by Zena Wynn
“You heard?” She glanced over her shoulder.
He nodded.
“She tried to kill my baby, Kian. She’s smart, I’ll give her that. If something happened, if she were caught, she could say it was a simple error. But she knew exactly what she was doing. She’s a naturalist. Owns a shop.”
She hates us.
“Why?”
I don’t know. She’s always hated us. My parents too.
Rory’s parents, Shay thought. Somehow it always seemed to come back to them. “She looked right into both of our faces and lied. Not even Rory caught it.”
She’s been living a lie for years. You need to tell Rory.
“Not yet.”
He signed forcefully and with great emphasis. He needs to know!
Shay rubbed her forehead wearily. “I know, and I’ll tell him, but not yet. He trusts her! Feels guilty about killing her mate. I need proof. This is going to crush him. But first I need to know that my child is safe.”
She speed-dialed Kiesha’s house number. They should be back from their honeymoon by now. Hopefully Alex would answer. Luck was with her. After three rings Alex picked up the phone. “Shay, I’ll get Kiesha for you, but first, how are things?”
“Actually it’s you I called to speak to, Alex.” She plucked at the blind.
“Oh, what’s wrong? You don’t sound like your normal self.” In the background she heard Kiesha call out, “Is that Shay?”
That put a faint smile on her face. “I have a bit of a situation. I need you to check and make sure everything’s okay with my pregnancy. I’d come there, but Rory went to Fort Knox to pick up my vehicle, leaving me without transpo. I could call someone to bring me to you, but I’d rather no one know.”
“Don’t the Sparrowhawks have a midwife?” Alex asked.
“Yes.” She left it to Alex to read between the lines.
“I see.” He was silent. Miracle of miracles, even Kiesha was silent. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Alex. Make sure you bring Kee.”
He snorted. “As if she’d let me leave her behind.” In a heavier tone, he added, “Shay, when I get there, I want to know what’s going on. You’re family.”
“I’ll tell you, both of you, when you arrive. Oh, and I went and had an initial workup done with Carol while you were gone. In case you need my chart or anything.”
“Yes, that will help. What exactly am I looking for, Shay?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.” She disconnected the call.
Kian tapped her shoulder to get her attention. Alex Wolfe, alpha of the Raven pack?
Shay didn’t catch every word, but she got the general understanding of the question. “Yes, he’s mated—married—to my cousin Kiesha.”
His expression was dubious.
“Alex and Rory are friends. Have been ever since Shannon joined the Raven pack. More importantly he’s a doctor. If he says the baby’s fine, then she is.”
She?
“Yes. I’m sure it’s a girl.”
Unlike Rory, Kian didn’t immediately disagree. He simply stared at her bump.
“I need to call Shannon,” she said and suited actions to words.
Kian shifted, his expression changing to one of unease.
“What?”
She’s scared of me.
“She’s your sister. I don’t think you McFelans know the meaning of fear. She probably thinks you don’t like her, and is wary as a result,” Shay said before she switched her attention to Shannon, who’d just answered.
“Shay, what’s going on?” she asked cheerfully.
“Trouble. I need a family powwow. Alex and Kee are coming. Can you come, and bring Nikolai?”
Shannon covered the phone, murmured something to her mate, and his deep voice answered before she came back on line. “We’ll be there. Where’s my brother? I don’t hear him in the background.”
“Which one? Kian’s here. Rory’s in Fort Knox,” Shay said, looking Kian in the eyes.
“You’ve met Kian?”
“Yes,” Shay stated with a hint of impatience. “We had breakfast together.”
“He came out of his room and ate with you?” There was astonishment in Shannon’s voice and maybe a tinge of jealousy.
“Yes,” Shay said again, a little less annoyed. “We’re all one big happy family now. See you when you get here.” She clicked the phone off and tossed it on the bed. “You’re not planning on making a liar out of me, are you? You will stick around for the meeting?”
He considered for a moment. Shay could tell he was weighing the pros and cons.
