“How is it a small pack like ours can take on so many?”
“Because we’re badass,” Wheeler said, shaking out the tent.
Reno tied the lace of his boot, making sure that each string was even. “Judas didn’t factor in how time and impatience can make a man weak. You also can’t throw a bunch of strangers into a group and expect them to fight like brothers. Shifter wolves don’t work like that. There’s a hierarchy, and you can bet your ass there are men fighting for rank within each unit. We’ll die for each other. They won’t. That’s what makes them weak.”
“Whoa!” April screamed, flashing into the campsite and tripping over Wheeler.
I giggled when Wheeler lay on the pile of tent poles with his arms and legs outstretched. He’d clearly relinquished his role as tent assembler.
April bounced to her feet. “This Mage thing comes in handy. I think I’ve got the hang of running on uneven ground as long as I concentrate, but it’s hard to stop when there’s something in the way,” she said, nudging Wheeler with the toe of her shoe.
Her short hair was windblown and away from her face, and she looked like a little soldier in her military gear.
April sauntered over and took a seat between Reno and me, giving him a short kiss before turning her attention to my belly. “How are you feeling?”
“I could go for steak and potatoes, but otherwise, I’m great.”
Wheeler groaned. “I could go for a bed.”
April unlaced her boots. “I could go for a new pair of shoes. We should have broken these in before all this started. I’ve got blisters, and without sunlight…”
Reno touched her hand, and she smiled. Tiny threads of blue light weaved between their fingertips as she borrowed his energy to heal. It’s not something a Mage did with other Breeds, because it wasn’t polite—not to mention taking too much energy could drain or even kill them—but only a minute amount was needed for something as trivial as a blister.
I watched the exchange in awe. While it was just a simple transference of energy, it represented something far more tender and beautiful. It was as if I could see the chemistry between two life mates—the love that exists in the threads of our being that weaves itself to another soul.
He retracted his hand and went to help Wheeler set up the tent.
“Holy smokes,” April said on a breath. “Where did he come from?”
I spied our feline companion nestled inside Wheeler’s bag—his nose and whiskers protruding through the flap. “That’s a great story I’ll save for supper, but suffice it to say I have a feeling that Sparty just earned his keep in this pack, which is more than I can say about me.”
April put her arm around my shoulder. “I think we both know that’s a lie. Lexi Cole can hold her own. Remember that showdown years ago at the club?”
I laughed. “How could I forget? Austin owed that guy a lot of money in repairs.”
“And who was the one who single-handedly broke up a fight between eight wolves at a peace party?”
I thought back to the party a few years ago and rolled my eyes. “That fight wouldn’t have broken out if Denver hadn’t screwed up the meat order. We ran out of steak—what did he expect when the next guys in line got hot dogs?”
She laughed while putting her boot back on. “Well, you got right in there and grabbed them by the scruff of the neck, showing no fear. The women in this pack look up to you. Heck, Lexi. The men look up to you. Izzy had to sit out a few times when she was pregnant, so this has nothing to do with your skills. The pack’s instinct is to protect the weakest.”
“And I’m the weakest link?”
She patted my belly. “No, but this one is. Any movement today?”
I shrugged. “A little.”
“Maybe she misses her daddy.”
I bumped my shoulder against hers and smiled. April had been buying books for the baby, everything from Green Eggs and Ham to A Little Princess. But she was indulging me with more books aimed at girls than boys.
“I guess you really can’t have children now,” I said glumly, my thoughts traveling to her becoming a Mage.
Her eyebrows arched. “Lexi, I was almost forty anyhow. No baby was coming out of this body, and I don’t think I’d want to carry a child that wasn’t Reno’s. Anyhow, I’m fine with being Aunt April. I’ve never wanted kids of my own. I know that’s a strange concept for a Shifter, and humans for that matter, but this is my life, and I’d have it no other way.”
I rubbed my belly and considered that maybe it was meant to be since now she was an immortal. I couldn’t imagine outliving my children and their children.
“The pack’s here,” she said, dusting off her hands. “I can feel their energy approaching.”
I used her knee as a crutch to stand. “Sorry.”
She smiled warmly. “You’re fine.”