by Dannika Dark
Lucian set down his glass. “I’ll take care of it when I clear my plate. I’ve also got some imported beer if anyone’s interested.”
“Interested,” Adam said, raising two fingers.
“Same,” Levi said, also raising his hand. “No offense, Simon, but wine knocks me out. I like to be lucid when I’m eating.”
I raised my glass. “Not me. Pour me another.”
“Give her the whole bottle,” Simon said around a mouthful of dressing. “She deserves to spend the next three days unconscious. Bravo, love. You pulled it off splendidly.”
Justus sat to my left at the head of the table and Logan to my right. Page glanced over her shoulder at the puppy, which was sleeping in a box Finn had made for him. All we could see poking out of the plaid blanket was his tail. It made me wonder if a pet might curb some of Finn’s loneliness. Would a dog be the same as a packmate? Maybe it wouldn’t be appropriate. Some Shifters had negative views about owning pets. Something to discuss with Logan later.
When I tried to shove another cooked carrot into my mouth and my stomach gurgled in protest, I put my fork down. “I think I’m officially done.”
Logan swept my hair back and planted his warm lips on my neck, sending tingles down my body to all the right places.
Sadie rose from her chair. “Hey, you two. I have a surprise. Don’t be mad.”
I frowned. “Why would I be mad?”
She reached into a sack near the door and pulled out a tin. “I know you made desserts, but I figured I’d make a pecan pie. If nobody eats it, then I’ll just send everyone home with a slice. No biggie.”
Adam cleared his throat. “Slide that over by me and I’ll guard it for a little while.”
“Guard it with your mouth,” Simon added.
Sadie walked to the far end of the table and set the pie in front of Adam. He smiled up at her and winked before grabbing a small plate.
Meanwhile, Justus was too busy eating a turkey leg with his hands to concern himself over pie. Page normally admonished him for bad table manners, but she sat across from me, her eyes glazed over as she stretched out a yawn.
Logan’s phone suddenly rang.
I glanced down. “Who is that?”
“Be right back.” He stepped away from the table and strolled toward the fireplace, his voice low.
“Can I play with my toys?” Rose asked politely.
“Go on,” Justus said, watching her scamper across the room.
Finn reached over and pinched my arm. “Thanks for making those rolls. They were the bomb. We should do this every month.”
I laughed. “Only if you do all the cooking. It was pretty great though, wasn’t it?”
Levi handed his plate to Adam. “Give me a slice of that pecan. And don’t be stingy—I want a big slice.”
It warmed my heart that everyone had helped out in their own way, even though I had specifically told them not to. We had plenty of chips, dip, sodas, veggie trays, and fruit to feed us for days.
I rested my chin against my fist and looked into the dark room lit only by firelight and a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree. Justus had turned off the projector before dinner so it wouldn’t overheat. When my gaze drifted toward Logan, I noticed him staring at the fire with his phone in one hand.
Levi drew in a deep breath and turned around. “Brother, what’s wrong?”
When Logan stalked toward the table, I noticed the black rim around his eyes was wider than usual, swallowing up the gold. He stopped at Rose’s empty chair and locked eyes with me.
I got butterflies.
When he spoke, his voice was low and serious. “I have to go.”
“Go where? You promised not to take any jobs this week.”
Levi and Leo simultaneously rose from their seats, their nostrils flaring. They were picking up a strong emotion, but I didn’t need to be a Chitah to see that something was wrong.
“Logan?” I said, my heart thumping. “Go where?”
He bit his lower lip and averted his eyes. “I know we discussed this last night, but I still had an open bid. The auction closed.”
I stood up. “What does that mean?”
“It means… there’s a child waiting for us.”
Chills swept across my arms. “Are you sure? Maybe it’s a scam. Maybe they—”
“It’s a live transaction. I have to make the exchange today or she’ll withdraw the offer.”
“It could be dangerous,” Leo warned. “They might be luring you for money and using a woman to gain your trust.”
Levi pressed his fingertips against the table. “Leo’s right. You need to arm yourself.”
I stepped back and pushed in my chair. “I’m going.”
Several voices rose up in argumentative chatter, some mentioning the dangers of the snow while others were concerned about who we were dealing with.
When Justus seized my arm, I searched his eyes for some sense of understanding. “I have to go. You know I can take care of myself. I’m not letting Logan do this alone. I know it’s dangerous, but this could also be our only chance.”
Justus loosened his grip without a word. Only a father could understand how important this was to us.
Unlike some of the men in the room, Logan didn’t argue for me to stay. We’d always done everything together, including fighting battles. If this was a setup to ambush him for money and take his head, I wasn’t going to let that happen. But if this was a legitimate offer, I had to be all in, despite what we’d agreed upon the night before.
Simon polished off his wine. “You need backup.”
“We can’t risk it,” Logan said. “My contact is already jittery about the situation. I don’t think she’s done this before, and I’m afraid she’ll back out. We can’t come across as people with malicious intentions to steal the child without paying. I had to extend my trust in exchange for hers. No backup. No weapons.”
I flashed upstairs as fast as I could, my heart racing inside my chest. Was this really happening? Or were my hopes going to be dashed once again?
