Page 7

Chapter Six

Vivienne

“I’ll be there in a few hours,” Angie whispers when I answer the phone. “Shit went down yesterday, so I got out of Dodge, girlfriend.”

While I’m thrilled that Angie’s coming sooner than I expected, I briefly wonder how that’s going to impact my time with Fox. Then, I feel selfish for thinking that way, although she knows he’s my mate.

“What happened?” I ask as I log in some new inventory. I had to order several herbs I didn’t have in stock to compound several items, and they took forever to arrive.

“Carter lost his shit and decided he was going to find you. But first, he went on a rampage and destroyed the packhouse,” Angie confides.

“Oh, my goddess, are you kidding me? Are you sure you’re safe? No one is following you, are they?” I ask, my questions tumbling out one after another.

“Nope, I left during the height of the insanity, and have backtracked several times. I even stopped and traded in my car for a small pickup truck!” she exclaims. “Not only that, but if there was a tracker on my car, they’ll find it in a small, podunk down somewhere in Oklahoma.”

I giggle because she’s always wanted what she calls a girlie-sized truck until it dawns on me that she hasn’t mentioned my dad and fear has my heart pounding in my chest. “Angie, how’s my father?”

“He’s in the passenger seat wondering how I managed to talk him into this,” she replies.

“Really?” I question. “Daddy? You’re really on your way here too?”

Emotion clogs my throat; he’s been the one stabilizing influence in my life since the rest of our family was decimated by hunters. I get it, kind of; they were out camping and saw a bunch of wolves. They had no clue they wouldn’t be harmed and were merely looking to protect their families. Still, they were camping in an area that was off limits to campers.

“Yeah, sweetheart, I’m on my way too. Angie told me you met your mate. He better be good enough for my girl,” my dad says, emotions clogging his voice.

“Daddy, you know how mates work,” I chastise. “And he’s perfect. In fact, you guys will get a chance to meet him and the rest of his brothers since they’re having a cookout on Friday. I need to let him know you’re coming.”

“Looking forward to it, as well as seeing what you’ve started there,” Dad replies. “Now, you get back to work and we’ll keep driving. See you soon!”

Once the call disconnects, I finish logging in my new supplies, then decide to go upstairs and freshen up my guestroom. Angie can sleep with me, it won’t be the first time we’ve shared a bed, and Dad can use my second bedroom. I grin as I consider the living arrangements once Fox and I are mated. I suppose Angie can stay in the apartment, but I don’t know if Dad will want his own place or not. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

“Hey, Vivi,” Fox calls out as he walks into the store.

I walk through the curtained off area to see him standing there, a smile playing on his lips. “Hey, Fox,” I reply as I move closer and wrap my arms around his neck. He leans in and kisses me until I’m breathless.

“Yep, still as good as I remembered,” he teases once we pull apart.

“Agreed. Guess what? Angie is on the way here. Guess what else? My Dad is with her! Something happened yesterday with the alpha and his son, so they decided it was a good time to leave,” I tell him.

“What, exactly, happened that forced their hand? Also, where are they going to stay?” he asks.

“Angie said that Carter went nuts and decided he was going to try and find me. It was so bad, he destroyed the packhouse. She and Dad snuck out and left while everything was chaotic. When they get here, Angie can bunk with me and I’ve already got my guest room ready for my father,” I reply. “I went up and did that when she disconnected the call. And Dad knows I’ve found my mate too, so you should probably be prepared. He’s kind of protective, all things considered.”

“I would be as well if you were my daughter, but he knows regardless of how he feels about me, it’s not going to stop what’s happening between us, right?” Fox asks.

“He knows. I think he’s always wanted to say something like that, though,” I admit.

“Well, once you’ve moved into the clubhouse and settled into our den, they can both stay here,” he says. “That way, there’ll be another layer of protection for your shop besides the alarm itself.”

I think over what he said and agree with him wholeheartedly. “That’s true and then I won’t worry about Angie being on her own in a strange place.”

“Who knows? Maybe she’ll meet her mate in Zephyr Hills,” he adds.

