Keegan chuckled. “Decide you might need more things?”
“Seemed prudent.”
“That’s a good sign.” Trace leaned in, kissed her forehead, and took the suitcase from her hand.
As she followed them to the truck, Keegan said, “Back to my place now?”
“Actually, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind a detour.” What would they say about her side plan?
Trace lifted her suitcase into the truck bed and turned around. “Where to next then?” He didn’t flinch at her request, not even pausing to ask what it was before consenting.
And she loved that reaction. She stepped into his embrace as he leaned against the truck and reached for her. “I need a trip to the mountains.”
Keegan leaned against the side of the truck next to them. “You want to shift?”
“Yes.” She glanced at Keegan and then back at Trace.
“Okay. Let’s do it.” Keegan opened the passenger door and wrapped his hands around her waist. He inhaled her scent long and deep before lifting her into the cab. “Are we on a mission?”
“Sort of.” She settled in her seat as Trace climbed in on her other side and started the engine.
Trace set a hand on her thigh.
She was getting used to being touched by them both, nearly all the time, but she needed a clear head for a while this afternoon. She lifted his hand off her and put it on the wheel. “I need some space. Don’t crowd me for a bit.”
“Okay, babe. What’s this all about?” His brow was furrowed when he glanced her way.
“You’re aware of the events that led to your bother Griffen mating with my brother and Rebecca last year, right?”
“Somewhat. I mean I was with them when they met.” Trace gripped the steering wheel harder. She watched his knuckles turn white. She hoped he wasn’t uncomfortable with her abilities, or it was going to be a long life.
She cleared her throat. “My tribe believes in spirit guides.”
“Right, like that black orb or whatever Griffen saw last summer.”
She nodded. “Yes. Well, there have been many such sightings in our history. The spirits are believed to hover in the peaks of the mountain ranges. They usually manifest themselves in a similar fashion—a sort of black shadow that startles the viewer and gets their attention.”
“And your entire tribe believes in this?” Keegan asked.
She knew he would be the more skeptical of the two of her mates. “Yes. It’s part of our culture. It’s our history. We don’t know otherwise. For us it’s a way of life. It just is.”
“Okay. Go on.” Keegan turned toward her. He lifted one hand out and then set it back on his leg.
“My grandmother is one of a long line of women in our family who have always had a higher sense of things. Not just me. The ability goes back for generations and includes my mother and myself. Apparently, my grandmother has been sensing an unrest lately.”
“And you have not?” Trace asked.
She shook her head. “No. Mimi believes it’s because my world has been preparing for the arrival of my mother and the two of you. She’s not fond of delayed matings.”
“Did you speak to her while you were at your condo this afternoon?” Keegan asked.
Melinda nodded. “She was there when I arrived. She’s often exactly where she’s needed before the other person is even aware. It happens to me also. But lately I’ve been distracted. It’s obvious now why.”
“Wasn’t she at Miles’s house waiting on him and Griffen and Rebecca when they met?” Trace asked.
Melinda giggled. “She was. And she read them the riot act.”
“For what?” Keegan leaned into her line of vision.
“She can be a meddler when she feels the need. She thought the spirits were angry with the three of them for not consummating the claiming quicker—not that they had an opportunity before that moment.”
“Not to mention the fact that Rebecca is human and had no understanding of what was happening,” Trace added.
“Exactly.”
Keegan met her gaze. “So she laid into you for not letting us claim you yet?” His smile grew wide.
“Sort of. But don’t get a big head. She’s not worried about your ego, stud. She’s concerned with the direction of our future as a whole, not yours and mine.”
“I see.” He obviously fought to stop grinning. “But in order to protect the sanctity of the universe, we need to claim you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m concerned about the unrest she speaks of. And I’d like to shift and head up the mountain—see what I can feel.”