Brandi

by Donna McDonald

  “Do you swear?” Kent demanded.

  Brandi reached over Stewart and crooked a finger. “Lock your little finger with mine. Pinky swears are sacred to me.” When Kent did it, she held his gaze. “I swear. No one is going to eat you.”

  Before she could pull away, he’d tightened his little finger on hers.

  “Do you swear to come back for us?” Kent demanded.

  Brandi nodded… then she shook her hand to move their fingers up and down. “I swear that too.” Kent nodded solemnly and finally let go.

  Stewart laughed at the drama and looked up at her. The adoration in his gaze had her squirming in her seat. “I saw the bear people in my dreams. They’re not scary. Mostly they’re very sad bears.”

  “I have dreams like that too,” Brandi confided. “But not lately. I only dream when I’m here in Wasilla. I don’t know why.”

  “All the wolves need you to dream here. Their energy is very restless,” Kent pronounced gravely.

  “Think so?” Brandi asked, blinking at the confidence in his voice.

  Kent nodded. “Matt keeps them safe, but the danger is all around here. Lots of things. I worried less when we were back at the lab.”

  “Really? Did you want to stay there?” Brandi frowned. It had never occurred to her to ask the children what they wanted. She watched as Kent shook his head slowly.

  “Not really, but there was less new stuff to get used to.”

  She saw Gareth reach a hand down and pat Kent’s leg.

  “New stuff doesn’t always have to mean bad stuff. New stuff can be good stuff. You might see where we’re going as a cage too, but your babysitters are going to be a whole lot nicer than what you’re used to.”

  She saw Kent nod solemnly again.

  “Listen to Gareth, Kent. He would never lie to you,” Brandi declared.

  All three of the children called out gleefully when the truck swerved after her statement. She glared at Gareth who looked like he’d been sucker punched.

  “Gareth would never lie to you because he knows I’d hurt him if he did lie.”

  Gareth’s smile was wide as he nodded at her threat. “Yes. If I lied to the children, I’m sure you’d finally follow through on some of those murderous inclinations of yours.”

  Aggie took her face in her hands and turned it to hers. Brandi blinked at the girl’s firm touch. “You would never hurt Gareth. I don’t think you’re going to hurt the bear people either. Watch out for the lady with the scary needles though. She’s not very nice.”

  “How do you know, Aggie? I’m the one who saw her in my dreams,” Stewart interjected sharply.

  “Because I believed you, dummy. You know I tell the stories better,” Aggie declared, leaning over to glare.

  Brandi snorted at the rivalry. “Well, I believe you both. Now stop arguing. I’ll be careful. No one is coming near me with needles ever again.”

  Aggie laid her head back on her shoulder. “Will you turn into a wolf for us when you get back? We saw Gareth’s wolf. We want to see yours.”

  Brandi nodded against her fluffy curls. “Sure. Wait… when did you see Gareth’s wolf?”

  “Aggie, you weren’t supposed to tell,” Kent chastised.

  Aggie slapped a hand over her mouth as Brandi narrowed her eyes at Gareth.

  “Did you show them your wolf, Gareth?” She heard him snickering.

  “Are you kidding? You know what kind of active imaginations kids have. These three have wild ones.”

  The mass of giggling over his pathetic lie had her mouth quirking, no matter how hard she fought it. She turned her head to look out the window to keep them all from seeing the mischief in hers.

  “I think my feelings are hurt. You never showed me your wolf. Apparently everyone has seen him now but me,” Brandi said, hoping her tone sounded pouty and sad. They were foreign emotions to her, but in her job she’d done her share of acting over the years.

  The truck swerving again brought another round of giggling exclamations about the wild ride they were having and how bad a driver Gareth was.

  “I guess I haven’t. You never asked and I… huh, that’s so strange. Explains a lot too,” Gareth replied.

  Before she could ask what it mysteriously explained, they pulled into a long narrow driveway with a giant house residing at the end of it. It was a two story log cabin style home, but according to Gareth, there was a basement under it that ran the full length of the house.

  “Wow,” Stewart exclaimed. “This is where we’re staying?”

  Brandi nodded. “Yes. Nice and big, isn’t it?”

  A couple who looked about the age of Matt’s stepmother walked out of the front door. They motioned for them to get out of the truck. Brandi opened the door and let Aggie scamper down from her lap. Stewart climbed over her without waiting for her to get out first. She fussed at his exuberance, but in reality she decided it was probably a good sign.

  Outside, she noticed Kent was now standing by Gareth’s leg, taking up his usual aggressive stance. Brandi cleared her throat to get his attention and motioned for him to drop his arms down. Sighing in frustration, Kent complied, but lifted his chin. She rolled her eyes and didn’t miss the grin Gareth turned away to hide.

  Initial introductions went much better than she hoped, especially once Jesse took Kent on a personal tour, accompanied by Gareth of course. Marilyn opted to show Brandi and the other two to the kid’s bedroom. There were lots of empty separate rooms, Marilyn explained, but she had temporarily put them all in one with a set of specially made triple bunks. Beds were all around the room. Under each was a child’s dresser and a desk.

