Barely Winging It Read online

  With that forced smile Havana saw earlier, Connie nodded, “Yes, thank you, Havana.”

  ****

  Wednesday after sundown

  Dultyn woke from his roost and stretched. He could hear Stelios and Bogdan doing the same nearby. He inhaled the air and scented his mate had visited him again. As much as that pleased him, it also caused a pained ache in his chest. His mate was here, and yet he couldn’t touch her. He took in another deep lungful of her earth and woodsy smell and held it in for a bit before letting it slowly leave in a heavy sigh.

  “Damn, Dultyn, she was here again, lucky bird. I can tell she was here for a lot longer this time,” Bogdan said next to him.

  Dultyn didn’t respond to the bird reference. They were hatched and grew up together in the same clutch. The reference had come from when they were still quite young and Bogdan thought because they had wings, they were birds. It was used more as a friendly nickname now.

  “With so many from this pack finding mates, I am hopeful we will finally find ours as well. Fate is truly blessing this pack,” added Stelios.

  Dultyn remained silent. He didn’t want to tell them how he didn’t plan on bonding Havana to him after her birthday. She was too young and had so much she wanted to do with her life. She was full of energy and was always strong and cheerful. He felt he would only slow her down, and that might diminish the light he loved seeing in her eyes so much. Oh yes, he loved her, there was no mistaking it. Even without saying a single word to her, from the very first time he’d walked into the house and first met the pack, he knew his heart was lost to him. It always happened fast for paranormals.

  “Did that birthday present you ordered for her arrive yet?” Stelios asked.

  “I do not know. It would have been delivered by FedEx,” Dultyn answered as they made their way out of the building and toward the pack house. He wrapped his wings tightly around his body to keep warm through the light rain that had begun to fall.

  “Which one did you decide on?” asked Stelios.

  “The one entitled ‘Ursidae’.”

  “That one was my favorite, too. Nice pick, she’ll love it.”

  Dultyn could smell the spices before they reached the house, and it made his mouth water. Right before they reached the house, Nix flew down to the front porch and shifted. This wasn’t a surprise. Nix would always wait until they came out of roost before joining them as they entered the house for the evening meal.

  Nix hastily pulled on the jeans that were always waiting on the porch for him. He looked rushed and out of sorts.

  “Is everything all right?” Dultyn asked as they approached. But the shifter darted past them and into the house without answering.

  As the trio entered, they listened briefly to the chaos that sounded like the norm. Dultyn took in a breath and tasted the scents. Worry tasted thick in the air, and even though some of the conversations were light and mundane, the tension he felt betrayed the truth.

  His alarmed instincts urged him to search out Havana to make sure she was safe. Following his nose, and knowing her habits, he headed for the kitchen. Subtly peeking around the corner, he saw Havana cheerfully getting out plates and silverware. With the worried looks on Connie’s and Gale’s faces, he guessed Havana was being cheerful to keep their spirits up. He’d figured out that part about her. Havana was normally strong, especially for others. In fact, she seemed strongest when she helped others.

  Dultyn needed to find Alphy and find out what happened to get everyone so worried. Leaving the ladies uninterrupted, he made his way to the office, passing Seamus in the hallway. Seamus was on the phone but nodded his greetings as they passed. Alphy, Enzo, Ryker and now Nix, congregated in the smallish room. He could see Nix shift anxiously from foot to foot, waiting for Alphy to give him permission to talk. Dultyn stayed in the doorway and listened.

  Alphy gave them each a nod and then turned to Nix. “Nix, report.”

  “A bush pilot did an emergency landing on my field of wildflowers. I didn’t get her name, but when I flew closer…” Nix seemed to be struggling over what to say. “She’s my mate, I’m sure of it. She’s human, so I couldn’t shift to talk to her. All I have is the number of the plane she was flying.”

  Alphy gave a relieved smile. “Well, that’s good news, Nix. We could use that about now.” Turning to Ryker, Alphy asked him, “What do you think, Ryker? You think you can track her down?”

