by Michelle Fox
"Come. We must tell the pack." She headed for the front of the house, stepping out onto the small porch.
I joined her, the deputy trailing behind me. Above us, the moon had reached her full power. Her brightness stirred my wolf who'd slept through most of Chloe's labor. The urge to cast off my clothes and let the moonlight bathe my skin washed over me, but I held myself back. I was so tired my eyelashes ached. My wolf would have to wait.
Marie raised her arms to the moon. "Our pack grows as you grow."
She threw back her head and howled. Other howls answered her, carrying the news through the night.
A footstep sounded behind us and I turned to see Jackson, holding his son. He joined us on the porch, carefully unwrapping the towels that swaddled the baby. Lifting the naked child high, he howled. The babe didn't like the change in temperature and squawked, his small fists waving in the air. Another arc of urine shot out, glimmering in the moonlight.
I smiled and bit back a laugh. The kid sure had a penchant for peeing.
"This is my son," Jackson yelled into the night. "And the moon knows him." He let loose a long howl, filled with pride and triumph. Once his voice faded, he wrapped his son back up and returned to the house.
Marie and the deputy followed him inside, but I lingered on the porch. There'd been a shadow deep in the woods that had caught my eye with unexpected movement.
"You coming?" The deputy poked his head out the door. I'd dawdled long enough that he'd become suspicious.
"Yeah." I held up a hand though, wanting another second.
"What is it?"
"Now I'm seeing things." I squinted into the dark, but the forest was now motionless. Maybe the deputy's paranoia had gotten to me.
He stepped out onto the porch. "Where?"
I pointed. "Over there. I saw something move."
"I don't see anything."
"I don't either. Not anymore."
A twig cracked, the sound loud and then a gun shot in the quiet night. We looked at each other.
"Probably just a deer," I said with a hopeful smile.
The deputy sniffed. "Doesn't smell like deer."
I inhaled a deep breath, scanning the air with my nose. "Doesn't smell like anything. Come on, let's go inside."
Another twig snapped and branches brushed against each other, rattling dry leaves and stiff evergreen needles.
"You go. I'm going to have a look around." He pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on.
"Do you want me to come?"
"And let you and your partner gang up on me? I don't think so."
"I don't have a partner," I said, annoyed.
"We'll see. Just stay in the house. I might shoot you if you pop up unannounced." With that, he pulled his gun and stepped off the porch.
"Adele? I need you," Marie called from inside the house.
"Be careful," I said to the deputy, but he didn't respond. I went to join Marie in the kitchen, firmly shutting the front door behind me. A cheerful fire crackled in the stone fireplace, radiating bone melting heat.
"You can rest on the couch. I'll finish cleaning up," she said to me.
"Are you sure? I can do it." Being younger, I felt some obligation to be the one who took on the more physical work.
Marie nodded. "No. I'm fine. I'll take the first shift, you take the second."
"Shifts? For what? The baby is born. Aren't we done?"
"Not yet. We need to help Chloe with the babe and manage the door."
"The door?" I looked at the front door of the house, wondering what needed managing.
"We need to keep the pack from disturbing Chloe and the baby. They'll all pile in here if we let them." She looked at me closely, catching my confusion. "You've never had a birth in your pack?"
"To be honest, I wasn't paying attention."
"So, this is your first baby." She gave a curt nod as if she approved. "Tonight you helped bring strength to the entire pack. Not just a new babe, but the son of an alpha. There's a lot to celebrate."
I gave an awkward shrug. "I guess."
"Where's the deputy?" she asked, chopping the herbs I'd brought her.
"Off investigating. We heard something."
"Probably just the pack coming to pay their respects."
I relaxed a little at that. It made perfect sense. Of course the pack would come. The birth of a son to the next pack alpha would be a big deal.
Dropping the herbs into a mug full of steaming water, she nodded toward the couch. "I suggest you sleep now because it will be busy later."
I didn't wait for her to ask twice. I collapsed on the leather sofa and was dead to the world before I knew it.
