Page 7 of The Healer (The Blood of Legends #2)

Chapter Seven

PACK MENTALITY

W hen the wooden porch creaked, Rhys glanced up from the paperback he was reading. He wasn’t expecting visitors. This cabin was so far away from the city and too deep into their property, which meant the intruder couldn’t be someone trespassing. Nor had Noah, Jase, or Sawyer phoned or texted Rhys, so this wasn’t pack business.

Sighing, he placed his paperback face down, using the couch as a bookmark. On bare feet, he padded to the front door and wrapped his fingers around the door handle as a shadow rippled past the window. He raised his chin to sniff the air and slumped at the familiar scent.

Whipping the door open, he faced Willow, Noah’s younger sister.

“Rhys, you scared me.” She pressed her hand to her heaving bosom.

He doubted that. Shifters didn’t startle easily with their heightened senses. In a tight skirt and a transparent blouse, her reasons for being there must have dampened her senses. She should have sniffed his proximity through the door.

“What are you doing here, Will?” He spun on a heel and picked up the T-shirt he had slung over the back of the couch, donning it under her vigilant gaze.

She scented of arousal, wafting off her in pale peach and sky-blue, hinting at her nervousness. He grimaced at the impending conversation. Flexing his alpha, he pulsed power, adding to her anxiety. She stiffened with her fingers plucking the hem of her shirt.

“I…” She paused, leaning against the door frame, almost as if she second-guessed her reasons for being there.

“I can remember when you used to tear around this lake with Noah’s car keys or jeans in your jaw.” Rhys forced a chuckle, hoping to remind her he had known her since she was a cub.

“Um, yes, happier times.” She lowered her chin, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

“Did Noah send you?” He knew damn well Noah hadn’t.

Since her purpose there was blatant, Rhys needed a way to extricate them both from a potentially embarrassing situation. She’d never shown interest in him. It had to be the lure of being an alpha’s mate. Yup, he couldn’t be there during the Lunar Fest, just in case. But then again, he couldn’t avoid the mating festival every damn month.

“No, I came here to…check on the cabin. To make sure it’s clean and usable.” She spread her red lips on a deep, relieved sigh, before flicking her blonde hair off her shoulders. Despite her beauty rivaling any suckblood, she wasn’t for him.

“Coffee?” What he wanted to do was roar at her to leave, to get the fuck away from him, but he cared about her, saw her as a sister when he’d never had the luxury of one. At Rhys’s suggestion, Aiden had left for Coedwig the moment he’d healed from Alrik’s bullying.

And Uncle Sean lived in Suddale with his human mate. He’d dated Miriam in secret, knowing how Alrik would react but also not wanting to abandon Rhys and Aiden until they could defend themselves. The wife joined her mate’s pack as per protocol, but Alrik would have killed Miriam on sight.

Rhys didn’t begrudge Uncle Sean his happiness even though he’d outlive a human. What Rhys missed was Sean’s wise counsel which had been his salvation since his parents’ died. He gritted his teeth at the reminder of their mysterious deaths. Something else he needed to add to his to-do list. Find their killers, although, it wouldn’t surprise him if Alrik had orchestrated the midnight attack. He’d done so before. Killing anyone who opposed his despotic rule. Still, Rhys needed to know without doubt.

“Thanks, I’m good.” She stumbled back, throwing out her trembling hands. “Let Noah know if there’s anything needing repairs.” And with a whiff of perfume mingled with her sweet youthful scent, she was gone.

He sighed, letting his relief sag his shoulders. That was a close call. It could have gone south with him rejecting Willow and breaking her spirit. This stilted interaction hadn’t dissuaded her. He had no doubt she would return with more courage, hoping to use her feminine wiles to seduce him. An alpha’s mate held too much power.

Shit. If little Willow thought he was an easy target, then all the unmated women under his protection would visit him in the near future.

He needed a wife.

Time away would help. Perhaps he would find a suitable woman not from Inner City. Putting the kettle on, he video-called his brother, tapping the teaspoon on the ancient hardwood counter, swaying his hips to the beat he created. No tune came to mind, but there was something primal about the rhythm, as if tribes summoned their warriors to war.

War? He wanted a vacation, but if his damned brother didn’t answer the phone soon, there would be a battle of note.

“Some of us work nights, y’know.” Aiden groaned, muffling his words when he ran his hand over his face. He squinted into the camera, waiting even as his eyelids drooped.

Rhys chuckled. Just seeing his younger brother was like a vise no longer limited his ability to breathe. “Some of us don’t care.” He tried to peer around Aiden crowding the video cam. “Got any space for your brother?”

