Reuben wasn’t paying Adrianna any mind. He was focused on Cara. She sat down on a clear spot and pulled the little thorns out of her foot. With each movement, she could feel a dozen of them in her back. She wanted to start working on those, but she was terrified to look. Reuben walked behind her and inhaled sharply.

“Boy, you, uh, you’re full of thorns. Do you want me to pull them out?”

Cara was still confused by the whole concept of them sitting out there on some guy’s farm with the police still looking for them. She could hear them shouting from far away, but they weren’t close enough, and apparently, they were invisible. As strange as it was, sitting in the open was just as safe as hiding somewhere. Reuben had asked her if she wanted him to pick the spines out, which didn’t make her excited, but she hesitantly nodded. She couldn’t think of another way.

“That would be great.”

“I’m going to need to take your shirt off.”

“I think you mean my shirt,” Eddy said. “And I’ll be darned if it isn’t quite probably my favorite one.”

“Look away,” Cara said. “Please, both of you.”

“I’m gay and she’s straight,” Eddy protested.

“It’s still weird.”

Eddy shrugged and looked away. Adrianna looked like she might have been staring before she finally turned her back. Cara lifted her arms and stopped. She couldn’t pull her t-shirt off because the needles that were stuck to her skin were also stuck through the shirt. So Reuben ripped the front of Cara’s shirt open to slowly pull her shirt off from behind, taking many of the cactus needles with it.

Cara bit down on her lip to stop the scream from escaping. She was in a lot of pain.

“I don’t know how you did this,” Reuben said. “They’re even in your bra.”

“Take it off,” Adrianna suggested from afar.

“Shut up,” Cara said.

It was apparently something she’d say a lot to the assassin. Why was Adrianna so irritating?

Cara bent down and let Reuben work on the remaining needles. Each one he pulled out felt like a knife being jabbed into her back. A tiny knife, but still a knife nevertheless. She tried to stay still, but it took forever.

Adrianna and Eddy started chatting it up and Adrianna actually went to sit by him. They’d managed to catch up on their pasts, what had been going on with them recently, and basically everything else by the time Cara’s back was clear.

The police came by a few minutes later, getting back into their cars and driving away, presumably to the farmhouse to warn the owner about the dangerous killers on their property.

Meanwhile, Cara stared at the ground.

“Did you say those guys that chased us were goblins?”

Reuben rubbed her back after taking the last needle out and took off his hoodie so Cara could cover up.

“Yes. Goblins. Nasty little creatures. Violent like you wouldn’t believe.”

“The whole tank thing kind of gave me that impression. But they’re not working with what’s-his-name?”

“Widowmaker?” Reuben guessed.

“Yeah.”

“They work for him. They’re usually designed to probe out the defenses of whomever he’s coming to kill, and then he shows up and finishes the job. He’s trailing us. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Do you think we could buy him out like Adrianna?”

He thought about it. “Nah. He doesn’t do it entirely for the money. The cash is just a benefit to him. He’s not right in the head… he enjoys the kill.”

She thought back to the motorcycle helmet and shuddered. If he really was as powerful and dangerous as everyone seemed to think he was, Cara didn’t want to meet him.

“But would he quit if we took down the bounty?”

“Maybe. Probably. He’s got lots of other folks to terrorize for money. He wouldn’t try to kill us for free, not when he’s got plenty of paying jobs lined up. Not too many of us have a small army of goblins to play with. The guy’s basically a legend in the mercenary community.”

“A community, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“So how does that work? You guys all go out and get drinks on Tuesdays or something?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” For a second, he sounded very serious, which made her cringe. “Thursdays. Right before Fridays so we can relax on the weekends,” he said while smirking.

Cara smiled back.

“Thanks again for saving me, Reuben.” She leaned back against him, as he wrapped his arms around her. “How are you feeling? Have you stopped bleeding?”

She couldn’t see his face, but she could hear him breathing harder than normal. He was probably still trying to heal.

“Not yet,” he replied. “But soon. Soon…”

“I’ve never had someone catch a bullet for me.”

