by Zoe Chant
The hellhound made a strangled whimper, cringing away from him. “Maurice! Maurice Grundy!”
Shan nodded. “Truth.”
Min-Seo sucked on her lollipop. “Yeah, I would have tried to get away with ‘Gerulf’ too. Why are you here, Maurice?”
“L-Lupa. The bitch kicked me out of the pack.” In contrast to his earlier bravado, Maurice—or Gerulf—now seemed positively eager to spill his guts. He jerked his chin in Callum’s direction. “Because of him.”
“Because I stopped you from abducting my mate and child?” Callum asked.
Maurice shook his head. “Because I went after them in the first place. Lupa flipped her lid when I reported back. Said we don’t ever touch families. Especially kids.”
“Truth,” Shan said, his dark eyebrows rising very slightly.
Min-Seo rolled her lollipop over her tongue in a thoughtful sort of way. “Hmm. If your boss was so pissed off, why didn’t she just kill you, Maurice? I certainly would have.”
Maurice’s lip curled in a sneer. “Because she’s soft. Prances around with her nose in the air, acting like she’s oh-so-tough, but she’s just a little girl. No balls. Never lets anyone have any fun. We’re hellhounds, not lapdogs. Most she ever lets us do is scare stray campers out of random-ass bits of forest, and we’re not even allowed to have some sport with one or two that no-one would ever miss.”
“All true,” Shan said, brow furrowing.
“Ah,” Min-Seo murmured, as though a puzzle piece had just clicked into place. She cast a glance at Callum. “That fit with what you know of Lupa?”
Callum opened his mouth to say no…and hesitated. True, Lupa had attempted to kidnap Joe and sacrifice him to a demon earlier in the summer. She’d very nearly been successful. She’d started at least one wildfire, too, in order to ambush the squad.
But…she’d ambushed them with poisoned darts that stopped them from being able to shift. The hellhound alpha could have chosen something a lot more lethal. And although she’d started the wildfire close to a town, she hadn’t jumped the crew until they’d finished containing it. Nobody had gotten hurt. There hadn’t even been any property damage.
“I don’t think she kills if she can avoid it,” he said slowly. “But she is willing to kill. If there’s no other way to achieve her goal. What is her goal, Maurice?”
The hellhound shrugged sullenly. “All I know is that she’s obsessed with that damn big bird. That’s the only thing she summons the whole pack to hunt. Fucking bitch. Getting my tail fried with lightning isn’t my idea of a good time.”
“Hmm.” Min-Seo finished her lollipop with a last crunch, like a fox biting through a chicken bone. “And how long have you worked for Lupa?”
“Dunno exactly. Two, three years, maybe.”
“Truth,” Shan confirmed.
“A long time to spend somewhere you don’t fit in,” Callum said. He knew that all too well. It was about the length of time he’d been a structural firefighter back in Brighton, before joining the Thunder Mountain Hotshots.
Maurice fidgeted, his gaze sliding away. “A hellhound needs a pack. Didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Truth,” Shan rumbled.
Min-Seo leaned back on her hands, regarding the hellhound thoughtfully. “If Lupa’s so weak, how come she’s pack alpha?”
“Most of ‘em are losers that she bit and turned herself, so she’s got them pussy-whipped. Plus she’s got that damn wendigo wrapped around her little finger.” Maurice scowled, his face twisting. “He’s her enforcer. Anyone says boo to her, he kicks their ass six ways to hell. If she actually fought for herself, like a proper alpha, I’d’ve challenged her myself.”
“Suuuuure,” Min-Seo said, drawing out the word sarcastically. “Shan?”
Shan see-sawed one hand back and forth. “Mixed. He’s more frightened of Lupa than he’s admitting. But it’s true he doesn’t respect her.”
“Well, well, well.” Min-Seo treated Maurice to a megawatt smile. “I’m beginning to think it might be your lucky day after all, Mo—can I call you Mo?”
From the slack, idiotic smile spreading across the hellhound’s face, Min-Seo was leaning on an entirely different emotion now. “You can call me whatever you like, sweet tits.”
