storm.” Griz waved toward the cave’s entrance, where the sun reflecting off the snow blinded their vision.
“Yeah.” Lance studied the broad-shouldered, shifter. The scar on the older man’s face, splitting his eyebrow and reaching to his jawline had become lighter in color.
Lance hadn’t seen Griz since he’d made the decision more than four years ago to join the Compliance Unit.
“You show up at the damnedest times.”
Griz had always been elusive, rarely crossing into Lance’s life except at times when it seemed Lance needed advice or guidance.
“That right?” Griz cleared his throat, raised his brows.
“Seems like.”
“That would mean you’re in a dilemma, right now, wouldn’t it?” Griz cocked his head. “Are you?”
“No.”
“Sure. Because everyone wants to sleep in a cold cave when they could be in their warm cabin.” His laugh was low, but not overly derisive. “It’s what I’d do.”
“Maybe a small dilemma.”
“This involves the scent coming from the cabin?”
Lance narrowed his eyes. The older man always had too good a handle on matters. “Yeah.”
“That’s the one you couplebonded with years ago. What gives?”
“She got some kind of bullshit voodoo tattoo that’s supposed to break our couplebond. But it didn’t work. So now she’s going back. And…” Lance scrubbed his face with his hands, his days’ growth making scratchy sounds. “Hell, I don’t know.”
“Someone’s approaching.” Griz had the look of a man who heard something no one else could hear. Which was exactly what Lance was feeling, because he couldn’t hear anyone approaching.
He turned his back on Griz, stepped out of the cave and into the snow to get a look down the mountainside.
“I hear an engine. I don’t see anyone—” He turned back. “Griz?” The older shifter was gone. “Griz?”
Silence greeted him from the back of the cave.
Mae and Doc stepped out of Doc’s truck.
Doc glanced around. “Judge did a fine job with the cabin.”
Lance had to agree. His little brother did it up right.
Mae knocked on the cabin door. “Lance?”
MacKenzie opened the door. “Mae? Doc? What are you doing here?”
“We came to get you. The weather’s cleared, the roads aren’t too bad. We called a tow truck for your Jeep.”
“But Lance—”
Mae wrapped a blanket around MacKenzie’s shoulders. “Lance had to go.”
Lance thanked his lucky stars for the best goddamned foster mother a guy could ask for.
Chapter 16
M ac spent a sleepless night feeling Lance’s presence in the near vicinity. Finally, when the sun came up, fatigue and the events from the day before pulled her into a deep slumber.
H ours later , judging from the sun’s golden glow, she woke. Hunger pangs made her stomach growl. A knock at the door must have woken her.
Mae and Doc to the rescue.
No Lance.
Maybe he doesn’t want to deal with me. Maybe he’s walking away again. For another four years.
She had to see the witch doctor again. Period.
----
T wo days later , Mac was back at work in the clinic. She was lucky her cottage home was next to her job. So she didn’t have to drive to work.
Her tattoo still felt alive, then alternately as if it was on fire.
Lance was clearly still in the valley, though he’d vanished when she’d been at his house.
She needed to get this taken care of. She needed to get to Seattle. Like now.
The problem was, she didn’t have a car and the shop guy said it would be another week.
A week?
She’d practically screeched in his ear when he’d told her.
It didn’t seem as big a deal two days ago, but now… what with the tattoo acting up.
Yeah, it was a big deal.
Maybe I can borrow Mae’s car for a quick trip.
She was just reaching for the phone to call Mae when the bell above the clinic door pealed, signaling someone had opened the door.
Mac glanced up.
“You.” It was Larsen. The witch doctor’s cousin.
“Yes.” His scar had faded from the last time
“Yeah.” Lance studied the broad-shouldered, shifter. The scar on the older man’s face, splitting his eyebrow and reaching to his jawline had become lighter in color.
Lance hadn’t seen Griz since he’d made the decision more than four years ago to join the Compliance Unit.
“You show up at the damnedest times.”
Griz had always been elusive, rarely crossing into Lance’s life except at times when it seemed Lance needed advice or guidance.
“That right?” Griz cleared his throat, raised his brows.
“Seems like.”
“That would mean you’re in a dilemma, right now, wouldn’t it?” Griz cocked his head. “Are you?”
“No.”
“Sure. Because everyone wants to sleep in a cold cave when they could be in their warm cabin.” His laugh was low, but not overly derisive. “It’s what I’d do.”
“Maybe a small dilemma.”
“This involves the scent coming from the cabin?”
Lance narrowed his eyes. The older man always had too good a handle on matters. “Yeah.”
“That’s the one you couplebonded with years ago. What gives?”
“She got some kind of bullshit voodoo tattoo that’s supposed to break our couplebond. But it didn’t work. So now she’s going back. And…” Lance scrubbed his face with his hands, his days’ growth making scratchy sounds. “Hell, I don’t know.”
“Someone’s approaching.” Griz had the look of a man who heard something no one else could hear. Which was exactly what Lance was feeling, because he couldn’t hear anyone approaching.
He turned his back on Griz, stepped out of the cave and into the snow to get a look down the mountainside.
“I hear an engine. I don’t see anyone—” He turned back. “Griz?” The older shifter was gone. “Griz?”
Silence greeted him from the back of the cave.
Mae and Doc stepped out of Doc’s truck.
Doc glanced around. “Judge did a fine job with the cabin.”
Lance had to agree. His little brother did it up right.
Mae knocked on the cabin door. “Lance?”
MacKenzie opened the door. “Mae? Doc? What are you doing here?”
“We came to get you. The weather’s cleared, the roads aren’t too bad. We called a tow truck for your Jeep.”
“But Lance—”
Mae wrapped a blanket around MacKenzie’s shoulders. “Lance had to go.”
Lance thanked his lucky stars for the best goddamned foster mother a guy could ask for.
Chapter 16
M ac spent a sleepless night feeling Lance’s presence in the near vicinity. Finally, when the sun came up, fatigue and the events from the day before pulled her into a deep slumber.
H ours later , judging from the sun’s golden glow, she woke. Hunger pangs made her stomach growl. A knock at the door must have woken her.
Mae and Doc to the rescue.
No Lance.
Maybe he doesn’t want to deal with me. Maybe he’s walking away again. For another four years.
She had to see the witch doctor again. Period.
----
T wo days later , Mac was back at work in the clinic. She was lucky her cottage home was next to her job. So she didn’t have to drive to work.
Her tattoo still felt alive, then alternately as if it was on fire.
Lance was clearly still in the valley, though he’d vanished when she’d been at his house.
She needed to get this taken care of. She needed to get to Seattle. Like now.
The problem was, she didn’t have a car and the shop guy said it would be another week.
A week?
She’d practically screeched in his ear when he’d told her.
It didn’t seem as big a deal two days ago, but now… what with the tattoo acting up.
Yeah, it was a big deal.
Maybe I can borrow Mae’s car for a quick trip.
She was just reaching for the phone to call Mae when the bell above the clinic door pealed, signaling someone had opened the door.
Mac glanced up.
“You.” It was Larsen. The witch doctor’s cousin.
“Yes.” His scar had faded from the last time
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