by Celia Kyle
“Ty!” Mia’s panicked voice reached him, breaking him out of his frozen panic and into motion.
He immediately reached out for her, grasping her cold hand in his, and tugged her into the unending cloud of darkness. The wind still churned, pushing more smoke away and the fire—fires?—had to be dissipating. Their vision cleared, the yard slowly becoming visible beyond the dark smoke. Some spots of the grass were blackened by fire, replaced by burnt remnants—the green a stark contrast to the charred spots.
Ty led Mia through the yard from memory, his pace increasing with every step. He fought to ignore the frightened cries and the furious snarls that surrounded them. He had another purpose—another task to complete—first.
“Parker! Sophia!” He bellowed their names, his tone not leaving any room for misinterpretation. They better answer if they were able or face the consequences.
He had a safe just waiting to keep video games and baby dolls out of reach.
Please let them be okay. Please. His bear growled and snarled, demanding and begging for the same. His bear would never admit it was worried, but the animal paced in the back of his mind. It moved from side to side, alternating between demanding control and urging his stupid human half to find their cubs.
They had their mate. Now find the cubs.
He squeezed Mia’s hand, reassuring himself of her presence. He had her. Find the cubs because he had her.
He stumbled across his father first, the old Itan coughing and pounding his chest with one hand. Soot coated his father’s cheeks, but a quick scan with his gaze and he didn’t find any wounds on him—no burns or scrapes. One of the knots around his heart eased, but not all the way. Not when he saw his father didn’t have anyone else with him.
“Dad? Where’s—“
His father’s bellowing laugh cut him off, the wide smile and joy filling the male’s gaze unmistakably. “I’ve never had so much fun…”
Ty swayed in place for a moment. He wasn’t about to faint—Itans didn’t faint—but he might have become a little lightheaded. “Dad…”
His dad just smiled wider and shook his head. “I think the kids are off in that direction. Gonna get your mother out of this.”
Ty’s mother was also smiling and staring at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. “It’s payback. God has finally given me payback.”
And she seemed happy about it.
Ty shook his head and opened his mouth to ask what she was going on about, but Mia pulled against his hold, bringing his attention back to her.
“Ty!” She yanked again and he followed the direction of her panicked stare.
That was when his own bout of panic took over. His heart rate soared, the muscle thundering and beating so hard he thought it’d burst from his chest.
His daughter.
His son.
Cradled…
Bile churned in his stomach, searing his throat as it rose along his esophagus.
His daughter and his son cradled in Reid’s arms. Neither moving. Neither making a sound. No coughs as they fought for breath and no sobs as they cried for their parents. Tears didn’t streak their cheeks to cut a path through the soot on their faces.
The werewolf’s expression was grim, lips pressed tightly together, while his eyes were filled with a combination of guilt and regret.
“No,” Ty whispered, voice hoarse and throat scratching as he shoved the word from his mouth. His knees trembled, fear taking up residence in his heart. His bear roared its objection, the animal furious and out for blood, craving the flesh of the person behind the atrocity.
“No.” That time it was the bear, the animal demanding he repeat the human word.
Mia sobbed, whole body shaking with what he knew were the first inklings of grief and disbelief. “Ty.” She no longer fought to get away, but turned her wrist and clung to him, squeezing his fingers until he thought they’d break. “Ty, please.”
Please tell her she wasn’t really seeing what was in front of them.
Amber eyes—Reid’s amber eyes—met his, and the urge to kill the wolf nearly overrode his human desire to figure out what went wrong and fix it. Fix it enough so that his kids were looking at him with wide smiles once more.
The wind continued to pull at them, shoving the smoke away from the yard and into the forest. It cleared their vision, giving him a chance to see the destruction, to see what’d caused his children to…
Mia sobbed when Reid was close enough to touch, close enough to reach out for their kids and rest trembling hands on their small backs.
So small. So tiny.
“Oh, Parker, Sophia.” Tears slid down his mate’s cheek and Ty fought his own urge to cry.
Itans didn’t cry. They killed things. His bear wanted to kill whoever caused the damage to his life. Slowly. Painfully. Possibly starting with Reid.
“What the fuck happened?” Ty snarled, not willing to wait for an explanation. His fangs elongated, the bear pushing forward, and Ty let the animal have a bit of control. He needed the beast’s strength to win against whomever he had to challenge. “Who the fuck did this—who hurt my kids—and where the fuck can I find them?”
