by Macy Blake
“We’ve got that barrier thing we used for Sophie in storage. Remember, Walt?” Shelly asked.
“I got it,” Walt huffed. He disappeared into the back room and emerged a minute later with a mangled box. Teague moved a couple tables out of the corner, and they had a little fenced area set up with a pad on the floor.
“Okay, that’s cool,” Cody said. “Sophie used to play here?”
“Yeah, when she was little. We kept her until dinner time when Izzy’s sister came and took her for the night.”
“I didn’t know Izzy’s sister lived nearby.”
“She doesn’t. Not anymore. Her husband got another job and they moved. Put ‘em down, Cody.”
But he didn’t want to. They were cute and cuddly and apparently kind of sleepy.
He heard the now familiar swoosh, and Calli reentered the bar with Ben Jerrick behind her.
“Both Doc Jerricks are in surgery. Ben said he could stabilize her until his dad can finish and get here.”
Cody swore that Ben Jerrick got taller every single time he saw him. The kid was huge, taller than Shaq and Sol, but he had this gentle giant presence about him that always made Cody want to give him a hug.
“What happened?” Ben asked.
“She fainted. Exhaustion and probably dehydrated,” Sol said.
Ben inhaled and his eyes widened. Cody wasn’t even entirely sure what happened next, but Ben made a noise and suddenly every hellhound in the room was surrounding him. Including Sol.
“Uncle Sol?” Ben sounded small and scared.
“Tell me,” Sol demanded.
“I… I smell…” He looked around the room, and he finally noticed Cody and the sleeping cubs in his arms. He made a sound, a heartbroken keening sound that brought tears to Cody’s eyes and he didn’t even know why.
“Ben!” The young man’s eyes moved to Sol when he spoke. “We need to help their mother. Can you do it?”
The words seemed to help. “I can do it.”
“Cody, get the cubs in the playpen. Stay with them.”
Shelly helped Cody climb over the rails of the thing, and he sat down with his back against the wall. The cubs huffed and began to purr.
In the meantime, Ben crossed the room to Leandra and began looking her over. He kept glancing at Cody and the cubs nervously, but he was able to do the basics at least. He was in med school and he worked at his dad’s veterinary— holy crap. Vaughn wasn’t a vet at all. He was a shifter doctor. Shifter doctors were a total thing that existed. And Ben was going to be a shifter doctor, too.
“What is it?” Shelly asked gently. She’d gone and gotten a little bowl of water and sat it inside the play area with Cody.
“I just realized that Vaughn is a shifter doctor, not a vet.”
Shelly grinned. “Yeah, that one was a shocker to me, too. I watched those kids grow up and never even realized something was different about them.”
“Holy crap. They’re shifters, too. I didn’t even… oh, that makes so much sense now. Ollie is such a menace. What is he?”
“Wolf,” Shelly said. “Ben’s a bear.”
“Holy mackerel.”
She grinned again before leaning over and gently touching one of the cubs on the head. “They were all adopted by their dads when they were cubs. After they found them.” She looked at Cody and it was one of those Come on. Put the pieces together and figure it out looks. They’d been found. The word was significant. And the guys were always super protective of them whenever they were around. Which probably meant they’d been hurt when they found them. Dammit.
Cody looked up at her and nodded. He’d put the pieces together, even if the answers weren’t ones he wanted. Whatever had hurt Ben had a scent, and he’d caught that scent on Leandra and her cubs. Which meant that they’d either been hurt, too, or she was involved with whoever had hurt them. Cody hoped it was the former, because the guys— the pack, Cody corrected in his mind— were absolutely devoted to the Jerrick kids. They were family, and now that Cody knew more, he understood how significant a distinction that was.
Cody turned his attention to Ben, who’d taken Leandra’s blood pressure and listened to her heart. “I’ll have Dad double check, but I think she’s dehydrated. I can get her awake, and we can let her drink, but I…”
“What?” Sol asked.
“Can I look at the cubs before I wake her up? Make sure they’re…”
“Yes,” Sol said.
