“They’re in a valley. It’s always better where the homestead is.”
“How long do you think?” Link asked again.
Vera hugged Link’s waist, and he stopped his pacing. “Soon, Link. Soon.”
The soft snarl stopped in his throat, and she smiled at Tobias’s baffled look. Now she had the same calming effect on Link that Elyse possessed.
“She’ll have Miki with her,” Link said low, his eyes blurring with a faraway look. She’ll be to the bend in the road by now, the one that gets bogged down and muddy in the spring. Fuck, I hope it’s not snowing as bad there.”
“It’s not,” Tobias reassured him.
“She’ll be running. Elyse sounded worried.” Link hugged Vera’s shoulders. “She’ll be so happy. She’ll be safe. Ian will keep her safe in the winters now.”
Sadness unfurled in her middle in heavy, inky tendrils. Link wasn’t concerned with her failure to fix him. He was happy because Elyse and Lena would be protected by their own mates during the winter now.
“Elyse will be past the spring now,” Link said low.
“If she’s running,” Tobias murmured.
“She is. Trust me, she is.”
The minutes stretched on for eternity, but Vera could tell when the boys thought Elyse was getting close to Lena’s cabin because Tobias gestured her over to him and hugged her to his chest. “You should tell them,” he whispered against her ear. “This is possible because of you.”
Vera whispered, “I want you to.” Tobias had been through so much and loved his family in ways they would never understand. This should come from him. It would mean more.
Tobias lifted the radio to his lips, his eyes on Link as he nodded once. He pushed the button. “Lena. You there?”
Static blasted through the line and then, “Yeah, I’m here. So is Elyse.”
“Let me hear her.”
“I’m here,” Elyse said into the speaker. “How are you still awake? Did someone hurt you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Listen, I wanted to try this on myself before I put Ian and Jenner at risk.”
“What are you talking about, Tobias?” Elyse sounded frantic.
Tobias took a deep, steadying breath, then clicked the button again. “You two go start putting food in their dens. I’m coming to you. I’ll be there in three days.” Tobias smiled down at Vera. “I’m going to wake my brothers up.”
“Wake them up? Tobias, you can’t. They’re hibernating.”
Tobias’s chin trembled with emotion so Vera buried her face against his chest and hugged him up tight. “I owe them, Elyse. I owe them. I knew I had to fix this when you were attacked by the McCalls and we couldn’t do a damned thing about it. You wouldn’t have that scar on your face if we were awake to protect you. And Jenner—” Tobias swallowed hard and hit that button again. “Lena, I owed it to him to try. I hurt him.”
“Tobias,” Lena said. “We don’t understand. And Jenner isn’t mad for what happened when you were kids. You didn’t mean to hurt him. Just…tell us what’s happening.”
“You’ll never have to worry about winter again,” Tobias said into the speaker. “You’ll never have to wait for your men to wake up.”
A moment of silence stretched for eternity as Vera cried silent tears of joy against her mate’s sweater.
“Say it, Tobias,” Lena demanded thickly. “Say it now before we fall apart.”
Tobias’s voice wavered with emotion as he murmured, “I’ve found a cure.”
“Oh my God,” Elyse sobbed into the radio. “Tobias, tell me it’s true. Tell me this isn’t some cruel joke.”
“Vera isn’t just a fox. She isn’t just my mate. She’s a scientist, and she’s been busting her ass to save us from hibernation. I’ll tell you everything you want to know. I’ll explain everything as soon as we can get to you. The weather is shit here, but when it lets up, we’re coming to you.”
“Vera!” Lena yelled so loudly into the radio, a high pitched noise blasted out of the contraption. “Vera,” she said again, her voice shaking. “Tobias put her on!”
“I’m here,” Vera said into the speaker as Tobias held her tight.
“Thank you. Elyse can’t talk right now, but from both of us…thank you.”
Vera waited a minute to compose herself. Link intertwined his hands behind his head and squatted down, gut-wrenching emotion in his eyes as he dragged his blazing gaze to her.
Clicking the button again, she said, “You’re welcome. I’ll bring the medicine and the moonshine. We’ll celebrate right. With our men. And Lena?”
“Yeah,” Lena said across the line.
“We’ll be spending the holidays with our boys from here on.”