Florencia hesitated a moment. “The Protectors keep up some standards that the international body suggests, but they run a lot of it like a business. High turnover is bad for business. They listen to those of us who are long-term residents, ones who contribute to the running of the nest. They want people to stay and it’s easier to make us feel happy and safe than to simply give us power over the more transient residents.”
“So what they did to us when we arrived was just for show?”
“Pretty much. It sets the tone so people don’t act up when they get here. Once they trust you they let up a lot.”
“How long have you been here?”
“About fifteen years, I guess.”
“Did you…” I paused, taking a deep breath to force myself to say the words. “Do you remember Heather Chambers? A redheaded witch Yelena said stayed here about a decade ago?”
“Hmmm, I think so. I don’t recall her being very nice. I’m pretty sure she stayed for about a month. Why?”
I wasn’t sure how much to tell her, or how much of what I told her would get spread around, but I wasn’t going togettrust if I didn’tgivea little, though. “I knew her under a different name in the 60s. She went by Rachel Callahan then.”
“It’s not uncommon for some of us to pick up new identities if we’re going to be interacting with the human world. Kind ofa necessity when we don’t age the same way. But, I assume if you’re bringing her up it’s more than that?”
“Rachel was my mate. I honestly thought she had died because I felt the bond snap.”
“Oh, shit.” Florencia stared at me with wide eyes.
“Do you know anything about how to break a bond? I have to know if it’s truly broken or if she just silenced it somehow.”
“I’m not sure, but I can ask. Chef Estrella is probably your best bet. Her mother was a witch mated to a shifter, and all their kids came out shifter. She usually comes in around five in the morning, not that I expect you to stick around that long. I know kitchens aren’t your formal assignment.”
I glanced at the clock that hung above the baker’s station. “Only another hour and a half. I can wait that long.”
“If she doesn’t know, we can spread the question through the nest. Surely someone has the answer.”
“Thank you.”
As much as I wanted to bond Logan, I couldn’t do so without knowing what was going on with Rachel. The woman I thought I’d known wouldn’t have doneanyof the things she had done, so I couldn’t say for certain she wasn’t dangerous to Logan somehow. I could accept my own risk, but I wasn’t willing to accept it for her.
Florencia and I switched over to inventory in the freezer, both wearing jackets provided specifically for this task. I stared at the multitude of half cows hanging there. Was it weird for prey animal shifters to cater to predators?
“This would probably last longer if everyone was in their small form,” I pointed out.
“The Protectors don’t like mandating a specific form, but you’re not wrong. In the event of an emergency we have another freezer that’s full of pet food, but that’s the last resort. Let’s hope the lockdown is resolved before we need to tap into that.”
I didn’t reply. With no idea when the lockdown would be over, I had nothing to say.
“I heard Protector Logan met with a bunch of families earlier today.”
“Kendrick took her without permission.”
Florencia scrunched up her face in confusion. “Permission? They’re both Protectors. Neither of them need permission for anything.”
That could be true to the nest residents, but the dynamics weren’t so clear-cut upstairs. Maybe Yelena was just trying to keep a hold on everything, but I couldn’t fault her for it when it was to protect the love of my life.
“Anyway,” Florencia continued, “everyone really likes her. I know it’s only temporary, but you guys should stay when everything is over. I think you would fit in really well with nest life once there’s not so much danger hanging over our heads.”
“Logan and I had a life in New York State. This isn’t our home.”
“Anywhere can be home,” said Florencia. “A lot of us are nomadic, but sometimes it’s nice to put down roots. Nothing wrong with you transplanting from there to here if you end up liking us.”
“Fair enough, but that’s a conversation for another day.”
We worked diligently until Chef Estrella made her appearance. Before I could get a word out, Florencia was bounding over to her at the coffee station and launching into the questions I had asked her earlier.