“I need someone on my side. Laurie Bell comes off as so nice and friendly I might have difficulty convincing them on my own,” Shay said, although it wasn’t exactly true. Kiesha would believe her. Alex might question, but he’d have no reason to go against her. It was Shannon and Rory she was concerned about.
Kian gave one short nod.
What about Caleb?
“What about him?” she asked, puzzled.
As Rory’s second, he should be here helping with any plan of action you formulate.
Shay considered. “You trust him?”
He’s a good man. Honorable.
“All right. I’ll call and ask him to come over.”
You still need to call Rory.
“Fine, but I’m not telling him about Laurie Bell. Not yet.” First she called Caleb and told him she’d invited a few people over for a late lunch and asked him to join them. Once she had his agreement, she called her mate.
He answered the phone with, “Is everything okay?”
“All good on my end. I had breakfast with your brother.”
“Kian?”
Shay’s brow furrowed. “You have another one you didn’t tell me about?”
“No, I just…never mind. Okay, so you two had breakfast. That’s good. What’s wrong? You sound strange.”
Shay closed her eyes and forced herself to think cheerful, happy thoughts so her upset wouldn’t show in her tone. “Nothing. Just called to warn you I invited Alex and Kee, and Shannon and Nik over to the house. They should be here when you return. Have any idea when that will be?”
Rory groaned. “Shay, you know your cousin wants my liver on a platter. How could you do this to me?”
He sounded so pitiable Shay couldn’t help but laugh. “Just be your normal, charming self and Kee will get over her dislike,” she said, tongue in cheek.
He sighed heavily. “I should be home in another two and a half hours. Haggling over the price didn’t take as long as I thought. I’m just waiting on the last of the paperwork so I can leave. Riley will handle the rest of the maintenance work.”
“Great,” she said, relieved to know he was on his way home. “Now who around here can I call to deliver enough food to feed three hungry male shifters and two pregnant women?”
“Sam’s Rib Shack. The number’s online. Call him and tell him you need five slabs of ribs with all the trimmings for a meet up. He’ll put it on the pack’s tab. Or you can call Caleb and ask him to handle the arrangements. Sam’s delivers. Look, I gotta go. The insurance binder just came through. See you soon.”
“Okay. Be careful,” she said, reluctant to let him go.
“I will.”
Shay held the phone until the dial tone sounded in her ear. “It’s all coming together,” she told Kian.
He studied her, expression intent. You have a plan?
She frowned, hating the fact that she was so uncertain on something this important. “Maybe. I’m not sure it will work. That’s where you guys come in.”
What is it?
Shay bounced her ideas off Kian, trusting him to help her fine-tune her plan before presenting it to the rest of the group.
Might work.
“It better,” she said determinedly. “Now while we wait for everyone to arrive, let’s do something about your space.”
* * * *
Caleb arrived
first. Shay wasted no time roping him into helping her fix up the basement like a mini-apartment. While Kian and Caleb took Kian’s king-size mattress and frame apart and reassembled it downstairs, Shay went through the house earmarking items to refurbish Kian’s abode: a television, lamp, an easy chair—not Rory’s—and love seat. She tried dragging a few of the heavier items to the basement entrance to make it easier on the men and got chewed out for her efforts.
“Fine, I’ll stay out of the way,” she said.
You show us what you want moved and we’ll do it. No lifting, Kian signed.
“You are a bigger nag than Rory,” she griped.
Kian smiled and winked at her. That’s what families do.
With her own words being quoted to her, Shay could do nothing but get out of the way and let them handle things.
She made a note to purchase knickknacks, plants, area rugs, and accent mirrors to give the place a homey feel. While Kian was being so agreeable, she wished she had time to paint but knew none of the men would allow it. To feel useful, instead she found one of the rarely used bathrooms upstairs and stole the shower curtain, floor mats, and coordinating decor to fix up Kian’s.
When the rest of the group arrived, literally within minutes of each other, Kian’s basement retreat had been thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed and looked inviting. Best of all, Kian seemed pleased with the results.