“You have no idea how close to death you just came,” Min-Seo muttered.
“Truth,” Shan noted, eyes gleaming.
“Shut up.” Min-Seo returned her attention to Maurice, adopting a breathless, girlish tone. “Mo, you seem to be a practical kind of man. And I do like a practical man. Maybe we can strike a bargain?”
Maurice nodded eagerly. “Sure. Sure. I like bargains.”
“Why don’t you let us take care of Lupa for you?” Min-Seo’s voice was honey-sweet, but her eyes were sharp as knives. “We do all the hard work, you walk out of here with a slap on the wrist, back to a pack that’s suddenly in need of fresh, dynamic new leadership…win-win all round. All you have to do is tell us where to find her.”
“Oh.” Maurice’s face fell. “I don’t know. No one in the pack knows where she lives, except maybe her wendigo. She just summons us wherever and whenever she needs us.”
The corner of Shan’s mouth twisted downward. “Truth.”
“Of course, because when do we ever get an easy job?” Min-Seo sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I’m nearly tapped out. Take him away for now, Shan.”
“Do you believe him?” Callum asked Min-Seo in a low voice as Shan frog-marched the hellhound out again.
“Well, this could still all be a spectacularly ill-considered and complicated way to get you to relax your guard, but I wouldn’t put money on it.” Min-Seo searched through her suit pockets as she spoke. “Damn it, I’m out of candy. This is at least a three-lollipop case.”
Min-Seo’s abilities had always left her drained afterward, and in need of sugar. Fortunately, one of the first things you learned as a hotshot was to always have a high-calorie snack to hand. Callum usually carried protein bars around, but he’d recently switched to peanut M&Ms after Diana had mentioned that they were her favorite candy. He fished a packet out of his jacket pocket, tossing it to Min-Seo.
“You are an angel. Technically a horse angel, I guess, given the wings and all.” Min-Seo ripped open the candy. “Anyway, returning to our friend Maurice. Honestly? I think he’s telling the truth.”
Callum let out his breath. “You really think Lupa won’t go after Beth?”
“Well, our unpleasant friend in handcuffs notwithstanding, it’s a rare shifter who can lift a finger against a kid. Our inner animals are a lot stronger than a human conscience on that particular topic. And if Lupa was that sort of monster, it’s unlikely she would have been able to hide it for as long as Maurice has been in her pack.”
Min-Seo flicked an M&M into her mouth, crunching thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. “And I don’t see any reason why she would have tried to hide it. With pack members like our delightful Mo, it would’ve been a helluva lot easier to let them indulge their darker desires than to keep them on a tight leash, like she seems to have done.”
Callum had to trust Min-Seo’s expertise on such matters. He’d never been able to figure out what made normal people tick, let alone criminal masterminds. Thankfully, wildfires didn’t have motivations.
“What about Diana, though?” he asked. “Even if Lupa’s moral code won’t let her touch Beth, she could still go after my mate.”
Min-Seo pursed her lips. “I’m not going to say there’s no risk, but…Lupa would be acting out of character. I’ve spent a lot of time going over her file. She’s missed a lot of opportunities to grab a human hostage or two, if that was her style. I mean, if I was going after you guys, I’d’ve picked off at least Wystan’s mate Candice by now. Or gone a bit wider, and started kidnapping members of Edith or Seren’s families to use as leverage. Lupa is either not as smart as me, or a whole lot nicer.”
“Probably both.”
Min-Seo flashed her fox-sharp
grin at him. “You say the sweetest things, beanpole. Anyway, leave this to me. Shan and I are very good at uncovering secrets. Especially ones people don’t know they know. No matter why Lupa cut Maurice loose, she’s gonna regret it real soon. I might need you to fly around a bit for us though, once we’ve narrowed down some search areas.” She wiggled her fingers by her forehead. “You know, do your pegasus thing. That okay?”
“Of course. Fire season is over. I’m at your disposal.”
“Watch out. I’ll make an agent out of you yet.” Min-Seo tipped the remaining M&Ms into her mouth, cheeks bulging like a chipmunk hoarding nuts. “In the meantime, you can tell your mate that it’s my professional opinion that she can relax a bit. Not that she should drop her guard entirely, but she doesn’t need to stay locked in a panic room with a loaded shotgun in hand.”
