Chapter 5

• Almost fifteen minutes on the dot, Blair heard movement in the trees. He inhaled and immediately regretted it. Sucking more of the offensive scent into his body. He went around and opened the side door of the van. If someone was looking for them, introductions would have to wait until he got them the hell out of here.
• His cat was freaking out inside him. He didn’t like not being able to smell. When the sound got closer, Blair hunched down, ready to spring in case the clan members weren’t causing the barely audible sounds.
• A woman with long brown hair stepped out of the thick growth. She had a small girl with strawberry blonde hair and huge frightened blue eyes in front of her. Blair stepped down into the ditch and held out his hand to help them up it, “It’s okay, honey,” he took the little girl’s hand, “I’m Blair and I’m taking you somewhere safe,” he kept his voice soft and light.
• “I’m Daisie.” She said in a shaking voice.
• He was sure his heart just cracked a little inside him. “Hop up in and get comfortable.” He helped her and then turned to the woman and nodded as she climbed in and pulled the child onto her lap. “Are the rest close?”
• She nodded, “Kobie spread us out to keep the sound to a minimum.”
• Blair didn’t pause to chat. He went back to the ditch and squatted down watching and listening. This Kobie guy was smart. Keep the sound from traveling, send the women and children first so he can watch over everyone. He felt a small measure better about not being able to smell. The brush moved and another woman with an older girl came out. No mistaking these two for mother and daughter with their matching curly hair.
• He held his hand out to the teenager. She looked exhausted. “I’m Blair, take my hand.” She hesitantly took it. He pulled her up out of the ditch. “Water and snacks are under the seats.” He released her hand when he was sure she had her footing, then turned back to the mother.
• “Franki slipped and has a gash,” she pointed to her arm as she climbed into the van.
• Blair nodded and reached in under the front seat and pulled out a first aid kit and held it out. “Fix it up when they get here.” The woman took the kit. Fuck, the scent of blood would be like a damned beacon.
• “Kobie took off her shirt and wrapped it,” Daisie told him as he turned back to the ditch.
• He winked at her. “Smart move.” He stepped back over to the ditch. Her shirt? He had to have heard that wrong.
• Two more women stepped out of the foliage. One of them had dyed red-streaked hair and was holding the arm of a short blonde woman as she held her wrapped arm. Franki was a woman. He hadn’t caught that part. Snapping out of it, he slid down the ditch and held out his hand to her. “I’m Blair, we have a med kit in the van.”
• The one helping her let go and climbed up the incline. “Kobie dosed any blood on the ground with rubbing alcohol.”
• He took Franki’s elbow and helped her out of the ditch. He’d never thought of using rubbing alcohol to cover scents, but it was a good idea, and he hoped it worked.
• “Annamarie was freaking out, so Mika is dragging her along,” Franki told him.
• He glanced at the van again, deciding the one with the dyed hair was one of the cats close to their first change. She had to be around eighteen, nineteen. Hopefully, her cat would figure out now was not the time to introduce her to their world. Stopping for an inevitable first change was not something they had time for. Of course, if he could fucking smell, he’d know how close she was.
• Blair hoped as he’d never hoped before that Mika was a man, otherwise, his tense guts told him he was going to be transporting nine females many stressful miles. He released her elbow as she got in the van.
• Hurrying back when the vegetation moved, he waited at the bottom for the next ones to arrive. A woman with short brown hair, around twenty, huffed out a breath as she cleared it. She turned and gave the older woman with long red hair a glare of attitude. Mika was not a man.
• “Come on.” He did not have time for haughty girls. The upset one took his hand, then assessed him and gave him one of those smiles—the kind the old Blair would have lapped up like a starving kitten. He pulled her up the incline and then released her hand as soon as her feet were on level ground. He was almost thankful for the stink under his nose right now. His cat did not need to know about the pheromones he knew she’d be tossing at him right now.
• He turned back to Mika. She was in her late twenties if he guessed right—and when it came to females, Blair was usually right on the money guessing their age. Taking his hand, she gave him a brief nod then looked at the van.
• “We should dump the seats, there’d be more room.” She stepped to get in the van.
• “Leaving seats laying here would be a flashing sign.” He said quickly, then turned back to the growth, watching.
• “Good point,” Mika said from behind him.
• Before Blair could think of anything else to say, a tall woman cleared the growth. She was wearing jeans, a jacket, and just a bra underneath. Turning her back to him, she reached out in front of her and backed up the incline while spraying over her tracks as she went. He would have tried to scent what she was misting the ground with but knew the only smell he’d pick up was that god-awful ointment again.
• Backing toward the van, he looked all around them. Opening the passenger door, he reached over and opened his bag, pulling out the first shirt he found.
• Kobie reached the van and then finally turned to look at him.
• Blair’s heart did this hard stop in his chest. She had dark blue, almost black eyes, combined with her high cheekbones and pouty lips. She was probably the most exotic-looking she-cat he’d ever seen. His brain snapped back to functioning, and he held out his t-shirt.
• Stuffing the spray bottle into her backpack, she took it. “Thanks.” She yanked off her jacket and tossed it in the van and pulled the shirt over her head. “How’s the arm?” She looked in the van.
• Mika nodded as she wrapped it. “It’s not bad.”
• “Good. There’s no time to shift and heal it, so hang on, Franki, just keep an eye on it.” Kobie leaned over and grabbed a bottle of water, then took a long drink of it.
• “Sorry,” Franki mumbled, “I know better.”
• Capping the bottle, Kobie shrugged, then reached up and pulled out the elastic holding her long, almost white, blonde hair. Shaking her head, she pulled a small twig from it then tossed it in the van instead of the ground.
• That told Blair she knew a lot about hunting and tracking.
• “Grab a nap when you can.” She told the women, “Nichelle, you have the first watch,” she pointed behind the van, “I don’t care how insignificant you think it is, you tell us what you see.”
• The one with the dyed hair nodded her head and then shifted in the cramped space so she was looking out the back window.
• With an abrupt nod, Kobie closed the door and then finally looked up at Blair for more than a second. “Thanks for being here.”