“I think she feels that her mate doesn’t exist,” I tell him. “Because she’s never, not once, even had a sense that there’s one out there for her.”

“But you did,” he says, peering into my eyes.

“Her story’s not mine to share, Fox, but suffice it to say, it’s worse than mine,” I forewarn. Whereas mates don’t technically keep secrets from one another, there’s a code between best friends and those bonds are tethered to our hearts and my mate is going to have to understand that I can’t—I won’t, betray her trust.

“They’ll both be welcomed, Vivi. They may not be part of the club, but Zephyr Hills is open to all shifters who need a place to call home,” he replies. “Plus, I know she’s your best friend and having seen how Tressa and Nini are with each other, I get you keeping her secrets. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. Now, do you have time to take a break?”

I think about what else I have going on today and realize now’s as good a time as any to close the shop and hit the grocery store for some things I know that my dad and bestie prefer to eat and drink. “I can actually close down since I don’t have anyone scheduled to come by to pick anything up. While I do have people walk in off the street, a lot of what I do is word of mouth, especially in our community, since Western medicine doesn’t really work on shifters all that well. I do need to hit the store though, because Dad likes a certain kind of beer, and Angie likes a particular brand of green tea.”

My nose wrinkles at that because if I’m going to drink tea, I’m going to drink hot tea, and it’ll be one with curative benefits depending on what’s going on with me. Not only that, but it’ll be a blend that I create, not one that’s been bought at a store. I already have several jars with my personalized favorites in my cupboard upstairs and I make a mental note that I need to take them with me to the clubhouse.

“Then, I’ll keep an eye on the front here and pray no one comes in wanting wart remover or some shit while you go grab your purse and whatever else you need,” he states.

I start giggling as I ask, “Wart remover? Is that the best you’ve got?”

“Babe, I have no clue what any of the stuff you have in here does,” he replies. “But I’m pretty sure you’ve probably got something along those lines, right?”

Snickering, I walk to the shelf, crouch down and pull out a dark-colored jar that has a crushed root poultice inside and then hand it to him. “You’d want them to buy this,” I tell him, grinning. “They would apply it twice a day, after bathing and drying the area thoroughly, of course. Plus, the poultice has to be kept in a cool, dark place.”

“Good to know,” he deadpans, handing the jar back to me. “Hurry, Vivi, before someone walks inside, please?”

His plaintive tone has me giggling all the way through the back of the shop and up the stairs, where I quickly change into jeans, a T-shirt, and my sneakers. No sense being all dressed up since I’m done working for the day. My sign does have an emergency number that the shifter community can call if something alarming comes up, but no one has availed themselves of it yet. I know as my name gets out there and the community becomes aware that I’m now within their midst, that might change, but for now, it works for me. I need to see if I can have Fox give my number to the local shifter doctor so they have it in the event they’re looking for something specific that I might carry.

“Peppermint ice cream?” he asks as I add a gallon to the overflowing cart. “Is that for you, Angie, or your dad?”

“All three of us, actually. If you add a chocolate drizzle and whipped cream, it becomes an awesome, wintry sundae,” I advise, as I toss in some waffle bowls.

He shakes his head, smirking at me. “It looks like you’ve got more junk food than actual stuff for meals,” he says.

“I have that food at the house already. This is for the extra stuff while we catch up on everything that’s happened.”

“Good to know. I’ll be sure to put this stuff on our list at the clubhouse so you’re able to enjoy it there as well.”

“Thank you,” I reply, smiling up at him. “I usually cook from scratch because that’s how I was taught, plus overly processed food seems to affect me sometimes. It’s just safer for me that way if that makes any sense.”

“No, I get it. The girls were humans before they were mated, of course, so we’ve grown used to a variety of foods at the clubhouse. Nonna tries to make sure we have a well-balanced menu, but now that both of them are expecting, we also have corn dogs and fucking Bugles of all things.”

I snicker and ask, “Do they put them on the ends of their fingers and pretend they have witch nails?”

“Not you too,” he mumbles. “Is that something all women do?”

“It’s fun, Fox. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”