Chapter One
I shoved another shirt in the spare bag. We really needed to
stop at a store somewhere so Ritch could run in and grab some clothes. He
couldn’t wear mine forever, though I liked seeing him in my clothes. I hadn’t
been even remotely subtle about my interest and need to protect Ritch. That was
probably why Deke had accepted him, even while he was on edge after just mating
Kraig.
With everything going on, though, it wasn’t the time to say
anything to Ritch. He’d been abused, used in the worst way by people who should’ve
protected him, and he’d lost the only family who mattered to him. But I would
show him how a human werekin should be treated.
“Hey, Ritch?”
Ritch came out of the bathroom but he stopped in the doorway
before his toes could touch the bedroom carpet. “Yes?”
“Since we haven’t had a chance to take you shopping, I
packed some of my clothes for you. Would you mind going down to the kitchen and
grabbing some snacks and drinks? There’s a cooler in the garage and there
should be a soft-sided tote on one of the shelves.”
“I can do that. Is there anything you want in particular?”
Ritch rubbed his hands on his thighs.
“How about more of those sandwiches you made yesterday? They
were really good.”
Ritch beamed. “The roast beef with the stone ground mustard?”
“Oh yeah.” My mouth was already watering. “A lot of them. I’m
starving, and yours always taste better than mine.”
“I put mustard on both slices of bread. How long until we
need to leave?” Ritch asked.
“As soon as we’re done packing. We’re going to stop at the
store on our way out of town and at least get you the basics.” I
“You don’t have to do that,” Ritch protested. “I don’t want
you to spend your money on me.”
“Of course, I don’t.” I stepped into the closet and pushed
the clothes to one side so I could get to the safe built into the wall. “But I’m
sure you’d like to have some underwear of your own, and you can pick out your
own type of deodorant and shampoo so you don’t have to keep using mine if you
like something else better. It’s no big deal.”
“I’ll pay you back.” Ritch said that like it was a promise.
“Not necessary. Besides, you’re helping us. The streak pays
me a wage, and you will get one too. Christian’s markings can be passed off as tattoos,
but mine can’t. I’m going to need your help to talk to any humans.”
Ritch’s eyes were huge. “Really?”
“Yep.” I got the safe open finally and began to pull out my
guns. For most clan business, I used my strength and weapons as a bonded
werekin. But in the human world, I’d need human weapons. I also found a knife
in a sheath that could slid over a belt. “Here.” I stepped out and tossed the
knife to Ritch. “You can never be too careful. Just make sure it’s covered when
you’re among the humans.”
“A knife?” I’d only thought Ritch’s eyes were huge. Now I
could nearly see the whites all around his irises.
“You don’t have claws to protect yourself.”
Ritch flinched. “Oh.” He looked down. “Right. I’ll go make
those sandwiches,” he said quietly.
What just happened? He’d gone from surprised and what I
thought was happy to monotone with a carefully blank face. I didn’t like it. I
replayed what I said in my head, and winced. That had come out wrong, and I
needed to apologize. We had to go though.
We could talk in the car.
I pulled out another knife and threaded it on my belt. Maybe
that would help.
The windows of my SUV were as dark as legally possible, but
I still made sure to pull into a shadowed spot instead of under a light. I
reached into my pocket for my wallet. “Here.” I pulled out a card. “Make sure
you pick up a wallet too.”
“What’s this?”
“I had an extra card for my account. This is yours so you can
buy what you need. If we got separated, you’d need money.” I held on to the
card when Ritch grabbed it. “About what I said earlier. I didn’t mean it like
how it sounded. I carry a knife when I leave the compound too. It’s not bad
that you don’t have claws, but it does make me want to make sure you have a way
to defend yourself. That’s all.”
Ritch’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not
like the guys I grew up with. Being a human werekin isn’t a bad thing to you.”
“It really isn’t, but I’ll try not to say insensitive things
if it bothers you.” I let go of the card.
“Thank you.”
“I said I’ll try. Deke isn’t the only one who has trouble saying
the wrong thing.”
Ritch smiled. “I’ll try not to take offense.”
“Appreciate it.” My phone beeped with a text alert. “Oh,
make sure you pick up one of those loadable phones too. You’ll need a way to
communicate.”
“That’s too expensive,” Ritch protested.
“No, it’s just smart. Everyone needs to be able to stay in contact.
We’re looking for traitors who are hurting human werekin. You saw what they did
to Kraig, to my dad. You’re a human werekin. I want you to be able to call for
help if anything happens. Otherwise I’m going to worry about you.”
“Okay, okay, I get it.”
“I expect you to have enough clothes for at least a week,
along with anything else you need. And a sturdy pair of boots. Those sneakers
you have aren’t adequate. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve set up their sick
experiments in a remote location.”
“Do you want anything?”
“Slim Jims. I’m craving some salty meat.”
Ritch choked, and I pounded on his back. “You okay?”
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