“We’re going,” I said, glancing over at Sally, who nodded at me. I could almost feel my poor deputy’s relief. We piled into the Blazer, and Sally turned over the engine, navigating a three-point turn, then hightailing it out onto the dirt road leading to town.
“I think we should head over to my cabin to talk to Greg and Sam,” I said as Sally drove past the post office. I noticed the old Trans Am was gone, and I absently wondered whether that was Jedidiah’s car.
“They’re wolves which means they might be out on a run tonight,” Sally said.
I hadn’t even thought of that. “Let’s give it a try anyway. They knew we were driving out to Frederick today, so there’s a good chance they’ll be expecting us,” I said.
“Sheriff, Rome, I know this is all new to you, but you do realize that during a full moon, werewolves can’t stop themselves from shifting.”
Huh. I hadn’t even thought of that. “That’s not just a thing in the movies or something? I mean they really can’t control it?”
Sally glanced at me, and then back at the road. “No, I’m afraid not. Every other kind of shifter can control their shift but with werewolves, they are subject to the pull of the moon. There’s no way to stop it.”
“I never knew.”
Sally chuckled. “Well, the truth is, you don’t know a whole lot about most supernaturals, so it’s good for you to know the basics.”
“Got it. Werewolves can’t control the shift and in the case of the Frederick pack, the alpha is an asshole.” I grinned at her and saw her smile as she drove.
“Yes. Well, I think most alphas are made that way… I mean they’re assertive and all but not all of them are assholes as we already discussed.”
“Right.”
I watched the road ahead of us as Sally drove through the town. It was eerily devoid of signs of life. I don’t know what I should have been expecting, but it most definitely wasn’t a completely empty ghost town. I almost expected tumbleweeds to go rolling across the road.
But Frederick wasn’t that kind of town. No, Frederick was the kind of town that was populated solely by werewolves, something I wouldn’t have imagined existed only a month ago. Sally was just about ready to turn onto the main road when the Blazer hit a pothole. With dread, I felt a tire blow. Sally struggled with the steering wheel as the truck lurched to the side. She took her foot off the accelerator, letting the truck slow down, and was finally able to maneuver the Blazer over to the side of the road.
“Crap!” she exclaimed. “Could the timing of a blowout be any more piss poor?” She glanced over at me, and I instantly spotted the trepidation in her eyes. She was more than a little worried.
I instantly unbuckled my seatbelt. “We’re gonna be fine. Let’s get this tire changed.” I grabbed my phone as Sally and I got out. Almost on instinct, I hit speed dial and was relieved when Vincent picked up on the second ring.
“Romeo?”
“Hey, Vincent. I wanted to touch base and let you know I’m gonna be late getting over there.” I wrenched open the back door of the Blazer and lifted the floor panel in the back of the truck as I held the phone between my shoulder and cheek.
“What’s wrong? I can hear a tone in your voice, Romeo. Where are you?”
“Sally and I came out to Frederick to pick up Greg and Sam’s things but when we got here, everything was on fire. We’re sure Floyd set the fire. We had to wait for the Prosper Woods Fire Department to put it out but mop up took most of the day. We just had a flat tire. I just wanted you to know why I’m delayed.” I pulled out a jack as Sally detached the spare from the back door of the Blazer.
“You’re still in Frederick?”
“Almost made it out of town but we hit something in the road and got a flat. We’re changing it now.”
“Romeo, it’s a full moon,” Vincent said. I could almost hear the worry coming over the line. “The town is populated by werewolves. You need to get out of there.”
“We’re aware.” I watched as Sally dropped the spare and grabbed a tire iron from the back before slamming the door. “I gotta go now.”
“Hurry, love.”
My heart fluttered when Vincent uttered the endearment. “I will. Love you.”
“Love you too.” He hung up the phone, and I shoved mine back in my shirt pocket before reaching out for the tire iron. Sally was smirking at me, and I rolled my eyes at her. “You can rib me later. Right now, we need to get the fuck out of here.”
“Anything you say, Sheriff.”
Vincent
As soon as the phone disconnected, I knew I had to do something. Even though Romeo was quite capable of using his powers to get out of any trouble, I couldn’t very well sit by and do nothing. His unicorn powers were new to him and he still wasn’t fully in charge of them. No matter how much practicing we’d done, he’d never had to use them against a town full of werewolves who might be coming after him.
There certainly wasn’t any love lost between Floyd and Romeo. If I’d guessed correctly, the alpha would take every advantage of Romeo’s current state of affairs. Besides, he had Sally with him, and I had no doubt Romeo would do everything in his power
