Page 413 of Love Bites

CHAPTER14

SEVEN YEARS

The next morning, I woke up in Jericho’s bed, alone. I shuffled my feet down the hall, past the bar, the atrium on the right, and then into the kitchen.

“Lexi, look! I got marshmallows!”

I glanced at Maizy’s cereal. Mom always bought her the healthy whole-grain stuff, which I’d argued defeated the purpose of childhood. Denver sat at the table with a glass of milk and the funny papers. He had dark circles under his eyes and nodded when I sat down.

I watched Maizy pick out the colored marshmallows from her cereal and eat them, saving the pink ones for last.

“You feeling okay this morning, honey?”

“Uh huh,” she sang, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred the day before. I wanted to ask all kinds of questions, but I decided not to upset her while she was eating.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

Denver put one hand behind his neck and stretched his left arm. “Hunting. I’m on chick patrol.”

“You got chickens?” Maizy asked.

I snorted. “Did Austin go too?”

“Yep. I got a funny feeling he’ll be going out of town.”

“Why do you say that?”

Denver pushed back his chair and yawned a big, ugly yawn. “He knows a Packmaster who might be able to help. He’s getting some gear together.”

Austin still cared for my mom, even though he had no clue how mad she was at him. My heart warmed a little at the thought, knowing he was going above and beyond what the cops would ever do to get her back.

“Damn,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “I have to tend bar tonight and I’m no good unless I can get in a nap. Maybe I’ll call in and tell them I got an itch I need to scratch.”

“So you guys always knew you were… you know,” I said, glancing at Maizy. I didn’t want her to hear every little bit of this whole Shifter conversation.

“Yeah. But as kids, we’re just like humans. We don’t howl at the moon or anything.” For effect, he howled and Maizy giggled. Then he turned to me seriously and folded his fingers together, resting his elbows on the table to speak in a private voice. “A good pack is better than a human family. Alphas naturally form them and we spread out over the territories. Some cities have more of us, some less. Some are corrupted a-holes and the rest are committed to family. We look after our own. No matter how I feel about some of these dickwads in the house, I’d lay down my life for them. That’s how it goes in this family. We protect our own. It’s instinct—one I’m sure you’ve felt your whole life. That’s one little characteristic where we differ from most humans.”

“Yeah,” I said softly, reflecting on the unbreakable bond I’ve always felt with my family. Maybe he was right. “How old is everyone?”

He snorted. “Shake their pockets and a few Mayan coins might roll out.”

“I’m serious.”

Denver snagged one of Maizy’s blue marshmallows and nibbled on the tip. “I’m not much older than Austin, but the others are closer in age. Reno is over a hundred and—”

“A hundred?” I said in disbelief.

“He’s got some wild stories, but we only get to hear them when he’s tanked. The twins came next and then there was a stretch before Jericho. Your mind doesn’t age much, Lexi. That’s why you see all those eighty-year-old women acting silly. In their head, they’re still young. Time doesn’t change people, experience does. And sickness. You can’t tell someone’s age by just looking at ’em.”

We sat for a quiet spell, watching Maizy pile a mountain of pink marshmallows onto her spoon.

“I need to go home for a little bit,” I said.

“Chick patrol,” Denver reminded me, wagging his finger.

“This chick has rent due today. I also need to pay my electric bill, take out the garbage, and check on my neighbor. There might be messages on my machine. Not to mention my boss is probably wondering where I am. Will you look after Maizy? Can I trust you?”

His blue eyes blazed, making his soft features even more striking. “I don’t have a leash on you. Go do whatever you need to do and if Austin calls, I’ll tell him you’re in the bathroom with a book and a bunch of bubbles and candles. You got nothin’ to worry about while I’m in charge.” Then his voice grew uncharacteristically dark. “No one lays a finger on her. Maybe the man who dumped her on the side of the road like trash is your father, but you better pray I never meet him.”

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