CHAPTER
SANI
If he hadn’t squeezed his lips together, this leech of a woman would have shoved her tongue down his throat so far she could have tasted his last meal. He jumped away in disgust, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand then scrubbing it on his jeans.
She pouted. “Don’t you think we ought to get to know each other? I’d like to get to know you…” One taloned finger drew random patterns on his chest. “So much better,” she purred, sliding her hand toward his crotch.
He caught it an inch from his zipper.
In one cold-blooded blink Sabrina’s face went from practiced sultry to genuine malice. That was her true self. That was what Ulf wanted to mate his son to. She was a manipulative fake. He couldn’t call her that to her face, however two-faced she was. Offending the daughter of an Alpha could jeopardize his entire pack. She’d go crying to Daddy, who’d come howling for revenge.
Ulf had forged alliances, and Alphas were quick to take insult where none was intended. One wrong word and Sani would set off another feud. Judging by the little he knew of Sabrina, she wanted to sink her manicured claws into him. The only right words to her were I do.
He so did not! Damn Ulf. Couldn’t he have asked? Or for once in his life listened?
Sabrina threaded her arm through his again and snuggled into his shoulder. She was like a snake, constricting tighter the more he tried to put even an inch between them. As much as he wanted her off him, he didn’t want to hurt her. One red lacquered nail pointed into the forest.
“Your dad said he’d build us a big house right over there.”
His stomach flipped. His imagination filled his future house with blue-eyed, silvery-haired kids and that huge black cat. And Tereza, always Tereza.
Only Tereza.
How the hell was he going to fix this? There was no easy out. Sabrina wouldn’t tolerate even perceived rejection. His gut told him as much, even as it heaved. His eyes darted over the view of the ranch. What had always seemed an endless landscape now squeezed in like the walls of a cell. How much had his father sold him for? More importantly, what could Sami offer to mitigate all the drama and bloodshed sure to follow? There was no way he’d give up his Winter Fairy. Only Ulf would expect him to. Blood mired in his veins as his heart stuttered and slowed.
While he was lost in his deliberations, Sabrina nailed him with another kiss. Sani barely kept himself from shoving her as hard as he could. A feigned stumble was enough to get some distance between them. Wrong. She was all wrong. His wolf kicked and howled. By the time they made it down the hill, Sabrina was practically skipping in triumph while Sani dragged his feet.
The upcoming fight was going to keep him from Tereza longer. And it would hurt. There would be severe punishment for causing trouble.
“Sani!” Mika barked, shooing Sabrina toward the Council House with a look of distaste. “Kayin called. There’s a break in the case.” He grabbed Sani’s shoulder and pulled him aside, dropping his voice to a gruff whisper. “I swear I didn’t know Dad was up to this.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Sani muttered the words through clenched teeth. “I’m not doing this. I will not mate that…” He flapped a hand in Sabrina’s direction. “That.”
Mika’s mouth quirked into an almost smile. “You kept a woman like that away from me so I could be with Madison. Tonight I’m returning the favor.” Mika lost all sense of playfulness. “But I can’t hold her, our father, or her father off for long. Figure out what you’re going to do tonight and be ready for the consequences tomorrow.”
A huge weight lifted from Sani’s soul. Mika’s gift of time was exactly what Sani needed. He’d talk to Tereza and they’d figure everything out. “You know, for an Alpha, you make an okay brother sometimes.” He threw him arms around his brother in a bear hug. “Thank you.”
Uncomfortable with emotions, and not one to endure physical contact except from his Fated, Mika gave Sani a hard shove. “Get out of here.”
Sani went. He sprinted to the parking lot, got in one of the ranch trucks, and flipped down the visor. Keys dropped into his lap and he drove away. It was late. Nearing midnight. The Ranch grocery store would be closed, but Attie lived in an apartment above it. She would be there. He could wake her up. There had to be some advantages to being related to the Alpha. At least before his father kicked him out of the pack tomorrow for disobeying. He’d be lucky if that’s all Ulf did.