  Ryker didn’t stop tapping on his keyboard as his green eyes landed on Nix. “Congrats, man, I’ll make sure we find her. What’s the number?”

  Nix gave Ryker as much detail as he could remember, from the plane’s number and description, to the description of his mate. Dultyn had to wonder if he was doing the right thing by choosing not to claim his mate. Fate certainly seemed to be favoring this pack, but why?

  “All right, you two keep working on that, and maybe if you get the chance, look into what private jets are available to purchase and how much they cost. Just a recap to get you two up to speed. Slate, Matteo, Dex, and Pierce were sent to Toronto on some errands in Toronto. When they were there, they were attacked by Slate’s father. Dex was shot. He’s in pretty bad shape, so we sent his mate down with Marek. As she’s his mate, he can only drink from her now, and from the sounds of it, the injury is pretty bad. He did get some bagged blood through an IV, which a vampire can use temporarily, so we are optimistic he will pull through.

  “Slate challenged Carl and defeated him. There was another shifter who they took into custody. He was reportedly coerced by Carl to assist. Slate and Matteo are bringing him up for us to question. Keep your guards up. His father may be dead, but the alpha, Tony Smith, has gone missing. And I’ve been reminded to not forget keeping a lookout for the herd’s beta, Damon.”

  Dultyn’s hard ridged brow rose up on his forehead. “You certainly keep yourself busy. I will let the others know. Anything else?”

  Alphy rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. “Nothing official.” Alphy’s head fell back, and his eyes were closed. “Seamus met with Katie about some test results on her pregnancy, and she’s been holed up in her room ever since, refusing to speak to anyone until Slate gets home.” The alpha looked around the room at each of the men around him. “There’s no telling what he told her, if it was good or bad, but it has many in the pack worried and upset. Seamus refuses to tell anyone what it is, or even hint at it!” He growled, irritation shown clearly over the alpha’s face. “Says it’s doctor/patient confidentiality. With so much drama going on, the stress of this could cause trouble within the pack.”

  Ah, that must be why my mate and the other ladies were so upset, Dultyn thought. Having the mate of a friend severely injured was pretty bad, but adding to that the unknown element with their friend’s pregnancy was weighing them down.

  Supper was quieter than usual. Even the twins, Abby and Danny, were not as demanding of their attention as they were normally. Dultyn pulled Stelios and Bogdan aside and told them everything he learned, and they in turn told him what they’d overheard through the pack members. The gargoyles had been together for so long that they worked well as a team.

  Tires sliding over dirt could be heard outside as a vehicle came to a fast stop in front of the house. Dultyn stood and watched the door bang open, and Slate, dressed only in a pair of low hanging navy blue sweats, leapt up the stairs. Everyone around him stood as well, and it felt like the whole room held its breath.

  Shortly after, Matteo, Pierce, and two other men walked through the still open door. One man was short, maybe only five foot ten, with short blond hair and a thin athletic build. His eyes were downcast, and he held his hands together in a tight hold. He was obviously very submissive and very afraid of whatever his fate entailed. The other man had long, dark hair and well-trimmed facial hair. He stood as tall as Matteo, but before Matteo introduced them, he asked about Dex.

  “I just talked with Raymond a few moments ago. Elise arrived, and Dex drank from her. His wounds have vast
ly improved, and their physician believes he’ll make a full and speedy recovery.” Everyone in the room heard the alpha and breathed a little sigh of relief.

  Matteo nodded to him and then turned and introduced the others to the alpha. He started with the taller man. “Alphy, this is Gregory Johnson. He’s a member of the Toronto coven and was kind enough to drive us home. Next to him is Maximus Stone. He was a lion from the pride in Texas.”

  Alphy nodded towards Gregory. “Gregory, thank you for bringing them home. This is my mate, Gale.” Alphy pulled his mate closer to his side.

  “Alpha, ma’am,” Gregory politely responded.

  Gale smiled back at him. “Would you like something to eat? We have plenty.”