It was good news. Great news. The best news. He was thrilled.
What he said was, “Oh.”
Min-Seo cocked her head. “You seem to have badly mispronounced ‘Yay!’ there. Don’t tell me you want your mate to be in imminent danger of kidnapping?”
“No! No, of course not.” Callum really was relieved that the danger to Diana and Beth wasn’t as great as they’d first feared. “It’s just…this means she doesn’t have to keep living with me. The hotshot base isn’t the ideal place for a baby. She’ll want to take Beth somewhere else. Probably back to L.A.”
“Ah.” Min-Seo’s bright, sharp eyes skewered him. “So you haven’t told her she’s your mate yet.”
Callum drew in a deep breath, and let it out again slowly. “There’s a lot I haven’t told her.”
“That you’re scared to tell her.”
It wasn’t a question. Min-Seo never needed to ask about anyone’s emotional state, thanks to her gift. He nodded anyway.
Min-Seo gave him a long, considering look. “Do you want some help with that?”
There was a reason they’d become friends at school. She’d been able to calm him, take away some of his raging frustration with his too-sensitive pegasus, make him more confident. And in return, he simply hadn’t shunned her, as most of the other students had.
Callum had never been frightened of her manipulative power. She couldn’t help her nature, any more than he could help his. And if she ever had used her ability on him without his consent…well, she couldn’t create an emotion that didn’t already exist. He had to have liked her, at least a little, right from the start.
Her influence never lasted long…but maybe it would be long enough. “Please.”
Min-Seo hopped off the table. She stretched up on her toes, beckoning to him in a brief, imperious motion. Callum bent down to her level.
She kissed his cheek. As she did so, something seemed to lighten in his chest. The worries that he’d been locked up in his heart faded away. He felt…clearer. More certain. Calm.
His pegasus shook itself all over, as though a rainstorm had finally stopped. That’s better.
“For old times’ sake,” Min-Seo murmured in his ear. She kissed his cheek again, though this time there was no magic in it. “Now go talk to your mate.”
“Yes.” Callum straightened, setting his shoulders. “It’s time.”
Chapter 16
Diana hesitated in the door of the cabin, having second thoughts. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“We’re going to be more than okay.” Joe beamed, hoisting Beth up onto his shoulder. “We’re going to have the best time ever, aren’t we, sprat?”
Beth chortled, delighted by her new, lofty position. She’d always loved being up high. She grabbed hold of Joe’s curly blue-black hair, tugging with all her strength. Joe winced, but his grin didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Do not fear, Diana.” Seren was flicking through pages of paper covered in dense, neat handwriting. “Callum has left us instructions for any eventuality. Very, ah, thorough instructions.”
Diana gave the room one last check. Callum had transformed the space since she’d first arrived. From the soft, brightly-patterned rug on the floor to the cute pegasus mobile dangling over the brand-new cot, every inch was dedicated to Beth’s comfort. Diana had to concede that Beth had everything she could possibly need (and some, like the ridiculous nightlight, that she definitely didn’t).
Nonetheless, she hesitated. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea. I should cancel. I’m sure Callum will understand.”
“Callum needs to speak with you alone.” Seren shooed her out the door as though she was an indecisive cat. “Without distractions.”
“And Cal volunteering to talk is rarer than unicorns,” Joe put in from over Seren’s shoulder. “A lot rarer, actually. Seize the opportunity with both hands.” He winked. “I have a feeling that you won’t regret it.”
Seren handed Diana her coat. “He has a way of knowing these things, unlikely as it may sound. Trust him. Trust us both. And trust that Callum has a very good reason for this request.”
Diana was fairly sure she knew what that reason was. With her attacker safely in police custody and special agents pursuing Lupa, there was no longer any need for her to stay with the Thunder Mountain Hotshots. Callum must want to talk about what she would do now.
And she had no doubt what he wanted her to do.
