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Seff ruffled her hair. “Only if you say it’s okay.”
She jumped from her chair and danced around the room, singing, “I’m a doodlebug! I’ll always be a doodlebug!”
Nereida rolled her eyes and shook her head.
I heard the steps along the wooden walkway moments before Jessy, Dain, and Brutus came through the door.
“It’s our turn,” Jessy said and smiled at the twins. “Are you all packed and ready? We need to get on the road.”
Arteisma shrieked in happiness and danced around the room some more. Nereida smiled and stood, picking up the little origami wolf Seff had made and tucking it into her pocket.
Seff handed Dain one of the two duffle bags while Jessy and I helped the twins get into boots, jackets, and gloves.
“Oh, and your brother has decided he’s going out tracking with you.” Jessy huffed. “What a freaking dickwad.”
Arteisma giggled.
A little mischievous grin spread across Nereida’s face as she lifted her chin. “Des said dickwad is not a nice word, and we’re not allowed to say dickwad even if you do because calling people names like dickwad isn’t nice.”
I pointed a finger at Nereida, curled my lip, then threw a stern glare at Jessy, who grinned and shrugged.
“And Desarae is correct. It’s not nice to call people names.” She scrunched her brows and wagged her finger at Nereida. “So, don’t do it.” Then Jessy looked at me and mouthed silently,“He’s still a dickwad.”
Arnou and Viveca were waiting in an SUV idling behind the truck Dain and Jessy had rented, Viveca’s face blank as she stared out into the forest. The hair on the back of my neck bristled. My wolf wanted to grab the female by the throat and shake her. She was getting what she always wanted—temporarily—so why was she acting so damned strange?
After Seff loaded the duffle bags into a truck, I hugged Jessy one last time and whispered, “Why are the twins riding with you?” Not that riding with Jessy and Dain was a bad thing. Actually, I was thrilled the twins would be safe with my cousin and her mate, at least until Billings.
“I have no clue. Ralph assigned riding partners. I wasn’t about to argue with him.” Jessy stepped back and looked me in the eye as she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I don’t want to worry you, but there is something off about this whole situation. I mean, why did Viveca come here all alone? Where is her mate, or at least some other male from her pack to escort her? Ralph already looked in the Breeder registry, and she’s not listed. If she were, I’d get it then. She’d be her own best defense.”
“She’s not a Breeder,” I confirmed. “Vera would’ve disclosed that to Coleman when she gave the twins to the pack. It would have been a safety issue.”
Besides that, I didn’t need to remind Jessy that noteveryBreeder was listed in the registry.
“Hey, Desarae.” Dain pulled me into his arms and gave me a hard squeeze. “Don’t worry. We’re following them all the way into the Aneta pack. I got a letter from Ralph I’m going to put into their Alpha’s hands.”
I smiled and nodded, feeling a huge weight lift from my body. “Thank you.”
The last hugs I shared with Arteisma and Nereida were not how I’d imagined they’d be. When I’d left them to live with Tillman, those hugs had been a desperate clench that had torn at my soul. The twins had been much younger then, but they’d known—they’d known Tillman didn’t love me. They’d known I hadn’t wanted to go. I had abandoned them. Sending them off with Viveca was not the same. Nevertheless, this goodbye was just as hard.
Arteisma placed the palms of her little hands on my cheeks. She scowled, trying her best to look fierce, even extending her canines and growling, “Show me your warrior fangs.”
I scowled back and let my canines descend, flashing her my much longer warrior fangs, accompanied with a deep, menacing growl.
“Don’t worry about us, okay?” She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me with all the strength in her little female body.
Even zipped up in her bulky winter jacket, Arteisma felt so slight, so tiny.
I snuggled my nose into her long hair. “I won’t, and don’t you worry about us, either.”
“I won’t. I promise. Besides, Seff said you’re going to kick their hind ends.” She grinned. “But he didn’t say hind ends.”
Seff and I traded twins, and I could see by the tears in her eyes Nereida was having a more challenging time saying goodbye. She buried her face in my neck as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“Nereida?” I murmured as I stroked her short hair. “We’ll miss you.”
After a moment, she whispered, “Seff promised it’ll only be a few days.” Her breath was warm against my skin.
He promised.
