by Dannika Dark
Ben’s howling wolf snapped him back to reality. “I need to lock up.”
Edward lifted his bag and hesitated. “Should you need help, give me a ring.”
Austin took a step forward. “As a Relic, I’m assuming you know the code about confidentiality. Everything you’ve seen here tonight and whatever you’re speculating about in your head—”
“Won’t move past my lips,” Edward finished. “I assure you that I understand the gravity of the situation. It wouldn’t be prudent for me to reveal anything which could put my clients in danger, but I feel as if I should offer my help.”
“It might put you in danger.”
A smile touched Edward’s lips. “Did I ever mention that this job can be as dull as dishwater? A man like me could use a little excitement—get in the trenches and make a difference.”
Austin recognized Edward was extending his hand to offer him personal care should one of his packmates sustain injuries beyond their healing magic. And then there were the children to consider.
He nodded respectfully at the Relic. “I appreciate your offer, and I might take you up on it.”
“I’ll be ready to move if summoned.” After bowing, Edward ambled toward the door and took one last look over his shoulder at Austin. “If you doubt, she’ll doubt. Be her rock.”
Austin headed toward the study when the door opened. Lexi had slipped into a camo jacket with a black shirt underneath.
“Dammit, I can’t wear this!” she said in a panic. “Whose idea was it to put the pregnant woman in a size zero jacket? It won’t zip up, and why do I need to wear this anyhow? I’m going to sweat to death.”
Austin laughed. It could hardly be helped. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “We’ll find you something better. Don’t worry, Ladybug. I’ll take care of everything.”
***
Nobody knew exactly how big I would end up getting during this pregnancy, so a lot of the clothes we’d special ordered were too small. Austin had lent me his oversized camouflage T-shirt. It was perfect, and the sleeves hung to my elbows. He still wanted me to wear the jacket so my arms would stay covered and I wouldn’t end up a banquet for the mosquitoes.
“Tell me again why we can’t just hunker down in the house with all of Reno’s guns?” I asked, ducking below a branch and praying the soft give in the dirt I’d just stepped on wasn’t an ant mound.
“We went over this already. That’s how you become an easy target. You know those news stories you see every so often where the criminal locks himself up in a house and has a standoff with police?”
“Yeah.”
“Do they ever win?”
Damn. He had a point.
Austin placed his hand on my stomach to slow me down and then kicked a branch out of the way. “Ammo runs out, food runs out, and eventually the police storm in because the person in the house has no place to go. You don’t want to be in a position where you’re surrounded; that’s something I learned as a bounty hunter.”
“Well, I just hope someone brought toilet paper.”
Austin slowed his pace. “There’s a trap up here, so remember your bearings.” He faced me, his flashlight shining on my shoes. “If for some reason you have to run, pay attention to where you are.”
“What if I get turned around?”
“Don’t.”
“Easy for you to say.”
He brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. It was up in a ponytail, but a branch had tugged some of it loose. “Reno’s wolf marked all the traps, so at least our wolves will know to avoid them.”
“And the rogues will do just the opposite and pee on top of it for dominance. Then they’ll fall in.”
He pinched my nose. “You got it. Best kind of bait there is.”
Something hit me in the head, and I shone my flashlight down at a peanut.
“Do that again, and I’m coming up after you,” Austin bit out.
I glanced up and didn’t see anything, not until Denver clicked on his flashlight and held it beneath his chin, making a face. The tree stands were painted and hidden behind fake leaves to blend in. Some were just chairs, and others were more contained, like a small tree house, so we had a place to stretch out and set our bags down. Some had branches low enough to easily climb and reach them, while others Reno had hammered in steps that looked like broken stumps.
But I couldn’t climb a tree in my condition, so Austin led me to an underground bunker. They’d built a few on the property that were four feet deep—not tall enough to stand in, but fairly cozy if you didn’t mind creepy things slithering through the cracks.
Austin lifted the small hatch, which had a cover made of leaves and sticks to keep it concealed.
I stared into the dark hole and clutched his arm. “I don’t like spiders.”
“There aren’t any spiders in there.”
“Then you go first and check.”
Reno had done his best to make the underground hideouts watertight by using cinder block, but stuff could still get through the hatch door.
“Hold this up,” Austin said.
It didn’t open like a regular door but lifted up with hinges in the back. That way we could prop it up a few inches and see what was going on.
Austin’s light shone in the dark hole, and he stomped his foot once. He crawled out of the small space and tossed my bag in. “Your pillow and sleeping bag are sealed up in a trash bag. Your backpack has weapons, but I had Reno put a knife down here just in case.”
I glanced around the woods, unable to see anything but shadows. Our packmates were spread out in the area. Denver was closest to me, and Austin would position himself away from the bunker. He knew rogues would sense his presence and didn’t want to draw them to me.
We held each other in a tight embrace, and he whispered, “I love you.”
A legion of butterflies swarmed in my stomach—the nervous kind. Hearing those words reminded me of what I stood to lose. “Austin, I’m scared.”
