by Lisa Edmonds
“Most of them. There are some others who also think Sean should date a shifter, but none of them are as angry about it as Jack and Delia.” I made a face. “And Caleb.”
“Caleb’s the kid who got bitten a couple of months ago and is having a hard time controlling himself?”
“Yeah. He moved in with Jack and Delia so they could keep an eye on him, and they’re just three little Alice-hating peas in a pod. I’ll be seeing them all later today. There’s a birthday party for one of the pack and everyone’s getting together to celebrate.” I decided to change the subject. “And how are things between you and Matthias?”
She waggled her hand in a so-so gesture. “Okay, I guess. I’m still hurting over Fortune. Matthias is being gentlemanly about it.”
Arkady’s lover Fortune had been an enforcer for Charles Vaughan of the Vampire Court. He’d been killed about a month ago during an attempt on Charles’s life. She’d been instrumental in the death of the man who killed him and that had helped, but it would take her some time to heal.
I was glad to hear that Matthias, who was also a Court enforcer, was patient and supportive. It didn’t surprise me, though. The man practically worshiped the ground beneath her combat boots.
“So you two haven’t…?” I asked.
She gave me a wry smile. “We’ve fooled around some, but I’m still not at a point where it feels like the right time. It’s not that I feel like I’d be betraying Fortune, but…” She shrugged.
“It’s okay. I get it. Matthias can wait until you’re ready.”
She grinned. “Damn right he can. I’m worth waiting for.”
Footsteps crunched on the ground above us. I looked up to see four well-muscled men standing at the edge of the pit. Their haircuts and the way they stood said former Army. Two of them had paintball rifles slung over their shoulders. They were either the snipers or part of the patrols who’d hunted us for the better part of two days. I couldn’t help but glare balefully from where I sat at the bottom of the pit.
“Hey, Joe,” Arkady said casually, as if we’d just run into some old friends in a bar. She draped her arms over her knees. “How’s it hangin’?”
“Still lower than my ex’s new husband.” The man in the center of the group regarded us with his hands on his hips. “You ready to get out of there?”
“Nah.” She settled back against the wall of the pit. “We were right in the middle of some serious girl talk. Could you give us another ten, fifteen minutes?”
“Shut up, Arkady. Yes, we are ready to get out of here.” I lurched to my feet on tired legs and almost fell over when my boots sank into the mud. “Do you have a ladder?”
The end of a rope dropped into the pit beside me. I stared at it, a little nonplussed.
Grinning, Arkady got to her feet. “You’re getting soft, Joe. A rope? Last time I had to scramble up the dirt wall while you yelled insults.”
Joe gripped the other end of the rope with both hands. His biceps strained the fabric of his T-shirt. “Your new friend doesn’t look strong enough to get out of there without help.” He flicked the rope at me. “Let’s go, princess. Grab the rope and I’ll haul you up.”
My eyes narrowed. “Hey, Arkady? You want to get out of this pit without their help?”
She put her hands on her hips and studied me. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking G.I. Joe Junior up there can kiss my ass.” I crouched, stuck my hands into the mud, and started spooling earth magic. “You ready to go for a ride?”
She didn’t ask for an explanation, just planted her feet shoulder-width apart and braced herself. “Okay, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
“What’cha doing, princess?” Joe called. “Grab the rope. We got stuff to do.”
“I’ll show you princess,” I muttered and pushed earth magic into the ground.
The earth trembled beneath us. The men stumbled back from the edge of the pit, cursing as the rumbling grew in volume.
In a burst of bright green earth magic, the ground heaved us up as though we were surfers riding a wave made of dirt instead of water. Arkady whooped and laughed as we shot upward in a spray of mud, rotten leaves, and twigs. The wave deposited us on the ground next to the pit and dumped a hundred gallons of smelly mud on Joe and the others, covering them from head to toe in muck. They stared at us, dumbfounded, blinking like muddy owls.
“Oops,” I said insincerely, as the magic faded and the ground went still.
