Page 21 of Shifters Unifying (Shifters Destiny: Willow Creek Shifters #2)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

logan

Six-Mile Manor

Olivia returned to the gathering… without Emma.

Phil was already drinking a beer while he flipped burgers on the grill, chatting it up with the four new—and newly healed—shifters.

The quintet group of squirrel shifters huddled together, chittering at one another over the hastily assembled, buffet-style food table.

They were probably discussing whatever had happened during training.

I stood at the edge of the group with my arms crossed.

The last thing I’d heard from my mate has been Not now.

I’d done my best to respect her wishes, to let her focus on whatever the fuck she’d been doing.

But I’d been on the other side of our bond when she’d drawn all that power, and it had scared the shit out of me.

Acheron had to know Emma had been up to something, and he was hiding somewhere nearby. He’d been remarkably quiet, but he couldn’t have gone far from the multimorph he wanted.

My blonde beta paused before she strolled into the growing collection of shifters without so much as a glance at me, and I gritted my teeth. She’d promised to return with Emma, so I marched toward her, prepared to rip her a new one.

As I came to a stop, her gray eyes flashed. “She wants time alone, Logan.”

“That’s some bullshit,” I snarled. “I have a right to know she’s okay.”

“She’s okay.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Well, that’s all I can give you at the moment.” Olivia waved to Jasper who made his way toward her. “She’s allowed to take some time alone.”

“I told you to tell her I wanted to see her.”

“Well, she pulled a Logan,” she scowled at me, “and told me not make her go multimorph on my ass, so what did you want me to do?”

That made me grin. How many times had I pulled the “don’t make me alpha you” line on my beta, Olivia. Leave it to Emma to use what she’d seen work at the moment it made the most sense.

Jasper stopped beside us. “How’s the lass?”

“Upset.”

Jasper shook his head and released a whistling sigh. “Aye, that was…”

I shoved my hands through my hair and scrubbed my face. “That was what?”

“I don’t fecking know,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Same,” Olivia murmured. She held up her hand, showing a black flash drive. “She said Dr. Wise gave her this drive. Can you put it in your room? She’ll want it when she gets back.”

“Where did she go?”

“Away.”

“She better not have gone back to Willow—”

“I told her that,” Olivia growled, showing her canines. “Don’t you think I know better than to let her go there?”

“Is she coming back?” I snapped.

Olivia rolled her eyes. “You two are still bonded. You know she won’t be able to stay away for long. The fated pull will be too great. Besides, after your earth-shaking interlude, I thought you were supposed to be in a better mood now.”

I swiped the drive from her hand. “Fat chance. We didn’t have enough time.”

Olivia smirked. “You two had enough time to let everybody in Six-Mile know that she got off.”

Jasper guffawed. “At least twice by my count.”

“Barely,” I conceded with a wry smile. “We could have—”

A young blue-haired woman shyly approached. “Is Emma coming? I wanted to tell her thank you.”

Olivia shook her head. “Not right now.” She turned to me. “Logan, this is Blaze.”

I nodded toward the woman. “Nice to meet you.”

She grinned. “Emma helped me figure out what kind of shifter I am.” She giggled. “I’m a horse! Can you believe that?”

“Not a freaking bunny,” the other young woman called, tucking her yellow-green and light brown hair behind her ear and shoving a cheesy hamburger into her mouth. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so hungry.”

“That’s Izzie,” Olivia commented. “John and Oliver, the other young ones, are both wolf shifters, so I’ll get them set up for induction into the pack.”

Blaze frowned. “Is there a horse pack…er, herd?”

I shook my head. “We don’t have many horse shifters in Louisiana. I believe there’s a formal herd in Australia.”

Her eyes bulged, and she glanced toward Izzie. “I have to go to Australia?”

“Colorado and Montana also have herds,” I said. “But they’re the only state-side ones.”

Blaze’s chin quivered, but she didn’t answer.

“Don’t worry.” Olivia laid her hand on Blaze’s arm. “You can stay here as long as you like.”

“Oh,” I said, realizing it must have sounded like I was throwing her out. “You don’t have to leave. I’m the alpha of Six-Mile, and the four of you are welcome to continue training here. I doubt Emma would be pleased with me if I sent you away.”

Jasper elbowed Blaze. “Aye, and ye’ve never seen a fight until ye’ve seen the multimorph and alpha go at it.”

She considered me. “Were they fighting earlier? Is that why the ground was shaking before Emma showed up to training?”

“Aye, aye, in a manner of speaking,” Jasper said, his eyes twinkling. “Now let’s see if Phil has any of his shifter-famous banana pudding.” He led the young woman away, and Izzie joined them at the food table.

Olivia turned to me. “You have no idea how much he has your back, do you?”

“Only because he likes you on yours,” I said.

Olivia’s eyes widened, and then a smile split her face. “There may be something to that.”

“I’m happy for you, you know,” I murmured. “Even with everything going on, it’s nice to see you with him. He annoys the shit out of me, but he’s good for you.”

“He’s the first one I couldn’t scare off.”

“First one you haven’t really wanted to go.”

She took a deep breath and sighed. “Probably something to that.”

Since my mate had arrived in Six-Mile, Olivia had been protective of her, fiercely loyal. Bluster wasn’t working, so I allowed all of the fight drain from me. My shoulders drooped as I turned to my beta. “Olivia, where did Emma go?”

“You can probably follow her scent,” she answered.

“Might be easier if you just tell me.” She’s my mate. Alone isn’t an option.

“Not sure she’d like that.”

“What you’re asking the impossible…” My voice trailed away as my mate danced in my head. Would we ever be able to have time alone? Time without Acheron breathing down our necks? I wanted to take her to a luxurious hotel, expensive dinner, and woo her the way she deserved to be wooed.

“She’s struggling.”

“She had to know I’d come after her,” I said.

“I did warn her.”

I waited, knowing I’d already won the answer, but also knowing Olivia wanted to relish holding onto information I needed. Maybe she was giving Emma a head start.

She nodded once, as if deciding. “Promise you won’t leave here until midnight.”

“Don’t make me—” I began.

She shook her head. “Give her that much time, Logan. She needs it. She’s had more to adjust to than any of us, and it’s not likely to get better or easier.”

“She shouldn’t do it alone.”

Her shoulders stiffened. “Logan.”

“Fine. I won’t leave until midnight,” I growled.

“I sent her to No Man’s cabin,” she murmured. “I’ll make excuses for a day or two, but that’s all the time I can give you two. You might be the only reason she won’t completely shatter in the coming months. Work it out, huh?”

“Will do.” Then I waved at Phil and marched away from the impromptu barbecue. After I deposited the drive in the safe in our room, I’d pass the time in the giant study Emma loved, processing invoices for Blackwood Construction. Boring shit compared to what I had planned later.

Ready or not, I’m coming, Emma.