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“My sentiments exactly,” Carleen said. “Now, you two come over here and sit down, and we’ll get you something to eat.”
“Oh, but—” Rosa began, but fortunately, Liam took over.
“We just need some takeout right now,” he said. “Rosa’s going to get some extra stuff for some of her veterinary staff, and she needs to get back to her clinic.”
“Great,” Carleen said. “We’ll get our staff moving on it right away. Just let them know at the counter what you want.”
There were several people ahead of them in the line, and Rosa didn’t want to butt in. “We’ll take our time,” she said. “But thanks.”
Liam nodded his agreement, though he said, “It helps to be related to the owners when you’re in a hurry. I agree with being polite to their customers, though. And if you don’t mind standing here a few minutes to hold our place, I’d appreciate it. I’ve something to ask Chuck.”
“Fine,” Rosa said, and agreed to keep Chase with her. She watched Liam talking to his brother by the wall nearest the door into the order area and kitchen. It was one of the few times she wished she had a shifter’s abilities—not to shift, but to hear things better than a normal person. The two brothers seemed to be talking animatedly, and she was curious about what they were saying.
The teenage guy at the front of the line stepped aside after placing his order. Rosa was glad to move ahead a little, particularly for the sake of the animals that might be needing her care back at the clinic.
Including, perhaps, Drew. She’d at least check on him, no matter what Melanie and the Alpha Force guy who’d taken over for Liam said about how he was doing—though she’d be absolutely delighted if he’d changed back during their absence.
Unlikely, though, or Melanie would have called her.
At least now there were only three more people ahead of her in line, and two appeared to be a couple. Rosa bent and patted Chase’s head. The dog was definitely behaving well, leashed at her side.
Liam rejoined her. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Real good,” he responded, without more detail. In fact, he was quiet for a while.
“How long have your relatives owned this place?” Rosa asked finally, to make conversation. Besides, she was interested in his answer. “Did they follow you to Mary Glen?”
And did they want to become members of Alpha Force? she wondered. She figured that a lot of shifters might want to do so if they knew of the reality of Alpha Force, and its special elixir. With their relative, Liam, now a member, she had no doubt that Chuck and Carleen were well aware of the nature of that military unit.
She’d ask Liam more about them later, as she couldn’t here, in public.
“They’ve been here about four months,” Liam said. “They bought this franchise from the former owners and just took over. And yes, they followed me here.”
“Got it.” She looked around again. The restaurant was filled with customers—and with the aroma of grilled meat. Even she could smell it, and she figured it must be many times stronger to Liam, even in his human form. Or at least that’s what she’d heard from shifters in her past—and now. They all had enhanced senses.
And of course Chase stuck his nose in the air and sniffed, off and on.
The next person moved out of their way in line. As they started to edge forward a woman rushed out the door from the kitchen and threw herself against Liam, giving him a huge hug. “Liam, so glad to see you,” she exclaimed.
“Good to see you, too, Valerie,” he said, although his not-so-inviting expression, and the way he moved back, suggested he was fibbing a bit.
Somehow, that made Rosa feel a bit better about the woman’s highly effusive greeting. But who was Valerie?
She found out right away as Liam introduced them. “Rosa, this is Carleen’s sister, Valerie. And Valerie, Rosa’s one of Mary Glen’s wonderful veterinarians.”
Carleen’s sister—a sort of sister-in-law to Liam. That made Rosa feel somewhat better, although since they weren’t related by blood that connection wouldn’t keep Liam from getting into a relationship with her.
But that wasn’t Rosa’s business, though he hadn’t appeared to care about Valerie in that way.
Valerie resembled Carleen. Her silvery blond hair was shorter, though, and loose. She had deep brown eyes like her sister.
“Welcome to town,” Rosa said, to be polite. “Do you work here, too?” She gestured around the restaurant.
“I do right now,” the other woman said. “Look, you go ahead and place your orders, and then we can talk.”
She must have said that because Liam and Rosa had finally reached the front of their line. But Rosa didn’t want to take the time to talk to Valerie, and hoped Liam felt the same way.
Fortunately, Valerie disappeared, heading back into the kitchen—but then reappeared behind the counter, next to the guy who’d begun taking their order. She was the one to start entering things on the computer, and her counterpart, a twentysomething guy with a scruffy beard, didn’t look exactly thrilled about the help.
Rosa wasn’t surprised that Liam’s order consisted of a double burger, rare—lots of red meat. She asked for several sandwiches, including burgers and a couple containing chicken. The one with the most beef she intended to provide to Drew in his canine form.
When they were done ordering, Rosa immediately handed her credit card to Valerie over the counter. She’d already gotten it out and didn’t want to argue with Liam about it. She didn’t even look at him and was glad when Valerie took it from her and began to ring up their order.
“I’ll pay you back,” Liam growled from beside her. She just waved in a neutral gesture. This was another thing not to get into a discussion about here.
