Page 75 of Waifs And Strays
‘Good morning, Ms McCafferty,’ he replied. ‘I won’t take up much of your time but it was important for me to come by.’ His eyes held mine. ‘You saved Nicholas and for that you have my eternal gratitude and that of the MacTire pack.’
At least he wasn’t blaming me for allowing Nick to get kidnapped. ‘He’s alright?’ I asked.
‘He’s recovering.’ MacTire licked his lips and lowered his voice. ‘Thank you, Kit.’
There were several answers I could have given. I chose the simplest. ‘You’re welcome.’
‘If there is ever anything the MacTire pack can do to help you, you only need ask. We owe you and we will repay that debt.’ He paused. ‘You have my sworn word.’
I sucked in a sharp breath; I hadn’t expected that. ‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘I appreciate that.’
He nodded and stepped back. ‘I’ll leave you in peace nowbut there is someone else who would like a word with you, if you don’t mind.’ The car door opened again to reveal Nick.
He was much thinner than before; his face was gaunt and there was a haunted expression behind those familiar eyes. He would recover, though, both mentally and physically. I was certain of that.
I watched him walk through the gate. His progress was slow, as if it were a struggle to put one foot in front of the other. Alexander MacTire didn’t reach out to help him because that would have been too great a sign of weakness for a wolf. In fact, that lack of action meant that I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Nick had made a decision about his future – and I believed it was the right one.
MacTire melted away and I barely noticed his departure; my attention was on Nick. I waited, giving him the same respect by not offering to take his arm. I wouldn’t offer him my chair either.
As soon as he reached me, his face broke into a wobbly smile. ‘Hi, Kit.’
I smiled in return. ‘I’m glad that you’re finally calling me that and not Ms McCafferty.’
Nick blinked rapidly as he held back his tears; damned werewolves and their need to hide real emotion. Crying didn’t make you any less tough, quite the opposite, but I knew better than to tell him he could let his feelings show. It would only embarrass him and that would never be my intention.
‘Thank you,’ Nick said, once he’d composed himself enough to speak. ‘You saved my life. I wasn’t aware of what was going on but I have a vague memory of you coming into that room. When I saw you, I knew everything would be alright.’
‘I’m amazed you were conscious enough to notice anything at all. They must have taken a lot of your blood. You’re recovering quickly.’
‘They were trying to fill an enormous conical glass flask – there was a mark on it that indicated the level they wanted to get to. I was literally watching my life drain away.’ He dropped his gaze. ‘That’s what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.’
‘You’re a survivor, Nick. You’d have made it out of there.’
‘No, I wouldn’t.’ He shuffled his feet. ‘I owe you everything.’
I gazed at him for a long moment. He’d only been gone for days but he’d aged years.
He cleared his throat. ‘I’m taking the oath this afternoon,’ he said. ‘I’m joining the MacTire pack. I won’t be coming back here to stay.’
I wasn’t even remotely surprised. ‘I’ll return your deposit,’ I said.
His eyes widened. ‘No! That’s not why I’m here. Keep the money. I just wanted to let you know in person. It’s the least you deserve. You helped me out when nobody else would.’
‘Are you sure that you want to sign up for life with the MacTires?’ He was making the right decision but I wanted to be sure he’d considered all the ramifications and he wouldn’t live to regret it.
‘Yes. My uncle asked me to wait before taking the oath – he wanted me to be certain I was doing the right thing. But it is. I don’t want to be a lone wolf. Ican’tbe a lone wolf.’ He swallowed. ‘I’m not sure if Thane will understand. He was my friend.’
‘He’ll still be your friend,’ I said gently. ‘And he will understand. He’ll approve, too.’
‘You really think so?’ he whispered.
I didn’t hesitate. ‘I do.’
He Who Crunches Bird Bones edged out from underneath the bush, miaowed and wound around Nick’s legs. The boysmiled and crouched down to stroke him. ‘I should probably go,’ he said eventually. ‘But…’
‘Go on,’ I said.
‘Can I still come and visit sometimes?’
