Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Surge frowned. “Was she scenting something about Drow?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t understand it. It’s only been a few hours since she realized she can smell things that don’t have a scent.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Colors and materials. Probably emotions like fear and danger. It’s confusing to her, but also to me.”
Thorn nodded. “I get that. She probably needs time to process it.” He handed Hayes a card. “Both my number and Surge’s are on there. Call us if you think there’s something we need to know.”
Hayes smirked. “You have phones?” Never once in all the time they’d known these two guys had anyone exchanged numbers with them. When they needed to know something, the bears simply showed up. They couldn’t even arrive unannounced anymore.
Surge laughed. “Yeah. We don’t have a need to use them often, but we own them. You can call or text. I know you have plenty of people on your end who know our every move, so we don’t exactly need to let you know when we’re coming, but we have no other way to get messages from you if you need to reach out. I don’t want our communications to be a one-way street any longer. We should lean on each other.”
Hayes smiled.
“And, Hayes,” Thorn said, “I know your mate smelled something that upset her. We get it. I’m sure it was unnerving. Drow is not a good person, so don’t feel bad about whatever she thinks she knows.”
“Thank you. I’ll text you if it becomes clearer to her. But, meanwhile…” Hayes glanced past the bears in the direction he knew Drow had been pacing. “Just…be careful. I don’t trust him.”
“We will. Thanks.” Surge waved as the two of them took off for the tree line. Seconds later, they were shifted and gone.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m sorry, Daddy.” Rylee couldn’t stop crying. She’d held herself together for a long time while Daddy said goodbye to the bears and then to everyone else. She felt bad for not speaking to her friends before they left, but she was so drained and couldn’t stop shaking. Now that everyone was gone, she was a sniffling mess.
Daddy kicked off his shoes, came up behind her on the bed, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. He kissed her cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry about, Baby girl. Nothing.”
“I keep trying to make sense of what I smelled, but I can’t,” she wailed. Molly wasn’t that far away. She knew her friend could hear her every word, but she didn’t care. She didn’t mean for her concerns to be a secret, but she had no way to explain them.
“Shh.” Daddy stroked her hair. “You don’t need to worry about it, Little one. Thorn and Surge know that Drow is not a good person. They will watch their backs. No matter what you scented, it’s not your responsibility to make sense of it.”
“What if he hurts someone?” she cried out, feeling helpless.
“Rylee, even if you could specifically explain what the scent meant, you wouldn’t be able to stop anything from happening. You’re one small wolf shifter. You’re not responsible for the actions of a bear, especially not an evil bear. You already knew he smelled like evil before he arrived. I bet someone like him smells like danger and anger and sickness all the time. It’s not surprising he would also smell like death. He could have easily killed three small animals this morning for sport, Baby girl. I bet if he murdered a squirrel, he would smell like death.”
“Daddy…”
He chuckled at her back. “I know I’m being silly, but I’m also serious. Am I wrong?”
“No,” she muttered. “I guess not.” She focused on the memory of the scent. It wasn’t hard. It would never leave her. She’d remember that gross stench for the rest of her life. She shuddered at the recollection.
“Do you want to talk it through some more? I’m here if you want me to listen. Or you could take a nap. How about a bottle and a nap?”
“That sounds good, Daddy,” she murmured. “Will you lie with me?”
“Yes, Little one. I’d be happy to.” He kissed her temple. “Don’t move. I’ll get a bottle.”
She watched as her Daddy left the room and counted the seconds until he came back. It was easier than letting her mind wander to that icky bear. She hadn’t even seen him in either human or bear form, and yet she was still grossed out.
Daddy came back with a bottle in his hand. He set it on the nightstand, tugged the blanket off her, and helped her sit upright.
She said nothing while he removed her dress, leaned her onto her back, and slid her panties off. She watched as he diapered her without a word. This would be one of those times when he intended for her to obey his decision without argument. She couldn’t blame him. She needed a good hard nap. There was a solid possibility she would wet herself in her sleep.