He’d been even quieter than usual after their visit to the police station. But she didn’t need words to know that his feelings hadn’t changed. He shouted them with every glance, every door held open for her, every cup of coffee he brought her. He wanted to be more than co-parents.
Diana couldn’t deny that she wanted him too. She’d hoped that close proximity, the drudgery of daily life, would have made her immune to Callum’s blazing sex appeal. Unfortunately, the opposite seemed to have happened. Whenever she caught sight of him, she was dizzied with lust. Even when he was doing something as mundane as vacuuming. Maybe especially when he was doing something as mundane as vacuuming.
She thrust aside the terribly distracting memory of Callum leaning over a little, jeans taut across his ass, sleeves rolled up, gravely pushing the vacuum back and forth with the total, absolute attention that he gave to everything he did. Joe and Seren were right. She and Callum did need to talk.
“I won’t be far away,” Diana said. “Callum promised we’d only go for a short hike. If anything’s the slightest bit wrong, if you’re unsure about anything, call me and I’ll come right back.”
“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” Joe said with his usual sunny, unshakeable confidence. “I’ve read all about babies. I’m fully prepared. This is going to be awesome.”
Seren’s eyes danced, her mouth pressing into a thin line as if struggling to hold back laughter. She took Diana’s arm, drawing her away from the cabin.
“Sometimes Joe needs to be hit over the head by reality,” she murmured into Diana’s ear. “I have no doubt that he will look after your daughter diligently, but I would not mind him being just a little relieved to hand her back. I entreat you. Go. And I would consider it a great favor if you did not hasten to return.”
Diana smothered a giggle. “Well, when you put it like that…okay. But you will call me if Beth gets upset, won’t you?”
Seren gave her an odd, old-fashioned bow, one fist pressed over her heart. “On my honor, I swear it.”
Diana had seen Seren practicing actual sword-fighting drills every dawn. Evidently the solemn, serious woman was really into historical re-enactment. Sometimes she seemed to have stepped out of some long-vanished medieval kingdom.
Still, no matter Seren’s quirks, she was definitely responsible. She more than made up for what Joe might lack in common sense.
Giving Seren a last wave—and smothering a last surge of anxiety—she crossed the meadow behind the cabin. Callum was already waiting for her at the edge of the forest. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt rather than his firefighter gear, but his bulky pack was strapped to his back.
“Hi,” Diana said. She nodded at his backpack. “What’s all that? I thoug
ht we were going on a short hike, not an overnight trip.”
“Supplies,” he said enigmatically. “All set?”
“Yep.” Diana lifted a foot to display her borrowed boots. “Luckily Edith has the same size feet as me, even though we’re wildly different in every other dimension.”
His gaze ran over her with slow, obvious appreciation. “I like your dimensions.”
She was dressed in cargo pants and an oversized flannel shirt, and he was still looking at her like she was some kind of sex goddess. He’d said that he wanted to take her into the woods just to talk…but that clearly wasn’t all that was on his mind.
Or hers.
It was hard to remember all the reasons why it would be a bad idea to get involved with Callum when he was standing right there in front of her. With his autumnal hair and green, green eyes, he looked like part of the forest itself; a primal spirit, mysterious and wild, tempting her down a path from which there was no return.
Diana cleared her throat, tearing her eyes away from him. “Shall we go? Er…wherever we’re going?”
Callum twitched as though he too was having to snap himself out of some kind of trance. “Yes. This way. Tell me if you get tired.”
His legs were much longer than hers, but he set a slow, easy pace. Diana had no trouble keeping up with him despite the rugged terrain.
Callum kept glancing back to check up on her, but he didn’t seem to want to talk yet. Although she was agog to find out what he was thinking, Diana found herself relaxing into the silence.
The forest was beautiful, speaking to her soul. Gradually, all her worries faded away. Even Gertrude fell still in her mind. There was only the simple, enjoyable rhythm of walking, the soft calls of birds, the clean air in her lungs.
And Callum.
In the stillness of the forest, his own habitual stillness fell away. He seemed more at ease in his own body out here; the set of his shoulders looser, his expression less guarded. His heavy-soled firefighter boots didn’t make the slightest sound on the dense leaf litter.
