by Dannika Dark
Finn wrinkled his nose. “Ah, man. Who did that?”
Levi glanced at Leo. “You shouldn’t have had that extra helping of turkey.”
“Quiet, Levi. Concentrate on the road.”
Lucian thumped Finn on the knee. “He who smelt it dealt it.”
Leo’s window opened, and a blast of frigid air shot in the backseat and blew snowflakes into Finn’s hair.
He grabbed his coat from the floor and scowled as he put it over his chest. “If you guys keep this up, a few engine sparks might blow us to smithereens.”
Lucian chuckled and leaned forward between the seats. “Look for the turnoff, Levi. You should see it any minute.”
Levi gripped the steering wheel and gradually slowed to a stop. “I can’t even see my windshield. Leo, get out and scrape.”
Leo threw his brother an irritated glare as he grabbed the scraper and got out of the truck to clear the windshield.
Finn patted the back of Leo’s seat. “Roll up his window before I freeze to death. I’m not an Arctic wolf.”
The window made a crunching sound as it went up.
Levi sighed. “I don’t like the looks of this weather. What if they spun off the road?”
Lucian snorted. “Rescue teams wouldn’t have any trouble finding your truck—they’d just follow the heavy fragrance of turkey farts.”
“Hey, that time it wasn’t me.” Levi reached between the seats and found a knit hat and pulled it over his head. “I have a feeling we might be footing it once we get off the highway. What’s the maximum distance to the cabin from the turnoff, Lucian?”
“A hair over two miles.”
Finn looked out the window and couldn’t see where the road ended and the grass began. Chitahs could run exceptionally fast, but not necessarily through snow. The Cross brothers had long legs, however.
“Someone will have to carry the food,” Finn pointed out. “We have three coolers and four bags. Plus our personal stuff.”
“You’re a big guy,” Lucian teased. “You can swing it.”
Finn wasn’t a stranger to manual labor. After all, he’d lived most of his life as a slave. But he was more concerned about them losing their way and getting lost in the woods. He could survive fine by shifting into his wolf, but he wasn’t so certain how his brothers-in-law would fare. They were stout men, but the temperature was unforgiving.
Aside from that, he worried for Silver. A bond existed between them, one forged by blood and loyalty. Finn had always felt an unexplainable connection with her. Maybe it had to do with the fact they shared the same DNA or perhaps it was their circumstances in life that drew them together, but he loved her fiercely. She and Logan had taken him under their wing and not only given him a home but a fresh start in life. It wasn’t in his alpha nature to sit idly by when her life could be in danger, and the thought of her in trouble made his wolf pace restlessly inside him.
Lucian tossed his phone on the seat. “Signal went out.”
The wind whistled outside like a train, and after Leo scraped all the windows around the truck, he got back inside and warmed his hands in front of the vents.
Levi switched on the radio, and the truck rolled along to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
“This is bad luck,” Lucian grumbled, looking out the window.
Levi tilted his mirror. “Nothing about Stevie is bad luck.”
“Let me know how you’re feeling about luck if a black panther crosses our path or lightning hits the truck.”
That made Finn wonder if there were any Shifters living out here. They often chose rural areas where they could buy up a lot of land for their animals to roam.
The truck skidded.
“Watch it,” Leo warned, pointing at a pole.
“I see it, I see it,” Levi said, steering left.
The worst thing they could do was drive off the road and end up in a ditch, so they had to pay close attention to the markers since there weren’t any clear tracks to follow. Not until they headed down another turnoff and the trees canopied some of the road.
“I see tracks,” Levi said. “I bet that’s them.”
The back end of the truck suddenly fishtailed, and everyone gripped what they could when they hit a hard bump and slid off the road. Finn pushed his hands against the roof, his eyes wide as they came close to rolling over.
“Guess that’s it, boys.” Levi shut off the engine. “Carry what you can; we walk from here.”
Finn hopped out of the truck with his bag slung over his shoulder. Levi and Lucian jumped into the bed of the truck and were looking at some rope and pointing at the handles on the coolers.
“Here, you can use this.” Finn handed Lucian his knife so he could split the rope.
Leo put on his gloves and grabbed the sacks. They’d brought everything but weapons. Chitahs were superior hunters and fighters, and they could kill a Mage with one bite. Between the three of them, they had no worries about who they might be up against. Their only concern was bringing the turkey.
Finn searched inside the truck while they gathered up the food. “Where’s the flashlight?” he yelled out.
As his brothers gathered behind him, he could hear the snow crunching beneath their boots.
Finn turned around, a white plume of breath accompanying his words. “I can’t find any flashlights.”
Levi pulled his hat over his ears. “You looked?”
“I already went through everything in the backseat during the ride,” Finn said. “Unless you have a secret compartment I don’t know about, it’s not in the glove compartment, under the seats, in the armrest thing, along the doors—”
“Here, let me look.”
Levi leaned inside, ass out, and searched his truck.
The brothers stood watching, freezing pellets tapping against their jackets and hoods.
Levi finally emerged. “We’ll be fine without them.”