Reid jerked back, his attention bouncing between Ty and Mia before falling to the kids. His brows lowered and lips turned down with a frown. “Ty,” he said, shaking his head. “We were just over by the grills. Things got a little…”
“Who, Reid? Give me their fucking names.” And may God give them mercy when he found them, because they were dead. Human or shifter, Ty didn’t care. Nothing mattered more to him than Mia and his kids. Nothing.
Reid jostled Parker and Sophia. “The kids are fi—“
“My babies.” Tears streaked Mia’s cheeks, her whole body trembling.
“Dammit, Mia. Fuck, Ty. Listen, you little shits…” Reid shrugged and jiggled them again. “This was fucking funny until…”
“Reid, you need to fucking—” Then he heard it. Above the roaring in his ears, the pounding of his heart, and the growls of his bear… he heard it.
A laugh.
Not from one of the others at the party, but one he knew just as well as Mia’s.
It was his daughter’s laugh—her giggle—her chuckle. But she was…
She repeated the sound and lifted her head, turning a gap-toothed smile and eyes dancing with happiness on him. Then onto her mother. “Mommy, you didn’t tell them to put a dollar in the jar once.” Then those eyes narrowed and she propped one fist on a slim hip. “Not. Fair.”
“What?” He rasped out the question, unable to hear himself over the pounding in his ears.
But Sophia wasn’t listening to him or Mia’s cries. She was poking her brother—cousin—and demanding his attention. “Did you hear Parker? Daddy said F words and Uncle Reid said badder ones and Mommy didn’t tell them to put money in the swear jar.” She poked Parker again. “Parker? Are you listening? Listen, listen. Mommy—“
His adopted son huffed and lifted from Reid’s shoulder to glare at Sophia. “You ruined it, brat.”
Mia’s gaze was filled with the same confusion that consumed Ty.
“Daddy? Parker called me a brat.”
“Because you are a brat,” Parker grumbled.
“I don’t understand…” Mia whispered, her gaze bouncing between their soot-covered-but-healthy children.
Thomas, Mia’s father, emerged from the smoke, coughing and hacking, but still smiling wide. “That was fun as heck!”
“Grandpa!” Sophia leaned away from Reid and the older man took Ty’s daughter with ease. “Daddy said F words and Uncle Reid said…”
“Badder ones and blah, blah, swear jar,” Reid finished for her. Which drew Ty’s gaze back to him.
“What the fuck?” Ty jerked free of Mia’s tight grip and stalked toward Reid. The werewolf put Parker down and then took a slow step backward. He retreated at the same pace Ty advanced, maintaining the distance between them. “Explain what the fuck all this is?”
“No, Ty, cal
m down. It’s nothing a little paint can’t fix.” Reid held up his hands as if to ward off Ty.
Ty ignored Thomas’s snort.
He couldn’t ignore the tug on his hand. “Hey, Pop. Know what?”
He turned his attention to Parker. Parker who still lived and breathed and smiled at him. The kid was a little worse for wear—his clothes were more than a little charred, but his skin wasn’t pink or red from a burn. “What?”
The kid needed to tell him whatever was on his mind so Ty could get to torturing Reid until he got the full story out of him.
“When you turn the handle on a po-pane tank all the way open and then you turn a knob and then you spray it with a bottle of lightning fluid and then you throw a match…”
Ty’s breath caught, but those rambled words were enough to tell him what the hell happened. Somehow—either on his own or with adult supervision, and he wanted to kill that fucking adult—his son opened up a propane tank, added a whole bottle of lighter fluid, and then lit a match.
Then boom.
“You’re naked. Did you shift without me? That’s not fair. You said I could shift the next time…” His son was still rambling as if Ty hadn’t gone through a whirlwind of emotions in the last thirty seconds that left him exhausted.
“This smoke isn’t good for you or…” Thomas was probably trying to be quiet, but the presence of Ty’s bear made everything sound like a bellowing shout. “Did you tell him yet?”
“Tell who what?” Sophia interrupted. She always interrupted, and she would forever interrupt because she was alive. He had to take strength from that.
“Tell your daddy that he’s gonna be a daddy again.”
Parker was still whining, Reid was still backing away, and Sophia was still rattling off a million questions about babies and all Ty could do was…
Roar.
“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Silence. Utter silence surrounded them. Even the fire quieted as if it was afraid of angering Ty. No one else made a sound and both kids snapped their mouths shut which let him focus on Mia and Thomas. Mia, who glared first at her red-faced father and then shifted that attention to Ty.
“Language, Ty. Language.”
