One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (26 page)

“They’re the best thing I’ve ever created.”

I lowered my eyes. “Does it ever scare you?”

“Raising kids?”

“No,” I said with hesitation. “The possibility of losing them. We’re about to go to war, and I can’t even fathom…” I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Jericho stepped in front of me, his jade eyes heavy with understanding. He placed his hands firmly on my stomach. “Don’t let death make you afraid to love. I know what you’re saying; it’s different because they’re from your own flesh. But there’s no sweeter sound in the world than the first time they call you daddy. So all the fear you’re feeling—fuck that shit. Your entire life will flip upside down the second you hear that baby wail his first cry in this world. That sound will break and mend your heart all at once. You dig?”

I placed my hands on his. “You know, when we first met, I thought you were a guy who didn’t care about anything except himself. You have a big heart, and I just thought I should tell you that since I’m not the kind of girl who goes around spraying her feelings all over the place.”

A smile hooked the corner of his mouth, and I could see why Izzy had fallen in love with him so many years ago.

“You’ll do just fine, mama bear,” he said with a nod.

“You mean mama wolf.”

He stepped back and pointed at the ceiling. “Maybe you can practice your mom yell on Denver. Some of us would like to cook dinner and maybe have a shower. At least Sexybelle and I head out to the old house when we want to shoot fireworks,” he said, strolling his tall self out of the room and looking back at me one last time in a plea to end the madness.

Jericho was still on punishment from an incident two months ago. Denver and Maizy had amazing chemistry and adored each other, but after three hours of holding the house hostage, Jericho had gotten fed up and hauled his large amplifiers into the hall outside their door. He plugged in his guitar, turned up the volume, and cranked out Black Sabbath until Denver stumbled into the hall with a sheet wrapped around his waist. When Jericho refused to stop playing, Denver broke one of the knobs on his amp. Jericho ripped Denver’s sheet away just as Naya strolled by, and after she made a silly comment, Denver got embarrassed and took a swing at Jericho.

Fights like those were common in packs and quickly resolved at the dinner table. Denver paid for the repairs on Jericho’s amp, and Jericho went on probation after Austin admonished him for going too far with his practical jokes. Sometimes Jericho needed a reminder that his sons were alphas, and he needed to set a good example.

I climbed the stairs and headed toward Denver and Maizy’s bedroom. Interrupting their lovemaking was an embarrassing task I should have left to Austin. But given he was busy entertaining guests…

“Time to wrap it up!” I shouted over the loud music.

I shuddered when I heard their urgent cries. Nobody wants to imagine family members going at it, so I plugged my fingers in my ears and kicked the door with the tip of my shoe. “Everyone’s hungry like a wolf and wants to eat dinner! Hurry up. We have company!”

When I heard a muffled sound, I unplugged an ear.

“Who?” Denver shouted back.

“Only about twenty bikers in the front yard. The war is also over. We won,” I said sarcastically, turning around.

A draft blew against my back, and I heard heavy panting.

“What the train wreck is going on out there?”

“Are you dressed?” I yelled.

“Toss me those,” he muttered to Maizy.

The thick smell of sex wafted in my general direction, and I shivered.

Denver entered the hall and stood in front of me. “What’s up?” His cheeks were red, his lips swollen, his blond hair mussed, and his shirt was sticking to his sweaty chest. “If dickhead sent you up here to—”

“Jericho didn’t send me up here. I can’t give any details until I know what Austin wants to tell the pack, but these men came a long way to help us out. They’re not staying with us, but until they leave, we need to be hospitable to our guests and feed them, so fire up the grill.”

He paced in a small circle, and the music suddenly cut off.

“What’s going on?” Maizy came out with her hair in a ponytail. She’d put on a pair of knee-length jean shorts and one of Denver’s shirts.

I shook my head. “I think we’re getting close.”

“Why do you look so worried?” she asked. “We’re prepared.”

Prepared to die?
That was the first thought that came to mind. “I don’t think we’ll ever be prepared enough for what’s coming, Maze. Things don’t always go as planned; it just seems too perfectly laid out. I don’t know—I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen, and I haven’t been able to shake it for months.”

Denver flashed his eyes at me. “Don’t say that. You can’t go around saying stuff like that. You’ll jinx us.”

Maizy slapped his arm. “Don’t be so obtuse.”

He quirked a brow and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Don’t go using all those fancy university words on me. You know how it turns me on.”

I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath until I let it go. I backed up against the doorframe, and Maizy gripped my arm.

“Lexi, what’s wrong?”

For the first time, I felt pain in my womb.

“This is the dumbest thing we’ve ever done,” I mused to myself.
I gripped the railing on the front porch, watching the pack of wolves in our yard. “Someone’s going to get hurt.”

