Page 16 of Let's Talk One True Mate

“Yeah. He wasn’t fire chief back then. His dad, B3, was chief back then.”

“B3,” Burton muttered. “What the fuck kind of a name is that?”

“The bears have a thing for bees and Bs—what can you do? So Bruin was loaned to us for several work details. Thebearendidn’t like him because B3 had smeared him over the years, but Mac liked him and he liked Mac—to the point where Bruin was on permanent loan to us and permanently partnered with Mac. Bruin can sometimes see the future—he knew Rogue’s name and said she would be at the rut.”

Burton leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, frowning.

“You know Rogue’s background?” Timber asked him.

“Thief,” Burton said.

“Right. Thief, criminal, smartass.”

Wolverine wanna-be.

Timber laughed. “I’ll tell her you said that.”

What? It’s not an insult.

Timber snorted, then kept talking. “Mac and Rogue already had met—twice. Once four years before—they met in Yosemite and had a one-night stand—”

More like a ten-minute stand.

“—and they also met when they were kids.”

Burton spoke, his voice quiet and modulated. “Coincidences are the goddess’s way of spinning fate in her favor.”

“Exactly,” Timber said. “Crew and Sebastian hypnotized Cerise, looking for clues about Grey and found out that Grey had a hideout under the Englewood Post Office. It was something about some gibberish he said—Grey’s crazy, Chief, you know that right? Literally insane.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Burton said, his voice quiet and tight, his eyes hooded and dark. “He’s still liable. I hold him responsible. I’ll take every fucking offense out on his hide.”

Timber looked at Canyon and Canyon eyed him back, then turned his palms up and mouthed,Food?

Absolutely, Timber mouthed back. Canyon opened a drawer and found several bags of peanuts. He whipped one to Timber, then called out, “Heads up,” and whipped one to Burton. Burton snatched it out of the air, opening and eating mechanically.

Timber dropped the peanuts on his desk and went on. “Wade sent Mac and Bruin to check out the post office, but when they got there, Rogue had come and gone. The pendants called her mentally into Grey’s hideout—but we don’t call itruhi, because Rogue can’t speak or hearruhi. Rogue found the pendants and pocketed them—neither was hers, she’s neverseen hers—then she fell into a trance and drew a design on the concrete floor.”

Canyon pulled up several images on his computer and displayed them on the wall of monitors, one at a time. First was a slim concrete tunnel underground, leading to steps and a sunken chamber containing two pieces of worn furniture. An intricate circular design was scratched into the floor of the chamber.

“What's it mean?” Burton said, studying it.

“Maybe nothing,” Timber said.

“Maybe something,” Burton said. He got up and walked over to the wall of monitors, pointing. “Zoom in over here.” He looked closely at the markings, then said, “Now over here.” He studied it, saying, “Could be a map, or maybe a code…” He took the notebook out again and wrote in it, then returned to his chair, saying, “Send me that image.”

Canyon got right on it—a few mouse clicks later, Burton’s phone dinged, then Canyon leaned back in his chair, put his boots up on his desk, and spiraled the football up into the air, saying,Wild shit man—the pendants and the powers. I’m glad they’re on our side.

Burton clasped his hands together in his lap, his gaze far off. “Rhen’s told me many times how much she wishes she could help us more,” he said. “She and the guardians always keep their eyes on us.”

Canyon dropped his feet to the floor and quietly put the football on his desk, staring at Burton in rapt attention.

Timber didn't dare speak. Burton rarely talked about Rhen, and Timber wanted to hear what he would say next.

Burton took a deep, shaky breath, his eyes roaming over the ceiling. “She sent us Eventine. She said my own fear was what stunted Eventine from the beginning. She says I have to be strong now. She says I have to believe in myself, and in Eventine like—” He gestured at Canyon and Timber “—like you two believe in yourselves and each other.”

“Rhen mentioned us?” Timber said, amazed.

“Yeah, she did.”

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