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  “It’s all right, Parrish, I understand.” She reassured him, rising to her feet. “Dane, I think he’s back with us now.”

  Dane was still lasered in on Parrish, but Irina’s words got through to him and he eventually released the boy, eased back, and kneeled down in front of him. Parrish’s hands flew and Irina cursed herself again that she had no idea what he was saying.

  When the flurry stopped, she waited for Dane to fill her in. Instead he just turned to her. “Are you okay?” When she nodded, he stood and held a hand out to Parrish. “I’ll take him to his room and talk to him. Why don’t you head back to the cabin, get some rest?”

  Shock floored Irina. All she got was “are you okay?” Yes, she was, but she was his mate and she had been attacked. And then she was dismissed? Clueless fucking male.

  “Of course, Master Bellamy,” she said curtly. Irina spun on her heel and stalked out of the room.

  What’d I do? Dane had no idea why Irina was irritated with him. He had pulled a crazed young Guardian off her, and she was angry with him. She’d handled herself beautifully against a distraught kid who was lost in a dream world. Now he wanted her safe at the cabin so he could tend to Parrish.

  Resting a hand on Parrish’s shoulder, he shuffled to the boy’s room with him. Before they even sat down on the bed, Parrish was already moving his hands.

  She has my mother.

  Fuck. No wonder the kid was messed up. He was rescued from Madame G while his mother still suffered.

  But my mom, she— Parrish dropped his head into his hands and scrubbed his face, deciding if he should keep going. She doesn’t tell Madame G the complete truth.

  The fear and trepidation Parrish gave Dane was humbling. The kid was afraid he was snitching on his own mother, whether it was by telling the Guardians she was responsible for the inside information Sigma had or by risking his mother’s safety by telling them she was misleading Madame G.

  Dane squeezed Parrish’s shoulder. “We’ll protect your mother’s secret.”

  Parrish’s grateful sigh and hanging head didn’t slow him down long before he signed again. Madame G suspected my mother wasn’t giving her accurate information so she…she’d try to get the visions out of me. But it doesn’t work like that. Seers don’t duplicate visions.

  Interesting. So little was known about seers. The council probably had some squirreled away, but otherwise Dane had never come across any.

  “Tell me what happened. From the beginning.” Dane hoped Parrish was ready to talk.

  We lived up north, in the same area as the council. About fifteen years ago, my mom started getting visions of change sweeping our species. And not just our species, but vampires as well. It bothered the council, but they encouraged her to just keep presenting them with the information she was given.

  Change. It made people do stupid things. Dane could see change happening within their species and the council should’ve, too. Shifters and humans had been mating for years. It wasn’t a stretch to think that shifters and vampires would begin to mate. Or at least mate openly without fear of repercussions from either governing body. The younger generations didn’t want to live among war and conflict. When technology improved in synch with the “keep calm and smoke weed” era, both species found they wanted to be free in how they lived and loved.

  My family was sent to this area since Mom’s visions centered around West Creek and Freemont. The council thought it would help define her premonitions.

  “But you were captured?”

  Parrish bobbed his head, swallowing hard and fighting tears. My dad was killed in the attack. Madame G allowed me to be with my mother until she could use me against her.

  Meaning the kid’s mom could hold Parrish and console herself with the need to protect her young, not allowing the devastation of losing a mate destroy her. And once her visions returned, then Madame G could use Parrish to force his mother’s compliance.

  “You were raised in their compound since you were two?” Dane couldn’t believe the kid still had a sane bone in his body.

  It wasn’t bad until the last few years, just really lonely. Mom fed Madame G enough of her visions to keep her satisfied. Until they couldn’t find Sarah and kill her.

  “Does your mom know why they wanted Sarah dead?”

  Bennett’s mate had been targeted by Madame G much of her life. When Sarah moved to West Creek to live in isolation, Sigma still found her and if she hadn’t met Bennett first, they very likely would have succeeded in killing her. Even after faking her death and changing her identity, Sarah still had to live in isolation, never venturing into town or talking with her parents.

