Caleb shifted back into his wolf form as soon as we began making our way toward him. Liam had brought one of the ATVs down to the lake, so he and I took that back instead of shifting. I was restless and fidgeting the entire way back. Even Liam’s calming hold on me couldn’t touch how scared I was for Davis. When we arrived at the house, my heart was pounding. I had tried to call Augie on our way back, but he didn’t answer, making me even more nervous.
“It’s going to be okay, Taya. I’m sure Caleb overreacted in an attempt to get us to hurry,” Liam said, trying to lighten my tense mood.
I simply nodded, hoping that was the case, but I wasn’t counting on it. It had been one shitstorm after another lately.
We arrived at the house, and I jumped off the ATV before it even came to a stop, then ran toward the house. I felt bad for not waiting on Liam, but I needed to know what was going on. I couldn’t wait another moment to do so.
The door to Davis’s medical room was open. Alex crouched over him with a stethoscope moving around Davis’s chest. He was sprawled on the floor, angled awkwardly, and Augie stood opposite of the doctor.
Oh, this was bad. Very bad.
“What happened?” I asked breathlessly as I rushed the rest of the way into the room.
Augie addressed me while Alex continued his exam. “He had a seizure and fell off the bed, thrashing around on the floor until another sedative took over. His legs went off the bed first, so he hopefully he didn’t get further injured.”
I walked closer, bending down to place my hand on Davis’s leg, taking in the sight before me. His body was still rigid from the episode. I leaned closer to see his face but decided to pull back, so I didn’t disrupt whatever Alex was doing. I searched the visible parts of Davis’s body and didn’t find any new marks or bruises.
I flinched when Liam placed his hand on my shoulder, joining us. I hadn’t even sensed him approaching since I had been so focused on Davis and his current condition.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked to either Augie or Alex.
Alex straightened and lowered the stethoscope from his ears before looking at me. “He should be fine, but if he has another seizure like that, I can’t be certain for next time. His pulse is steady again and his body is relaxing. I’m hopeful once the sedative wears off, he’ll wake up fully aware.”
I nodded, watching as Alex placed his hands under Davis’s shoulders and arms to lift. Augie and I each grabbed a leg and the three of us gently laid Davis back in the bed.
“What was all this for exactly? I know you didn’t want him to hurt himself, but it seems a little excessive,” I said once we were done.
“How did this happen? He seemed fine earlier this morning,” I mused.
“It’s rare in these situations, but they can happen after a trauma like Davis has been through. He might have also gotten an infection from the wounds before they closed up, which could have caused it. I’m going to take some blood and have it overnighted to the clinic to be tested. I want to make sure if he needs antibiotics that we can get those for him as well.”
Alex had gone to school decades ago and earned his doctorate. During his time in school, he became close friends with one of his classmates. With alpha approval, he disclosed what we were. His friend had been an invaluable resource to us since. He was getting older and ready to retire, but we’d worry about what to do when we needed additional help later.
“Okay. Keep me updated, please,” I replied.
Alex nodded and got back to work. I turned for the door, with Liam and Augie right behind me. We headed for the kitchen and found Caleb and Aiden, along with Jamie and Tricia, the two girls Davis had rescued from Declan’s pack. Caleb and Jamie were once again sitting close together, and I remembered our previous conversation about him being ready to settle down. Liam had insisted his brother was ready to settle down, and I didn’t have to worry about any lover’s quarrels, but I’d still be keeping a close eye on them.
“How’s Davis?” Caleb asked. “I didn’t want to crowd the room, so I figured it was best to wait out here.”
“I appreciate you coming to find us,” I said. “For now, he’s okay. Alex is going to have bloodwork done to confirm, though.”
“So, what’s the plan now?” Aiden asked.
“We keep looking for Declan and his crew while we wait for Zarai to come back. We won’t face Declan again without the witches’ help, because we don’t want Jaye using her magic against us, but it doesn’t hurt to look for him now. It could help give us a head start when Zarai comes back. I’d really rather this all be over with as soon as possible,” I answered.
My stress levels were reaching their full capacity. I hated feeling helpless to make Davis better and wanted so badly to bring my dad back without losing anyone else. I kept trying to remember what he would do in the same situation and inspiration hit.
