Better Than Luck

by Brandy L Rivers

  “Why doesn’t Dominique like her plan? It’s not like Danika is going to go behind Adam’s back to go through an awakening.”

  “Right?” He snorted. “Dominique swears Danika should just be what she is. But Dominique isn’t considering the fact she’s been with Adam for eighteen years now. So, becoming a werewolf solves that issue.”

  “Right, hopefully Dominique can see it’s her sister’s choice. She’ll support the decision, right?”

  “I’m sure she will.” He sighed. “How are you, Lincoln?”

  With a plan in place, Finnian paced himself to finish with the two men. Especially the one who knew his daughter so well.

  Chapter 7

  Danika hurried to the door but stood there, staring. She wanted to knock but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. Adam placed a hand around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “Having second thoughts?”

  “No, just nervous. Want to make sure you’re not going to hate me when this is all done.”

  “Never could hate you. And honestly, if I hadn’t promised you that we would stay human forever ago, I would have considered this sooner.”

  She lifted her hand to knock, and he reached forward, pushing the door open.

  “We’re family, and they’re expecting us.”

  And that made her very nervous. There were several cars in front of the garage. Her sister’s, Slater’s and she was pretty sure all of the enforcers of the pack.

  Fallon came around the corner and smiled. “Hey, Danika. How are you?”

  She let out a breath. “I’m ready.”

  Fallon chuckled. “You sure? You look nervous.”

  “A little.”

  Fallon pulled her in. “Come on. Makayla missed you. Let’s go upstairs for a few.”

  “Sure.” Danika followed Fallon to the playroom while Adam headed into the house. Makayla pushed herself up and almost tripped on Ryan’s leg to get to Danika.

  She fell to her knees and scooped her little girl up to hug her tight. “Hey, baby. Having fun?”

  “Mommy.” She hugged tighter, like she knew there was something wrong.

  Danika closed her eyes and rocked a little. “Love you, angel.”

  “Love you.”

  Little hands patted her thighs and she set Makayla on the floor to hug her niece and nephew, and Makayla too. She wanted to chill out upstairs and not worry about the group downstairs. She was sort of hoping it would be just Brody doing the honors. Maybe Slater. There was always the chance it wouldn’t work, and still, she had to try. It was that or spend months trying to beat something that was only going to come back somewhere down the line to tear her life apart.

  * * * *

  “Where is my sister?” Dominique demanded the moment Adam stepped into the room.

  He gulped. Would she want to know about her father? Dominique didn’t care for him. That much he knew. But she didn’t seem to despise him half as much as Danika.

  “She’s upstairs, saying hi to Makayla. Seems like we’re doing this now.”

  “Will it even work?” Dominique asked. “I mean, I’ve heard stories where some Fae can’t be changed. Even if they aren’t fully Fae.”

  “Do you know any leprechauns who have tried? Or have been attacked?” Slater asked.

  “No, but then there is the cancer. What if it’s too far? She’s been off for weeks. What if it’s too bad?”

  “Then I convince her of the other option,” Adam stated.

  “What? Months of treatments that may not work?” Dominique whispered harshly.

  Shaking his head, he lifted a shoulder. “I call Amethyst and have her convince Mathis and Paavo. What else can I do? I want Danika with me forever, and I’m willing to do what it takes for that to happen.”

  Brody blinked, then frowned. “You could let her?”

  “Hell yes. I’ll beg her. Better than the alternative, which is her suffering, or dying. Maybe both. I’m going to do whatever I can to convince her to go another route.”

  Dominique rubbed her face. “She hates my father.”

  “Yeah, and she saw him last night, so let’s hope this solution works. Because I’m not looking forward to that conversation.” Adam understood why she didn’t want to go there, and if their positions were reversed, he’d feel the same. But she was his world.

  “Of course he is,” Dominique rolled her eyes and muttered, “I wonder what unlucky bastard took his place in the fire.”

