Shadow of the Wolf

“If he’d been two inches shorter his throat would be slit.” Her wolf was growling.

Rage poured off of him in palpable waves. “I’m going to kill him.”

She didn’t even have to wonder whose death he was contemplating. “Cole can’t get away with this. The karma alone is going to be a bitch.”

“Thank the Goddess your friend Kerry was there.” He shuddered. “I don’t know what we would have done without her.”

She stroked his hair, sighing when he relaxed into her. “Called an ambulance and held cloth to the wound, same as she did.”

“He’s going to make it.”

“Yes he is. Don’t doubt it for a second.” Because if Gareth didn’t make it, she had no idea what Chris would do.

“How the fuck did this happen?” Zach growled. His sunny blue eyes were dark with worry. The youngest Beckett was pacing the worn linoleum, tension riding his lean frame.

Lana stared blearily at Zach. She was so damn tired. “I’m not exactly sure.”

“There’s no fucking way Gareth would drive with an open switchblade on the dashboard and you know it.” Zach was practically vibrating. Lana wondered if she had the strength to deal with all of the Beckett males.

“We already know Gareth isn’t stupid. We also know that stomping on the brakes plain old can’t drive a knife into a man so hard it penetrates his collar bone and sticks there.” Daniel cracked his knuckles, his eyes never leaving the swinging doors the doctors would come through after surgery. “That knife was shoved into him by someone or something.”

Kerry snorted. “The man was locked in his car, no broken windows, no nothing. If he got stabbed it was because he stabbed himself.”

“Or the attacker was already in the car with him.” Daniel cracked another knuckle.

“The angle of the knife tells me it came dead on from the top of the steering wheel.

I’m not sure an assailant could even angle his arm the right way to get that shot.”

Daniel finally turned his glare onto something other than the doors. “You stay out of this. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

Kerry leaned towards Daniel. “Magic. Woo-woo stuff. Right?” She wiggled her fingers in his face, ignoring his shocked look. “Lana’s my best friend. Whatever is going on here involves her, therefore it involves me. And the angle of that knife indicates that it came out of the steering wheel of that car. What if Lana had been driving? She’d be dead.

So get over yourself, get over the fact that I’m a mundane, and let’s all assume that Kerry has a brain in her pretty blonde head. ‘Kay?” She patted Daniel on the head like a dog, nearly earning herself a bite from the normally unflappable Daniel.

Lana was shocked. She’d never told any of the Andrews what she was. How had Kerry known? “Kerry?”

Kerry turned to Lana with a sigh. “You really think you could hide that from me?

Seriously? I had a nice long talk with Grammy when we were sixteen, and she told me everything.” Kerry shook her head, an echo of an old hurt deep in her eyes. “I understand why you didn’t tell me, but I wish you’d trusted me.”

Lana blinked away tears. “I couldn’t, not without permission. But I wish I had, too.”

Kerry nodded. “So. A spell, right? Who was the target?”

“We’re not sure.” Chris cuddled Lana closer, kissing the tears from her cheeks. “We do know who cast it.”

“Cole.” Lana shuddered. “I’m really beginning to hate that man.”

“You and me both, sweetheart.”

Kerry plopped down on the seat, the satin of her dress crackling against the plastic cushion. “So what now?”

“Now you keep your pretty ass out of it.” Daniel was still glaring at Kerry. He actually growled at her when Kerry flipped him off. “I mean it. You have even less defenses against Cole than Lana does. Do you understand me?”

“Actually, there may be something I can do about that.” Grammy stepped over to Kerry. “Do you still have that charm Lana gave you for your eighteenth birthday?”

Kerry nodded. “In my jewelry case back home. Why?”

Grammy smiled wearily. “It was a gift of love from a dear friend. If I can borrow it for a day or two, I can enchant it to protect you from those who would wish you harm.

Would that be all right?”

“Yes. Thank you, Grammy.” Kerry’s smile was tinged with relief. “I want to help Lana, even if it means helping Mr. Grumpypants.”

Daniel took one step towards Kerry. What he intended to do when he reached her was a mystery, because at that moment the surgeon came out of the swinging doors.

“Christopher Beckett?”

“Here.” Chris stood, holding on to Lana with everything in him.

“Your brother is going to be just fine. Frankly, if the knife had hit him just slightly to the left he’d be dead right now, so he’s a very lucky young man. We’re keeping him overnight for observation, and he’ll have to undergo some physical therapy to get full use of his arm back, but I think he’ll make a full recovery.”

“Thank the Lady.” Lana turned Chris and hugged him, his body sagging against her in relief.

“Now that we know Gareth will be all right, why don’t you come with me, Kerry?

We’ll get that little thing taken care of, and you’ll be able to change your clothes.”

Grammy gave each of the Beckett brothers a hug before tugging Kerry out of the hospital waiting room.

“When will your parents get here?” Lana forced Chris to sit back down. He still looked a little gray to her.

“They were in Chicago at a seminar. They’re still trying to get a flight.” He rubbed his face wearily. “It could have been you in that car, Lana.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think we were the targets. Not this time. I think it was a message.”

He looked at her through his fingers. “Sort of I can get you anywhere, anytime?”

“Yeah.” She rubbed Chris’s back, hoping to soothe him.

His jaw clenched, his pupils widening until his eyes were small golden rings around a sea of black. “Message received.”

* * *

Lana went down to breakfast Sunday morning a week later to find three of the four Beckett brothers seated at Christopher’s table. She wondered if Gareth’s pain medication had made him sleep in, or if he’d already been down to eat and gone back to bed. She was pretty certain it was the former.

Getting the oldest Beckett brother to move in temporarily had been a battle all on its own. He’d wanted to return to his home in Pittsburgh, feeling he would only be in the way now that he was groggy on pain meds. She and Chris had talked him into staying with them. It had been Chris’s argument that he’d feel safer knowing Gareth was there to protect Lana if anything happened to him that swayed the tide. He’d totally worked Gareth’s overdeveloped protective streak to their advantage. So far, nothing had happened, thank the Lord and Lady. She didn’t know if Cole was laying low after the attack at the wedding, or preparing for one hell of a spell. Either way having the Beckett brothers so close made guarding everyone that much easier.

She turned her eyes to Chris. Her wolf looked grumpy this morning, swatting Zach’s hand away from the last piece of toast with a low growl. “Save some for my mate, you heathen.”

“Speaking of which, good morning, Lana.” Daniel stood, pulling out her chair for her.

Chris took one look at her still wearing his shirt and frowned. “Why aren’t you dressed?”

“Thank you.” She took the seat gingerly, waiting until Daniel sat back down. “It’s Pajama Sunday.”

Chris blinked, a slow frown forming on his face. “Pajama Sunday.”

“Yup.” She snagged the last piece of toast and nibbled on it delicately. “I get to sit around in my jammies, watch television, and generally make a pig of myself.”

Chris chuckled. “I like it already.”

Zach ducked his head under the table. “Are you wearing underwear?”