  After briefly looking for permission from Alphy, which he was given, the vampire smiled. “Thank you, I would love to. Perhaps if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll dish this one up, too. I can tell you he’s malnourished.” Gregory gave the alpha a knowing looked, which he returned with a slight nod. Dultyn noted that bit of information. Perhaps the little lion wasn’t as guilty as he appeared to be. Nix and Pierce led the two into the kitchen just as Slate and Katie made their way downstairs. Everyone gathered in the living room, waiting to hear what the big and dire news was.

  Henry led his mate, Beverly, and Katie’s sister, Sara, into the room. Beverly looked fully healed after her near death beating at the hands of her now dead husband. Seamus joined the group, his face giving no clue what was about to be revealed.

  Slate held his mate tightly against his front as Katie spoke. “I’m sorry for scaring everyone. The news isn’t as dire as I’ve just been told everyone thinks. It was a bit of a shock, and I needed time to process it. You are all my family, so I want to share this with you all at the same time as I tell Slate.”

  Slate looked more like he was chewing glass. Dultyn could hear his racing heart from where he stood. Katie continued. “I’m not having a cub…” She paused and took a breath to steady herself. Dultyn watched Slate’s arms tighten around her, his face full of concern as she continued. “I’m having more than one.”

  For a brief second, the room went still. Leave it to his mate, Havana, to be the first one to break the silence. “Twins! Sweet!” Her brother, Reese, who tended to always be with the tot twins when they were over, cheered along with her, but Katie shook her head and everyone got silent again.

  This time, Katie’s sister, Sara, exclaimed. “Triplets?” At Katie’s nod, everyone whooped and cheered … all except the expecting father. Dultyn noticed the enforcer grew a little bit pale. Everyone congregated around the couple and offered hugs and their congratulations. He couldn’t stop the chuckle at hearing Havana tease Slate.

  Dultyn was struck by a thought. This pack truly was blessed by fate. With knowing that, should he really defy fate by delaying his mating with Havana? But she was so young and so full of life. He could only hold her back.

  He shook the thought off since he couldn’t even talk to her until tomorrow. But what would he say? What would she say?

  Chapter Three

  Wednesday evening

  Bronya went over her mental check list to power down the plane she’d just repossessed. It was relatively easy with the exception of that minor mechanical difficulty forcing her to land. Thank heavens there was a flat strip of land right where I needed it. Once done, she grabbed her jacket, flight log and file, and exited the plane.

  Her boss, and father, was waiting for her. “Was gettin’ worried.”

  She gave her dad a reassuring smile. “Had a mechanical issue. A couple of the spark plugs were so loose, they were about to fall out.” They walked together and made their way to the small airstrips office her family owned. “It was the strangest thing. There were no issues at all until I get over halfway home, and then she just threw a fit and forced me to land. And that wasn’t the weird part. Right after I landed, this falcon landed on the plane and watched me the entire time.” She didn’t tell her dad how torn up she’d felt at leaving the falcon. She saw birds of prey all the time, and even though she enjoyed watching them, she never felt any grief or anxiety leaving any of them. Maybe she was coming down with something, or maybe it was the bad date she couldn’t shake that threw her off.

  “Falcon you say? Huh, that’s interesting. Falcons are known to symbolize visionary power that leads you to your life’s purpose, higher knowledge in solving current dilemmas, and guardianship. Perhaps nature was telling you something important was going to happen that will make a big change in your life, one that you will need wisdom and protection to get through.”

  Bronya knew her dad loved to look for the meaning in things, and with this one, for the life of her, she couldn’t deny it. Weird, she thought, because she never could get into superstitions like her dad did.

  “Let me guess, Gates called again,” she said dryly. This referred to her date gone psycho. After only one date, she’d had to tell the guy she didn’t think they were compatible. Two weeks later and the man still wouldn’t stop calling her. He was getting seriously stalkerish with always dropping by her apartment or work, and the endless calls and texts at all hours.

  Her dad grunted his affirmation. “You need to get the authorities involved with him. He’s sick in the head, which makes him dangerous.”

