“Not Valentine’s Day,” I said. “Too cheesy. Also, no black. I apologize for being distracted.”
Keira opened her mouth, but I shut her down before she could utter a word. “We should add frog legs and eye of newt to the menu, since half the guests will be witches. They’d happily give you a magic show if you asked, Keira.” I give her a wink before adding, “We also like to get naked under the light of the full moon. And if you think only shifters have wild monkey sex on the lawn, you’ve never seen a witch bursting with the promise of magic.” I clapped my hands together, making her jump. “When they explode… hold on to your males, because there isn’t one among them who can resist the call of an elemental when she’s at her full power.”
Dave snorted, and Aunt Liz snickered. The tension in the room snapped as the shifters realized that one, their principal’s mate had claws; two, she wasn’t afraid to use them; and three, she was no pushover. Shifters respected strength, and I needed to stop acting like I was weak. Hudson would never fall for a weak mate, so in their eyes, I’d either cast some kind of spell over him, or I was hiding my true strength. I let a little of Indigo’s angelic power flow through my veins. My nails lengthened and my teeth sharpened. Not enough to scare people, but enough to make them think twice before anyone got any bright ideas about challenging me.
The females cast wary glances my way, but the conversation picked back up, and by the time the last piece of toast was gone, we had decided I was having a spring wedding. Pastel greens, pinks, and purples were part of the color scheme. My aunt vetoed the pack making my dress, stating it should be something a bride did with her family, and given we’d already conceded to a ceremony on pack grounds, and the catering was also being done by them, the Roberts women had power over the bridal party dresses. I snorted a little. Did they realize I would havevampires in my wedding party? There was no way I wouldn’t make Sebastian my maid of honor, and Rebecca would sulk for years if I didn’t offer her the same.
I’d let Hudson break that news. My head was too full of their ideas as it was.
“You know, I think I have Hudson’s mother’s veil,” Tori, the older shifter who had first greeted me, said.
A sharp pang pierced my chest. I was marrying a man, and I didn’t even know about his parents. Nothing. I knew nothing. I felt ashamed. Our lives were constantly full of my ever-expanding family drama, and I hadn’t paused to ask about any of his relations. I was a bad mate. Indigo rolled her eyes, but she kept quiet.
“I can do her makeup,” one of the women declared.
Aunt Liz shook her head. “No, her aunt and best friend will want to do that.” The shifters kept trying to insert themselves into the bridal party, and my aunt was doing a fine job of batting them away. I needed to breathe.
Was it too much to ask for a medical emergency or a little death? Something, anything to get me out of this breakfast from hell? They were talking about honeymoons now. Why would that be any of their concern? Surely that was one thing Hudson and I had control over. There were rumblings of an argument about how long he could reasonably be away from the pack without it falling apart. I always wanted to go to Paris and London. Rome, too. A European tour sounded amazing. Or a beach. Hawaii was nice at any time of year. I didn’t care so long as we were away from all of this.
Were they talking about babies now? My brows drew together as I shifted in my chair. Was I losing time? Something didn’t feel right. Hudson wasn’t here, so nothing felt right. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. He wasn’t in the same zip code as me, and now I was doomsday plotting. Wonderful. I neededsomething for my brain to do. I glanced up at the ceiling. It was worth a try.
Hey, God, it’s me, Cora, your possible granddaughter, depending on your interpretation of archangel family trees. I could do with a distraction, so I don’t murder the shifters at the table. Nothing too serious, maybe a head laceration or broken limb. Anything to stop the fact I have spent the last eight hours spiraling about my mate and upcoming mating ceremony. Thanks. Yours kindly, Cora, daughter of Abaddon. P.S. Do I need to get married in a church? Do you want an invitation? Maybe officiate for us?
The door opened, and my gaze fell on Norbert, the pack’s chief medic. His worried gaze caught mine. “Cora, I need you. There’s a medical situation I need your help with.”
I blinked and rolled my eyes to the ceiling.Seriously? Quick work, grandfather. Your invite will be in the post.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Trust me—I’m a doctor.
Norbert lived and worked in a smaller version of Hudson’s house, except the ground floor was a mini hospital, complete with three beds and an operating room. Shifters didn’t suffer from illness and diseases that affected the human population. Broken bones and fight injuries were the typical issues, but with their accelerated healing, they didn’t warrant a longer stay. So the sight before me was definitely unusual.
Norbert had set up temporary beds, creating extra space for patients, and a child occupied every one of them. Parents fitted themselves between the tiny spaces to offer words of comfort and watch over their offspring. As I stepped inside, all eyes turned to me. My brows knit at the still forms beneath the white sheets. There were no visible injuries or blood that I could see.
“What’s happening?” I wondered. Did the kids get into a squabble?
Norbert jerked his head to follow him into the back room, where he kept his supplies and performed consultations. Heclosed the door, sealing the soundproofed room to prevent supernatural eavesdropping.
“We’ve had an outbreak of pox.”
I blinked as he waved his hand at the chair placed beside his desk. Pox? That makes no sense. “But shifters aren’t susceptible to human diseases.”
Norbert plopped onto his chair and pushed a large open book in my direction. “Not human, Cora. This family of pox comes from the animal kingdom, and we are more likely to be affected because the jump to the shifter DNA is less of a leap than humans.”
I spun the book toward me and scanned the detailed history of the family of infectious poxes affecting the packs over the ages. This was a well-guarded secret. I knew nothing about it, which made sense, as it could be weaponized and used against the pack.
“Death rate?” I asked.
Norbert swiped a hand down his face, suddenly looking older than ever. After he left Hudson’s house, he’d returned here, staying up all night to stand vigil over the children. “Previous outbreaks have been anywhere from five to twenty percent.”
Damn, that was high. “And this one?”
“Yet to be determined. We’ve had a hundred cases, but they only started five days ago.”
Wow. That’s so many. “No deaths?” I checked.
“No, but they aren’t getting better. Out there are the most worrying cases, and I expect that to increase.”
