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Home. In that second, she thought of this house as his home, as well as hers. It wasn’t. It was much too soon to even consider such a thing, and yet, there it was.

Maybe tomorrow she’d walk to the grocery store and buy one of those disposable cells. She could program Silas’s phone number in. Cindy’s, too.

Another sign that she was getting far too comfortable here.

After cleaning the kitchen and checking on Mia and Judge not once but three times, Gabi settled in her chair with a book. Not that she was capable of paying attention to the words on the page, but she made an effort. How long did it take for a man to check on a pack of dogs? She hoped nothing was wrong. Not only for the animals, but because she wanted Silas to return sooner rather than later.

She missed him.

If she was smart she’d get out of town tonight. Silas would be disappointed to come here and find everyone gone, but she’d made it clear from the get-go that she wasn’t permanent. The fact that she felt as if Silas could be more was terrifying.

All she’d have to do was get to Montgomery, maybe Birmingham, and catch a bus headed north. Away from this place, far away from Florida. She was pretty sure she couldn’t take Judge on any bus, so where did that leave her? The bloodhound had been hers for three days, but he was already a part of the family. Leaving Judge behind would be one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

Damn it all, she wasn’t ready to leave Mystic Springs just yet. She’d just found Silas! Not that she had any intention of keeping him; she didn’t have that luxury. But there were nights to be spent in her bed or his, stories to be told, laugher to be shared. Maybe she couldn’t keep him, but that didn’t mean she had to give him up so soon.

The scratching sound at her front window startled Gabi so much she jumped. She set the book aside, giving up on it for now, and knelt on the couch to pull the curtains back a few inches. Nothing.

She heard Judge enter the room. He didn’t bark, but he did make an odd snuffling sound. The noise at the window hadn’t been loud enough to wake him, not from his bed in Mia’s room, but something had the bloodhound on alert.

Gabi sat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her. Her insistence that the new dog stay off the furniture hadn’t lasted long at all. Judge jumped up, and as she had, he peered at the window.

“Nothing there, boy,” Gabi said as she scratched behind Judge’s ear. She was glad to have his company. He continued to stare at the window, and finally gave one sharp, alarming bark. She pulled the curtain back again, to reveal a familiar pale face peering in.

She instinctively fell back and screamed. Judge barked as he lunged toward the window. Blake grinned, winked, blew her a kiss, and ran, disappearing into the darkness.

Chapter 14

The area around Clint’s front porch was cluttered with cars that had pulled into the yard, once his small parking area was full. A handful of pickup trucks and a couple of compact cars, the one and only Mystic Springs police car, and one motorcycle. The living room was just as crowded. The Benedicts, the Franklins, Susan, and of course the Maxwells. Even that odd Lovell guy was on hand. The motorcycle was his.

Marnie had made coffee and tea and had scrounged up more cookies, as if this were an impromptu social gathering rather than what it truly was.

A war council.

In the past a few of those present had expressed a desire to be done with the rest of the world and embrace what had once only been the possibility of Brigadoon. The reality of isolation was different from a vague concept, for him and for others. If the time ever came, Springers should be given the opportunity to choose. Stay or go? Isolate or take their chances in the real world?

Silas had been a loner for so long, it was a shock to realize that if it came down to it he’d give up his gift to live in the real world with Gabi. He’d still have his love for animals. He’d still be capable of training them, it would just take a bit more work on his part.

As he explained what he knew, and how, the expressions of those around him changed. They’d been curious to be called here, now they were angry, afraid, confused. Sometimes all three at once. In the end, anger won out. How dare Jenna and the Milhouses choose for the entire town?

And then the anger turned on him, as he’d assumed it would before the night was over. It was only fair.

Ivy glared at him and asked, “How long have you known about this?”

He wouldn’t lie. Any lie would be too easy to disprove, if not tonight then tomorrow, or the next day. The facts were not on his side. “A couple of weeks.”

The ensuing assault of chattering voices was enough to make any man, loner or not, want to flee.

“I admit it,” he said, interrupting the chatter, “at first I saw the appeal in the plan, as many of you have in the past.” Might as well tell it all. At this point, what more did he have to lose? Everyone was already pissed. “Jenna asked me to get Gabi Lawson out of town. She wants all the Non-Springers gone before she casts the spell.”

“Hey!” Marnie said, her indignation clear. She and Cindy Benedict, the two Non-Springers in the room, shared a censuring glance.

“You two are safe, since you’re carrying Springer babies. The few others… most are already gone. A couple of others soon will be.”

“I get it,” Nelson Lovell said in a low voice that still managed to grab everyone’s attention. In the months the newly-discovered Bigfoot shifter had been in and out of Mystic Springs, he’d given up the phony British accent and cut his hair. His clothes were more casual than they’d been in the early days. He still wasn’t one of them, but he was getting there. Or trying to. “You were hot for this Jenna’s plan until you fucked the hairdresser and changed your mind.”

Silas sprung. He couldn’t help it. His fist connected with Lovell’s jaw twice, before someone pulled him off. Clint, judging by the force that was used to get the job done.

Lovell didn’t respond in kind. He didn’t stand or swing out or even look angry. He remained amazingly calm as he rubbed his jaw and said, “Maybe it’s more than that, given your response.”