Ben moved over to the enclosure and easily stepped over the rails. He sat down in front of Cody with his long legs crossed in front of him before leaning over and gently running a finger over one of the cub’s head. “May I?” Ben asked softly.
“Sure,” Cody answered.
Ben gently lifted the cub in his big hands and cuddled it against his chest. He closed his eyes, but Cody could tell he was listening. Cody wasn’t a doctor or anything, but the cubs looked good to him. They weren’t skinny or anything, and their coats were shiny. They were a little paler than lions, more white than gold, but Leandra was pretty pale herself so maybe that had something to do with it. Ben let out a sigh a minute later and opened his eyes. He looked at Cody and smiled.
“They okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. She’s taking good care of them.”
“But not herself,” Cody said gently.
“That’s what parents do,” Ben said. He handed the cub to Cody before taking the other one. He repeated the same routine as before and got the same result. Then he smiled suddenly, and Cody’s unease lifted.
“What?” Cody asked.
“I can’t believe they’re asleep with hellhounds and other shifters around. Cubs are so ridiculous like that. Get them warm and cuddly, and they pass out like they can’t be bothered anymore. ”
“I don’t know that I blame them. I always feel pretty safe here, you know?”
Ben looked around and smiled. “Yeah. It’s why our Papa always let us come here. He’s human, in case you didn’t know.”
“Wait…so Dr. Vaughn is…wait, what is he?”
“Wolf.”
“But you’re a bear.”
“Yes.”
“But Ollie’s a wolf. Shelly told me.”
“Yes. Emily and Jack are wolves, too. Natasha is a fox.”
It took Cody a second to remember there was one Jerrick kid missing.
“What about Henry?”
Ben glanced at Sol before turning to Cody. “Henry’s human.”
There was a story there, and he’d make Sol tell him later.
“But Sam is human, and he and your dad are… mates?”
Ben nodded. Dammit, what was it with these shifter guys and their ability to be perfect couples. First Shaq and Drew, and now Vaughn and Sam.
“So you and Uncle Sol, huh?”
Cody couldn’t help his surprised gasp as he turned to Ben. “I… uh… yeah?”
Maybe… maybe he’d be able to join that list, too. The thought sent an excited tremble through him. Sol turned his way and smiled.
“Cool. Uncle Sol needs someone to keep him on his toes. He’s such a pain.”
“I heard that,” Sol grumbled.
“I know you did. How are the ribs?” Ben asked.
“Fine.”
Ben made another little noise and stood up, leaving the cubs with Cody.
Cody glared over at Sol. “I forgot about your ribs. How did I forget about your ribs?”
“The goddess fixed them. It’s fine.”
Cody narrowed his gaze further. “Show me.”
Sol crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “Cody—”
“Show me right now.”
Sol sighed, uncrossed his arms, and lifted his shirt. “There. Happy now?”
Nothing but smooth golden skin and really, really pretty abs.
“Yes. You’re a pain in the ass, you know.”
Sol growled and dropped his shirt. “Takes one to know one.”
Ben cackled and the cubs began to stir. On
e of them made a little noise, and Leandra woke up with a gasp.
Sol’s attention immediately turned to her. “You’re fine. You’re safe. Your cubs are safe.”
She pushed up anyway, looking for her babies. Ben stepped over the enclosure once more and went to her side. At first, she looked scared, but then she actually looked at Ben with his floppy hair and sweet brown eyes, and she relaxed.
“Hey,” Ben said softly. “I’m Ben Jerrick. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Leandra said.
“Goddess,” Cody groaned. “Why are you all such liars? Is there a manual? Someone get me the manual.”
Leandra looked at him with a puzzled frown. “Is he…”
“He’s not insane,” Sol said. “He just acts that way sometimes.”
Cody huffed as the cubs began to crawl all over him. “Ow! Easy with the claws, guys.”
“One guy. One girl,” Ben said.
“Right.”
“But he had a point,” Ben added. “You’re obviously not fine. Will you let us help?”
She looked at Ben again and shrugged. Ben glanced toward the kitchen window where Walt stood watching them all with a glare.
