One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (19 page)

He muttered a curse under his breath, and I laughed.

That’s how the Weston pack rolled. Despite everything you could throw at us, including death, we kept our sense of humor intact.

And that picture of Reno in a pair of pink bunny slippers was going to look sensational framed on our mantel.

***

“How does that feel?” Edward asked.

I kind of wanted to kiss him all over the face for relieving my pain. “Much better.”

He smiled approvingly and stood up, addressing the others who were gathered in the living room. “It’s a salve I created for deep wounds to block pain. It’s not a sedative in any form, so it’s not dangerous to the baby. Just keep reapplying whenever there’s discomfort.”

“How long will it take to heal?” my mother asked worriedly. “Will she scar?”

“I’m afraid she’ll have some scarring since she’s unable to shift, but this salve will diminish it dramatically. I think all things considered, she’s lucky to be alive.”

Naya patted my right leg. “You’re going to be fine.”

Maizy rested her head on my left shoulder, still quiet since hearing the story.

The men, on the other hand, were talking in low voices in the other room. When they’d heard the details about the attack on April and me, they’d looked ready to take a flamethrower to the world. Reno instructed them to remain inside—that retaliation wasn’t necessary since we’d already taken down a number of their men.

Denver was the only one out of the loop since his wolf had been guarding the property with Ben after Jericho had come off duty.

“Here you go,” Katharine said from behind the couch, handing me a cup of hot cocoa.

I flexed the fingers on my right hand and stared at the blue mug.

Maizy reached out. “I’ll hold it for her.”

My wound didn’t hurt, but I was afraid of tearing the stitches. Edward had applied the salve and then bandaged my arm from elbow to wrist. There were a few small scratches on my hand easily hidden with a Band-Aid.

Hendrix sat Indian style on the floor. “Tell us again about how the Vampire took down the wolves.”

“Yeah!” Lennon exclaimed, his red hair obscuring his eyes.

“I think it’s time for you boys to head upstairs,” George said.

“Aww, man,” the twins simultaneously replied.

Izzy stretched out in the leather chair, her voice sleepy. “Go on. And check on your sister before you go to bed.”

The twins gave her a quick kiss and then made a ruckus running up the stairs. Brothers usually picked on their sisters, but Lennon and Hendrix were protective of Melody, even though she was older. While they sometimes bickered, those boys would lay down their lives for their big sis.

Jericho pulled at his long hair, studying the ends. He’d made himself a comfortable spot on the floor in front of the TV. “I’m going to cancel a few gigs I have lined up. The money from online downloads is pretty sweet, and I don’t feel like leaving my family without protection.”

The rest of the men finally drifted into the room, Reno holding a cup of coffee, Wheeler taking a seat beside Naya, resting his hand on her thigh.

Reno handed the coffee to George, who was relaxing in the leather chair to my right.

George took a thoughtful sip. “I think it’s time to start making decisions. It’ll be up to Austin to choose what’s best for the pack, but we need to drive those rogues out of the city. I’m sure it won’t have any impact on their overall plan, but maybe it’ll throw a wrench in the machine.”

“When the war begins, it’ll be harder for them to penetrate our borders,” Reno agreed. “I’m more concerned about them calling foul since we don’t have proof. They might try to throw us in front of the bus with the higher authority.”

“Won’t matter,” George cut in. “The Council handles Shifter issues; the higher authority doesn’t have time for petty bullshit. Making a Shifter leave our territory because we feel threatened might be wrong, but it’s not a heinous crime. What
is
a heinous crime is a pack of wolves ganging up on two women.” He flicked an irritated glance at my arm.

Reno chewed on his lip for a minute, and his gaze drifted up.

After Reno had bathed and dressed April, he’d put her to bed and must have checked on her at least a dozen times. With Austin away, the second-in-command involved himself in all important pack discussions, but I could see the need to care for his woman was making it a challenge.

“How the hell are we going to drive them out?” Wheeler asked, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Pull up an empty bus and form a line? One-way trip to exactly where? Then they’re someone else’s problem.”

George noisily slurped his coffee. “Not if the other big cities start thinking the same way. Push them into the woods where they’re not even fifteen minutes from a convenience store. Back in the Civil War, men died from starvation and hypothermia. If there are a lot of them, they might deplete their own food sources if they rely on their animals to hunt for them. I doubt they have much money, so if they lose their coats or shoes, then they’re going to have a hard time getting more supplies. We need to make their lives hell. Their leader is playing a game of patience, but hungry men sitting in the godforsaken wilderness don’t think straight. They’ll grow resentful toward the man who led them to such living conditions, and some will go home.”