“This doesn’t mean you get to hide down here,” Shayla warned Kian.
Kian smirked and nudged her up the stairs to greet her guests, going furry and four-legged before she could get the door open. Shay shook her head but didn’t complain. She didn’t have time. As soon as she opened the door, Shannon and Kiesha blasted her with questions.
“I’ll explain everything as soon as Rory arrives,” Shay told them. “Nikolai, Alex.” She greeted the men with a nod as they entered.
“Explain what?” Caleb asked. “I thought this was a simple family get-together.”
“So she didn’t tell you either?” Alex mused. He held out a hand. “Alex Wolfe, alpha of the Raven pack.” As Caleb gripped his hand, Alex continued with the introductions. “My mate, Kiesha Wolfe. You know Shannon, and this is her mate, Nikolai.”
“Caleb Jones, Rory’s second. We’ve seen each other but never officially met,” Caleb said as he acknowledged each one. “Looking good, Shannon.”
“Thanks, Caleb. Good to see you,” Shannon said.
“That’s Kian,” Shay stated with a flick of her wrist to indicate the pony-sized wolf hovering in the background. “Now that the introductions are over—Alex, you brought your stuff?”
In answer he held up his medical bag in one hand and her file in the other.
“Good. Let’s get this done.” Shay crossed over to the stairs and headed up. Hearing too many footsteps trailing her, she stopped and turned. Behind Alex were Caleb, Kiesha, Shannon, and Kian. Only Nikolai seemed disinclined to follow. “Whoa! Back it up. Alex, you come. Kiesha, you too. Everyone else, scat.”
Caleb shook his head. “While Rory’s away, I’m responsible for you. Where you go, I go.”
“I’m not getting a prenatal checkup with you in the room,” she told him.
When he crossed his arms, a set look on his face, Shay groaned. “You werewolves are stubborn.”
“Shifters,” half the group corrected.
Rolling her eyes, Shay said, “Whatever. If Shannon comes with me, will that satisfy you?”
Caleb eyed Shannon thoughtfully before giving an abrupt nod.
“Okay, Shannon, you’re with us. Now if we can get this over with?” She turned and started up the stairs, muttering, “Since when did doctors’ visits become a group event? That’s what I’d like to know.”
“When you became mated to an alpha,” Alex answered in a low, humor-tinged voice.
Kian came too, but somehow with him in wolf form, it was easy to overlook his presence. She headed for the master bedroom. Kian shot ahead, blocking access to the door while nudging her away from the room.
Before she could question him, Alex said, “If that’s your bedroom, pick another. Rory won’t be happy to have another male’s scent in there.”
Remembering how psycho possessive he went at the thought of Alex seeing her naked when they went to Refuge for her first checkup, Shay swallowed hard and chose another room. No sense pushing Rory’s buttons if she didn’t need to. Not about something like this.
Shannon and Kiesha stood a distance away, giving Alex the room he needed to complete the exam and Shay some semblance of privacy. When finished, he jotted down a few notes in her chart, then told her, “Get dressed and come downstairs. I’ll go over the results down there.” Then he left the room.
The two women immediately ganged up on her. “Now tell us what all this is about,” Kiesha said, and Shannon echoed with, “Yeah.”
“Gee, guys, can I at least get my panties on first. Naked here,” she reminded them with a glance at Kian, who immediately turned his muzzle in the opposite direction.
Fisted hands on their hips, Shannon and Kee stood side by side, an immovable mountain of female determination.
“Put your clothes on, Shay. But you’re not leaving this room until we get some answers,” Kiesha said.
Chapter Fifteen
Shayla narrowed her gaze at the two pains in her behind masquerading as female family members blocking the doorway. “I mean it, you two. I don’t want to get into this, not without Rory here. He’ll be pissed if I tell you before telling him, and he’s going to be furious enough as it is,” she said as she dressed.
