Reno held the sawed-off shotgun in firing position. “Bikers,” was all he said.
I strained my ears and sat up. In the distance, the sound of motorcycles grew increasingly louder. When I saw a cloud of dirt coming up from the private road that ran left to right, I got up and stood behind Austin. “Should I call anyone?”
He held up a hand but remained quiet.
The bikes came into view, driving in pairs and easing up our driveway on the right.
“Looks like they came a long way,” Reno said, still holding up the shotgun.
Austin moved closer to the steps. “What makes you say that?”
Reno waved the gun. “The back warmers.”
I knitted my brows and gave him a nudge. “Back warmers?”
“The ladies riding as passengers. They also have on backpacks, and nobody around here would bring their whole crew for chitchat.”
It was the first bike that caught my eye. All black except for the burnt-orange gas tank. He angled his bike away from us and revealed Colorado plates.
“That’s Axel,” I said, placing my hand on Reno’s shotgun and lowering it.
Izzy’s white wolf went tearing across the grass, barking at our unexpected visitors. She was the guard on duty.
Austin whistled with his fingers and shouted out a command. She backed off but continued barking. The bikes slowly pulled up next to where Axel had parked, and they angled away from the house with their front tires on the driveway.
Axel dismounted and removed his orange helmet, revealing a shiny, bald head. He ran his hand over it and then used his fingertips to comb his grey goatee, watching his men pull in and park. They killed the engines, and the throttling sound that filled the air finally quieted, replaced by boots crunching across the gravel and heavy sighs of exhaustion.
Spartacus appeared from beneath the house, sauntering his way across the lawn toward the men, tail high and bent at the tip. The men gave the scrawny black cat a skeptical glance before going about their business.
“Nice homestead you have,” Axel said, approaching the house with an easy stride, leather chaps covering his jeans.
Ivy quickly went inside. She tossed Austin his shoes before closing the door.
Austin kept his eyes on Axel while he slipped on his shoes, leaving the laces untied. “What brings you out this far?”
Axel faced his men and signaled them to remain where they were. Most were taking a seat in a patch of high grass beneath a shady tree, some removing their boots and most wiping their sweaty faces on their shirt. Ivy reappeared, a twelve-pack of soda under her left arm, cane in her right.
“Good to see you again,” she said in greeting to Axel, descending the steps and heading toward his packmates.
Axel hiked up the steps, warily looking at Reno’s gun.
Austin turned and clapped Reno on the shoulder. “I don’t think we’ll be needing that, brother.”
“I’ll keep it on me just the same,” Reno said, strutting around me and stealing a chair, eyes on the men below.
“Where’s your woman? I’d like to pay my respects,” Axel said.
Reno lifted his chin. “Brushing up on her Mage skills.”
I wasn’t sure how fast a man could blink consecutively, but I was certain Axel had broken the record when he stepped back and swung his gaze to Austin, who merely shrugged with a smile.
Axel’s eyes settled on my round belly. “It looks like your vacation was a success. Colorado seems to have that effect.”
Ivy moved past us and went back inside.
“Can I offer you a drink?” I asked.
“Nah. I’m good.” He waved his hand and then scooted a wooden chair away from the wall so the back was to the sun. Axel took a seat and then stretched so hard that I could almost feel it myself.
Austin pulled up a chair facing him, sat down, and worked on tying his laces. “So what’s your business down here, Axel?”
After he popped a few knuckles and glanced back at his men—and I counted about twenty-two—he watched me walk around Austin and stand behind him, hands on his bare shoulders. “I heard about the trouble you had a few months ago. Only a dirty dog attacks women. I’ve kept in contact with one of your Councilmen, and he told me in confidence what the Packmasters are up to. None of my men know; it’s not the sort of thing you tell people or else the plan won’t work. Most of the Shifters in my pack have little ones to look after, so I rounded up the unmated, childless wolves. Something tells me this is going down soon, and I want to help.” He gave Reno a cursory glance before looking back at Austin.
“I don’t know if spreading your men out will make much difference,” Austin said.
I found myself squeezing the ends of his damp hair at the back so I could rub my wet fingers across his bare back. He moaned quietly and then leaned forward out of my reach.
“That’s not what I had in mind,” Axel said, lacing his fingers over his head as if shielding it from the blazing sun. “Something tells me they’ll be gunning for you.”