It didn't. Everything went smoothly. The guards did their job and were well behaved, several of the wives got together to supply the meal and I could tell they were all pitching in to replace the money the previous Packmaster had stolen. Weldon and Winkler both enjoyed the home-cooked food. Kelvin ate with them; clearly, he could eat just as much as any other werewolf I'd ever met.
Kelvin. It was hard to tell about him, at times. He never talked much—at least not with me. I also wondered why Winkler had taken all three executions in Des Moines rather than allowing Kelvin to take at least one of them. Oh, well. Not my business.
We made it to Jamestown, Pennsylvania, and Houlton, Maine, before we had to fly back to Dallas for Thanksgiving. We had three towns in West Virginia to visit after that and the first full moon in December fell on the third one, Sugar Grove, which bordered the Shenandoah Mountains. That's where the local Pack was scheduled to run and Weldon, Winkler and Kelvin would be running with them.
We started the trip to Dallas in the afternoon while it was still daylight, so I was packed into the plane inside my favorite bag. The sun set after a while and Winkler pulled me out so I wouldn't wake up zipped inside the thing. That just terrified me for some reason, although I could punch or rip my way out easily enough. Merrill also called; I had voicemail from him as soon as we landed in Dallas. I called him back; he was in New York so the time difference wasn't that bad.
"Franklin and I decided to pack up and come here through the New Year," he said. I asked him if Franklin was well. Franklin always said he was in his emails but then he was one of those people who'd say that if he was on his deathbed, I think.
"Franklin is very well and will be making dinner for himself and Greg on Thanksgiving," Merrill informed me. "I have checked your credit card charges, Lissa."
"Really? Has someone been using my card? What did you find?" I knew I hadn't used it for anything; there'd been no opportunity.
"That's just it, there isn't anything," he said.
"And you're complaining?"
"I expect you to buy something for yourself, now and then," he told me gently.
"All right, I'll go out and buy a bus," I said.
"See that you do," he chuckled.
We talked for a bit longer before hanging up. "Who was that?" Winkler asked. We'd been picked up at the airport by a werewolf I didn't know and were on our way to Winkler's mansion, which sat on a tract of land between Denton and Dallas.
"My surrogate sire," I said, stuffing the phone inside my small purse.
"The black haired one?" Weldon asked. He'd seen Merrill during Tate's execution.
"Yes. That's Merrill."
"Why didn't you take him?" Winkler asked out of curiosity.
"Because he's not interested," I replied. "He already has a woman on the hook. I don't rate next to that."
"Lissa, you'd rate next to anybody," Winkler tried to nuzzle my neck. I had to push him away. Weldon commandeered the front passenger seat so Winkler, Kelvin and I got the back seat of the van while our luggage was piled in the cargo area. My bag was filled with dirty clothes, so I was hoping to get my laundry washed while I was at Winkler's place. Driving through the gate to Winkler's mansion almost felt like coming home and Winkler offered a grin and a hug as we pulled in.
"I'll get the turkey on as soon as I get up tomorrow," I told Winkler as we unloaded luggage from the van. "Eat a late lunch; I'll have dinner ready around nine or ten. I'll see if I can do pies tonight."
Pies were what I did, along with my laundry. Winkler wouldn't let me stay in the guesthouse this time, so I got a huge bedroom inside the house. Whitney and Sam were there as well, but they'd already gone to bed. I baked all night and did other little prep things like chopping onion and celery and putting it in baggies, ready to add to recipes. I was thankful that there was a double oven in the kitchen; it saved a lot of time.
The turkey went into the oven as soon as I woke on Thanksgiving Day. Whitney and Sam came in to hug me and Davis gave me a huge kiss, shocking me a little. Kelvin was most likely shocked too—he'd witnessed it. He and the others lounged around in the kitchen when things started smelling good. Whitney helped set the table; there was a beautiful linen tablecloth laid down with napkins, silver and china that was extremely expensive. It was all getting hand-washed afterward.
Weldon carved up the turkey for everyone and the werewolves stuffed themselves on turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, green bean casserole, a broccoli rice casserole in case you didn't do green beans, corn on the cob, yams, fresh rolls, pumpkin, pecan, apple and chocolate pies. This was the way you did Thanksgiving where I came from. Daryl and Kathy Jo had arrived shortly before the meal was served and she was happy as could be, even if she was five months pregnant.
"I can't believe a vampire still cooks," Kelvin said. He'd been drinking a little and his words were slurring. Davis kept pouring out wine for everybody except Kathy Jo, who was having soda. I had a glass of wine with all of them, although I couldn't taste it.
"I still have fond memories of what it tasted like," I sipped my wine. "So, nowadays it gives me pleasure to know someone else is enjoying it."
Whitney, Kathy Joe and Davis helped clean the kitchen. I gave Davis an extra hug for being the only guy who made the effort. He grinned at me. Believe me; I was ready for sunrise to come when it did.
Chapter 8
"Here he goes," Winkler said. He, Weldon and Davis watched the monitor hooked up to the hidden security camera inside Lissa's bedroom. Kelvin had stolen inside after telling everyone he was going to the convenience store two blocks away for a few personal items.
"What the f**k is he—oh no," Weldon didn't want to see this. Kelvin was undressing Lissa, who was completely unconscious and had no way of knowing what was being done to her. Kelvin removed the speculum from his bag first, did a quick pelvic exam, took specimens, screwed lids on tightly after dropping samples inside sterile tubes and jars, then set about getting blood, hair and tissue samples. Lissa was dressed again; Kelvin gathered his things and stole quietly from the room.
"I want to kill him now," Davis growled.
"We can't. We have to wait and see who else is involved in this," Winkler said. "If I hadn't had that trace on the messages he sends, I wouldn't have caught this. How did that Tate kid get so many people involved?"
"I'm sure we'll find out and I hope it's sooner rather than later. I don't like watching my back where he's concerned," Weldon grumbled. "I know I'm safe if Lissa's up, but it's a different story if she isn't. I worry when Winkler has to go take a piss."