attention fixed on her sewing like Shane wasn’t there, but Eden had watched the tension ease from her in the hour since he’d come upstairs.
Eden had been worried at first when Jay had insisted Shane stay at the farm while the rest of the men went to Memphis, but something about him soothed even the most traumatized wolves. He spoke in murmurs, moved with calculated deliberation and never approached anyone or stood close enough to back them into a corner.
It seemed very, very precise to her—and utterly natural to him.
He met her gaze and stilled. “What?” he asked curiously.
Before she could answer, Kaley stuck her head through the open doorway. “Have any of you guys seen Zack?”
“They’re not back yet,” Eden said, and Mae whipped around, wide-eyed and pale.
Oh shit.
Kaley stared at Eden, her brown eyes huge in her suddenly pale face. “Back? From Memphis?” She whirled on Mae, her heart pounding loud in the quiet of the room. “He went?”
Mae cringed, shrinking in on herself as if the words had ridden rage instead of terror. Eden stepped between the girls and tried to project confidence along with her words. “He’ll be fine, Kaley. Jay and the others are with him.”
“No, you don’t understand.” Kaley’s hands shook, and she clenched them into fists. “We’re all here. There’s no one there he has to protect. That’s what Zack wanted, all he wanted.”
Wild power swept through the room. Strong. Fierce. Mae’s chair tipped over with a clatter, but Eden couldn’t worry about the girl when her own magic was rising fast and vicious. Dominate , it urged, begged, screamed. Kaley’s power was a challenge. A rebellion.
Shane stepped forward as Kaley’s chest began to rise and fall with harsh, rapid breaths. “Come on, calm down—”
“No.” She brushed past him, advancing on Eden. “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it, because I know you have. Now that we’re all here, he’s just waiting to check out. He’s—he’s—” The words broke on a sound too splintered for a sob, and she bent double with a cry of pain.
Eden gave up thinking and acted on instinct, grabbing Kaley by the shoulders and dragging them both to the floor. “Shh,” she whispered, pulling the girl into her lap. Heat spilled from her hands, and she smoothed one up to the back of Kaley’s head, unsure what she was doing but driven by something beyond herself. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
Kaley shuddered. “He was dead,” she babbled. “He was dead and now he’s not, but he doesn’t believe it.”
“We’ll make him believe it. We’ll have time.” She tightened her grip on Kaley and poured all her belief, all her hope into every word. “You’re not alone with this anymore. You don’t have to be the alpha. Jay’s here, and his friends, and me too. We’re going to make it better.”
Another shudder, and the girl’s near-sobs subsided into whimpers. “I’m so tired.”
Oh God, Eden’s heart ached. She tucked Kaley’s face against her shoulder and whispered more words, soothing lies of comfort wrapped in brazen confidence. She poured all of her hope into Kaley and prayed things were going well in Memphis.
If Zack didn’t come home, Kaley would be the next to break. But she wouldn’t be the last.
Jay cut the engine and peered out at the sprawling, two-story apartment complex. Paint curled off pitted siding, windows had been taped, and at least one door had been broken in recently, the jamb still splintered. “You sure they’ll come?”
Zack stared blankly at the broken door. “They’ll come.”
“Do you want to go inside?”
“Probably should.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Might be some stuff I left behind that no one’s picked over yet.”
“Eden said people had to leave their things behind.” Jay tugged the keys from the ignition. “What happened that last night? Before you went to the farm.”
“They were coming to kill everyone.”
Eden had been worried at first when Jay had insisted Shane stay at the farm while the rest of the men went to Memphis, but something about him soothed even the most traumatized wolves. He spoke in murmurs, moved with calculated deliberation and never approached anyone or stood close enough to back them into a corner.
It seemed very, very precise to her—and utterly natural to him.
He met her gaze and stilled. “What?” he asked curiously.
Before she could answer, Kaley stuck her head through the open doorway. “Have any of you guys seen Zack?”
“They’re not back yet,” Eden said, and Mae whipped around, wide-eyed and pale.
Oh shit.
Kaley stared at Eden, her brown eyes huge in her suddenly pale face. “Back? From Memphis?” She whirled on Mae, her heart pounding loud in the quiet of the room. “He went?”
Mae cringed, shrinking in on herself as if the words had ridden rage instead of terror. Eden stepped between the girls and tried to project confidence along with her words. “He’ll be fine, Kaley. Jay and the others are with him.”
“No, you don’t understand.” Kaley’s hands shook, and she clenched them into fists. “We’re all here. There’s no one there he has to protect. That’s what Zack wanted, all he wanted.”
Wild power swept through the room. Strong. Fierce. Mae’s chair tipped over with a clatter, but Eden couldn’t worry about the girl when her own magic was rising fast and vicious. Dominate , it urged, begged, screamed. Kaley’s power was a challenge. A rebellion.
Shane stepped forward as Kaley’s chest began to rise and fall with harsh, rapid breaths. “Come on, calm down—”
“No.” She brushed past him, advancing on Eden. “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it, because I know you have. Now that we’re all here, he’s just waiting to check out. He’s—he’s—” The words broke on a sound too splintered for a sob, and she bent double with a cry of pain.
Eden gave up thinking and acted on instinct, grabbing Kaley by the shoulders and dragging them both to the floor. “Shh,” she whispered, pulling the girl into her lap. Heat spilled from her hands, and she smoothed one up to the back of Kaley’s head, unsure what she was doing but driven by something beyond herself. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
Kaley shuddered. “He was dead,” she babbled. “He was dead and now he’s not, but he doesn’t believe it.”
“We’ll make him believe it. We’ll have time.” She tightened her grip on Kaley and poured all her belief, all her hope into every word. “You’re not alone with this anymore. You don’t have to be the alpha. Jay’s here, and his friends, and me too. We’re going to make it better.”
Another shudder, and the girl’s near-sobs subsided into whimpers. “I’m so tired.”
Oh God, Eden’s heart ached. She tucked Kaley’s face against her shoulder and whispered more words, soothing lies of comfort wrapped in brazen confidence. She poured all of her hope into Kaley and prayed things were going well in Memphis.
If Zack didn’t come home, Kaley would be the next to break. But she wouldn’t be the last.
Jay cut the engine and peered out at the sprawling, two-story apartment complex. Paint curled off pitted siding, windows had been taped, and at least one door had been broken in recently, the jamb still splintered. “You sure they’ll come?”
Zack stared blankly at the broken door. “They’ll come.”
“Do you want to go inside?”
“Probably should.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Might be some stuff I left behind that no one’s picked over yet.”
“Eden said people had to leave their things behind.” Jay tugged the keys from the ignition. “What happened that last night? Before you went to the farm.”
“They were coming to kill everyone.”
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