Arkady brushed leaves off her shoulder and gave Joe her biggest smile. “Guess we didn’t need your help after all.”
She turned to me and gestured at the lights of the compound. “Matthias is due to pick us up in forty minutes. Let’s hit the showers and get the hell out of here.”
And so we did.
“Woman, how much longer are you going to be in the shower?” Sean asked from the bathroom doorway. “It’s been almost thirty minutes. Aren’t you clean yet?”
“I may never be clean again,” I muttered as I rinsed shampoo out of my hair. I turned and scrubbed my face in the spray. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
The shower door opened and closed and warm arms wrapped around my middle. I turned and found myself staring at the world’s most perfect chest and the world’s most perfect…everything else. Yum.
Sean smiled mischievously. “Fancy meeting you here,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. He inhaled and frowned. “How on earth do you still smell like mud after all this scrubbing?”
“I don’t know!” I wailed. “I’ve washed everything at least twice!”
“Everything?” He raised an eyebrow and slid his hands down to my hips. “I’d better double-check. You may have missed a few spots.”
I wound my arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “I missed this,” I murmured, resting my forehead against his chest so I could inhale his familiar scent that always reminded me of a forest in spring.
I sensed him smiling. “You missed what? My shower?”
“I definitely missed your shower,” I said wryly. “The ones at the camp were awful. But no, I meant that I missed being here with you.”
“And I definitely missed you.” He lowered his head and nuzzled my neck, pressing light kisses along my shoulder. “The bed’s been cold and lonely these past two nights.”
“You didn’t let Rogue sleep on the bed with you?”
He chuckled. “He’s a great dog, but he’s no substitute for you, Miss Magic. And no, I didn’t. You spoil him too much. Rogue has his own bed.”
“Poor dog.”
He nudged me back against the shower wall. “My Alice,” he murmured, his lips against my ear. I shivered despite the spray of hot water. “Are you sure you didn’t cast a spell on me to make me this crazy about you?”
“Most mage spells don’t work on shifters,” I reminded him. My voice sounded breathless because his hands were roaming.
“You didn’t answer the question,” he teased, giving me that almost-boyish grin that made the corners of his eyes crinkle.
“You’re right, I didn’t.” I winked. “I guess you’ll never know for sure whether I did or not.”
He did something with his fingers that made my legs turn to rubber. He caught me and lifted me up, pinning me against the wall.
“We don’t have time,” I protested weakly. “We have to be at Cole and Karen’s house by—” I gasped and closed my eyes. “Oh.”
“You were saying?” he growled, moving me slightly to get a better angle. “We’ll get there when we get there.”
I bit his shoulder to stifle a moan and tried to push on his chest. “Sean, wait…they’ll know why we’re late. They’ll smell us.”
“Good for them.” His eyes glowed softly. “If you want to stop, say stop. Otherwise, let me show you how much I missed you.”
Damn it, maybe a stronger woman than I could have resisted those golden eyes and the way the water ran over his arms and chest, still tan from our Bahamas trip, but I ju
st couldn’t help myself.
Maybe he’d spelled me. I looked into that smoldering gaze and decided that if he had spelled me, I didn’t mind at all.
“How much did you miss me?” I asked.
He kissed me hard and then he showed me.
We were fashionably late arriving at Karen and Cole’s house for the birthday brunch, not because of how thoroughly Sean had answered the question of how much he’d missed me, but because I hadn’t been able to find the gauzy scarf that went with my dress. I’d turned Sean’s closet upside-down looking for it and finally given up, opting to wear the dress anyway without the scarf.
“I hate to be late,” I complained as Sean parked his truck in the yard next to a half-dozen other vehicles. “Everyone else is here, even Patrick, and he’s late to everything.”
He chuckled as we got out. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find your scarf. I can’t figure out where it went.”
“I’ll probably find it when we get home, in whatever random place I put it.” I sighed.
He took my hand as we headed up the sidewalk and kissed me on my neck near my shoulder. “You’re beautiful without it. A scarf would just make it harder for me to kiss you whenever I want to.”
