“Cameron?” Nate’s panicked voice shredded any hope that nothing was wrong.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“Get out of the hotel!Now. I was spotted at the garage. The guy may be trying to trace my scent trail back the way I’d come. If he does, he’ll know where you are. Run, Cameron!”
Goosebumps crept up along my arms as he spoke. Was nowhere safe?
“I’m, uh, I’m already out,” I stammered. “I’m not there. Ollie had some friends bring me to a local library.”
“What?” Nate barked. “When did that happen?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I probably should have texted him to let him know I was leaving. It was stupid, but I hadn’t wanted to bother him while he was working. In hindsight, it was the very least I could have done. Christ, what if he’d returned to the hotel without calling and found me missing?
Dumbass.
“You know what?” Nate said, relief creeping into his voice. “It’s fine. At least you aren’t at the hotel. Send me the address, and I’ll come pick you up. I’ve got to make sure I don’t have any tails first. Twenty minutes. Maybe fifteen if we’re lucky.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting at the back door,” I said.
After ending the call, I quickly shared my location with Nate, then stuffed my computer and notebook into my backpack. As I did, I glanced up at the last file roll I’d loaded into the reader. An article about a car wreck on a bridge caught my eye. I scrolled up to the photo of the bridge. In the background, almost too small to see, was a roadside sign with the words “Zane’s Bait and Tackle” painted on it.
“Huh,” I muttered. That was the shop Nate had been found at as a child.
With no time to dig in, I took a quick photo of the two pages, then put the microfilm away. I could read it later once things had calmed down.
I found my new librarian friend at the check-out desk, scanning returned books.
“Hey, Carly?” I said.
“Yes, dear?” Several of her earrings jingled as she looked up.
“I’m going to head out. My friend is coming to pick me up.”
Carly’s brow furrowed. “Is everything all right? Do you want me or someone to go with you?”
Annie walked up to the counter. “Yeah. I’ll go with you, if you want.”
“It’s fine. Really,” I said. “Honestly, I can’t thank you all enough. This was much more relaxing than stressing out alone in that hotel room. You’ve been wonderful.” I glanced around and saw several groups of people chatting on chairs with cups of coffee in hand. “I never asked, but is everyone here, like, an insomniac or something?”
Carly laughed. When she’d gotten herself under control, she shook her head. “Oh, no. Nothing like that. It’s mostly that the human world is active during the day. It’s nice to get together and be with each other like this. It’s easier for packs in more rural areas to do stuff like that. Things and places like this”—she swept her hand around—“helps fulfill that innate need shifters have to be together.”
“That’s actually kind of beautiful,” I said. “I like it.”
The smile she gave me was more heartfelt and open than any I’d seen so far, and she put a hand to her chest. “That means a lot. Thank you. I’ve tried to make these evenings special for our kind.”
“I think you’ve done that. Hopefully, I can stop by again sometime.”
“Whenever you’re in Detroit, you come on down. Okay?”
“Deal.” As I turned to go, I noticed Annie giving her grandmother a sidelong stare that was full of admiration. Perhaps the young girl was seeing how cool her grandmother really was.
I waited by the window at the back door, searching for any sign of Nate. After ten minutes, a gnawing worry crept into my chest. Had something happened? Could he have been intercepted? Was he hurt?
Just as I was about to call him, I spotted a flash of gray at the edge of the parking lot. A lithe yet muscular wolf trotted out of the shadows. In an instant, the wolf shifted into Nate. A sudden, almost blinding urge to be with him filled me, and I rushed out the door. Seeing me, Nate’s face broke into a relieved smile. Leaping into his arms, I let him catch me. He pulled me close and held me tight. The thing that had been screaming out for him relaxed, and a blissful contentedness trickled down my spine, spreading through my whole body.
“Are you all right?” I asked. “You smell like… wait, whatisthat?”
Nate sighed, giving me a sarcastic grin. “Lion. Long story. I’m fine, but it’s been a long night. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
