don’t want to have to fight off an infection because you’re not resting properly.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Nurse sir.”
“Talk to you later, brat.” Julian hung up, leaving Heather nothing to do but think.
Halle was part of the key, and the people in it. She just knew it. And the only ones who fit the riddle were Jamie and Marie Howard, and Hope Walsh. But with Marie’s death, how would they become three?
The white shifters could communicate with spirits, but none of them had ever said they communed with the dead. Kermode spoke to Bear, while Chloe said she mainly spoke to Fox. So it was the spirits of the animals they represented that they spoke to, not spirits in the sense of spooks. So Marie being some kind of ghost that could communicate with them wasn’t even a remote possibility.
She crossed that off her list. Making the note and crossing it off was the best way to remind herself that yes, she’d thought of it and yes, she’d dismissed it. Otherwise she’d find herself going in circles.
Okay. So Marie going Casper on them was out. What about pregnancy? One becomes three could mean that Hope might be pregnant when she mated Jamie. But as far as she knew Hope wasn’t pregnant when they’d rescued her from Salazar. Julian would have mentioned it when he checked her out for injuries, and she wasn’t showing. Which Heather viewed as a relief.
Hmm. Perhaps she’d become pregnant by Jamie, but for some reason their mating would be delayed? Or not. There was always the possibility of pregnancy during a mating bite, something Heather would have to remember for her own circumstances. She put a question mark next to “pregnancy” and moved on.
What about…another mate?
She crossed that one off almost immediately. Wolves had one, rarely two, mates. Three? That would be insane.
Ghosts, mates and babies. What else could turn one into three? And why were the two of them so important that the spirits themselves felt the need to give a riddle that needed solving?
No wonder Barney was going insane with this. She was focusing on her own theory and already she was about to pull her hair out in frustration. Still, she was certain she was on to something. A pregnancy seemed the most logical conclusion, but she felt like she was missing something vital.
Hmm. Did it have to be a person that caused them to become three? Could it be some sort of object? She scratched her head, but nothing specific came to mind. She really needed to go over this with Barney. Maybe he could help her figure out the impossible.
And he’d better remember her burger too.
Chapter Twelve
Heather was staring at a piece of paper with such an intent expression that he had the sudden urge to tiptoe right back out of the room.
“Jamie Howard, Marie Howard and Hope Walsh.”
Her soft voice was distant, but it was her words that made Barney take that step into the room. Chloe’s warning was still ringing in his ears, and hearing Heather say Dr. Howard’s name made shivers run down his spine. It couldn’t be a coincidence. “Why did you mention Jamie Howard?”
Heather jumped, her head jerking toward him. “Barney?” Her eyes were huge, her expression startled. “You scared the hell out of me.”
He didn’t have time to reassure her. “Why did you mention Dr. Howard?”
She blinked and looked back down at the piece of paper. “It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”
“How so?” He tried to keep his tone light, but he knew he’d failed when she shot him another fearful glance. “Chloe told me ‘Beware of Jamie Howard’.”
“Oh.” Heather bit her lip. The plump, pink flesh against the whiteness of her teeth tempted him to drop his questions and just kiss her so stupid she never mentioned the name Jamie Howard again. “Are you sure that’s what she meant? You know how her words get tangled up.”
“Her eyes were silver when she said it. I think it was a direct message from Fox.” Barney took the slip of paper
“Yes, sir, Mr. Nurse sir.”
“Talk to you later, brat.” Julian hung up, leaving Heather nothing to do but think.
Halle was part of the key, and the people in it. She just knew it. And the only ones who fit the riddle were Jamie and Marie Howard, and Hope Walsh. But with Marie’s death, how would they become three?
The white shifters could communicate with spirits, but none of them had ever said they communed with the dead. Kermode spoke to Bear, while Chloe said she mainly spoke to Fox. So it was the spirits of the animals they represented that they spoke to, not spirits in the sense of spooks. So Marie being some kind of ghost that could communicate with them wasn’t even a remote possibility.
She crossed that off her list. Making the note and crossing it off was the best way to remind herself that yes, she’d thought of it and yes, she’d dismissed it. Otherwise she’d find herself going in circles.
Okay. So Marie going Casper on them was out. What about pregnancy? One becomes three could mean that Hope might be pregnant when she mated Jamie. But as far as she knew Hope wasn’t pregnant when they’d rescued her from Salazar. Julian would have mentioned it when he checked her out for injuries, and she wasn’t showing. Which Heather viewed as a relief.
Hmm. Perhaps she’d become pregnant by Jamie, but for some reason their mating would be delayed? Or not. There was always the possibility of pregnancy during a mating bite, something Heather would have to remember for her own circumstances. She put a question mark next to “pregnancy” and moved on.
What about…another mate?
She crossed that one off almost immediately. Wolves had one, rarely two, mates. Three? That would be insane.
Ghosts, mates and babies. What else could turn one into three? And why were the two of them so important that the spirits themselves felt the need to give a riddle that needed solving?
No wonder Barney was going insane with this. She was focusing on her own theory and already she was about to pull her hair out in frustration. Still, she was certain she was on to something. A pregnancy seemed the most logical conclusion, but she felt like she was missing something vital.
Hmm. Did it have to be a person that caused them to become three? Could it be some sort of object? She scratched her head, but nothing specific came to mind. She really needed to go over this with Barney. Maybe he could help her figure out the impossible.
And he’d better remember her burger too.
Chapter Twelve
Heather was staring at a piece of paper with such an intent expression that he had the sudden urge to tiptoe right back out of the room.
“Jamie Howard, Marie Howard and Hope Walsh.”
Her soft voice was distant, but it was her words that made Barney take that step into the room. Chloe’s warning was still ringing in his ears, and hearing Heather say Dr. Howard’s name made shivers run down his spine. It couldn’t be a coincidence. “Why did you mention Jamie Howard?”
Heather jumped, her head jerking toward him. “Barney?” Her eyes were huge, her expression startled. “You scared the hell out of me.”
He didn’t have time to reassure her. “Why did you mention Dr. Howard?”
She blinked and looked back down at the piece of paper. “It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”
“How so?” He tried to keep his tone light, but he knew he’d failed when she shot him another fearful glance. “Chloe told me ‘Beware of Jamie Howard’.”
“Oh.” Heather bit her lip. The plump, pink flesh against the whiteness of her teeth tempted him to drop his questions and just kiss her so stupid she never mentioned the name Jamie Howard again. “Are you sure that’s what she meant? You know how her words get tangled up.”
“Her eyes were silver when she said it. I think it was a direct message from Fox.” Barney took the slip of paper
Similar Books
