Atticus appeared and handed me my purse.
“Thanks,” I said, noticing how unfazed he seemed by the whole affair. “Not bad for your first day on the job.”
“Splendid. I’ll look for my bonus,” he replied with a curt nod. Atticus turned away and approached the blonde. He tied something around her wrists, making sure her arms were behind her back so she wouldn’t try shifting.
While we were fortunate enough to have survived this attack, I wondered what the ramifications would be. Would the Council arrest Charlie?
Reno rounded the front of the car, and I dug in my purse.
“Wait!” I shouted, rushing after him. When he turned, I snapped a picture with my phone, and he flinched. “That would have been my biggest regret—not capturing this moment on film.”
He muttered a curse under his breath, and I laughed.
That’s how the Weston pack rolled. Despite everything you could throw at us, including death, we kept our sense of humor intact.
And that picture of Reno in a pair of pink bunny slippers was going to look sensational framed on our mantel.
***
“How does that feel?” Edward asked.
I kind of wanted to kiss him all over the face for relieving my pain. “Much better.”
He smiled approvingly and stood up, addressing the others who were gathered in the living room. “It’s a salve I created for deep wounds to block pain. It’s not a sedative in any form, so it’s not dangerous to the baby. Just keep reapplying whenever there’s discomfort.”
“How long will it take to heal?” my mother asked worriedly. “Will she scar?”
“I’m afraid she’ll have some scarring since she’s unable to shift, but this salve will diminish it dramatically. I think all things considered, she’s lucky to be alive.”
Naya patted my right leg. “You’re going to be fine.”
Maizy rested her head on my left shoulder, still quiet since hearing the story.
The men, on the other hand, were talking in low voices in the other room. When they’d heard the details about the attack on April and me, they’d looked ready to take a flamethrower to the world. Reno instructed them to remain inside—that retaliation wasn’t necessary since we’d already taken down a number of their men.
Denver was the only one out of the loop since his wolf had been guarding the property with Ben after Jericho had come off duty.
“Here you go,” Katharine said from behind the couch, handing me a cup of hot cocoa.
I flexed the fingers on my right hand and stared at the blue mug.
Maizy reached out. “I’ll hold it for her.”
My wound didn’t hurt, but I was afraid of tearing the stitches. Edward had applied the salve and then bandaged my arm from elbow to wrist. There were a few small scratches on my hand easily hidden with a Band-Aid.
Hendrix sat Indian style on the floor. “Tell us again about how the Vampire took down the wolves.”
“Yeah!” Lennon exclaimed, his red hair obscuring his eyes.
“I think it’s time for you boys to head upstairs,” George said.
“Aww, man,” the twins simultaneously replied.
Izzy stretched out in the leather chair, her voice sleepy. “Go on. And check on your sister before you go to bed.”
The twins gave her a quick kiss and then made a ruckus running up the stairs. Brothers usually picked on their sisters, but Lennon and Hendrix were protective of Melody, even though she was older. While they sometimes bickered, those boys would lay down their lives for their big sis.
Jericho pulled at his long hair, studying the ends. He’d made himself a comfortable spot on the floor in front of the TV. “I’m going to cancel a few gigs I have lined up. The money from online downloads is pretty sweet, and I don’t feel like leaving my family without protection.”
The rest of the men finally drifted into the room, Reno holding a cup of coffee, Wheeler taking a seat beside Naya, resting his hand on her thigh.
Reno handed the coffee to George, who was relaxing in the leather chair to my right.
George took a thoughtful sip. “I think it’s time to start making decisions. It’ll be up to Austin to choose what’s best for the pack, but we need to drive those rogues out of the city. I’m sure it won’t have any impact on their overall plan, but maybe it’ll throw a wrench in the machine.”
“When the war begins, it’ll be harder for them to penetrate our borders,” Reno agreed. “I’m more concerned about them calling foul since we don’t have proof. They might try to throw us in front of the bus with the higher authority.”
“Won’t matter,” George cut in. “The Council handles Shifter issues; the higher authority doesn’t have time for petty bullshit. Making a Shifter leave our territory because we feel threatened might be wrong, but it’s not a heinous crime. What is a heinous crime is a pack of wolves ganging up on two women.” He flicked an irritated glance at my arm.