I couldn’t let him get too used to helping, anyway. Hewould grow an ego as big as Noth’s. Declan huffed a laugh as I got down. His shift was an easy bit of magic.
“You’ll never guess what’s been happening in Nightfell.”
Declan eyed his sister as he handed me a walking stick. “If this is about another heart you broke, it can wait until we get home.”
Briggs tossed her dark hair, chin lifting. “I wish it were about this fabulousness.”
“Is Momma okay?” His hands knotted but his voice didn’t waver.
Briggs rolled her eyes. “You know that woman will outlive us all. She’s as fit as a twenty-year-old.”
Thunder moved across Declan’s face. “Is Dad back?” The growl that came into his voice made Briggs step away and she seemed the toughest of the lot.
Briggs shook her head. “Not since you kicked him out.”
The deadly gleam in Declan’s eye perked up my traitorous lady bits. Who was this wolf I thought I knew? Declan’s layers slowly peeled away to reveal an absolutely fascinating shifter.
The chirp in Declan’s voice returned with that out of the way. “Is Barnaby still sniffing around? Did Carrick finally get mated? What about Milo?”
“Yeah, what about Milo?” I couldn’t resist prodding. Declan made sibling baiting fun.
Briggs huffed. “Well, Milo got mated to littleGinny Forrester but I forgot you will literally keep guessing until we’re all dead.”
“You started it,” he said good-naturedly.
“This is serious, Declan. Wolves have gone missing.”
Declan’s lip curled. Danger sparked in the air and adrenaline flooded a copper taste into the back of my mouth. My knees chose that moment to wobble and without even looking, Declan’s hand shot out and gently caught my elbow before I could fall.
Dumb roots,I mumbled so I could get the butterflies in my stomach good and dead.
“How many?” Declan’s grip never faltered but I had never seen him so serious.
“Two. Starla and Krystall Whitewolf.”
“They didn’t leave like Declan?” I asked, hoping it was just a misunderstanding.
“My brother is the rare exception to everyone here. He never settled into Nightfell. The rest of us are happy to be hidden from the rest of the Harrowlands. Who would want to give up all this?” Briggs gestured all around her.
So far, “all this” constituted too many pine needles for my liking, too many hunting stories, and a two-room cabin with an unacceptable stove. So far, it wasn’t a lively hub of activity like Evie’s Keep. While I had slept well for one night, I thought that had more to do with Declan guarding the door than the actual bed. Where was I supposed to get more of my potion? What if my pain got worse?
Suddenly, I felt tossed off a boat in the middle of the sea.
“Right.” I grinned, hoping it didn’t look like a grimace.
Declan laughed in my head anyway, squeezing my elbow.You haven’t seen the good stuff yet, Honey. You might actually even grow to like it here.
“We’ll have a family meeting after I’ve introduced Fallon to Momma. You think we’ll get away with a quiet chat in the parlor?” he asked.
Briggs cackled an evil laugh.
“I’ll show you where the wolves were last seen on our way back,” Briggs said and shifted to race ahead.
“Great. I’m sure you've scented it already, but a pair of fresh eyes and a new nose never hurt.” Declan offered his hand to me and flourished an over the top bow. “M’lady. Are your legs worked out? Can you ride again? Your chariot awaits.”
How could I say no to ridiculous antics like that? His shift never failed to take my breath away. Climbing up on his furry back, we raced through the forest, scattering small and large creatures as deadly hunters cut a path.
Even the winter wind couldn’t catch us as we leaped over fallen logs, with only a whisper of padded feet hitting the dead pine needles and snow below us.
