“I’m sorry,” Brent said.
Merle shrugged. “For what? You didn’t say those things, and I was the one to insist on knowing about it.”
“I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“No, you did right. I wanted to know what they said.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to know who cares for me and who doesn’t.”
Brent snorted. “Please don’t tell me you didn’t already know those three are assholes.”
“I did. And you shouldn’t have hit them. You’re going to be punished.”
Brent shrugged. “Who cares? It was worth it, and they’ll pay too, don’t worry. I don’t think either Kameron or Craig will be happy to hear what they said. They were just lucky Nootaw wasn’t there.”
Merle arched a brow and stuck a last plaster on Brent knuckles. “He wasn’t?”
“No. He said he had something to do in town.”
“Huh.”
“You two okay?” Noah asked, and Merle turned toward him.
“Yeah. What did you blow up this time?”
Noah sighed. “The new microwave.”
* * * *
Nootaw closed the shop door behind himself and peered in the bag. He felt incredibly silly, buying chocolate for Merle, but he wanted to cheer Merle up and he didn’t know how. Being in a relationship for the first time was a bit awkward and confusing, and most of all, like a shot in the dark. Nootaw figured he was going with the safe option buying chocolate, because from what he’d seen since he’d left the tribe, everyone liked it.
He walked to his car, frowning when he noticed a man he didn’t know leaning against it. He didn’t stop and opened the car door, putting his gift on the passenger seat, then turning around to face the man.
Nootaw searched his memory, but he didn’t think he’d ever met the man. He was shorter than Nootaw by a few inches and had dark hair and a as dark mustache, and he definitely was a shifter. “Can I help you?”
The man pushed himself away from the car and turned to face Nootaw. “I believe you can.” Nootaw waited for him to continue talking. The man looked at him for a few moments, then looked around. “Maybe we should go in a more private setting.”
“We’ll be fine here. No one will hear us.” The parking lot was half-full of cars, but they were all empty. Still, someone could come back at any time, and if they were human and would therefore not be able to help Nootaw if something happened, he hoped the man in front of him would be smart enough not to start anything in a public place.
The man looked around again, then nodded once. “Suspicious. A man after my own heart.” Nootaw arched a brow in question and the man continued, “And silent. Yes, you’ll be a perfect bodyguard for me.”
“I’m not a bodyguard.”
“But you’re a wendigo, and God knows you all are perfect for protecting. Bigger, stronger, with better noses than average shifters.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of me, since you live with the pack. I’m Tom.”
Nootaw tightened his hands in fists to avoid killing the man then and there for what he’d done to Merle. “I’m leaving.” He started to climb into the car, but Tom’s voice stopped him.
“We’re not done talking.”
“We are.”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Oh, but you will. I only have one name to say, and you’ll come with me willingly.”
Nootaw stilled. Was Tom going to use Merle against him?
“Nepi,” Tom said.
Nootaw frowned and turned to face Tom again. “How should that name make me want to come with you?”
“I know the two of you were together before you left the tribe.”
Nootaw snorted. “You don’t know much about wendigoes if you think we were together. We had sex. That was all.”
“That might have been all you think there was to it, but what about her son?”
Nootaw’s heart lurched. Nepi had a son? Could he possibly be Nootaw’s? “A son?”
“I see I got your attention. Yes, she has a son, Aranck. He’s a few months old, I think.”
Nootaw swallowed. She’d named the baby Aranck—Stars. And if what Tom was saying was correct, the baby was old enough to be Nootaw’s son. “What do you want from me?”
Tom tapped his fingers on the car. “See, your old tribe works for me. For my council. Finding them wasn’t easy, but when they heard I wanted to get rid of that group of faggots who think they can rule all shifters, they agreed to help me right away.”
“Use them as bodyguards, then.”
“I tried, but they’re not... disciplined enough. They constantly fight, and I’ve already had two deaths in one month. They’re also not trained, and that’s a problem.”
“But I am, so you came to find me.”
Tom grinned. “Exactly. From the information I gathered, I know you’ve been training ever since you left the tribe, so you’re used to authority.”
“Why didn’t you ask my brother?”
“Because he’s not a fighter, and he’s part of that other council. He’d never come willingly, and I don’t have anything to lure him since his mate lives with the pride. You, on the other hand, I can force to come with me even though you don’t want to.”
“Aranck.”
Tom’s smile grew and Nootaw wanted to pummel him in the ground. “I see you understand me. I really need a smarter bodyguard, and unfortunately for you, you’re the best I was able to find.”
“Aranck might not even be my son.”
“I think he is. Nepi thinks he is. But it doesn’t really matter, does it? Even if he’s not your son, are you really going to let me kill him and the rest of your family? I have all of them. They were all eager to come with me and take revenge on you, your brother, and the council. They’re not very good at following rules, though, so I wouldn’t have problems killing them.”
Nootaw knew Tom was right. He’d go with him, because he needed to see Aranck. He needed to know if the boy was his son, and if he was, Nootaw would do whatever he could to take him and bring him back to the pack. He hoped Merle wouldn’t mind becoming a father, because he didn’t think he’d be able to renounce his son.
