Opening the Cage (15 page)

“Yeah. I remember when I first tried a bra on; I hated them.” Junie gave Riana a quick grin, and suddenly she missed April, so much. “I still don’t like them very much.”

“Then I will not like them either.” That was what girlfriends did. April had told her. They didn’t like what their friends didn’t like. She wanted Junie to be her friend suddenly, so bad it brought tears to her eyes.

Junie’s fingers wrapped around hers. “Do you like ice cream?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Juniper looked over at Canyon. “You haven’t fed her ice cream? Brother! Ice cream fixes
everything
, Ri. Everything. Especially, the ones with cookies.”

“I haven’t had time to look in the freezer, Sis.”

“Boys.” Juniper grinned, then padded over to the freezer, coming out with a container and an “Ah-ha!”

“Cookie dough?” Canyon asked. “Must be your stash, huh? I usually only have java.”

Junie wrinkled her nose. “Yuck.”

Canyon chuckled. Riana loved it when he laughed. It made her shivery inside.

Canyon looked at her, winked.
Beautiful lady.

Oh, the attention made her blush.

Wend came over to Junie, nose working. “It smells good.”

“It’s better than good.” Junie scooped up a bite and put it in Wend’s mouth. “See?”

Wend’s eyes went wide, and he looked at Riana.
You have to try
.

Juniper came and plopped down beside her, offered her a spoon, and then showed her how to scoop. She got a big spoonful and tasted it.

Sweet.

Cold.

Rich.

Cold.

Sweet.

Wow.

“I know, huh?” Junie giggled. “It’s great! Better than sex!”

Riana’s cheeks flushed hot. She couldn’t imagine anything being better than Canyon and Wend. Ice cream was good though.

Canyon growled softly. “I don’t want to hear about you having sex, sister.”

Junie’s eyes went comically wide. “So I’ve heard. Better than sex, so I’ve
heard
.”

Riana smiled, and when Canyon reached out and tickled Junie, everyone laughed.

Junie ended up on the floor, and Wend and Riana sat next to her, eating ice cream. Riana ate until her lips felt frozen. When Canyon swooped down and kissed her, it made her giggle, made her warm.

Wend laughed, too, and Junie poked Canyon with her foot. “Icky!”

She shook her head. It wasn’t. It was fine. Wonderful. Damp. Riana licked her lips, tasting sugar and Canyon.

Canyon made a soft, rumbling noise, one she heard all around her.

“Maybe I should go.” Junie said it softly, rising and going to put the container away.

“Will you…will you come back?”

Junie nodded, dark hair going everywhere. “Or you could come to my home. Visit me.”

Riana wanted to crawl under the couch. “I could.”

“We could make peanut butter cookies.”

“Will I like those?” She didn’t know if she liked peanut butter.

Canyon and Junie exchanged a grin. “Yes,” they said together. “You will.”

“Okay. Okay, Canyon will show me how to come.”

Junie nodded. “Tomorrow, then. Have a good evening.”

Everyone got a hug, a kiss, and then Juniper was gone.

Wend blinked a little, looking dazed. That might be the ice cream. “I like her.”

“Me too.”

Canyon looked so pleased. Of course he would. He needed his family to be together, and Junie was his family like she and Wend were his mates.

Wend leaned into her. “And ice cream. I like that.”

She nodded. That had been amazing.

“I’m glad. I never thought of ice cream.” Canyon pulled them both off the floor again, sitting with them on the couch.

She curled up, humming, leaning into Canyon’s side. He was warm, safe, and that was something she hadn’t felt a lot in her life.

His fingers brushed through her hair, loving on her, his heart beating under her ears. Wend was already snoring, melted against Canyon’s other side. She could understand why. Canyon made her want to sleep and kiss him and eat more sweets.

Canyon looked down at her, smiled.
Yes. To everything, lady. Yes.

Oh…

He hugged her close, kissing the top of her head. She believed, sitting there next to him, that it would all be all right. No matter who had to go where.

Chapter Fourteen

Wend slipped through the edge of the trees. Riana was at Junie’s house, Canyon was off doing…something…and he was exploring. He’d peeked into Minnie’s house—in fact she’d given him a nice bite of chicken and scratched his ears—then he’d watched Junie brush Riana’s long, white hair. That had been neat.

There were so many people, at least to his eye. There was one he thought he knew, a skinny, hollow-eyed woman who smiled when she saw him, raising a hand. She was from his home.

He stuttered away, but didn’t growl. Didn’t flatten his ears.

She nodded before turning back to hanging laundry on a line.

A man came out of a big house, sat on the stoop, and he stepped closer until he could see the big blue eyes. “Wend? I’m Kody. Remember? Mesa’s mate?”

He came closer still, then stopped when he heard crying and screaming, then a low growl from inside the house.

Kody chuckled. “I swear, she’s in a mood. Sick. She’s threatening to castrate Mesa.”

Wend tilted his head, ears forward. How strange. Wouldn’t the local Alpha’s lady be happy to be pregnant?

“It’s hard, you know? Especially the first time. You’ll figure it out with your mates, I bet.” Kody grinned. “Puppies. I can’t wait for this hard part to pass.”

Puppies. Wend pondered that. If Canyon was an alpha, Riana would have his babies. Babies would be fun!

He panted, tongue lolling, and Kody stood. “You want to go see if Granny has some cookies? I’m starving.”

Cookies. Cookies were like ice cream, only warm instead of cold. He liked cookies. Wend padded along behind Kody, sniffing.

Kody was easy to be with, happy and relaxed. Peaceful.

It made Wend feel better, like he might be able to rest sometime, like he might fit in. He was used to being a freak, but Kody was a little freaky, too. No one seemed to mind at all.