I stuffed clothes into a bag for each of us. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, underwear…
“What else? What else?” I whispered, looking around the room.
Logan came into the bedroom. “We go now. There’s a cabin upstate she reserved for us, and we’ll meet her there. It’s secluded, and I don’t know how long it will take to get there with the weather. We might have to walk some of the way.”
I snapped my fingers. “Boots.”
Logan and I had quality winter gear, so I slipped on thermal pants beneath my jeans before grabbing my waterproof boots. Logan put on his black down coat with the fur-lined hood. I had a matching one except that it reached my knees. My mind wouldn’t think straight, so I didn’t bother packing anything else.
As I lifted our bags, Logan took me by the arms and kissed me hard. “It’s happening, Little Raven.”
“What?”
“Our destiny.”
Chapter 14
Levi
Levi glanced at the clock again. It had been two hours since Silver and Logan left, and his nerves were a mess. He could barely enjoy his fourth helping of apple pie à la mode.
Sunny and Novis had talked about canceling their plans to stay the night until Justus convinced them the roads weren’t safe enough to drive. The city trucks would be out the following morning, so there was no sense in putting the kids in unnecessary danger. There was plenty of room, and Page offered to lend them something to wear if they had to stay a little longer. After all, Sunny and the children were mortal, and that made them fragile. Had they insisted on leaving, Levi was pretty sure that he and Lucian would have removed the tires from Novis’s car.
Levi folded his arms while listening to Sadie’s sweet voice singing the children to sleep. They were snuggled up on the sofas with their blankets and stuffed animals, and their eyes were transfixed on the light display above. They could be a handful, and while some of the adults needed an occasional br
eak from all the noise and excitement, Levi didn’t mind. He liked the sound of children and the energy they brought into a house. It was a sound absent from his own home.
Leo was their only real hope for expanding the Cross family, and like most Chitahs, he was probably waiting around to meet his kindred spirit. If that didn’t happen, he’d just have to settle with someone who could make his heart go pitter-pat. Logan and Silver obviously couldn’t have children together, and Lucian was too damn introverted to become a family man.
Levi sighed and leaned back in his chair. It wasn’t in the cards for him to have kids. He had a hard enough time finding men who were out with their sexuality, let alone a good match. The men he dated were outside his Breed. What was the point of dating another Chitah? Because of the social pressure to have kids, most of them didn’t come out. They were treated as traitors who didn’t care about their race surviving. Statistically there were more male Chitahs than females, and most waited as long as it took to find their kindred spirit—sometimes centuries, which was why there weren’t as many as one might think.
He rubbed his face. Now Logan and Silver were in a dangerous predicament. Some of the criminals who worked the black market were honest, but Levi patrolled the streets and had once worked in a Breed jail. He knew all about that dark underworld. Children were rarely given up for adoption, and those who wound up in orphanages or on the black market came from tragic circumstances. Unless they were stolen. There were plenty of sickos who wanted children for sadistic reasons. Some used them as personal servants, and others selected kids of a certain Breed to do their dirty work. They raised Shifters and Chitahs to become killers who did their bidding. It was the ultimate form of brainwashing.
Fake auctions were often created to swindle the highest bidder. They would lure the buyer to an isolated area, take their money, and then murder them.
People disappeared all the time.
Lucian took a seat in front of him with a plate of vegetables and dip.
Levi glared. “How can you eat at a time like this?”
After crunching on a carrot, Lucian replied, “You seem to be suffering from pie amnesia.”
Lucian was short for a Chitah, standing at five ten, and he was built more like Logan with his sinewy muscles and strong bone structure. His onyx hair was a little wild, but he had the same bright golden eyes as the rest of his brothers. Despite his shortcomings, he was definitely a Cross with his good looks.
He was also a smartass.
Lucian rolled a radish between two fingers. “They should have packed weapons,” he said quietly. “Agreement or not, they could have hidden them in the car. He doesn’t have a clue who he’s meeting.”
Levi shook his head. “He can’t go in packing. If the woman’s a Chitah, she’ll scent he’s lying. You know our word is our bond; Logan made a promise, and he can’t back out of that.”
“It could cost him his life.”
“Lo can take care of himself. Silver’s a pretty badass Mage. You’ve seen what she can do with lightning.”
Lucian popped the radish into his mouth. “What if they’re ambushed on the drive?”
“Are you trying to provoke me?” Levi growled. He stuck his finger into Lucian’s onion dip and swirled it around.
“That doesn’t bother me,” Lucian retorted.
“You don’t know where my finger’s been.”
“That’s not the finger you pick your nose with.”
Levi smiled. “You’re right.”
Lucian shoved the plate away. “Dammit. I’m just trying to work out the scenarios. This is our brother we’re talking about.”
Levi wiped his finger on a napkin. “Think I don’t know that?”
“What are you two scheming?” Leo took a seat next to Levi. “I don’t like the scent I picked up from across the room.”
Levi ran his finger over the dimple on his chin. “I don’t think we should have let them go alone. I know that’s part of the deal, but—”
“It could also jeopardize their arrangement,” Leo reminded them. He set his elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. Everyone looked to Leo for guidance. He was the eldest.
