“Oh, I assumed that’s why you’re walking with us.” I knew he wasn’t coming to enjoy our company. He wasn’t exactly best friends with Toby, although they did seem to end up having more meetings than you’d think.
“I’m going to find your sister.” He said it resolutely, like there was nothing else he could possibly be doing.
I tried to reel in my skepticism. “Do you know her?”
He shook his head. “No, but she’s of my kind.”
“Got it.” I was new to the whole paranormal thing, but I was beginning to understand the loyalty between members of the same kind of creature. It made sense, but it also frustrated me. Why did everything have to be so divisive? Besides, where did that leave me? What was I anyway? I shifted into a Pteron, but I knew I was part bear. Would I ever truly fit in anywhere?
“I’ll bring her to you as soon as I find her.” Eric misread the expression on my face. I didn’t doubt his dedication. It was more the principle of the thing.
“Where are we going exactly?” I asked Toby.
“It’s up north, on a small island.”
“So why aren’t we flying directly there? Why this talk of a boat trip?”
“We have to meet our tour guide first.”
“Tour guide?”
Toby shrugged. “Ask Eric.”
I turned back to him. “Who is it?”
“It’s actually two guides. If you tried to fly to the island yourself, they’d view it as an attack.”
“Two?”
“They’re twins, and I assure you they’re trust worthy. They’re actually your cousins.” He looked away. “They had contacted me already.”
“My cousins?” Did I have more cousins than just Rhett? “And why would they contact you about me?”
“Your mom has something to do with them calling. I didn’t get a chance to talk to them long, but these are cousins you’ll take a liking too. Like you they’re a mix, but a mix of a different sort.” He smiled, which made me nervous.
A mix? Was there more inter paranormal mating going on than everyone thought?
“Don’t worry about it, Bates. You’ll be fine.” He patted my shoulder. “You have Toby here for protection, don’t you?”
“Don’t you mean he has me for protection?” I grinned.
“That’s about right.” Toby took my hand. “Let’s swing by both of our places and pack. It sounds like this is going to be awhile.”
“What do we tell Georgina? She’s expecting us in New Orleans.”
“We’ll just have to go straight to New Orleans afterward. She’s the one who told you to look for answers.”
“That’s true.” I turned to Eric. “Thanks, I think.”
He smiled. “Anytime.”
“And be careful.” I knew Eric was putting himself at risk to look for Vera. I hoped he was successful. It’s crazy how I went from hating the guy to trusting him with my life and the lives of others I loved.
“I can’t promise careful, but I’ll try not to die.”
I laughed. “Good enough.” I waved goodbye before Toby led me back toward my new apartment. “Do you know anything else about these twins?”
He shrugged. “Nope, but considering everything we’ve faced lately, I think we’ll be okay.”
“Just don’t ditch me, and we’ll be fine.”
“I knew you wanted me around,” he teased.
I leaned into his side. “I’m sure I’ll find a use for you eventually.”
“You mean more than the stress relief and focus you found this morning?”
“Yeah, good point. That’s a very good use.”
He laughed. “I’m glad you think so.” He put an arm around me, and we continued walking. I tried to savor the moment, to soak up the pretense of normalcy. I knew I couldn’t pretend for long, but I was going to hold on to it for as long as I could. “You okay?” he asked worriedly.
“Yeah I’m fine.”
“No you’re not, but that’s okay.”
“It is okay.” I slowed down pace as my building came into view. I wanted to savor every moment.
Chapter Eight
Toby
Casey was nervous. She wasn’t particularly good at hiding any of her emotions, but it was her nerves that she wore on her sleeve. Maybe it was just because I knew her so well, but her eyes and the tension in her face told me all I needed to know. I hated to see her so uptight, but I also knew she had every right to be. Telling her to relax would just piss her off, and I definitely didn’t want that. Casey was back at my side and fully with me. I wasn’t screwing anything up.
“How many days do you think we’ll be away?” She pulled open one of her dresser drawers.
“At least a few.”
“How heavy of a bag do you think I can fly with?”
“I’ll carry our stuff, so the weight isn’t a huge deal, but we’re still going to be carrying it around with us. Maybe just grab one full extra set of clothes and whatever you want to sleep in. You know Georgina will have extra clothes for you when we get to New Orleans.”
Casey nodded. “And I’m sure she’s going to be particular about what I wear.” She paused. “Although did you notice how she didn’t say a word about what I was wearing today? She didn’t seem to care at all.”
“It’s because she thought she lost you.” I walked over to join her by the dresser. “She loves you, and she thought you were gone. That can do strange things to people.”
“Yes it can.” She got that far off look on her face which meant she was thinking about Vera. We were going to find her again. After everything we’d been through, those sisters deserved to be reunited for more than a few minutes.
“She’s a bit crazy, but Georgina is definitely someone you want on your side.”
“Absolutely.” Casey tossed a pile of clothes on the bed. “I wouldn’t want to be on her bad side. That’s for sure. If she finds out what I’m keeping from her I might be though.”
“Although she most likely already knows and she’s not making a big deal of it…”
“Why is this so complicated?” She pouted.
“Because it’s life. Life is complicated.”
She sighed. “When this is all over, we’re going to actually do something fun.”