“Got a woman here named Enid Meriwether. Claims to be a priestess. Said she’s met you a couple of times. Can you confirm?” Joe didn’t waste time on pleasantries. Not when it came to the safety of his Pack. The other Alpha understood.
“It’s been a while,” Nigel replied at once, “but I see her mother from time to time. She’s working with a group of coyotes just north of my territory, if you can believe it. Very patient woman. The daughter retired from the Air Force a few years back, she told me. Flew fighter jets.”
Joe’s eyebrows rose. “She’s not as young as she looks, then?”
“Neither is the mother. I suspect she’s got a bit of fey blood, though she’s never confirmed or denied. Or it could be Goddess magic at work. Ol’ Pen has been around since my father’s time, at least,” Nigel went on. Joe knew that would put the woman’s mother into the late 1800’s. “Want me to talk to your guest?”
“I’d be much obliged. She knows too much already for someone who’s just passing through,” Joe told the other man.
“Understood.” Joe knew Nigel comprehended the problem. Maintaining secrecy was paramount, especially in these dangerous times, but somehow, it was getting harder and harder with each passing day to keep everyone safe.
“Talk to him for a minute,” Joe said, handing Enid his phone.
She took it, and he watched as she greeted the other Alpha. She answered his questions without hesitation, and Joe could hear no lies in her voice. When she handed the phone back to him after a few minutes, he figured he already knew what Nigel would say.
“That’s definitely her.” Joe felt a moment’s relief at Nigel’s words. “I don’t know what she’s doing in your neck of the woods, but I know Pen said her daughter was moving around, looking for her place in the world. She’s an ace pilot, so it’s not surprising she ended up at your airport, I guess.”
“She made an emergency landing here,” Joe told the other man.
“You don’t say?” Nigel’s tone became more speculative. “They say the Goddess works in strange ways. Maybe it was Fate that brought a priestess to your door.”
“Maybe,” Joe agreed, watching the woman as he ended the call. “Thanks for your help, Nigel. I appreciate the confirmation.”
“Anytime, Joe. Anytime.”
Joe put his phone away and walked closer to the woman. “You check out,” he said, “but you knew that already. So. How can we help you get where you’re going?”
“I need another plane,” she said at once.
“We have a few to choose from, but I don’t feel comfortable sending you out in this,” Joe told her, gesturing toward the open hangar door, outside of which, the storm still raged.
“But I have to go. A life hangs in the balance,” she replied, standing firm. Joe admired her pluck, standing up to an Alpha of his stature, in his own territory. She had guts. He’d give her that.
Joe sized her up again, impressed by the big spirit in such a short body. She was probably average height for a human, but compared to the shifter women of Joe’s Pack, she was downright petite. No way could he just send her out into the storm. Something inside him rebelled at the thought.
“Tell you what,” he said, not even sure why he was doing this. “I’ll take you in my plane.”
“What?” she asked, clearly surprised.
“What?” echoed Kevin, who’d been quiet up to this point. He was looking at Joe with wide, incredulous eyes.
“You heard me. Kev, you let everyone know I’ll be back as soon as possible. I’m taking the Lear out.”
Joe knew his pride and joy, the newest jet he owned, would be the safest for this particular joyride. It was gassed up and ready to go since Joe had wanted to take it out first thing in the morning, anyway. He liked to take off right before dawn and watch the sun rise over the edge of the world. At least, that’s how it felt from up in the sky.
“Just like that?” Kevin asked, looking from his father to the human woman and back again.
“Just like that,” Joe agreed, then relented, going over and putting a fatherly arm around his youngest son’s shoulders. “It’ll be all right,” he told Kevin. “I can’t just let her go off in this on her own. You understand, right?”
“I guess,” Kevin admitted, looking down at the toes of his sneakers. “I just want you to be careful.”
There. Kevin was coming ‘round. He was growing up so fast, and at times like this, when the little boy gave way to the adult he was becoming, it made Joe so damned proud.
“I will, son. Promise.” Joe squeezed his son close for a moment, then let go.
Soon, he wouldn’t be able to do this with his boy, who was growing all the time. He was still shorter than Joe, but he suspected that wouldn’t last. Kevin was going to be a big fellow—and a very dominant wolf.
“If it’s any help, I’m a former fighter pilot,” Enid put in unexpectedly, talking directly to Kevin. The look on her face was kind. “I’ve flown just about every kind of aircraft, in all kinds of weather. I’ve even had people shooting at me, which is something we won’t have to deal with this time, right? It’ll be okay. I won’t let any harm come to your dad.”
The words were ludicrous. And yet… Spoken by a priestess of the Lady and a badass combat pilot, somehow, even though she was a small little thing, her words held weight. Kevin seemed to take heart from them, at least, which was all to the good. Joe didn’t want to leave his youngest in a state of anxiety, but he felt down deep in his bones that he had to see this mission through. For some reason, the Mother of All had landed this little human woman in Joe’s territory, and it was like a duty, somehow, to see her safely to her destination.
“Have Gilbert look at the Cessna’s engine in the morning,” Joe reminded Kevin. “And lock up for the night, then go home. I’ll call Shane and let him know he’s in charge for the time being.” Joe rattled off his to do list as he headed toward the back of the hangar where his beloved new jet was waiting.
Joe didn’t say anything as his new companion stowed the cooler and her gear in the passenger compartment, then squeezed into the narrow cockpit to take the co-pilot’s seat. He really hadn’t expected anything less, knowing that the petite woman had been a fighter pilot. She wouldn’t want to sit back and ride any more than he would.
“Nice jet,” Enid commented as Joe went through the preflight. “Anything I can do?”
“Have you flown this model before?” Joe asked, not pausing in his run through the checklist. Safety came first, last, and always, for him.
“Once,” she surprised him by saying. “Last year, I was flying charters out of Teterboro in New Jersey, and the guy who owned the charter company had just bought one of these. He let me fly it, just the one time, but it was a really nice ride. Maneuverable. Fast and sleek.” Joe could hear her remembered joy in flying the machine. He recognized it. He felt it himself whenever he took this new plane out for a spin.
“I noticed you did a walk-around before you came on board,” Joe said approvingly. “I’d already done mine before you landed.”