Page 52 of Fae Devoted
“You have a better plan?” Tucker gritted out, flexing his stinging fingers. Maintaining his control by a thread.
Using a spoon to separate the froth from the milk, Kincaid poured the warmed liquid into the oversized mug, combining it with the coffee before adding the remaining foam on top. He set the drink on the counter and without a trace of self-preservation said, “She could stay here while you meet with Príoh Walker and the king.”
Gray fur sprouted on Tucker’s forearms, his claws and canines elongating as he fought to hold on to his human form. Kincaid rotated his body into a wide stance, his eyes glowing yellow and arms hanging loose at his sides. Ready to defend or shift and fight.
“I’d protect her with my life. I swear it. Johnnie was…special to me once.”
“And still is.” It wasn’t a guess. He closed his eyes, the spoon in his hand bending in half as he breathed through his mouth. If he smelled any desire for his she-wolf in the Ferwyn’s scent, he would convert in the middle of the kitchen.
“Yes,” Kincaid admitted, the dry rot of remorse and brine of resolve the only scents thickening the air between them. “But she’s yours now. I’d have seen it in Johnnie’s eyes, if I hadn’t scented it on her skin. I’m not the threat here, beta.”
Was he right?Would Jo be safer holed up with Kincaid than anywhere with him?
Jo’s cellphone rang, and the blow dryer shut off. The sound of her voice, usually a balm to his soul, made Tucker’s stomachcramp with nausea and his chest ache like he’d been kicked in the ribs.
Could he leave her behind if it was for her own good? And would Jo ever forgive him if he did?
Chapter 15
Johnnie set downthe blow dryer and hurriedly pulled on her coral and white striped top, tugging her damp hair from its collar before answering her ringing phone.
“Mr. Williamson, what can I do for you?” she asked, recognizing the ID of her latest client.
As part of Mud Island’s hospitality management team, Johnnie’s job was to do whatever it took to lessen the stress of relocating clanmates from one pack to another, which meant she spent more time in the field than in her office and was on-call 24/7.
“Miss Long, I’m sorry to have to bother you, but Blake asked if he could talk to you again about his new school,” he said, obviously frazzled.
“It’s no bother. Put him on.” Johnnie pinned the phone between her shoulder and cheek, freeing her hands to tug on her fuchsia jeans.
“Miss Johnnie?” The eight-year-old pup came on the line, voice small and hesitant.
“Blake,” she said, tone upbeat. “Your sire mentioned you were a little worried about starting class tomorrow?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She heard him sniff as though fighting tears. “What if…what if the other kids don’t like me?”
“Oh, Blake, you’re gonna make lots of new friends. Your classmates will love you. How could they not?” she said, heart breaking for the young Ferwyn. “Did you go on the pack’s pup run like I suggested?”
“No.
“Why not?” she asked gently.
“I’m too big…and scary.” Johnnie had to strain to hear him.
The pup’s wolf was a beautiful beast, and he’d tested sky-high on the dominance scale during his first shift. Blake was a natural born Alpha.
“Bigand strong, just like Beta Tucker.”
“You think my wolf will be like the beta’s?” The wonderment in his voice made Johnnie smile.
“I bet you’ll be even bigger than his gray someday.” Not a lie, Blake’s wolf was enormous for his age.
“No way,” he yelled into the phone, and she winced, pulling it away from her ear. “Dad, Miss Johnnie said I’m gonna be huge and powerful like Beta Tucker. Maybehuger!”
She heard Mr. Williamson agree with his son before Blake shouted, “I’m gonna be a lieutenant in the Guard too and protect the Clan when I grow up.”
Johnnie couldn’t help but laugh at his exuberance. She loved the job of helping Fae Touched families adjust to new home environments, especially when it involved children. But she wished the motivation behind the Williamson family’s move to Memphis had been different.
Ferwyns didn’t like change under normal circumstances, and Blake’s family were forced to transfer to Memphis through no fault of their own. The town’s Untouched population was harassing their small Kentucky pack daily, and Samuel decided to disperse the isolated shifter community before racial tension escalated into violence. For the sake of the pups and peace, the príoh assigned its members to more prominent and secure Fae Touched communities across the ESC Region.
