Page 40 of The Goblin in the Sink Drain
“I healed because I shifted into an actual dog and back again, the same as any shifter would have done.” I laughed, delighted. “I had no idea that was possible.”
“As far as the rest of the world is concerned, it’s not. The talent belongs to Fayne alone now. She wasn’t certain it would work, or she would have upsold us rather than letting it be a surprise.” He noticed he was still holding my arm and flexed his fingers, forcing them open when I wouldn’t have minded if he held on a little longer. “I’m willing to bet that’s why she made you dig. Burdock mended you to an extent, but to ensure full recovery, she made you reinjure your arm to a lesser degree to draw an x on the spot where she wanted maximum healing.”
Soft footsteps swung my attention toward the door leading into the waiting room, but Fayne walked past it on her way to where the salon employees had been deposited, and I posed my question to Rían. “What’s the plan here?”
“Looks like Fayne is almost finished unraveling the salon employees, so we’ll get Burdock out here to administer a counteragent for the drugs they were given. Then we call the police and report a break-in.” He noted my surprise and explained, “Liam erased the footage of Nelson’s message and his people, so the abductions won’t be linked to them.”
“What’s to stop Nelson from kidnapping everyone again the second the cops leave?”
“We’re going to meet with Nelson,” Fayne said, striding in wearing scrubs to match mine. “We tried polite, and that didn’t work, so it’s time they met the magnus of Clan Walsh in the scales.”
“Oh?” Rían thinned his lips. “We are, are we?”
“Do you have any better ideas?” Fayne walked up to me, grasped my arm, and hummed to herself. “We can dispatch sentinels to shadow the employees for a few days to make sure Nelson gets the message, but I don’t think he’ll move against usagain with Sartori’s focus split. Not if we show him what he’s up against.”
Heart in my throat, I stepped forward. “Does that mean you’ve found out something?”
“Nothing concrete. The Sartoris are closing ranks. Neither your father nor Mercer have been seen since we left, so don’t get upset until we have all the information.” Fayne gentled her tone, but her eyes held resolve. “Right now, we need to focus on arranging a meeting with the Nelson alpha and setting down ground rules involving civilians.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Rían promised. “I won’t let the outcome blindside you if I can help it.”
“Thanks.” I wrapped my arms around my middle. “I wish I didn’t still care, I don’t want to, but…”
“He raised you, so it’s understandable.” Rían palmed my shoulder. “You have a lifetime of attachment to him as your father. Had he not been smothering you, had the pack accepted you, I...” His gaze fell to the floor. “I didn’t want to upend your life, Ana, but I had to open your eyes so that you could see your way to making your own choices.”
“Oh, he wanted to,” Fayne countered, tossing him his tee, “Liam encouraged him to, but Rían is too much of a romantic.”
Had a dragon, let alone one Rían’s size, come swooping through the air to clasp me in its talons, I would have either wet myself or had a heart attack or both. “I’m on the side of romance in this case.”
There was a good chance the only reason I hadn’t tossed my cookies when he flew me back to Brentwood was because I was unconscious for most of the trip. Which, now that I thought about it, sparked concern over the fear-of-heights thing. I couldn’t very well be a dragon if I was afraid to fly.
Ugh.
When the time came, I would just have to stock up on Dramamine and hope for the best.
A truck engine rumbled outside, the slam of its doors confirming we had company.
“That’s Burdock.” Fayne’s lips tilted up at the corners. “I recognize the sound of the engine.”
Pep in her step, she went to greet him and bring him in to treat the employees.
“Am I imagining things, or is there something going on between those two?”
“I try not to imagine anything going on with Fayne.” He swept his arm out, indicating I should go ahead of him while he tugged on his shirt. “Do you want to stay here with your friends, or would you rather go with me to meet Nelson?”
For me to show up with Rían made more than one statement. Big ones. Like I stood with Clan Walsh. Like I stood with Rían. Like I had severed ties with Sartori. Each declaration carried its own risks.
“Are you sure you want me there?” I picked at a fingernail. “I won’t make things worse?”
As we entered the front room, sweet relief swirled through me to find four humans laid out on dog blankets on the floor. They were safe and sound and would soon be awake. I wasn’t sure where things would go from there, how I would spin our GSG emergency into…this…but I was certain Fayne had already worked out a new cover story for me to sell the employees, and their families.
“I want you with me.” He watched my mouth, how I kept plucking my lip, and his voice lowered to a bone-deep rumble. “Always.” He shut his eyes, drew in a slow breath, and cleared his throat. “But you would be sending a powerful statement, and it’s okay if you’re not ready to be viewed as a Walsh ally.”
“I can’t go back home.” I fisted the material over my heart, but it did nothing to quell the ache. “As long as my appearance won’t cause you problems, I would like to go.”
To survive in this world, either on my own or as Rían’s…um…as a Walsh, I would have to learn more about how to interact with other clans, packs, and prides. I couldn’t continue burying my head in the sand and letting conversations happen around me rather than including me. Not if I wanted to thrive on my own merits rather than hiding under the umbrella of someone else’s authority. I had already seen how one good gust could blow away that protection, and I didn’t want to live the rest of my life afraid of which way the wind blew.
twelve