Lucian shoved past him and got inside, tossing stuff out of the glove compartment. “How do you not have a flashlight in your truck? You have a condom, beef jerky, tweezers, deodorant, a Butterfinger…”
Finn smirked. “You could be on Let’s Make a Deal.”
Lucian hopped out and slammed the door. “Yeah, but he’d lose if Monty asked him for a flashlight.”
Finn came to a decision and set down his bag.
“What are you doing?” Leo asked, watching Finn take off his coat.
“Shifting. My wolf can navigate through this snow with no problem, and he can sniff out the cabin and lead the way.”
Levi nodded. “Good idea. We’ll bring your clothes.”
The men trudged down the road, staring into inky darkness with no lights or stars to guide their way. Chitahs could see a little in the dark, so he didn’t have any concerns about them not seeing his wolf.
In a fluid movement, Finn shifted. He shook his head and raced ahead of the men, communicating to his wolf what they needed to do. Finn lifted his nose and drew in the scents around him. He could smell fresh ice, wet earth, pine trees, turkey, and in the distance… smoke.
Chapter 18
Silver and Logan
Logan stoked the fire, and it didn’t take long for heat to permeate the small cabin. There were only two windows—one by the door and the other over the sink. I’d shaken out all the blankets, but our dilapidated surroundings depressed me. Here we were, on the most important day of our lives, about to make an impression on a child who would soon be ours, and we were surrounded by filth. No food, no running water, no warm bed.
I had removed the thermal pants from beneath my jeans and began searching for something to keep me preoccupied. “Logan, what if this really is a trap and they plan to kill us for the money?”
He launched to his feet and his fangs punched out. “Then I’ll tear out their throats. Any man who comes after my family will taste his own mortality. Sharpen your light and stay alert.”
When I placed my hands on his chest, his canines retracted. Logan gazed
down at me, firelight brightening the ends of his blond hair, his brow pensive, his shoulders broad and formidable. Nothing about him frightened me.
But it made me wonder if he would frighten the child. What if this was a teenager who’d had a traumatic experience with Chitahs? The odds were great that this child might be reluctant to accept us in the beginning, but I hoped in time we could shower enough love on him or her that they’d realize it doesn’t matter what Breed you are. Love is an emotion that knows no race, gender, or age.
Logan drew in a deep breath and swung his eyes toward the door. “Someone’s coming.”
I ran past him, wiping the condensation off the window and peering into the darkness. A shadow moved in the distance.
When Logan opened the door, I could see more clearly as light spilled out of the cabin. It looked like a bear approaching on its hind legs. The visitor was wrapped in dark furs, and nothing human was visible except for two legs. Logan stepped onto the porch and waited by the steps. I knew he was using his keen sense of smell to detect deception or danger.
“Are you Logan Cross?” a woman asked, out of breath.
“I am.”
“Did you bring the money?”
“It’s inside. Come get warm, female.”
I backed away from the door and watched as she took off the trapper hat, flecks of snow and ice scattering to the clean floor. She appeared in her forties with dark hair and nothing distinct about her looks except plump cheeks and a small scar on her chin.
Logan shut the door and joined my side. “You didn’t bring the child? We had an agreement. I won’t give you the money without the child.”
“Where’s your car?” I asked in a panic. “You didn’t leave him in there, did you? The temperature is below freezing!”
Ignoring me, she looked between us and shook her head. “No wonder.”
I frowned. “No wonder what?”
“That you bid for a child on the market. The orphanages wouldn’t give a mixed couple a child, would they? What are you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Childless. Does it matter what my Breed is?”
She shrugged. “I suppose not. Where’s the money?”
Logan lifted a cloth tool bag near the door and set it down in front of her, unzipping it so she could see the money. He looked up, the black rims of his eyes getting thicker. “Where’s the child?”
She’d begun to open her heavy fur coat when suddenly I noticed something against her chest. A cloth sling wrapped around her body, securing a tiny bundle. “I’ve only got half a bottle of formula left. I hope you brought something.”
My heart stopped.
It felt as though I were in a dream when she handed Logan a bottle and they spoke privately. Or maybe they spoke in perfectly normal voices and I’d gone completely deaf. The entire world simply stopped.
While the woman knelt and went through the money, Logan offered her a glass of water, which she waved away.
I’d taken a few steps back, speechless, unable to think clearly.
This was real.
And not just a child, but a baby.
Babies were rare on the black market, so we had always been prepared to receive a small child or even an older one. That had never been an issue with us.
She pulled open the sling and handed the little bundle to Logan, who cradled the infant against his chest, his large hand practically obscuring the baby’s head.
“Jiminy,” he whispered. Logan stripped his attention away from the child. “And the mother?”
“You won’t have to worry about her coming to claim her child. She was forced to give him up, but she accepted this fate.” After the woman secured her coat and lifted the bag of money, she took one last look at us before disappearing into the cold, dark night. “Good luck, and may the fates be with you,” she called out in the distance.
