by J. K Harper
Logan’s eyes flew open. The familiar ringtone told him Sawyer was calling. Albany rolled off Logan’s chest, half-groaning, half-moaning as she stretched her legs.
Sunlight poured through the window, kissing her naked skin. No longer pressed against the furnace that was his chest, her rosy-tipped nipples pebbled under the cool morning air. Logan forgot all about his ringing phone.
“You should get it,” she murmured, hiding her eyes from the bright sun. “He’ll just call back.”
Grousing, he leaned over her body, kissed her shoulder, and grabbed his phone from where he’d left it on the nightstand.
“Someone better be dead.”
“Someone is,” Sawyer replied, tart. “A few someones, actually.”
Logan sat upright. Albany’s eyes were now fully open and wide with dread.
“Who?”
“No one we know,” Sawyer replied.
The tension drained from Albany’s shoulders, and she put a hand to her heart. Logan also eased.
On the other end of the line, a loud sipping sound told Logan that Sawyer was likely downing a cup of the black tar he called coffee. “Is it cool to talk?”
“It’s cool.” Logan winked to his mate. His actual, honest-to-God mate.
“It’s all over the news. Bunch of college girls in an SUV.”
Albany stiffened. “How many? Were there five?”
“You two already saw?”
“No,” Logan replied. “What happened?”
“Officially? The news is saying animal attack.”
“Unofficially?”
“Unofficially, I just got back with Dad. Main Street’s all cordoned off. Vamp stink is everywhere.”
“Give me an hour.”
“Don’t rush or anything.” Sawyer dropped his voice low. “Monroe asked me to call. You’re sure it’s cool to talk?”
“Oh, just fucking say, you dick!” Albany demanded.
“Well, a good goddamn morning to you, too, sunshine!” Sawyer replied, snarky as ever. “He’s bumped up tomorrow’s meeting. It’s happening in ten.”
“Without us?” Indignant, Albany scowled at Logan’s phone like she expected Sawyer to feel her glare through the connection.
“He figures you two know everything as it is. Unless, of course, Logan hasn’t told you everything. In that case, this just turned into a very awkward conversation.”
“I told her everything.”
“Fan-flippin’-tastic. Anyway, Monroe wants you two to know that depending on how the meeting goes, we might hold the vote tonight. You might wanna head back sooner rather than later.”
“We’ll get breakfast and head back now.”
“Don’t you mean lunch?” Sawyer clicked his tongue, feigning disapproval. “Guess something went bump in the night. Did he give you a big present for your birthday, Alb?”
“Goodbye.” Logan ended the call.
Albany sat very still, grief in her eyes. “We saved her.”
“We did.”
“But it didn’t matter.”
“Plenty of college girls drive around in SUVs. We don’t know that it was the same SUV.” Logan didn’t fully believe his attempt at comfort, and he knew she didn’t either.
“Come on. You need food.” He leaned toward her, resting his forehead to hers. “My mate must be famished.”
“Can’t imagine why.” Her smile started small, but it widened until it reached her eyes. “I’m so happy.”
“Good.” Her auburn locks were wild and wavy. He brushed the strands from her right shoulder, admiring the mark he’d left on her skin. It was rare for a shifter to scar. Usually, only severe wounds left an imprint. But mating marks were forever. “Get used to it.”
“You are so beautiful, Logan Calloway.” Mirroring his gesture, she touched the pads of her fingers to the mark she’d left on his shoulder. “And now you’re even prettier.”
“What have I told you about calling me pretty?”
“That I can call you whatever I want because I’m your mate now.”
He hummed, considering. “That’s true. Just keep the pretty stuff between you and me. We’d never live it down if Sawyer heard you.”
She laughed a little, then eased herself out of bed. Her back showed the evidence of their time outside. Streaks of dirt clung to her shoulder blades. Another shower was in order.
Without another word, he joined her side, bent, and hauled her over his shoulder. Albany laughed and kicked her feet as he carried her into the adjacent bathroom.