  “Now we get to be up high too,” Stewart declared.

  Brandi watched him run to the nearest one and climb the ladder without waiting to be told it was okay. She glanced at Marilyn who was laughing at his excitement, so she didn’t chastise Stewart for it. Aggie looked around and then headed to investigate the middle bunk. The only time she hadn’t been in the middle of the two boys was when she’d ridden on Brandi’s lap.

  Brandi wondered if the girl was peacekeeping or just liked being referee.

  “How long have you had them?” Marilyn asked.

  Brandi met her level gaze. “You mean the children? Would you believe a day?”

  Marilyn chuckled. “Must have been instant kinship then. They’re relaxed enough to be themselves with you.”

  Brandi laughed. “You mean this chaos is a good sign?”

  “Yes. First time parent?” Marilyn asked.

  “Not exactly a parent,” Brandi said, looking for the right term. “More like guardian at the moment.”

  “Whatever name you want to put on what you’re doing, I can see you genuinely care about them. They’ll be safe with us. Jesse won’t let anything happen. He’s retired now and does what he pleases, so he’s going to be around to see that the little Alpha stays calm. Ryan had those tendencies. They calmed down as he got older. I think he still fancies himself taking Gareth’s place as pack Beta one day.”

  “Did Gareth tell you they’re not…” Brandi stopped. Aggie and Stewart were jumping from bed to bed. “Hey, you two. No bed hopping. Pick one and settle down.”

  “Ah oh… we’re in trouble,” Stewart declared.

  Aggie dove into the middle bed again and collapsed into a giggling fit. “I love being fussed at,” she said.

  Brandi sighed. “They’re… I don’t know what they are. They don’t shift yet but… damn I suck at explaining.”

  Marilyn laughed and rubbed her arm. Aggie and Stewart put their hands over their mouths.

  Brandi held up her hands. “Sorry. I know I said no swearing, but it’s hard to break the habit. Bear with me. I’ll get there eventually.”

  “Bear with you… that’s really funny,” Stewart declared. “Bears will be bearing with you soon. Are you going to bring them back here when you rescue them? Like you did us?”

  Brandi ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s not talk about that right
now, okay? What Gareth and I are doing needs to stay a secret. Can you keep a secret, Stewart?”

  “No. I’ll blow up if I don’t talk about what’s in my head,” Stewart declared, laughing when Aggie dissolved into giggles again.

  “Well, try not to empty it out completely while I’m gone. You can tell me and Gareth everything when we get back, okay?”

  Aggie laughed. “Stewart is teasing. Kent and I will stop him from talking too much. We always do.”

  “Are you guys really going to be okay here?” Brandi asked.

  Aggie’s answer was another round of laughing and giggling. Brandi’s sigh of resignation didn’t stop it.

  “It’s okay. Gareth already told us the children have a tendency to make up wild stories,” Marilyn said kindly. “We’ll be fine with them. You and Gareth just take your business trip and we’ll see you when you get back.”

  “Gareth put their backpacks in the front hall. They had next to nothing where they were living before. Can I leave you money to buy what you think they need? Spend it on toys too, if you want. They don’t have a book, a computer tablet, games, or anything normal.”

  “Certainly. Jesse and I will consider this good practice for our future grandchildren, if we ever get lucky enough to have any.”

  “I’m surprised Junior hasn’t already given you some,” Brandi declared, then realized she’d made the rudest comment possible to the boy’s mother. Her face flushed in embarrassment for the first time in years. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry. I should never have said that to you. My first impression of your son wasn’t good, but that’s no excuse for me to say ugly things about him.”

  “I’m guessing you’re talking about Dillon. He goes through the ladies for sure, but Jesse and I beat being careful into him. He stays away while they’re in heat. So no pups so far. Carson had a close call once, but to be fair, he loved the girl madly. And Ryan… my poor boy Ryan wants nothing more than a family of his own. He fancies your pack mate, but I admit I have my reservations about her. I do hear she’s an excellent healer. We were very lucky you three decided to make Wasilla your home.”

  “Heidi has her reservations about Ryan as well, but she also really likes him. I’m sure she makes him be careful when it’s necessary. Ariel has forbidden Heidi to mate for a few months, so nothing is going to happen for a while.”

  “Yes, I’d heard about her Alpha’s words of caution,” Marilyn said thoughtfully. “Does she not think Ryan is good enough for Heidi? He’s a full natural werewolf and I… dang it, now I’m the one with my foot in my mouth.”

  Brandi sighed, and then snorted. Honesty really was the only way to make friends.

  “You won’t ever find me throwing stones, Marilyn. Heidi just isn’t ready to settle down. It’s not about Ryan. Ariel honestly thinks he’s great. She’s just helping Heidi take the time she needs to think through things the way she needs to.”

  Marilyn nodded to the door. “I think I like the sound of that explanation much better than Ryan’s frustrated claims about Heidi holding out on him. Come on, honey. Let’s find the men folk and let the kids get used to things up here.”

