Chapter 426 Chapter 426
Noah looked out the window and watched the trees blur by them. If he had a list of things that should never be done, this would be one of them. Five adults piled into an SUV was not a good thing for him. He inhaled and then exhaled slowly, at least there were windows.
Calum was driving, and Blair was in the passenger seat. Emersyn and Kobie were sitting in the second seats, leaving Noah sitting sideways in the very back, trying not to bounce a shoulder or his head off things with every turn.
The women seemed content to just chat quietly, mostly things about Aspyn. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Kobie was distracting her with a conversation because Emersyn had been nervous about getting in another vehicle.
Calum glanced in the mirror every five minutes, he figured, checking on him, not the women. Add the constant looks over his shoulder that Blair was giving him had Noah wondering if Blair had shared their conversation with the other man.
He rolled his head side to side, or the looks could be because of the tense vibes he was throwing out there. Driving Noah didn’t have a problem, but there was something about being a passenger that had his cat pacing inside him and his nerves on edge. Anything he had no control over tended to do this to him. It was surprising he did enjoy driving, when Cooper had first insisted he get behind the wheel, Noah had almost had a complete breakdown. Now he had his official ‘fake’ license and enjoyed it. He didn’t know how the Alliance pulled it off, but it wasn’t like a man with no identification of any kind could ever have a real one. Noah was fine with playing the part of the man his new identification said he was, even if he knew the truth.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to settle down a bit. Instead of accomplishing that he’d just taken a huge whiff of Emersyn’s spicy scent into his body. Now his cat paused, alert, watchful. Rubbing his hand over his face, he squeezed his eyes together for a second. If this dull thud in his temples would go away, he might be able to think his way out of the constant emotional baggage.
When he lifted his hand, he saw that Blair was looking at him again. Tilting his head, silently asking if he was okay. He was so far from okay, but he lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug leading him to believe he was just fine. The expression on his face told him that Blair hadn’t shared the last part of their conversation and he was just worried that Noah’s cat would freak him out again. Noah smirked at him, amused that he’d shaken Blair that much.
He crossed his arms over his chest so he wouldn’t pull his phone out and look at the time again. The last check told him he’d been squished in this seat for three hours. He looked at the back of Calum’s head, willing him to decide a stop would be a good idea. This was the first time he’d been away from Shaelan, and Noah couldn’t tell how he was actually doing because he never really showed any emotion. The only sign the big man had given that it bothered him was when they were leaving, and he hesitated to get into the vehicle and looked back at Shaelan for a moment.
Calum tapped his phone screen, making a message leave the screen. “We’ll stop before we cross the border and gas up and stretch our legs,” Calum said as if he was reading Noah’s mind. “Once we’re up there, I want to keep moving.” He made eye contact with him, “I know most of the clans, but if Lindon’s been in the area, there could be surprises.”
“When are we meeting up with the member of the special ops team?” Kobie sat forward.
“Just before we cross, she had to travel from Northwest Territories where the team was finishing a few things up.” Calum glanced to Blair, then back to the road.
“Everything’s all right?” Kobie asked.
Calum nodded but didn’t speak again.
Noah’s gut knotted. He was going to be trapped back here with another female. “Are we driving straight through or stopping?” He asked, hopeful for the first, “Blair and I could take turns driving.”
Blair turned and smirked at him, “you think I’d let you drive with my mate in the vehicle?”
Noah shrugged, “Kobie could drive.”
Blair frowned, “we’re stopping closer to dark.” He turned around and stared out the window again.
Noah could see the amused look on Calum’s face in the mirror. He knew full well that when Blair had tried to show Kobie how to work some of the rigs, she almost tipped it over with them inside.
Kobie’s soft laugh echoed through the interior. “I’m sure I’ll be fine with a steering wheel.” She offered.
Blair turned and looked at her. “Calum never gets tired, it’s fine.”
Kobie turned to Emersyn, “you should learn how to drive too.”
Noah watched the reaction as she turned to answer her, “I’ve never thought of driving.” Her voice was quiet, “I never thought…”
Kobie nodded, “there’s lots of time.”
Noah heaved a sigh of relief that she ended the conversation before Emersyn got upset. He knew he’d have to comfort her if she did and with his current state of being stuffed into too small of a space, he would have had to rip out a seat to do that.
After being stuck in the back for almost six hours, Noah stumbled from the vehicle with numb stiff legs and came close to eating dirt. Straightening, he stretched his arms above his head.
Blair grinned at him, “could be worse, could be Calum’s car.”
Calum gave him a warning look, “leave my car out of this.” Clearing his throat, he motioned to the treed area, “you ladies can go for a run if you like.”
Kobie looked at Blair, then to Emersyn, “are you up to it?”
Emersyn’s expression changed to surprise, “I don’t know.”
Noah started to say he could go with them, to watch over Emersyn when a tall woman came out of the trees. Blair looked as surprised as he felt, but Calum wasn’t even startled.
“It’s safe.” She said and kept moving toward them with long strides, “I just checked it out.”
She had shoulder-length auburn hair and pale green eyes that Noah thought could maybe look right through him to his soul. His cat wasn’t happy with the feeling either.
“Blaise,” Calum said with a smile. “You got here before us.”
She grinned at him, “when I heard I was meeting up with you, I knew it would be a short window, so I didn’t dally.”
Blair looked around. “Where’s your car?”
“In a small-town North of here.” She slung the bag from her shoulder and set it on the ground. “If you’re going for a run, I’ll come to watch over you.” She looked from Kobie to Emersyn and then stopped and stared at her.
Emersyn frowned, “I feel like I know you.”
Blaise’s mouth quirked, she reached up and pulled her shirt down to reveal that half of her neck was dark with a scar, or birthmark, Noah couldn’t be sure. She shoved up her right sleeve to show the dark pigmented skin on her arm.
Emersyn’s eyes went wide. “Blaise.” She said the name on a breath, then put her hand over her mouth. “You beat up my brother.”
Blaise grinned, “I did, he deserved it.”