  Bronya couldn’t argue with the sick and dangerous part, but law enforcement wouldn’t do anything until he actually put her in danger, which usually meant she needed to be raped or killed before they stepped in. Still, she wanted to try to ease her dad’s worries. “Don’t take the falcon thing so seriously. Everything will be all right.”

  “I seriously don’t have a good feeling about you going home tonight. Why don’t you come back home with me and stay the night? Your mother would appreciate knowing you are all right for at least one night. She worries, too.”

  “Huh, let’s see. Go home and fix myself something to eat and worry about a possible crazy-ass psycho watching me through my windows, or go home with Dad and have Mom make me supper with dessert and a foot rub.” She eyed her dad playfully.

  As she hoped, the man laughed. “All right, I’m not opposed to bribery. Dessert and a foot rub it is.”

  Even though she teased, she knew better than to argue with her father’s hunches. She may not believe all the hokey-pokey jargon that he did, but he and her mom were usually right about things. After finishing up her paperwork, she let her father lead her to his truck and drive them home.

  In spite of the toe-curling dinner her mother had prepared, and a foot massage that made her feet almost sing the Hallelujah chorus, Bronya couldn’t get to sleep. She felt so restless that she had to get up and start pacing.

  With her brain refusing to shut down to sleep, her father’s words about falcons echoed through her head as she fought to control her wandering thoughts. The male falcon she had seen stayed paramount. Come to think of it, it was the largest falcon she had ever seen. She was an avid bird watcher. She knew the subtle differences between falcons and hawks, male and females.

  It was near three in the morning when a knock on the front door sounded through the still of the house. Bronya headed to the entryway to see who it was. If it was Gates, she was going to kick him a new asshole. The porch light automatically went on during the night, so she didn’t have to flip any switches to view through the peephole in the heavy wooden door. Shock rippled through her when she spotted two uniformed officers on the other side.

  Reaching up, Bronya twisted the deadbolt but kept the chain lock in place as she cracked open the door. “Can I help you?”

  The older officer, who looked to be in his fifties, answered grimly. “Uh, yes, ma’am. We’re looking for Mister and Missus Webber. Do you know where we can find them?”

  “They’re in bed,” she said cautiously.

  “We understand that, ma’am. We’ll wait here while you get them.”

  Bronya glanced over at the younger officer standing just on the other side of the older one before nodding her head
and closing the door.

  Bronya carefully made her way down the dark hallway until she came to her parents’ door. Knocking lightly first, she reached for the handle and opened the door. Her mother was always a light sleeper but her father was a pretty heavy sleeper, so it was no surprise she heard her mother’s groggy voice sound through the darkness. “What is it, Bronny?”

  “There are two officers here who want to speak with both of you.”

  “In the middle of the night? This won’t be good. Rich, wake up, Rich.”

  “Mm?” Her father mumbled. He was also a difficult man to wake.

  Her mother raised her voice sternly. “Richard Roy Webber, get up now!”

  “Dad, some policemen are here to talk to you and Mom.”

  After hearing moans and griping, Bronya saw the shadowed form of her father roll out of bed and reach for his pants. She quickly exited and returned to the front door to check on their visitors. Looking through the peephole, she could see they were still there, waiting patiently and talking quietly with one another.

  She stepped aside when her father approached. He unlatched the chain lock and opened the door wide. Staring briefly at the two men, no doubt assessing them, he spoke to them. “I’m Richard Webber. What’s the nature of this visit?”

  This time the younger officer answered. “Mister Webber, I’m Officer Ryland and this is Officer Miller. There was a structural fire this evening at the Meadowlark apartment complex. You are registered as an emergency contact for one of the residence, a Miss—” The officer looked down at his notes, but Bronya interrupted him before he could finish.

  “Bronya Webber, that’s me.”

  Both officers looked up at her. For a moment she thought they looked a little bit relieved but then they looked at her questionably. “Miss Webber, have you been here all evening?”