Fain did as his mother requested and jumped the four feet from the branch to the ground. Abby turned and walked to Reese, and Fain sullenly followed.
“You’d think we were trying to dip them in acid instead of soap and water.” Reese scooped up his other son. “I’ll get them into the tub.”
Abby sat on her haunches and watched her husband take their children into the house. She yawned, resisting the urge to lie down and rest in the middle of the backyard. Raising werecougars was hard work. But she was grateful for her family—and gladly sacrificed sleep and, on occasion, sanity to have them. It was hard to believe that she’d once run as far from Reese as possible. When they’d met, she couldn’t have his children—and the alpha had needed heirs. She’d called on the Hunter, the protector spirit of the Valiant colony, to take her life. She’d realize too late that she’d been incredibly stupid. Luckily, the Hunter was a compassionate being and had healed Abby’s barren womb.
And now she had two beautiful boys with the man she loved most in the world.
She popped up onto all fours and loped toward her discarded clothes.
Before she’d gotten halfway across the yard, dark gray smoke appeared in front of her. The smoke swirled into a grandmotherly figure. The Hunter. She had silvery gray hair tucked into a bun, a wrinkled face that featured kindly brown eyes, and a plump, huggable body. She wore what some humans called “church clothes.” Dress. Hose. Sensible flats. And a string of pearls around her neck.
“Abigail,” said the Hunter. “How are you, dear?”
Abby answered with a short, happy sound.
“That’s wonderful.” She tilted her head. “Would you mind taking your human form so we can actually talk?”
Abby shifted. Dusk painted the sky purple. The wind picked up, but despite its gentle warmth, Abby felt a chill. Werecougars had no hang-ups about nudity, but even so, she felt vulnerable standing before an ancient spirit in just her birthday suit. “Let me get dressed.”
She hurriedly put on her panties and the green summer frock. The Hunter wasn’t known for casual visitations. In fact, until Abby had called on her nearly two years ago, the Hunter hadn’t been seen in the Valiant colony for at least a generation.
Suddenly anxious, Abby asked, “Why are you here?” She huffed out a breath. “I’m sorry. That was rude. It’s nice to see you again.” She paused, foreboding twisting her stomach. “Is anything wrong?”
“I’ve come to warn you of the impending apocalypse.”
“What?”
“No need to soil yourself. I’m kidding.”
“You’re hilarious,” said Abby drolly. She rubbed her belly, trying to unknot the tension coiled there. “So you’re just here for a social call?”
The Hunter put her hands on her plump hips. “What if I am? Why does something have to be wrong for me to show up?”
Abby lifted an eyebrow. “Because you’re the protector spirit of the Valiant colony, and you’re scary as hell.”
“Well, there’s that.” The Hunter sighed. “All right. I’m here because I need your help.”
“My help?” Abby blinked at her. She couldn’t imagine any scenario where a supernatural immortal being would need help with anything. Even so, she wasn’t going to turn down any request because she owed the Hunter everything. The woman had given her the greatest miracle ever. “What can I do, Hunter?”
“You know, I really don’t like that name. Call me Judith.”
“Your name is Judith?” Disbelief coated Abby’s words.
“No. My real name is irrelevant. I like being a Judith.”
“Okay dokay. Judith, it is.”
“Thank you.” Judith’s wrinkled face lit up with a wide, satisfied smile. “Now, where’s that husband of yours?”
“Bathing two very reluctant boys, who will soon be clean and in their jammies, waiting for a bedtime story.”
“Oh! Can I tell them a story?”
“Does it involve mutilation, murder, and mayhem?”
“The best stories do,” said Judith. “I could tell them about the battle between the Valiant shifters and the Ladon. It’s on my mind because the Ladon is why I’m here.”
“No.” Abby crossed her arms. What the hell was a Ladon? “I’d rather my children not have nightmares. You can read them The Cougars Go to Town.”
Judith looked supremely disappointed. “Does anyone die in this tale?”
“Nope.” Abby linked her arm around Judith’s, and they headed toward the house.
* * *
It sensed the presence of others. In the damp, dark cave the Ladon lifted its scaly head and took in the scents filtering into its home. Ah, the robust scent of sweat. It knew well the delicious aroma of human. It flickered its tongue, tasting the air. Only one? The others were … not human. Two were dead. It hissed in disgust. Dead things didn’t make good meals.
It inhaled once more.
This smell was a familiar one. One that it feared.
Cat creatures.
It bobbed its head, slithering to the entrance of the cave.
It examined the forest, checking for signs of the intruders. Satisfied the newcomers were not near its hiding place, it returned to the darkest part of the cave.
The hole was ten feet across, barely large enough to contain its massive size. It was closer than ever to its treasure—to its revenge.
It had taken decades to find the only thing that would kill its enemy and its terrible shifter offspring. It would not make the same mistake as it had two centuries before, when the Valiant shifters had nearly killed it. After the Ladon had healed from its near fatal wounds, it had searched the continent for the Valiant heart. It had been hidden well.
But the Ladon was closer than ever to uncovering the heart. It could feel the pulse, the warmth, the magic.
It turned and weaved back toward the entrance of the cave. Whoever entered the town could never leave, not without the Ladon removing the boundary spell. It could hunt these