Chapter Thirteen
Adele
Several hours later, Marie woke me with a hard jostle of my shoulder, the one Jackson had hit. Pain sparked in the joint, tearing a soft groan from my throat. It was better, but still healing.
Marie frowned down at me. "Are you okay?"
I sat up and rubbed my shoulder. "Yeah. I'm just sore."
"There's bone broth on the stove. Have a cup."
Covering a yawn, I said, "Thanks. What do you need me to do?"
"Keep an eye on Chloe and the babe. Make sure she has lots of water and bone broth."
"And the door?" I noticed a pile of baby things—diapers, blankets, onesies, toys— had materialized while I'd slept.
"Answer it. Take what they offer and shut it. No one comes in under any circumstances, understand?"
"No visitors. Got it." I pointed to the baby pile. "Is this what they're bringing?"
"Yes."
I blinked, realizing the deputy wasn't there. "Where's Deputy Todd?"
She shook her head. "He hasn't been back yet."
A shiver of foreboding went through me. "Should I go look for him?"
"He probably went back to the station. They work in shifts. I expect someone new will be here soon."
"Without telling us?" That didn't sound right to me. The guy had seriously believed I was a murderer. He wouldn't walk off and leave me alone.
She shrugged."I don't really care, to be honest. He's not my job." She jerked a thumb toward Chloe and Jackson's bedroom. "They are. The deputy is a big boy. He's fine. If there was trouble, we would've heard."
"Maybe I'll call the sheriff and check just to be sure," I said.
"Great. You do that. Now get up so I can lay down. It's been a long night."
I jumped up. I'd been making her wait. "Sorry."
Marie waved me off and plopped down on the couch, her eyes shut before her body hit the cushions.
Stretching my arms overhead, I made my way to the kitchen. The scent of the bone broth filled my nose making my stomach growl. Shifters had been making it for centuries, but a human somewhere picked up on it and had made it trendy. Rumor said there'd been a cat shifter with a popular blog who first gave out the recipe. The Pack Council hadn't been happy about it.
Bone broth wasn't top secret, but the Pack Council frowned on publicity of any kind. We didn't want attention. Once humans figured out bone broth, they might just realize it had first been made with...well, dead humans. At least that's what I'd been told in shifter world history class in high school. Shifters hadn't worried too much about humans way back when. Our secrecy and avoidance of the human world was a relatively new thing, mostly due to our declining population.
Digging a coffee mug out of the cupboard, I dipped it into the simmering pot of bone broth and gulped it down. Delicious warmth filled my belly. Bone broth infused with healing herbs was amazing, but it couldn't erase the nagging worry that something had happened to the deputy.
There was a murderer out there, after all.
***
First, I checked on the new family. Chloe was nursing her son, a sweet smile curving her lips. Jackson sprawled on the bed next to her, softly snoring. Contentment shined in her eyes and she put a finger to her lips for me to be quiet. I nodded that I understood and topped off her bone broth before leaving her to rest.
In the living room, I fished my cell phone out of my back pocket, ready to call someone about the deputy, and frowned. I had no idea what number to call. I hadn't been in Huntsville long enough to learn phone numbers. Well, crap.
I tapped the phone against my forehead. How could I get a hold of the police? Remembering the pack police straddled the human and shifter world, I breathed a sigh of relief. They were real cops and their number would be public. Probably. That's how it had worked with my home pack.
Information connected me to the Huntsville police station and a crisp male voice said, "Huntsville PD."
"Hi. I'm Adele. I work with Marie."
"We know who you are."
Oh, right. A killer had been carving my name into people's heads. I guess that could make someone memorable. "Well, um, there was a deputy here with me and he's gone."
"Gone?"
"Yeah. Gone. He went out to check on some noises and he hasn't been back."
"How long ago was this?"
I glanced at the clock on my phone and made my best guess. "Five hours or so."
"Have you gone out and looked for him?"
"I can't. He said he'd shoot me. And we've been kind of busy helping with Chloe and Jackson's baby."