“Lan… You… Lan…” he sputtered and stuttered, shaking his head back and forth. “I don’t…”
He’d lost his grasp on the situation at some point. Lost it and he wasn’t sure he’d ever get it back again. For now, he’d have to be thankful for what he did have.
Parker.
Sophia.
Mia, even though she was glaring at him.
That was when his mother bustled up to their small group, her smile even wider than Thomas’s, while his dad followed in her wake. “Oh, that was amazing!” She clapped her hands, her laughter filling the air. She even went so far as to bounce in place. “That was…” His mother froze, attention turning to Mia and no one else. “Sweetheart, what are you doing out in this smoke? It’s not good for the baby. Let’s get you inside.”
Fire. His children who appeared dead and now… baby?
“Mia?” He wasn’t sure if she heard him or somehow read his mind, but she looked at him, shoulders hunched while she nibbled her lower lip.
“I was gonna tell you…”
5
Mia stared out at the remnants of her yard. The grass was ruined, more than one tree was now charred and black, and the twisted wreckage of one of Reid’s grills seemed embedded in the ground.
All in all, she’d have to call the barbecue a complete and utter failure. Although, her swear jars were full. Apparently, when something blew up, adults cursed up a blue storm. So, that was a positive to the day.
That and the fact that Ty knew about the baby now.
A baby he hadn’t talked about since he’d heard of its existence. Her throat tightened and chest squeezed while doubt invaded her mind. Did he not want another child anymore? They hadn’t used protection in years and she’d sorta assumed that meant they were on the same page and now… Now she was pregnant and alone on the back porch.
She’d showered and changed, pulling on comfortable stretch pants and a soft tank top. There was only family left in the clan den and they could deal with her free-flying chesticles and soaking wet hair.
Mia sighed and leaned against one of the support posts, resting her head on the wood while she tried to figure out what to do next. Her mind was a whirlwind of to-do items ranging from salvaging the back yard to what to take away from the kids as their punishment. Her hands were still shaking too much to actually sit and talk to them and if she wasn’t shaking, she was crying. Neither went well with trying to appear like a strong disciplinarian.
The back door squeaked, the screen swinging open while someone stepped from the house to the porch. The wind changed and she tried to figure out who’d joined her, but the smoke still clogged her senses. So she waited for the newcomer to get closer, to pad within sight beneath the moon’s light.
Then there he was—standing tall and proud.
“Hi,” she whispered.
He didn’t say anything, not at first. Ty simply reached for her and pulled her away from the post. He tugged until their fronts were flush and he had her wrapped in his arms. He surrounded her with his touch—his scent—and she’d never felt safer in her entire life.
“You’re pregnant.” To anyone else, his tone sounded flat and unemotional, but to Mia… He was thrilled. Ty was a man—an Itan—and emotions weren’t exactly his forte outside of stressful situations.
“I am.” She rested her head on his chest, ear pressed to his pec while she listened to the steady thud of his heart.
He sighed and squeezed her a little tighter, another display of his deep feelings. “Fuck, Mia. You’re pregnant.”
She grinned. “What did I tell you about that kind of language?”
Ty shook his head, chin brushing her hair. “I’ve dealt with people invading the den, getting cock-blocked by an explosion, thinking my kids were dead, and then finding out you’re pregnant with our cub. I think I get a little leeway.”
She pulled back, smiling at her mate. “Yeah?”
Ty grunted. “Yeah.”
“Does that mean I get some leeway? Because I seem to remember getting cock-blocked, too.”
“Mia, you get anything you desire.” He cupped her cheeks and lowered his head, brushing his lips across hers. “I want to give you the world. I want to be everything to you. I want you to be so fucking happy… I just…”
Mia pushed to her tiptoes and gave him a kiss of her own, the caress fleeting before she eased away. Her pussy was already wet and aching, his mere presence sending her desire from zero to bend me over in an instant. She knew what she wanted and he was the only one who could sate her need. “I want you to take me inside and fuck me.”
She waited for his response—his growl or snarl—but heard a gasp instead.
“Mommy! Language!”
Yeah, it seemed Ty would sate her need later. Much, much later.
~~*~~
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About the Author
Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes urban fantasy (as Lauren Creed), science fiction (as Erin Tate), and paranormal romances for readers who:
1) Like super hunky heroes (they generally get furry)
2) Dig beautiful women (who have a few more curves than the average lady)
3) Love laughing in (and out of) bed.
It goes without saying that there's always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way.
Today she li
ves in Central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.
Find Celia on the web…
@celiakyle
authorceliakyle
www.celiakyle.com
[email protected]
Copyright © 2016 by Celia Kyle
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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