Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(49)

“I can still go with you and just stay in the kitchen or something.”

She snorted. “You would not stay clear. You would think up a very good reason to come speak to me, which would encourage Dante to do the same to Jaime.”

Unable to deny that, he rolled onto his back.

“Don’t brood. I’ll be fine, Bracken.”

Looking at her, he brushed her hair away from her face. “I don’t like being away from you.”

“It’s just a few hours.”

Yeah, but any number of things could happen during that time. And honestly, his world turned dark when she wasn’t around him. He couldn’t explain it properly. She made him feel sparks of emotion that reminded him he was alive. When she wasn’t there, that familiar feeling of emptiness began to creep up on him. If he told her that, she’d stay without a doubt. But that wasn’t fair to her, was it?

“I won’t insist on coming,” he said. “However, I’ll drop you there and pick you up when it’s over. That’s the deal.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

“Good girl.” With one last kiss to her shoulder, he got up and headed into the bathroom. He heard her phone ringing as he did his business, but the call itself was short and sweet, because by the time he returned to the bedroom, she was frowning down at her phone.

“Everything all right?” he asked.

She looked up at him. “Yeah. I just wasn’t expecting that call.”

“Who was it?”

“Vinnie Devereaux.”

Recognizing the name, Bracken stilled. “And just why does the Alpha of the Olympus Pride have your cell number?”

“Huh. Funny story.”

Standing outside the antique shop that belonged to the Olympus Pride, Madisyn felt a smile curve her mouth. It had been a while since she’d last visited, though she hadn’t been out of touch with the cats. They were an odd bunch, but that was part of why she and her cat liked them so much.

She’d been seventeen when she’d bumped into an older female from the pride. Ingrid, the Alpha male’s mother, had at first been curious to know if another pallas pride had moved to California without her knowledge. Upon hearing that Madisyn was a lone shifter, Ingrid hadn’t sneered at her. Instead, she’d invited her to come meet her pride, which had been happy to see another of their kind—probably because they were so rare that few ever came into contact with outsiders.

The Alpha, Vinnie—who had amazingly managed to survive the loss of his mate eight years ago—hadn’t offered Madisyn a place in his pride, but he had made it clear that she was under his protection and that she should call on him if she ever needed him. Ingrid had kept in touch with Madisyn and often donated things to the shelter. The woman also invited her to pride gatherings, some of which Madisyn had attended because it was nice to be around her own kind.

Vinnie had been very mysterious earlier when he’d called, asking Madisyn to come visit him at the store. Then again, he didn’t like talking over the phone. Probably because he believed the line was tapped by the human authorities that rightly suspected him of being involved in organized crime.

“I’ve driven past the place a few times,” said Bracken, standing beside her. “But I’ve never been inside.”

“As a wolf, you might not have been welcome,” she told him, eyes twinkling. “They’re not crazy about wolves.”

“You’re only telling me this now?”

Madisyn waved it away. “You’ll be fine. You have a good rep among all shifters. And they’re not biased against wolves—they like Makenna. Ingrid, the female I told you about, sometimes invites me to pride gatherings. I usually take Makenna as my guest.”

Bracken frowned. “So they’ll have you on their territory, and they class you as under their protection, but they never offered you a place in their pride?” Like she didn’t quite fit the mold for them or something? The thought annoyed him.

“They might have sensed that there was no point. I was happy with my life the way it was. And leaving the loner lifestyle behind would have also meant leaving Makenna—I never would have done that.”

She made a move toward the door but then stopped as she noticed something on the ground. Picking it up, she smiled. “Hey, I found twenty dollars. My good luck is at work again.”

Bracken sighed. “There’s no such thing as luck. There are, however, people who drop things on the floor—like money. You’ve never lost money?”

“No. That would be bad luck.”

Again, he sighed. “Forget it. Let’s just get this over with.” He grabbed her hand when she went to go inside. “I’ll go in first.”

“I don’t need a living shield here. I’m not in danger of the Olympus cats.”

Bracken’s instincts told him she was right, but he’d take no chances. Not with her. “You might trust these people, but I have no reason to, so I certainly wouldn’t trust them with your safety.”

The bell jingled as he pushed open the door and walked right into the scents of old cloth, musty paper, leather, and lacquered wood. The shop didn’t appear to specialize in a particular time period or theme. There was everything from thimbles and brooches to old chests and antique cabinets. Hell, there was even a wooden spindle. Most of the small items were set on display tables, while others were locked in cabinets. The old dolls freaked him out just a little, but he wasn’t about to admit it.