porcelain doll. She says it’s the most beautiful doll she’s ever seen, but part of its face has been smashed in.” Her eyes flicked over to her sister for just a fraction of a second, and when she looked back at Joshua, there were tears swimming in their depths. “And that’s it. She wakes up.”
Without the warning from the SHP mole they would have argued the meaning for ages, but now everyone was standing around trying their hardest not to look at the almost-teenager standing in the middle of the room, a pout the only thing currently marring her face.
“That’s this lady’s super-power? Weird dreams? Last night I had a dream where Scout got pregnant and when the baby was born it was a poodle. Does that make me a Seer now?”
Scout gave her sister a glare that would have made the most dominant of Shifters cower in a corner. “A poodle?” she asked her sister who met the scary Alpha stare with one of complete insolence.
“It was a cute poodle.”
Scout growled, and Liam snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.
“We have people to feed,” he reminded his mate. “Jase and Makya, you’re on waiter duty. Get this food out there and start with the smaller packs first. Let them know everyone in that room is on equal footing as far as the Alpha Pack is concerned.” He turned his attention to Angel, who was overly pleased with herself for getting under her sister’s skin. “Munchkin, you’re with me on Operation: Find Ketchup. There isn’t any in this kitchen, so we’ll have to drive down to the main lodge.”
Angel folded her arms over her chest. “Why do you need help finding ketchup?”
“Why do you have to be the only person to question everything I say?”
“It keeps you humble.”
Liam let go of Scout and walked toward the door, tugging Angel’s ponytail as he passed. “Well, right now I need you to keep me from dropping bottles of ketchup.” She still didn’t budge, so he added. “I’ll let you drive the golf cart.”
She was out the door so fast Joshua wondered if she might have picked up some Shifter speed from her siblings.
“I want a tracker on her,” Scout said the moment the door slammed shut. “And if someone even looks at her wrong, take them out. Lethal force.”
“Scout, you’re—“
Eyes like glowing ice pinned Talley to the spot. “No one is taking my sister away from me. Ever.”
“She’s surrounded by the strongest Shifters in the world, all willing to die to protect her. They would be stupid to try,” Talley said. “But if we’re going to be effective and not start a Shifter civil war, we need to stay calm and rational. Killing anyone who gets within a hundred feet of Angel isn’t calm and rational.”
“I know. I just…” Scout took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “God, this is stressing me out. It’s Angel . She’s not part of this. What kind of sick, evil, twisted person would attack a twelve-year-old just to get to me?”
“I can do a tracker,” Joshua said, already running through the set-up in his mind. “I’ve been working on a undetectable GPS small enough I should be able to fit it on a bracelet or necklace.”
A little of the tension in Scout’s shoulders disappeared. “Really? How soon can you have it?”
“If someone else can be on Angel duty this afternoon, then maybe by tomorrow morning?”
Joshua almost lost his footing as another body slammed into his.
“Thank you,” Scout said, her arms holding him in a steel cage. “You are my absolute favorite person on Earth right now.”
With a chuckle, Joshua wrapped his arms around Scout and squeezed. Hard. “You’re welcome,” he said as she tightened her own hold. They both kept increasing the pressure, neither giving up until Scout muttered, “I think you just broke one of my ribs.”
Joshua immediately let go. It wasn’t the first time one of them had broken the other when a hug turned into a who-is-stronger contest, but he didn’t want
Without the warning from the SHP mole they would have argued the meaning for ages, but now everyone was standing around trying their hardest not to look at the almost-teenager standing in the middle of the room, a pout the only thing currently marring her face.
“That’s this lady’s super-power? Weird dreams? Last night I had a dream where Scout got pregnant and when the baby was born it was a poodle. Does that make me a Seer now?”
Scout gave her sister a glare that would have made the most dominant of Shifters cower in a corner. “A poodle?” she asked her sister who met the scary Alpha stare with one of complete insolence.
“It was a cute poodle.”
Scout growled, and Liam snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.
“We have people to feed,” he reminded his mate. “Jase and Makya, you’re on waiter duty. Get this food out there and start with the smaller packs first. Let them know everyone in that room is on equal footing as far as the Alpha Pack is concerned.” He turned his attention to Angel, who was overly pleased with herself for getting under her sister’s skin. “Munchkin, you’re with me on Operation: Find Ketchup. There isn’t any in this kitchen, so we’ll have to drive down to the main lodge.”
Angel folded her arms over her chest. “Why do you need help finding ketchup?”
“Why do you have to be the only person to question everything I say?”
“It keeps you humble.”
Liam let go of Scout and walked toward the door, tugging Angel’s ponytail as he passed. “Well, right now I need you to keep me from dropping bottles of ketchup.” She still didn’t budge, so he added. “I’ll let you drive the golf cart.”
She was out the door so fast Joshua wondered if she might have picked up some Shifter speed from her siblings.
“I want a tracker on her,” Scout said the moment the door slammed shut. “And if someone even looks at her wrong, take them out. Lethal force.”
“Scout, you’re—“
Eyes like glowing ice pinned Talley to the spot. “No one is taking my sister away from me. Ever.”
“She’s surrounded by the strongest Shifters in the world, all willing to die to protect her. They would be stupid to try,” Talley said. “But if we’re going to be effective and not start a Shifter civil war, we need to stay calm and rational. Killing anyone who gets within a hundred feet of Angel isn’t calm and rational.”
“I know. I just…” Scout took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “God, this is stressing me out. It’s Angel . She’s not part of this. What kind of sick, evil, twisted person would attack a twelve-year-old just to get to me?”
“I can do a tracker,” Joshua said, already running through the set-up in his mind. “I’ve been working on a undetectable GPS small enough I should be able to fit it on a bracelet or necklace.”
A little of the tension in Scout’s shoulders disappeared. “Really? How soon can you have it?”
“If someone else can be on Angel duty this afternoon, then maybe by tomorrow morning?”
Joshua almost lost his footing as another body slammed into his.
“Thank you,” Scout said, her arms holding him in a steel cage. “You are my absolute favorite person on Earth right now.”
With a chuckle, Joshua wrapped his arms around Scout and squeezed. Hard. “You’re welcome,” he said as she tightened her own hold. They both kept increasing the pressure, neither giving up until Scout muttered, “I think you just broke one of my ribs.”
Joshua immediately let go. It wasn’t the first time one of them had broken the other when a hug turned into a who-is-stronger contest, but he didn’t want
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