by Tara West
By the time she made it to the Strongpaw’s room, she wasn’t shocked to find the door had been ripped off its hinges and the opening widened as if her mates had busted out the frame. She was surprised when she saw a hulking gray rhino pressing a crazed werewolf against the wall with its massive horned head. Drasko was behind her, axe raised, demanding she let go of the creature.
The rhino Amara assumed was Nakomi answered with a grunt, steam pouring from her snout. Hakon stood behind them, disoriented and rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Amara, stay away,” Drasko said, holding out a staying hand.
Hakon blocked her, trying to herd her back to the hall.
“Please,” she begged. “You have to let me try.”
“What if he bites you?”
She smiled. “He won’t, because you won’t let him.”
The beast howled and tried to break free. Hakon latched onto Amara’s hand and pulled her forward. “Let her try, Drasko.”
Drasko used the axe handle to pin the creature’s arm against the wall. “You have a few seconds, Amara, and then I start chopping.”
She cringed when she touched Albert’s skin, which reminded her of tree bark. He bucked and howled with such ferocity, she was terrified to close her eyes, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate otherwise.
Hakon at her back brought a sense of comfort. “You can do this, Amara.”
She closed her eyes and felt the magic stir. Her fingers ached as warmth spilled out, though not as badly as before. Clasping Albert’s arm, she felt tree bark give way to rubber and finally to soft skin. She looked into Albert Strongpaw’s frightened eyes.
“What happened?” He looked at the rhino pinning him down. “Nakomi?”
She backed away with a grunt, releasing him, then nuzzling his neck. He wrapped his arms around her thick neck, staring deep into her eyes. They were speaking telepathically.
Drasko lowered his axe and nodded at the other two Strongpaws. She healed them quickly.
Dizzy with fatigue and emotionally drained, she let Hakon carry her out while Nakomi and her mates reunited. She’d never been so relieved in her life. Now all she needed to do was heal the rest of her family.
“I’m so proud of you,” Hakon whispered in her ear.
She sank against his broad chest when he brought her to the main hall, which was packed with hundreds of sick shifters. How in Ancients’ name was she going to heal them all?
EILEA DIDN’T LIKE THE look in Geri’s eyes when they got out of the truck. If he’d been a cat, she’d have imagined his hackles being raised. Though the portal’s thick fog had lifted, and birds were chirping once again, she was alarmed at the deafening silence inside the lodge. Uncle Joe’s truck was parked in the lot, and she hoped things hadn’t gone from bad to worse.
“What is it?” she asked Geri.
He raised his nose. “Something doesn’t smell right.”
She scented the air. For the first time in days it finally smelled fresh and piney. “I don’t smell anything odd.”
“I’m a tracker, Eilea.” He grabbed an axe from the truck, his expression grim. “My sense of smell is better than yours.”
“What do you smell?” she asked.
“Blood and dark magic.”
Eilea’s stomach churned.
“I smell it, too,” Annie said, giving Geri a knowing look. “Werewolf.”
Well, fuck.
“Do you think Albert Strongpaw woke up?” she asked Annie.
Annie shrugged and fetched an axe. “I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances.”
As they approached the entrance, Eilea felt magic balling up in her fingers. She didn’t know a spell for chasing away werewolves. Her magic did feel stronger, though, pulsing through her, a fire in her veins. Unarmed, she let Annie and Geri to go through the doors first.
They burst through at the same time, weapons ready, twin howls heralding their arrival.
They were met by Hakon Thunderfoot, transformed into a mighty protector and gazing at them with a fanged grin.
“Hakon!” Geri threw down his axe and held out his hand. “Glad to see you’re alive.”
Hakon engulfed him in a hug. “I could say the same for you.” He laughed, patting Geri’s head.
Swatting him away, Geri stepped back, pulling Eilea to his side. “I owe my survival to my mate.”
