I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it didn’t surprise me when Dottie cackled. "Damn straight I did, that's why I stuck with the girls. That and the softer skin… I never did like whisker burn."
“All right, let’s not worry about whisker burn. I’m just going to give you a healing kiss, not make out with you, love.” Kyle said that in such a dry tone, even Dottie was chuckling. I had a hard time not joining in, but I didn’t want to announce my state of wakefulness just yet.
The tiny alpha cleared his throat, his voice sending a shock of heat through my gut when he spoke up again with a take charge tone. "Kyle, could you please get on with whatever it is you think you need to do so we can get going? The time we took to park and make the tincture for our John Doe was bad enough, we don't have time to be sitting around having a circle jerk on top of it. We need to hit the road."
Don't judge me, mama, wherever you are… but that bossy little alpha is really doing it for me. I wanted to turn my back and bend over to present myself to him.
Nope. Not yet. Slow your roll… you still have another alpha to check out. The room crackled with magic and I knew that the one named Kyle was giving the healing kiss—whatever that meant—to Dottie.
With that realization, I finally cracked open my eyes to let everyone know I was awake after all when a sound that was somewhere between a nervous laugh and a shriek came out of my throat.
A gorgeous, slim blond in scrubs had a blue-haired old lady in a velour dressing gown bent over his arm like something out of Gone with the freaking Wind. If I wasn't mistaken, it looked like she was slipping him some tongue.
He stood her up, pulling away with a look of distaste. "Honestly, Dottie? Was that necessary? I only needed to kiss you and breathe into your mouth, I didn't need to taste what you had for dinner."
I fell instantly in love with Dottie when the old gal pushed up the back of her hair and stuck out her bosoms while waggling her eyebrows. "Hey, you can't blame an old gal for trying. If I'm gonna get kissed, I'm gonna try to work a little magic of my own, honeybun." She flashed him a slow wink then turned to me. "Good, Sleeping Beauty has awakened. Tell us your name, darling. I do so hate to keep calling you John Doe."
My throat was so dry that it took a few tries before I was able to let out a whispered response. "Larry, ma'am. Major Lawrence P. Woodlawn at your service."
I had raised my head to speak but flopped weakly back against the bed I'd been stretched out on. Almost at once, the smaller alpha was at my side with a bottle of water. He helped me sit up, cradling my neck with a surprisingly soft touch as he lifted the bottle of water to my lips.
"Hello, Larry. I'm Niles Ford, one of your fated mates. That goofball over there kissing grandmas is Kyle Jones, our other mate. Can you smell us so that you know I'm telling the truth?"
After I gulped down half the bottle, I wiped my mouth with the back of a shaky hand and nodded. "You both smell delicious. But… I don't want you to get hurt and I'm on the run from some pretty bad people. They will shoot you to get to me.” I strained to sit up halfway, leaning on an elbow so I could see out the window and maybe get a clue as to my location. “Where are we, anyway?"
Niles was gazing at me with wonder in his eyes. It was weird, but it was almost like he'd never seen anything he liked better than my scrubby old face. I was too worried to wrap my brain around that just yet. Safety first, then I’d think about alphas. I started to repeat myself when Niles answered.
"Vegas, Larry. We're in Las Vegas, Nevada."
I whistled softly between my teeth. How I'd managed to make it plumb near across the country, I couldn't say. But hopefully there was still time to escape before the Goslings caught up with me again. I closed my eyes and focused. The sense of danger was close, but I didn't hear any of their vehicles nearby. Yet. But I could feel them still… I couldn’t get a clear read, there was too much city around me that was interfering with my ability to suss them out.
Niles was watching intently when I opened my eyes. "Who are you running from, Larry? And why? What can we do to make you safe?"
I sat up all the way and scooted up against the headboard. "Right now? You can get me out of this city. I'll be able to hear them better when they get close without all the urban noise dulling their approach. It’s like my gift is blocked by all this… city. It’s all around me and interfering with nature, so I can’t tell where they are but I can feel them getting close."
"Whose approach? You still haven't told us who is after you." I looked up to see Kyle standing at the foot of the bed with his fists clenched. He gave off the appearance of an easy-natured alpha or at least he had when I’d first glimpsed him. But he obviously had a quick trigger when it came to protecting those he cared about because he looked like he was ready to fight someone for me.
Wait… did that mean he already cared or at least expected to care for me? Damn. That was one to wrap my brain around. Later. First, I had to get them moving.
"How about I tell you on the road? Can we get this vehicle moving? This is an RV, am I right? It’s one of the biggest I've ever seen, but I'm guessing it has wheels that turn and can get us out of town?" I didn't want to be rude, but I was getting desperate.
"Boy howdy, does it ever. Just wait until I get behind the wheel. You'll be surprised how fast this baby can fly." Dottie slipped up beside Kyle, slipping a bony arm around his waist as she smiled at the three of us. "Sandy’s up there and getting ready to hit the road now. Next stop, Niles's place. Kyle, honey. Sandy will need your address so we can stop at yours after that. He sent me to ask if anyone has a vehicle they plan to drive or if you want to tow it. We can pull whatever you've got, just tell me and I'll make it happen."
Kyle shrugged. "Yeah, no. I'm good. I ride a bike everywhere to reduce my carbon footprint. Plus, easy exercise." He winked at me and Niles with a lopsided smile.
"I do have a vehicle, but we can tow it. I like the idea of us all sticking together, at least until we know what's what. My Jeep won't be any trouble for this vehicle to tow." Niles turned to Kyle. "And we can even toss your bike on there. You might've missed it, but Dottie has a bike rack on the back of this thing too."
The RV took off with a series of starts and stops that had us all on the bed when Kyle and Dottie went flying after one particularly hard bounce. Sandy finally got it handled and we took off, much to my relief. I hoped both Niles and Kyle’s homes weren’t very far. We needed to haul some ass and haul it fast.
They both must have lived light, were prepared to go on a moment’s notice, or else weren't very settled, because it didn't take long at either of their places. It took longer to secure Niles's Jeep to the tow hitch than it did for either of them to pack or grab their bags. We hit the road not long after and I was finally able to take a breath of relief.
Before I got too relaxed, Kyle and Niles put me on edge by settling down on either side of me. Either they’d worked it out in advance or they shared a brain because they each reached for one of my hands at the same time.
Kyle turned to look at me with that lopsided grin of his as he studied me for a moment. "Alrighty then, mate. Let's hear your story. We're on the road now and we’ve nothing but time."