Risky Boots Novels & Stories

she says, and disappears into the back office before I can ask what first things are. She comes back with a scuffed pair of steel-toed boots two sizes too big for me, a flashlight with dead batteries rattling inside it, and a folding knife she sets down like it's nothing, like handing a pregnant rogue a knife is the most ordinary thing in the world. "Every wolf who walks in here gets the same three things their first night," she says, before I can ask. "Boots, because you never know when you'll need to run somewhere the ground isn't kind. Flashlight, because it's the cheapest way to remind yourself the dark isn't permanent. Knife, because you should never again be in a room where the only we

cotton had been good. But the boots were Shamira's idea. If she was going to be forced to endure this weirdness, why not get one good pair of footwear out of it? She was a western girl at (her non-beating) heart, so she'd always wanted a nice pair of cowboy boots. She had ordered a pair of hand-made, hand-tooled Leggenda Collection Lucchese black-leather boots for the low, low price of $1500. Shane's pockets ran deep, and the boots would be shipped directly to his address.

"Shift once while wearing them and bye bye boots." I give him a small shoulder push to get him moving. Once he's settled, I twist around, bringing my legs up, and begin pulling on the leather. I can tell as soon as my feet slide home that they fit perfectly. "They don't look any different than the military boots I gave you." "Sacrilege." I run my fingers over the leather. "These babies have PVC air-cushioned soles. They're indestructible." King whistles. "One emergency Shadow Warrior shift and you'll discover you shouldn't be too excited about footwear, and when that happens, no footwear is indestructible."

“You have to take a risk sometime. Might as well be for a ride on Jon fucking Moretti.” Sienna’s glass had been plonked onto the coffee table now, her usual calm composure frazzled as she rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “Bungee jumping and all that shit is regulated, Anja. What you’re trying to do right now is send our friend home with a dangerous fucking criminal. How can you be so nonchalant about this shit?”

“Nope. Not me. Anyone else, sure, but all the Mothers know how much I like the outdoors.” “True,” Rain admitted. She had taken her shoes off when she was changing; now, she considered whether or not to put on her sneakers or something more durable. Considering the precipitation they’d gotten the day before, she said, “I’ll get my boots. “ Mist nodded, and Rain stood, hoping whatever it was Mist had found would be worth the risk.

I warn breathily. He ignores me and grabs my ankle, pulling off my boots. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re blocking the path forward, and we need to get off this route before nightfall or we’ll be vulnerable to the elements and rogues.” His fingers adeptly massage the area around my ankle and he raises his gaze to mine. “I’ll need to put it back in place. You might want to bite down on something.” I shoot him a cocky look. “I can take the pain.”

“Good. But before you do that, I need you to take off those boots first.” He wasn’t letting her close to him while she still had those things on. He couldn’t risk his nine other toes getting the same treatment as his big toe had. Cinnamon evidentially hadn’t forgotten about the incident too. There was a grin on her face as she took off the boots.

"And the boot pattern will have compressed the ground differently than pack issue. Narrower heel spread." "Yes." She held his gaze. "Anything else?" He thought for a moment with the processing stillness she had come to associate with his best work. "Medium weight and boots suggests someone who isn't trying to be seen," he said. "Pack wolves on legitimate patrol wear standard issue. Someone in civilian boots is either an outsider or a pack wolf off duty." He paused. "But someone off duty going into the eastern forest in civilian boots is unusual enough to note." She looked at him.

She was right, but I didn’t want to admit that. “Just do what I said,” I replied through clenched teeth. “That’s it.” A few minutes later, the warriors returned with a pair of boots. They looked small, just the way I asked. I bent down and helped Seraya wear them. Her foot slipped in easily showing that the boots were still a bit big but they were manageable. At least they would protect her feet from the rough ground in the woods. I stood up straight and turned to the warriors.

{EDMONDO'S POV} * * As the thought of Kara's flushed face burned into my mind, I glanced down at my boots. They sat in a neat row at the foot of the cupboard, polished and gleaming, waiting for me to choose. I wasn’t a goddamn girl, standing there debating over which pair to wear, so I grabbed the first ones my eyes landed on. A pair of snow boots. Not fluffy like some dainty princess shit, but a rugged kind of soft.