  It hadn’t made any sense to the Guardians that Madame G wanted Sarah dead because she was a hybrid. Her brother had the same blood flowing through his veins, yet he wasn’t targeted. In fact, the brother and sister were half human, they weren’t true shifter-vampire hybrids. Madame G preferred to study and play with her prey, but Sarah she wanted killed outright.

  While Dane was musing, he noticed Parrish fidgeting, his agitation growing.

  “Whatever you tell us, Parrish, we will protect you and try to help your mother.”

  The boy calmed down. Mom doesn’t give Madame G full details, or she alters them. Like many premonitions, the future can be changed based on the actions of those involved. In Sarah’s case, she wasn’t the hybrid my mom dreamed about, but a way to distract Madame G from the true hybrid.

  Collateral damage, essentially. “Why was sacrificing Sarah’s life better than leading Madame G to the true hybrid? And is the true hybrid Sarah’s aunt, Agent X?”

  Rhys’ face, when Dane found him after that little fact was discovered…the male had been completely still, but his face…Dane still didn’t know what emotion to use to describe what Rhys had been feeling. The male and the formidable Agent had a short history, but it was peppered with conflict. Dane suspected why neither Rhys nor Agent X were ever killed in their confrontations, and he couldn’t imagine what his fellow Guardian must be going through now.

  Mom doesn’t want anyone hurt, Parrish rushed on, defending his mother. We tried to direct Sarah to Bennett and this pack so she could be protected.

  “How?” Dane cut in.

  Hesitantly, Parrish signed, We could talk to Ronnie.

  “You’re the voices in Ronnie’s head?” Dane asked incredulously. The boys were close; how did Parrish hide that fact from Ronnie?

  For a while, but Madame G damaged much of my ability to speak mentally when she suspected my mother and I were teaming up against her.

  “Okay, all of this was done to keep Madame G from finding out Agent X is the hybrid they’re looking for. Why?”

  The hybrid is destined to complete a task, one that will set off a string of events that will herald much change for the shifter and vampire communities.

  “What is the task?”

  To destroy Madame G.

  Chapter Five

  It was the dead of night when pounding on the front door woke Irina. She knew immediately when she awoke that Dane wasn’t home yet. After Parrish’s revelations the other night, Dane and Rhys had been in intense discussion. They had headed deep into the woods to talk with the protection of nature surrounding them.

  Reaching the door, Irina knew who was on her step before she opened it. “Dani? Is everything all right?”

  The woman’s chocolate brown eyes were alight with worry, and she held a blanketed Dante in her arms. “I’m sorry, Irina. Dante hasn’t been feeling well for a couple days and now he’s spiked a high fever. Doc Garreth was helping us, but said if his temp ever got over one hundred and three, we need to take him in. It’s one hundred and four and the medicine isn’t helping, and he’s just so lethargic.” Dani rushed out the explanation, rocking the baby in her arms. The panicked mother was going to bolt into town any moment.

  She obviously came for help, and while Irina was more than willing to assist Dani and her young, she couldn’t imagine what she would b
e good for other than calming the young, new mom down.

  “Mercury’s still out of town on a mission and so is Bennett. Everyone’s gone and I can’t risk going into town alone, especially not with Dante. We might be spotted by Sigma Agents or recruits. I didn’t ask Doc Garreth; he hasn’t gone to town since he came here. You can fight, right?”

  Irina raised her eyebrows, impressed yet again at the choice Mercury made in a mate. Most shifters saw her as a Guardian’s gentle mate who wore sundresses and maintained a quiet demeanor. If they knew her tragic loss, then they assumed she was a broken mess coasting through the rest of her long life. That part might be accurate, but the rest…not so much.

  Irina had fought and trained alongside her husband for centuries, and just because she never went on missions, or took to field work, did not mean she was defenseless. Far from it and Dani just reminded her of that.