Once they were under the spray of hot water, she pressed close and rested the side of her face against his chest. Logan held her, running his soapy hands up and down her back to clean her skin.
“Hey.” She peered up at him, a curious glint in her eyes. “What did you dream about?”
Logan couldn’t help his smile. “Us.”
“You sneak! You caught me.”
“I always catch you.”
Reaching for the soap, she lathered her hands. Her smile lingered, secretive and dazzled. Logan couldn’t blame her.
The ancestral magic that had created the first wolf shifters provided a general connection to the mystic. This connection proved useful in that dreams often provided warnings for potential danger to a pack. The dreams could also lead a wolf to his or her fated partner, provided they knew how to read the signs. But fully mated wolf shifters had the ability to dreamwalk together.
“What was that part at the end, though?” She edged around him, turning her focus to his back. “The stone, I mean.”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think it’s out there? In the forest, I mean.”
“Maybe. We’ll explore sometime.”
“I’d like that.” She kissed the space between his shoulder blades. “I’d also like coffee. And bacon. All the bacon.”
“You got it, baby.”
Chapter 6
Holding open the door, Logan let Albany enter the Alpha House first. The chorus of voices rising from the living room fell silent.
Their mingled scents had revealed their good news before they’d even made it to the doorway.
Logan took Albany’s right hand and led her into the room. Monroe rose from the armchair by the empty fireplace.
Leaping to her feet, Alana clapped both hands over her mouth. Sweeping his dirty blond hair from his eyes, Sawyer sidled out of her way, letting her cross the room unhindered.
Logan stood a little taller and a little straighter as Alana glanced from him to her daughter.
She lowered her hands, revealing her euphoric grin. “Well, hot damn and hallelujah!”
“Sam!” Dixie slapped Sam’s shoulder. “Sam, do you see??”
“Woman, hit them, not me!” Sam said with a laugh.
“She has a ring, too!” Shelby had already flown to the doorway, ready to seize Albany’s hand. Common sense must have kicked in, because she stopped just short of reaching out.
All shifters knew that a newly mated pair would be especially sensitive to outsider touches—even touches from beloved pack members.
Albany held up her left hand, showing the ring to her mother and cousin. Dixie joined them, already fawning.
Sam and Sawyer hung back, waiting for Monroe to act first.
Their alpha approached, his shoulders raised high and his stare indomitable. Logan’s wolf didn’t exactly cower, but he knew to be on his absolute best behavior.
Alana did not recede, but Dixie and Shelby withdrew to Sam’s side.
Monroe approved; Logan had already expressed his intentions. Not that he’d needed to, of course. Even an alpha as intimidating as Monroe Cumberland couldn’t have pulled apart two fated mates. But as the older wolf continued to flick his silver-tinged gaze from Logan to Albany, Logan squared his shoulders.
A proud smile finally curled the corners of the alpha’s lips. “It’s about damn time, pups.”
“It was the perfect time,” Albany said, matter of fact. “The absolute
best time.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Shelby snarked.
Dixie promptly elbowed her daughter in the ribs.
Vampire crisis temporarily forgotten, Monroe clapped one hand over Logan’s left shoulder and the other over Albany’s right. “Hot damn, indeed. This calls for a drink. Come, my love. Show me where you hid the good whiskey.”
He threw an arm around his wife’s shoulders and guided her out of the room. From the wet streaks on Alana’s cheeks, Logan understood that the whiskey provided a cover to allow her to regain her composure.
“You really did give her a big present,” Sawyer said, offering a hand in congratulations.
“I will hit you,” Logan grinned, shaking his best friend’s hand.
Sawyer threw back his head and laughed.
Chapter 7
“There were definitely five women?” Monroe poured himself another drink.
The celebratory atmosphere had turned somber when conversation inevitably returned to the grim topic that the local news was calling, “A Real Life Halloween Bloodbath.”
Nodding, Albany swirled the whiskey in her tumbler. “Have they released the names yet?”