William strode forward and leaned against the wall to the right of the TV. “Indeed. The comforts of a city will set them at ease. Most Shifters don’t want to live in the woods without shelter, and perhaps that’s why this rogue band went against their orders and waged their own private war. It won’t be long before they’re committing robberies and other crimes. Idle hands are the devil’s tools, and forcing men to camp in the woods for months at a time will inspire mutiny.”

The front door opened, and Austin appeared. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as he hung his keys on his nail and strode through the living room.

Wheeler and Naya got up when Austin knelt before me and examined the bandage. “Does it hurt?”

“No. Edward gave me magical goop that takes away the pain,” I said, hoping a dose of humor would put him at ease.

He held my hand to his face and kissed it, eyes closed.

“I’m fine,” I whispered.

“I was just saying how I think it’s time we act,” George said, patting Katharine’s hand. She stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders, eyes resolute.

Austin stood up. “Damn right we’re going to do something. I called the Council and handed over the bodies. I left nothing out of the report—not a damn thing.” His gaze flicked back to me, and I knew he was also talking about the body he’d hidden.

Austin sat down beside me so hard that the air whooshed from the seat cushion. He tugged at the back of my pants, coaxing me onto his lap. I shifted to my right side and settled against his chest, feeling the intensity of his body heat and muscle encasing me.

“What’s the plan?” Reno asked.

“Mass exodus. Between what happened in Colorado and the attack tonight, the Council believes it’s enough evidence to justify their actions.”

I lifted my brows. “What actions?”

“Effective tomorrow, Shifters without local residence will be forced to leave, and a hotel doesn’t count. They need papers for land or their name on a deed. Anyone who doesn’t will be arrested. Anyone who resists arrest will be met with force.”

Wheeler chuckled. “Where do you think you’re going to put them all? Mayhap we don’t have enough room in the jail.”

“They don’t know that,” Austin said. “There’s enough room in there to make a point, and those men can be shuttled out to make room for more. They’re going to the higher authority to see if they’ll be willing to send Regulators to offer a hand. But you know how that goes.”

“Yeah, the higher authority isn’t going to lift a finger to help out Shifter drama,” Jericho said from the floor, twisting a skull ring on his finger.

William folded his arms. “Say, how do you intend to spread the word?”

“Gossip does a good job of that,” Austin said. “I don’t know how they’ll be able to verify residence for those who live in apartments, but I suspect they’ll make sure they’re employed. Something tells me the Northerners aren’t coming down here to get jobs. I bet most are squatting on land the Council doesn’t own. Those with money are probably pooling it for rentals, so large groups of Shifters living in a one-bedroom will get noticed quick. The Council is rounding up a group of qualified men to enforce their orders.”

Maizy leaned forward. “What do we need to do?”

“Prepare for what’s coming. They’re going to ask for volunteers to monitor a radius around the territory lines for any unusual activity, but I don’t know how effective that’ll be.”

Reno stepped forward. “I know a guy who can hack any system. I’ll see if he knows a way to access hotel databases. If they’re staying in human ones, they’ll be using their aliases, and those names are in a central database since it’s public record.”

Austin nodded. “I’ll relay the message to the Council. Breed hotels, motels, and apartments are on alert and have orders to notify us when Shifters check in.”

Denver strolled through the front door as cool as a breeze, wearing his tattered jeans and a clean white shirt. He’d laid out his clothes on the front porch so he’d have something to change into after his shift.

“’Sup?” he asked. “I could really use some hush puppies right about now.” He rubbed his hand in a circle around his stomach and headed toward the kitchen. “I have to tend bar in an hour.” Denver paused at the small table near the hall and scooped up a handful of jelly beans, letting them slide into his mouth. After a few chews, his brows knitted and he faced the room. “What the train wreck is going on in here? Did someone die?”

The next morning, the pack was still reeling from the previous night’s events and April’s transformation.
The pack didn’t know what to make of April’s near-death experience. My mom postponed her meetings and went into cleaning mode. Maddox finally convinced her to work a jigsaw puzzle with him as a diversion. Denver came home from work at dawn and said he was too discombobulated to sleep, so after breakfast, he decided there was no better way to initiate April into the Breed world than for her to show off her flashing technique—something every Mage could do.

Supposedly.

I had a nice spot on the hood of Wheeler’s Camaro to watch all the action as April experimented with her newfound Mage energy.

“Maybe you need to jump,” I suggested, sipping more cocoa from a tall thermos.

