They should get going.
“I told myself once my divorce went through, I was going to do something for myself. Climbing a mountain seemed like a good idea.” Her gaze was still glued to where the top disappeared into the clouds. He hoped it would clear while they climbed so they’d get a good view. The weather forecast had looked promising.
“Maybe I should’ve taken up birdwatching instead.”
Konrad laughed, surprised by her words. “You’ve got this. I’ll make sure you get up there safe and sound.”
She looked into his eyes. “Thank you.”
“It’s what I’m here for.” He nodded. It was what he was here for. He looked at the group for a second or two and straightened his back. They had paid him to get them to the top safely, and he could. This wasn’t too bad. “All right, people.” He spoke a little louder than he had before. “We’ll start the ascent following this trail here. It’ll be marked all the way to the top, and we’re not straying from it. Understood?”
Several nodded.
“I estimate it will take about three hours, four if we need to go slower. Oswald, whom you met when you first arrived yesterday, has gone up ahead of us. If the trail for some reason is unsafe, he’ll turn around and meet us and we’ll all walk back down together. We’re sticking together. No one runs ahead, and no one gets left behind.” He met each and everyone’s gaze, allowing some of his power to seep through. They wouldn’t understand what happened, but they’d see him as an authority.
It would be fine. It wasn’t as if they were climbing Mount Everest.
Chapter 5
Dahy groaned loudly. The main character in the book he was reading was so fucking stupid. He’d only read a few chapters and was considering switching to another book, but the love interest was pretty dreamy. He didn’t know if he had the energy for all the stupidity, though.
When the sound of a car turning in on the gravel road reached him, he put the book away, gripped the perfume bottle, and tiptoed to the front door.
Myka stepped out of the car and grabbed two shopping bags from the trunk. He would’ve rushed out to help her carry, but what if someone was watching the cabin? When she neared the door, he opened it for her and reached for one of the bags as soon as she’d stepped over the threshold.
“Hi!” Myka beamed at him. “All good?”
“Yeah, I’ve been reading. Did you have a good day at work?”
“It was okay. I had this super creepy guy come in. I have to tell Roan about him.”
Dahy’s blood ran cold. “Creepy how?”
She shrugged. “You always get the slimy middle-aged men flirting with you. Men are such creeps.”
Dahy stared at her.
“Not you! I didn’t mean…But men, in general, are pathetic creatures. Do they think I’d be flattered by a guy old enough to be my dad staring at my tits and asking weird questions?”
“I don’t know.”
She huffed. “You’re so sweet, Dahy. But he wasn’t your everyday lecherous man slime—”
Dahy laughed. “Man slime?”
“You know one when you see one.” She rolled her eyes. “But this guy.” She shuddered. “There was something in his gaze. Predatory, as in for real, not in the lecherous-man-slime way. He almost looked feral, and I think he was a shifter.”
Not good. What if someone had been following him, had seen him with Myka, and now were targeting her somehow? He’d never meant to put her in danger. He hadn’t believed anyone had followed him from Fewood. He’d spent days here without seeing any signs of being pursued.
“What did he want?” She couldn’t come here anymore. His grip tightened on the bag. He should leave. He never should have reached out to her. What if she got hurt because of him?
“He looked around for a long time, then he ordered a cup of coffee. I didn’t see him leave. One second, he was there, the next time I looked, he was gone.”
“Do you think he followed you here?”
She paled. “Shit, Dahy. I didn’t think…” She looked out the window. “Is he after you? I believed he was there for me. Not everyone is pleased Roan has a human mate, you know? They’re an entire pack here, and I’m the only human. The only one. Isn’t it strange? There has to be a lot more humans than shifters, and not a single one of the pack members has a human mate.”
“Didn’t you say everyone had been friendly since you moved here?”
