He gave Atticus an appreciative nod.
“How is everyone?” I clutched Tak’s arm, worried that someone had gotten hurt. “I heard you killed the Vampires.”
Montana tipped his black hat. “You won’t have to worry about those guys anymore, but if they send someone else…” He shared a concerned look with Tak.
“It doesn’t matter,” I told them. “We’re safe for the moment, and I’m home. That’s all I wanted.”
Montana studied my belly while rubbing his upper lip. “You seem… bigger.”
I giggled. “You sure know how to compliment a lady.”
His cheeks bloomed red. “No, I just mean?—”
“I’m only teasing. Atticus fed me well,” I tacked on, deciding to avoid the obvious explanation of the baby having shifted back. “Milly also prescribed me vitamins and something that’s helped with my indigestion. Now that I don’t feel sick after every meal, my appetite is back.”
When I ran my hand over my belly, I wondered how much the baby had grown. Wolves in the wild only carried for about two months, so maybe shifting had sped up the gestation period. In just the past two days since the baby changed back, my clothes fit tighter. Not to mention the sudden weight was an adjustment. My back hurt more, and the skin around my belly itched.
While Tak led us toward the house, Lakota trotted into sight on Luna’s back. The beautiful white mare whinnied when she caught sight of us.
Lakota slid off her bare back. “I spotted the helicopter up the road. She’s not in the mood for a run.”
Luna pawed the earth and nodded her head a few times.
Tak stroked her face. “Maybe you just don’t know how to ride her. She needs someone experienced who isn’t galloping across the town like a hotshot.”
Lakota plucked a tall weed and flipped his hair back when he straightened up. “Maybe she has more energy with me because she doesn’t have a three-hundred-pound gorilla on her back.”
The two men laughed.
“Gentlemen, perhaps we should take this inside,” Atticus suggested. “Joy needs to put her feet up and rest.”
Lakota took Luna’s reins and walked her into the pasture.
“Give her some water,” Tak called out.
“Joy!” Cecilia bounded down the back steps, her long skirt gathered up in her hand as she jogged toward us. Her ponytail swished back and forth until she reached me. “I missed you.”
I took her hand and squeezed it. “I missed you too, honey. It’s so good to be home again.” My eyes blurred with tears.
Tak walked a few paces ahead with Atticus.
“Is Salem here?” I asked her.
“He left not long ago,” she said. “A little girl got a nasty cut from a tool someone left in the grass, so he left to patch her up. I’ve been so anxious these past days. When I heard you were coming home early, I started cleaning to pass the time. Hope is here.”
“Is she?”
“Her father wasn’t thrilled about driving her back under the circumstances, but we handled everything. Well, I didn’t, but I suppose you heard all about what Tak and the others did at that motel.”
When her grip loosened, I let go of her hand.
I turned my attention to Montana, who walked alongside me. “Was anyone hurt? Tell the truth.”
He took off his hat and fanned his flushed face. His pale-brown eyes met mine for only a moment before he focused onthe house ahead. “Lakota’s wolf suffered a nasty break on his leg. Once we took out the second Vampire and secured the area, Salem had to straighten the bone before Lakota could shift back. It was a hell of a thing, but he’s good now, as you can see.”
“Tell me everything.”
“We ambushed the first guy when he answered the door. I pretended to be a worker and had this whole speech planned if he refused to open up, but we didn’t have any trouble. The second guy gave us problems. Since we attacked them at night, we couldn’t let him escape the room or he would’ve shadow walked right out of the county. He put up a hell of a fight, and Tak had to pay the owner for damages to the room.”