“Dr. Johnson.” Hakon bowed to her as if he was addressing a queen. “I suppose I have you to thank for closing the portal.”
She flushed. “I had help.”
Annie waved her away. “It was all you.”
“She was magnificent.” Geri puffed up his chest, a goofy grin on his face. “You should’ve seen her.”
The hard planes around Geri’s mouth and eyes had softened. For the first time she didn’t think of him as a feral or intimidating wolf, but as a man, a very attractive man.
Crossing one leg over the other, she repressed her desire. Her libido picked seriously shitty times to spring to life.
When he cast her a sideways look, she knew she’d been busted. Damn her scent.
“My daughter and brothers?” Geri asked Hakon.
“Your brothers still sleep. Amara is too tired to heal anyone else. She’s not happy that I’ve forced her to rest.”
“I will heal them.” Eilea surged forward with determination, even though she had no idea how to heal so many at once.
Hakon raised a bushy brow. “You’re a healer, too?”
She pulled back her shoulders, feeling like an imposter again as she struggled with the best way to heal them all. “I am.”
“Eilea!”
When Uncle Joe came barreling toward her, she didn’t know if she should stay or run, given the manic look in his eyes. She was completely taken by surprise when he took her in a fierce hug.
She stiffened under the weight of his touch. All these years she’d longed for a hug from him, and she didn’t know how to react. “You can call off your nukes, Uncle,” she whispered, unable to mask the hurt in her voice.
Pulling back, he searched her eyes. “I already did, and they weren’t my nukes. I never wanted to bring harm to the Amaroki.” He squeezed her again. “Thank god you’re all right.”
She wanted to melt into his embrace, pretend it was her daddy hugging her instead.
“Your god had nothing to do with it, Uncle,” she grumbled. “The Ancients helped me.”
He cupped her cheek, moisture in his tired eyes. “It’s true then. You’re one of them now?”
Embarrassment flushed her face, though she wasn’t sure why. “I am.”
He stared at her a long moment, then broke into a wide grin. “Eilea, I’ve never been more proud of you than this moment.”
She wondered if he was proud that she’d saved the Alaskan Amaroki or that she was one of his special shifters.
She turned away from him. “It’s nice to see you finally care.” Though she didn’t want to have this conversation now, she knew there would never be a right time, and he needed to know how badly he’d hurt her.
She looked at Geri, who stood stoically beside her. She was relieved he was there. His presence said everything.
“Eilea,” Uncle Joe said, “forgive me. I know I haven’t always been the best uncle.”
Twenty-four years of hurt and rejection she’d bottled up inside her suddenly bubbled to the surface, like an awakened volcano. “You were my godfather, and you left me.”
The lines around his eyes and mouth deepened. “Now that you’ve met the Amaroki, maybe you can understand why I couldn’t turn my back on them. The government was frightened of them, and I didn’t want that fear to lead to genocide.”
She shot him an accusatory glare. “Like nuking the Amaroki?”
“This time it was different.” His face fell. “This time they were turning into werewolves. Once upon a time, the government didn’t understand the difference between shifters and werewolves.”
Eilea hadn’t
realized they had distrusted and feared the Amaroki. Her uncle had always been at ease with them. For the first time she realized that his involvement with the Amaroki might have been the reason they trusted the shifters. She shared another look with Geri. He held her hand and smiled.
The weight of her childhood rejection lifted. The Amaroki needed Uncle Joe more than she did. If it hadn’t been for him, there might not even be an Alaskan species. The thought both humbled and terrified her, and she finally appreciated her uncle’s dedication. “I’ll admit I used to be angry with you for leaving me, but after getting to know the Amaroki, I finally understand why you put them first.”
He sniffled. “It was not an easy decision. If you hadn’t had your grandmother, I would’ve given this up for you.”
Her throat tightened with emotion. “I’m glad you didn’t.” She hugged him, sinking into his embrace when he hugged her back. “I would’ve never met my mates.”
