Page 33 of Oz
“She’s a keeper, Oz. don’t let her go.” Ace pulled her out of my arms and into his, ignoring my warning growl. “Welcome to the family, Laura.”
And just like that, she was part of us. Never in a million years had I thought it would be that easy. I knew they would have to accept her, but they had done more than that. They had welcomed her.
“When do we head out?” I knew Laura would have a lot to arrange before she could move on to camp with me, but I was also sure that Ace would give me some time off to help get her settled. My big wolf commander seemed to like Laura more than he liked me.
“Not for a while.” A shadow passed across his face. “Maybe not even a few months. We have new orders.”
The chair King had been balancing on smashed downwards. He leant forward. “We need to make sure the dire wolves have been neutralised. But the powers that be want us to make sure there is nothing else lurking locally that we’ve missed previously.” He looked around. “We will be here for a few months at least. Maybe longer. There’s a lot going on, and we are expected to investigate it all. That’s why Ash isn’t here.”
“Where is he?” Leo asked.
“Finding us a suitable base.” Ace laughed. “No way I could stand to be cooped up in this place for months at a time.”
“I might know somewhere with a little more space,” Laura said quietly, and all eyes turned towards her. “I mean, it might not be any good, it’s pretty run down. But there’s an old house.” She turned away. “Forget it, it’s silly.”
“Carry on,” I urged her. She knew this area better than we did. If she thought somewhere might be suitable, it probably was.
“It used to be a manor house or something and then someone bought it to make it into some kind of retreat but never finished it. I guess they ran out of money. But it’s big enough for all of you and away from the town, so you should be able to shift and let your animals out.”
Without meaning to, she was saying all the perfect things.
“Sounds perfect... I will have Ash look into it.” Ace's eyes met mine. “Have I mentioned, don’t let her go?”
“Yes.” I nodded with pride. Turning her in my arms, I pressed my lips to hers. “How do you fancy staying around here for a bit? Maybe renovate an old mansion? I can rent us somewhere if you want to stay in town.”
Laura pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me. “Anywhere you are, Oz. As long as I am with you, then I will be happy.”
