PCD out of my bag and dialed Bill.

"Hello?" It was a familiar voice, but it wasn't Bill.

"Gabriel?" I asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. What can I do for you Nickie?"

"Is Bill around?"

"He just came in, hold on a second." More distantly, as if he was holding the device away and speaking to someone else, I heard him say "It's Nickie." A moment later Bill's voice came across the line.

"Nickie? How are things going up there?" He asked.

"Good. We met with the local Anikitos yesterday. He said to tell you he'd be in touch about that hunting trip."

Bill chuckled. "That's good to know, anything else?"

"Yes, sir. We met with Reece Donovan this morning."

"And?" He prompted.

"And I'm pretty sure I can do it."

"Good, good." Bill replied. "I'll make arrangements for Alexis to come up tomorrow and set up another meeting with Warren for Monday. You're going to need to talk to him, before you do this."

"I understand. Though I'd like to let Reece make his decision before we bring Mr. Ridges into it."

"I know you would, but we need to do it this way.

It could cause a lot of problems not to go to the local Anikitos first. I'll talk to Warren, I'm certain he'll let Mr. Donovan make the decision without pressure.

But if we don't check with him first, it will be akin to setting up a loner in his territory, and you just don't do that. "

"I see." I did kind of understand, but not totally. I wasn't talking about shifting Reece Donovan without going to the Anikitos, just giving him the option first.

"I'll be in touch with you about when to expect Alexis and her enforcer."

"Is it not going to be Caden?" I asked.

"As far as I know, it will be. But I have to check on things before I can be sure."

"All right,"

"Anything else I should know about?" Bill asked.

"No." I shook my head despite knowing he couldn't see me. "Everything's great. The room is way more than we expected, but it's wonderful."

"I'm glad to hear things are going well. Take care."

We said our goodbyes, and rang off. I went into the bedroom and gathered my things to start getting ready for the wedding in just a couple of hours.