by Dannika Dark
“Are you cold?” He adjusted the heater before I could answer.
I wrung my hands. “No. How much farther?”
“According to the map, another two miles.”
“Do you think she’ll be there waiting?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. She said the cabin is ours for one night only, but it’s under a false name. She doesn’t want any connection with us.”
“Who is she?”
“I don’t know.”
A deer emerged from the woods and stared at us wide-eyed as we passed by him and made a left. The tires struggled against the deep snow, and the trees grew taller and denser. There weren’t any tracks ahead, so maybe that was a good sign that we weren’t late. I was afraid if she got there first, she might grow impatient and leave.
“One more turn,” he said, veering left.
We hit a bump, and the front end angled down. Logan suddenly threw the transmission into reverse and backed up a few feet. Once stabilized, he put the car in park and shut off the engine.
“I can see the cabin up ahead. I don’t want to risk getting stuck since we can’t stay for more than a night. This road is probably unpaved, so we don’t have any traction.” He put on a pair of black gloves. “We’ll walk the rest of the way. Why don’t you run ahead of me and get a fire going?”
“Alone?”
He zipped up his coat. “I have a snow shovel in the back. I should clear the road for her so she doesn’t have any trouble getting in. I don’t want the child to be frightened or get injured in a car accident we could have prevented.”
I put on my down coat and got out. The wind was uncompromising, so I drew the hood over my head and marched toward the cabin. Logan left the headlights on to brighten the way since I wasn’t born with night vision.
The snow at one point reached my waist, and I had to use my hands as a shovel and trudge through it. The closer I got to the cabin, the more the snow thinned out. The tree limbs were weighted down, and when I reached the porch, I stomped my feet to get the snow off my boots and jeans. My muscles ached, and despite the cold, I was sweating from the exhausting hike.
Talk about rustic, I thought to myself, getting a good look at the cabin. It might have shocked me that it was a rental had it not been for the fact that there were hunting enthusiasts who didn’t care about amenities. It made it easy for owners who didn’t want to be bothered with things like upkeep and maintenance costs.
Just as the woman promised, the key was hidden beneath the doormat.
When I walked inside, I searched in vain for a light switch. Unable to see very well, I shuffled to the fireplace on the left and searched until I found a box of matches. The first one snapped in half, and when I struck the second one, the tiny flame provided enough light for me to see a candle on the hearth.
I stood up, candle in hand, and surveyed my surroundings.
There were logs stacked against the wall by the fireplace, an area rug covered in dirt, and a plaid sofa facing the front door. On the right side of the cabin was what looked like a kitchenette, except the only thing in there aside from the counter was a woodstove and a sink that probably didn’t work. I glanced up a ladder to the right of the sofa and guessed the loft was above the kitchen.
Talk about quaint.
Checking out the sleeping arrangements wasn’t high on the priority list, so I put a log on the grate and reached up to open the flue. To get the fire going, I wadded up some newspapers that were stacked in the corner and stuffed them beneath the log. At least the wood was dry.
Once the log was lit, I took off my coat and began the impossible task of pulling a Mary Poppins and making this cabin spotless. First I wiped down the floors and table with a rag I’d found beneath the sink. Since the plumbing wasn’t working, I used the water that I’d tracked in. With a child coming, I wanted to get the place as sterile as possible. Most Breeds didn’t catch human viruses, but Relics did. Who knew what all was on the floor or the last time someone had bled on it.
The fire crackled, and the wood floor and walls were suffused with deep amber from the firelight. As I polished the window, my heart leapt. I couldn’t believe this was happening—that I was actually going to be a mom. A torrent of fears flooded my mind, like what if the child was afraid of us? Seeing a Mage and Chitah together wasn’t common; we were natural enemies. If he or she was a Chitah, I might end up being their worst nightmare.
“Get it together,” I muttered, realizing I could end up making the situation a lot worse just by fretting over every worst-case scenario. If the child was a Sensor, then we needed to keep our emotions in check so we wouldn’t convey the wrong message.
The door opened.
“Wipe off your boots!” I shouted. “I just cleaned the floor.”
Logan filled the doorway, his breath heavy as he scraped his boots across the doormat. “This is not what I expected.”
I planted my fists on my hips. “You should have seen this hellhole an hour ago. Can you shake out the rug? It’s full of dust.”
Logan dragged the rug outside and knocked off as much dust as he could. He threw it over the railing and hiked into the woods before returning with a large branch he used to pound it out.
When my rag had turned muddy brown, I inspected the room.
Not bad. At least there weren’t curtains to clean or other furniture to dust off. Even the musty odor was now replaced with the inviting smell of burning wood.
Logan returned and draped the rug in front of the hearth before he collapsed onto the sofa, a cloud of dust billowing around him. “The road’s clear.”
“And your face is red.” I unzipped his coat and pulled it off. “There were two glasses in the sink. I melted some snow to clean them off and then filled them up if you’re thirsty.”
“What’s wrong with the sink?”
