I didn’t hate my mate. I didn’t love him, either, but he was kind to me, and I found out early on in our relationship that he’d sought me out. He’d gone to my parents and asked to be the backup plan. I never wanted to be anybody’s backup plan, but life could have been a whole lot worse. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
Chapter Two
Heath
“My feet are going numb, and we’re out of snacks.” James had taken over driving when we got on the road at noon and hadn’t, until now, made a peep of complaint.
I chuckled from the back seat. “Find the next town. I’m sure there’s something around here.”
The Pacific Northwest was beautiful in late summer. Spruce, fir, and cedar trees reached to the heavens above us and lined the highways, giving the entire ride through this part of Oregon a bluish, sleepy haze. It was like driving through a tunnel of life and death and love and secrets.
Then again, I was pretty dramatic.
It might’ve been the professor in me.
“I need to get out of this car, too,” Seth groaned, also waking up. Something about this place begged for a nap. Time moved slower here. The hours waned in a slug’s pace.
Exactly what we needed. A break from the hustle and bustle of schedules, bills, due dates, appointments, phone calls, and texts.
Seth and James weren’t pleased at the spotty internet, but I reveled in the quiet. The lack of urgency caused by a ringing phone.
The peace healed me a bit.
“Look at that.” James pointed out the rivers topped with white waves and winding paths we passed. He loved the water and the view. Seth liked everything. He was so easygoing. But give me the silence.
“Snacks sound good too,” Seth said.
“We brought a ton of snacks on the trip.” James had to be mistaken about being out of food, so I turned around to getsomething from the back of the SUV, but wrappers filled the space where our stash once was. “Seth,” I chided. “What did you do?”
“The hike yesterday made me hungry, and the hotel continental breakfast really didn’t do it for me. Bagels and cereal. My wolf scoffed inside me.”
“You even ate all the beef jerky,” James pointed out.
“Look at the sign!” Seth called out. “There’s a town up ahead. It says there’s a bar and restaurants.”
I sat up. There was a crick in my neck from sleeping in the car. I stretched left and right. “A drink actually sounds good. It’s been a while.”
“A drink it is,” James agreed.
We pulled off the road onto a town called Darkheart. The clouds chose that moment to part, let the sunshine in. We drove a short way to a bar that looked like a cabin. No neon lights or crowds of people inside. A simple place with small boulders marking the parking areas.
“Doesn’t look like a bar,” James said.
“It says Darkheart bar. They didn’t have the imagination to name it anything else, I guess.” I got out first and groaned at the stretching of my legs. I raised my arms above my head and elongated my spine. We really did need this stop.
“Let’s go in,” Seth called, already on his way to the door. James and I followed him and as I touched the door handle, a knowing piqued my interest. My wolf howled inside me, his hairs raising along his spine. Something stirred between us.
Almost as though I’d been here before. Like walking into a home I’d never known.
“Take a seat anywhere you’d like. I’ll be right with you.”
The voice of the female at the bar tugged at my chest, sending cascades of warmth through my body. Interesting.
We found three empty stools at the end of the bar, humans and shifters all around us. Despite the almost-empty parking lot, the place was busy. Must’ve been locals. There were a lot of cabins and houses around, so they probably walked here. Coming from the suburbs where we drove everywhere, I was always surprised when people walked instead of jumping into their cars.
It sounded nice to be so close to things and yet surrounded by devastatingly beautiful landscapes.
Speaking of devastatingly beautiful…eyes…