Rocking her in his arms, he held her for a long moment. “You are my only family. I love you, niece.”
She sighed, the pain from all those years of rejection disappearing.
Though she was loath to break the hug, she had work to do. “Speaking of my mates, if you’ll excuse me, I need to heal them.”
She took Geri’s hand and marched into the lodge, surveying the mass of beds and sick shifters. Raz was holding a child’s hair back while the girl vomited into a bucket. The portal had closed, but they were still sick.
Raz gestured to a bundle of sage at the foot of the bed. “That’s what you need.”
Eilea agreed. She somehow knew just what to do. She lit the sage and walked around the room, chanting the healing and banishment spells, smiling when the patients began to wake.
Chapter Nineteen
EILEA LET MARIUS HELP her into the truck after leaving the Badgerhunter pack. They were the thirteenth pack she’d visited that day, and she was exhausted. She’d been mistaken to think every pack had gone to the lodge for medical attention. Many had chosen to stay home, either out of stubbornness or fear, or they’d been too sick to drive. Luckily she was able to heal every one of them. She didn’t know how she’d handle finding a dead family. There’d already been enough death among the Amaroki, thanks to Katarina.
When Marius checked her seatbelt to make sure it was fastened properly, she swatted his hand. “Coddling, babe,” she reminded him. “I’m not two.”
“Sorry.” He grinned. “I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
She cupped his cheek, planting a delicate kiss on his nose. “I’m safe. We all are.”
Blushing, he scooted in beside her.
Marius’s constant attention would’ve been annoying if she hadn’t realized she needed him as much as he needed her. He was so doting and considerate, he’d make a fine father to their children. Odd how she was starting to think about children now, a whole pack of little shifters. She’d truly lost her mind.
Geri sat on her other side, wrinkling his nose.
“What is it?” she asked.
“There’s still a strange smell.”
“It probably won’t go away until every last pack is healed,” Boris said, climbing into the front seat.
Geri glared out the window. “I hope you’re right.”
“Luc and Hakon buried the Cloudwalkers. Every last one was accounted for,” Jovan said. “Including the werewolf.”
Her heart was heavy when she recalled the story her mates had told her that morning. Sadly, Hakon had been forced to kill the werewolf when it tried to attack Luc. Boris reassured her it had been for the best. The wolf wouldn’t have wanted to live without his mate and brothers. Their children were orphaned, but luckily, their mother’s parents were flying to Alaska to get them.
She leaned forward, grasping Boris’s headrest. “How many more packs do we have to visit?”
“That’s all for today.” He put the truck in drive. “Tomorrow we finish the rest. Amara will be rested and able to help us.”
She heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you for coming with me.”
Marius kissed her palm with a wink. “Where else would we be but by your side?”
Heat flamed her face and a zing shot straight to her lady parts when he kissed her palm again, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
She would’ve pulled back a few days ago. Now she wanted to rip off his clothes and straddle him right there in the backseat, taking turns with each brother. She wondered, though, why they were so attracted to her. Was it because they’d been bewitched by the goddess, or did they truly feel a connection to her?
“Why?” she asked.
Boris looked at her in the rearview mirror, arching a brow. “Why what?”
“Why do you want to be with me?”
“Because you’re our mate,” Boris answered.
She fought the urge to smack the back of his head. “So you want to be with me because my scent tells you to?”
“That’s not the only reason, lubirea mea,” Marius said, resting a hand on her knee.
She turned to him. “Then why?”
“Because you’re beautiful and brave,” he said matter-of-factly.
“And selfless,” Geri added. “You sacrificed everything for the Amaroki, even though you weren’t one of us.”
“Don’t forget intelligent,” Boris said. “Smart enough to be a doctor. Plus, your magic is amazing. You’re everything we want in a woman.”
“Oh,” she said, heat creeping into her cheeks.
Jovan leaned over the seat. “And you have a nice round ass.”
She swatted his arm, laughing so hard she snorted.
