One Second (Seven Series Book 7)

by Dannika Dark

  When I heard a muffled sound, I unplugged an ear.

  “Who?” Denver shouted back.

  “Only about twenty bikers in the front yard. The war is also over. We won,” I said sarcastically, turning around.

  A draft blew against my back, and I heard heavy panting.

  “What the train wreck is going on out there?”

  “Are you dressed?” I yelled.

  “Toss me those,” he muttered to Maizy.

  The thick smell of sex wafted in my general direction, and I shivered.

  Denver entered the hall and stood in front of me. “What’s up?” His cheeks were red, his lips swollen, his blond hair mussed, and his shirt was sticking to his sweaty chest. “If dickhead sent you up here to—”

  “Jericho didn’t send me up here. I can’t give any details until I know what Austin wants to tell the pack, but these men came a long way to help us out. They’re not staying with us, but until they leave, we need to be hospitable to our guests and feed them, so fire up the grill.”

  He paced in a small circle, and the music suddenly cut off.

  “What’s going on?” Maizy came out with her hair in a ponytail. She’d put on a pair of knee-length jean shorts and one of Denver’s shirts.

  I shook my head. “I think we’re getting close.”

  “Why do you look so worried?” she asked. “We’re prepared.”

  Prepared to die? That was the first thought that came to mind. “I don’t think we’ll ever be prepared enough for what’s coming, Maze. Things don’t always go as planned; it just seems too perfectly laid out. I don’t know—I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen, and I haven’t been able to shake it for months.”

  Denver flashed his eyes at me. “Don’t say that. You can’t go around saying stuff like that. You’ll jinx us.”

  Maizy slapped his arm. “Don’t be so obtuse.”

  He quirked a brow and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Don’t go using all those fancy university words on me. You know how it turns me on.”

  I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath until I let it go. I backed up against the doorframe, and Maizy gripped my arm.

  “Lexi, what’s wrong?”

  For the first time, I felt pain in my womb.

  Chapter 21

  “This is the dumbest thing we’ve ever done,” I mused to myself. I gripped the railing on the front porch, watching the pack of wolves in our yard. “Someone’s going to get hurt.”

  Austin and Axel had decided that before anyone left, they needed to introduce the two packs in wolf form to make sure we didn’t end up killing each other in battle. It was something we had also done with Lorenzo’s pack a couple of months ago, and a few fights broke out before everyone settled down and submitted to their respective Packmaster.

  Naya rested her forearms on the flat ledge and leaned forward, the wind ruffling the dark curls in her hair. “Darling, dumb will be when it’s my turn to shift in front of those poor boys. What are the odds that half of them will run away with their tail between their legs?”

  I laughed at the thought. “I hope you fed your panther.”

  Jericho shifted back to human form and cockily strutted away from the pack. He lifted his Pink Floyd T-shirt off the grass and left his pants behind.

  “Why does he always plan this kind of shit when I have on my good shirt?” he complained, heading up the steps and into the house.

  Axel and Austin looked like ringleaders at a circus. Axel had stripped out of his leathers and was bent over with his hands on his knees so he could look each of his packmates in the eye to maintain control.

  “But I want to watch!” Melody complained from inside.

  “Skedaddle!” Denver barked as he came out the door.

  He eased up on my right, and a dribble of milk splashed on my hand.

  I glanced down at the dried milk on his chest and stains on his grey sweats. “How can you eat cereal when it’s almost time for dinner?”

  He slurped up a big spoonful of the colorful rings and crunched. “This is just an appetizer. Standing over that grill makes a man hungry. So, who’s pussied out so far?”

  “No one. Did you call your boss?”

  Jake didn’t like his staff calling in last-minute since it was hard to get someone to fill in, especially since Frank was the only other full-time bartender.

  “Let’s just say I owe Frank big-time. He was chowing down at the hot-sauce festival when I called him, and now he has to tend bar all night with a raging colon. You feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, it was nothing,” I said, waving my hand.

