Chapter Nine
Leaving Bianca on her own irked Cage, even if he respected the timeout rules. Spending the night at her place had been amazing. Their morning together after even more so…and he still didn’t have an answer on the severity of the bite for one, and how to continue his pursuit honestly.
It’s not a pursuit. Sure it wasn’t. His wolf didn’t dignify him with a response. Leaving her place, he jogged across the street and caught Silver’s scent before he was even a foot inside the door.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
The corporal currently in the process of stuffing a burger into his mouth offered up a careless shrug. Slamming the door, Cage glanced automatically toward Bianca’s place before tipping the blinds.
In the kitchen, he scowled at the collection of food detritus. Based on takeout bags, Silver had been there all night.
“What are you doing here?” He repeated the question after the other wolf chased his swallow of burger with a bottle of water.
“Had a layover so I thought I’d make sure you were okay.”
Snorting, Cage claimed a bottle of water for himself. He didn’t need his nose to tell Silver was lying. “Layover on what flight? The one between ‘bullshit’ and ‘you should mind your own fucking business’?”
“Ease up, Sergeant.” The quiet respect underscoring the request settled Cage’s agitation. “I booked a forty-eight-hour leave and borrowed my brother’s twin engine to fly down and check on you.”
“Shit.” Cage leaned against the counter and shook his head. “You found this place on the first try?”
“No, that part I overheard when you called the realtor and spent way over market on the place.” The other guys liked to give Silver a hard time because he looked more like a fashion model than a Marine, but he was a damn good fighter and a better friend.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The other wolf spread his hands wide before crumpling his food wrapper. “You take a sudden leave after meeting a hot babe on a mission? I smell a rat, and ask myself, why would you need a house so urgently and in such a specific spot? You know what answer I came up with?”
The laughter escaped Cage and he shook his head. Only Silver could make such a sober statement ridiculous. “Do tell.”
“You needed a wing man, so here I am to back your play.” While he spoke, he cleaned up the trash from his various take-outs. “I did bring you dinner, but you weren’t here so I ate it—then your midnight snack and breakfast, too.”
“Thoughtful.” Though Silver wasn’t wrong, it was good to see him even if he shouldn’t be there. “When do you have to fly out?”
“Midnight. Don’t worry, I won’t cramp your style.” He motioned across the street. “The hot social worker, right?”
“She’s not a social worker. She’s an aid worker, who rescues people for a living.” Claws sharpened along his spine, and he scowled at Silver’s knowing smirk. “Fuck…yes it’s her and no, I don’t need your help or your advice.”
“Nope. What you need is a run. So let’s get the hell out of here.”
Fifteen minutes later, Cage backed his truck out and left the little suburban neighborhood and Bianca behind. She’d been fine when he left her and she’d be fine for a few hours, a fact he told himself repeatedly so he didn’t double back to check on her. The last thing he needed was to draw more attention to his interest in her or the reason for it.
“Seeing your family while you’re in town?” The idle question didn’t come out of left field even if it gave Cage a jolt.
Not if he could help it. “Not sure how long I’ll be here.” Hedging his bets. If Bianca was fine, then he could head back to the team and maybe catch her on a leave or something. Or she could go back to her life and he to his. The thought rankled.
Deal with it later.
“Ha.” Silver chuckled. “If I told my dad that, he’d kick my ass.” Silver’s father wasn’t the alpha of his pack. He didn’t have a thousand or more wolves requiring his attention. Cage’s father wouldn’t even notice.
“I know a place about thirty minutes out; it’s near one of the reservoirs. We can get a good run in there.” Changing the subject, he focused on the agitation vibrating beneath his skin. It was like a fire ant hill had spilled over and left him itchy.
“You should have done this sooner,” Silver said, his voice quiet and sober. “You’re a wreck.”
“No, I’m not.” Not shifting was something he’d trained in. “We were racing through a jungle a few days ago.” Even if it felt like decades. What the hell was up with that?
“That was work.” He didn’t need to add more to it. Their wolves needed to play as much as to fight. Hunting, tracking, and romping—they were as vital as oxygen.
“Fair,” Cage conceded with a sigh. They didn’t say anything more until Cage pulled into a slip near the edge of the parking area. It was empty, the temperatures outside keeping out all but the most dedicated of hikers.
“How far in do we need to go?” Silver waited while he locked the truck, then followed him toward a trailhead.
“About a mile,” Cage said, and he started jogging. The other wolf fell in with him. The smell of grass, trees, and earth along with hints of deer lulled Cage’s raw senses. Stretching, he ran harder and as if by silent consent, a race broke out between he and Silver.
The rush of weaving through the trees and over rocks chased away tension gnawing at his spine. They were a couple of miles in before he slowed and looked over the rocky ledge toward the lake. It had been low for a while, but the last couple of years had been rainy enough to replenish the reservoirs and the lake.
“Pretty country out here,” Silver said, stripping off his shirt. “Lots of wild trails.”
“Some of the best land in the country is here.” He loved his state. “I learned to track in the desert—this is easy.” The only scents around them were each other, and a hint of the water riding the breeze.
“I beg to differ. The Smokey Mountains are sweet and beautiful…and loads greener.” The challenge in his voice had Cage’s back up. “’Course, it doesn’t have beautiful aid workers.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, just spit it out.” He faced his friend.