“Ben,” Walt barked. But Cody noticed it wasn’t as loud or scary as he usually bellowed. “Nachos or wings?”
Ben did the cute little shoulder shrug he’d been doing since the first time Cody met him. The question was always the same, and so was Ben’s answering shrug. And then Walt always said…
“Fine. I’ll make both.”
“And scene,” Cody whispered under his breath. Every single time.
Sol came over and sat down beside him. One of the cubs scrambled across Cody’s lap and tentatively put its paw on Sol’s thigh. It wrinkled up its nose and sneezed. Cats and dogs. Cody snickered and looked up at Sol.
“I don’t want to know.”
“Cats and dogs,” Cody said.
He snickered again. Sol ignored him and let the cub climb closer. It sniffed at Sol’s clothes before hissing and scrambling backward. The other one climbed off Cody’s lap and went to the water bowl Shelly had brought over. It drank thirstily before making a cute little meowing sound. It put its paws up on the rail and looked for Leandra.
“Stay there,” Leandra said.
Cody took a quick peek and realized it was the boy. “Um, what are their names?”
“That’s Lionel,” Leandra said. “He’s my escape artist. The one sniffing your mate is Ariella.”
Mate. Huh. Was that the shifter word for boyfriend? Because he’d read a few books where—
“Is it okay if we make them something to eat?” Ben asked Leandra softly. “Uncle Walt is making me food. He wouldn’t mind putting on a couple burgers, if that was okay with you.”
Cody heard her stomach rumble from across the room.
“I don’t want to—”
“Hey, Walt!” Cody yelled.
Walt reappeared in the window with a scowl.
“What?”
“I’m hungry.”
Walt scowled at him. “Fine.”
“So are Leandra and the kids.”
Walt’s expression only changed the slightest bit. “I’m not making damn chicken nuggets, Cody.”
“But kids like chicken nuggets.”
“Um, or burgers,” Ben suggested again. “More protein and iron.”
“Well, yeah. Right. Burgers, Walt? All around? Pretty please?” Cody asked.
“You’re such a pain in the—” Walt stopped and growled. “Too many da…rn kids around here these days. Can’t even…” He threw up his hands in frustration and disappeared into the kitchen.
Cody leaned against Sol’s shoulder and yawned.
“You need to rest,” Sol said quietly.
“I’ll rest when you do.”
Sol growled, and the cubs both scrambled away from him.
“He won’t hurt you,” Cody said. “He’s just cranky.”
“I can take them,” Leandra said. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“Pfft,” Cody snorted. “You’re the best thing that happened today. Trust me.”
She didn’t seem convinced.
“Sol, we probably should get them out of here, huh?”
“As soon as they eat.”
“They can come to the clinic,” Ben volunteered. “Nana will spoil them rotten.”
“We’ll talk after everyone eats,” Sol said.
It would have been a great plan if the door to the bar hadn’t flung open, and a big, very fucking scary looking guy came storming in. He was a little older, with gray hair and piercing eyes, and he looked like he was there to kill first, ask questions later. The cubs reacted quickly, scampering over to Cody and hiding in his arms. Sol reacted as quickly, standing and letting out a weird grumbling growl thing that sent a shiver down Cody’s spine. And then he didn’t even know how it happened but Leandra shifted and let out a roar that shook the rafters.
After that, everything moved too fast for Cody to process because he was sheltering terrified baby lions and praying for his life.
Solomon
If Solomon didn’t think he needed Dasan to get through the upcoming fight with the aswangs, he’d have let Leandra take a chunk out of his hide. The asshole knew better than to come into another pack’s territory and try to show some sort of weird dominance display. Leandra wasn’t having any of it. She had cubs to protect.
“Leandra, hold!”
Sol put some command behind the words. She held, but barely. Her entire body quivered with the need to attack. The smug grin Dasan had on his face when he walked in faded quickly. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Mama lion, asshole. I should let her eat you.”