Marius traced a circle on her knee, batting his lashes and looking ten shades of sexy. “What do you think of us, Eilea?”
“What do I think?” Tapping her chin, she pretended to be lost in thought. “I’m wondering if Romania could use a witch doctor.” She could hardly believe she’d said that. Leaving her luxuries in America behind and moving to a foreign country? Had she gone insane? Yes, yes, she had, because she couldn’t imagine a life without her shifters, and she knew it was asking too much to uproot them from their sons and farm.
Jovan’s eyes widened with shock. “I know we could.”
The others voiced their agreement, reminding her of salivating dogs begging for a bone before breaking out into a cacophony of howls.
“Okay.” She released Marius’s hand. “But I have to set some ground rules before I agree to mate with you.”
“We knew you would,” Jovan said, not sounding bitter in the slightest.
They looked at her expectantly, and she cleared her throat, doing her best to quell her nervous energy. She’d been practicing this speech all day. She shouldn’t have been worried, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind feared they’d reject her proposals. Then what? Could she live with them if they didn’t give her the freedom she needed? Could she live without them?
She counted on her fingers. “I don’t need your permission to drive or work. If I can get a medical degree, defeat a demonic ghost, and close a portal to the afterworld, I can do without the Amaroki’s nineteenth century sexist shackles.” Relief swept through her when not one of them flinched.
“Of course you can,” Boris answered. “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Wow. She hadn’t been expecting them to be so agreeable. “And I get an equal say in all family decisions.”
“Da,” Jovan nodded, “we will allow that.”
Gritting her teeth, she leveled him with a glare. “You will allow it?”
“Forgive us, Eilea.” Jovan smacked his forehead. “We are still learning.”
“But you are open to learning?”
“Da,” they answered.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Then I think we can make this work.”
AMARA WOKE AFTER WHAT felt like an eternity asleep and stretched, then looked over at Drasko, who gave her a sleepy grin.
He kissed her nose. “Good morning, sweetheart
.”
“Good morning.” She looked out the window. It was still dark. She checked the time on the blinking alarm clock. Half past eleven? Was it still nighttime?
They sat up, and she leaned into him.
“How long do you think we slept?” she asked.
He traced a lazy circle around her shoulder. “I have no clue, but I’ve never been so tired in my whole fucking life. I don’t even remember going to bed.”
“Me neither.” Her rumbling stomach reminded her it had been a long time since she’d eaten.
Someone knocked, and Rone came in, carrying a steaming tray of food. “You up?”
Amara waved him forward. “Yes, sweetheart.”
He set the tray on the nightstand beside their bed. “You hungry?”
Amara’s stomach rumbled again. “Famished.”
“How about dinner in bed?” Rone handed them each a platter piled high with smoked salmon, potato salad, green beans, and cornbread.
“Looks heavenly.” She licked her lips. “How long did we sleep?”
“About twenty-four hours.”
She shared a wide-eyed look with Drasko. “Damn. Our people need me.”
Rone held out a staying hand. “Relax, Dr. Johnson is taking care of it.”
“Thank the Ancients,” Amara said, then dug into her food.
She and Drasko ate in silence and probably much too quickly, but she couldn’t help herself. She washed down her food with juice, belching into her fist.
“How are the babies?” she asked Rone.
He wiped her cheek with a napkin. “Both happy to be home. I put them to bed hours ago.”
Emotion suddenly overwhelmed her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She draped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his cheek. She was relieved to have him alive, but she couldn’t shake her panic. She’d almost lost him.
He sat back, wiping her cheeks. “No tears, my love.”
“I can’t help it.” She hiccupped.
When Luc and Hakon came in, she kicked off the covers and patted the bed beside her. They went to her, taking turns holding her. When Hakon kissed her forehead, his lips lingering for an overly-long time, she clung tightly to him, the harsh reality that she’d almost lost all her mates hitting her hard.