“Tell us something,” Kiesha appealed, switching from combative to pleading. “Shannon said you told her there was trouble.” In a lightning-fast mood swing, Kiesha asked with a dangerous glint in her eye, “It’s not Rory, is it? He’s not starting with you again, is he?”
“Jeez, woman, let it go,” Shannon said irritably. “You act like you and Alex never had a fight. She wouldn’t be waiting for Rory to get here if he was the problem.”
The two women glared at each other.
Shay sighed. “Kee, Rory loves me, and I love him. He’d be the last person to do me harm.” She sat on the bed to tug on her socks and tennis shoes.
“Someone in the pack wants to hurt you?” Trust Shannon to latch on.
“Who?” Kiesha demanded.
She studied the both of them. They weren’t going to quit unless she gave them something. And as crazy as they both could make her, she loved them. If the situation were reversed, she knew she’d be just as determined to get answers. “All right, all right. Sit down.”
Shay waited while they relocated to the bed, both of them perching tensely on the mattress. Mentally she sifted through and decided what she could tell them. “At your wedding reception, Conor gave me a warning. You know how he is, Kee. He sees stuff. Usually he’s dead on the mark,” she added for Shannon and Kian’s benefit.
Shay repeated Conor’s warning without flourish.
Kiesha shot to her feet. “What! And you didn’t tell me?”
“That’s why you asked all those questions about the pack,” Shannon stated.
“Yes. Though I would have wanted to know what I was walking into anyway, his warning gave me more incentive to learn,” Shay said in response to Shannon. To Kee she said, “My pack. My problem.”
“Spoken like a true alpha-fem,” Shannon murmured, smiling in approval.
“Screw that! If you get yourself killed dealing with these yahoos, then it’s mine. We’re family. If they don’t like it, tough. They’ll just have to deal.” Kiesha’s face was flushed, and she breathed heavily.
“Kee, take a seat and calm down before Alex comes storming up here to see what the problem is,” Shay clipped out. She refused to continue until Kiesha complied; then she said, “Kian and I now know one person behind the threat to my children. I’ve hopefully come up with a plan to flush the rest out.”
“Who is it?” they both demanded.
“Unh-hu
h.” Shay shook her head. “That’s all you get until Rory arrives.”
Both women argued and cajoled, but Shay refused to budge. Finally Shannon asked, “How soon do you expect him?”
“Not for another hour.”
Both Kiesha’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and her mouth dropped open. “An hour! You expect me to wait that long?”
“What are we supposed to do in the meantime?” Shannon asked.
“First, I’m going downstairs to get the results of Alex’s exam. When that’s done, you two can go shopping with me.” Shay strode for the door.
“Shopping!” they echoed.
Shay stopped at the door and turned with a grin, knowing she’d shocked them. “Yes. Kian’s allowed me to fix up his space, but he needs more stuff. I want to get it done before he changes his mind.”
All three women turned to look at the huge black wolf sitting quietly, watching them.
“Shopping,” Shannon mused.
Still staring at Kian, Kiesha said, “I’m down with that.”
Of course it wasn’t that simple.
The men were sprawled in various poses of relaxation, watching some type of sport on the big-screen. As soon as Shay appeared, Alex muted the sound. Kiesha crossed over to sit near her mate, and Shannon did the same with Nikolai. Shayla took her seat in Rory’s favorite armchair, and Caleb rose to take guard position near and slightly behind her right shoulder. Kian stretched out on the floor at her feet.
Inwardly rolling her eyes at her self-appointed bodyguards’ behavior, she said to Alex, “Well?”
“It would help if I knew what you were looking for,” Alex said in a tone of polite inquiry.
“Tell me what you found,” Shay insisted.
Frowning, he said, “Your pregnancy is progressing more like a shifter than a human, which I’m sure Carol already told you. Other than that, everything looks normal.”
“You’re certain?” Shay pushed, needing to be sure.
Eyes narrowed in concern, he reiterated, “Yes. Now what’s this about?”
“Hold up. What does that mean, progressing like a shifter?” Kiesha asked.
