Page 39 of Shifters Unifying (Shifters Destiny: Willow Creek Shifters #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

logan

Six-Mile Manor

Near Sunset

Icursed under my breath at the bickering shifters standing in front of me on the other side of my desk.

The idiots glaring at each other were upset about the current sleeping arrangements, and they’d interrupted my death toll tally.

Sharing a mattress wasn’t on their post-Acheron to do list, as though their wishes mattered in the slightest.

The taller of the two sneered and jerked her head toward the other one. “Like I said, I won’t share a bed with her. Find me something else.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

Emma’s annoyance ticked through our fated mate bond, and it didn’t help my rapidly diminishing supply of patience. What had Emma called them? Toddlers.

I hadn’t yet spotted my mate in Six-Mile, and I hadn’t worked out why I couldn’t hear her thoughts. Had she figured out how to mute the link between us? She was probably healing anyone and everyone she could, but I hadn’t had a moment to hunt her down.

The shifter tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Nobody said anything about the lack of amenities here in Six-Mile. No one will trade with me.”

“As you know, we’re stretched thin, unprepared for those who chose not to stay in Bear Trees. Most wanted to be near the multimorph,” I said.

She snorted. “Unacceptable.”

“Then find your own accommodations.”

“No one will trade with me,” she whined.

“That’s unfortunate.” Why don’t I find that surprising?

With the recent influx of wounded, we were stacked two and three to a bed in Six-Mile.

A makeshift triage and hospital had been set up in the gym area, and Olivia had rounded up as many healers as she could find.

She probably had the relics out, too, and Dr. Wise had shown up, taking notes in between helping with the wounded.

So far, all I wanted was to corner Emma in our shared bedroom and force her to tell me whatever secret she’d been keeping.

Instead, I had two cranky raccoons standing in front of me, arms crossed and glaring at each other.

Olivia had mentioned their names, but they weren’t dead, so I’d forgotten them almost immediately.

She took a step toward my desk. “Do you have space in your bed?”

“Do you want to be ripped limb from limb?”

The other raccoon shifter choked on a laugh.

“You’ll have to find your own solution,” I said, clenching my hands together on the surface of my desk. “Without my help. Or sleep with your new bestie. It makes no difference to me.”

“I’ve already shared a mate with her. Against my will,” she snapped.

“He said you two were on a break,” the other woman said.

“A break not broken up.” Her nostrils flared. To me, she said, “Not broken up. We were working through things. Assign me a different bed.”

I studied the shorter, friendlier, and quieter of the two. “So, what about you? Do you have anything to say about where you sleep tonight?”

She shrugged. “Listen, she dragged me in here. I can sleep anywhere, but if there are options, I would rather not stay with her either. She might try to murder me in my sleep.”

When I stood, my desk chair creaked. “Listen, we don’t have much of a selection right now, so I don’t care where you two bed down,” I bit out.

“Sleep outside. Build a den any place, makes my job easier. But if you want to recoup in a bed inside a structure, you must share. We don’t have enough mattresses to go around fifty new shifters, and currently, the wounded have all the cots.

Frankly, you’re not dead or sworn to Acheron, so I call that a win. The rest is inconsequential.”

The taller one dropped her arms and put her hands on her hips. “Damn it. Then I’ll just build my own den over by the gym, in the middle of everything.”

“Perfect. Do that. Sounds like you didn’t need to bother me with your childish squabble,” I snapped. “Now get fucking lost and let me get back to compiling the list of casualties.”

They both gasped, but at least they didn’t stick around to bitch at me about my temper or my unprofessional language. They scurried out without another sound, and I slammed my hand on my desk and then collapsed in my chair.

Olivia appeared on the threshold a moment later with Jasper trailing after her.

“What now?” I groaned.

“You have a visitor, and you’re going to want to make time for this one,” she said. Her voice held a forced cheerful lilt that made me suspicious.

Behind her, Jasper grinned from ear to ear. His beard practically quivered with delight. “And I think she’s brought her wooden spoon along for ye, Logan.”

“What the hell are you two going on about?”

Olivia waved to someone around the corner. “Come in, Ms. Carter. I told you he wasn’t too busy to see you today. He can probably tell you where you’re going to sleep.”

Emma’s mother marched into my office, dragging a small, squeaky-wheeled suitcase behind her. She positioned it against the wall, out of the way, shoved her car keys into her pocket, and tucked her graying hair behind her ear. Then she stopped in front of one of the upholstered chairs.

“Ms… Sophia,” I stammered. “This really isn’t a good time for a visit. We’re—”

“Mr. Blackwood,” she interjected. “I haven’t heard from Emma in weeks, and you were supposed to have her call me.” The older woman stomped her foot and grasped the pendant on her necklace. Despite the fire in her eyes, her hands trembled. “You can’t keep her from me, young man. I am her mother.”

“Of course, Ms. Carter. Emma’s been quite busy with… with…” How did I explain what Emma had been up to? “Pack business,” I finished lamely. “It’s taken all of her attention.”

“Nevertheless, I have nothing else to hold me in Willow Creek, and it’s been years since I’ve been out to the country.

I’ll be honest,” she took in the library and the well-appointed office, “I hadn’t expected your compound to be quite so nice.

” She scowled as a figure passed by the window. “Or quite so busy.”

“I thought you were going to work out a time to visit… With Olivia.” I widened my eyes at my beta. “I thought that’s what we agreed on.”

“Well, after she sent me the location pin, I asked my neighbor to show me how to get it to work on my GPS, and I thought I might as well pack a bag and come on out. It’s not like Emma called to tell me otherwise,” she finished dryly.

