Page 46 of Grey
“Yeah. Just a little freaked out.”
“Me too,” Zara said. “I wasn’t sure what he was doing crashing through the gate like that, but he clearly was watching the farm and knew we were outside. Weston was coming to kill me.”
“That was his brother?” Tatum asked.
“Yeah,” Zara said. “He was a nice male when I was in the herd. I think being with Colton and his batshit crazy behavior has changed him, and not for the better.”
Crew hugged Zara, and then Tatum and Zara hugged each other.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Tatum said.
“Because our mates and the herd are awesome and protective.”
Tatum was glad for that too.
“Tris is going to be pissed about the greenhouse,” Avi said. “Frankly, I’m a little pissed.”
“They did a lot of damage,” Grey said. “But none of the pasture fencing was ruined, so at least we don’t have to worry about livestock running around. We’ll get things repaired and back to rights again.”
She followed Grey to the barn where he put the shotgun on the rack on the wall and then pulled her close again. “We have tostop having these close calls,” he said, his voice muffled against her skin as he kissed her neck.
“Yeah,” she said. “He’s so crazy. I think he tried to run us over, but his plan clearly was to also have his brother go after Zara with a knife if he missed running her down. It’s crazy to think if he hadn’t so brazenly smashed through the fence that it might have had a different outcome.”
“He’s angry he lost his number-two, but it seems like he’s most pissed at Zara for leaving his herd. But the important thing,” he said, leaning away and smiling at her, “is that we’re all okay and no one was hurt except his brother.”
“You’re pretty damn handy with that shotgun.”
“Have to be, sometimes predators will try to get to the chickens. We all know how to shoot, but it’s the first time I’ve ever pointed it at a person.”
She leaned on him, resting her ear over his heart so she could hear the steady beat. “Do you think he’ll take the hint and find a place of his own for his herd?”
“I hope so, but he’s about as unhinged as they come and he seems to be getting worse. It would be in his best interest to move on, but sanity is not his friend at the moment.”
“So we’ll stay vigilant?”
“One thousand percent.”
They left the barn and she and Zara started the job of salvaging what they could of the vegetables and tossing what was unusable into a wheelbarrow set nearby, while the guys inspected the front fence and gate and the greenhouse and made plans to repair. She got a text from Tris and told her what happened, and she promised that she didn’t care about the greenhouse as long as Tatum and Zara were safe, and that she’d be over with Khyle and Dexter in a few minutes to help with clean up and repair.
Zara smiled at Tatum. “That’s what it means to be part of the herd. We’re here for each other, period. Colton doesn’t understand that—the basic concept of the herd, which is that we’re a family and we all have to have each other’s backs.”
“I’m glad I’m part of the herd. I came to Little River for the library job and met Grey because I was searching for a legend and ended up finding the family that I’ve always wanted.”
“Me too,” Zara said.
They got back to work, talking quietly about the garden and the herd.
Tatum was thankful for a lot of things since she’d come to Little River, but looking around the farm and seeing that her mate and all of her friends were safe was what she was most thankful for right now.
And she hoped that Colton stayed the heck away from them.
For good.
Grey and Tatum turned into the gravel driveway of the farmhouse, the familiar sight of the buildings of their herd’s home coming into view. He glanced over at Tatum, her face glowing with happiness as she leaned against the seat. She’d looked like that the entire two days they’d been at the safari park, taking advantage of a small apartment complex on the park grounds for the shifters to use. The park’s many shifters and tight security had allowed them to feel safe and secure and to really unwind.
Before they’d left three days earlier, they’d been elbow-deep in repairs. Fortunately, the damage from Colton’s attack was on its way to being completed, and the one advantage from the whole damn thing was that their herd was stronger than ever.
He reached over and took Tatum’s hand, feeling the press of the engagement ring as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Home sweet home,” he said.
