When he took another step forward, Reno fired a warning shot. It created a sharp acoustic sound that penetrated the air and expanded. The wolf on my right turned his head and grew skittish.
I no longer heard the sound of fighting from the woods. Izzy screamed Jericho’s name from inside the house and it sent chills up my spine.
Movement caught my attention from the far left and what began as a trot turned into a sprint. Jericho attacked the wolf on my left and the two stood up on their hind legs, snapping and fighting to sink their teeth into each other’s throats.
Anger heated my veins and I slapped Fox on the snout.
Hard.
“You’re not welcome here! Take your men and get off our land!”
He lunged and knocked me onto my back, standing astride me as he revealed his sharp fangs just inches above my face. His growl sounded like a steady motor.
“You don’t frighten me anymore,” I whispered.
The moment he lowered his head, a gun went off. He snarled and barked ferociously toward the house, a stream of slobber dripping onto my neck. The shot had blown off half of his left ear.
The wolf on the left yelped when Jericho delivered a punishing bite. Fox turned his head and looked around before trotting off. The wolf on the right followed obediently behind him, and Jericho lost his grip when the animal he was struggling with broke free and limped after Fox.
I rolled onto my stomach, dizzy from my racing heart. The sound of Reno’s heavy footsteps barreled in my direction as he ate up the distance between us.
“Are you hurt?” He lifted me onto my feet and searched my eyes. “Talk to me, Ivy.”
“I’m fine,” I said, out of breath. “He was trying to intimidate me so I’d submit. You got him in the ear.”
“I ain’t gonna church it up for you. I was aiming for his skull and that would have made a helluva mess, but the motherfucker moved his head.” His lips peeled back and he flicked an angry gaze around. “At least you got a close look. If you can describe his wolf, Austin should be able to—”
“No need.” I wiped the dirt off my clothes and patted Jericho’s head when he pushed up against me, licking my hand. “I know who he is.”
Reno’s brow lowered. “And who’s that?”
I looked at my hand, stained in blood from Jericho’s wet mouth. “My father’s second-in-command.”
Chapter 4
“Call Trevor and tell him to get his ass home,” Austin commanded, his feet cemented to the floor near the fireplace.
April wrapped a warm blanket around me, and I leaned closer toward the fire from my spot on the floor. Orange flames heated my skin as they danced to the melody of crackling wood.
An hour had passed since the wolves invaded our property. Lynn had gone upstairs to read Maizy a story, but I had a feeling the little one would be sleeping with her mother all night. Wheeler had called Ben to get him back home, and he arrived not five minutes after Austin had returned from the store. Austin took over and ordered Ben to shift and guard the property in case the rogues tried to return.
“You got him in the ear?” Austin asked Reno, his voice quiet.
“Yeah. Missed his head by a couple of inches.” Reno folded his arms and they kept their voices low, standing near me. “I hope his wolf is stubborn and doesn’t shift back so he keeps that wound. Hear what I’m saying?”
I peered over my shoulder at April and Lexi, who were speaking in soft whispers by a front window. Jericho had made Izzy sit in one of the leather chairs in the dark living room, covering her with a blanket to keep her calm. In the quietness of the room, I could hear faint music leaking from her earphones, and the melody was one from Jericho’s band, Heat. The lights were off to give us privacy since the curtains were sheer, so the firelight cast a dreamlike glow within the room. The only problem was we were in the middle of a nightmare.
Austin looked down at Jericho, who sat on the raised ledge of the fireplace in only a pair of jeans. “Do you remember anything?”
“No, nothing. Just running off and then it went dark. Thank the fuck Reno can shoot a moth a mile away.” His brown hair hid his expression, and he turned his arm around to make sure he had completely healed after shifting several times. He already had scars on his left shoulder and back from fighting a grizzly, but I sensed he didn’t want to keep these battle wounds.
“Your wolf came to protect me, and I have no doubt he would have fought bravely,” I said, touching his foot.
“Bring me a chair,” Austin said to Reno. He bent down and patted Jericho on the head. “Maybe you need to go check on your woman. I bet Izzy would love a foot rub. No matter how worried or stressed out Lexi is, that always works on her.”
“I heard that,” Lexi said tersely from across the room.
Reno took a short walk to the dining room and dragged one of the wooden chairs over beside me. Austin sat down, resting his forearms on his knees and waiting for Jericho to leave us alone. Reno, his second-in-command, stood behind him with one hand on the back of his chair.