“You have her scent all over you.” Smirk firmly in place, Silver pulled off his running shoes. “You took off five minutes after we got back to the Edge. And now you’re as jumpy as a squirrel drunk off a hummingbird feeder.”
“What the hell do they feed you at home?”
“Bourbon.” Silver grinned broadly. “And you’re avoiding the question. What’s going on? How can I help?”
“Let’s run. I need to stretch and then after…we can talk.”
“Deal.”
The next four hours brought Cage a measure of peace he hadn’t experienced since McGinnis mentioned some kind of animal bite. Back at the truck, they grabbed a seat on the tailgate and quenched their thirst with a couple of full water canteens.
“Thanks for planning ahead,” Cage said, toasting the other wolf.
“Sure thing—you ready to talk?” To give Silver his due, the wolf didn’t miss much.
The only question Cage had was how much should he share?
“We’re not on duty, and we’re not at the Edge. I’m not in your pack, and I don’t owe anyone an explanation for anything you tell me.” The ease with which the words rolled off his tongue offered a measure of comfort and confidence.
“Tell you what,” Cage said, weighing his options. “Tell me why you’re really here and I’ll tell you what’s up.”
“You haven’t taken a day of willing leave since I’ve known you. You are not a fan of the obligatory family visits, and you rarely, if ever, mention returning to your pack. Odd? Maybe. But if my dad was the alpha and I felt like I had something to prove, then I might have the same kind of psych profile.”
“Uh huh.” Was he really that obvious?
“And like I said earlier, you suddenly decided to buy a house out of nowhere. It’s fishy, and it suggests you might be in trouble. If you’re in trouble, then so am I. So I’m here to have your back.”
“Now I feel like a jackass.” Cage scowled.
“Then purge your soul and I’ll be a jackass, too.” The lightness in his tone didn’t lessen the reinforcement his presence offered.
“I bit Bianca during the op.” Saying it aloud reminded him of how much damage he might have done. “The corpsman on the Seahawke agreed it was some kind of animal bite.”
“Shitballs.”
“Pretty much,” he said, then took another drink.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“Figure out if it takes, then…then change her life.” Cage scrubbed a hand against his face. “I don’t…I don’t know everything I’m looking for. It’s been years since I’ve actually seen a human changed, and the one time I can remember I was kid. I didn’t know the details.”
“Dude, you’re not planning to just romance her until you know then drop her like a hot potato, right?”
“No.” But his stomach turned. It had been the plan. The plan changed.
“Yes, it was,” Silver said, disgust in his voice. Then he slugged him in the arm. “You can’t just slam, bam, walk away ma’am. What if it takes? How the hell are you explaining that to her?”
Anger flashed through him, and he shoved away from the truck to face Silver. “It’s not like that. I like her. I don’t want this to screw up her life.”
Silver held his gaze for a few seconds, then raised his hands. “Not accusing you. But you bit her, dude, and if it does take…you’ve changed her life. She has a right to know.”
“When it’s time, I’ll tell her. If it doesn’t take, why scare the hell out of her?” Right now, she might still have an out.
“You know we’ll take care of her.” It was what they did.
“She’s my responsibility…”
“And you’re ours.”
Cage dodged the next hit, and scowled. “Fine…what am I looking for?”
“In a woman? A wolf? Context is king, man.”
Groaning, Cage stared at the sky. “To know if the bite is taking.”
“Hell if I know, I’ve never bitten anyone…” The sly grin betrayed him, then Silver straightened and said, “Before you hit me, all I can really tell you is that it’s different for everyone. Talk to Kat; she’s been doing all that research.”
“What good are you then?” The words lacked any heat. Having the other wolf there was helping, just not with the info Cage needed.
“Need it tracked down? Shot? Stuffed? I’m your man.”
If he needed a friend, he was there, too. “Great, why don’t you track me down some burgers? I’m starving.”
“On it!” Silver held out his hands for the keys and Cage snorted.
“Yeah, I’ll drive. Get in the truck. We want to make sure you get to the airfield on time.” Not that Silver wouldn’t be able to figure it out, but this was Cage’s backyard, not his.
“Smartass.” Then he sobered. “Cage, you sure you want to be the one doing this? I could talk to Jax. Take more leave, and take over—you don’t have to put yourself out there if things don’t go right.”
The offer, quietly made, spoke more to their friendship than anything else. More, it was what he didn’t say. There were tales of bad shifts, of wolves who couldn’t fully turn, or worse, wolves who went mad. Those wolves had to be put down.
The protection of the packs required secrecy above all else. More than changing her life, Bianca’s status could prove a true threat to their security. In the past, such threats would have been eliminated rather than gamble on what might happen. Silver wasn’t just offering to take his place on watching over Bianca; he was offering to eliminate her if it came to that.
“Thanks, Silver. Seriously, I appreciate it.” Half twisted, he faced his friend. “She’s not at fault. This happened to her, she isn’t doing anything to us. If anyone touches her, they’ll answer to me. Clear?”
“Crystal.”
The last thing he wanted was for anyone to hurt Bianca, least of all him.
“I mean it, Silver.” The other wolf’s scent didn’t carry an ounce of deception. “I made this mess. I’ll take care of it and her.”
No one was killing her.
No one.