He could have said “Don’t be” or just thrown me into the hole, but instead, he whistled with his fingers—three sharp sounds.
Austin shone his light in the direction from where footsteps were quickly approaching. The fog wasn’t as dense, but it left me with an eerie feeling when William emerged as if he were a phantom from a dream. He skidded to a halt so suddenly that his foot slid out from beneath him, and he fell on his ass.
When Denver chortled, Austin snapped his finger to silence him.
“I think something just ripped,” William grumbled, wiping the dirt off his hands after he stood up.
“Change of plans, Will. I want you to sit with Lexi tonight.”
William nodded, his backpack sliding off his shoulder. Austin wanted us to carry them everywhere.
William moved around me, and they talked in low voices while I scanned our surroundings. I knew the property around our house like the back of my hand, but the fog made me uncertain how well I could navigate.
“Hey!” I whispered. “Wipe your shoes before going in there, or take them off.”
“I’m not taking off my shoes,” William protested.
“Then don’t track mud all over the spot where I’ll be sleeping. The left side of the room is yours.”
“Indeed.” After a quick scrape of his shoes with a stick, he hopped in and crouched down. “Cozy.”
I snorted. The bunker was more of a crawlspace, so the only option was to sit or lie down.
Austin cupped my cheeks, planting a kiss on my mouth. I savored it. Every brush of his lips, prickle of his whiskers, and especially the warmth from his hands. “You know where I’ll be. Just remember we’ve got you surrounded. The pack is spread out, with you in the middle. Stay hidden, and if someone gets close enough, use your shots wisely. The archers have the best visibility, so let them thin the herd.”
The archers were Katharine, Melody, Izzy, and Trevor. All had shown exceptional skill with the bow.
The door reminded me of
the hood of a car because Reno had installed a metal prop to hold it up if we needed to peer out or get fresh air. Austin held it open while William gave me his hand and helped me step onto the bench in front of the opening.
“Stay quiet in there,” Austin said. “No talking above a whisper, and stay alert. Listen for a level red.”
The hatch door closed and buried us in darkness.
Our alert system came in the form of sounds. Austin had a series of whistles for each person, and everyone knew how to make a dove call with their hands—it was something we sometimes did when sitting on the porch after conversations died down.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, Will.”
He shifted around, searching for a comfortable position.
I rested my back against the wall, my legs outstretched in front of me. “Have you ever delivered a baby before?”
His flashlight immediately clicked on, piercing my eyes.
I laughed. “Just kidding. Get that off of me.”
William reached in his bag and pulled out a thin shirt, draping it over the flashlight to mute the brightness. “Don’t play jokes like that,” he whispered back.
“I keep feeling like I forgot something.”
“Did you turn the stove off?” he asked with a smirk.
“Don’t make jokes like that.”
William brushed his hair away from his face and pinched a few whiskers. “Mustn’t worry about critters, if that’s why your eyes are skating about. If I were in your shoes, I’d be more concerned that I recently ate a can of baked beans.”
I flicked a small pebble at him even though he was just trying to distract me.
“Have you ever been through anything like this?” I asked.
He knocked the toes of his black boots together. “I didn’t have to dress like G.I. Joe, but I’ve been to battle twice.”
“But nothing this big.”
He leaned forward. “Say, got anything good to eat? I know how pregnant women hoard food.”
“Keep that up and I’ll put you on car wash duty when this is all over.”
Will drew up his legs and wrapped his arms around his knees.
Something occurred to me. “Where’s Spartacus?”
What to do with Spartacus had been an ongoing debate for the past few months. Austin didn’t want the cat meowing and drawing attention to our hiding places, and Naya didn’t want to leave him behind.
“She put him out,” he said. “Not without a flood of tears, but he’s got plenty of food from several of those continual feeders, and I don’t think we have anything to worry about where water is concerned.”
I smirked. “He’s probably swimming in the creek right now. What about Ben’s wolf?”
William quietly cleared his throat. “Austin spoke to his wolf the way only an alpha can. He’s staying on the property.”
My heart sank. “But if the rogues come up from the road, it’ll just be Ben… all by himself.”
“He’s a smart wolf. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I guess. I just hope he doesn’t do something stupid like fight a pack of wolves to the death.”
“At least it’s not winter,” William remarked. “We’d be down here having to get naked and hold each other for warmth.”
I kicked at his foot and smiled. “Stop trying to make me laugh.”
“Know any campfire songs?”
I thought about taking my shoes off to get comfortable and opted against it when a thought flitted through my mind of having to run through the forest without my boots on.
I untied the black garbage sack and unrolled the sleeping bag. “I hope I can fit in this thing.”
William crawled over and helped lay it down flat. “How many weeks do you have to go?”
“Three.”
William unzipped the sleeping bag and folded the top back. “Go on and get some shut-eye. I’ll take the first watch.”
I crawled forward across the floor and onto the soft bedding, resting my head on the cool pillow and missing the smell of my sheets. I circled my finger around my stomach, thinking about how much I loved our home.