“Shit, you’ve been ousted?” He scanned his room, giving Rhys a full view of his unshaven jaw. “My studio is too small. You’re going to have to squat with Dane, and he ain’t going to like it.”

“Relax, baby bear. I’m just visiting. I’ll check into your bed and breakfast.” Rhys spooned instant coffee into a mug, then poured in the boiling water, giving it a good stir.

Aiden grinned. “You are squatting with Dane. He lives there. Mrs. Cromwell still serves a mean breakfast. When will you be up? Tonight?”

“Yeah, am thinking about leaving as soon as I pack a few things.” Excitement had his bear pacing, and Rhys didn’t bother calming him. He hadn’t had a break in ages, and for once, he looked forward to time alone.

So, leaving for Coedwig was an easy decision.

“I’ll let Dane know you’re on your way.” Aiden tapped two fingers to his temple.

Rhys ended the call and sipped his coffee, savoring the bitterness, as he stared across the rippling silver lake reflecting the afternoon sky. After rinsing the mug, he donned his socks and boots. He grabbed the car keys, closed the cabin door behind him, then climbed into the SUV. En route to the lodge, he dialed Noah, informing him of the decision. He didn’t mention Willow’s visit, preferring to pretend it didn’t happen.

“It’s the Lunar Festival soon, Rhys.” Noah hesitated. “Be careful.”

No one needed to tell a shifter when the full moon was near. Attending a mating festival promised him a good time, or at least, a little relaxation. Still, he’d prefer one not so close to his pack. “Yes, Dad. I promise to use protection.”

“Ass.” Noah chuckled. “Want me to pack you a bag?”

“No, thanks. Knowing you, I’ll arrive there with a week’s supply of boxers and nothing else.”

Noah laughed. “Fair enough. I’ll call ahead and reserve you a room.”

“Thanks.”

Silence settled on the other end, and for a second, Rhys thought the call had dropped. “This is a good idea, Rhys. I miss my friend, the one who laughed and found enjoyment in everything life threw at him. Find him and bring him back with you.”

Rhys frowned. Responsibility had dampened his spirits, but he hadn’t realized how bad it was. “I’ll try.” That was all he could promise.

“Good. Jase is packing your bag, and you can check it before you leave, grumpy.”

At his childhood nickname, Rhys grinned. “I will check.” He ended the call with his heart lighter than it had been in months.

Jase and Noah waited on the lawn with Rhys’s bag in hand. Both males beamed with restrained energy, looking like eager teenagers whose parents were going away for the weekend.

Rhys stopped beside them and slid his window down. “Why do I feel as if my lodge will be covered with toilet paper, my rugs stained with something sticky, and a police report pinned to my door?”

Jase chuckled. “Very funny.” He popped the trunk and tossed in the bag.

Rhys winced and put the SUV in park before darting around to unzip the bag. Jeans, T-shirts, socks, toiletries, his phone charger, and a roll of cash were thrown in haphazardly.

Grinning, he slapped Jase on the shoulder. Stress drained from Rhys’s body, and his blood bubbled with excitement. In three hours, he would be sipping a beer with his brother. He waved out the window as he drove off, picking something jazzy on the radio while he merged with traffic heading north out of Inner City. With the city’s skyline behind him, a cool breeze toying with his hair, he scratched his beard and allowed his thoughts to drift.

By the time he drove along Coedwig’s main road, the sun had set, a chill penetrated the car’s exterior, and he had suffered through too much jazz and gas station coffee. He hadn’t visited in years, but nothing much had changed. The white lights of Mo’s Diner shone like a beacon, and he suspected Mo slept on the premises. Tuesdays was to his right, and Cozy Cromwell’s was a little past Mo’s.

After parking his SUV, Rhys climbed out, inhaling a deep breath of crisp air with drifting snow flurries glowing in the streetlights. He tugged his jacket closed but didn’t zip up. His bear generated enough heat for the cold weather not to bother him. Slamming the car door, he strode across the busy parking lot, raucous laughter and blues calling him.

As he approached the front door, it opened, and a cuddling couple stumbled past him. He sniffed and chuckled. A pair of wolves were finding companionship before the festival, and he couldn’t fault them for it. Shifters were sexual creatures, needing affection and sex often. Which didn’t explain why he hadn’t had either in a while.