If my dad was here, he’d be standing in the kitchen cooking up some concoction while he attempted to work out whatever problem he was facing inside his head. We needed some positivity in our lives, and a big dinner sounded like just the thing.
I glanced at each of them with a grin on my face. “Who wants to have a cookout?”
***
The past seven days had gone by painfully slow. Davis had indeed had an infection and was on the mend thanks to heavy doses of antibiotics. No other seizure episodes had happened since the first one, and I was trying to be thankful for anything positive but not doing a great job at it.
I was anxious to see my dad’s golden eyes and hear his voice, but I avoided thinking about the loss we would also experience in the process of getting him back.
Liam and I were in an uncomfortably awkward phase. We hadn’t done much more than kiss and sleep in the same bed since the day by the lake. He seemed to be working through some problems of his own. He’d spent a lot of time with his brothers or by himself. I wasn’t one to push anyone, so I let him be. I knew that when he was ready to talk about it, he’d let me know. For once, I was trying to be patient. Though, it was just another thing I wasn’t succeeding at.
Things had been tense for everyone while we waited for Zarai to come back. There were niggling doubts in the back of my head that made me wonder if she’d keep her word. We had no way to know for certain until she showed up on our doorstep again. Her leader could very well have put her foot down, keeping Zarai with the coven by forbidding her to help us.
Tonight was the full moon and it was already almost noon. I anxiously paced in the living room, while continuously glancing out the window, waiting for Zarai to make her grand entrance. Augie sat on the couch reading a book, enjoying himself. I really wanted to pick up one of the throw pillows and chuck it at his head. His ability to escape into the worlds in his books drove me nuts. If I was honest, I was slightly jealous. He somehow remained strong and nerdy all at the same time. I didn’t know how to balance my life like that.
It was infuriating to watch the beast of a man look so at ease with a book, while my anxiety wouldn’t let my body or mind relax in the slightest. His low chuckle at whatever he’d just read in his book was my last straw. I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it as hard as I could. The resounding thud as the pillow slammed into his face was therapeutic. I should probably go take my aggressions out in our training center, but that required more effort than I cared to exert right then.
“What the hell, Taya?” Augie screeched as he held his nose.
“You were enjoying yourself too much. Seemed like a good idea to share my suffering with you. I feel better now. Thanks for that.”
“You’re certifiable. You know that, right?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “You love me anyway.”
“Fortunately for you, yes, I do.”
I went back to pacing and Augie went back to reading while keeping an eye on me in case I decided to throw any more objects at him. Liam and Caleb walked in from the kitchen. They must have come in through the back door, because I was pretty sure they hadn’t been in the house for the last couple hours. Plus, my eyes had barely left the front of the house. There was no way I missed them coming from that way.
“Will you guys get her out of here?” Augie complained. “She’s driving me crazy and starting to throw things.”
“Thing. I threw one thing, you big baby.” I rolled my eyes at him.
Liam and Caleb treaded carefully. Smart men.
“Want to go blow something up, Firecracker?” Caleb asked, using the nickname he gave me after my attitude and hair. It had grown on me, just like the three of them.
“No, I want to see Zarai show up,” I pouted like a petulant child.
“You know, pacing in front of the window isn’t going to make her get here any faster,” Augie droned.
“Thanks, smartass. I hadn’t figured that out yet.”
Liam walked quickly over to me and, before I could react, threw me over his shoulder and turned for the front door.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, while hanging upside down like a sack of potatoes.
“Getting you out of this house. Augie is right. You need to loosen up some.”
Caleb bent forward and put his head level with mine, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Never thought I’d see the day when you let a man carry you off like a damsel.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure this is more like letting him kidnap me than a damsel in distress, but good try.”
Augie stayed on the couch, content to continue his book, but he called out before we made it all the way out the door. “I’ll call you when Zarai gets here. Don’t come back before then!”
“You got it,” Caleb replied for all three of us.
I wasn’t put back down until we arrived at the ATVs, then was promptly placed on the seat with instructions to stay put. The strong-willed side of me wanted to protest, but I was rather enjoying watching Liam take charge, so I decided to go with it for now.
