Austin lowered his voice. “This isn’t the first time Delgado has tangled with our pack, but I’ll make damn sure it’s the last. To hell with the laws if they protect a man like him.”
The slander laws were frustrating. Within the Breed world, an accusation without evidence was a punishable offense. The dynamic in the Breed world was so different than for humans because social chatter built reputations. Our population wasn’t as massive, and because of our extended lifespan, slander could financially damage someone in a way that couldn’t be undone. It’s the kind of thing that could follow a man for seven hundred years, preventing him from forming alliances or offering his services. So our laws decreed that warrants couldn’t be issued without substantial written or physical evidence. Jail space was limited; therefore, only serious crimes resulted in a sentencing. The higher authorities had no desire to be held accountable for a botched arrest. We had to be careful not to draw attention to ourselves, and concealing a prison was a tremendous task. Vampires worked for the higher authority to make sure any suspicious humans had their memories scrubbed. We also had spies working in the human world, and hackers erased documented evidence of Breed business.
“Keep me abreast of your actions, Cole. Now that I’m involved, consider me an investor.”
“I have my pack leaving in groups of two. I’m not about to shut us in here because of that bastard.”
“And you shouldn’t,” Prince agreed. “Keep your pack moving and split up. When you have an enemy upon you, the worst thing you can do is huddle together as a single target.”
“Someone’s here,” Wheeler murmured, glancing at the front door.
When it swung open, Lexi looked frazzled, still wearing her sweatpants and tank top from this morning. A strand of hair settled in front of her weary face and she tucked it behind her ear.
“How is she?” Austin asked.
Denver walked in carrying Maizy. At eleven years of age, she was already growing out of the little-girl stage I remembered. But she was still dwarfed in Denver’s arms.
“It’s just an infection,” Lexi said, hanging her keys on a nail.
Austin’s brow furrowed. “What kind?”
“That’s medical jargon for bullshit,” Denver bit out. “Six hours in the waiting room before they’d even see her. Those humans are a bunch of dickwads.”
“Someone’s in a good mood,” I said. “How’s our baby girl feeling?”
Prince rose from his chair and approached them.
“Fine,” Maizy murmured weakly.
Lexi rubbed her face. “They gave her some meds and a shot to lower the fever.”
“Which we had to wait another hour for,” Denver added.
“The little one is growing so fast,” Prince said, closing in on Denver. “May I?”
“May you what?” he snapped.
Prince laid his hand upon her forehead. “Human children are often stricken with fevers of unknown origin.” He lifted her eyelids and bent down, looking closely at her eyes. “I still see mischief. As long as there’s mischief sparkling like diamonds in those blue eyes, then you have no reason for concern.” Prince stroked her cheek and Maizy smiled up at him. “Tell me, child, do you remember who I am?”
When Maizy nodded, Denver stepped back and gave Prince a heated stare.
“Why don’t you put her to bed,” Austin suggested. “It looks like you’ve had a long day. Are you hungry, Maze?”
“Kinda. Maybe just some soup.”
Lexi approached Denver. “I’ll take her upstairs. You can shower and get some sleep. I know you have to work tonight.”
He angled away from her slightly. “Time for me to dip into some of that vacation. We’re going to her room, and I’m hooking up some video games to her TV.”
“I don’t have a TV,” Maizy said.
“You will in about ten minutes.” Denver hiked up the stairs and disappeared out of sight.
Lexi leaned over the back of Austin’s chair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Mom said she’s on her way home to take over.”
He kissed the back of her neck and sniffed audibly. “Maybe you should run upstairs and take a shower. We’ll be done here in a minute.”
“I thought you liked me stinky,” she said, her voice sweetening.
“Mmm, then wait for me in bed. Why don’t you shift and let your wolf out for a while? I’ll bring up some chocolate pudding.”
Lexi nibbled on his ear. “I want two cups.”
Austin’s eyes hooded and he murmured something in her ear. I just loved the heat between those two.
She stood up and stretched her back. “The next time anyone needs to go to the doctor, leave Denver at home. When they handed him the clipboard to fill out information, he whirled it through the open window and they almost called security on him. Needless to say, he didn’t like the waiting-room situation. Especially when a drunk stumbled in, not wearing pants, and sang three patriotic songs.”