  Brandi glanced nervously behind her, but followed her hostess out. In the hallway, Kent walked toward them alone and unchaperoned. He meandered from wall to wall checking out everything. She put her hands on her hips and waited for him to finish inspecting everything and close the distance.

  “Well… what do you think?” she asked.

  Kent shrugged. “The basement gym is cool. Jesse is very nice. I guess we’ll be okay here. Don’t forget you promised to come back.”

  Brandi dropped her hands from her hips, and then dropped to her knees to meet him eye to eye. “Come here,” she ordered.

  When Kent stood in front of her, she lifted her hands to his arms, holding him to keep him still. “I didn’t plan on any of this going down like it has, but that’s the worst thing about making plans. They almost never work out like you want. I know it’s hard for you to trust yet another set of strangers after all you’ve been through, but you can trust me about coming back. When I give my word, I keep it—good, bad, or otherwise.”

  When Kent nodded, Brandi dropped her hands from his arms. She wasn’t prepared for the boy to fling himself at her, so she almost got knocked flat. His arms around her neck were as tight as a noose. She brought cautious arms up around him and rubbed his back. “It’s okay to have reservations and be cautious. I don’t trust easily either. But sometimes it’s the only way to get to anything good.”

  Kent nodded on her shoulder. She pulled him away and immediately wanted to pull him back for another hug. But she couldn’t. There was no time for hugging. She and Gareth needed to go.

  “You may be their leader, but they’ve already claimed their bunks first. You’re not going to start a fight over the last one are you?” Brandi’s mouth twitched when Kent shrugged one shoulder and looked longingly at the door of the room.

  “Not unless one is higher than the others,” he promised.

  “All bunks are equally high,” Brandi declared. His sigh of disappointment had her snorting. “See that Aggie and Stewart behave, okay? We’ll talk when I get back. My Alpha told me things have a way of working out like they’re meant to. Ariel’s really smart and almost always right. I trust and believe her. I hope you can trust and believe me that way.”

  “Alpha Ariel is very pretty with her long, blonde hair,” Kent said heading to the bedroom door. “But I agree with Gareth.”

  “About what?” Brandi asked, climbing to her feet.

  Kent turned back and smiled at her. “You’re way more beautiful,” he declared.

  He disappeared into the bedroom then, leaving her stunned by his parting words.

  Chapter 14

  She and Gareth sat in the middle of the plane for the trip from Alaska to Maine. Though half the length of a commercial run, their flight was still as long as the trip from Virginia to Alaska. Brandi found herself with plenty of time on her hands to think… and not just about the fact Gareth had allegedly said she was beautiful. There were far more important things to think about. Maybe Kent hadn’t heard right. In her experience, Gareth wasn’t the type to offer such compliments.

  Needing to focus her thoughts on something normal, she had spent the first couple of hours studying the case files Sheldon had provided about his sister’s research. It was sketchy information and none of it was yet validated.

  At least Fallon and Lars had the lab location mapped out. They had also done the logistics about how to provide them with transportation and other things they would need. Logistics had been her job when she’d started in Lane’s department, so she had a keen appreciation for how much work it was to keep supply people at your beck and call.

  Their destination was a place called Sugar Island. On it was a forest of firs and deciduous trees surrounding what used to be a wildlife camp. The property had been donated several years ago for wildlife research, which Brandi suspected was now exclusively focused on bears.

  According to Sheldon’s notes, they would likely find a full scientific staff manning the facility secretly built there alongside the camp ruins. Reports said helicopters were drop-shipping crates to the facility several times a week. Deliveries were everything from obvious food containers to wooden boxes with unknown contents.

  Brandi could well imagine what was in some of them, even though she didn’t want to.

  The island was a five minute boat ride from a nearby state park, which was officially shut down due to cutbacks. Once on park land, island visitors would still have had a forty minute drive to real civilization. The bottom line was the lab’s hiding place was pretty much self-contained.

  Brandi guessed it would be unlikely for bear shifters in animal form—if there were any—to traverse the deep water surrounding the island without human help. In human form, a person would still need boat skills to escape. From what she had read, the Sasquatch sightings had come from nosy tourists who had secretly boated o
ut to the island in hopes to see the old residences from the early 1900’s. Reports of hairy creatures walking on two legs were few, but two was too many even among violators of Sugar Island’s no access policy.

  She looked up from studying her file when Gareth plopped heavily into the seat across from her. He’d been talking to Fallon, who was now flying the plane. Whatever healing Heidi had given Lars had made the cat man very sleepy once airborne. Lars was reclined in the co-pilot’s chair and snoozing under Fallon’s watchful gaze.

  “Bad news. The plane can’t be landed on the island itself because of the trees. There’s not a big enough open spot. We’re going to have to rent a helicopter or a boat to get out there. A boat would be the most practical. I hate them, but I’ll deal with it for the few minutes it takes to get there and back. The biggest problem we face is getting the rescued hybrids off the island. I’m guessing it’s going to definitely require a helicopter and a lot of sedation. We don’t even know how many there are. It might take two trips.”