“You’re the worst.” I bumped his hip with mine. “I’d have thought you’d gotten enough kisses for today.”
He scoffed. “You know me better than that.”
The front door opened and the sound of loud voices and laughter drifted out. Nan Lowell smiled as we reached the front porch. “There you two are. We thought we were going to have to send out a search party.” The older woman hugged each of us tightly and stepped aside so we could enter the house.
Nan looked to be in her late forties, though werewolves aged more slowly than humans, so she was likely a decade or two older than that. She and her two adult children, Felicia and David, had joined Sean’s pack after the alpha of their former pack killed her husband.
This was only the second time I’d been to an event where the whole pack—or most of it, anyway—was present. Sean must have sensed or smelled my trepidation. He squeezed my hand and a trace of golden shifter magic spiraled through my arm. My shoulders relaxed, both from his touch and the calming effect of his magic.
We’d discovered his ability to ease my fears quite by accident, when our flight back from the Bahamas encountered particularly bad turbulence. I didn’t enjoy flying at the best of times, and that leg of our trip was rough because of bad weather. The moment Sean took my hand I’d drawn on his strength and calm as if by instinct and it felt like someone took their hand and swept my fear away. We were both so stunned by this new level of our connection that we’d spent the rest of the flight simply holding hands.
I’d recently begun to suspect I had shifter blood, possibly from my biological father, whose existence I’d discovered when a magic mirror showed me a forgotten memory of my parents discussing him. I only knew his name was Daniel and he’d left my grandfather’s cabal without knowing my mother was pregnant. My dad had raised and loved me as his own and nothing would ever, ever replace him, but the thought that my biological father might be out there somewhere was an exciting and terrifying prospect that I’d been thinking about constantly for several weeks.
If I did have some shifter blood, that might explain a number of things, from my connection to Sean to my ability to use shifter magic, at least in a limited way. It was taking me some time to process these new revelations about myself.
When we stepped into the doorway of the living room, conversation ceased and everyone turned to greet Sean. “Hello, everyone,” he said. “I’m glad to see you didn’t wait for us to start the party.”
Karen, our hostess and one of the most submissive wolves in the pack, was the first to approach me for a hug. She had short dark hair, green eyes, and an infectious smile. “Come on in, Alice,” she said warmly. “I absolutely love your dress.”
“Thank you. I love yours too. You look fantastic in yellow.”
“What can I get you two to drink?” Cole, Karen’s human husband, asked us.
We both requested coffee. With our cups in hand, we made the rounds, saying hello to everyone.
Our first stop was Ben Cooper, Sean’s third and the guest of honor. Sean clapped the younger man on the shoulder. “Happy birthday, Ben. Thirty looks good on you.”
Casey, Ben’s red-haired human girlfriend, who I adored, tucked her hand in his and grinned. “We have some news,” she said and extended her left hand. A diamond ring sparkled on her finger.
I let out an uncharacteristically girly squeal as Sean gave Ben a hug. “You crafty bastard,” he said with a smile. “Is that where you two ran off to Friday night instead of joining us for the poker game?”
“Yep,” Casey confirmed. “He took me to dinner and then up to the restaurant’s roof to propose. There were roses and candles. It was perfect.”
I hugged her. “I am so happy for you both. Congratulations.”
After Ben, we said hi to John and his human husband Brandon, then Nan’s daughter Felicia and son David. Karen’s brother Patrick was out in the backyard playing soccer with John and Brandon’s kids. Eddie and his mate Thea, the only other couple in the pack, were visiting family out of state.
In the backyard, sitting at a table on the deck, we found Sean’s beta Jack Hastings, his wife Delia, and Caleb Jennings. Jack was blond and muscular and much taller than his brunette wife. His face bore four faint scars that slashed diagonally from temple to chin, a visible reminder of our conflict.
Jack, Delia, and Caleb rose when we stepped outside. Jack raised his cup of coffee in greeting. “Good morning, Sean.” After a beat, he added, “Alice.”
