Page 33 of Shifters Reckoning

CHAPTER NINE

logan

Six-Mile Manor

“How many are here?”

“Thirty-six came over from the Gathering Place.” Olivia sorted through paperwork on the desk between us.

“It’s been twenty-four hours, and we already have thirty-six.” My grunt echoed in the room. “I don’t think Emma’s shifter summer camp is going to be as simple as she thinks.”

“I’m sure more are on the way,” Olivia said. “Also, it’s not summer. It’s fall.”

“Semantics,” I snapped. “Do we have space for all of them?”

“Sure. We’ll figure it out,” she said. “Many of the injured shifters have healed and returned to their original homes. That helps somewhat.”

“I have crews coming back later today to hook up temporary housing and a temporary mess hall for everyone. Since we’re headed into winter, we have a dozen portable buildings scheduled for delivery this week. The first couple of deliveries come today, and our crews will get them working. Every foreman has a business credit card and instructions to finish out the building without checking with you first.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “Well, that’ll make it faster.”

That was when the bearded fox shifter, Jasper Sionnach, strolled into my office with a lecherous expression on his face as he looked Olivia up and down. He and Olivia had an ongoing affair, and he came and went from Six-Mile as he pleased, which pretty much annoyed the hell out of me. I’d have tossed him out of Six-Mile on his ass, but his brother, Flynn, was the alpha of Red Tail. Cheeky bastards.

Olivia grinned at her fox and puckered her lips at him. “Emma get off to Bear Trees?”

“Aye, she did, and I don’t believe the lass knew I was followin’ her.”

“Unlikely,” I said. “How’s Flynn?”

“Me brother is still tryin’ t’ decide.”

“Decide what?”

“Whether he wants to let his face fur carry trinkets like mine.” He made a face and tugged on his own jangling beard. “He says it’d chime in a windstorm. Ye know…” He shook his head to show me how it made noise. “If ye’re not used to it, it can be distracting during sex, though yer beta doesn’t seem to mind it.” He gave her a long, stupid-ass smoldering glance.

I said nothing but hoped my glare would drive him out of the room.

“Jasper, don’t antagonize the man,” Olivia warned, but she winked at Jasper. “Though you’re not wrong about the beard bells. It’s like a musical party every time we’re together.”

The fox shrugged at me, then puckered his lips at her. “He’s also tryin’ t’ decide whether to go huntin’ for his mate again. She’s still missin’, as ye know, and he’s contemplating mountin’ another search for her.”

“I thought he’d already given her up as lost,” I said.

“Aye, but it never lasts very long. He doesn’t want to give her up as lost to Acheron. Not without some kind of undeniable proof.”

I frowned. “So, there’s no proof either way?”

“None. But Flynn needs a definitive answer. They were mates. He doesn’t want to give up on her.”

“Understandable. No way I’d ever give up on Emma.” Never.

Jasper drew a breath as though he meant to go on about his brother, but a knock on the open door brought my eyes to the threshold of my study.

“Yes?” I called.

Phil stood there in work pants, his broad figure filling the space. “There’s a truck here with two tiny homes on the back. Driver wants to know where to drop them. He says there’s another truck about fifteen minutes behind him.”

The chair creaked when I stood. “I’ve got squares spray-painted and flagged on the far side of the main compound near the west fence, but I’ll point them where they go.”