Reno cradled April in his arms and rocked her, kissing her head and whispering reverently in her ear.
Charlie glanced up at Austin with a guarded look. “I had no choice. We can talk about the ramifications in the morning, but you need to ask yourself a question: If you saw Lexi drawing her last breath and you had the power to save her, would you? Even if that meant changing her Breed or making her immortal? It’s such a small price to pay for life. Report me to the higher authority if you wish. They’ll write me up, but this is not a punishable crime. The Mageri will only force me or an assigned Ghuardian to take her in and train her.”
Austin tensed. “And if we refuse?”
“She’ll remain a target for juicers if she doesn’t learn how to protect and conceal her light. Her own kind is her worst enemy.”
A juicer was a Mage who lived outside the law, stealing light for a high. While they could take energy from a non-Mage, it wasn’t as strong and easily led to their death. The core light within a Mage was more potent—the ultimate street drug, provided you could find weaklings. They usually targeted those without a Creator or Ghuardian to protect them.
“I have no doubt her mate will try to protect her,” Charlie said. “But he is only a Shifter, and a Mage is a Breed to be reckoned with. April must learn to control her gifts, whether she likes it or not. I didn’t plan on this, and I’ve always rejected the idea of using my gift to make another Mage, but I’m willing to teach my progeny what she needs to know to survive.” He glanced over his shoulder at April and then hung his head low. “If she refuses me, then the Mageri will assign a Mage to take her under his wing. I’m not leaving town anytime soon. You know where to find me if you want to call the Regulators and file a complaint. What I’ve done isn’t illegal, but I guess you have the right to come after me since I’ve done something to your packmate without consent.”
After a quiet moment, Charlie walked away.
Austin let go of me and surveyed the bloodbath around us. “Shit,” he whispered under his breath. “Did you fight them?”
He stripped out of his shirt and made a tourniquet around my arm.
“I disarmed the leader and stabbed him before fighting off a wolf. I would have done more, but I can’t shift. Atticus protected me as best he could.”
“Reno, take the women home and look after April. I’ve got to move these bodies and call the Council to report the attack. The cleaners need to work fast before dawn comes and people start coming by the shop.”
I placed my good hand on his chest. “Don’t you dare pile those bodies in my shop, Austin Cole. I run a bakery, not a morgue.”
He chuckled softly and hugged me again, kissing the top of my head. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you two.”
That was the first moment when I felt like we were more than just two pieces of a puzzle. Now there was a third in the picture, and we were a family.
“Go home and wash up, Ladybug. I’ll call the Relic to meet you there.”
Reno lifted April into his arms and carried her to Austin’s car. I hurried over to open the door, pushing the seat forward so Reno could gently place her in the backseat.
“I don’t want to go to bed,” April groaned incoherently.
Reno handled her like a delicate flower, coaxing her to stay down while he covered her with a thin blanket that Austin kept on the floor. “We’re almost home. And then we’re gonna spoon.”
I shut the door and glanced at April, who was curling into a fetal position. “How do you feel about all this? Because I sure as hell don’t know what to think.”
He rubbed the side of his face and settled his eyes on a dead wolf near the curb. “I should have gotten here sooner,” he mumbled, leaning against the car. “Years ago, I made April an offer. I’ve got a Mage who owes me a favor, and it’s something I’ve brought up with her more than once. But she was scared to be anything but a Shifter, and I accepted that. I always thought I’d be able to let her go—until tonight.”
“Do you think you can love a Mage?”
His eyes were downcast. “Sex is going to be a challenge now.”
I patted his shoulder. “Leave it to you in times of crisis to worry about your sex life.”
He flashed me an irritated glance. “When they get charged up with sexual energy, they blast the hell out of anyone who isn’t a Mage. She won’t be able to touch me with her hands.”
“Well, given rumors I’ve heard about your kinky sex adventures, I’m sure you’ll find a work-around.” I waggled my brows, and his cheeks flamed.
“I don’t ever want to lose her,” he said, his voice rough and broken.
Reno wasn’t much of an affectionate guy, so I gave him a hug in the best way I knew how. His feet were blistering red from the wind and cold, and maybe it bothered me more because of how vulnerable he seemed.
I removed my warm bunny slippers and held them out. “Here, put these on.”
His jaw set. “Those are girly shoes.”
I slapped them against his chest. “One size fits all.”
Or most. Reno had big feet.