Valerie soon handed them the plastic bags containing their food. “Come back anytime, Rosa,” she said. “Bye, Chase. And Liam—when are we all getting together again? You know I’m only planning on being here for a fairly short while, so I’d really like us to see each other as often as possible while I’m in town.”
“I’ll talk to Chuck about it,” Liam said.
“Talk to Chuck about what?” said a voice from behind Rosa. Liam’s brother was there, maybe to say goodbye.
“Having a family get-together,” Valerie replied. “Soon, I hope.”
“Sounds good to me,” Chuck responded. “We’ll invite you over to our condo soon, bro. You, too, Rosa.”
She couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance toward Valerie to see what she thought about that invitation. Carleen’s sister remained smiling, and it didn’t appear forced.
Maybe Rosa was wrong about this woman flirting with her kind-of brother-in-law. Maybe she just intended to keep the family in contact as long as she did stay in town.
“Thanks,” Rosa said, not committing to anything.
But somehow the idea of spending more friendly time with Liam, not related to veterinary or Alpha Force issues, sounded good.
For now, though, she was glad when Liam said goodbye to Chuck, then Carleen, who also joined them, and waved to Valerie behind the counter.
Time for them to get busy with everything they each needed to do for the rest of the day.
Liam refused to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about the attention Valerie had leveled on him. The woman was attractive, sure. She was also a shifter, like her sister. She’d made it seem that flirting with him was second nature to her, though he had never encouraged it.
But he always remained friendly toward her. She was, after all, a member of his family.
“Nice people,” Rosa said from beside him in the car. Behind them, Chase shifted in his seat, clearly wanting to get into the bags of food that sat on the floor near Rosa’s feet.
“Of course they are,” Liam said. “They’re family.”
“Like Chase?” Rosa wasn’t exactly jesting. She’d told him she considered pet dogs to be family, and she assumed the relationship between a shifter and his cover dog had to be strong.
“Yeah, kind of. Chase and I are pretty damn close these days.” Hearing his name, Chase sat back on the seat and made a low sound that made Liam laugh. “Glad you agree,” he said.
As they continued on, Liam thought a bit about his brief discussion with Chuck. Yes, both he and Carleen had loved the way their shift went. Yes, the Alpha Force person who’d acted as their aide for the night had been just great: Sergeant Kristine Parran. The elixir had been amazing. As far as he knew, all had gone well from Alpha Force’s perspective. And, yes, both Carleen and he would love to do it again. Soon.
Almost as if she read his thoughts, Rosa asked, “Are your brother and sister-in-law shifters, too?”
“Yes,” he acknowledged.
“Do they get to use your elixir?”
Good and appropriate question, he thought. Without saying too much, he told her they were involved in an experiment being conducted by Alpha Force, in which they could be given occasional doses of the elixir on nights of a full moon.
He was glad that Rosa and he had reached the vet clinic, since he didn’t want to answer any further questions she might have. Liam parked along the street. He intended not to just let Rosa out of the car. He planned to go inside and check with Denny about how things were going. And most especially, he wanted to see for himself how Drew was doing.
He opened his car door at the same time Rosa opened hers. Her expression seemed to register surprise as she turned back to look at him. “I thought you were just dropping me off so you could get to work.”
“Not till I check on Drew. Besides, we can wolf down our sandwiches together.” He grinned at his own pun, and she laughed.
“Fair enough.” She bent down to get the bags as Liam got out to leash Chase and let him out of the back seat.
As Rosa headed toward the clinic’s rear door, bags in hand, Liam let his dog sniff the curb and driveway, and when he was ready, hurried him to the entrance.
The street had been fairly well lined with cars, so Liam wasn’t surprised, as he entered the waiting room, to see a lot of people there with their pets—everything from an English sheepdog to a couple mewing kittens in carriers.
They all carried scents of their own.
Since he didn’t see Rosa there, he figured he’d better let the receptionist behind the desk know he needed to catch up with the vet. But Susie, whom he’d met before, smiled and motioned Chase and him through the inner door.
Rosa approached him from down the hall. “I just put our food in the break room, but let’s go check on Drew.”
“Great.” Liam followed her to the room where he had last seen his superior officer. Rosa opened the door, but motioned for him to enter first, which he did, Chase right behind him.
The place looked the same as before, with wolfen Drew sitting on the towel-covered top of the lowered table. With him, on one of the chairs against the wall, sat Staff Sergeant Noel Chuma, who was an aide to whichever Alpha Force shifter needed him.
And no one needed help now more than Drew.
Noel wasn’t a big guy, but he was strong, smart and dedicated to Alpha Force. He rose, and the expression on his deep-toned face worried Liam.
He couldn’t ask detailed questions now, though. Not in front of Drew.
“So, how’s our patient doing?” Rosa asked. She approached Drew, who regarded her with stony eyes that, on some canines—whether shifters or not—would have made Liam worry that he was about to attack.