He shoved those thoughts away and drove down the main road toward the shopping district of the Ranch. It was close to the highway and open to tourists as well as Ranch residents. Thanks to the magic on the Ranch, not only did crops grow well, they also grew year-round. The store was always fully stocked.
After whatever happened in the morning, he planned to stay shut in with Tereza for days, so he’d better stock up on everything. And flowers. She smelled like winter roses and crocuses, but would she like to have them in the house? Wasn’t there a whole language of flowers? What did winter roses and crocuses mean?
Maybe Attie would know. The woman was a friend of Aunt Tiwa. She’d always given him treats when he was a boy and had a hug for him when he felt unloved and alone. Was like a mother to him when Ulf drove his mother away. She was a savvy businesswoman though, and would probably charge him double on everything — in addition to a Special Favor Fee, an Inconvenience Surcharge, and a Woke Me Up Tax.
Light-hearted with the gift of stolen hours, Sani drove past the field where vendors set up temporary tents and tables to park in front of the sturdy wooden rectangle of the store. He strutted to the front door and knocked. It wasn’t enough. Attie was a heavy sleeper.
He knocked again, so he could honestly say he tried and walked around to the side of the building. She hadn’t left any windows open. He knew which one was her bedroom though. “Attie,” he called. “It’s Sani.”
That received no answer, either. Scanning the ground, Sani found several pebbles the right size. Backing up, he tossed the first one. It thwacked off the wood next to the window. In the silence, it sounded like a gunshot. Nothing stirred.
“Attie!” Sani yelled this time, throwing his second pebble. It hit the window, but he’d thrown it too softly. There was hardly any noise before the pebble fell to the ground. This was getting him nowhere.
“Attie!” Sani yelled. “I’m going to sing!” He tossed a pebble. “Ooooooh, Attie,” he warbled at the top of his !ungs and chucked another stone.
The window opened so hard it hit the top of the sill and cracked. He winced. She would charge him for replacing the glass, too. Bears were grumpy when awakened. Let sleeping bears lie. That’s what the adage should be. Dogs were usually forgiving and happy to be needed. Attie stuck her head out the window just in time for his last missile to bounce off her forehead.
“Uh oh.” Sani winced. Now there would be a Hit Me With a Rock Levy, too. Attie glared murder at him. Without a word, she pulled her head back in and slammed the window shut, shattering the glass. Her footsteps lumbered through the building, down the stairs, and across the first floor.
The door opened. Attie stood blocking the doorway, arms crossed over her substantial chest. Like most bear shifters, she was big. As tall as him, with heavy muscles. He’d often imagined she could swat Ulf like a gnat when she was a bear. Her long brown hair was a snarled mess, and she wore flannel pajamas. Her bleary eyes were not amused. “You were a lot cuter when you were a pup.”
Sani ignored the grouchiness in her voice, grabbed the woman and danced her in a circle. “I’m celebrating. I need to buy everything!.”
“Sani!” She batted at him. “You scamp. What is going on? Did that volcano rattle your brain? It’s midnight!”
“I don’t care!” He couldn’t move her when she planted her feet and gave up dancing. He pressed his palms together and batted his eyes. “Please charge me outrageous prices for the things I want to buy.”
“Why?” Attie scowled.
It felt right that she would be among the first to know. And she could keep a secret. He placed his hands on her shoulders and covered her face in kisses. “Because I found her. My Fated.’
Attie’s eyes lit up and she beamed at him. She was awake now, and wrapped her arms around him, lifting him andcrushing him to her ample chest. “It’s about time! I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks,” he wheezed.
“Tiwa didn’t say anything when I saw her today.” Attie set him on his feet.
Sani lost a little cheer. “She doesn’t know.”
“Why not?” Attie frowned. “The whole pack will want to meet — Oh. Ulf has some stupid idea, doesn’t he?” She huffed. “You’d think he’d have learned not to meddle after the disaster with Mika.”
“Not so much,” Sani muttered.
“That wolf really needs to retire.” Attie growled.
Sani nodded. “This morning would be good.”
“You’re planning to go against him?”
“Damn the consequences. I won’t give up my Fated no matter what.”
