Chapter 203 Chapter 203
Evanna paced back over to the window and opened the curtain an inch so she could see him. She’d never been so shocked as she was when she’d opened her eyes to see him standing there in front of her. A man. Here. A real man. Not a bad one, either, she’d sensed that in the first minute of talking to him. There was something in his eyes that let you see to the bottom of his soul and he was good. His eyes were so pale they almost looked like they were looking right through her at first, it was startling, not in a bad way though.
He leaned back against the fence as he talked into the phone. She still couldn’t believe that was a phone. When he glanced in her direction, she jumped back from the window.
“This is crazy.” She mumbled as she went over to the other window and peeked out it. “Papa Low said if anyone from the Alliance came to trust them.” She nodded. She did, but she wasn’t sure how Leah was going to handle being around him. The first few attempts hadn’t gone well. Men represented everything wrong in her past. She was not aware of all of it, but there was enough of it there that they freaked Leah out when they were around. Biting her lip, she peeked out again. She’d have to stay close and keep watch.
Moving away from the window she went over and quickly poured the water into the percolator. Leah had talked to him, that was something though. It was her job to protect Leah and keep her safe, so she was going to have to wait and see. She still didn’t know if he was just checking in or planned to move them. He’d said it was their choice. Could Leah leave the mountain? They’d tried a few times in the last year, even gotten as far as the town once. That hadn’t ended well. She frowned, still unhappy that they’d lost the purchases they’d gone down for.
Rubbing her hand over her forehead, she blew out a breath. “Stay close, just see how you feel.” Evanna wanted off this mountain, not because of the isolation, she was fine with that part, but their supplies were limited now and the trip was too hard to take. Maybe the Alliance would bring them supplies from time to time if Leah couldn’t leave.
She added more water to drip through. Aunt Tillie told her when the Alliance came to give them her journals, the ones she’d saved specifically for them. Evanna glanced at the window and then went over slowly. Should she give them to Jesse? Would that make a difference? Leaning on the ledge, she tapped her fingers on it. Would he be willing to stay for a few days? There was too much left to do before winter, and even more, if they were going down the mountain.
Her heart picked up as she watched him walk back this way. “Okay, Mister Jesse whoever with the intriguing eyes, I’ll give you one chance to prove there are good people out there.” She straightened away from the window. “One chance.”
She opened the door when he reached it. “Coffee’s ready.” Leaving the door open, she walked back into the kitchen.
Pouring two mugs of the hot black liquid, she went over and set one in front of him. “Did you reach your friends?”
Jesse nodded. “I did. They’re going to call back in a few hours, but they’re happy I found you.”
“Was it hard?” She sat down, “finding this place? Papa Low let the trail grow over on purpose.”
“It was touch and go for a little while.” He grinned, “Once I found the truck, I knew I was going in the right direction.”
The truck. She frowned, she’d have to go down and put fresher growth around it. “There used to be more cars and trucks at the bottom, but Papa Virgil sold them off one by one,” she shrugged, “with no one to drive them.”
~
“The clan was big once?” He didn’t remember the numbers he’d been told when he was sent this way.
“I suppose it was.” She looked down at the table for a second, trying to keep the emotions locked up. “I’ve only been back for five years, so I don’t remember what it was like before.”
“Where were you before you came back?”
Her dark eyes flicked to the floor, then back to him for a second. “Can you stay for a few days?” She picked up the cup and blew on the liquid in it. “We have to figure out what to do.”
He noted her ignoring his question and leaned on the table. “I can.” He wasn’t going anywhere until he got some answers. Jesse wondered for a second if he was going to like the answers, but that didn’t change what he needed to know. He also knew he couldn’t just turn around and walk back down that mountain and leave her up here. His cat was stirring again. At some point, Jesse was going to have to shift and go for a hard run, he’d never felt his cat change direction so often.
“Okay.” She took a small sip, “you can stay at Aunt Tillie’s.” She glanced over her shoulder at a cupboard. “I’ll find some clean sheets after the coffee and take you over.”
It was the first time he’d seen a vulnerable expression in her eyes. “Thank you.” He sipped the coffee and ignored how much it burned his mouth. “I’ve been sleeping in the van or hotels for the last few weeks, so somewhere without traffic noise and bright lights would be great.”
Gone was the melancholy look, “you travel a lot?”
He nodded.
“What’s that like? You’ve probably seen some amazing things.”
His cat settled again at her tone. “I have, but it gets tiring.”
“Are you traveling for the Alliance?” She looked genuinely interested. “Papa Low and Nana Pearl once met the prince, said he was a big man with a bigger heart.”
Jesse paused in thought, the prince must be Dev’s father before he was King. Jesse didn’t know too much about the King before that, other than he was a hard man that didn’t allow for excuses. “He’s the King now.” His mind was still stuck on where she had been if she’d only been back for five years.
“Really?” She smiled and looked up, “Papa Low would be happy with that. He liked the man and Papa Low didn’t like too many.” She chuckled.
Jesse nodded, “he is a big man, but kind.” It was the truth, Shepard Addison was a kind man, just not a man you wanted to cross.
Thera yowled outside the door.
Evanna turned and looked at the door, tilting her head to the side for a second when the animal made another noise. “I’ll get that bedding.” She smiled, “seems like we’re going to have rabbit for dinner today.”
Jesse looked toward the door and wondered how she knew that by a few sounds from the animal. He’d never been close to a wild leopard before but wondered if over time it was easy to understand, like when other shifters were in their cat form.
He took a sip of the coffee and had to fight to not choke on it. She’d said strong, it was definitely strong.
She pulled out a sheet and a few blankets. “I keep the other homes stocked with wood, so you won’t be cold.” Grabbing a blanket, she put it on top of the sheet. “If you want to go out for a run, you’ll have to put up with Thera going with you,” she shrugged, “She watches over Minn when she runs too.”
“That’s fine.” He cleared his throat and watched her drink down her coffee like it was water.
“Leah will make some food, I’m not very good at cooking…”
Jesse nodded, “I can give her a hand…”
Evanna paused after she picked up the bedding, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Leah isn’t good around people.”
“I won’t invade her space if she doesn’t want me there.” He stood up.
Evanna eyed him up and down, “okay. Good.” She started for the door, then paused and rubbed the center of her forehead, “let’s go over to Aunt Tillie’s.” She opened the door, “we’ll bring some water over after.”