  Adam glanced at her, his head cocked. She had a good point.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They found two charred corpses. They could identify my mother via dental records. There was nothing on file for my father, which isn’t unusual.” She winced. “Bastard wants something, or thinks we owe him. He can go fuck himself.”

  Adam held Dominique’s gaze. “Do you really think there will be a problem with bringing her over?”

  “I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t think it will work.”

  Slater rubbed his neck. “Maybe we should call Amethyst or Dakota as backup?”

  “I could call Emily,” Clint offered. “She’s studied medicine. She can fix things a lot of healers can’t, because she has more knowledge. Maybe she could do more.”

  “Sure, yeah. That’s a good idea. But I really hope it’s unnecessary.” Adam took a slow breath and let it out. Worry crept in. What if it didn’t work? Could it make her cancer worse?

  “We all do.” Brody squeezed Adam’s shoulder. “We’re going to do what it takes to bring her over. Don’t worry. Have some faith.”

  “I do.” And still, there was a niggling fear something would go wrong.

  “Slater, can I talk to you a moment?” Adam asked.

  “Sure.”

  Adam grabbed Brody’s arm. “You too.” He stepped out back. Once the two were outside with him, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Danika’s father is sitting in a car across the street, back in the woods. I caught a glimpse as I came around the corner. The look he gave her last night…he hates her. Can you send someone to make him leave?”

  Slater’s brow arched. “I’ll do one better. I’ll send Hayden over.”

  “I don’t know how he found her. Either of them. We were on the road before he came out of the bar. I just don’t want him to make Danika question any of her choices.”

  Slater pulled his phone out and dialed. After a few seconds he said, “Hey, Hayden, I need a favor. There’s a leprechaun named Finnian Walsh sitting across from Brody’s. That would be Danika and Dominique’s father and he needs to not interrupt what we’re about to do.”

  He was silent a moment, then a slow smile spread across his lips. “Do what you want with him. Just keep him from here.”

  Another bit of silence. “We appreciate it.” He hung up.

  “Thank you. I don’t trust him,” Adam stated.

  “We want to make this as easy as we can for both of you,” Slater assured.

  “We’ve got you covered,” Brody added.

  Adam nodded back inside. “Shall we?”

  “Yeah,” Brody said.

  “She down yet?” Adam asked, taking a look. She wasn’t anywhere in sight. “Hope she’s not backing out,” he muttered.

  Fingers slipped through his and Danika smiled up at him. “This is going to work. It has to.”

  He hoped like hell it did.

  * * * *

  Finnian sat in his car, staring at the house Dane had pulled up to. He went inside, but he didn’t see Dominique. Several other cars pulled up. They all went inside. It was clear they were all werewolves. He needed to watch himself.

  He had parked in the woods, watching for any sign of either of his daughters. One more car showed up, ten minutes after the rest. He caught a glimpse of blue hair and knew it was Danika. He sat up straighter and tapped the steering wheel.

  Then he remembered the guy in the diner, the one who talked about Dominique like he was with her, probably her mate. And he was definitely Other, most lik
ely wereanimal.

  And with all the men who went in, it seemed like enforcers, maybe the Alpha too. He sat back and rubbed at his face.

  The tap on the window made him jump. Finnian looked up to find a giant in a cop uniform.

  Fucking hell.

  He turned the car on to roll down the window. “Can I help you?” Finnian asked.

  “Finnian Walsh?” the man demanded. Fae, probably Earth. And he wasn’t about to push his luck. Not if his daughters were aligned with a pack of wereanimals.

  “I am. Is there a problem?”

  “Yeah, your daughters don’t want you here. And you’re wanted for questioning by the Silver Council. An enforcer will be along shortly.”

  His brow pinched. “For what?”

  There was a pop and a man in a suit stood next to the officer. “He can explain that.”

  The other man reached in, touched his shoulder, and they were gone.

  He was sitting on a hard seat with a metal table in front of him. Next thing he knew there were metal cuffs around his wrists, and whereas they didn’t burn, he couldn’t access his magic, luck, or anything else.