Earlier that morning, April had recounted her version of Charlie’s gift. After the attack, she said there was no pain—only the fear of dying without being able to tell Reno one last time that she loved him. She said she cried and told Charlie that she didn’t want to die. It was then that Charlie had placed his lips to her ear and offered her immortality. She had the chance to deny him—to stop the transference of his Mage light—but she willingly accepted. April’s pulse was weak from the rapid blood loss, and she wasn’t afforded the time to weigh his offer. The instinct to survive had emerged.

Reno was uncharacteristically quiet all morning, just going about his normal routine with a befuddled expression.

April kicked up a clump of dirt with her black boot. “I suck at this!”

Denver turned around to face me, wrinkles appearing in his forehead from his arched brow. “You got that right,” he muttered. “She can barely walk straight without knocking shit over. I’d be scared to see the damage she could do while racing around like a bee on speed.”

I kicked at him playfully, and he snatched my ankle.

Footsteps approached from behind, and Maizy appeared in a pink bathrobe. She held out a plate covered with a paper towel. “Denny, you need to eat something before you go to bed. I made sausages.”

“Mmm,” he growled, cupping her cheeks and kissing the corner of her mouth. “That’s not what I’m hungry for, Peanut.”

“Cut it out. I need to get dressed and do some work.”

“Your computer can wait.”

While they sucked face, I slid off the car and approached April. Her oversized beige sweater hung past her fingertips, and she kept tugging at the ends of the sleeves as if trying to make them longer.

“You should practice in tighter clothes. Maybe the sweater isn’t aerodynamic.”

She brushed her hair back with a sweep of her arm and inadvertently left behind a static charge, causing several hairs to magically float. “I can’t do this, Lexi. I’m not cut out to be a Mage. I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, and… and Reno’s not going to love me anymore.”

Her lip quivered, and I set my drink down to give her a hug. “Aww, he loves you no matter what. Even if you electrocute him during sex.”

I chuckled when she groaned at my bad humor. “Imagine my surprise when I found out Austin had a tail. It was shocking, but it didn’t take long for me to accept it when I realized it didn’t change what he meant to me.”

She stepped back and wiped a rogue tear. “After we found out that Maizy was a Potential, I searched my entire body for the same birthmark. I’ve always wanted to stay a human, but if given the choice, I’d want to be a Shifter. Then I’d be a real part of the family and not a defenseless human that everyone has to protect.”

“You’re
always
going to be part of this family, no matter what your Breed is. And now you’re not so defenseless. What you are is amazing. Think about it, April. Rogues don’t have a clue that Maddox and Naya are cats living in a pack of wolves, and that gives us an element of surprise. And with a Mage? We’re like a pack of superheroes.” I considered April’s determination to prove herself to the pack. “We just need time to get used to it. Don’t feel like you have to rush into learning everything. Give yourself time to breathe and get used to your new skin.”

A crow heckled us from the treetops.

“Do you regret it?” I asked.

April cupped her elbows when a gust of wind blew back her blond tresses. “I wanted to be upset, but I couldn’t cry. I wanted to be furious, but there was no one to blame. I just lay in bed this morning thinking about how selfish it was to feel sorry for myself when this family is facing a pack war. Immortality scares me right along with the energy buzzing in my fingertips. But how is fear going to help anything? That’s why I made myself get out of bed, put on clothes, and figure out how to live with my decision. I just don’t want to let anyone down.”

April had the heart of a Shifter, whether she knew it or not. “How do you feel?”

She shrugged. “No different, I guess. Except when I get upset, it feels like static tickling my fingertips. Am I supposed to know how to control that?”

“Yeah, and from what Charlie said, you can also conceal your energy from other Breeds, like what he did with us for all those years. Not that he did it
because
of us, but it sounds like he wanted to cut himself off completely from the Breed world and probably didn’t want to take the chance of a Mage walking in and finding out what he was. I don’t know. The man has issues.”

“If he’s always hated being a Mage, then why would he turn me into one?”

I shook my head. “Maybe he’s coming to terms with what he is and realizing it’s not a curse. I guess. Look, you’re alive, and that’s all that matters. I don’t know what I would have done if… For a minute there, I thought you were gone.” I shoved away the cruel thought when I felt a catch in my throat. “At least this happened in your prime instead of when you were younger.”

She lowered her chin. “What do you mean by that?”

“You were always pretty, but the years turned you into Grace Kelly. Plus, you don’t look like Reno’s daughter anymore.”

“He is
not
that old.” She slapped my shoulder playfully, and then her eyes went wide with horror. “Oh! I’m so sorry—I forgot.”