They headed to the big house, and he smelled his mate, his Alpha, and Wend whined softly, dancing.

Kody chuckled. “Yeah. It’s amazing, huh? How you want to be with them?”

He nosed Kody’s hand, chuffed, and then he felt the soft brush of Canyon’s mind.
My Wend.

Canyon! Mate!
He jumped on the door, pushed it open with his paws.
Canyon. Kody said cookies.

Canyon laughed, bending to ruffle his fur. “I like cookies, too.”

Kody hugged Canyon. “You should avoid the big house; they’re warring.”

Granny chuckled. “She still sick, sweet boy?”

“Yeah. It’s getting a little better, I think.”

“Well, good.”

They were fighting loud
, Wend told Canyon.

Sammy is intense.
But Canyon liked her, Wend could tell.

So is Riana.

She is. She’s with Junie.

It was good that Canyon knew where they were all the time.

He curled up around Canyon’s feet, wagging as Minnie fed him a cookie.
She’s letting Junie play with her hair.

So weird.

Why is that weird?
Canyon laughed.
She has pretty hair.

He thought about that.
It’s like mine, but softer. Longer, too.

You have very good hair.
Canyon rubbed his back.

Oh. Oh, that felt…His eyes crossed and his leg started thumping. His paw slammed against the floor when Canyon scratched that spot he could never find himself.

The soft laughter from the others didn’t hold meanness, and if it had, he wouldn’t care. Canyon had him. His Mate. Those strong fingers were like magic. Good magic, not monster magic.

Kody sat, humming softly. “Glad you’re home, Canyon.”

“Thanks.” Canyon grinned; he seemed genuinely fond of Kody. Wend liked that. It felt warm and happy.

Peaceful and—

CANYON!

Riana’s voice hit him so hard he jerked.

CANYONWENDCANYONWENDCANYON! HELP US!

* * * *

Canyon shifted to his wolf form and leaped over Wend, his claws scrabbling on Granny’s floor. Junie. Riana was with Junie. He headed for Junie’s house, not knowing what was happening, but feeling Riana’s fear.

The smell of blood hit him before he got there, square in the face, and for a single horrifying moment he couldn’t tell who was hurt, who the mass of bloody fur was that lay splayed in the courtyard, torn open.

The form was too big to be Junie or Riana, but it took him a moment to figure that out. There was a crash at the back of the house, and he turned, slipping in the blood, trying to run.

He heard Riana’s scream filling the air, his mind, her terror and fury huge, battering at him. The door to Junie’s little cabin seemed to breathe, the wood swelling, sucking in and out, in and out.

Wend barked furiously, appearing out of nowhere and heading for the door of Junie’s cabin, with Granny’s gray form right next to him like a streak, her voice calling for Juniper, the hint of command unmistakable. From the corner of his eye, he could see the Pack arriving—Mesa, Sammy, Granite, other people he’d trusted his entire life—all rushing toward him, toward Junie’s. About the time that Wend hit the cabin door, the wood exploded open from the other side, shrapnel going everywhere, sending wolves flying.

What came out of the cabin wasn’t human and it wasn’t a wolf. Canyon slid to a stop, his eyes refusing to believe this was real.

It was huge, pitch black with a heavy pelt and teeth the size of blade. The beast walked on two legs, one huge arm wrapped around Riana’s limp body. The other limb waved like a deadly scythe, slicing through air and any flesh in its way.

Mesa darted past Canyon, leaping at the thing, and the beast connected with his twin's body, the sound somehow huge. Canyon snarled as Mesa’s big body went flying off to the side, landing with a crack and then an awful thud.

Canyon spared one glance at his twin, assuring himself that Mesa's legs were moving before he turned his attention to his lady. She wasn’t moving at all, a huge wound in her shoulder, white fur stained near black.

A low growl sounded to his left, and he saw Samantha crouch to leap, to defend her home, but Granite moved in the way, their bodies crashing together as the beast cut swathes through the Pack, heading for Wend, who was climbing to his feet.

No. No, not Wend and Riana. He had to keep his mates safe. Canyon shook his head, trying to clear it. It was like he was swimming in mud.

Sammy was fighting with Granite, Kody was howling over Mesa, and he couldn’t move. His legs wouldn’t go. What the fuck?

Canyon growled, pushing his body to do something, anything. Damn it all. The smell of blood was completely overwhelming now, and three of his best men were down.

Wend leapt at the creature, fighting to get to Riana, and that gave Canyon the focus to attack.

Baring his teeth, Canyon rushed in, trying to get Wend away, trying to do something. Anything.

The creature turned so fast that Canyon’s eyes couldn’t follow, scooping Wend up before taking a leap that cleared half the distance to the trees.

Canyon ran, his paws slapping the dirt, his head stretched out all the way on his neck. He had to get to his mates. Had to. He took a leap, his teeth closing inches from the thing’s back.

He landed hard, bones jostling, breath huffing out of him. When he tried to rise, something knocked his back feet out from under him, and his head spun, his vision graying out. He staggered, calling to his mates desperately, but neither of them answered.

One howl after another rang out, the Pack’s noise huge, ringing in his ears.

He struggled, trying to get up, trying to go after his mates. The world began to fade, the ground ice cold under his belly.

“Brother…”

He didn’t know how long he’d been out when he heard Juniper’s soft cries, raw and broken.

Canyon groaned, his human body aching, like he had the flu and maybe pneumonia and imminent death. “Junie?”

“She’s dead, Canyon.” Juniper was sobbing, sitting beside him, her hair lank and matted, bruises and scratches covering all of her he could see.

“She? Who?” He couldn’t think. It couldn’t be Riana. He’d know.