  “What right do you have to bring me in without a warrant or something?”

  The man on the other end of the table had tattoos, dark hair, and wore jeans and a T-shirt. “Yeah, well, you’re supposed to be dead. And here you are, sitting in the presence of the Magister and Lieutenant of the Silver Council Enforcers. Why does a dead man want to see his daughters?”

  He managed a smile. “I assume you know what I am. I had to let people believe I was dead. If Rory Golden knew his attempts to have me murdered were unsuccessful, I would still be running.”

  “Why would a businessman want you dead?” the one in a suit asked. Magister, well-dressed, that had to be Robert McCallister. Making the other Preston Emrys.

  “Businessman?” Finnian scoffed. “Do you have any idea what that monster’s true business is? Trafficking of Others. Some to be sex slaves, others to exploit talents. He’s truly a piece of shit.”

  “We’re not here about him,” Preston snapped, though he clearly didn’t seem to like Rory either.

  Finnian winced. “You know what I am. I tend to have great luck in casinos. I won too much. His men hunted me down. I lost my wife because they burned the house to ash, her in it. It was a lucky accident I managed to get out alive.”

  Robert shook his head. “We understand you spent a lot of money to have someone heal you after the house you were staying in became an inferno.”

  Shaking his head slowly, he tried to work out how they gathered that bit of information.

  “Well, what is it?” the dark-haired one asked.

  “What was I supposed to do? Back then, if I had come to the Council, you would have blamed me.”

  “Did you steal from the casino?” Robert asked.

  Shaking his head, he held up his hands. “No. I have a natural affinity for luck. That’s all.”

  “Can I check that?” Robert asked, pulling a chair up.

  “How?” he asked cautiously.

  Preston snorted. “He’s going to look through your memories, see if you’re telling the truth.”

  He sat back in the chair. “Sure, I have nothing to hide.” There was nothing in his past that the Silver Council would care about.

  Chapter 8

  Slater moved to Danika and took her hands. “There’s a chance this won’t work.”

  “Don’t tell me that, Slater. If it doesn’t, once I’m cured, it can. Right?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Some Fae can’t be werewolves or any other were. Sometimes cancers or diseases can compromise so much, the virus won’t take hold. I can’t guarantee this will work.”

  “It will,” she stated.

  Adam took a slow breath. “Maybe you should go first, and if it doesn’t—”

  She spun and covered his mouth. “It’s going to work. Stop thinking it won’t. Please.” She was desperate for this plan to work. If it didn’t…if it didn’t, she didn’t know what she would do. She had to believe it would work.

  Closing his eyes, he kissed her palm.

  Danika stomped the fear out of her head and turned to Slater. “We’re doing it now. Both of us.”

  Slater rubbed at his beard. “Hope you’re right.”

  If it didn’t happen, they’d find a way. They had to.

  Adam pulled her into his arms. “We should go outside. It’s going to be bloody.”

  “Yeah, okay.” She pulled him toward the door.

  The room had grown too tense. She needed to escape, even if a beast was about to rip into her skin to change her, and everyone wanted to push doubt at her.

  Adam held on to her hand, not letting go. He went into the yard, and she almost asked Fallon to come down with them. She wanted a strong woman who understood why she was doing what she was doing.

  Her sister watched her, but not with warmth. More like she pitied her. But she had begged Danika to get the awakening out of the way in their youth. Of course, Dominique had never seen the destruction their father left in his wake firsthand.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Danika asked.

  Adam nodded at Slater.

  Slater pulled his shirt over his head. “Brody and I are going to shift. Brody will bite Adam. I’ll bite you.”

  “Okay,” she answered simply. She almost asked if they would shift to full wolf or not. And almost looked away, but if she were going to be a wolf, she’d have to get used to seeing all of these people naked. Well, except Dominique. She’d often hang out with her on the full moon.

