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“And you’ll show me a good time?” Kylie said, her grin widening. Oh, she was absolutely flirting with him. I’d know thatcome get mesmileanywhere.
“Felix, come here a second,” West called from closer to the front of the plane. The fox shifter made an apologetic grimace and hustled to see what his alpha wanted. I followed his path automatically, my gaze rising to meet West’s. My mate’s expression had been serious, but his eyes softened just a bit as he gave me a quick smile. And fuck if that wasn’t enough to make my heartflutter.
“Hmm,” Kylie said, waggling her eyebrows. “Is it just me, or is there more of a glow around you today? Any secrets you’re ready toshare?”
NowIwas blushing. I ducked my head as heat washed over my face. But I couldn’t stop a grin of my own from splitting myface.
And awful lot of things in our lives sucked right now—uh, some of them literally. But there wasn’t a bloodsucker in the world that could take away the joy of having all my mates around me. Knowing we were all here for eachother.
“Later,” I said. “When we’ve got a little more privacy to chat.” No doubt West’s kin had already sensed the shift in atmosphere. It was kind of hard to tell if they were being more effusive toward me now when they’d been incredibly fawning from the start. But I’d caught a new sparkle in several eyes as we’d made our way through the mansion on our wayout.
I was going to guess there’d be a whole lot of new canine kids running around about nine months from now, vampires or no. That didn’t mean I wanted to be talking about my encounter with West where any of them could hear me with those sharp shifterears.
“Oooh. I knew it!” Kylie said. “You’re on fire, Ren. I mean, in a totally metaphorical, not at all dangerous sort ofway.”
The flutter came back into my chest, like a flickering of flames. “It does kind of feel like that,” I had toadmit.
“It’s about time. No more being jerked around. Just love, love,love.”
She said it in such a goofy singsong voice that I had to laugh again. That was why I lovedher. For a few minutes, talking with her, I could forget all the other crap we still had to dealwith.
At least, until Marco sank into the seat Felix had vacated, tucking his phone into his pocket. His mouth was set in his usual crooked smile, but his eyes were shadowed. Nate turned where he was sitting one seat over to see what the jaguar shifter had tosay.
“A few of my people followed the vamps that came at my estate last night,” he said. He’d been talking to one of his lieutenants in Florida. “It appears they’ve holed up in a smaller city that’s closer to our territory than their usual haunt. Faster access for their nextattack.”
“Can your kin take the attack to them?” I asked. “Use daylight to ouradvantage?”
Marco shook his head. “The building they’ve taken over is too secure. Every nook and cranny sealed, every door unmovable, even the garage section where they keep their vehicles. Either the vamps lucked out, or they’ve been planning for the possibility of taking on the shifter estates for long enough to do a custom job on theplace.”
Aaron came over and leaned against the back of Marco’s seat. “My kin have seen something similar near the avian estate. The vampires are prepared for a long fight. And they know the estates are the key towinning.”
My pulse hiccupped. “So we can’t let them break through any of those walls. We’ll need all the firewood the kin can prepare, every shifter who’s able to fight ready to tackle any who make it to the walls… Can we get bulletproof vests for the guards to wear? Other safety equipment? Maybe we can’t use weapons ourselves, but there’s no law against protecting against them,right?”
Nate frowned. “That’ll only work when we stay in human form. But it couldn’t hurt to have that kind of gear onhand.”
Kylie perked up. “I’ve got an acquaintance whose brother works for a security supplies depot. He can totally hook usup.”
I shook my head with a wash of relief. “Of course you knowsomeone.”
She wiggled her fingers. “I’m the most connected gal in NYC. You’d better believeit!”
All of these strategies were only stalling measures, though. “At least the vampires can’t hold a real siege. We’ll always have the option to scatter if the situation gets too dire, during the day when they won’t know where we’vegone.”
“I don’t think we’ll keep morale very long if we abandon the estates,” Aaron said. “And I can’t imagine the vampires will leave a single building on them standing if we give them free access. But yes, if it comes tothat…”
“And then what?” Marco said. “We scurry around through the wild as if we really are animals? We could get by like that, but it’d only be surviving. Wearen’tjust animals. We need to put down roots, to have our community. And our comforts.” He ran his hand over the padded arm of hisseat.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have suggested that.” It wouldn’t be the kind of victory a dragon shifter should be able to offer. I raked my fingers into my hair, my mouth twisting. “They rely on those trucks. I should have burned up some of the ones they had by the estate lastnight.”
“Ren.” Nate reached across the aisle to take my hand. He squeezed it gently, his warm brown eyes seeking out mine. “You did lots last night. So much more than any of the rest of us could manage on our own. You can’t beat yourself up for that. There were too many of the vamps, and they’resmart.”
“But we’ll find a way to beat them,” Marco said. “They’re contending with a fully-fledged dragon shifter and all four of her mates now.” His lips curled with what looked like a genuine smile. “You’ve got this, princess. And we’ve got yourback.”
* * *
“We’ll need to give my kin a chance to set the house in order,” West said as we stepped out into the landing field. “A bunch from the closest canine settlement got here about an hour ago to get started, but it’s a bigjob.”
The underlings he’d brought along on the plane were already hustling down the path. Only a sliver of the house’s roof was visible from here. Enormous oaks and silver maples loomed between the building and our landingplace.
