Chapter 145 Chapter 145
Calum had called back with a plan and a lot of advice that Blair was more than happy to accept. They still had to climb that hill, but they were now heading Northwest once they reached the top of it. He didn’t know what maps Cal had, but he could tell him what kind of terrain they were going to be traveling over. He’d also suggested most staying on two legs because they didn’t have the food to sustain shifting back and forth for another day—or send them off to eat whatever kill they could find in cat form because lighting a fire was out of the question. Mostly, Blair had thought of all that too. He just felt better telling the women and saying ‘Cal said’ instead of forcing his ideas off on them.
They found a secluded, semi-sheltered area to bunk down for the night, and now his nerves were strung right out. He needed rest, but they needed rest more than he did, so he took the first watch and was trying to let the ladies sleep as much as they could.
He heard movement from behind him but didn’t take his eyes off the area below the incline. If anyone were coming at them, it would have to be from that direction—unless they could fly, and he silently prayed Tomas didn’t have any flyers.
“Bet you’re wishing you were at home right now doing whatever it is you do,” Kobie spoke softly and sat down beside him.
He shrugged, “I wasn’t at home when I got the call. I was helping at the farm that’s my clan’s.”
“Your clan’s not all together?”
“For the most part, the largest financial support for them is through the Alpha’s family business, so I live and work there.” He inhaled slowly and then regretted it when all he could smell was her. She smelled just as appealing in human form. His animal brushing along him confirmed that opinion.
“What’s the family business?” She kept her voice so quiet, even the shifters sleeping behind them wouldn’t hear.
He glanced at her to see her hair was down and half-covering her face as she looked around them. She was lovely to look at; he decided. “We repair and rent out big equipment,” he shrugged, “like stuff for construction, drilling…”
“It’s a remote area?”
He grinned and motioned around them, “like this only with more bogs and small lakes.”
“That’s nice.” She said nothing after that.
“How are you doing?” She had to be hurting, not knowing what was going on with her clan. He knew their fate would not be a good one but wasn’t going to refuse that.
“Holding it together.” She spoke quietly, then cleared her throat softly. “I think,” she blew out a breath, “my brother is still alive.” Her voice cracked at the end.
Blair watched her, not sure what he should say. His cat was so still it made him nervous.
“We’re twins.” She whispered, “I think I’d feel this void inside me if he weren’t.”
Blair reached over and picked up her hand, then leaned closer and lifted her chin so he could see her face. “Then believe he is if that’s what you need to keep going.” He, more than most, would understand that you needed a purpose to move forward sometimes.
Her dark eyes searched his for a moment, then her lips quirked like she wanted to smile but couldn’t quite do it. “You are not what I expected when Fish told me they were sending someone from the Alliance.”
Blair gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it. “Better or worse?” He sent her a playful, cautious look.
“Better.” She grinned. “I expected some hard-ass, aging man, who would bark orders at us.”
“And you were prepared to put him in his place?” He raised an eyebrow at her, then remembered he needed to keep watch and looked back out in the night.
“You know it.” She laughed softly. “Go take your run and check the boundaries and then grab a nap, I’ll keep watch.”
“Did you rest at all?” He wasn’t sure how long he’d been wandering around quietly.
“A little.” She cleared her throat. “Sleep isn’t going to find me anytime soon.”
He didn’t want to put the pressure of watching over everyone on her, but he also understood when you had emotions riding you. He doubted he’d sleep, but he would go stretch out for a bit after he shifted and did a thorough check of the area. Getting up, he gave her a quick look. “If you get tired, come and get me.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just headed out of sight so he could strip down and shift.
Running the full perimeter, he was satisfied that there was nothing but nature out there. He went back toward the others. His cat decided he needed to see the pretty white-haired woman one more time and then Blair found himself making a hard-right turn when the site was in view. He hoped there was no blood all over his face from his midnight snack a few minutes ago. The women might get by on protein bars and jerky, but he needed real meat to sustain the length of shifts he’d been doing.
He slowed his cat when Kobie was in view. Her expression made him glad his insubordinate side had decided on this visit. She looked so forlorn and lost right now it made his heartache. Creeping closer, like he was stalking her, he crouched lower. He didn’t make a sound but saw her inhale subtly and then turn in his direction. When she cocked her head to the side, he knew she was onto him. Straightening, he walked over to her and sat in front of her.
“Feel better?” She smirked at him.
He snuffed loudly as a reply.
She looked over at him. “Your coloring surprised me.” Her dark eyes connected with his again. “My brother is fair like us, but he’s still orange when he shifts.”
That surprised him. Usually, a person’s hair hinted toward their coloring when they shifted.
“I like that I’m different.” She smiled briefly. “Is the rest of your clan your coloring?”
He gave his head a shake. Gage was whitish with brown tinges, but Blair was the only pure white Bengal in that he knew of, well, was until he’d seen Kobie’s coloring.
Reaching out, she ran her hand along his jaw. “Go grab some rest, Blair, if you’re exhausted and falter, I’m going to crumble.”
As he walked back to where he’d left his clothes, he tried to figure out what that meant exactly. He had been anything but calm and cool since that Fish guy had shown up. Maybe a quick nap would be a good idea. His mind was bogging down.
Kobie watched him come out of the trees and walk over to where the others were sleeping. She was glad it was dark and no one else was around. It allowed her to admire his shirtless form. With the sculpted muscles in his back, there was no question that his job was very physical. When he walked, it looked like he was stalking prey, each foot was placed silently on the ground. He’d sleep on the very outskirts of the area everyone was in. She knew it. She blew out a breath like she’d been holding it all day and opened her pack. Pulling out the small bottle, she looked at it. The oils were almost gone, and then what? It’s not like she had time to run back to the house and grab some when she realized she had to round everyone else up and run. She glanced back his way again and opened the bottle. Dabbing the smallest amount on her fingertip, she rubbed it on the main pulse points on her neck. Stuffing it back into the pack, she pulled out the small bottle of rubbing alcohol and rubbed it on her hand. She’d have to wait a few minutes to be able to smell around the area clearly.
She looked up at the sky like she knew there was a god up there, even though she didn’t believe in that stuff. Why now? The sexy, noble Blair Elden was her mate, she was sure of it. She used oils so no male could ‘scent’ her, but she could smell him from twenty feet away. She knew for sure because no male had ever really appealed to her, human or otherwise, in the way he was.
Kobie had known the second she’d stood beside him at the van. At first, she’d tried to tell herself it was the adrenaline of the situation and then that it was her emotional vulnerability with everything that had happened. Lies. All of it. She’d never been the type of girl that hoped for a mate to ‘complete’ them. She liked how she was now. Running earlier, she tried to figure out if walking away was a possibility after finding your mate—she didn’t know enough about it.
Standing up, she looked down the slope. When she’d been in cat form, all she wanted to do was rub herself all over his gorgeous white coat. Biting her lip, she glanced back to make sure everyone was still asleep. Jay, you better be in one piece and get back to me. I’m in trouble here. Not that her brother was going to be any help at all. He was the very definition of dorky, awkwardness unless he was his cat. Sometimes she thought she liked his cat more than when he was in ‘normal’ form. She grinned and shook her head. Yeah, she might need a quick nap soon. Her brain was out of control. Her freaking life was so far out of control she had no idea if she was ever going to get it back together again.
She heard whimpering and immediately turned around. Daisie was standing there, rubbing her face. She’d probably had a nightmare. Before she could move, Blair was on his feet and scooped her up into his arms. He went back over to where he’d been laying and lay back down, cradling Daisie in his arms. Kobie’s heart thudded in her chest. “Where the hell are men like you made?” She more mouthed than spoke.