  The pain that had hit me outside Denver’s bedroom was so fleeting that I figured the baby had stepped on a nerve. This was my first pregnancy, so it’s not as though I knew all the normal feelings that went along with it. If it happened again, I’d call my Relic, but there was no sense in worrying Austin. He was too preoccupied with building a new strategy with Axel at the last minute, and one distraction could affect his decisions. The pack needed him at one hundred percent.

  We watched Izzy go next. Her flaming-red hair swirled around her head like a vortex of fire when she shifted into a beautiful white wolf with black paws. The other wolves lifted their noses, and Austin stood very close to her, throwing off his alpha power as a warning to the other wolves. They came up to her in groups, whining, licking her muzzle, and some wagging their tails.

  “Easy,” Axel said. “She’s mated, so don’t get any ideas, you horny bastards.”

  Naya chuckled. “Like that’s going to happen.”

  When Izzy’s wolf lifted her leg and peed on a wolf, Austin belted out a laugh. Axel didn’t look as amused.

  Izzy shifted back to human form and gracefully stood up. Her red hair cascaded over her shoulders, a stunning contrast against her porcelain complexion. She quickly stepped into her jeans and grabbed her shirt. “I did that on purpose,” she said, flouncing off and holding her chin high.

  When I heard giggling, I turned my attention to the balcony on the second floor.

  “I know you’re up there, boys,” Izzy said, climbing up the porch steps. “And you better be gone in about five seconds.”

  Thunderous footfalls sounded, and then a door slammed above me. Austin didn’t like the kids around when wolves were being introduced. Even though they were safe on the second floor, it could be traumatic if they witnessed one of their packmates caught in a fight. Aside from that, something I’d learned about Shifter children was that they’re born with all the instincts of their animal, even if they haven’t gone through the first change. The greatest risk was them rushing into a fight to help their packmate, and without the ability to shift and heal, the results could be fatal.

  “Who went already?” Denver asked.

  “Just about everyone. Even Maddox, and that was a sight to behold.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, saw that from the window. Just wait until they get a load of Naya.”

  To reduce the risk of a pack fight, Austin had sent everyone in the house except for those who hadn’t gone. Denver went first since his wolf was the craziest, and Maizy stayed by his side to keep him under control. But when it was her turn, Denver was banished to the house to prevent him from losing control of his wolf if one of Axel’s men so much as growled at her.

  I stood up and arched my back, rubbing the sore muscles on the curve of my spine. “Naya’s going last, if she goes at all. Wheeler’s still up, but everyone else is done. April just let them smell her.”

  “Bet she loved that,” he remarked, his voice deadpan.

  Naya stood up and leaned against the rail. “Reno was upstairs on the balcony holding a gun with one of those little binocular things,” she said, circling her finger.

  Denver spoke around a mouthful of cereal. “Sniper rifle. And that would have been epic.”

  Naya removed her watch and handed it to me. “Foolish, you mean.”

  “Your mom handled it like a boss,” Denver said, sett
ing his empty bowl on a table near the door. “Did you see how she smacked that one wolf on the snout when he sniffed a little too closely?”

  A bubble of laughter slipped out, and I erupted into my Beaker laugh. I quickly covered my mouth, remembering our guests down below.

  “Come on, Naya. Let’s get this over with,” Austin shouted, veiling the absolute horror I’m sure he felt. He could control the wolves in our pack, but Naya’s panther was another story.

  Naya gave me one of her rings and sighed. “Here goes nothing.”

  “Nothing my ass,” Denver murmured, sidling up next to me as we watched her cross the grassy lawn. “Oh, Jesus. Look who just joined the party.”

  Spartacus appeared from under the house and trotted beside Naya, swinging his little butt as if he sensed his mama was in peril.

  “Pssst!” Denver made a loud sound that made the cat turn and look at him. Then he clapped his hands.

  Sparty kept his wide, defiant eyes on us while he sat down behind Naya.

  “I’m not responsible for what my pack might do to that cat,” Axel warned her.

