Page 2 of Haven
Kile completely understood what Alex meant. He had witnessed Eric in battle, seen his fury firsthand, and despite being his brother, Kile knew he would never want to face Eric head-on. He wasn't a coward; as the eldest, Eric commanded respect and loyalty. They had their share of brutal fights, and Kile could hold his own, but when Eric reached a breaking point, it was best to either back down or brace for the worst.
“What did you all find?” Eric ignored Alex, focusing on Gemma, who was still talking to the wolf-dog.
“Nothing new,” Alex answered with a shrug. “The rain washed out all the tracks I found. They belonged to either a tiny man or a woman. I’m leaning more toward a woman.”
“Why’s that?” This time, Eric glanced at Alex before returning his gaze to Gemma.
“Cole found a torn yellow piece of cloth on a bush, but hell, that could have been from one of our people,” Alex replied, then frowned. “I don’t know any dudes who wear yellow, so I say a woman, most likely.”
“I’ve got a yellow shirt,” Cole replied, looking offended. “What the fuck is wrong with yellow. Leeza says it makes my eyes sparkle.”
All three men looked at Cole, but it was Eric who spoke. “Makes your eyes sparkle?” He frowned, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Maybe Mom should have called him Colleen.” Kile snorted, shaking his head, but gave Cole a sideways glance. Eric snorted back in agreement.
“Yeah, well fuck you guys,” Cole growled with a huff. “Leeza likes me in my yellow shirt, and that’s all that matters.”
“If you say so,” Eric mumbled, shaking his head, then turned his attention back to Gemma.
“Guess if I had a woman who looked like Leeza, I’d tuck in my balls and wear a yellow shirt too.” Alex mused, staring into the enclosure.
Cole snorted. “My balls are too big to tuck anywhere, my man. I’d have to sling those fucker?—”
“I swear to God, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to choke you with your yellow fucking shirt.” Eric's growl sounded more like his wolf than the man, indicating he was done hearing about Cole’s yellow shirt and balls.
“Could the old footprints be from Foster Manning’s crazy ass mom?” Kile cut in when Cole started to say something else, possibly saving his brother’s life.
“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Cole said, still sounding butthurt about his yellow shirt. “We need a break from crazy.” The woman had come to avenge her son’s death and almost killedhis brother Cole. She was as insane as that bastard son she had birthed.
“The cloth seems too fresh to be from a week ago. It doesn’t take long for things to get weathered this time of year in this humid climate,” Alex replied, looking sure of himself. “Plus, it rained a few times since then. Tracks would be washed away from a week ago.”
Kile nodded in agreement and then looked at Alex. “How in the hell did you learn all this shit?”
“When you roam a lot, you notice things,” Alex replied as if it wasn’t a big deal. “To stay alive, you become your own teacher. Learn or die.”
“Well, I hope your roaming days are over for a while,” Eric said as he jumped the fence and looked at Alex. “We can sure use your skills around here.”
“I’m content for now.” Alex gave him the same answer he had given Kile.
“Good,” Eric said to Alex, then quickly glanced at Kile before heading toward Gemma. “Let me know how the meeting goes with that meat guy Lance set up. We need a back-up. The more wolves and wolf-dogs Gemma takes in, the more meat we need. Cole, sling those balls of yours over your shoulder and help finish that last enclosure.”
Kile laughed, watching Cole stomp off, mumbling about his balls, then glanced at his watch. “I’ll see ya around, buddy.” He slapped Alex on the back as he passed.
Getting in his truck, he sat for a minute, his eyes going back and forth between the two couples. Cole flipped his hand toward Ericand then pointed to his balls while talking to Leeza. He then pointed toward Eric, who stood directly behind Gemma as she tried to tame a wild wolf-dog. Kile chuckled, shaking his head. With a half smile, happy for his brothers, he started his truck and backed down the dirt driveway to head into town.
Maybe he would find his mate along the way. He laughed at the thought as he turned the radio up and settled in for the drive. Yeah, fat fucking chance of that happening. He’d have a better chance of finding a little green leprechaun at the end of a rainbow holding a pot of gold.
He snorted again at his thoughts as his gaze lifted toward the sky. “What the fuck?” The wheel jerked as he leaned forward, almost running himself off the road.
“You have got to be shitting me,” he muttered, staring at the faint rainbow in front of him. He blinked rapidly a few times, thinking maybe he was seeing things, but the rainbow was still there. How could that be? The last rain had been in the middle of the night. Glancing from the rainbow to the road, he frowned when he realized the rainbow looked to end in the direction he was heading.
“Guess I might find my damn leprechaun with a pot of gold after all.” He shook his head, still frowning, his eyes constantly drawn back to the rainbow, trying to make sense of his thoughts becoming reality.
CHAPTER 2
Sadie walked out of the bathroom to see Lily peeking out the window between the slit in the curtain. “Lily, please stay away from the window.”
Sighing loudly, Lily dropped the curtain and then plopped on the bed in a dramatic fashion. “I am so sick of this hotel room. If I don’t let my wolf run soon, she is going to tear me apart.”