Page 34 of Lightning Strikes

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It’s already Sunday and I refuse to get out of bed. Mac is up and about, packing up his luggage to head back to Arizona after we’ve decided that Ella and I will stay.

The house is incredible and I never want to leave. Each and every house has a shared yard that interconnects, barbecues and children’s toys line the grassy plains. The house itself is painted a light gray and has floor to ceiling windows in every room, recessed lighting, and comfortable leather furniture.

I haven’t ventured to the basement since that’s the guards’ area and don’t feel comfortable encroaching their space since I’m already taking over their lives.

Ella and I decided to stay in last night instead of trying another restaurant… and cooked all four of them dinner last night. Mac had a blast getting to know them, and it was nice to sit back and learn more about each of them, get more comfortable around the four men that will be around for a while yet.

I pull the blanket over my head and pout at Mac as he ambles toward me with a sad smile. “I’ll be back before you know it. I’m going to call the precinct today and ask for the remaining of my weeks to be my vacation time so that dad and I can pack and get back here.” I sigh and nod, still refusing to peek out of my little warm cove I’ve made with the blankets and pillows. “I told you about the flight back here, right? I looked into a chartered plane so that Scout and Max aren’t stuck in a car for days on end.”

I grunt. “Yeah.”

He chuckles and sits down in front of me, rubbing where he thinks my head is. It’s a pillow, but it’s a nice gesture. “I love you, Ang. I’ll call you when I’m back home.”

I peel the blankets down and frown. “Just be careful… I just have a bad feeling about Morrow and his psycho daughter… There’s no way he would just up and leave town.”

He shrugs and kisses my forehead. I breathe in his calming scent. “I know, I’ll be on guard. That’s why I want to go straight from the airport to pack lands and not leave until we’re moving here. He won’t be able to find me. I’ll just stop by the precinct on my way back out of town to turn in my badge and gun on the way to the airport.”

“Fine. Just be safe and kiss Scout and Max for me.”

He nods and kisses my lips, so softly, and then grabs his bags on his way out. Friday night was the first time we’ve slept in the same bed since I started dating Adam all those years ago… Well, aside from the makeshift bed in my clinic a few weeks ago… It was comforting and natural to be wrapped in his arms again. Adam wasn’t much of a cuddler… We would have sex then he would go continue a phone call or a meeting… grab a glass or water or have a snack.

We never just laid around in each other’s arms. I missed the intimacy and love. Mac gives me all of that in spades, definitely a trait from his parents. Or from normal shifters… The guards are all close, clapping each other on the backs, sitting close on the couches… Maybe it’s normal for shifters to be so touchy-feely. My parents weren’t like that…

In other news, Ella is obsessed with her new home. She’s always wanted something larger, and I have no idea what that woman is going to do with the extra bedrooms. I’m sure Tom will have fun reeling in her excitement. Or just reveling in it.

Instead of staying in my house with us, she wanted to enjoy her new accommodations and get settled. Apparently her mind has been made up and she will do whatever she has to do to ensure this is our new home… Starting with how she took over every meeting we had with the alpha and the current healer.

We spent all day yesterday walking around the pack, trying the restaurants, and window shopping the boutiques. I spent about an hour in the clinic with Ronnie, the healer, and he was too sweet for words. He’s not much older than me, and moved here to help out the pack until they could find more help – his mother and all of his siblings are somewhere out west… I wasn’t listening too closely as I perused his office and supply closets. He offered me an ultrasound and Ella and Mac were insanely excited, we immediately accepted.

He had me change into a gown and probed my vagina… and we saw the little bean on the monitor. Luckily I’ve used these machines a million times on animals, but unfortunately the Boise and Prescott packs didn’t have any for the shifters since neither pack had the funds.

He measured the pup, checked out the placement, and announced we’re as healthy as can be and am about eight weeks along and due around March or April… To May depending on my body and how quickly the pup grows and develops. You never really know with shifters. Six months is the average, but some females will deliver before or after the due date, within several weeks between.

We met dozens of families and noticed how low the population is on pups even in this massive pack. Ronnie let us know that he’s had about five pregnant females in the last year… Five out of around six hundred mature females in the pack.

We also talked about how he handles medical care to the shifters in other areas of New York and he chuckled at me. Apparently we have personal planes and choppers that the betas use to pick up our pack mates and bring them to the clinic, and if it’s anything near-fatal he rides along with them.

Hopefully Alpha Deacon is working his ass off to hire more healers because I amnotabout that life. I barely handled the massive jet from Arizona to New York and slept for almost the entire flight when I wasn’t chugging ginger ale and gagging in the lavatory.

After we arrived back at the house, we cooked for the guards and then went to sleep.

And now we’re down to the guards, Ella, and me and I don’t start at the clinic for another week. Then I’ll be part-time during the move and full-time when I’m ready. Luckily Ronnie is being flexible about when he wants to leave the pack because I’m used to having a tech to help. Oh, well. I wanted this, I love the perks, and am excited to see how I handle working withjustshifters instead of animals.

I hear my phone vibrating on the nightstand and I groan as I stretch, plucking it up. I see the vet clinic flashing on the screen and scowl as I answer.

“Miller.”

“Boss! How’s it going?” Melissa’s husky voice shrieks down the line and I chuckle, rolling my eyes. She’s adorable.

“Actually… I found a house and might be here for a bit as I figure it all out. Cash offer, move-in ready, and there’s a lot of business opportunities here. I might invest in another clinic or something but just stay home for a while. How’s the office?”

She sighs. “Wow… So you’re not coming back?”

I roll over on my back and stare at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I needed to get out of the town anyway. Maybe I’ll come back in a few weeks if you need me.”

She giggles and I hear her pacing around a room. “We’re all good here, boss. Cassie is a blast to be around, she’s excited about all of the changes we want to make. Don’t worry about us. Miguel, Randy, and Willow are the new dream team with us, and we just need some backup. Maybe an ER vet and then we can convert one or two of the recovery rooms into a grooming station… We also are going to start advertising like crazy and draw in people from neighboring towns to bring their pets to the best!”

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