Free Shadow Walker by Mel Favreaux Page A

at him. “There’s not enough time.”
    “We’ll make the most of what time we have. There will be plenty of time once Elan is caught.”
    “I can’t believe you are siding with Braedyn on making me leave. I am not a coward.”
    “Come on, don’t be angry. We’re doing it because we care.” Leaning over he placed a hand on her thigh.
    Her tummy fluttered. “H-how did the talk go with the guys?” There were things she needed to know but felt like she was being shut out because they were making her leave. It wasn’t fair.
    “About as well as you can imagine. Relations between the Were community and the Guardians are tenuous at best. Laveaux called and talked at length with Braedyn this morning. They’ve reached an understanding and since he is on board and is the Alpha, it made breaking the news to the pack a little easier. I have faith it will all work out.” His fingers stroked along the top of her thigh.
    Swallowing a moan, she ground her teeth. “Why did your father accept us, Braedyn and Casey so easily?”
    “When Dad and I went searching for Casey, we expected to find her dead. Trapped in a blizzard for six days, alone. We arrived and found her healthy, whole, glowing, and madly in love. We figured it out when he said he was from Walker’s Run. It’s one of the known Sanctuaries we are familiar with, though no one knew exactly where it was located.”
    Amber laughed. “Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”
    Dean’s brows furrowed and his roaming hand stopped mid stroke. “About what?”
    “Walker’s Run is no secret amongst the Weres, Dean. You said you have Weres within the Guardians, correct?”
    “Yes, we do. Laveaux is a black panther—”
    She grinned and shook her head. “Then they didn’t want to reveal it. It’s a secret from humans, but not from Weres. If that alone doesn’t show the faith they have in Braedyn as an Alpha and a leader in the Were community, I don’t know what does.” Pulling the SUV behind Aquene’s shop, Amber switched off the engine.
    “We have more than a few Weres that work with us. Like I said before, we deal with various types of things: paranormal, supernatural, and preternatural beings. It serves us well to have as many on board who understand what it is we are trying to do, which is to ultimately protect mankind and these other beings. Cover-ups are for the best. The world is not ready to accept the full scope of things. There would be mass hysteria. We’re far more understanding than you can imagine because we’re all working together. There’s no…” Dean’s hand floundered while he struggled to find just the right word. “…prejudices, if you will. There are lots of stories about us. Nearly as many as there are about Weres. You just have to take the good with the bad and weigh out the truth.”

 

Chapter Nine
     
    Amber took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She hated flying and this time of year the only way to leave Walker’s Run was by helicopter. The goodbyes had been painful. She never wanted to feel like her heart had been ripped from her chest again.
    She made sure to stay close to Casey but couldn’t help warily eyeing the heavy throng of people around them. “So this is the famous LAX?”
    Casey laughed and nodded. “Yes. Welcome to hell.”
    Grinding her teeth, they made their way down to the baggage claim. She hated having to push through the crowd, despised people touching her. Strangers.
    Panic began to grip her. Sounds that were too loud began to fade, and she could hear her breathing grow erratic…her heart beat faster…
    “Easy, Amber. Calm down,” her friend said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
    Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry, there are just a lot more people than I had bargained for. I’ll be all right.”
    Casey grabbed their bags. She had a smaller one as most of her clothes were still at her condo. Amber’s bag was the larger of the two.
    When they