Rubbing the back of his neck, Cade looked to Liam, then to Mara. She hated seeing such pain in his eyes. All because she couldn’t control the fire inside her.
“We don’t know. Caitlin and Tierney are still trying to read Diedre’s book, but until we know the Thirteen isn’t going to come after Mara…this is the only place we’re safe.”
“Shawn and I could come—”
“No,” Cade growled. “It’s too dangerous for you to bring the pup here. You’re safe in Canada. At least as far as we know.”
Shawn cleared his throat. “The pack up in Anchorage has met an elemental or two over the years, and they’ve agreed to make some calls, see if anyone’s heard of the Thirteen.”
“Good. Christine, how’d you manage with the sigils Caitlin taught you?”
“Fine,” the werewolf healer said. “And that strange smell hasn’t been back.”
Weeks ago, Ollie and Christine, who were still living at the pack house, had come home to a heavy metallic odor hanging in the air of every room. Practitioner magic. Locator spells to sense Mara, Caitlin had thought.
“Good.” Cade relaxed slightly, and Mara let herself turn her focus to the pies. It was easier than listening to her family talking about her like she wasn’t even there. Their voices faded into the background, and she started to relax. Until Cade’s fingers wrapped around her wrist so tightly, she gasped.
“Mara! Fuck, honey. I called your name four times. You were...thereagain, weren’t you? Holding a knife.”
The agony etched on his face was too much. But so was his tone. As soon as he’d eased the knife from her hand, she jerked back. “No.Thiswas not my sister’s fire.Thiswas me tuning out because I can’t stand it when you all talkaroundme rather thantome. It was being exhausted because I’m up every two hours to pee. Because at 5:30 this morning, I got shoved into a prison I couldn’t escape and had to watch myself wander the house for an hour, then walk right down the driveway, barefoot. Because Caitlin had to charm me to get me to rest. Because I slept through breakfast and had the worst morning sickness in a month when I finally woke up.
“Thiswas missing my home. Our bed. My favorite sweater. The fuzzy blanket on the back of our couch. Hell,thiswas me missing my best fucking friend. Aunt Lil. Livie, Chrissy, Serena.Thiswashating that I can’t even muster joy for our baby! She doesn’t deserve this. None of us do.”
She held up her hands when Cade reached for her. The last thing she wanted at the moment was him comforting her. She needed the anger. It made her feel...normal.
“Honey, you have to calm down.”
“I donot. You’re not my alpha, remember? You’re my mate. My husband. You’re supposed to support me, not smother me in bubble wrap because you’re afraid I’m going to break.”
Cade growled, and Caitlin darted between the two of them. “Wait. Mara’s right.”
“What?” Mara stared at the air elemental in disbelief. She loved Caitlin. The two had developed a mostly easy friendship complicated only by the frequency with which Caitlin had to work her charms on Mara.
With a weak smile, Caitlin met Mara’s gaze. “When we met...when I was first Caitlin again, you fought for me. You fought the rest of the pack for my right to be heard. I thought you were so brave and I was the complete opposite.” She turned to Cade. “Since we...ended Fergus, Mara’s been different. Not herself.This?This is your mate fighting to survive, Cade. I know I don’t have any right to say this, but you need to let her.”
Anger and frustration flashed in Cade’s eyes for a beat, along with the silver and gold flecks of his wolf. His knuckles cracked, and Mara feared he was about to shift. Until it was like a switch flipped, and the tension melted from his shoulders.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t realize... I have to protect you. It’s who I am. I thought if I were strong enough, I could keep you safe, but I’m not, and it’s killing me.”
“You’re the strongest man I know,” Mara murmured. “But you can’t fight this battle for me. You can be there with me, but you can’t take my place.”
Cade nodded, and though Mara would bet her life they’d fight about this again, for now, he seemed to understand.
Livie cleared her throat. “Mara? Why don’t we FaceTime. I’ll grab my phone. Shawn can fill me in on any pack business later. And Cade can do the same for you.”
Turning towards the screen, Mara offered Livie a grateful smile. “I’d really like that. Give me just a minute to get up to our room.”
“Mara—” Cade’s voice carried a heavy warning, but Livie stopped him.
“Shawn’s staying on the call, bossman. If Mara looks like she’s disappearing on me, all I have to do is call for him and he’ll tell you. She needs this. And so do I.”
Mara’s phone rang, and as soon as the call connected, Serena’s chubby face filled the screen. The baby flailed her arms and babbled happily, and Mara swiped away a tear. “Hi, sweetie.”
Before she could take more than two steps towards the stairs, Cade was at her back, his arm wrapped around her waist, palm on her belly. Their pup kicked inside her, and he whispered in her ear. “I love you, honey. You’re strong, and I’m sorry I forgot that.”
With one last gentle scrape of his teeth to her neck, he released her, and Mara headed for their room as Livie’s face came into better focus. “We’re not going more than a couple of days without talking from now on. I’ve missed you, Mara. So has Serena. And I don’t just mean your babysitting.”
It felt so good to laugh, and she found a small bit of hope in Livie’s smile. Maybe it would all be okay. Maybe she could find a way to hold on to herself. Maybe she wouldn’t lose everything.