  Naya kicked off her shoes. “And I’m not responsible for what I might do if so much as one hair on his body is ruffled out of place.”

  Austin shook his head. “That cat has the biggest set of balls I’ve ever seen. Naya, don’t fade out. As soon as you feel yourself slipping, I want you to shift back. We’re going to have the wolves shift along with you, just to be on the safe side.”

  “Mmm, this should be interesting,” she purred.

  “Damn right about that,” Denver murmured. “I hope Wheeler’s still in the shower.”

  “You need to go inside, crazy wolf,” I said, glaring up at him. “Austin’s giving you the evil eye for a reason.”

  “Until he says something, I’m not missing this for the world.”

  Nerves tightened in my belly as Naya put her hands on her hips and let the wolves circle around to catch her scent in human form.

  “What’s that phrase Wheeler always uses?” Denver lowered his voice as the front door opened. “Oh yeah. And boom goes the dynamite. See ya.”

  Denver skipped past Wheeler and into the house. Wheeler hadn’t put on his shirt, so I watched him descend the steps—his tattoos on prominent display. Especially the dragon across his back.

  “I gave you orders. Get back inside,” Austin barked out, pointing his finger.

  Wheeler stopped a few feet from the steps and folded his arms. “With all due respect, that ain’t happening. Either I’m present, or she’s not shifting.”

  Naya pivoted around. “I have everything under control, Mr. Grumpy. Go make me a plate, and I’ll be right in.”

  Axel made no comment. He didn’t know our pack dynamic well enough to butt in.

  “This was such a bad idea,” I murmured, drumming my fingers on my stomach. “You know, your daddy once tried to convince me that packs live ordinary lives just like humans. Your daddy was a big fat liar. Sure, we go to the Alamo Drafthouse for a few beers and a movie, then pump gas in the car like every other normal citizen. But when we come home, we magically change into furry little animals who want to kill each other.”

  “I need this to go smooth,” Austin continued.

  “As a baby’s bottom,” Wheeler assured him.

  Which didn’t leave Austin reassured in the least. But since Wheeler was the only one who could control Naya, it was the better option.

  Naya executed a graceful shift that transformed her voluptuous form into that of a magnificent black panther. One who immediately growled to make her presence known.

  Almost half the wolves stepped back, barking hysterically. Some whimpered and turned in circles, looking at their Packmaster for guidance.

  Axel glanced over his shoulder at Austin. “If I live to tell my grandkids about this, I’m going to advise them never to do anything this asinine.” He approached Naya’s panther and knelt beside her.

  Naya was still in there and probably had a little control, because her cat stretched out her neck and smelled his face.

  I’d never seen such a tough-looking man look like petrified wood. He could have been a lawn ornament for how still he was. And with his bald head and white goatee, he kind of favored a garden gnome.

  “All right, boys. Play nice,” Axel said, coaxing his pack toward them.

  A few wolves bravely darted forward at the cat—almost as if they were playing with her—and then circled behind the others. Axel slowly rose to his feet and dragged a few stubborn ones over until they smelled each other.

  Meanwhile, my stomach was turning round and round like a carriage on a Ferris wheel.

  Wheeler widened his legs, lowered his chin, and kept his arms folded. Spartacus sat next to him, swishing his tail back and forth.

  Naya’s panther growled, and the rumbling sound was the kind of thing that sent chills up a man’s spine. When I looked at the windows, noses were pressed against the glass—expressions ranging from disbelief to fear.

  Naya’s animal was tough, but against a pack of twenty wolves? There was no telling.

  My heart raced, and I struggled for a calming breath, blowing it out slowly so as not to frighten the little baby inside me.

  One of the wolves lunged, and Axel hooked his arm around the aggressor’s neck before he made contact with the panther. “Back down!” Axel shoved him to the ground and slapped his nose, glaring at him until the wolf submitted.

  Wheeler lowered his arms and took a step forward. Whether it was a panther pit or an entire pack of wolves, he’d fight for his woman.