“That was an oversight on my part, Ms. Carter. I do apologize, but if we could postpone your visit until a time when we’re less crowded, I would—”

“I’m here now, so let’s work from that. Shall we?”

“I don’t think—”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Blackwood. Once you show me to my cabin that promised me, I’ll stay out of the way.” She paused and glared at me. “But I’m not leaving until I speak with Emma.

Jasper had the gall to snicker. “Shoulda brought popcorn.”

“Where do want me to put her, Logan?” Olivia asked as though she hadn’t witnessed me backpedaling my way out of a visit from what would likely turn into my mother-in-law. “Maybe one of the cabins?”

“You know…” I paused to think. “I believe the two women who were just in here may have vacated their cabin.”

Olivia smiled. “Oh, you mean, the raccoon duo?”

“Those are the ones.” I turned to Sophia. “You can stay there, Ms. Carter. It should be freshened and ready for you now. I’m sure Jasper won’t mind carrying your bags.”

“Not in the slightest, ma’am,” he said. “If I provided the fish, could ye find it in yer heart to make me more of that delicious ceviche, ma’am?”

Sophia beamed at the fox shifter. “Why, I’d love to, young man.”

Fuck me. The asshole had already won Emma’s mother over. Over my dead body. “I’ll escort you to your quarters,” I said. “You can let me know if there’s anything amiss.”

Jasper grabbed the suitcase, and the four of us exited the manor, cutting across the well-kept lawn toward a small cabin about one hundred yards from the manor house. Still too close for Emma’s orgasms, but Sophia was going to find out the truth of things soon enough.

“Should I move my car?”

“I’ll take care of it, Sophia,” Olivia quipped.

Sophia retrieved her keys from her pocket and handed them to my beta. “Valet service and everything? Much fancier than most of the places I usually stay.” The woman startled, and I followed her gaze to a group of naked shifters, making their way across the grounds.

“I’ll never get used to that,” she muttered. “It’s going to be like staying at a nudist colony, isn’t it?”

I didn’t answer.

“We do have some extra visitors right now,” Olivia offered. Phil waved to us, a piece of paper in his hands, and Olivia hurried off. “I’ll be right back.”

When I opened the door to the small log cabin, I gestured for Sophia to go in ahead of me.

The interior had been freshly cleaned, and the bed had been neatly made.

A small kitchenette took up one end, and the sleeping area took up the other.

In the small bathroom, a refurbished copper tub glimmered in the light from the frosted glass window.

“Since we don’t typically lock our doors, we don’t issue keys, but I can find them, if you’d like.”

Sophia shook her head, taking her bag from Jasper and placing it on the bed. “No need. When in Rome…”

“You might be interested to know that we reclaimed this cabin from one of the job sites in Willow Creek and reconstructed it here with the updates you see. We like to retain as much history as we can. The copper tub came out of a barn project we did near New Port Orleans.”

“Very nice,” she murmured. “I’m sure I’ll be comfortable here.”

“If you like, I can have a few supplies delivered so you can make small meals. Otherwise, food, you can get from the manor house.”

“I’ll bring fish,” Jasper said. “One of the raccoons is an avid fisherwoman.”

“If it’s alright with you, may I wander around the grounds freely? I might bump into Emma, since she’s not been answering her cell phone, and it’s going straight to voicemail now.”

“That’s… fine. Just know that the gym is currently off limits and housing an overflow of shifters for the upcoming event we’re prepping for.

” At least that last part wasn’t a lie. Any meeting with Acheron or his accomplices was definitely an event, and I didn’t want Sophia to become frightened by the injured shifters housed inside.

“I’ll stay out of the gym,” she said. “Tell me. Did I see Dr. Wise here?”

“You know her?”

“She’s an archivist from Willow Creek, and we’re both members of the Widows and Widower Support Group in town. We meet for dinners once a month… ever since Emma’s father passed.”

My stomach twisted. Sophia had said it before… Emma was all she had, but not once had I considered what Emma truly meant to this woman.

“I’ll let her know you’re here,” I said softly. “In the meantime, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

For the first time, her expression softened, and her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears as she studied me. “You must be very special, Logan Blackwood. My Emma wouldn’t give up everything she’d earned for just anybody.”

“She’s more special than all of us.”

“Aye, that she is,” Jasper added. “Would ye like me to show ye around?”

“That would be nice,” she said. “Thank you.”

He stuck out his elbow, and she slipped her arm through his. I shot him a look of appreciation. As much as he annoyed the shit out of me and had me questioning Olivia’s taste in mates, he tried to be decent, and he was loyal to Emma.

We exited the cabin as Olivia appeared at the corner.

“There’s my righthand man,” I said, pulling the door closed on the cabin. “I’m sure she’ll know how to get you to Emma.”

Olivia nodded to me from the perimeter of the building, a slip of paper flapping in her hand. “Logan, when you have a minute, I need to talk to you.”

I turned back Emma’s mother. “Sophia, I’d just like to thank you for your patience as we deal with… everything that’s going on right now. We’ll get Emma, and as soon as she gets here, you’ll see she’s as well as can be expected.”

Olivia eyed me as though she wasn’t sure how I’d take the news she had to give.

I frowned. “Well, what is it? Spit it out.”

Her gaze cut to Sophia and then back to me. “Maybe we should discuss it in private.”

“Don’t have time for that. I’ve got to get back to paperwork.” The list of the dead.

She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then shrugged. “What the hell. You’re right, Jasper. We should have brought some popcorn along.”

Beside her, Jasper crowed. “Aye. That would have hit the spot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I growled.

“Emma’s gone,” she said with a shrug.

Sophia rounded on me, her face a picture of fury once more. “What have you done with my daughter?”

Well, motherfucker.