His voice was still tight with pain, and he muttered, “Let’s not make it a practice. I’ll live, but it hurts like hell. But no matter what, Cara, I will always be there for you.”

Cara turned around and cupped Reuben’s face with her hands. She stared into his kind, warm eyes and smiled. Lost in the moment, she leaned in and kissed each cheek, then his lips. Reuben slipped his hands inside her shirt and slowly, gently, traced his fingers over the small of her back. Excitement coursed through Cara’s core.

Adrianna broke up the moment.

“Hey, get a room. You’re making Eddy and me sick.”

Cara pulled away from Reuben and turned around. She still had her back leaning against his chest, while he once again wrapped his arms around her.

Adrianna cocked her eyebrows, obviously jealous of Reuben’s interaction with Cara, but she didn’t say anything.

“Reuben, we need to contact your father.”

Reuben didn’t even look up or hesitate before responding.

“Nope.”

“We need his help,” Eddy said from the knoll he was sitting on. “Face it. We tried going alone and Widowmaker’s men almost killed us. We haven’t even been able to get close to Ezekiel yet. We need the help from your pack.”

Reuben almost looked nervous.

“It’s not happening. We can fight Ezekiel alone. We should attack now, before he’s ready for us.”

Eddy gave a mournful look, like he was reading deeper between the lines.

“You need to make up with father. You’ve had your fun doing your own thing, but your childish rebellion needs to stop. You are to be head of the pack someday, Reuben. It’s time you start acting like it. Besides, you and I both know that we can’t take on Ezekiel like this, when we’re barely armed and injured.”

The air seemed to physically chill as a silence settled over the group. Reuben, Cara’s indestructible protector, appeared almost afraid. But what Eddy had said was true—they were not going to be able to stop Ezekiel and take down the bounty by themselves. It was silly to even try. A small scouting force for one bounty hunter had nearly killed all of them. Sure, Reuben might have survived long enough to be killed by Ezekiel because the car didn’t have any silver in it, but the rest of them would have died if they’d accidentally gone off the interstate.

Reuben finally nodded, but slowly, like he was deciding where he wanted to be buried.

“Fine… but only because we need the extra manpower. Nothing else. You understand?”

Eddy stepped back and replied, “That’s all I ask.”

They sat at the farm for about fifteen minutes until a car came up the dirt road with a trail of dust showing their arrival. Eddy immediately surged to his feet and hurried towards the road.

“Where are you going?” Adrianna asked skeptically, eyeballing him.

“To call the pack! I don’t know where my phone is, so I am going to borrow someone’s phone in that car.”

As he jogged across the uneven terrain towards the vehicle, Cara asked Reuben more about his pack. She didn’t mean to irritate him, but if they were going to meet these guys, she had to know some stuff about them.

“So who are they? Are they werewolves like you?”

“Yes. Thousands of them,” he replied.

He was moving easier, having apparently healed from the gunshots. They watched Eddy stop the car. The driver rolled down the window and Eddy explained something. How he explained it, Cara didn’t know. He was too far away to hear, and besides, she was comfortable staying in the moment with Reuben.

“Wonder what he’s saying,” she murmured.

The cold wind wafted off Reuben’s frame that shielded her.

“Knowing Eddy, something great. The guy can lie about anything, and I mean that in a good way.” His eyes were off in the past somewhere. “He’s had my back through thick and thin. I consider him more of a father than my real one ever was.”

“Can the driver see us?”

“No. We’re still cloaked.”

She nuzzled up against him.

“Will they try to hurt me?”

“I would never let them,” he said fiercely. “But no. You’re my mate. You’re one of us now.” He looked down at her. “Cara, I don’t want you to fight with us. Ezekiel is far too dangerous of an enemy.”