Austin and Axel had decided that before anyone left, they needed to introduce the two packs in wolf form to make sure we didn’t end up killing each other in battle. It was something we had also done with Lorenzo’s pack a couple of months ago, and a few fights broke out before everyone settled down and submitted to their respective Packmaster.

Naya rested her forearms on the flat ledge and leaned forward, the wind ruffling the dark curls in her hair. “Darling, dumb will be when it’s my turn to shift in front of those poor boys. What are the odds that half of them will run away with their tail between their legs?”

I laughed at the thought. “I hope you fed your panther.”

Jericho shifted back to human form and cockily strutted away from the pack. He lifted his Pink Floyd T-shirt off the grass and left his pants behind.

“Why does he always plan this kind of shit when I have on my good shirt?” he complained, heading up the steps and into the house.

Axel and Austin looked like ringleaders at a circus. Axel had stripped out of his leathers and was bent over with his hands on his knees so he could look each of his packmates in the eye to maintain control.

“But I want to watch!” Melody complained from inside.

“Skedaddle!” Denver barked as he came out the door.

He eased up on my right, and a dribble of milk splashed on my hand.

I glanced down at the dried milk on his chest and stains on his grey sweats. “How can you eat cereal when it’s almost time for dinner?”

He slurped up a big spoonful of the colorful rings and crunched. “This is just an appetizer. Standing over that grill makes a man hungry. So, who’s pussied out so far?”

“No one. Did you call your boss?”

Jake didn’t like his staff calling in last-minute since it was hard to get someone to fill in, especially since Frank was the only other full-time bartender.

“Let’s just say I owe Frank big-time. He was chowing down at the hot-sauce festival when I called him, and now he has to tend bar all night with a raging colon. You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, it was nothing,” I said, waving my hand.

The pain that had hit me outside Denver’s bedroom was so fleeting that I figured the baby had stepped on a nerve. This was my first pregnancy, so it’s not as though I knew all the normal feelings that went along with it. If it happened again, I’d call my Relic, but there was no sense in worrying Austin. He was too preoccupied with building a new strategy with Axel at the last minute, and one distraction could affect his decisions. The pack needed him at one hundred percent.

We watched Izzy go next. Her flaming-red hair swirled around her head like a vortex of fire when she shifted into a beautiful white wolf with black paws. The other wolves lifted their noses, and Austin stood very close to her, throwing off his alpha power as a warning to the other wolves. They came up to her in groups, whining, licking her muzzle, and some wagging their tails.

“Easy,” Axel said. “She’s mated, so don’t get any ideas, you horny bastards.”

Naya chuckled. “Like
that’s
going to happen.”

When Izzy’s wolf lifted her leg and peed on a wolf, Austin belted out a laugh. Axel didn’t look as amused.

Izzy shifted back to human form and gracefully stood up. Her red hair cascaded over her shoulders, a stunning contrast against her porcelain complexion. She quickly stepped into her jeans and grabbed her shirt. “I did that on purpose,” she said, flouncing off and holding her chin high.

When I heard giggling, I turned my attention to the balcony on the second floor.

“I know you’re up there, boys,” Izzy said, climbing up the porch steps. “And you better be gone in about five seconds.”

Thunderous footfalls sounded, and then a door slammed above me. Austin didn’t like the kids around when wolves were being introduced. Even though they were safe on the second floor, it could be traumatic if they witnessed one of their packmates caught in a fight. Aside from that, something I’d learned about Shifter children was that they’re born with all the instincts of their animal, even if they haven’t gone through the first change. The greatest risk was them rushing into a fight to help their packmate, and without the ability to shift and heal, the results could be fatal.

“Who went already?” Denver asked.

“Just about everyone. Even Maddox, and that was a sight to behold.”

He laughed. “Yeah, saw that from the window. Just wait until they get a load of Naya.”

To reduce the risk of a pack fight, Austin had sent everyone in the house except for those who hadn’t gone. Denver went first since his wolf was the craziest, and Maizy stayed by his side to keep him under control. But when it was her turn, Denver was banished to the house to prevent him from losing control of his wolf if one of Axel’s men so much as growled at her.

I stood up and arched my back, rubbing the sore muscles on the curve of my spine. “Naya’s going last, if she goes at all. Wheeler’s still up, but everyone else is done. April just let them smell her.”

“Bet she loved that,” he remarked, his voice deadpan.

Naya stood up and leaned against the rail. “Reno was upstairs on the balcony holding a gun with one of those little binocular things,” she said, circling her finger.

Denver spoke around a mouthful of cereal. “Sniper rifle. And that would have been epic.”

Naya removed her watch and handed it to me. “Foolish, you mean.”

“Your mom handled it like a boss,” Denver said, setting his empty bowl on a table near the door. “Did you see how she smacked that one wolf on the snout when he sniffed a little too closely?”

A bubble of laughter slipped out, and I erupted into my Beaker laugh. I quickly covered my mouth, remembering our guests down below.