  To the death.

  The pack grew restless, pacing in circles, so Axel stood up with outstretched arms. “Shift!” The command was so powerful it raised the hair on the back of my neck.

  The wall of fur moved, changed, and transformed into men and women who were either kneeling down or sitting up.

  Axel’s pack rose to their feet in stunned silence, watching the panther pacing before them and owning her territory with a fierce swipe of her paw.

  Austin raked his hair back, his voice filled with relief. “Naya, shift.”

  With a reluctant growl, her cat circled around and changed into an even more beautiful creature, black curls of hair covering her shoulders as she rose from all fours and stood up.

  A few of the men couldn’t take their eyes off her, and it had nothing to do with her being a panther.

  Wheeler stalked forward when one of them in the back whistled and a few laughs erupted. “If you like those eyeballs you’re giving my woman, then you better get them off her.”

  Wheeler didn’t just lay down the threat—he made it clear he’d carry it out with a spoon and a smile on his face. All eyes lowered, and a few of them conversed privately.

  Naya slipped into her nude-colored dress and lifted her shoes with two fingers, giving Wheeler a playful pat on the behind as she passed by him. He glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes smoldering with each swing of her shapely hips.

  Austin waved me over. “Your turn.”

  I folded my arms. “Not until they shift back!”

  Axel chuckled, looking at his naked pack. “You heard the lady.”

  While the men reluctantly shifted back to their wolves, I gripped the railing and carefully stepped down. Now that my belly was in full effect, I couldn’t see where I was going, not to mention my balance was all off-center.

  Austin stalked across the lawn and made it to the bottom step before I did. He hooked his arms beneath mine and lifted me to the ground.

  “Light as a feather,” he said, huffing out a breath.

  “Liar.”

  “Don’t be afraid, Ladybug. I’m not going to let them hurt you,” he assured me. “No matter what kind of alliance I have with Axel, I won’t blink an eye about tearing his men apart if they step out of line.” He brushed his knuckles across my cheek and put me at ease. “You can do this.”

  “You better promise, because I can’t shift, and I sure can’t r
un.”

  He leaned in tight. “I don’t think I have to tell you that every male and female in our pack is standing in the windows and ready to bolt out that door if anything goes wrong. You’re their alpha female, and they’ll die for you.”

  “Is Reno upstairs with the gun?”

  “He’s sitting on the ledge of the upstairs window. It’s making Axel nervous, so let’s get this over with.”

  Austin planted a chaste kiss on my lips, and I caught his scent—musky and intoxicating. As much as I wanted to curl up in his arms and go back inside, I couldn’t let him or the pack down by chickening out.

  The wolves paced restlessly, some playfully leaping on their hind legs to wrestle with others. Axel looked more nervous with me approaching them than he did with Naya. Most Shifter wolves wouldn’t attack women or children in human form, but that wasn’t necessarily a golden rule. Wolves could be skittish and aggressive by nature.

  I slowly waddled forward, a gust of wind whipping my straight hair in front of my face. I reached up and pulled it back, holding it that way with one hand until the wind died down. An orange butterfly danced in the sunlight, making me forget I was approaching a pack of wolves I didn’t know.

  Their eyes found me, and the activity died down as the sound that hung in their throats was low and barely audible.

  Better not be growling at me, I thought to myself, staring at one particular wolf who was showing the most teeth.

  Austin stayed within arm’s reach, his eyes locked on the pack, his muscles tight and hard as granite. I gave him a nervous glance before taking the final steps forward, my hands curved protectively around my belly.

  One of the wooden wind chimes Austin had made clacked in the tree ahead, startling a few of the wolves, who turned anxiously to look. A white wolf drew nearer, stretching his neck and pulling in my scent. His long tongue lapped out a few times until he tasted my hand. I showed no fear since animals could smell it, and the only way to do that was to hum a song in my head. The only tune that immediately came to mind was one from a show that Denver had been watching the previous night, insisting it was a classic.