My feet were cemented in place. Logan shut the door, his eyes sparkling as he looked down at the baby. I’d never seen such a soft look on his face aside from when he looked at me.
After a moment, he centered his eyes on mine. “It’s a boy.”
With those three words, my baby was born. Tears flooded my eyes, and my knees weakened as I stepped back and collapsed on the couch.
Logan strode forward and knelt in front of me, placing the infant in my lap. The little boy squirmed before yawning and going back to sleep. “His name is Lakota. I think we should keep it to honor his mother. If she was forced to give him up, someone must have hurt her. The Relic said he’s a Shifter—probably a wolf, but she can’t be certain since she didn’t have information on the father. He’s ours, Little Raven. This is our son.”
I picked Lakota up, making sure to support his head, and placed him against my heart. His skin was so soft, and he sighed as if the warmth of my body soothed him. The pieces of my life were locking together in that moment—a love story that had begun on the day I met Logan and had finally found its ending.
I pressed my lips against his dark, silky hair. “Why would she have sold him on the black market? Why not give him to an orphanage?”
“I didn’t ask, Silver. The mother doesn’t know his fate, and I didn’t want to risk offending the woman or she might have walked away from the deal. I just hope the money we paid her does some good in this world.”
Logan leaned forward and drew in a deep breath, owning Lakota’s scent. It was something Chitahs did when they wanted to imprint someone to memory for life. He’d done the same with his younger sister and also with me.
I turned Lakota in my arms so that we could both see his pudgy little face. His skin was darker than mine, his hair a rich brown. “He must be Native American with a name like that. Maybe that’s why the mother gave him that name, so there would be no question about his heritage. What a handsome little man.”
As if hearing us, the baby opened his eyes. Blue eyes.
I looked down and noticed his newborn diaper. “How old is he?”
“Days.”
“We don’t have diapers. We don’t have food,” I said, kicking myself for not having planned for the unexpected.
Logan brushed my hair back, his voice soothing. “I’ll cut up a few shirts and make diapers. The bottle might last until morning, and we’ll head back early. You have nothing to worry about, Little Raven. I’ll protect my son.”
I splayed Lakota’s tiny fingers, looking closely at his fingernails and memorizing every little detail as if he might disappear.
“He should know that he’s adopted,” Logan insisted. “I don’t want to begin our relationship with a lie.”
“I agree. We won’t keep secrets from him. But what if the mother finds us? What if she wants him back?” Suddenly my heart clenched, and I was overcome with a protectiveness I’d never known.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now, he’s ours.”
We quietly watched Lakota for a long time, mesmerized by this precious little life that had fallen into our world like an angel. I suddenly imagined our future. His first words, his first giggle, a little boy learning how to brush his own teeth, trips to the park, teaching him how to tie his shoes, his first girlfriend, and eventually watching him grow into a man. What kind of influence would we have on his life? Would he be a strong leader, a compassionate soul, an attentive husband?
When he began to wriggle and cry, Logan sat beside me and nestled the baby against his chest. Lakota instantly calmed when Logan turned on his motor and began purring.
I got up and wrung my hands. I didn’t know the first thing about newborns. I’d been around everyone else’s babies, but I couldn’t remember how much or how often they ate. What was different about raising a Shifter baby? What if we were snowbound in the morning and trapped here for another few days? I couldn’t magically produce milk from my Mage nipples.
“Female, take a seat,” Logan barked. “You’re burning my nose with all that doubt.”
“I can’t help it! It’s twenty degrees out there and our car is to
o far up the road to walk with him. He’ll freeze!”
Logan chuckled. “I cleared the path, remember? I’ll clear it again. The SUV is not as far out as you remember. We have warm coats.”
“But she didn’t leave us that baby sling thing! What if I drop him?”
Logan threw back his head and rocked with laughter.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I do love it when you’re riled up.”
I cocked my head toward the door, my heart racing.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, alarm in his voice.
“I don’t know. I thought I heard something outside. Are there bears out here?” When I looked out the window, something large was moving in our direction.
An animal.
Chapter 19
The End
Logan handed me the baby. “Get upstairs and stay low!” His fangs punched out when he saw the animal charging through the snow toward the cabin.
I rushed up the ladder, gripping the baby tight against me. When I reached the loft, I wrapped him in a blanket and then peered over the edge of the loft.
A hollow note hung outside the door—the howl of a lone wolf.
Logan crouched, ready to open the door and spring into action.
“Wait!” I hurried down the ladder. “Let me see.” I scrambled to the window and looked closely, having recognized the familiar tone. “That’s Finn. I’m positive. Open the door!”
He gave me an apprehensive glance.
“Trust me, I know my brother.”
When Logan opened the door, a wolf lunged and knocked him to the floor. Finn excitedly licked at his face and neck, tail wagging, toenails clicking across the wood.
I began to close the door until I noticed three shadows heading in our direction.
“Who goes there?” I yelled out.
“Santa!” Levi boomed.
I breathed a sigh of relief as Levi, Leo, and Lucian came into view. They were dragging something behind them like the three wise men with their bags of frankincense and myrrh.