“I’m not just going to stay at the house while the men go and save me,” Cara said, maybe sharper than she should have. “I can hold my own.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” He sighed and reached for her hand. She gave it to him. “Vampires are very durable, but they have one glaring weakness.” He guided Cara’s hand to his side, just under his chest. She could feel his rippling abs underneath. “Here, right at this rib. Some folks like to say they have a weakness here because of the Bible, but that’s bullshit. The Bible has nothing to do with it. It’s just a simple flaw. If you ever find yourself up close and personal with a vampire, hit him here.”

“Not in the man-bits?”

“Man-bits?” He was amused. “Haven’t heard that one before. This’ll hurt more, believe it or not.” He kept her hand on his hot skin. “Right here, they just don’t have a rib. They’re totally exposed, and you can kill them if you’re quick with it.”

Cara caught Adrianna’s eye. The assassin was standing farther away, acting like she was focused on Eddy using a stranger’s phone, but she wasn’t. She was eavesdropping on Cara and Reuben. When Cara caught her looking, she turned away with a stone face.

“Stand up,” Reuben said, helping Cara to her feet. “I’ll teach you a couple things.”

Cara and Reuben stood up. Cara glanced back at the driver on the road, but the driver seemed to be blissfully unaware of anyone being in the field. Reuben adopted a fighting stance. He looked ready to move at any moment. Even unarmed, he looked like he could take anyone on with his muscles rippling beneath his t-shirt.

Cara followed his lead, trying to get into what she presumed was a fighting stance. It felt awkward. Adrianna glowered and walked off towards Eddy, leaving Cara and Reuben alone.

Reuben’s eyes flashed down to Cara’s breasts, which were absolutely, positively freezing. She hadn’t known that South Dakota could get so cold. She’d been a northerner her entire life, so she was used to cold temperatures, but boy, she hadn’t experienced anything like a South Dakota winter. Her nipples were pointed hard, poking through the hoodie she was wearing.

“Stop looking.”

Reuben laughed.

“Shut up,” Cara said, resituating the hoodie.

“I didn’t even say anything,” he protested.

“But you were going to.”

“Oh, I was?”

Reuben ruffled Cara’s hair and said, “Ok, let’s get serious.”

He circled Cara, as if he was stalking her.

“Okay, I’ll act like a vampire and you try to defend yourself.”

“You’re going to destroy me,” Cara said. “This isn’t fair.”

He lunged forward, tapping her gently on her throat.

“You’re dead.”

“You can’t expect me to actually stop you,” Cara said, feeling embarrassed despite herself.

But Adrianna wasn’t watching. She was off with Eddy. Cara looked back at Reuben just in time for Reuben to tap her on the chest.

“Dead again.”

He kept doing it time after time until Cara tried to defend herself. Reuben tried to keep it as a real training session, but it was positively ridiculous. Reuben was bigger, faster, and stronger. She could hardly keep up. Once, Reuben went in like he was going to tackle Cara. Cara mock hit him in the jaw, but he spun and got behind her. He wrapped his arms across her body and lifted her up, spinning her. She felt as light as a feather flying through the air.

Accidentally, her heel caught him solidly in the crotch. He doubled over, putting her down and groaning. She dashed over to him.

“I’m so sorry!” she pleaded. “I didn’t mean to…”

Reuben straightened for a second before trying, and failing, to walk it off.

“You could always just do that,” he groaned. “If a guy ever fights you, just do that. Right in the man-bits…”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! Are you okay?”

He looked like he might puke. “Wow, Cara. If you didn’t ever want to have sex with me again, there are other ways to say it.”

“Stop! That wasn’t it!” She cupped her hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry!”

“I forgive you,” he managed. “You didn’t mean to. If you’re trying to get rid of me, you’re going to need to try harder than that. But that’s not an invitation to go in for another shot.”

He looked at her and bared his fangs in a pained smile.

“I think I’ve taught you everything I can. Just carry a gun or something.”

Eddy and Adrianna came back up, smiling until they saw Reuben.

“What happened to you?” Adrianna said. “You guys try to get it on while we were getting a phone? Really?”

“It’s nothing,” Reuben groaned. “She didn’t mean to. Did you at least call the pack?”

“They’re on the way.”