“Hi, Jack,” I said. “Delia.”
She glanced at me. “Alice.” Her tone was perfectly polite. Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed.
I raised my eyebrow as if to say, Yep, that’s why we were late. She looked away.
Caleb, as always, wore a black T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. “Hey, Sean,” the young werewolf said. He set his glass of iced tea on the table and shook Sean’s hand.
Jack took a swig of coffee. “Just so you know, I assigned someone else to work tonight on that security system installation at the bank. I told Ben to enjoy some more time with Casey. He’d just be distracted anyway.”
Sean chuckled. “They’re great together. She’s perfect for him. I’m happy for them both.”
“They certainly got engaged quickly,” Delia said, still in that carefully neutral tone. “They’ve only been dating what, a few months?”
“When you know, you know,” Sean said, squeezing my hand. “And you’re one to talk, Delia; you and Jack became mates after three weeks of knowing each other. Or was it two?”
“That was different,” she argued. “Jack and I are both shifters. Casey’s human.”
“Humans have good instincts too,” Sean pointed out. He grew serious. “Be supportive of them. Unless either one of them gives us a reason to be concerned, this is wonderful news for our entire pack.”
“Of course,” she murmured, her eyes on the table.
Jack glanced behind us. “I think Karen might have some news for us as well.”
Karen and Cole stepped out onto the deck. Her cheeks were a little pink. “We do,” she said.
Cole couldn’t hold back a grin. “We weren’t going to say anything because we didn’t want to steal Ben and Casey’s thunder, but Ben said they didn’t mind.”
Sean’s smile was even bigger than Cole’s. He clearly suspected what the big news might be. “Let’s hear it,” he said.
“I’m pregnant,” Karen said.
A cheer went up from nearly everyone inside and outside the house. There was another round of congratulations, hugs, and toasts. The brunch had turned into quite a party.
The only members of the group who didn’t seem quite as excited about all the big news were Jack, Delia, and Caleb. The latter’s lack of enthusiasm didn’t surprise me; Caleb o
nly seemed to have one expression, and that was a scowl. He’d been bitten while out running and Sean had taken him into the pack, hoping to help him adjust, but he was angry, bitter, and confrontational.
Delia and Jack acted pleased with Karen’s news, but I didn’t have to be a shifter to sense their hearts weren’t in it. I caught them exchanging glances several times when they thought no one was looking. I had a theory as to why.
When Sean and I got a moment to ourselves in the kitchen during brunch, I voiced my thoughts. “I think Jack and Delia don’t like all the humans who are joining this pack,” I said softly, mindful of werewolf hearing. Everyone else was out in the backyard, but I didn’t want to be overheard. “Karen’s pregnant, but the baby’s father is human, Casey’s human, I’m human. The shifter-to-human ratio is changing rapidly around here.”
Sean sighed and dropped his empty plate into the trash. “I don’t disagree with you, but let’s wait to talk about it until later.”
His head tilted. I realized the voices in the backyard had gone silent. We headed for the open patio door.
A blonde woman stood in the yard in an expensive-looking designer sundress, sunglasses, and high-heeled sandals. Her hair was perfectly arranged in one of those updos that always looked so sophisticated on other women but made me look like I’d just not bothered to brush my hair.
Her face lit up when she spotted Sean. She pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head and smiled. “Hello, Sean.”
Sean’s irritation sizzled on my skin and a muscle moved in his jaw. The pack cleared a path for him as he headed for the steps. “What are you doing here, Lily?”
Lily? As in Lily Anderson, the female shifter from another pack Jack had hoped would be Sean’s mate?
Unfazed by his cold greeting, her smile remained bright. “I heard you all were having a get-together and thought I’d drop by and see how you were. It’s been ages.” She reached out as if intending to give him a hug.
Sean blocked her hands and pushed them aside. “How did you hear about the party?”
“Oh, you know how these things travel through the shifter grapevine,” she said cheerfully. She glanced up to the deck. “Happy birthday, Ben!”