On the road, again. You’d think it would be annoying and you’d be absolutely right! I only got about six hours sleep, then spent the morning going over plans with Gary and a few select pack members. I gave them a detailed vision of how I imagined the enclosure to be set up, complete with gate to enter. I did my best to describe how they could do it, now it’s up to them. We promised to visit once it was finished so in the meantime, Gary will be looking after Rosie. He has agreed to lock her up in the cages beneath the house if he needs to attend something that she is mentally unstable for. As it is, I’m surprised the pack has lasted as long as it has with her like that. Gary did tell me she had periods of lucidity but they were getting few and far between.
“Are we there yet?” Pete asks for the fifth time. He really doesn’t like long drives. We’re driving all the way from Colorado to Washington, where the Parks pack resides. The guys had already planned a stopover halfway, somewhere in Idaho if I remember correctly. To be honest, I’ve been sleeping most of the car ride, only waking when Pete started asking if we were there yet.
Now I’m regretting choosing this car. Pete’s in the back with me, Cam’s driving and Jake’s in the passenger seat. Nate, Jason, James, Rick, and Mitchell are all squished into the borrowed old SUV Gary had in the garage. The Elders are flying in on their private jet which sucks balls. Why do they get to fly while we’re all stuck in the car for twenty hours? It’s ridiculous. Then again, I can’t complain too much because its time I get to spend with my mates. We’re all going for dinner tonight after we get to the hotel. Jason thought we could all do with a bit of a breather and since we aren’t in a rush, it makes sense to relax a little. Who knows when we’ll get the time to ourselves again.
Jake turns back with a glare, “Pete, if you ask one more time, I’ll throw you out of the car and make you walk the rest of the way.”
I hold back a grin when Pete slumps in his seat, pouting. He’s too cooped up in the car and his wolf is getting antsy. We all are. “Cam, can we have a rest stop to stretch our legs?” I ask, leaning forward slightly.
He glances up at me from the rear-view mirror. I smile, letting him know it’s ok if we don’t. He sighs, “Sorry Dani, we’ll be in Idaho within forty minutes. You’ll just have to wait,” he says, focusing back on the road.
I lean back, reaching out to hold Pete’s hand. He clasps it, offering me a grin and scooting closer. I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder, looking at the scenery. Being on the highway has been amazing. I’ve seen all the beautiful forests and cities as we travel. Though it has made me question how the packs visit each other so easily? It’s not like they can just run across cities. Or could they? Maybe if they stuck to the tree lines? I don’t know, something to think about though. Maybe I could develop a secret route we could all use? Being in the car is very confining.
“Dani, we’re here,” Jake says from the front seat, rousing me from my thoughts.
Out the window, I watch as we pull into a five-storey hotel, the sun setting in the back ground highlighting the building. It’s beautiful. A pale-yellow paint coats it with a classical gold trim along the bannisters. Off to the right there’s a pool, a tennis court and some other structure. “What’s in there?” I ask, pointing at the small structure that doesn’t quite join up with the main hotel.
“That’s the spa,” Pete smirks. “Maybe you and I could take a little soak?” he waggles his eyebrows suggestively.
Cam parks the car out front beside the other guys’ car. He turns in his seat to glare at Pete, “No one is going into the spa. We are going to the room, going out for dinner, then coming back and sleeping until we have to leave in the morning. No wandering off by yourselves. We can’t afford you to get lost and delay us. Even with Sonja gone, the Elders are still marking Dani on every little thing,” he chides.
“Ugh fine, take the fun out of everything, why don’t you?” he pouts back.
Jake climbs out of the car, opening Pete’s door, “Once your mate is crowned, then you can have all the fun in the world. Until then, you behave like a good little boy,” he grins, ruffling Pete’s hair playfully.
Cam gets out, just as I open my door. He beams down at me, offering me a hand. “Hey Precious, how you doing?” he asks, pulling me in for a hug and inhaling my scent.
I do the same, enjoying the smell of fresh pine needles. It makes me feel like home. “I’m okay, I guess. Things have been pretty hectic since Dad died but I’m handling it. It feels so weird only being gone for under a week when it feels like it’s been months.” I sigh deeply, turning in his arms, facing Pete, “I’ll be better once all of this is over and we’re home.”
