“Visions.”
Darien raised his brows. “Really.” He said the word with awe, but then he frowned. “Can she always control it?”
“If her panic in attempting to reach her bedroom after Mervin accosted her is any indication, I’d say no. She stopped the shift, but I think she was awfully close to changing until she was able to control the urge.”
Looking thoughtful, Darien rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “Not good. If she doesn’t have any real power over it—which would be expected since she’s newly turned, although some have better control than others—she’s going to be real trouble. Can you convince her to shift?”
“No. I believe she’ll continue to try and avoid it through her visions. I don’t think there’s any way that I can convince her to accept that part of our werewolf nature. At least for now.”
“You have faith in her visions now?”
As much as Ryan had a hard time trusting in anything of the sort, he did. “Yeah, I do. Even though it goes against everything I’ve ever believed in. I did try a psychic once in my line of work, but she turned out to be a fraud.”
“I know,” Darien said, his lips curving up slightly.
“You knew?” Ryan was used to doing the investigations, not being investigated.
“When someone gets interested in joining the pack or shows interest in one of my pack members, I have him or her checked out. I owe it to my people.”
“And you discovered?”
“All about your faux psychic. If that had happened to any of my pack members, the man who threatened you with libel and the woman who was a phony psychic would have been leaving town for good.”
“That’s the problem with Green Valley being a human-run town for the most part. We want more of what you have here in Silver Town, where you and your brothers run things.”
Darien nodded. He didn’t say anything for several lengthy moments, studying Ryan the whole time, and then he asked, “What if you mated her?”
Darien could have knocked Ryan over with the question, it surprised him so. He observed the Douglas firs shuddering in the breeze. He hadn’t planned on taking a mate. Hadn’t been looking for one. Yet ever since he’d met the determined woman five months ago and had seen her heroics, her determination to help save others in need, no matter the consequences to her own life, he couldn’t deny that he’d been thinking along those lines.
The way Carol reacted to him physically was a sure indication that the wolf side of them was well aware of the interest they had in each other. After Carol had caressed his plaid in the truck and he envisioned himself wearing it while she continued to touch the fabric so intimately, he’d again envisioned her being his mate. They’d partake in the Celtic festivities, even if he was a McKinley and she was a MacDonald. He’d wrap her in his plaid and show her just what a Highlander of old was capable of.
He looked back to see Darien waiting for a response. Would Ryan be able to convince her to shape-shift if he mated her?
“I’m not sure she’d shape-shift if I mated her. She’s pretty stubborn.”
Darien snorted. “Tell me about it. Come on. I know Carol’s concerned about something, and I want to find out what.” He slapped Ryan on the back. “Let’s get something to eat before we upset Lelandi by letting the food get cold.”
When they entered the dining room, Darien said to Carol, “You seemed concerned that Doc had shifted. What’s wrong?”
She gave a heavy sigh as he watched her, his brows furrowed. Ryan was sure that if she told Darien what she’d envisioned, he wouldn’t believe her. Even if he might believe her about her other premonitions. But then again, Ryan wasn’t sure she’d even tell him what she’d seen.
With an expression that bordered on insubordination, she straightened her shoulders, looked Darien in the eye, and said, “I see Doc, you, and Jake shift into your wolf forms, but none of you can shift back.”
“Oh.” Darien’s whole expression lightened several degrees. “Can’t happen. Sometimes we stay in our wolf persona for hours or days. Depends on the circumstances. But your visions are only fragments of time, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I won’t.” She sat in the chair Ryan pulled out for her as Jake brought in a platter of hickory-smoked brisket. “And I won’t even tell you I told you so when it happens.” She shrugged. “The point will be moot.”
The aroma of brisket and dark-brown gravy filled the air. Broccoli and cauliflower sat in a separate serving dish. Mashed potatoes were piled high on another, and Ryan’s stomach growled.
Smiling, Lelandi pulled off an apron, looking very domestic for a change. Ryan helped bring in a platter of bread, while Jake hurried to carry in the other dishes.
“Poor Tom doesn’t know what he’s missing,” Jake said, a little too evilly. “Guess there will be more for me.”
“Where is Tom?” Lelandi asked casually.
Darien’s expression darkened, but then he put his hand around Lelandi’s shoulders and guided her to the table.
“Doc’s got a cold, and Carol was worried about him. Tom is staying the night to make sure he doesn’t get worse.”
Carol and Lelandi shared looks. Lelandi had to know that wasn’t what Carol was concerned about. Then Carol opened up her phone, punched in a number, and said, “Hey, Tom? Tell me the minute Doc shifts back into his human form, okay?”
Lelandi hesitated to sit at the table.
“Thanks.” Carol hung up her phone and gave Lelandi a wilted smile. “The meal looks terrific. Wish I could cook like this.”
Lelandi managed a laugh. “Don’t believe her. She’s a great cook.”
Everyone took their seats.
Jake scooped a pile of mashed potatoes onto his plate from a large bowl. “Yep, except she’s very nutrition conscious. Makes us eat the right amounts of veggies and fruits with all our meals.”
“I shouldn’t be the one who has to tell you to eat right, Jake.” Carol forked some beef onto her plate and then handed the platter to Lelandi.
Ryan could feel the tension between the two women, the unspoken words, the shuttered looks. With Darien and his brother, the tension vibrated between them also, but for a different reason. He was sure they didn’t take Carol seriously on this issue and were more concerned about North’s message to Doc. And the possibility the reds were targeting more of the medical staff than they had first bargained on.
“I’ll be moving into our grandfather’s house in a couple of months,” Jake announced, stirring gravy into his potatoes and trying to change the subject, no doubt. “Should be livable by then.”
Lelandi sighed. “You don’t have to move.”
Darien took her hand and squeezed. “Believe me, he has to. Once three new babies are in the house, he’ll have to find his solitude elsewhere.”
Jake nodded. “The old place needs another coat of paint, some new plumbing, and some other minor repairs. But after that, it should be ready to move in. Tom and I’ve taken care of updating all the electrical wiring, and the chimney is cleaned out and ready to use. He said he’ll live with me for the time being.”
“Sounds good.” Darien sipped a beer.
Lelandi took another deep breath. “I’d hoped you would be our babysitter when we went out nights.”
Jake laughed. “Silva’s already put her name on the long list of babysitters. Even got Sam rooked into it. And I know for a fact the list is growing daily.”
Carol sipped some of her wine but didn’t say a word. She looked consumed with worry, although she tried to smile at the conversation.