But first, he had to get the boy. “Fine. I’ll come with you.”
“I knew you’d see things my way. You probably couldn’t wait, huh? Living with the pack and all those gays.” He looked at Nootaw’s truck. “You’ll need your car, but I’ll buy you everything else.” He held his hand out. “Give me your phone.”
Nootaw hoped Tom wouldn’t try to unlock it and look inside. He apparently didn’t know Nootaw was mated, and Nootaw wasn’t sure Tom even knew Merle was alive. He wanted to keep things that way, but he didn’t have a choice. He took the phone out of his pocket and handed it to Tom. Tom looked at it, threw it on the ground, and hit it with his heel. It took only a few hits to break the phone, and Nootaw never protested. He knew it’d be a moot point.
Tom looked at him. “Follow me.”
Tom walked away and Nootaw watched him climb into a brand new truck. He slid in the driver’s seat and started it. Nootaw knew people would start looking for him soon. He hadn’t told Merle he was leaving pack territory, but he was on shift later that afternoon, and Nick or Duncan would notice it when he didn’t come. They’d hopefully not think he’d run, and if they did, Nootaw hoped Brent would tell them he’d gone to town.
Tom pulled out of the parking lot and Nootaw followed. They left Gillham and drove south for more than an hour. Nootaw watched the mountains they passed through and wondered where they were going. It couldn’t be too close to Gillham or they’d have found out about it, but if Tom really wanted to erase the pack from the surface of the earth, he couldn’t be too far, either.
Nootaw expected Tom to drive deeper into the mountains, but instead he turned right
on a sandy road. Nootaw saw a few buildings standing on both sides of the road as he parked. There were a few people around, most armed to the teeth, the others not staying outside for long.
Tom stepped out of his car and Nootaw followed his lead. Tom gestured at him to walk closer. “Welcome to what’s now your new home.”
“Where are we?”
“Middle of nowhere. It was a small human settlement, but we had no problems convincing the people here to leave.” The toothy smile Tom gave Nootaw made the way they’d convinced the humans to leave obvious. He had to feed a wendigo tribe after all, and Nootaw remembered all too well what they ate.
Nootaw looked around. There was a creek on their left, and most of the buildings were on their right. There were trees around them, but not enough that Nootaw couldn’t see the tent behind them. There was movement there, a fire, people walking around, and he immediately recognized his people.
He looked at Tom. “I want to see Aranck.”
* * * *
Merle was starting to get worried. Nootaw hadn’t come back home before going for his patrol shift as he usually did, and his phone wasn’t connected. Merle had been trying for the past hour, but nothing.
“You worry too much,” Noah said from beside Merle.
They were both on the couch, resting after managing to finish cleaning the kitchen finally. Brent had left as soon as he’d realized they’d ask him to help, and while Noah had told Merle he’d do it on his own since it was his fault, Merle hadn’t left his friend do it on his own. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do anyway.
“I can’t call him.”
“He probably was late and went straight to patrol. Nothing to worry about.”
Merle nodded, even though he wasn’t convinced. He tried to concentrate on the movie they were watching, but he didn’t even remember the title or what it was about.
The front door opened and Merle shot to his feet only to sit back down when the man who peeked in the living room wasn’t Nootaw. Actually, he wasn’t even sure who the guy was. “Umm, hi.”
The guy smiled. “Hi. Are Kameron or Zach around?”
“No. Zach’s with his sister and Kameron had something councily to do.”
“I’ll come back later, then.”
“Or you could sit with us and watch the movie until one of them comes back. Merle isn’t being a very good film-watching partner right now,” Noah said.
The guy arched a brow but didn’t protest. He sat in one of the armchairs and leaned forward to shake Noah’s hand. “I’m Mihaja.”
“Noah.”
Merle waved at Mihaja. “Merle.” He noticed Mihaja was looking at Noah’s horns and laughed. “Weird, huh?”
Mihaja smiled. “Not weird. Just... uncommon. Can I ask what kind of shifter you are?” he asked Noah.
“I’m a demon, not a shifter,” Noah answered.
“I see.”
“What about you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around. Are you a pack member?”
“Not exactly.” Mihaja relaxed in the armchair and crossed his legs. “I spent some time here about a year ago, but I left to go back to my family in Madagascar.”
Merle eyes went wide. “Madagascar? How did you end up here in the first place?”
Mihaja’s smile faded. “I was taken from my home some years ago and brought here. I was put in a lab.”
“Oh, I get it. Are you one of the shifters Craig freed?”
“Yes. I’m a fossa.”
“I have no idea what that is,” Noah said, the movie forgotten.
“It looks like a big cat, but it’s really related to mongooses.”
“I’d like to see you when you shift sometime.”
Mihaja nodded once. “I think that can be arranged, if Kameron and Zach will let me come back, of course.”
“Is that why you’re here? To become a pack member?”
“If I can. The only nice period of time I spent in this country was the weeks I spent here. I tried to get back to my old life in Madagascar, but...”
Merle nodded. “You couldn’t. I get it.”
Mihaja looked at him. “You do?”
“I spent some time in a lab too.”
