Enid was impressed. Joe had to have an amazing relationship with his inner wolf to be so at peace within himself. In situations like these, often the wild side would take over and cause all sorts of havoc, but Joe was more in control than any dominant shifter she’d ever seen.
“Joe Villalobos. I’m here to help,” Joe told the other man.
“Henri LaCroix,” the younger man returned, shaking Joe’s hand. “Thank you for bringing Enid back.” Enid breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good. You could never quite predict how meetings among dominant shifters would go. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we have an escort set up to get this precious cargo to the hospital.”
“By all means,” Joe said. “Goddess go with you and your mate,” he added quietly, a benediction for the safety of the young Alpha and the woman who shared his heart.
The other people who had been waiting to greet them came closer, including a doctor who was on the transplant team, and Enid handed over the cooler. She told them what the doctors on the other end had told her. “Everything’s on the chart, secured to the inside of the lid. I didn’t open it once it was handed over, and though we hit some turbulence, the doctors assured me everything was as secured as they could make it.”
“We’ve got it from here,” the doctor told her with a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
With that, the cooler was whisked into the back of a waiting police car, along with the doctor and Henri. The flashing lights came on as the engine started, and they were away.
Enid breathed a sigh of relief. Her part in this little drama was mostly over. For now, at least. The human doctors would do their thing to save Lucinda’s life, then Enid would check on her and see if there was anything she could do, from her standpoint, to help things along.
“What now?” Joe asked as he stood next to Enid on the airstrip, watching the police car speed away.
Enid turned to look at him. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever met. He had dark hair, but there was a maturity on his face that in a human would probably have accompanied a threading of silver through his locks. On a shifter, of course, time settled differently. Joe might well have more than a century behind him, but he would look like a middle-aged man for another hundred years, at least.
The fact that he was much, much older than her didn’t detract from his allure. He had that basic animal attraction that most shifters boasted, but there was more to him than met the eye. There was a depth to his character that she had never encountered before. Not like this. Not in such a devastatingly handsome package, and certainly never in a shifter.
But he was taken. He had children. She’d met one of them. That meant he had a mate. Enid knew that mating was for life among shifters. So, Joe’s heart was well and truly taken.
Something bothered her, though. He hadn’t once mentioned his mate. Surely, he would’ve told his son to pass on the message that he wouldn’t be home that night? He should probably be on the phone, even now, checking in with his mate. Yet, he wasn’t.
Enid began to suspect something truly tragic, and her heart broke a little as she looked deep into Joe’s laser blue eyes. Was that pain there? Pain that would never be eased? She thought maybe it was, and worse, she felt that zinging attraction that pushed her closer to this man she’d only just met.
“Well, the storm was just getting started in your area, so it’s probably wise to stay here for at least a few hours, if not overnight, right?” Enid said to Joe, wondering why she felt a little breathless at the idea of him sticking around for a while.
“You’re going to the hospital?” he asked.
She nodded in reply. “I’d like to be there when she wakes up, in case there’s something I can do, but I think first, I should grab a shower and maybe a few hours of sleep. The surgery will take a while.”
“Who’s with the Alpha?” Joe asked, watching as the police car grew smaller in the distance.
“It’s a really small Pack, newly formed. He has a little sister, and she’s been a great help to them both. She’s at the hospital now, and she’ll be there throughout.” Enid made a decision and started walking. Joe followed. “Let’s get your jet squared away for the night, then I’m taking you to my place. It’s a rental, and it’s small, but there’s a couch you can bunk on, if you need sleep as much as I do. Just an hour or two and I’ll be heading for the hospital, but you’re welcome to stay at my place as long as you like.”
Joe was surprised by Enid’s offer, but his inner wolf was intrigued. Intrigued, and tired. It had been a long day, even before the surprise flight here. Joe wouldn’t mind closing his eyes for a few minutes, but he also wanted to help that young Alpha, if he could. That poor boy was clearly at his wit’s end with this terrible situation with his mate.
Joe understood how it was to worry for a mate. He’d lost his. He didn’t want that young Alpha, who had impressed his inner wolf even on such short acquaintance, to have to go through what Joe had been through. He decided he would stick around until he knew the young man’s mate was out of the woods.
He and Enid worked together to secure the jet for the night. This airstrip was a bit smaller than Joe’s airport, but there was ample room to park the jet out of the way until morning. Working together as if they’d been doing so a lot longer than just the past couple of hours, they soon had things in order and were able to leave the airport.
Enid had a pickup truck parked in the lot, and Joe felt right at home in the beat up old vehicle. Enid drove like she flew—competently and fast. Before he knew it, they were pulling up in front of a little cottage on the edge of some woods. Joe could just see a few more houses in a very small development, sharing the same wooded area with Enid’s place.
“The Pack lives there,” Enid told him as she parked the truck in the drive. “Henri has done wonders in a short time. He bought the land, and he and his men built their homes, leaving a nice buffer of woodland and swamp between them and the rest of the world.”
Joe liked the setup. It was a solid way to provide some protection for the heart of the Pack.
They got out of the truck, and Enid walked slowly up to the door. Joe could see the fatigue was hitting her now that her part of the crisis was over. She opened the door and invited him in.
“You’re welcome to the couch. There’s a guest bathroom through that door.” She gestured toward a door just off the entryway. “Kitchen is through there,” she added, pointing in the opposite direction. “Help yourself if you’re hungry. I’ll be in back for a bit, but I’ll come out to check if there’s anything you need before I sack out.”
Joe let her go without comment. She really did look exhausted. He prowled around the little house, taking note of the design and workmanship. If the Alpha and his crew had built this place, they’d done an excellent job. Craftsmanship like this wasn’t often found in modern houses. Joe liked everything he saw.
He ambled into the kitchen and set about fixing something for himself and Enid. She should probably eat something, he thought. At least, she might appreciate some tea. He set the kettle to boil and found the tea fixings easily enough. Enid had a multitude of teas, all neatly labeled and packaged. He’d let her choose the brew, but he’d have everything ready by the time she came out of the shower he could hear running.