“Come on, Naya. Let’s get this over with,” Austin shouted, veiling the absolute horror I’m sure he felt. He could control the wolves in our pack, but Naya’s panther was another story.

Naya gave me one of her rings and sighed. “Here goes nothing.”

“Nothing my ass,” Denver murmured, sidling up next to me as we watched her cross the grassy lawn. “Oh, Jesus. Look who just joined the party.”

Spartacus appeared from under the house and trotted beside Naya, swinging his little butt as if he sensed his mama was in peril.

“Pssst!” Denver made a loud sound that made the cat turn and look at him. Then he clapped his hands.

Sparty kept his wide, defiant eyes on us while he sat down behind Naya.

“I’m not responsible for what my pack might do to that cat,” Axel warned her.

Naya kicked off her shoes. “And I’m not responsible for what I might do if so much as one hair on his body is ruffled out of place.”

Austin shook his head. “That cat has the biggest set of balls I’ve ever seen. Naya, don’t fade out. As soon as you feel yourself slipping, I want you to shift back. We’re going to have the wolves shift along with you, just to be on the safe side.”

“Mmm, this should be interesting,” she purred.

“Damn right about that,” Denver murmured. “I hope Wheeler’s still in the shower.”

“You need to go inside, crazy wolf,” I said, glaring up at him. “Austin’s giving you the evil eye for a reason.”

“Until he says something, I’m not missing this for the world.”

Nerves tightened in my belly as Naya put her hands on her hips and let the wolves circle around to catch her scent in human form.

“What’s that phrase Wheeler always uses?” Denver lowered his voice as the front door opened. “Oh yeah.
And boom goes the dynamite
. See ya.”

Denver skipped past Wheeler and into the house. Wheeler hadn’t put on his shirt, so I watched him descend the steps—his tattoos on prominent display. Especially the dragon across his back.

“I gave you orders. Get back inside,” Austin barked out, pointing his finger.

Wheeler stopped a few feet from the steps and folded his arms. “With all due respect, that ain’t happening. Either I’m present, or she’s not shifting.”

Naya pivoted around. “I have everything under control, Mr. Grumpy. Go make me a plate, and I’ll be right in.”

Axel made no comment. He didn’t know our pack dynamic well enough to butt in.

“This was such a bad idea,” I murmured, drumming my fingers on my stomach. “You know, your daddy once tried to convince me that packs live ordinary lives just like humans. Your daddy was a big fat liar. Sure, we go to the Alamo Drafthouse for a few beers and a movie, then pump gas in the car like every other normal citizen. But when we come home, we magically change into furry little animals who want to kill each other.”

“I need this to go smooth,” Austin continued.

“As a baby’s bottom,” Wheeler assured him.

Which didn’t leave Austin reassured in the least. But since Wheeler was the only one who could control Naya, it was the better option.

Naya executed a graceful shift that transformed her voluptuous form into that of a magnificent black panther. One who immediately growled to make her presence known.

Almost half the wolves stepped back, barking hysterically. Some whimpered and turned in circles, looking at their Packmaster for guidance.

Axel glanced over his shoulder at Austin. “If I live to tell my grandkids about this, I’m going to advise them never to do anything this asinine.” He approached Naya’s panther and knelt beside her.

Naya was still in there and probably had a little control, because her cat stretched out her neck and smelled his face.

I’d never seen such a tough-looking man look like petrified wood. He could have been a lawn ornament for how still he was. And with his bald head and white goatee, he kind of favored a garden gnome.

“All right, boys. Play nice,” Axel said, coaxing his pack toward them.

A few wolves bravely darted forward at the cat—almost as if they were playing with her—and then circled behind the others. Axel slowly rose to his feet and dragged a few stubborn ones over until they smelled each other.

Meanwhile, my stomach was turning round and round like a carriage on a Ferris wheel.

Wheeler widened his legs, lowered his chin, and kept his arms folded. Spartacus sat next to him, swishing his tail back and forth.

Naya’s panther growled, and the rumbling sound was the kind of thing that sent chills up a man’s spine. When I looked at the windows, noses were pressed against the glass—expressions ranging from disbelief to fear.

Naya’s animal was tough, but against a pack of twenty wolves? There was no telling.

My heart raced, and I struggled for a calming breath, blowing it out slowly so as not to frighten the little baby inside me.

One of the wolves lunged, and Axel hooked his arm around the aggressor’s neck before he made contact with the panther. “Back down!” Axel shoved him to the ground and slapped his nose, glaring at him until the wolf submitted.

Wheeler lowered his arms and took a step forward. Whether it was a panther pit or an entire pack of wolves, he’d fight for his woman.

To the death.

The pack grew restless, pacing in circles, so Axel stood up with outstretched arms. “Shift!” The command was so powerful it raised the hair on the back of my neck.