The front door opened again and Merle looked toward the hallway, hoping it would be Nootaw. When Nick appeared, a frown on his face, he knew something had to be wrong.
“Do you know where Nootaw is?” Nick asked.
“I thought he was patrolling. He had this shift.”
“He did, but he never came.”
Merle got up and took his cell phone from his pocket, hoping against all odds that this call would go through. It didn’t. “I can’t contact him.”
Nick nodded. “I know. I tried too. Do you know where he might be?”
“He told Brent he had something to do in town,” Noah said. He looked at Merle, then back at Nick. “He wanted to buy something for Merle and he asked me what I thought he should get. I suggested something cheap since it’s not a celebration or anything. I didn’t know when he was going to go, but that might be why he went to Gillham.”
“Anything more specific?” Nick asked.
“I think he was going to buy flowers, too, but I’m not sure.”
“He’d have parked in the parking lot off Main Street, then.”
“Probably.”
Nick looked at Merle. “Are you up to coming with me to check or would you rather stay here?”
“I’m coming.”
They left Noah and Mihaja in the living room with strict instructions to call if they learned anything. Noah was already making phone calls to check if anyone knew anything and he just nodded at them as they left.
They both were silent in the car, and Merle tensed up more and more as they reached Gillham and Nick drove along Main Street. He turned into the small parking lot and parked in the first free spot he found. “You start looking from the left, I’ll start from the right. Yell if you find something.”
Merle nodded and scrambled down. There weren’t many cars left since most of the shops were closing for the night. Merle didn’t know what he was looking for exactly, but he was sure Nootaw’s car wasn’t there. He kept his eyes on the ground, searching for anything that might tell him what had happened to his mate.
“Merle!”
Merle snapped his head up when Nick yelled for him. He ran toward the other side of the parking lot and saw that Nick was crouched and looking at something on the ground. His mind supplied him with the worst scenarios it could provide—was it Nootaw? Maybe unconscious, or dead?
When he was close enough to see it couldn’t be Nootaw because Nick was looking at something smaller, he wondered if someone had cut Nootaw to pieces. He knew he’d go crazy if he went on like that, so he ran faster and pushed those thoughts away. It was easier to do when he realized there was no blood.
Merle crouched next to Nick and looked down. It was Nootaw’s cell phone. It was missing a few bits of plastic and the screen was smashed. Nick pushed at it with his finger. “Is that Nootaw’s?”
“Yeah.”
“Found anything?”
“No.”
Nick sighed and got up. He made a call while Merle stared at Nootaw’s broken phone, his thoughts spinning. “What happened to him?” he asked aloud even though he hadn’t meant to.
“I don’t know. As far as I can see, someone got to him, but I have no idea who, or why Nootaw’s phone is here but his car isn’t.”
Merle twirled toward Nick. “His truck!”
“What?”
“Didn’t Kameron ask Isaiah to make sure all the pack members’ cars had GPS? Can we find him that way?”
Nick dialed another number on his phone. “Isaiah, this is Nick. I need a favor. Can you track Nootaw’s truck? Yes, Chogan’s brother.” There was a pause. “We don’t know. He disappeared. We found his phone but his car is gone. Uh-huh. Yeah, I’ll wait.”
Nick covered
the lower part of his phone with his hand and said, “He’s going to his office.”
Merle nodded and bit his thumbnail while Nick went back to his phone call. “Yeah, send everything to my phone, thanks. Yeah, tell him. He can come to Kam’s house. We’re going back now, so we’ll see him there.”
Merle waited until Nick finally hung up to ask, “He found Nootaw?”
“His truck is about two hours from here. Come on, climb in the car. We need to go back and start planning.”
By the time they were back to Kam’s house, Merle’s thumb was bleeding. Nick shook his head when he saw it, but he didn’t say anything and they went inside. The house was full of voices and all the lights were on. Merle followed Nick to Kameron’s office and froze at the sight of Nootaw’s brother.
Merle had never met him before, but he looked so much like Nootaw it hurt to see him. He tightened his hands into fists and managed not to reach for Chogan, but the man had noticed him. He leaned toward Jared, whom Merle recognized, and quietly said something. Jared looked at Merle and Merle finally unfroze.
He stepped toward them and awkwardly held his hand out to Chogan. “I’m Merle, Nootaw’s mate. I don’t know if he told you about me.”
Chogan smiled, but Merle could see it was tense. “He did. Congratulations.”
Someone clasped Merle’s shoulder. “You all can congratulate each other once we find Nootaw, huh?”
Merle recognized Blake’s voice. He knew Blake was one of the few people in the pack who was friendly to Nootaw, so seeing him there made him feel better. He turned to look at Kameron and the room quieted.
The alpha looked at them and nodded. “Right. Let’s start planning how we’re going to get our man back.”
* * * *
Nootaw followed Tom toward the cluster of tents he’d noticed. They passed between two illuminated buildings and under a tree. They entered the campsite undisturbed and Nootaw noticed several wendigoes slightly bowing to Tom. It made him want to roll his eyes, something he’d apparently learned from Merle, but he stopped himself. There was no need to antagonize Tom, not until Nootaw knew what was going on and how he could make it out of there.
Merle Page 9
