Chapter Eleven
Two days later and Jenny was beginning to get sick and tired of traveling in the back of a 4x4. They'd stuck to the back roads, which meant things were going to take a bit longer than if they'd been on the highway.
"Listen," she said, having unsuccessfully tried to get some sleep. "We need to take a break."
“A break?” Ross asked, glancing at her before turning his attention back to the road. “What do you mean?”
She sighed inwardly, aware that she had to be careful. There was no way she was going to tell the pack leader what to do, but she could sense that the two of them were getting pretty tired. On top of that, her wolf wanted to get out of her skin for a while. It wasn’t used to being pushed away for so long. “I think we could all do with a break,” she said again. “You’re both tired, and I’m getting fed up of being in a truck all day.”
"She's got a point," Connor muttered, flopping one arm over his eyes. "I know we keep taking turns, Ross, but neither of us is getting decent sleep."
“Or food,” Jenny interjected. The first café they’d stopped at had been amazing, but everything since had gone downhill, to the point that they’d not even tasted the coffee at the last place. “We’re going to be shifting soon, aren’t we?”
“We’re not being followed so far,” Connor added, calmly. “There’s no reason we couldn’t stay somewhere overnight. Maybe just get some proper rest and a decent meal or two?”
Jenny twisted her hands in her lap, hoping Ross would agree. As the leader, she would do what he thought was best, but right now, even Connor agreed with her.
“We’re definitely not being followed?” Ross asked, frowning.
Connor shook his head. “Not as far as I can see, although Sarah says Davidson’s left town. It does mean he might find us, but the chances are pretty slim. We’ve tried to keep out of the way. I think we’d be safe enough to rest for a day or so.”
“She didn’t find out anything more about the wife? Or how he knows about shifters?”
Connor shook his head.
Ross took a long breath, before agreeing. “OK, sounds good. Is there a bed and breakfast nearby?”
Pulling out his cell phone, Connor looked up a few things before jabbing at the screen. “Yes, there’s one nearby that backs on to a large forest. It’s really out in the sticks, so it might take us an extra hour or so to get to, but I think it would be worth it.”
Jenny’s wolf yipped, making a smile spread across her face. “That sounds amazing. My wolf is getting excited already.”
“It wants out, huh?” Ross asked with a smile in her direction. “Mine too.”
Jenny grinned, glad that she could talk to shifters who understood. “As soon as it’s dark, I’ll be out there.”
“That sounds good to me,” Connor agreed, winking at Ross. Jenny frowned, not quite sure what the wink meant, but shrugged it off almost at once. She was already growing excited at the idea of getting out of the truck and actually sleeping in a real bed for the first time in a long time.
“And this must be my room,” Jenny smiled, as Ross handed her the key with a “42” on it.
“I’m in 41 and Connor’s in 43,” Ross explained as Connor let himself into his own room. “Just to make sure you’re safe.”
A sudden rush of butterflies flooded Jenny's stomach as she looked into his eyes. They'd been traveling together for a few days now and she was already feeling as though she knew Ross better than before. He had a sense of humor, although he could grow quickly exasperated with Connor's constant quips. He was always thinking, always analyzing, always preparing for what could happen. Jenny sometimes wondered what he would be like as a more relaxed shifter. Would he laugh more? Or was he always this intense?
Letting herself into her room, Jenny threw down her small bag beside the small table in the corner before jumping onto the bed.
“Ahhhh,” she sighed, sinking into the soft duvet. This was wonderful. Knowing she’d probably fall asleep if she let herself lie down any longer, she got back on her feet and looked around the rest of the room.
"Where's the bathroom?" she wondered aloud, seeing another door. She opened it to see the toilet, sink, and a large bath. It looked so inviting that Jenny already mentally began to plan to have a long soak later that evening.
To her surprise, the door on the opposite side of the bathroom opened—and Ross stood, framed in the doorway, without a shirt on. His muscles practically jumped into view. A rush of heat crept up her spine and flooded her cheeks.
“Sorry,” he muttered, obviously a embarrassed. “I guess they forgot to mention it was a shared bathroom.”
“That’s OK,” she replied, trying to keep her eyes on his face. “I’ll just remember to lock your door when I’m in. Although, I was hoping to have a bath later. Would that be OK?”
“Of course,” he replied gruffly. “Just let me know so that I’m not caught short.” His tone was light, making her blush even further. For some reason, the thought of him joining her flashed into her mind, but she threw the image away almost immediately. Jenny had to remind herself that she was here for a reason. The itch between her shoulder blades suddenly came back with a vengeance, and she excused herself and walked back through to her bedroom.
A few hours later, Jenny felt much better. She’d slept for an hour or so and had dinner in her room. It was amazing what a full stomach and a good sleep could do!
“Jenny?”
Hearing Connor’s muffled voice, Jenny opened the door straight away. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he grinned. “Ross is just coming. Do you mind if I come in for a minute? I’ve phoned Sarah, and I need to give you both an update.”