Before I knew it, we were headed in the direction of the shooting range. My heartbeat kicked up a notch and I sat up straighter in the seat. It’d been a while since I let loose on the range. Actually, the last time I had been out there to shoot anything was when Davis came to get me and Augie, so my dad could tell us about Cord. Emotions that I’d worked hard to suppress rose to the surface.
My twin. My confidant. My protector. Time would not heal the hurt the death of him had caused. Sure, I’d had a million distractions since then, but that’s all they were. Temporary bandages on a wound that would never heal.
I cleared my throat as we came around the corner, bringing the range into view. I saw Aiden was already situated with several rifles and pistols set up on the various benches. From the looks of all the casings on the ground around him, he’d been out there for a while already.
I eagerly jumped from the ATV when it came to a stop and joined Aiden. He was reloading a magazine, getting ready to shoot again, but set it down and took out his ear plugs when he saw us approach.
“How are you doing, Taya?” he asked.
I had noticed he’d been making more of an effort to get to know me. I assumed only for the benefit of his brother, but I appreciated it nonetheless. He’d been so stoic since we met, and I couldn’t wait to see him open up all the way in front of me. It might take decades to make it happen, but I was sure it would one day.
“I’m antsy. I hate waiting and being unsure if Zarai will follow through on her word.” I pointed to Liam and Caleb. “These two brought me here to distract me while we wait.”
Aiden was back to broody and silent just as quickly as he had been friendly. He simply nodded in acknowledgment of my reply and went back to paying attention to the rifle before him.
“Alright, Firecracker, show me what you’ve got,” Caleb said, breaking the awkward silence.
I bumped Aiden out of the way and finished reloading the magazine he had already started. A fresh target was already set up about a hundred yards out, so I was ready to go in just a couple minutes. I took a few deep breaths to steady my aim, then fired over and over again until all ten rounds had hit their mark.
I stood up, dusted off my hands, and smirked at Caleb. “Your turn.”
He stood there staring at the target, which now had a quarter sized hole through the middle of the head shape. “Crap,” he muttered. “I guess I’ll go for the chest since you took the headshot.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Want a new target set up to make it fair? I wouldn’t want it to alter your opinion on who is the better shot,” I taunted.
Caleb growled at me before slamming the reloaded magazine back into the gun. He took his sweet time making sure his aim was going to be on point. While we waited for him to finally shoot, Liam walked up to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.
“Are you feeling better now?” he asked quietly.
“A little. Thank you for getting me out of the house.”
“I think Augie might have kicked you out eventually anyway. I was just saving him the hassle of it.”
“Ugh, I never expected all of you to get along,” I whined. “I’m not sure I like it. It’s no fair when you gang up on me.”
Before he could respond to that, Caleb began taking his shots. I suppressed my laughter as we watched each of the bullets hit the target, but nowhere near as tight of a pattern as mine had.
Caleb let loose several curses as he stood back up. “Whatever. You might be a better shot than me, but I bet my wolf is faster than yours.”
“Competitive much?” I quirked my brow at him.
Aiden scoffed. “You have no idea. We’ve had to deal with it our whole lives.”
I laughed, picturing the three of them growing up together. Each of them identical, but with extremely different personalities. Aiden’s broodiness was growing on me. Caleb had charmed his way into my heart from our first meeting and Liam was… well, I wasn’t sure what he was yet.
My wolf continued to call him mate and, even if I wasn’t sold on that just yet, I had stopped correcting her. Even if I was certain she was mistaken.
How were we supposed to live with our mate being in the Catskills and us being needed here for our pack? It wouldn’t work unless one of us moved, and I wasn’t going to be the one to do it, nor would I ask that of him. He had his brothers and parents in New York. His pack needed him. There was no way I could compete with that.
My pocket buzzed with an incoming text. I pulled my phone out to see a message from Augie. Zarai was finally here. My anxiety skyrocketed once again. I was ready for her to do the soul exchange and bring my dad back, but at the same time, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Davis.
He’d been under heavy medication since his seizure, so we hadn’t been able to talk much. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, but at the same time, not fast enough. Life was a bitch like that.