“I will. Where’s Sharon?”
“I’m right here.”
Melinda turned around to find Sharon coming down the hall.
She smiled as she approached. “Restroom.”
Cooper nodded the other direction toward the stairwell and started walking.
Melinda followed right behind him with Sharon at her side.
Sharon shot Melinda a confused glance, making Melinda shrug.
When Cooper opened the stairwell and let the women pass him before he entered last, Melinda had a pretty good idea what he intended. And sure enough, she was right.
Cooper immediately turned toward Sharon and pressed her into the wall. He cupped her face with both hands and met her gaze. “I need to take Melinda to the epicenter.”
Sharon nodded. “Of course.”
Melinda’s face heated as though she were a voyeur. She tried to nonchalantly glance away, but there was no way to avoid the pheromones her brother put off, or the way his mate responded.
Silence reigned for a moment while Cooper stroked his thumb across Sharon’s face and then kissed her gently. “Please stay here.”
Sharon nodded. “Where would I go?” She lifted both hands and set her palms on his cheeks, her arms outside of his.
He ignored the question. “Stay with Jackson, baby. Please.”
She narrowed her gaze. “For him or for me?”
Cooper winced. “Does it matter?”
“No. I suppose not.”
“Then just stay near him at all times. He’s bigger and you’re sharper. Maybe it’s a balance.”
“I will, Coop. We’re fine.” She leaned in closer and rained tiny kisses all over his face.
Cooper groaned and then broke free of her. “I’ll be in touch. You keep your mind open.”
“Always.” She smiled as she trailed a finger down his cheek, across his shoulder, and over the muscle in his bicep.
Melinda really felt like she was trespassing on secret lovers.
Cooper didn’t meet her gaze when he turned around, passed her, and led the way down the stairs.
“How far is it?” she asked gently as they stepped outside.
“About twenty minutes. By car. We’ll stop on a service road a few miles away and run the rest.”
“Okay.” She followed him toward his car and climbed in. As they pulled away, she studied his profile, this brother she hardly knew and had only met a handful of times.
He was so serious, and she wondered if he was always that way or if the stress of the earthquakes was creating the frown lines that etched his forehead.
“How are things going with Jackson and Sharon?”
“Good. A little crazy, but good.” He turned to smile. “A human male? What made Fate pick that combination?” he joked.
“That’s something we’ll probably never know.” Melinda turned toward the window and watched the tree line go by as they drove. She sat rigidly, her body growing more alert and her stress level increasing with each passing mile.
Cooper didn’t say much, and when he did, he spoke softly, imparting no more than necessary. She realized he was probably letting her get a sense of the land, not wanting to interrupt or influence her thoughts.
“You okay?” he asked as he pulled off the main road onto a service road. Seconds later he turned again and pulled between a row of trees to a spot he’d obviously already used before. The car was well hidden.
“I’m good. But the land is not.”
“Understatement.” Cooper reached behind the seats and grabbed something from the floor. He handed her a backpack.
“What’s this for?” she asked.
“Clothes. We need to shift back when we get there so I can take some pictures and get a closer look through my binoculars.”
“Ah. Good idea.” She swung out of her side of the car, stripped out of her clothes, and stuffed them in her pack. Before shifting, she secured the bag to her back so it would easily travel with them. After shifting, she rounded the hood and found Cooper ready to go.
He nodded and then tipped his head to the left, indicating which direction they would begin. He set a pretty rapid pace.
Far too quickly, she could hear the loud roar of the fracking drills. She’d been to several fracking sites in the past, so the noise level didn’t surprise her. When she came to a stop, however, she was immediately bombarded by several things that did surprise her.
Cooper gasped next to her and communicated into her head, “Holy fuck.”
She didn’t respond. In fact, she couldn’t even blink.
Among the dozens of men working the site, and completely unbeknownst to them, were six spirits. Their black auras were dark and ominous. They were smaller than usual as if shrunk in on themselves, condensed. Three of them were a shade lighter than she’d ever seen. Weird. How long had they already been there?