“They’re on the Gazette’s website. Hang on.” Crossing her legs as she sat on the floor by the fireplace, Shelby poked at her phone screen. “Claire Donovan, Brandy Jones, Jules Hawthorne, Rebecca Miles, and Lindsey Lightwater.”
Wishing her shifter metabolism actually allowed her to feel a buzz, Albany knocked back her second whiskey. “The zombie nurse called Black Widow Becky. The cat was Lindsey.”
Logan rested a hand over her left knee. “It’s not your fault.”
“I know,” she said, her voice cracking. “But why them?”
“It could be a coincidence,” Sam offered from his place on the sofa by his wife’s side. “An unlikely, extremely unlucky coincidence.”
“There was something about someone in that car.” Her father’s sage tone should have provided some semblance of comfort, but it didn’t. “Did you smell an animal on any of them?”
“No,” Albany and Logan replied at the same time.
“Maybe one of them was a witch.” Sawyer cracked his knuckles as he leaned one of his shoulders against a nearby wall.
“Could be.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s one more tick on the pro-side of our ‘Pros and Cons’ for relocating list,” Alana said, crossing her legs in the second armchair. “They haven’t attacked any other humans that we’re aware of.”
“It’s true,” Monroe agreed. “They do seem to follow magical blood. Ours included. Every one we’ve downed in the last six months has been within a two-mile radius of our land.”
Albany glanced around the room, checking her family’s faces. “If we left, what happens to Statesboro? Are we seriously going to leave a bunch of humans to be blood bags?”
“What if we’re attracting them?” Shelby fidgeted with her phone. “I mean, let’s say there was one random witch at Georgia Southern. Or maybe she wasn’t even an active witch. Maybe it was just in her blood. So they went after her. Twice. Maybe that’s why you keep finding them near us.”
“What, you think Statesboro would be safer for the humans if we leave?” Albany asked.
“It’s a theory,” Shelby said, shrugging. “Here’s another: if we are attracting them, maybe they’d track us to Vidalia too.”
“We’re literally upwind from Savannah here, Shelbs.” Sawyer pushed away from the wall and began to pace. “Vidalia isn’t.”
Monroe raised a hand to his sister-in-law. “Let’s hear from you, Dixie.”
“I’m not keen,” she replied. “And I know that puts me at odds with the rest of you. But I raised these two babies in that house on the other side of the clearing. It’d break my heart to leave it behind.”
“No one’s at odds,” Monroe drawled. “We’re still just talking.”
“I think we all feel the same, Dixie.” Alana offered a weak smile. “But there are other issues at play here. Statesboro will always be home, but it’s not the same place it was all those years ago when we first broke ground. It’s a proper college town now, after all. Maybe that’s been our saving grace so far. Good ole’ Sheriff Ted isn’t going to pay much mind to bright-eyed freshmen claiming they’ve heard wolves in the woods. But eventually, he will.”
“There’s also the matter of Antebellum,” Sam added. “We keep focusing on the vampires, but we all know they’re a symptom of a different disease.”
“And, again, we’re just up wind.” Sawyer continued to pace, his human gestures as erratic as his wolf’s. “We can take on vampires, within reason. But witches? How do you even take on a witch?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Albany watched Logan for a reaction. Stolid, he sat straight and stared forward.
He’d never known his mother’s name, let alone her supernatural status. Albany felt a rising sense of guilt over the brevity of last night’s conversation.
“Maybe it’d be different if we had a larger pack, like Sweetwater—” Sam started.
Logan and Sawyer promptly growled at the mention of the other pack.
“Oh, fuck Sweetwater,” Sawyer said, dragging a hand through his hair. “That fuckin’ gamma. I ain’t questioning you, Pops, but the world would be a better place if you’d let Logan tear that fucker apart.”
Albany pursed her lips, not needing the reminder of the pack war that almost broke out the year before because Jude Chatham didn’t know how to keep his oily paws to himself.
“Enough,” Monroe said, his voice booming. “We’ve made peace with Sweetwater. Alder Thorne is a wolf of his word.”
