“I’m not a little kid,” Melody said in protest.
A smile played on his lips. “No, but perhaps the intrepid blue-haired warrior would like to get her foot bandaged up before she returns to battle? I’m pretty sure Bactine and a Band-Aid isn’t going to help if his teeth punctured to the bone.”
I gripped her shoulders. “Mel, you need to go with Lakota. Let them fix your foot, and I’ll tell your mom what’s going on. You’ve done an amazing job, and we’re all proud of you.”
“Can I come back?”
“We’ll see, honey. But we can’t risk you getting an infection. Go with Lakota. He’ll protect you.”
She looked warily up at him as Trouble pranced around us.
Lakota’s brown hair fell over his shoulders like a mane, and he was handsome sitting astride that horse. His blue eyes sparkled behind the dark paint, giving them a magical quality that made it seem as if he were from another realm. He was Ivy’s son in every way, just as I’d imagine a child of hers to be. Strong. Confident. A warrior.
Melody reluctantly slung her bow over her shoulder and looked back one last time. Lakota reached out, pulling her up with one hand, as if she weighed nothing. Melody swung her leg over the back of the horse and adjusted her hat.
I nodded, giving him my thanks. Shifter children were just too vulnerable, and it was important to get someone to look at her foot, which had blood dripping from the ankle.
She held on to his waist as they rushed across the creek, water splashing beneath the hooves of Trouble. The fog eddied around the bank as they moved out of sight.
“I’ll be back!” he yelled out, holding up one arm.
“Me too!” she shouted defiantly.
Lakota’s laughter faded in the distance.
When I called out to Reno, his wolf appeared, tail wagging.
“You’re not going to shift, are you?” I patted his side. “Dammit, Reno.”
His brown wolf had a black mask, concealing all the dirt and blood. But when my fingers grazed over his snout, they collected streaks of crimson. He was feeling pretty cocky, and it was safe to say that Reno had lost control in shifting back. His wolf undoubtedly sensed danger and wanted to offer me his protection.
I thought about the rifle and scratched the wolf’s neck. “I bet you forced Reno to shift back there, didn’t you? Reno can take care of himself, but you just wanted to get in on the action. You two are just alike.”
God knows Reno had enough ammo to turn this land into Swiss cheese, but there wasn’t much honor in picking off wolves with a gun. And sometimes seeing a Shifter in animal form would call out to your own animal.
I gathered up his clothes and weapons, considering the simplest way to carry it all without breaking my back.
Reno’s wolf barked at the short hill up ahead. Austin crested the top of the hill and slid halfway down on one foot before propelling himself off the slope and running toward me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, out of breath and gripping my shoulders.
“Me?” I looked at his bloody shoulder. “What happened?”
He took a few deep breaths and dropped his arms. “A large number advanced on Axel’s men and… shit. He lost three. We got hit hard up ahead. A bullet pierced an artery in Jericho’s leg, and we had to make him shift.”
“Is he all right?”
Austin shook his head. “I don’t know. He shifted too many times, and now he’s barely conscious. My mom always carries painkillers with her, so we gave him heavy sedatives to help him sleep. He’s in the bunker. What about you?”
“Three wolves attacked us. Mel was hurt.”
His eyes hooded, and he went utterly still. “Are they dead? Because if not, I’m going to hunt them down and kill them myself.”
I nodded. “Lakota has great timing. Mel’s injuries aren’t serious, but she got a nasty bite on her ankle or foot, so I made her go with him. Lakota said that Lorenzo has a firm hold of his territory. He offered to take the kids or anyone injured.”
“I’m going to ask for some of his men to guard the south side,” Austin replied. “It’s an offer he made, and I’m taking him up on it. I’m still waiting for a status update from Axel.”
Reno’s wolf yelped with excitement and circled us.
Austin gave him a friendly pat, but his expression stayed grim. “We need to get moving. They’re coming in larger groups, so we should stay together.”
He turned to leave and then looked back at me.
“Austin Cole, are you really going to march off without taking one of these bags? Because I’m pretty sure your beta packed a thirty-pound missile launcher in his.”
***