  Irina stepped out, closing the door behind her. “You drive.”

  *****

  Dane sat in the passenger seat while Rhys drove, crushing his own right foot into the floorboards, willing the SUV to go faster. Rhys maneuvered through the empty streets, aiming for the Freemont Hospital where Irina and Dani had taken Dante.

  When Irina announced she was going to town with Dani to take the baby to the hospital, Dane didn’t think much of it. Irina had been a mother herself, albeit for a short amount of time. Her presence would comfort Dani, while Irina eased back into their world. He and Rhys returned to the lodge, planning to go to town to meet up with the females, just in case.

  Parrish had met them at the door to the garages, signing furiously. Get to them, before they do.

  Not taking time to question the boy on who “they” were, the two males left Parrish standing in the red glow of their taillights as they flew down the road. Dane reached out to warn Irina mentally, but she informed him they had already left the hospital and were heading into West Creek. Dane and Rhys rushed to meet them before they met up with any trouble.

  Dane, they found us! They shot the tires and have us surrounded.

  Through Irina’s mental connection, he could see both her and Dani with handguns firing out their car windows.

  How many?

  At least five, mostly recruits. They’re getting closer.

  We’re almost there.

  Shit. The bars had closed and a group of recruits probably spotted the car as they drove by, recognizing the vehicle as the type Guardians used, maybe even recognizing Dani from her days as a recruit.

  “I sent a message to Mercury. They were on their way back already, so he’ll get to the lodge as soon as possible.” Rhys’ knuckles were white on the wheel from gripping it tight.

  Fear rode Dane hard as he watched the buildings fly by. They were almost there, he just hoped they made it in time. If anything happened to the females or the baby, it would be devastating for the entire pack.

  Gunshots popped nearby, they were close. Stupid recruits. Even in this neighborhood, gunfire would draw the police. Not that quickly, but they’d still make an appearance.

  Rhys screeched to a stop and they both hopped out, shedding their clothes. In this industrial section of town, there were no residential witnesses to watch some wolves rip apart more than a few humans.

  Dane shifted and sensed Rhys shifting behind him. They both took off, stalking the recruits who were targeting their loved ones. Rhys veered off to the left around to the car that blocked the front of Dani’s sedan, while Dane went for the recruits in the vehicle behind them.

  One recruit snuck up alongside the sedan. Irina was leaning out the window, firing over the hood of the car. Dane barked a warning. The recruit lunged to grab her arm. She twisted, using her free hand to yank him close and whack his head against the car frame. With her shifter strength, she secured him by his throat with her arm and jerked. His neck snapped and the body dropped.

  The two recruits Dane was stalking were distracted by the sudden fall of their compadre. He used the distraction to jump on one’s back to take him down to the concrete, knocking the weapon out of his hand. Dane turned to the other recruit before he could level his gun and shoot.

  Dane almost didn’t make it in time, but Irina had recovered enough to take her aim at the standing recruit. Her shot hit the man in the shoulder a millisecond before Dane latched onto his neck. His teeth sunk into the recruit’s skin until warm, acrid blood filled his mouth. The recruit fell limp with a sickly gurgle. Dane didn’t worry about the other recruit he knocked down, trusting Irina to cover him.

  He had switched to concentrating on the recruits attacking from the front, covering Rhys as he swiftly dispatched the threat. When silence fell, and none of the shifters could sense any remaining recruits, Irina climbed out of the car while Dani whipped around in her seat to check on Dante.

  “Ohmigod,” she said, “he slept through the whole thing. Should I be worried?”

  “No, dear.” Irina calmed her through the open window. “Babies can sleep through a marching band, but wake up to a mouse sneezing. As long as you don’t see any injuries, just let him rest. The hospital visit just tuckered the little guy out.”

  Dane flowed back into his human form, seeing Rhys had already changed back and was loading bodies into the trunk of the first car. Dane followed suit, with Dani and Irina joining in. They made quick work of the clean-up and were able to take off just as they heard the wail of sirens in the distance.