I handed him the water and he gulped it all down. “Do I look like a plumber? The only other appliance is a woodstove, but we didn’t bring any food with us, so it doesn’t matter. What were we thinking?” I took the empty glass and set it on an end table. “What if they’re hungry and she wants to stay a few hours? We might have to sleep here for another night because of the weather; it’s not safe to drive in the dark. Especially with a child, and we didn’t even think to bring a car seat!”
“Easy, Little Raven. Chinese food isn’t the only thing I know how to hunt. We won’t be going hungry.”
When he dazzled me with his smile, I sat down and curled against him. No matter the situation, he always made me feel protected. I pinched the stretchy material of his long sleeve. The blue-grey color was one I loved seeing him in. Logan was deliciously warm from all the snow shoveling, and I rested my cheek over his heart.
He kissed the top of my head, his voice a soft caress. “Do you want to lie down?”
“I’m petrified to see the sleeping situation upstairs. There might be a critter living inside the bedcovers. Anyhow, I don’t think I could sleep if I were given a tranquilizer.”
“I could rub your feet.”
I smiled against his chest. “You know me too well, Mr. Cross.”
When my mind started racing with anxiety, Logan began purring. He didn’t say anything, but I knew he was feeling the same way. Uncertain, excited, afraid, and hopeful. I wasn’t sure how to comfort him in return, so I wrapped my arm around him and held him close.
We waited for what seemed like centuries.
We waited to meet our destiny and face it together.
And then a motor sounded in the distance.
Chapter 16
Sadie and Adam
Before her brothers left to go after Logan and Silver, Sadie had made sure to pack them plenty of food and water in several coolers. Between the extreme weather and potentially dangerous situation with the black market negotiation, she wasn’t able to relax for the rest of the evening.
“You’re pretty quiet over here, Kitten.”
She looked up at Adam, who joined her at the e
mpty table. Page and Justus had carried the leftovers to Lucian’s kitchen, except for a few desserts.
Sadie pinched the foil around a pie plate. “My whole family is out there, Adam. The only real family I’ve ever known. I should have gone.”
“There wasn’t enough room in the truck.”
“Look at me, Scratch. I weigh a buck and a quarter. You could fit me in a glove box.”
He smiled handsomely and dragged a small plate of carrot sticks in front of her. “You should eat something.”
Sadie sat back. “Nah. It’ll be time for dinner soon anyhow. Since Page and Justus did all the work taking it into the kitchen, I’m going to heat everything up and set it out. Parents should enjoy their time with the kids,” she said, pointing at the group in the living room. Knox was playing with a toy truck, and the girls were coloring.
Sadie had a feeling Ella would help her with dinner. Ella meshed really well with their crazy makeshift family even though she was on the quiet side. She could speak, but she spent so much time following the conversations and lip-reading that she did better with one-on-one chats. Simon wasn’t going to help, especially after polishing off a box of those little chocolate candies filled with alcohol. He was barely awake, one leg slung off the couch and a pillow over his face.
Adam munched on a carrot. “I’ll help.”
And that’s just the way Adam was.
Sadie had liked him from the start, despite his gruff demeanor. Adam had endured a tragic past—one that changed his life. Not just because of the scars on his face and body, but the ones on his heart. Silver had mentioned that Adam was once a different man before the attack—less guarded and more social. Sadie had never known the old Adam, so she could only judge the man she knew now. The Healer who dedicated his life to helping others. The man who, despite his rugged appearance, knew how to waltz. A friend who always had your back and knew how to make a girl smile. Luscious brown hair, dark eyes, tall, a square jaw, classically handsome, mysterious, charismatic, and oddly single.
She furrowed her brow. “Why don’t you ever date anyone?”
“Why don’t you?” Adam crunched on another carrot, unfazed by her candor.
“Maybe I do.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
Was that jealousy in his voice?
Sadie just smiled at him. Truth be told, she hadn’t dated a man in years. Plenty of jokers had asked her out—it could hardly be helped in her profession. Guys saw her on the stage and created an image of who she was, and seldom did that idea ever match up with the truth. Nobody wanted to know the real Sadie, but none of that mattered. She had a good thing going with her music and didn’t need a broken heart for songwriting inspiration.
Adam’s gaze lingered a little too long on her hands, so she pulled them onto her lap.
“Why do you always hide your hands from me?”
“Nobody wants to look at my unmanicured, callused fingers.”
It was a side effect from playing guitar. Her fingernails were a little longer on her right hand than her left, and when she didn’t put lotion on them, they looked terrible. Especially after recently playing for a long period of time since the indents from the strings remained on the pads of her fingers.
Adam touched a deep scar on the side of his face. “Do you think something like that would bother me?”
She rested her elbows on the table. “I just figured guys liked girls with pretty hands.”
“I like your fingers just fine.”
She held her middle finger up, an elfin smile on her face. “Do you like this one? It’s my favorite.”
He grabbed her finger and gave it a playful shake. “Do you ever think about having kids?”
It was an odd change of topic, and she pulled her hand away.
“I just mean the whole thing with Silver and Logan got me to thinking about kids, I guess.”
