It didn’t sound like Jyran. “A predatory squirrel?”
Roan snarled. “No, the guy who scared her.”
Konrad frowned at the tiles. “So there was a big, predatory guy who scared her at work, and then before she left, she hugged Jyran?” He didn’t think Gideon, Jyran’s mate, would be pleased to know he moved around unprotected. The entire pack knew who Jyran was, and they wouldn’t attack him since he was mated to Gideon, but it wasn’t safe for a squirrel to walk around.
“I don’t know if it was Jyran, all I can scent is squirrel mixed with all the scents of a day working at the coffee shop.”
Yeah, there would be a lot of scents. Humans and their perfumes. He remembered his last run-in with Myka and was surprised Roan could scent anything at all on her. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know! Someone scared her.”
Yes, it wasn’t good, but since they didn’t know who, it was hard to do anything about it. “But we don’t know if he was a shifter or a human.”
“No. Then she was mumbling something about maybe he’d been there to get to her friend.”
“The one in Farris’ cabin?” A human running from humans. It didn’t mean they hadn’t scared Myka. Humans could be dangerous too.
“What?”
“Myka’s friend who needed someplace to hide.”
Silence stretched. “She has a friend who needs someplace to hide?”
Konrad rubbed a hand over his mouth. Hadn’t she told Roan? “Yes, she called me and asked for a place to hide a friend who is on the run.”
“Myka!”
Konrad winced and removed the phone from his ear but could still hear Roan growl at Myka.
“Roan?” No reply. Konrad sighed. “Roan!”
“Yes.”
“She wanted as few as possible to know. I’ve told Anabelle and Amir a friend of the pack is staying in Farris’ cabin, no one else. Not even Farris. I’ve told them not to approach. She was trying to help.” Or so he assumed. Maybe he should’ve asked more questions before agreeing to hide the poor girl away. “Don’t go there. I’ll take care of it, okay?”
Roan made a sound of agreement.
“I’ll go check on her to make sure the guy wasn’t out to get to her, and you’ll stay close to Myka.” He didn’t like having someone snooping around the only human in the pack. She was easy prey.
“You think she’s in danger?”
“I don’t know.” He didn’t want to scare Roan, but should this stranger want to hurt the pack, he’d start with taking out the human mate. She was the most risk-free to attack, and it would hurt them to lose her as much as it would to lose a real pack member. Roan would be incapacitated. But who would want to attack them? They were a small, mostly peaceful pack that didn’t have any long-running conflicts with anyone.
Chapter 6
Dahy blew on some foam getting too close to his face in the bath and turned a page in the book. He’d given up on the previous one, the stupidity had come to be too much, but this one was off to a good start. A broody detective was investigating a murder of a young woman, and the nerdy florist from across the street kept popping up in the weirdest of places.
He slipped deeper into the water and turned another page. If he ever got a home, he’d have a bath where he would read every day. He reached out and grabbed a handful of the cashew nuts Myka had bought for him and groaned as he popped them into his mouth. So much better than bird seeds.
She’d brought several bags with different kinds of nuts, and he’d hidden them in good places for later. Frowning at the page, he regretted not having poured a bowl with pistachios. They might be his favorites. Along with cashews, of course. And pecans, and almonds, and walnuts. Oh, now he wanted walnuts. Myka hadn’t bought any. Peanuts would be good too. She’d bought a couple of bags of peanuts, so he could have some later. Hazelnuts. She hadn’t bought hazelnuts.
He froze. He didn’t know why, but a sense of danger swept through him.
He didn’t move a muscle, didn’t so much as breathe, as he listened. Did the gravel crunch outside? His heart jumped into his throat, and he slowly placed the book on the floor.
There was a knock on the door, and Dahy hissed. He flew out of the tub, grabbed the bottle of perfume he’d thankfully placed next to the bowl of cashews, and sprayed himself from top to toe. He coughed and gagged, and he reached for a towel and gave it a couple of sprays too before wrapping it around his hips.
It had to be Myka.