Cam rests his head on mine, waiting for the others to unpack the car. Pete winks at me before following Jake to give them a hand. Jason has gone to check in since he’s the only one with an ID that will get us in without questions. We all agreed before we left, he would be the one to check in and we’d all just wait outside so no humans suspected us.
Once Jason comes out with the all clear we lug our stuff up and hurry to get dressed. We’re all starving after only eating sandwiches on the trip. We need to eat meat to keep up our energy, especially after what we went through yesterday. I healed Nate then we all healed Jonnie. We ate a hearty dinner with Gary, the Elders and a few of the enforcers from the Slade pack. It was actually a nice evening. I just wish it had lasted longer. It always seems like anytime we are relaxing and enjoying ourselves, the time flies by too fast. Whereas if there’s a crisis, time drags on. It’s not fair.
I throw on a simple red gown, nothing too fancy but not too plain. We’re eating at a steakhouse down the road that offers a buffet service which is awesome for our metabolism. I’m hoping to load up on carbs and have a food coma sleep. There’s nothing better than eating until you can’t anymore, then collapsing in a heap and sleeping for hours or days on end. Damn, Dad was right! My appetite is getting bad. I never used to fantasize about food like this. Now I can’t go a couple hours without wondering what I’ll eat next. Kinda sad really.
“Are we there yet?” Pete asks, as we start walking down the sidewalk.
I laugh, unable to stop when he grabs me and uses my hands to aim a begging gesture at Jason. He just shakes his head at Pete’s antics as Nate steps up beside me. I sense it coming before it happens but still laugh at the resound smack when it connects with the back of Pete’s head.
“Dude! Why do you keep hitting me?! I swear these past few weeks you’ve hit me more than in the time we’ve known each other!” he grumbles, letting go of me so we can walk hand in hand.
Nate laughs, throwing his head back. “That’s because since Dani got here, you’ve been more of a douche than normal. You keep trying to show off which gets you in trouble, “he winks at me, a big grin on his face as Pete thinks it over.
Pete comes to some kind of conclusion, stopping in his tracks. “He’s right,” he says, pulling me to a stop to look at him. “You’re getting me in trouble,” he gasps, accusation clear in his voice. I’d think he were serious if it weren’t for the twinkle of laughter in his eyes.
I play along, pulling away from him, my hands held out in a peaceful gesture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean too. Please don’t hurt me,” I beg, as the guys all watch on laughing.
He grins wickedly, lunging for me. I skitter out of the way, hiding behind Mitchell, poking my tongue out. Mitch laughs as I wrap my arms around him, using him as a protective shield. “See? I’m safe now. You can’t get me,” I laugh, feeling free.
“Oh really?” Pete smirks, cockily.
My smile slips when arms grab me from behind, “Hey! No fair,” I pout as Cam hands me into Pete’s arms. Cam smiles as me, “You were hiding behind Mitch so I think it’s perfectly fair. Maybe next time, no hiding,” he winks.
I sigh looking up at Pete, wondering what he plans to do now. “So…”
He grins enjoying my nerves, “So?”
“What are you going to do?”
Jake laughs off to the side. “Maybe you should throw her in the garbage can over there? Dani would look amazing wearing trash chic,” he grins, winking at Rick.
“Traitor!” I can’t believe Jake would offer up something like that. Pete looks down at me, an evil grin on his face. “No! If you throw me in a garbage bin, I will kick your ass,” I squeal, wriggling to get out of his arms. He takes pity on me, all the while laughing, and places me on my feet.
“Happy?” he asks, giving me a quick kiss. His lips linger, reluctant to leave mine. “Ok, no more kisses because I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop at just one.”
“I hear ya,” I hear Cam mutter from my side. I hide a grin, looking down at the ground. It’s nice to feel wanted by my mates. Even my wolf is feeling proud of herself.
“Alright, no one is kissing Dani. She’s mine for the night so stay away. You can have her back after dinner,” Jake says, stomping over and pulling me away from my mates with a grin. “Now, let’s go clear out the buffet.”