by Debra Dunbar
Instead of asking her what she wanted to major in, I cut right to the heart of the matter. “That’s really far away. I don’t know, Mir. Think I’m going to either be doing a lot of crying next year or buying a lot of plane tickets.”
She laughed, and it sounded more like a sob. “I hate that I can’t get past this, Tupper. I’m afraid to leave the compound. I’m terrified about going to school in a few weeks. The only reason I’m here at this party is because you and Jake are here. Well, because you are here. I’m over the edge of a panic attack whenever you even leave the compound to drive the recycling in to town. What kind of life is that for me? I need to be able to stand on my own two feet. Maybe if I force myself to go to a college a gazillion miles away, where the climate is different, where there aren’t any mountains or anything to remind me… Maybe then I’ll finally be okay.”
I swallowed hard, gulping beer to keep the tears from coming. “Be patient with yourself, Mir. And remember that any time you need me, I’ll be there. I’m your own guardian-almost-a-demon.” Wait, this wasn’t the right tactic to take with her. “And you don’t fucking need me anyway. Mir, you endured and survived something most shifters and humans couldn’t to save a baby. And you had the fucking guts to grab that baby and save the pair of you the moment you had the chance. You got shot with bullets that have killed shifters, and still hauled ass through the forest, disguising your trail to the point that Jake and I almost couldn’t find you. You rescued yourself. Not me. Not Jake. You. And that baby—Elaine, or Eustace, or whatever the fuck her name is. You are the one who saved that damned baby, not us.”
She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. “Emma. Shit, Tupper, you need to start being better about people’s names. This is your pack, after all.”
I cuffed her shoulder. “Language. Cursing is fine for an almost-demon, not for a young werewolf who is illegally drinking beer right now.”
She stood, taking another swig from the bottle. “I’m not human. Human laws don’t apply to me. Well, their stupid laws concerning alcohol anyway.” Then she straightened her shoulders and walked over to the group of bear shifters like a girl heading toward her execution.
She’d be okay. I knew it in my heart, even though it hurt every time I thought of what she’d been through at her young age. Mir was a tough girl. She was an amazing girl. I only hoped that Jake’s and my children turned out half as badass as Mir. Well, if Jake and I ever decided to grace the world with our scary offspring, that is.
I smiled and looked over to my mate. Because ceremony aside, we were most definitely mates. An almost-angel and an almost-demon. How could we be anything but mates? And the rest? Well, whatever happened happened. Between the pair of us, we’d protect our pack. The world might fall apart, but nothing was going to happen to the Swift River Pack as long as Jake and I were there. We’d face whatever came our way together, and woe to whatever tried to hurt us and ours.
My pack. My mate. It felt good to know that. It felt damned good.
Also by Debra Dunbar
The Templar Series
Dead Rising
Last Breath
Bare Bones
Famine’s Feast
Dark Crossroads (Late 2017)
The Imp Series
A Demon Bound
Satan’s Sword
Elven Blood
Devil’s Paw
Imp Forsaken
Angel of Chaos
Kingdom of Lies
Exodus
Queen of the Damned (Late 2017)
Half-breed Series
Demons of Desire
Sins of the Flesh
Cornucopia
Unholy Pleasures
City of Lust (Late 2017)
Imp World Novels
No Man’s Land
Stolen Souls
Three Wishes
Northern Lights
Far From Center
Northern Wolves
Juneau to Kenai
Rogue
Winter Fae
Bad Seed
Acknowledgments
A huge thanks to my copyeditors Kimberly Cannon and Jennifer Cosham whose eagle eyes catch all my typos and keep my comma problem in line, and to Damonza, for cover design.
Most of all, thanks to my children, who have suffered many nights of microwaved chicken nuggets and take-out pizza so that Mommy can follow her dream.
About the Author
Debra lives in a little house in the woods of Maryland with her sons and two slobbery bloodhounds. On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground. Her only known super power is 'Identify Roadkill'.
debradunbar.com
