“So we just wait?” Jewel glanced at Kara.
Kara shrugged. “Fane has a point. It’s best to play it safe.”
Nick nudged her, and she turned to look at him. “How come Fane says play it safe, and you jump on board? I say play it safe, and you fight me at every turn.”
“I like to ruffle your feathers.” She grinned and patted his hand.
“If she did everything you asked, your life would be very boring,” Myanin said.
Kara pointed at the djinn. “Exactly. I’m just keeping the excitement alive.”
Nick ran a hand down her spine. “I can think of lots of ways to keep the excitement alive without you putting yourself in danger.”
Tanya made a clicking sound and shook her head. “You just waved a red flag in front of a bull.”
“Actually, the flag could be any color,” Jewel said hesitantly. “Bulls are partially color blind and cannot see the color red. It’s just the motion of the flag that provokes the bull to attack. Traditionally, the color red was chosen to mask the bloodstains of the bull.”
Dillon held the bridge of his nose. “Have you ever considered going on a game show?”
“It wouldn’t be fair to the other contestants,” Myanin offered.
Tanya shook her head. “The last thing we need to do is put a gypsy healer on live TV. Every Canis lupus in the world would probably become entranced and storm the studio.”
Dalton growled low, but Jewel put a hand on his, and he quieted. “I would have no desire to have that many people watching me. Besides, my facts only come out at random times. I’d probably freeze up when the host asked me my name, much less the capital of Zimbabwe.”
“You know the answer to that, don’t you?” asked Tanya.
“Harare.”
“Of course she does.” Myanin rolled her eyes.
“Back to the matter at hand. Are we supposed to just wait?”
“Not us, Kara.” Myanin shook her head. “You and your pregnant self wait. Those of us not pregnant, and with non-werewolf possessive mates, are going vamp hunting.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tanya clapped her hands and stood. “I’m ready for a good fight.”
“Are you going hunting?” Kara asked Nick through their bond. She didn’t want to sound needy. In fact, she loathed feeling needy. But there it was.
“Ask me, Kara,” Nick said in return. “Never be afraid to ask me for what you need. It won’t make me think less of you, nor will it make me think you’re needy. You’re my mate, the other half of my soul. You ask, and if I can give it to you, then it’s yours.”
Kara took a deep breath and ignored the movement going on around her. She looked in Nick’s eyes. “Will you stay with me?”
His lips turned up in a crooked smile. “As if I could ever turn that down for anything, regardless of how much I like vamp hunting.”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Kara soaked up his warmth and let herself enjoy him for just a moment. “What about Lizzy?” She pulled back. “What if it’s actually her? We might find out faster if we contacted the healer.”
Nick brushed her hair back from her neck and rested his hand on top of his bite mark. “We’re going to trust Fane’s instincts. Even if it is your Lizzy, there’s nothing we can do right now. We can’t just go in blind.”
She nodded and sighed. “I know.” But in the back of her mind, all Kara could think about was what might be happening to Lizzy if it was her friend in Cain’s clutches.
“So I take it we’re the only ones staying behind?” Jewel’s voice made Kara pull away from the kiss.
She looked around Nick at the strawberry-blonde healer and then glanced at the rest of the room. Everyone else was gone.
“Apparently if you want to get rid of a horde of supernaturals, just mention vampire hunting,” Kara said dryly.
“It is a fun pastime.” Dalton wrapped a strand of Jewel’s hair around his finger.