“Do you?”
“I can’t.”
She arched her brows. “If Logan and Silver bring home a child, they’ll have proved you wrong. If you want kids, you can have them. They don’t have to come out of your body. I’m undecided. I’m really into my career right now. Maybe someday.”
“What if you meet someone who isn’t human?” His cheeks mottled with a pale red, and he cleared his throat. “You might meet a Shifter.”
“Or a Chitah. Or maybe a Mage,” she suggested, letting the comment hang in the air for a few seconds. “I can’t plan my life; all I can do is live in the moment. If I meet someone I can’t have children with, then maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Or maybe we adopt. Or maybe I’ll decide I don’t really want kids and my life is enough.”
“Would your man be enough?”
Sadie leaned forward, her forearms resting on the table. “I don’t know, Scratch. I’ll give you the scoop when he gets the courage to ask me out.”
“Maybe he already has and you turned him down.”
She chuckled. “Then he didn’t try hard enough. Whoever wants me is going to have to fight for me.”
Adam gave her a crooked smile. “They sure as hell are going to have to fight the Cross brothers.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said, reflecting on how much she loved her family and their protective nature. She’d never had anyone look out for her like that, and even if it seemed a little overboard, it’s what made her adore them that much more.
“You must add a whole new level of stress to their lives.”
“Trust me, I know. I can’t even get into a car that isn’t equipped with airbags.”
He rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “So much for taking you out on my bike.”
She sat back in her chair, figuring now was as good a time as any to bring up his mode of transportation. “You should buy a car. Motorcycles aren’t safe. You could have skidded off the road in this weather and hit your head.”
“Are you worried about me, Kitten?”
A little, she thought to herself. Enough that when Adam had called and said he was on his way over, she waited on the first floor, butterflies in her stomach as she watched the snow coming down. Even worse was when he came in and handed her the flowers. Adam wouldn’t have bought her something like that, but for a fleeting moment she kind of wished he had.
Sadie stood up and stretched her sore arms. “Why don’t you help clean and set the table while I pick up the living room? Then we’ll reheat the food when everyone starts to get hungry again.”
She crossed the room toward the fireplace, noting that Justus and Page were fast asleep in each other’s arms. Those two were perfect together, and she still couldn’t get over the painting. Novis was reclined in a chair, eyes hooded and watching the firelight. Sunny had gone upstairs to take a shower and change into her pajamas. Sadie bent down and collected a few bows, ribbons, and torn pieces of wrapping paper that had been missed.
When the puppy let out a small whimper, she turned to look. Simon’s pillow had fallen to the floor, and the puppy was standing on his chest and licking his mouth.
Sadie smiled at Ella, who was sitting on the floor beside him. “What are you going to name him? You better pick something before Simon does.”
Ella watched Sadie’s lips, probably to make sure she wasn’t going to say anything else. “I’ve never had a puppy before.”
“You’ll need dog food and a leash,” Sadie said. “Tonight you can probably feed her some vegetables. All that turkey will give her gas.”
Ella smiled and crossed her ankles. Silver had lent her a pair of sweatpants and a cotton shirt to sleep in. Apparently Ella had forgotten to pack pajamas. “Adam said the puppy’s a girl. It figures that a girl would have been following Simon.”
“Are you going to keep her?”
“I don’t see how I could give her away. She came to us, and just look at all the joy she’s brought.”
Sadie nodded. “I think you might have just found your name.”
Ella glanced up at the puppy and smil
ed. “Joy. I like that.”
When Sadie stood up and searched the room for empty glasses and dishes, something caught her eye. There were now four stockings hanging from the fireplace instead of three.
As she approached the mantel, she realized a green one had her name written at the top with a glitter pen. One of her brothers must have done this before they left, even though they had agreed no gifts. Curious, she dipped her hand inside and pulled out a package of guitar strings.
Which was exactly what she needed.
Her brothers would have never bought her these. They didn’t know the first thing about music and usually gave her expensive gifts she didn’t need, like perfume or jewelry.
Sadie turned around, her gaze traveling across the room. Adam peered over his shoulder with a ghost of a smile before getting up and leaving the room.
Chapter 17
Finn and the Cross Brothers
Finn carved a smooth angle in the small piece of wood, a chip falling onto his lap.
Levi glared over his shoulder from the driver’s seat and growled, “Will you stop whittling that shit all over my truck? I’m going to be finding splinters for weeks.”
“I’ll clean it up,” Finn said. “It calms my nerves… unlike your driving.”
Leo pulled down his visor and the light flicked on, allowing Finn to see his perturbed expression. “It doesn’t exactly calm my nerves to know that if Levi slides off the road, your knife is going into my back.”
“Are you saying I’m a bad driver?” Levi fired back. “I could drive this piece of machinery across a frozen lake without fishtailing. Don’t challenge my skills.”
Finn put away his knife and tucked the block of wood into his small bag. The seats in the back of Levi’s truck were a tight fit, and he was beginning to feel like a sardine. Lucian’s phone illuminated his face as he used it to track their location.