“I’m willing to go with the majority,” Dixie said, clearly sensing the need to redirect the conversation. “It ain’t like I’m gonna cross my arms and sit out in the yard while you all drive away to greener fields. I’m just saying this isn’t an easy choice.”
“And I recommend we sleep on it,” Monroe replied, glancing from Sam to Logan.
“Why?” Dixie asked, defeat in her voice. “Half of you have had the luxury of considering this over the last six months. Sam and Sawyer have their minds made up. Alana, too. And I think it’s fair to say Logan isn’t going to turn down a chance to find out where he came from. Which means it’s even safer to say Albany will follow, especially now. That just leaves you, me, and Shelby, Monroe.”
Monroe scrubbed a hand through his beard. “Shelby, what are your thoughts?”
“I guess I’m mostly with Mama. This is our home.” She traded an uneasy frown with Dixie. “But if everyone else wants to go, then I’m calling dibs on the rocking chair we strap to the back of whichever truck we ride outta this popsicle stand. Might as well leave in style.”
Everyone laughed, even Monroe. He turned to Albany.
“And you, pup? Do you have any strong objections you’d like to offer for consideration?”
Albany licked her bottom lip, tasting the lingering tang of whiskey.
“I can’t imagine losing a single one of you. And I don’t want to imagine losing a single one of you to something as awful as a vampire bite. Statesboro sure as hell wouldn’t feel like home anymore. I don’t think anywhere would.”
Logan rubbed the pad of his thumb over her knee, like he wanted to remind her he was there.
“I know we’re wolves,” she continued. “I know we’re supposed to protect our territory. Defend our boundaries. But home isn’t just a place. It’s the people in that place. For as much as I love this house and our woods, I’d burn Statesboro to the ground if it kept everyone here safe.”
“Aww.” Sawyer put a hand over his heart. “You precious little pyromaniac.”
Albany looked away, but she felt her father’s eyes searing a hole in her forehead. She straightened her posture, expecting to see a reprimanding glower. Instead, she saw pride.
“Hear, hear, pup.”
“Ah, hell,” Dixie wiped at her cheeks. “Let’s just vote now. I mean, you know, if Monroe
tells us to. Sorry.”
Monroe waved away her apology, seeming unusually placid. Then again, Albany supposed he wanted everyone to feel comfortable enough to speak their minds.
“All in favor of relocating the Cumberland pack?”
Logan stood first. Sam quickly followed his lead. Sawyer stilled his pacing and joined his father’s side.
Albany also stood. She slid her left hand into Logan’s right. He squeezed his fingers around hers, appearing relieved.
After a beat of hesitation, Dixie rose to her feet. Sighing, Shelby hopped up from her spot on the floor.
“My love?” Monroe turned his question to Alana. Albany watched as her parents regarded one another with a calm and understanding earned from over thirty years of sharing every happiness, every sorrow, every dream.
She offered him her hand, and they rose together.
Monroe’s pensive expression didn’t exactly inspire confidence. “Looks like it’s unanimous.”
No one cheered.
“Logan and I should have a talk,” he continued. “Work out the logistics. This won’t happen overnight. In the interim, let’s be smart. And safe. Stick close to the houses after dark. Don’t go out alone. No runs or hunts tonight. Is that last part clear?”
One by one, everyone nodded.
“All right. Good talk, everyone. I’m glad we did this.” Monroe nodded to Albany. “Mind if I steal him for a while?”
“Just be sure to give him back.”
“We oughta check the perimeter before the sun sets,” Sam said, nudging Sawyer. “Come on, boy.”
Once the men had left the room, Alana returned to her seat in the second armchair. Albany joined her, perching on the left arm. She took her mother’s hand and squeezed.
“Does this mean we should start packing now?” Dixie asked, bewildered as she pulled Shelby into a one-armed hug.
“I think we should all have another drink now.” Albany seized the bottle of whiskey and topped up their glasses.
“To home.” Alana lifted her glass. “And the people who make it.”
“Oh, stop,” Dixie said, wiping at her face again. “That’s gonna make me bawl. Let’s talk about something else.”