Attie harrumphed. “Of course you won’t.” She patted his back. “I have an idea, but I need to speak with Tiwa.”
Hope glowed with Sani. Having Mika on his side was good, but having Tiwa and Attie was even better. Even Ulf was scared of them, though he wouldn’t admit it. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Could he ask it of them? Would Ulf hurt them? Banish them? Something else?
“Don’t you worry about us.” Attie clapped once. “Oh, I can’t wait to telll Tiwa I knew before her. For that I’ll only charge you double instead of triple.”
That got a smile out of him. “I expected double.”
Attie snapped her fingers, a smile on her face too. “I should have said quadruple and gone to triple.” She stood aside, flipping on lights. “Go on. Get whatever you want.”
Sani bussed another kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best!” He pulled two carts from the collection by the door and steered them down the first aisle. What did fairies eat? He should have asked about her favorite foods. There was so much he wanted to know about her.
He swept armfuls of chocolate into one cart. What else? Cheese. Crackers. Bread. Eggs. Bacon. Steaks. Hamburgers. Whoa. He was shifter shopping. He swerved his carts into the produce section. Persimmons. Apples. Grapes. Raspberries. Pomegranates. There. That sort of evened things out. He skipped vegetables. Fruit was romantic. Vegetables not so much. Zooming into the frozen food section, he chose waffles and ten kinds of ice cream. That should last two days. Maybe three.
Another section of the store held non-food items. Candles, bubble bath, flowers, and blankets went into his carts. Was that all he needed? It was enough for a start. He was almost to the checkout when he realized what he’d forgotten. Drinks!
Wine was perfect, but which one? Three of each kind should do. Some beers. Those he knew more about. Juices. Water. Milk? Who didn’t like chocolate milk? Cocoa. Sodas. There. Now he was done.
At the door, Attie raised her eyebrows. “You sure you got everything?”
“Hopefully.” Sani stopped at a checkout counter, scooped up a bunch of reusable bags, and reached for his wallet. He handed Attie a credit card. “Charge me whatever you want.”
“Oh, I will.” Attie slipped his card into her pocket and helped him bag his purchases.
She waved at him as he wheeled the carts outside and lights went out.
He loaded everything into the truck and hopped in. The drive through the Ranch felt endless. At the nearest turnout to the cabin, he parked and inhaled. He craved the winter roses and crocus scent of Tereza. It was faint. Loading his arms with his shopping bags, he hiked into the forest. This wasn’t a proper trail and the snow was deep in places, but he trudged on.
Sani picked up the pace when the cabin came into view. He bounded onto the porch, footsteps faltering. Something was wrong. He didn’t feel Tereza nearby. No heartbeat or yummy wintry smell. He listened closer. No cat heartbeat either, even though her pet had been here recently.
Maybe she left a note. He dropped his bags, opened the door, and searched quickly. No note. He pulled out his phone and called her. After four rings her voice mail recording invited him to leave a message. He hung up.
Where would she go? To the library? Did she know where Nascha lived? If she was feeling betrayed, it wasn’t likely she’d go to their igloo. He went all those places. No Tereza or Goliath. His last guess was the cottage Nascha had arranged for Tereza to live in. She wasn’t there either. And neither were her clothes, suitcases, or car. Tereza wasn’t anywhere.
“Tereza?” He whispered her name into the emptiness. He smelled anger and pain. What happened? Sani backed into a wall and slid to the floor in utter dejection. Had she left him? Left Sanctuary? What could have driven her away? Could she have seen him with that crazy bitch?
It couldn’t end like this. He had to find her.
Sani punched the buttons to call her again He had to know she was okay. Even if she didn’t want to talk to him, he had to know. He’d pick her up bodily if he had to, take her home and keep her safe until he found the vampires and scattered their ashes all over the PNW.
But the phone just rang. He disconnected and tried again, willing her to pick up. Her voice mail invited him to leave a message again. Sani threw the phone down. She wouldn’t have left Sanctuary, would she? Vampires were after her. He didn’t know why or how, only that he had to get to her now.