“I still think we should have killed them all.” Seth still brooded over his packbrother’s death with a depth of grief that threatened to suck him away. His depression concerned them all. “Letting the ones the government didn’t want go, just means that they’ll be back.”
“We’ll kill ‘em then.” Chase told him, delivering an easygoing shoulder punch. Seth nodded and turned his attention back to CNN. His dark eyes fixed on the replaying segment as if memorizing every detail.
Strangely, the only clip of the entire fight between the Hunt and the Church of the Clean showed Adam, Bradley and Brandon in battle form protecting some of the fleeing captives. After that, the station ran the longer clips of vampire interviews that eclipsed the tiny two-minute segment of the wolven battle. Vampires donating to charitable causes. Vamps petitioning for their rights. More propaganda popped up every day for the New Age Vampire. Honest, society conscious, do-gooders who just wanted to live in peace with the world. The wolven were still laughing at the blood-suckers attempt to change their image.
Even more coincidental, the only station and satellite to have the clip belonged to vampire electronic mogul Daniel Court. Of course, no one but the supernatural world knew Court was a vampire or that the vampires that had ‘come out’ along with the wolven belonged to Court’s nest of vamps.
The debate was still up in the air as to the whys for the vampires, but as long as the government wasn’t looking to dissect the wolven or weres now under the pack’s protection the issue wasn’t important. Yet another little side effect of the Hunt had somehow brought the weres that ran with the pack that night into the packbond. All parties were still too nervous for the other animals to come too close. But then many, like Jude and the wereraccoons, had taken the opportunity to move their families into pack territory as fast as they could haul their furry backsides across the county line.
“Okay everyone, listen up.” The smell of fresh baked cookies preceded Diana into the den. Hopeful ears perked up.
“Cookies?” Mark bounced up, only to be jerked back down by his mate. “We get cookies?”
Diana laughed and held a tin out of reach. “No, you don’t get these cookies. I have molasses oatmeal cookies cooling in the kitchen for the rest of you.” A round of disappointed awwws and greedy eyes followed her as she stopped in front of Carter. She held the tin out.
India choked back a laugh as she realized what was going on. Chase practically whimpered until she elbowed him. “You’re drooling.” Chase huffed, discretely wiping his mouth as he angled for a better look.
The ex-Hunter was a wary creature none of the others knew quite how to approach. Because of the Hunt, he was sort of pack. Yet, he had not accepted Adam’s offer of a real place among them. “What are these for?” Dark eyes holding more than a little suspicion, Carter accepted the tin. He looked inside at the brightly frosted treats as if they would bite.
Diana smiled. “You won.”
He shook his head. The Canis Matra interrupted with a hand on his shoulder. “The going price for killing the Hunter that killed Rick is two dozen real iced sugar cookies. With real dye and none of that molasses or oatmeal crap.” Her brown eyes honed in on the Beta with laser precision. Mack had the grace to shrug is big plaid covered shoulders in apology. His salt and pepper beard didn’t hide the smile of affection for his Alpha’s mate.
“Thank you?” Carter lifted a cookie out as the room exploded with bright light. Grunts of mild irritation and complaints about Bradley in general told how used the pack was becoming to the to the warden’s popping in and out on both wolven and fairy business.
“Hey! Da—rrrn it.” Mark glared at the warden with Reggie in tow. “You guys made a bet with real cookies? And didn’t let the rest of us in?” Mark glared at the wardens. “That’s so not fair.”
Bradley let go of his charge, then frowned as Mark’s complaint registered. He took in the assembled faces, taking careful note of the guilty ones with narrowed eyes. “No. But someone made a bet without telling the rest of us.” Had Bradley been in wolf form, his ears would have bent at an unhappy angle.
“You snooze, you lose,” Brandon shrugged one shoulder. Standing, he made a slow production of stretching out the kinks as he picked his way past his adopted mother.
Mack bounced to his toes. His new energy since his Change had made him almost as fidgety as the pups. “You gotta adapt,” He sniffed the air and followed Brandon towards the small kitchen. Apparently, oatmeal and molasses crap cookies were better than no cookies.
Chase gave India a peck on the cheek. He was on his feet with a grin and after the others in a less than a moment. “Kid your teleport trick is what’s unfair.”
“All’s fair in love, war,” Adam called from the kitchen. “And cookies. Hey! There’s pie in here!”
India laughed as Bradley rushed his packbrothers with an indignant growl. “Take it outside!” Diana yelled. From somewhere in the kitchen a bowl fell and shattered. “Outside!” she yelled again. Kids, pups, surged to their feet in one motion. If noise had physical form, they would be it. The small army ran after the wrestling males. More bumps and squeals echoed through the house as general chaos took over. The feeling settling somewhere peaceful inside India.
Yes, she was home at last.
The End
Creature Comforts Page 33