"All right. I'll send someone. Just sit tight. Don't open the door until we get there."
The line went dead. The Huntsville PD had hung up on me. Nice. With a shrug, I tucked my phone back into my pocket and settled into the arm chair that sat to the side of the couch. There was nothing to do but wait and hope the deputy was okay.
***
A vehicle pulled into the driveway some time later. I'd dozed off in my chair and jumped at the sound of tires spitting gravel. A big engine purred, rumbling like a beast ready to roar. Headlights flashed through the living room window and then went dark. Whoever the PD had sent had arrived.
Marie didn't even notice, her sleep was so deep. I left her and went to open the door. The porch light revealed a truck, not a police cruiser, parked in front of the house.
The driver's door opened and a big man hopped out. "Adele?"
I squinted at the man, trying to make out his features. Although I thought I recognized the voice and the truck by the dent in the front bumper. "Cal? Is that you? I thought they were sending an officer."
"We're short staffed. I figured I'd come out since I hadn't seen the baby yet." He shut the door to his truck and came up on the porch.
"I'm not supposed to let anyone in the house," I said.
"I'm the pack alpha, Adele. I'm coming in that house if I have to walk through a wall. That's my legacy in there, the future of this pack, and the place we call home."
He had a point. Marie's rules probably didn't apply to alphas. "Yeah. Sure. Sorry."
"No offense taken. It's good that we have people who will protect us." He turned and looked out into the inky black night. "Now, where's this deputy?"
I shrugged. "I have no idea. We heard something that way." I pointed in the direction the noise had come from. "He went to investigate and I haven't seen him since."
"Okay. I'll go have a look-see."
"Marie thought he'd gone back to the station. She said they worked in shifts and the next deputy would be here soon, but no one else has come."
"No one's seen him since he left with you." He cast a dark look my way.
"I didn't kill him," I said, growling out the words.
"I know, but you've brought something into our pack that doesn't mean well. Any idea who or what this is?"
"Nope. I have no clue." I shook my head.
He heaved a sigh. "Okay. Well, give me a second, and let's see if I can find him." Cal threw back his head and gave a short bark that turned into a howl. Then he waited, his head cocked. I listened with him, but the dark kept its secrets quiet. Deputy Todd didn't answer.
"I'll be right back." He trudged off and shadows swallowed him up whole until he was just a sliver of darkness whose movement I could barely track.
The sound of his footsteps faded and silence filled the air. I shivered and rubbed my arms. Images of everyone I'd met in my life flickered in my mind. Who among them would do this? I hadn't mixed my addictions with cartels or gangs. I wasn't wanted by anyone. I didn't owe anyone money, either.
I stood on the porch for what seemed like a long time. Long enough to see the moon move even closer to the horizon. Dawn was only a few hours away.
A sudden burst of sound rippled through the air. Something was happening. I tensed, my ears pricked. Grunts came from the woods. Dry, brittle leaves rustled. Small branches snapped.
"Cal? Are you okay?" I stepped to the edge of the porch, ready to bound down the steps.
A dark form burst from the trees, running straight toward me. I squinted, trying to make out who or what it was. Going by the broad shoulders, I decided it was Cal.
"What is it?" I edged back. He was closer now and the moonlight showed me the anger on his face.
"Get in the house," he shouted at me.
A black shadow rose up behind him.
I hesitated.
"Now!" The shadow eclipsed him, bringing him down to the ground with a loud thud.
That galvanized me into action. I raced into the house. "Marie, wake up. Something's happened." I streamed past her, heading for the bedroom. "Jackson, we need you. Now. Do you have a gun?" The words spilled out of me in a torrent.
Jackson bolted upright and Chloe hugged her baby close. "What's wrong? The baby?" He cast an anxious glance at Chloe.
I pulled on his arm, urging him to get up. "Cal's outside. Something's attacked him."
Jackson reacted instantly. Jumping to his feet, he ran out of the room, shifting as he went.
"Do you have a gun?" I asked Chloe.