I touched the bandage on my forearm. “I’m not a glass figurine. Whatever magical salve Edward gave me is keeping it numb.”

Denver strolled up, chewing on a sausage. “Try it again, April. I bet you can do it this time.”

April backed up and took a deep breath, focusing on the end of the driveway. Her hands balled up into fists, and when she ran, she executed the most hilarious leap—freezing in midair before tripping and landing in the grass.

Denver chortled. “That gets me every time.”

I snatched the sausage from his hand and tossed it on the ground. “You did that on purpose. Why don’t you actually
help
for a change? Can’t you see how difficult this is for her?”

He bent down and picked up the sausage, blowing off the dirt. “Five-second rule.”

“Your five-second rule is going to give you worms.”

“Maybe you and the little bean need to eat breakfast so you have less of an attitude.”

“Don’t call it a little bean,” I said, pushing Denver toward the house. “Can you ask Austin to come out here? I need to talk to him about something important.”

“What am I, your messenger girl?”

While Denver did an exaggerated feminine skip toward the house, I helped April dust off her clothes. We stood still for a moment, watching Katharine and Melody in the center of the yard. Katharine had nailed a target board to a tree and was helping Mel improve her aim with the recurve bow.

I folded my arms when the wind picked up. “What did Maddox say when he found out about Charlie? I overslept when all the excitement was happening.”

“Um, it went well,” she said, obviously lying.

“Huh. Maybe we should invite Charlie over for dinner then.”

She kicked a few pebbles. “I thought he’d be mad about Charlie still owing him, but I think Maddox was embarrassed to find out he’d participated in covering up my father’s accident. He still wants to kill Charlie for what he did to me.”

“You mean the part about saving your life?”

“As far as Maddox is concerned, Charlie had no right.” Her gaze drifted upward, and a quiet moment passed. “Maybe it was all meant to happen. Do you believe in destiny?”

Melody released her grip, and the arrow whistled through the air, puncturing the tire on Denver’s Jaguar.

“Yeah, I believe in destiny. Or at least Karma.”

The front door opened, and Austin swaggered out, eyes on Mel as she took another shot at the target.

Damn
, he looked good. His white undershirt was tight, making his arms and shoulders look rock solid.

Spartacus rubbed against the back of my leg, and I turned, giving him a frosty glare. “Do you have psychic powers and know that I don’t like cats? We’ve been through this already.”

“He’s trying to win your love,” Austin said from behind me. “That’s not an easy thing to do. Take it from an expert.”

I spun around, my brows drawn together. “You’ve had claim of my heart since I was five.”

“Having a claim on a woman’s heart is one thing, but winning that love is something else entirely.”

“Well, rubbing up against me won’t win him any points.”

Austin smiled and slanted his brows in the sexiest manner. “It seems to work just fine for me.”

Changing the subject, I gestured toward April with a nod of my head. “We need to call Charlie. April can’t do this by herself, and it’s unfair to expect her to. She needs advice from a Mage, and he’s the only one we know.”

Austin’s blue eyes shone paler in the daytime when his pupils shrank from the bright sunshine. He regarded April for a moment. “You okay with that?”

In silent acquiescence, she lowered her head.

Austin pulled out his phone and sent a text. “The sooner the better.”

“
Now?
” I almost shouted.

“If not now, when?” he asked with a wink.

I blushed and averted my eyes, reminded of our stay in the cabin back in Colorado. I really needed to vacation with Austin while in heat more often.

***

“After all I did—you son of a bitch! How dare you skip town and play dead while still owing me money,” Maddox growled in his Southern drawl. Reno and Austin restrained him in the middle of the kitchen.

Charlie shifted on the bench, his back to Maddox, arms crossed on the table. “I told you we’ll settle it later. Is it really the money you’re mad about, or is that just a diversion so people will forget you played a part?”

Maddox lunged and accidentally stepped on Sparty’s tail. The cat yowled and went flying across the room. Maddox’s brown hat fell off, and some of his longish hair covered part of his face.

Wheeler leaned against the doorjamb. “Invite Charlie over, they said. It’ll be
fun
, they said.”

My mom stepped in front of Maddox and pinched his scruffy beard, which was silvering more than his hair. “Listen here, old man. April and Charlie have something more important to settle than just money and pride. Don’t embarrass me, because I’ll yell at you in front of everyone if I have to.”

Reno grimaced and loosened his grip, taking a step back. “Maybe you need to take a walk, buddy.”

Maddox narrowed his eyes down to razor-thin slivers. His hair reached his shoulders, but without his hat, he looked my mom’s age. After another beat, he drew in a hard breath, then released it through his nose.