Dasan glanced around the bar, and he gaze settled on Cody who was doing his best to let the cubs bury themselves inside his chest. Lionel was already under Cody’s shirt. Cody was giving Sol a look that demanded immediate assistance. Sol turned to Dasan, knowing his mate would make him pay for it later. Dasan met Leandra’s gaze before lowering his head and closing his eyes.
“My apologies. I mean you and your cubs no harm.”
Leandra growled her annoyance. Sol didn’t blame her one bit. “He’s a friend, Leandra. Food is about ready. Why don’t you go ahead and shift and we’ll get the cubs fed?”
She grumbled but moved toward the back of the room. She shifted into her human form, and Sol heard Cody’s surprised gasp.
He couldn’t help but look.
Cody had slapped his hand over his eyes to prevent him from seeing Leandra naked. Sol would have to explain the rules to him. Champions shifted magically, their abilities coming from the goddesses themselves. Other shifters required a physical process and actually had to remove their clothes. He imagined it had come as quite the surprise for Cody to see Leandra casually shift back, not shy at her nudity.
“Your message was cryptic,” Dasan griped. “Luckily, I was in the area and able to come by.”
“In the area, huh?” Sol asked.
“Change is in the air, my friend.”
“I know, Day. Believe me, I know. The aswangs are planning another attack, but this time, they’ve managed to add magic to their arsenal.”
Dasan didn’t say anything, but his eyes flickered, the golden eyes of his eagle emerging for the briefest moment before they returned to the pale gray of his human form. “More refugees will come,” Dasan said. “I sensed them close.”
“I know.”
“The cubs?”
“Will be moved somewhere safe as soon as they’ve eaten.”
Dasan nodded. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
“Thank you for coming.”
Sol let out a breath as his old friend left the room. Dasan didn’t socialize much, but he was a fierce warrior, trained by his people to be the strongest of their kind. His senses were sharp, his sight even better than Sol’s, and he needed someone with that strength and an ability to take to the air on his side.
“Order up!”
Walt shoved a few plates into the window and drew Sol’s attention. He flashed his eyes, and Walt’s flashed in reply. Sol could feel Walt’s nervousness from across the room, but he was in control. Shaq would be proud, and Sol made a mental note to let their alpha know how well Walt had been handling everything. He glanced around the bar, taking in both Cody and Shelly fussing over Leandra and the cubs. They’d shifted into their human forms as well, enticed by the scent of food. Cody looked at him and smiled before trying to wrangle Lionel into a T-shirt. The kids looked to be less than two, and they’d need some answers from their mother soon. Ben’s anxiety was still apparent, even though he was hiding it well as he interacted with the newcomers.
Sol opened the door again and stepped out into the parking lot. They needed to find a way to spread the word to other loners and smaller packs. And, as Cody had suggested, they were going to need a bigger bar. Or at least a better way to handle the amount of others arriving by the dozen. Every time he opened the door, they seemed to multiply. Jedrek appeared by Sol’s side, a frown etched upon his face.
“What is it?”
“There’s so fucking many of them, Sol. There aren’t enough of us to go around. And if they’re using magic… it’s going to get ugly, fast.”
“I know. I’m working on it.”
The goddess had given him two days. He honestly didn’t know if they had that long. If this many of their kind sensed the uprising, the aswangs must be closer than they realized.
“What can I do?” Jedrek asked.
“I’m waiting on Vaughn to get here. I’m going to see if we can move some of them to his land. Get them behind a ward, for as much good as that did at the cabin.”
“Well, those wards weren’t placed by Henry. No offense to the coven, but…”
Sol got it. His nephew’s gifts were powerful, and if he weren’t currently in the fae realm with his mates, Sol would have asked them all for assistance. Henry’s mates were as powerful as he was, and having them at their side might discourage the aswangs. Something teased the back of Sol’s mind, and another chess piece moved on the board in his mind. The timing seemed very convenient. Banshees attacking, even though the fae prince was with the Chosen One? Henry and his mates leaving the human realm as a result. Shaq and Drew sent away on mysterious business for the goddess. Chess pieces moving, leaving a vulnerable opening.