She nodded to the drawer in the nightstand next to the bed. I pulled it open and grabbed the revolver inside. "Is it loaded?"
"Always."
"Stay here," I said, running out of the room.
Marie was up and on her way outside. "What's happening?"
"I don't know." I filled her in as quickly as I could. We were both on the porch now and could see the outline of Cal and Jackson's wolves battling with what looked to be another man. Clouds covered the moon, dimming its glow. I could make out figures and track movement, but identifying anyone required more light.
"Who is that?" asked Marie.
"No idea." I left the porch and crept toward the fight, keeping my movements slow and fluid so I wouldn't attract attention. I just needed to get close enough for a clear shot.
Jackson lunged for the attacker, but the assailant spun away and his jaw snapped on empty air. That put them closer to Cal, who hurled a fist toward the stranger, but he ducked at the last second. Whoever it was, they were fast. Supernaturally so. And held their own against two alphas.
Shit.
"I've got a gun. Back off and I'll shoot him." I raised the gun, ready to take aim, but nothing went as planned.
Jackson moved away a foot or two, but the attacker grabbed Cal around the neck and took cover behind the alpha. I tried to circle around fast enough to come up behind him, but he kept pace with me.
"Who are you?" I growled the question.
Jackson stalked around the stranger who had our alpha by the throat, adding his growl to mine.
I widened my stance. "And what do you want?"
"Oh, excellent. We're finally to the talking part," said a distinctly male voice with a faint patois. It sounded familiar. I'd heard it before, but my ear couldn't place it. "I came for you." He pointed at me.
"I'll be right over, asshole," I said with a snarl. "I hope you don't mind if I bring this gun and plant a bunch of bullets in your head."
"You'll do no such thing."
"Says who?"
"You don't recognize me?"
"No. Sorry. I don't know any murderers."
"Oh, but you do." He poked his head out from behind Cal. The clouds rolled away from the moon and the silver moonlig
ht struck his face. I recoiled at the sight of it, feeling like I'd been kicked in the stomach.
"No. It can't be. You? You?" I stumbled back, shocked by the pinched, oval face sneering at me. I remembered his accent now. "Z-Zion?"
"Did you miss me?" He forced Cal to march forward, coming closer to me.
"You know him?" asked Cal.
"He was part of the blood slave ring. I had no idea he was here." To Zion, I said, "You killed all those people? Why?"
"Just saying hello." He flashed a smile that showed off his long fangs. "I like to be creative. It keeps immortality interesting."
Jackson lunged for him then and Zion slammed a fist into the wolf's side. There was a crack of bone breaking and a yelp. Jackson retreated. Breathing heavily, he paced around Zion, watching the vampire's every move for an opening.
"Easy, wolf. You keep that up and you're going to end up dead," Zion warned.
"You're the one who's going to die. You can't fight two alphas and expect to live," I said. "Leave while you can."
"Why would I leave? I just got here." He laughed. "And I am pumped full of shifter juice. That was a tender morsel you sent me. So full of testosterone and sweet, sweet fear."
My gut clenched at his words. Zion had killed Deputy Todd. I had no doubt. "What do you want?"
"You." His gaze collided with mine, a heavy anchor that dragged all the memories of our time together to the surface. It had been Zion who'd bought me from the alpha Mason and took me to the strip club. He'd forced me into blood slavery and sold me to Davian, almost killing me in the process. I'd survived, but I wasn't the same and the weird cloud over my wolf wasn't even all of the damage. I doubted myself, questioned who I was and what I was worth.
My fingers contracted, the tips of my wolf's claws threatening to poke through. I wanted to sink them into his head and claw off his face.
"You and I have unfinished business, Adele. Let's wrap it up and leave the fine shifters of Huntsville to bury their dead, shall we?"
"I don't owe you anything."
"But you do. Remember, I bought you and that means I own you."
"No," I said.
"Yes. You can protest all you want, but this night ends with you back in my arms, and this time, I'm not letting another vampire have you."