He threw out his hand to slow the door’s journey, then let it click shut behind him. Warmth engulfed him. He hurried to remove his jacket, hooking it between many others. The bar sprawled on either side with the pool tables left and the tables and chairs to the right. To the rear, a mirrored shelf held a variety of liquors, rums, whiskeys, and brandies. Filling beer glass after glass was his brother, tall and lanky with matching brown hair and blue eyes. He had more of their mom in him with his devil-may-care charm.

Aiden had lived under Rhys’s shadow for most of his life. When he had suggested Aiden leave Inner City for an indefinite stay in Coedwig, he had snatched the opportunity, preferring the less stressful life in the wilds.

“Rhys.” He leaped over the counter and bolted across the crowded room to throw his arms around Rhys. In the months apart, Aiden had grown, filling out across his shoulders and chest.

“Hey, cub, miss me?” He hugged Aiden, lifting him off the floor.

Warmth from his happy bear and love for his brother swelled his chest. How he had missed him and his wise counsel. Noah was a wonderful beta and brother-in-pack, but Aiden was blood.

“Come, have a beer.” He thumped Rhys on the shoulder and slipped behind the bar. Within seconds, he placed a chilled bottle of beer on a coaster while Rhys claimed a bar stool. He grinned, delighted Aiden remembered how he liked his beer.

“How’re things? You happy?” Rhys took a long drag from the bottle and sighed. The smoky bitterness coated his tongue and stripped the remnants of tension from his body. His bear hummed with contentment. “The occasional texts from you don’t say much.”

Aiden shrugged. “I like it here.”

Rhys scanned the bar and the friendly faces. “I gathered as much since you didn’t come home.”

“Why the visit, though?” Aiden threw up a palm. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Needed a break. Life’s been a little…crazy.” Rhys clenched his jaw against mentioning he’d almost found his mate.

He was hoping a woman might tempt him during the festival. Even better, trigger the mating bond. Twisting on the barstool, he scanned the room with purpose, resting his attention on a few potentials. When he realized they had variations of red hair, he faced Aiden to sip his beer, keeping his scowl hidden. His next lover would be a blonde, dammit.

His bear chuffed, mocking him.

“Told Dane you were heading up.” Aiden laughed, and the sound, so similar to Dad’s, twisted a dagger in Rhys’s heart. “He said seeing is believing.”

“Well, here I am.” Rhys ran his thumb down the bottle, rubbing off the condensation.

The exhaustion that had hounded him for who knew how long softened him until he expected his ass to swallow the bar stool. He downed his beer and declined another.

“I’m off to bed,” he called, dropping notes on the counter. “Will pop in to see you tomorrow.”

He slid his jacket off and hooked it over his arm before striding out of the bar. A warm bed, a good night’s sleep, then he would reveal all to Dane in the morning. Perhaps his old friend could steer him along a sane path.

Mrs. Cromwell opened the door to Cozy Cromwell’s Bed and Breakfast. Rhys swept her into a spinning hug. She giggled like a girl but returned the hug, patting him on the shoulder like she always did.

“The prodigal son returns.” She tucked in the gray tendrils escaping her bun. Pink splashed across her cheeks, and she was a little breathless.

“When will you come to your senses and marry me, Harriet?” He adored teasing her, and she loved his charm.

“Stuff that. Just glad you’re visiting, Rhys-my-boy.”

“Same.” He rocked on his heels while savoring the aromas of fresh baked bread and coffee. “Thought it high time I spent a few days with my bear.”

“True, the city can be restrictive.” She gestured to the bag he had dropped when he hugged her. “Cocoa or straight to bed?”

“Bed, please.” He hoisted his bag and crossed the threshold, closing the door behind him. “If I can put off speaking to Dane until after a night’s rest, that would be wonderful.”

He stomped up the stairs, trailing her. She opened a door and stepped aside, letting him slide past her. In dark blues and grays, the room had a masculine ambience, along with the massive television mounted to one wall.

“Sweet dreams, Rhys, and it’s wonderful to have you here.” She shut the door.

Silence settled upon him.

Unpacking his bag took minutes. He enjoyed a leisurely shower, leaving the en suite in his towel. Once he dried himself, he hung up the towel and sprawled naked on the bed, flipping through the available channels on the television. What he wanted was a movie, something old, or a comedy.

Not bothering to light a fire in the hearth, he climbed under the sheet. He texted Noah that he had arrived, and with his hands behind his head, stared at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted to memories of Callie, but Rhys shoved them aside, choosing to focus on the muted sports channel, instead.

He would leave Coedwig cured of his Callie obsession, or he wasn’t fit to be the Knight Ridge’s alpha.