Page 38 of Havenfall Harbor
Quinn puts the truck in gear and does a slow, three-point turn to get us back on the two-track lane. She’s going much slower than I would, but she’s not blessed with shifter eyesight. When we reach the main road, she looks over at me. “Left or right?” Her complete trust appeases the baser part of myself. I want to roar in response.
“Left here, and another a few miles up.” I remember the route easily. She nods, flicks on her blinker, and pulls out, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
The drive is quiet, but with every mile we put between us and the pack, I feel my muscles loosening up. I’ve been indirectly involved in a challenge before, but never have I had the urge to take the pack as my own. I glance over at Quinn from the corner of my eye. Her shoulders are a little tense, but her grip on the wheel is much more relaxed. She was the catalyst for the change. Her presence was like flipping a switch, one I’m not sure I want to deal with.
I’ve told myself since I was old enough to walk away from my pack that I never wanted another, that I didn’t want the responsibility or the notoriety that comes with the position. But all I was thinking about in that moment was building my pack, not for myself, but to keep her safe. The only thing that stopped me was knowing that mismatched pack couldn’t offer her any real safety.
Griff gives me the address for the motel, and I feed it into the GPS on autopilot. I’m way too consumed with my own thoughts for much else.
Knowing I wanted Quinn, that I felt something for her the moment I spied her walking up the road to Havenfall, was jarring. But I managed to convince myself it was only because I wanted to protect her, just like I want to protect everyone at Havenfall. It’s my fucking job, after all. I steered clear of her after leaving her with Wes on purpose. However, what I’m feeling for her is getting harder to deny. And it goes beyond mere attraction.
I curl my hand into a fist. I don’t like not feeling like I’m the one in control. Staying away from Quinn Shaw should be my number one priority.
Quinn
“In two hundred feet,you will arrive at your destination.”
“Thanks, I wouldn’t have guessed,” I mutter, wishing I was familiar enough with the car to shut off the GPS. The dim yellow lights of the motel are the only sign of life I’ve seen since pulling into this tiny town. The few shops that line Main Street were all shuttered up tight. Most of them were so rundown, they looked like they hadn’t been open for years.
My stomach gives a rumble. I was hoping to find a restaurant, even fast food on the way back. You’d think all the excitement would have curbed my appetite, but I’m starving. Plus, Jacob looks like he could eat for a week before he’s full, he’s as thin as a rail.
Evan hooks his thumb in my direction. “She’s hungry.” His words somehow come out accusatory.
“I’m fine.” I scowl while turning into the pothole laden parking lot. I get that he could hear my stomach—hell, everyone in the car probably heard my stomach—but he didn’t need to point it out.
“She needs food,” Evan continues like I didn’t even speak, his tone even gruffer than before. I hit the brakes a little harder than necessary, stopping in front of the tiny little motel office. I want to tell him he’s being rude, but doing so would mean I was being rude, so I bite my tongue.
Evan opens his door as soon as the car comes to a stop, but as he leans forward to climb out, he hesitates and looks back into the rear seat. “Come on, kid.”
Jacob reaches for the door handle and follows behind Evan without a word. I watch the much smaller boy meet Evan on the walkway to the office, where they pause for a brief moment. Evan lays his hand on Jacob’s shoulder, and I watch his lips move to see if I can read what he’s saying, but it’s fruitless.
Once they resume walking, I push the button to turn the truck off and open my door. The quiet of the evening hits me first. There’s no hum of traffic or sounds of people. I can hear crickets and frogs in the distance, but that’s about it. Turning, I examine the U-shaped motel and the few other cars in the lot. Our new SUV sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the older model cars dotted around the area.
Griffin steps out of the backseat, ducking his head low and gracefully sliding out. I watch a curtain from the room in front of us flick back into place as he comes to stand near my side. I can still see a shadow through the threadbare drape, so I know they’re still watching us.
Pretending to ignore them, I lean against the side of the truck, but I’m really wondering what would bring them way out here to this rundown motel.
Griffin tips his head back and gazes into the darkness above. I watch the knot in his throat bob as he swallows. The glow from the overhead light hits just right, so I’m able to make out a small scar on his neck. It’s only a few inches long, but the rest of his skin is flawless, so it stands out.
When he lowers his chin, I’m still looking at the spot. I quickly try to recover by jerking my eyes away from him, but it’s obvious I got caught staring.
An obnoxious bell sounds, and I turn to see Jacob and Evan coming from the manager’s office.
Jacob has his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he observes the area around us. Evan makes his way over to where Griffin and I stand. He opens his fist and three keys dangle from his hand, all on large, diamond-shaped key rings. “The girl inside said there’s a truck stop near the interstate or a bar on the other side of town.”
“Bar’s probably not a good idea.” Griffin flicks his eyes toward me. I wonder what that’s about. It’s not like I’m going to get drunk or something. The bigger problem would be getting Jacob in a bar.
I almost open my mouth to tell them not to worry about it, but I am hungry. “I can just go by myself if you guys aren’t hungry,” I offer instead.
“No, not happening.” Griffin fixes his eyes on me.
“You want to put your bag in the room, kid?” Evan tosses one of the keys in Jacob’s direction. Jacob swipes the keychain out of the air and looks down at it in his hand. When he peers up, he scans the motel, I’m assuming looking for the room number. My eyes follow the same path and I note the shadow still behind the curtain in room twelve.
Jacob fists the key and gives a slight shake of his head. “I’ll just keep it with me.” I don’t blame him, doesn’t seem like the kid has much, I probably wouldn’t want to separate from my stuff either.
“Let’s go.” Griffin pulls open the rear door and motions for me to climb in. Guess I’m not driving anymore. Once I’m seated, Griffin lowers his head and moves to come in after me. Surprised, I scoot across the seat quickly.
Evan starts the truck and the dash computer lights up, showing the time. It’s barely eleven, even though it feels much later. We could be home in a few hours instead of staying in this seedy motel.