He knew Drew wouldn’t do that. But Drew’s expression did indicate that he wasn’t happy.
That he probably didn’t have a sense he’d be shifting back anytime soon—and it was getting to be late afternoon on the day he should have retaken his human form early in the morning.
“He’s mostly been resting,” Noel answered for him. “We’ve been for a couple of walks and he seemed happy enough to be out of this room, but, well—happy isn’t the best word. I think he’s really frustrated.”
“Understandably,” Liam said.
Drew made a growling sound that didn’t seem threatening, but might’ve connoted frustration. It was enough to get Chase, who had sat beside Liam, to stand again and watch his sort-of counterpart.
“Tell you what,” Liam said. “Drew, are you okay with being here on your own for a few minutes? Dr. Rosa and I brought lunch back and we need to sort it out, but one of us is going to bring you a really good burger very soon.”
Drew answered by making a noise that this time sounded like a sigh, then lying back down.
He didn’t seem overly excited about the late, tasty lunch he’d get.
And Liam could understand why.
Chapter 6 (#ub6ef44f9-2381-5259-ac8c-d2684b9e78b3)
“I don’t want to leave him alone for long,” Rosa said quietly, once they were back in the hall with the door shut behind them. “But we do have a sandwich for you, too, Sergeant Chuma.”
“Noel,” he corrected. “And I’m sure you want to talk with me about our CO and what went on while you all were gone.”
Rosa watched the two military guys trade glances. She figured Liam would hear a lot more than she would, but not while they were all together.
And she appreciated that the sergeant had come here, to ensure that Drew was nearly never alone. His condition was such that no one knew what needs he might have, or when he might have them. And he certainly wasn’t in any condition to grab a smartphone and call for help.
They all headed the short distance along the hall to the break room. Rosa motioned for the others to enter first, glad to see that Brendan had just come into the hall, ushering a young woman with her standard poodle mix from another exam room. Rosa waited long enough for Brendan to ensure that his charges entered the reception area, where the owner could pay her bill and they could leave. But when Brendan turned again, Rosa was right beside him.
“Is Melanie in that room?” She gestured to the room he’d just come out of.
“Yes. Want me to get her for you?”
“Please.”
Brendan once more went through that door, and almost immediately Melanie, in her white lab jacket, strode out and faced Rosa. “You’re back. Do they have any answers yet at Ft. Lukman?”
“They’re working on it. I gave them the blood samples and discussed what I’d seen, and my concerns. They got right on it, so hopefully they’ll figure it out soon.”
“Yes. Hopefully.” Melanie’s hair wasn’t pulled back as neatly as usual. Her pretty face seemed to be aging minute by minute. Rosa just hoped she was providing adequate care to their patients, despite the stress she was under.
“Meantime,” Rosa said brightly, “Liam came back here with me, but I assume he’ll be leaving Noel here, since he has to get back to the base right away. Or almost right away. We brought a late lunch from Fastest Foods, a few sandwiches. That includes a really nice big, rare burger for Drew.” Rosa made herself smile broadly, then motioned for her employer to follow her as Brendan reappeared in the hall, followed by a large man hugging a moderate-size golden cat.
She was glad when Melanie did as she hoped and joined her, Liam and Noel in the break room. Given a choice, Melanie picked out a chicken sandwich among those laid out on one of the tables in the middle of the room, as did Rosa. That left burgers for the guys.
Including the large one for Drew, which Liam was holding. “I’d like to go say hi to Drew, if that’s okay with you,” he said to Melanie. “I can give this to him then.”
“Of course. And thank you both so much for bringing Drew a burger from Fastest Foods. It’s one of his favorite places when...when...” Her voice started to drop off, and Rosa recognized her signs of sorrow.
“When he’s not shifted,” she finished brightly for Melanie. “And when he is shifted. I get it. Let’s give him what we have now, and I promise that, when he’s back to his unshifted self again, I’ll go get him even more burgers there. Okay?”
She looked at Melanie’s brave smile and almost broke down herself. Rosa had had a few relationships now and then, but hadn’t met anyone she wanted to spend her life with. Melanie had, and she’d even gotten past whatever confusion she might have felt about falling hard for a shapeshifter.
She was clearly, deeply in love. And the man she loved was in distress. Ill. In the middle of a condition that no one knew anything about, so no one knew how to fix it. Fix him.
A wonderment about how she’d feel if Liam somehow became her veterinary patient flashed through Rosa. Ridiculous. Yes, she found him good-looking as a human. Kind. Sexy... No, she wasn’t going there. She wasn’t going anywhere with him, or with these ideas. She glanced at him, though—and saw that, for some reason, he was watching her.
She turned away and quickly stepped toward Melanie, then gave her a hug. “We’ll figure it out,” she promised, hoping she wasn’t lying about something as important to her employer as that.