  Rhys drove one of the recruits’ cars since they couldn’t fit all the bodies into one trunk. Dane drove the SUV, and they bracketed Dani and Irina in their car. The recruits’ other car could be answered for by Sigma if the police were able to trace it.

  They made rapid progress back to the lodge without further incident. Dane’s gaze pressed to the road, he exuded calmness, but his insides were in turmoil. He and Irina had worked seamlessly together, just like old times. It should be exhilarating, but all he dwelled on was what would’ve happened if he’d lost her. How devastated Mercury would be if something horrible occurred to Dani or Dante. How the whole pack would’ve suffered. All those protective instincts, to keep Irina safe and destroy anything that threatened her, no matter the cost, welled up.

  As they drove up, Mercury paced outside the front door of the lodge, his expression pensive. By the time Dani pulled to a stop, he was pulling the driver’s door open, his features filled with immense relief as he helped her out and pulled her into a hard embrace, before reaching in to unbuckle a sleeping Dante and hold him close. He looked up to Irina, the silver in his eyes had stopped swirling.

  “Thank you, Irina.” His voice cracked. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  With a reassuring smile, Irina came around and put a hand on his shoulder. “We take care of our own, wildling.”

  Mercury sought out the commander. “I’m taking them to the cabin.” He didn’t wait for a response, didn’t wait for Rhys to give him permission, but turned away with his mate and child, leaving cleanup to the rest of them.

  Bennett was already hopping in the recruits’ vehicle. He’d go to the fire pit and unload the remains before taking the car out and dumping it, probably on Sigma property. He was notorious for leaving notes like: Black car: $10,000; Five recruits: $8,000; Burning your POS car and recruits: Priceless.

  Irina was heading back to their cabin, while Dane couldn’t help but watch Mercury walk away with his family.

  Rhys came up next to him, not saying a word. The male hadn’t felt the need to exert his authority over Mercury because to Rhys, they did this job to keep shifter families safe. Family came first, then the pack, then duty.

  Dane had been a completely clueless asshole. Watching the Santini family walk away holding each other, Dane couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. All this time, he’d been ridden by duty, determined to keep his pack and family safe. Instead, he’d left Irina at the most vulnerable time in her life. Hell, in both their lives.

  He should’ve stayed, cared for her, waited until she recovered
, before he sought his revenge. She’d have probably even gone with him. Instead, he let the guilt he felt for failing his family, leaving them vulnerable, spur him into immediate action. He had felt the best thing he could do for Irina at the time was to hunt down every perpetrator and wipe them off the face of the earth. But he should have stayed by her side, mourning with her, easing her pain…being a mate.

  Even the previous night, he’d left her on her own to deal with Parrish’s attack, foolishly thinking that just because she was physically okay, she didn’t need any extra attention from him.

  “Rhys, I need to be with Irina.” And following Mercury’s lead, he left without waiting for permission.

  *****

  Irina had almost reached the cabin when she heard Dane approaching her from behind. She turned to face him, worry creasing her forehead. “What’s wrong?”

  He stopped in place about twenty feet from her, only wearing his black t-shirt and sweats, not bothering with shoes after changing back to a human so he could drive. “I’ve been a horrible mate, Irina.”

  “Oh?” His confession had robbed Irina of words.

  “I wasn’t there for you. I get that now.” He gestured in the direction of Mercury’s cabin. “It took a male who wasn’t even raised by our kind, and has barely been mated over a year, to show me how blind I’ve been.”

  Ah. Irina never thought this day would come. Dane had been all duty and honor ever since she’d met him as a young Guardian pack leader. It hadn’t bothered her, until that day. Then every day after, her anger toward him ate away at her deep love for him.

  Truth be told, she wasn’t blameless, either, wrapped up in her anger and despair. He’d tried to get her to open up, tried to help, but she’d kept him locked out. “We’ve both been blind to our faults,” she finally admitted.