“Goodness’ sake, girl. Take your shoes off.”
“If I need to run, I’m doing it with my shoes on.”
He snorted and pulled one of them off before I could stop him. “Something tells me you won’t be running, with or without shoes.”
I wasn’t sure if William meant because of my condition or courage, but I decided to put one of those assumptions to rest. “Use the silencer while keeping guard so we don’t draw attention to our hiding spot. If you have to fire your gun, close the hatch immediately afterward.”
“Will do.” He took off my other shoe and zipped up the bag. “Let’s just hope they don’t have their wolves sniff us out.”
“Not likely. It’s harder to sneak up on us if their wolves are running around barking and howling. They’ll shift to fight, but not if they’re just scouting.”
My back started hurting, so I turned on my right side.
He tested the hatch door with his fingertips. “Do the doors have a lock?”
“No.”
William sat on the bench near my feet. “Why’s that?”
“Do you really want to be trapped in here because of a malfunctioning lock? I’d rather fight for my life than hide like a coward. Austin’s right about leaving the house; it’s no different sitting in this bunker. They could pour gasoline on the top and burn us alive.”
William shivered. “Now there’s a pleasant campfire story. Did you pack any s’mores?”
“Sorry, you asked. What time is it?”
He glanced at his watch. “One.”
“Wake me at dawn. I’ll take over so you can get some rest. I know everyone outside has sleeping shifts, but this works better since we can wake each other up.”
“Sounds like a plan.” William crawled across the floor and grabbed the flashlight. “I’ll just be turning this off now. Do me a favor and don’t scream.”
I tensed. “Why would I scream?”
“It tends to attract attention.” He scooted closer, and my heart ticked an extra beat.
“Yeah, but you didn’t answer my question. Why would I scream?”
Will’s eyes weren’t on mine. They were on the wall just behind my head.
Nightmares came in all forms that night, but nothing quite as terrifying as the creepy crawlies that came alive when the lights went out.
Chapter 24
Before dawn, an owl had startled me awake. William was sitting on the bench with heavy-lidded eyes, so we switched places. Beef jerky for breakfast wasn’t terrible, but it sure wasn’t crispy bacon in a buttermilk biscuit. We’d packed dry goods in resealable bags—most of it being nutritious food like meat, nuts, and dried fruit. Reno had stocked ready-to-eat military food, which looked about as appealing as a can of Alpo. Reno made the rounds, stopping in every two hours to see how we were doing. Austin looked in on me once before he went to check the traps.
Months of training hadn’t prepared me for urinating behind a bush, and executing that maneuver in my third trimester was an achievement. I felt like one of those Weebles on the verge of rolling over.
“There’s no way I can do this for the next three weeks,” I complained to William.
He held my arm, escorting me back to our bunker through the dense morning fog. William had left markers using small sticks to guide us back from our designated bathroom.
“If they don’t come for us by then, I’m going to hunt them down. No man makes me pee in a bush.”
“I’ll see if anyone has a cup,” he offered.
“What for?”
“You’re pregnant, and I’m guessing your bladder is about the size of a peanut, which means we’ll be taking frequent trips.”
I squeezed his arm. “Judging by the small lake I left back there, I beg to differ.”
We stepped over a fallen branch, and I noticed the fog thinning. Reno’s silhouette appeared ahead of u
s, dark paint still on his face.
“You stick out like a sore thumb,” I said. “The fog isn’t helping our camouflage situation.”
“It will if you’re hidden where you’re supposed to be,” he grumbled. “What are you doing out again?”
“She had to water the lilies,” William declared.
I slugged him in the arm.
“Nature calls,” William sang, excusing himself from the conversation and heading off to the left.
Reno scratched the back of his neck. “The perimeter’s clear.”
I pulled my ponytail tighter. “Have you slept at all? You should know the rules about our sleeping shifts because you came up with them. Tired people make mistakes.”
“Axel’s working with us, and they’re close if we need their support. One of the insiders tipped us off that Judas is sending his men in.”
I dodged his gaze and scanned the area, the trees standing like slim shadows hiding in smoke. William and Trevor were talking to each other nearby.
“William should be out here, not in there with me,” I said quietly. “We need all the eyes and ears we can get.”
“I don’t know.” Reno’s brown eyes narrowed into slivers. “If Austin wanted him to—”
“Austin sent him down there to babysit me, but I’m fine. We need capable men watching out for rogues. If someone has to sit with me, send one of the kids. They shouldn’t be out there anyhow.”
“If they’re old enough to hold a weapon, they’re old enough to fight,” Reno said matter-of-factly.
That was the Shifter way, but it didn’t make it any less weird for me to accept.
“You armed?” he asked, staring at my oversized shirt.
I lifted it and showed him the gun on my hip. Reno didn’t seem as interested in the gun as he was my round belly. The look in his eyes shifted to that of concern.
The silence broke with a dove’s cry in two short intervals.
“Two are on the move,” Reno said. “Out of range.”