“Sure,” she replied, holding the door open. Ross appeared, looking like he’d just woken up.
Jenny grinned. “Tired?”
He growled in response, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Jenny laughed lightly before shutting the door behind them.
“Have you both had dinner?” she asked, glancing at them both. “I could order up?”
“I’ve had,” Connor replied.
“I’ll have later,” Ross chimed in, still looking weary. “To be honest, I think I’d be more interested in rabbit than a three-course meal!”
Jenny’s smile widened. “Sounds good.” She could feel the wolf getting restless, knowing it needed to get out and run. “Will we be safe enough to do that?”
“That’s what I was going to talk to you about,” Connor interrupted, sitting down in a chair by the table. “I called Sarah and Thomas. Thomas has been working hard on those sketches you gave him, Sarah. He’s found them both.”
Panic clawed at her heart as she looked at Connor’s phone, seeing the two familiar faces looking back at her. Numb, she handed the phone back and nodded. “Yes, that’s them.”
Ross rubbed her back, seeing her distress. “You’ve done really well, Jenny.” Turning back to Connor, he cleared his throat. “Who are they?”
Connor shook his head. “From what Thomas could find out, their last name is Damson.”
“Married?” Jenny asked, surprised.
"No, siblings, according to Thomas. That's possibly why you remembered them so well. They do have similar features."
She nodded , hating her memories of them. “They were close with Davidson.”
"So, they'll probably be on our trail along with Davidson," Ross said grimly. "Just three faces in particular to look out for."
Ross took the cell phone from Connor and looked down at it, grimacing. "I don't recognize them." He looked up at Connor. "Anything else?"
Connor sat heavily. “Yes, in fact. It’s not great news, Ross. Sarah discovered something about Davidson’s wife. Her name was Lucy Damson.”
Jenny’s mouth fell open. “What?” she whispered, her eyes wide with shock. “Damson…like the two people helping Davidson?”
“Their sister. But it’s worse than that,” Connor replied, red creeping into his face. “They’re from a shifter family.”
The air grew thick as Jenny and Ross tried to understand what Connor had just told them.
“How can they be shifters?” Jenny breathed, staring at Connor. “I met them. I didn’t sense anything like that from them.”
Connor shot her a sympathetic look. “Terror can do that to you,” he said by way of explanation. “Besides, you were putting everything you had into staying in your human skin. It’s no wonder you didn’t catch anything.”
Jenny nodded, still completely shocked. The room fell into silence.
“Davidson married a shifter?” Ross asked after a few moments. “Did he know what she was?” There was an unwritten rule that shifters were meant to find their mates within their own kind and not marry humans, but obviously Lucy Damson had chosen to marry Davidson anyway.
“Yes, he did,” Connor answered, taking back his cell phone from Ross. “Sarah couldn’t be sure whether he knew at the time she was a shifter, but he certainly does now.”
Jenny shook her head in an attempt to get her tumbling thoughts into some kind of order. “But now her own brother and sister are trying to wipe out all shifters?” she asked, confused. “I don’t understand why they would do that.”
Ross looked at her, his eyes darker than she had ever seen them before. “Obviously, they must think that Lucy was attacked and killed by another shifter pack. I would guess that they believe the only way they can get their revenge is to wipe out all the shifter packs in this state.” He looked at the floor, his voice dropping even lower. “Use a shifter to catch a shifter.”
Jenny hadn’t wanted to think about the fact that they had three hunters on their tail, but now the knowledge that two of them were shifters made her sick to her stomach. Her wolf growled warily as she got to her feet and paced. She’d been getting too comfortable with Ross and Connor, even if there had been some long drives. It was easy to forget about the danger when it wasn’t so obvious.
“That’s why it’s really important we don’t get distracted from what we’re up against,” Connor replied, his eyes on Ross. “The bed might be nice and the food might be hot, but we still have to get to the East River pack without being seen. There’s no use dropping our guard now. In fact, I’d say we’d better up it.”
Turning to face them both, Jenny shook her head. “I can’t believe there are shifters trying to kill us,” she said, becoming angry. “We haven’t done anything.”
“I know.” Ross shook his head, apparently still stunned by the news. “We need to be even more careful.”
Jenny kept her gaze on him. “Can we still go out for a run?” she asked softly.
Ross paused for a moment before nodding. "I'll do a quick check, but I don't think they'll be able to find us here. We've taken the back roads and put a lot of distance between ourselves and them, but we'll still have to be careful. So long as we go further into the woods, we should be OK. Just remember to take off all your clothes before you shift so you have something to come back to." He grinned at her, immediately lightening the mood. "After all, we're going to have to get back in this place and I don't fancy explaining to the proprietor why I've somehow left all my clothes inside!"
Feeling a little less tense, Jenny let out a soft laugh, hearing Connor chuckle. Connor’s news had been pretty terrifying, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from trusting Ross. If Ross said they’d be safe, she knew he’d do everything to protect them all.