When Mercy wandered into the kitchen, I set down my cocoa. “How is he?”
“Crazier than a loon.” She filled a glass with water. “I swear that boy has nine lives, and he’s already used up two.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. A hot shower and clean clothes helped settle my nerves, but I couldn’t shake the thought that someone targeted us.
She set the cup aside and hugged me. “That must have been terrifying. How are you feeling?”
“A little shook up.”
Mercy drew back and looked at my belly. “Maybe we should call Milly back.”
“I’m fine. Really. Before we left her house, she gave me a thorough checkup. Atticus and Tak insisted.”
In fact, Milly had given me another ultrasound. With the due date closing in, she was concerned because the baby hadn’t shifted back. Milly wasn’t certain if a wolf pup could survive being delivered by a human. No wonder I hadn’t felt pregnant—I wasn’t carrying the weight of a human baby.
We burst into laughter at Virgil singing out of tune.
Mercy took her earrings out. “The Relic gave him something to sleep, but she grossly underestimated his tolerance to drugs. I wonder if it’s a side effect from the Vampire blood.” She wrinkled her nose.
“I can’t imagine what might have happened if Atticus wasn’t there or willing to help. Virgil wouldn’t have made the drive to Milly’s.” A chill slithered down my spine when I remembered his limp body in my arms. It was hard to fathom that only hours earlier, he was clinging to life.
Lakota padded into the kitchen in jeans and a black beanie. After opening the fridge, he leaned down to study the contents. He finally settled for a carton of orange juice. “I need to get a second job to pay for all my truck repairs. The mechaniclovesme.”
“Another job? You’re our second-in-command.” Mercy gave him a pat on the back. “That’s more than enough work.”
He poured his juice into a glass and then gulped it down. After setting the glass in the sink, he rested his arms on the kitchen island. “I was thinking about holding training classes for people who want to be bounty hunters, but I’m not sure if I can convince anyone to drive all the way out here.”
Mercy put the carton back into the fridge. “Do it online. Y’all need to think outside the box. Everyone does remote work these days. Working at home is the wave of the future.”
Lakota’s blue eyes flashed up, and he gave me a somber look. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right.”
He nodded before straightening up. “If you need anything, let me know. I mean it.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile. “Where’s Melody? I haven’t seen her since we arrived.”
“She’s outside in a tree somewhere with her bow.” Lakota scratched the scar across his heart. “I should find her before she shoots one of us by mistake.”
After Lakota left, I put his dirty glass in the dishwasher and turned to Mercy. “Have you seen Salem?”
“He was in the living room earlier, resting on the couch. Which reminds me, I better take Virgil his water before he starts fussin’.”
After she left the room, I headed through the dark house into the living room. The warm glow from a dying fire illuminated the leather furniture and wood floor in the empty room. Krys and Catcher were guarding the territory, and Lucian was busy monitoring security cameras.
The deep timbre of Tak’s voice sounded from the art room. When Salem spoke forcefully, I knocked and then opened the door.
Salem had his back against the wall to my left. “Close the door.”
I did, then moved farther into the room.
The desk lamp silhouetted Tak, who was leaning against the desk and glaring at Salem. Atticus stood between them, his eyes downcast.
Tak held Salem’s attention. “Why would they target you?”
“What’s going on?” I searched Salem’s eyes, wondering what I’d missed.
Salem rubbed the back of his neck. “Atticus sent someone to investigate the accident scene. I gave them a description of the vehicle we almost hit—the one that crashed into our attackers. Atticus tracked down the owner. He’s a local farmer and doesn’t have any recollection of the accident.”
