Page 53 of The Rabbit's Foot
She snorted. “Work on that humor, hon.” Then she put a hand on Alp’s back. “We want to make this Hyde guy pay. I don’t care what he thinks we are, he’s committed murder and we won’t let that go.” She slid her fingers through Alp’s hair. “And lastly, he has to pay for what he did to you.”
When Alp glanced up, he was taken aback. Cece had tears in her eyes, which he never expected from her. She seemed so strong and put together, but now she was crying?
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She held up a finger, and a second later, Damon was there, his arm around her, pulling her in.
“Cece is fine,” he said. “When she looks at you, she thinks of our sons and how this could have happened to them.”
“I’m sorry,” Alp said, sadness churning in his gut. “I don’t mean to upset you.”
Damon blinked and then burst out laughing. Alp was about to snap at him, tell him he sucked as a mate if he could treat Cece like that, but he held up a hand and closed the distance between them. When he got to where Alp stood, he smiled down at him. “Oh, Alp. No, no, no. She’s not sad. She’s angry, and this is her way of venting some frustration without having to hurt anyone.”
Both bears came and took positions beside her. One put his hand on her shoulder, and Alp was surprised to see her lean into him a little.
“Anyone but us. The last time she was upset, she got me and Ivan out on the mat and reminded us not to mistake tears for weakness,” Teddy said. “She’s a devil bear, this one.” He grinned. “But she’s also the fiercest and kindest warrior we know.”
His brother joined him. “Cece is… how do you say it? Our boss. Damon is in charge of the pack, but Cece is in charge of us. She works with us, spars with us, and makes us better than what we are. One day we hope to beat her.”
“Keep dreaming, Ivan,” she snorted, then turned and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on her head. He was the picture of contentment as she held on to him.
“We will kill this man for you,” he vowed in a low growl. “Do not worry—we will not fail you.”
“Yeah,” his cohort replied. “We haven’t killed anyone in far too long. It’ll be good to flex those muscles again.” He cracked his knuckles. “And if we save some babies while we’re at it? So much the better to get back in the Maker’s good graces, right?”
At first, Alp thought they were teasing, but one look at the pain etched on their faces told him it was anything but. Whatever they were thinking about nearly gutted them.
He reached out and put a hand on Ivan’s arm. “Are you okay?”
Ivan gave a sad smile as he reached up to squeeze Alp’s shoulder. “Yeah, fine.”
But his words didn’t match his expression. There was both sadness and anger showing on his face, plus the tightness in his posture and the pain in his eyes. Ivan’s gaze flitted in Alp’s direction.
“I’m fine, but thank you for your concern.”
“He is fine, Alp. I make sure both of them are,” Cece assured him, straightening and scrubbing a hand over her eyes. “I think someone promised us a run, and I for one have energy to work off.”
Damon arched his eyebrows.
“Don’t even think about it, horndog,” Cece chastised. “Once was enough to tell me that position ain’t comfortable.”
When Damon’s cheeks pinked, Alp bit back a laugh.
A thought struck him. He hadn’t prepared for their arrival nearly as well as he’d thought. “Where’s everyone sleeping?” The motel didn’t have nearly enough rooms for the whole pack, and it was the only place in Swenson, beyond the B&B, that rented rooms.
“Outside,” Damon replied, his tone indicating the answer was obvious.
That made sense. They were wolves, for Maker’s sake. “Oh, I forgot you’re used to it. Sorry.”
Cece stared at Alp as though he’d grown another head. “Used to it?” She pointed to a long black truck. “Sweetheart, that one has our tents. Ain’t none of us sleeping out in the open air with the ticks and the flies and mosquitoes.” She shuddered. “That’s crazy talk. We’re wolves, not animals. We rented the space beside the motel. The owner was more than happy to let us do that, especially if it meant she didn’t have to do the laundry.”
Damon smiled at his wife, so obviously besotted with her. The two of them were meant to be, just like him and Mal.
Now he just had to ensure they both lived through what was coming.
Chapter 17
Mal flopped down on the mattress, his breathing ragged.