“Which outcome are you willing to live with, Leo? Preventing them from having a child or their blood on your hands? Maybe it’s legit, but are you willing to take that chance?”
Leo shook his head. “I honestly don’t know which would be a worse fate. You know children are impossible for them, and the orphanages have turned them away because they’re an interracial couple. They think a Chitah and a Mage aren’t fit to raise a child. The black market was their last resort.”
Levi thought about walking in on Silver the night before and the absolute devastation he’d scented in the air. He knew it had something to do with the absence of a child, and while it had always been present during holidays and birthdays, this time was different. It was the first time he’d realized just how traumatized they’d become from all the lost chances.
He cursed himself for having told them to keep trying. Maybe he was partly to blame for constantly reassuring them that a child would come along eventually. That was wishful thinking. In the real world, things didn’t always work out. Wishes didn’t always come true. He knew that more than anyone.
Lucian tilted his watch. “It’ll be dark soon. If we leave now, we can catch up.”
Leo’s eyebrows drew together. “Leave?”
Levi nodded. “Yeah. Leave. I bet Logan let the juice die on his cell phone. He can’t even call for help.”
“I looked up the location of the cabin on satellite,” Lucian said. “A phone wouldn’t make a difference. It’s out of range.”
“I can’t just sit here,” Levi complained. “My truck has a full tank of gas and brand-new snow tires.”
Justus appeared at the table and sat next to Lucian. “I have de-icer, tire chains, winter gear, and a plow attachment if there’s room in the back of your truck. Whatever you need I can provide. I’m with you. The longer I sit here and think about it, the more uneasy I am about the whole situation. There is nothing we can do to stop them, but there is something we can do to help.”
Leo eased back in his chair, lines deepening in his forehead as he stared at Lucian’s dip.
Levi leaned forward, his voice steady. “Come with us, Leo. Finn and Lucian can squeeze in the back.”
“Finn may not want to go,” Leo suggested.
“Go where?” Finn rounded the table and sat down.
Levi looked over his shoulder at him. “We’re going after Logan and Silver.”
“I’m in.”
Leo locked eyes with Justus. “Will it ruin the celebration if we leave?”
Justus laughed. “Between the children and Simon, our hands are full. Nothing is ruined. We’ll still be here when you get back.”
Levi stood up. “Then it’s settled. We go.”
Justus rose to his feet and clapped his hand on Lucian’s shoulder. “I would accompany you, but—”
“No need,” Leo said, picking up the same scent they all did: guilt. “You have a family to protect. We’ll give you access to Lucian’s control room. Someone will need to periodically check security cameras and make sure all the alarms are operational.”
Justus inclined his head. “I only ask one favor: see that my Learner returns home safely.”
Chapter 15
Silver and Logan
We headed north, but the drive took much longer than it normally would have. Parts of the highway were treacherous where precipitation on the overpasses had turned into ice, and with the snow covering the streets, it became impossible to see the ice patches let alone the road. If it hadn’t been for the mile markers and guardrails, we would have driven into a ditch. The city highways had been sanded, but the farther we drove into the country, the worse the roads became.
Between Logan and myself, we owned three vehicles. One was his old silver car, and that wasn’t suitable for navigating wintry roads. Nor was mine. So we took th
e Chevy Tahoe, a joint purchase we’d made when we first moved into the building and realized family outings with the Cross brothers weren’t possible in a sedan. Sometimes we’d load our camping gear into the back and head over to Logan’s cave… for old times’ sake.
As we drove to our destination, we worked as a team to navigate. Logan slowed the vehicle down whenever we neared a sign to make sure we hadn’t passed our exit. There were a few abandoned cars on the side of the road, and each time we passed one, I looked closely to make sure no one was inside.
In the mad rush to leave, we hadn’t thought to bring water. There were no businesses out in this neck of the woods, and the few we passed were closed. So at one point, Logan stopped the car and filled a thermos with snow. We melted it down, added more, and shared the cup. It wasn’t the most ideal situation, but we had no alternative. While we weren’t exactly going to die from thirst, the last thing we wanted at a time like this was to become dehydrated and weak, especially if we might end up walking.
I gripped the armrest when the truck went into a slide. Logan coolly controlled the vehicle, never once flinching or showing signs of panic.
“This is it,” he announced, turning off the two-lane expressway and onto a rural road.
The sun must have gone down because the sky was growing dimmer by the minute. Logan flipped on the headlights.
“Looks like some of it’s freezing,” he said, pointing at the wipers.
The windshield was becoming a blurry mess, making it difficult to see. He switched on the defroster and leaned forward to concentrate. We didn’t have tracks left behind by truckers to follow anymore, and if we slid off the road, we risked not reaching the cabin in time.
“What are you looking for?” he asked, noticing I was looking in the back.
“Do you think it’s safe to carry all that money in a bag?”
He threaded his long hair away from his face. “She’s not going to take a check.”
We’d been putting aside our money in case we’d have to make a cash exchange, but we were still short and had to borrow some from Justus, even though Logan earned decent money as a tracker, and I wasn’t doing too shabby as an apprentice.
