“They appeared the day I became Alpha.”
Of course he’d been Alpha. “I should’ve guessed you were the leader of your Pride.” It must’ve been hard losing everyone over the years. “Is that what happens to all Alpha cats? I’ve never seen another shifter with distinct markings like this.” But that didn’t count for much, since I didn’t know many other species personally.
“I honestly don’t know,” he said, adjusting his body to lie on his back. “I was the first in my line to get them and I’ve never seen any other shifter with markings that weren’t man-made. But they might have them and just keep them concealed. It’s hard to know.”
I turned and propped myself up on my elbow. “What do you think they mean?”
He grinned. “I’ve had a long time to ponder that very question, and my best guess is they’re linked to why I can channel my beast so well without shifting. But in recent years, I’ve been leaning toward the theory they’re pure eye candy. Meet Chick Magnet One and Two.” He pulled his arms up and flexed. The tattoos wrapping around his biceps jumped tantalizingly.
I shoved his chest, laughing. “I already told you, there’s no need to talk about—” I sat up abruptly, my head turning toward the door.
“What is it?” He was alert next to me.
“My blood just jumped with something. I think it’s Tyler, but it’s too muddled to tell,” I replied. “We need to get out of bed—”
Shouts hit the yard, and ten seconds later the front door of the cabin burst open and Tyler tumbled into the room, followed four seconds later by Danny.
They were both out of breath.
I was relieved to see they were all right but couldn’t help being irritated. “Jeez, you two. Doesn’t anyone knock anymore?” I leaned down and grabbed the old patchwork comforter bunched at the bottom of the mattress. I snagged it too quickly and it ripped. I put a scrap no bigger than a throw pillow in front of me as Rourke wrapped his arms around my more delicate parts while I tried to organize myself.
“What’s happened in here, then?” Danny asked, glancing around at the damage. “I see someone with a violent nature has ransacked the place.” He bent over and picked up a piece of the countertop, examining it. Then he looked up at us and winked.
I pointedly ignored his toothy grin. “It’s time to explain why you’re here.” Now that they were standing in front of me, I felt their anxiety bubbling in my blood. Something was seriously wrong. Their arrival on the mountain must have been what had finally woken me up; I’d just been too sleepy to read the signs. “Tell me nothing has happened to Dad.” I scooted to the edge of the loft as Rourke handed me the rest of the covers.
“It’s not that something’s happened to Dad yet,” Tyler answered, moving forward into the tiny room, kicking debris out of his way. “But something may happen and I can’t reach him to find out if he’s okay or warn him.”
I mumbled behind me, “Rourke, I’m going to need some clothes.”
“I’m on it.” Rourke deftly maneuvered himself out of the loft, which was no small task given how large he was and how tiny the headroom was. I don’t even remember how we got up here last night. I must have been half asleep. Or more like drowning in ecstasy. I shivered, remembering.
He jumped, landing easily, and walked over to a cedar chest tucked under the window and lifted the lid. One of the few things that hadn’t been damaged. He had no qualms about being na**d and the boys didn’t even glance at him.
I addressed my brother. “Why didn’t you try to talk to me internally if you thought something was up with Dad?” I asked.
“I’ve been trying all night.” He guffawed. “But it seems you were a little busy. I thought something was wrong because you didn’t answer. But I can see from the carnage around me that everything is going along swimmingly.”
My face flushed.
“Don’t worry, sis,” Tyler joked. “I didn’t hear anything. It was like your mind just sort of checked out. But this warranted a trip here to find you, because we need to adapt our plans quickly.”
“What are you talking about? What’s wrong?” Rourke tossed me up an old T-shirt of his and a huge pair of sweatpants, thankfully with a drawstring. They both smelled like dusty old cedar mixed with cloves. I pulled them on quickly, both boys averting their eyes politely.
Once I was done dressing, I looked around for the ladder and saw why Rourke hadn’t used it. It was broken in three pieces on the floor. Jesus. I leapt, landing easily on the balls of my feet.
Tyler started to pace, which was never a good sign. “I tried to connect with Dad a few times after you left town. At first I got this strange humming sound. Then it turned to this funny static. After that, I was worried, so I shifted again and tried for an hour to get through with no results. It was like a void.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “But he can’t be dead or we’d know it.” An Alpha was bound to his Pack. Upon his death, it reverberated through our bodies, because without a leader, wolves were lost. A replacement had to be found quickly.
“I don’t think he’s dead … yet,” Tyler said, meeting my eyes, anguish lying just behind them. “But, Jess, this isn’t good. He’s either on his way or under a spell—neither of them are good options.”
Shivers ran up my spine. “Okay, we have to think. We can travel from here to Florida in a day, at the latest. We’ll just have to go down, find him, and fix whatever it is that’s wrong.”
“There’s one more thing, the real reason we’re here,” Tyler added, his voice strained. “We went to get Nick, like you asked. But the witches wouldn’t open the door—that is, until this little kid finally ordered them to. An army of witches decked out for battle, dressed in fatigues and carrying weapons—some of which I’ve never seen before—and they did what a toddler told them to do like a bunch of robots. It was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.”
I took in a sharp breath. “Isn’t she freaky?”
Danny nodded his head. “Yes, and she came running up to Tyler like he was a long-lost relation. She wrapped herself around his leg with her little arms and wouldn’t bloody let go.”