  Fur flowed over Slater’s and Brody’s skin as they shot up almost two feet, the bodies hulking up, their faces morphing into a wolfish appearance. Unsettling and comforting at the same time. On one hand, she was used to their human forms, but had seen the other enough to recognize them. Comforting because becoming a werewolf with Adam meant they could run on the full moon. This saved her from treatment and allowed her to be Other, without becoming something like her father.

  Adam pulled Danika into his arms. “Ready?”

  Nodding, she let out a breath. She didn’t have words. Standing back, she faced Slater, who towered over her. She met his gaze.

  “I have to tear skin, but I’m not going to maul you.” He still sounded like Slater, just more growly. Fur covered his body, and she couldn’t help wondering what Adam would look like in that form. Or a woman. Come to think of it, she’d never seen a woman in half-beast form.

  Adam took her hand and lifted his other arm to Brody. Danika did the same. Slater’s big hand engulfed her wrist and she couldn’t tear her eyes away as he opened his big mouth and bit into her forearm.

  She sucked in a breath and held back the cry as his teeth sliced into her flesh and held on. Saliva dripped down her arm. The pain was manageable. She’d gone through bone marrow transplants, radiation, chemo, and childbirth. This was okay.

  Adam clung tighter, a whimper escaping. “Fucking hurts, Brody,” he said between clenched teeth.

  Slater released her and she gripped her wrist, looking at the damage. Clean punctures where each tooth sank into flesh. Burning raced up her arm, through her blood. That didn’t seem right.

  Brody released Adam and he turned, wrapping her in his arms, ignoring his bite. “What is it? What’s wrong, Dani?”

  Gulping, she shook her head. The burning sensation spread, her blood carrying it throughout. Her body trembled and her vision grayed, but she stayed on her feet.

  * * * *

  Adam scooped her off the ground and carried her to the porch where he sat down, holding her. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

  Her eyes were glassy, her skin pale. A fever burned. Something was terribly wrong. “What the fuck is happening?” he cried.

  Dominique dropped down before him, touching her sister’s face. “It’s not working. Her body is fighting it. I knew this was a bad fucking idea.”

  Emily came around the corner and she qui
ckly found Danika, her face twisting in a grimace.

  Clint intercepted her. “It didn’t work.”

  “I can see that.” She looked at Adam. “Can you carry her next door to Hayden’s?”

  “You can fix her, right?” he asked.

  She looked into his eyes. “I’m going to fix what I can.”

  Danika made no response.

  “Shit, this isn’t good,” he muttered. Adam held on to her tighter and stood, carrying her down the path between the homes. What could she fix? He’d heard how she rebuilt a good portion of Clint’s back when he was shot. She healed all the damage to Gina’s head, which was a shattered mess that had healed badly. The woman fixed Slater’s face when some kind of Fae substance melted it off. And she said she was going to fix what she could?

  His heart raced as he made his way down the path. He couldn’t lose her. Not like this. Not after ensuring his dumb ass was going to be around forever.

  Emily rushed ahead as Amethyst came to the door. “We need somewhere to work. I’d have Robert take me to the clinic, but her body is already rejecting the virus. There’s too much for her immune system to fight.”

  “This way.” She hurried down a hall to a spare room and opened the door. “On the bed.”

  “Shit, yeah, okay.” Adam placed her on the bed, his hands trembling.

  “Whose idea was this?” Emily asked.

  “Hers. I wanted her to go through the awakening, skipping the pain, but she doesn’t want to sleep with anyone else.”

  “Clint says she has chronic myeloid leukemia,” Emily stated.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” he answered, staring at Danika.

  “Sounds like it’s too far progressed for becoming a werewolf to work. And probably too far for me to cure. If you can convince her to go through an awakening, it would be far easier to recover from than the treatment they suggest. And they should have kept her on some kind of treatment plan.”

  “We didn’t know this would happen. We wanted an easy fix. She refused the other way. She was ready to fight the old-fashioned way. And now I’m a werewolf, and she’s still mortal.” He gulped. “I have to convince her to sleep with a Fae.”