Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,35
it. “You can keep those photos. I have the digital files. If I need to, I can print up more.”
Jim collected the photos and put them back in their folder. “Thanks, I’d like to study them a bit more before I go on my prowl.”
“Now, let me get you two settled in the B&B. It’s in the center of town, and we only let Pack members and special guests of the Pack stay there,” Joe explained as he came around his desk, heading for the door.
“We’re honored,” Jim replied. He would wait to see what kind of a reception the Pack gave Helen before he’d leave her on her own in this town.
Joe was solid, and his Pack was allied with Jim’s, but Helen was human. Worse, she was a magic user from a long line of them, with a powerful family behind her. She might be a gentle soul and healer, but sometimes, werewolves objected strongly to the presence of human magic in their midst. If anybody had a problem with Helen’s presence, Jim would definitely have something to say about it.
“The elder I mentioned earlier…” Joe said to Helen as he opened the door for her and waited politely, in the human way, for her to exit the office first, “…she lives at the B&B. Miss Felicity. She’s a typical old granny who takes care of everybody who comes into her sphere of influence. Her great-granddaughter, Felicia, runs the B&B.”
Helen walked with Joe as they left the mayor’s office, telling him she’d be happy to see if she could do anything to help Miss Felicity’s aching bones. Jim watched how Joe interacted with Helen. He seemed very at ease with her, which was a good sign. Jim knew Joe’s Pack as well as he could know any Pack that wasn’t his own, but he didn’t know the nitty-gritty stuff about how they accepted—or didn’t accept—humans or mages or any kind of Others that might cross their paths.
The B&B wasn’t far. It was just down the street from Town Hall. A charming, sprawling Victorian monster of a house that looked like it had a lot of history. Just at first glance, Jim could see at least four places where it had been added to, over the years. The face of it that fronted Main Street was tall and sported a turret and high-peaked roofline with just a little gingerbread trim and moderately ornate corbels. It was painted a rich cream color with burgundy trim, and hanging plants graced the wide front porch that wrapped around the bottom floor.
The house looked deceptively normal—if very grand—from the front, but a glance at the side showed how far back it went. It was a truly massive building with plenty of room for guests and Packmates who needed a temporary place to live for whatever reason.
As they mounted the steps, a young woman came out to greet them. She was short, for a shifter, standing around five-foot-seven or so. She had wavy dark hair with a playful streak of purple running through it and warm brown eyes.
“Hi, I’m Felicia,” she said, her personality as bouncy as her footsteps. “You must be Helen and Jim.” She reached out to shake their hands, and Jim noted that Felicia gravitated toward Helen first.
Felicia seemed very open and cordial, and Jim thought her welcome was a real one. He breathed an inner sigh of relief. This could have gone either way, and if the person in charge of the B&B had taken a dislike to them, it would have made their stay in Big Wolf, and the work Jim needed to do here, much more difficult. He had a mission, but he also had to keep Helen safe. She was too innocent and gentle a soul to be left on her own among a Pack of hostile werewolves.
So far, the Alpha and the woman who ran the B&B seemed to be all right with her presence. If that trend continued—and with those two powerful presences already on Helen’s side—Jim would be able to stop worrying about Helen’s safety and get on with his work. Things were definitely looking up, and Jim started feeling very optimistic about his chances of going out and doing reconnaissance tonight while Helen stayed at the B&B, on her own.
Joe was making conversation, telling Felicia to make sure she took good care of his guests, which Jim appreciated. Joe didn’t come inside, but left them on the porch, saying he had to see