“You’ve got that happy, gooey look on your face again,” she teased.
“I can’t help it,” Nico replied. “You’re here. You are all mine.”
“I was always yours, silly.” Olivia stretched across and kissed him, her lips tasting of the strawberry lip gloss she’d taken to wearing.
She’d changed in many ways. Some Nico had expected, others were a surprise. But she was still his Livy. She’d left healing and returned whole. A weaker man might have been offended she hadn’t needed him to heal fully, but Nico was nothing but proud. So damn proud of the woman she’d become.
Brave. Beautiful. And all his.
“I just feel….” Nico searched his mind, trying to put the complexity of his feelings into words.
“Complete?” Olivia finished.
Nico smiled. “Yeah, complete. I guess I got used to the heartache, and now it’s gone.”
“Happy, gooey face.” Olivia kissed him, laughing.
“That doesn’t sound very manly, Liv.”
She kissed him some more, giggling quietly under her breath. “Am I ruining your reputation?”
Nico narrowed his eyes, holding Olivia back by the shoulders to study her. She was enjoying teasing him far too much, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss, but out of the corner of his eye, Nico could see his mother in the open doorway.
“We have an audience,” he warned.
Olivia pulled back. “Come on then. I love your mother’s baking.” He climbed out of the car, locking it when Olivia followed suit. “Dibs on all the bagels too!” she sang.
“I don’t think so.”
Sticking out her tongue, Olivia raced for the house. Shocked, Nico didn’t respond right away; she’d made it to the door, greeted his mother, and slipped inside before his brain managed to make his legs compute.
Chasing after her, a growl in his chest and a smile on his face, Nico leaped past his mother, mumbling a greeting, and crashed through the kitchen door to find Olivia behind the kitchen island, smiling wickedly, her gaze glistening with challenge. Lifting her plate, piled high with bagels into the air, Olivia laughed, triumphant.
“I’d kill for my mother’s bagels,” Nico warned.
“I think I could take you.”
When he lunged forward, Olivia squealed and danced out of his reach. It took him all of two seconds to catch her and lift her into the air. Bagels tumbled to the floor, forgotten, as Nico sought out the real prize. Crushing his lips to hers, his heart sang with joy as he wrapped her into his embrace.
“Hey, Nico, did you invite anyone else?” his mother asked as she entered the kitchen.
“Hmm?” Nico untangled himself from Olivia. “What do you mean?”
“Another car’s parked on the roadside,” she explained.
“Oh. Maybe it’s Kat. I mentioned we were coming, but she wasn’t sure Bass would have time.” Olivia jogged out of the kitchen, heading for the front door.
“Liv, wait,” Nico said, his senses coming to life as Olivia reached the front door. “Livy, no!”
“What?” she questioned, turning toward him as the door swung open.
All his happiness drained from his body as a hand clamped over Olivia’s mouth and dragged her from the house.
“Let her go.” A vicious snarled left his throat as his mother screamed.
“Now, why would I go and do a thing like that?” the man answered, holding Olivia roughly.
Nico’s skin was on fire, fury uncurling in his gut, savage and hungry. It took every ounce of his control to not attack. If something happened to Olivia, no one would stop him from hunting down every last one of the Indiana pack. He wanted blood. He wanted to rip the shifter holding his mate to pieces.
Nico met Olivia’s fearful gaze, but something else resided there. Determination. Strength. Olivia picked up her foot, slamming it down on top of her attacker’s. The heel of her boot caused just enough pain for her to drag his arm down to her collarbone and swing her body from his hold. Within seconds, she was free, her knee slamming up into his groin.
All hell broke loose as gunfire echoed around them, mingling with his mother’s terrified screams. Olivia hurtled toward him, slamming the door closed behind her. It slowed Indiana down by mere seconds, but it was enough time for Nico to grab his mother’s keys and race into the internal garage.
Nico’s mother was hysterical as he pushed her into the back seat of the car, ordering her to stay down. Olivia jumped in without instruction as he slid into the driver side and started the engine, slamming his foot on the gas. Wincing as they careened through his mother’s garage doors, not waiting for the automatic lift to open fully, Nico sped away as bullets rained down on them, shattering through the car windows.
“What the hell is going on? Who was that?” his mother screeched.
Nico ignored his mother’s question and asked one of his own. “Where the hell did you learn that, Liv?”
Olivia glanced at him. “I took self-defense classes in New York. First time I’ve actually needed to use it.”
She sounded way too pleased at her achievements. Nico decided Olivia was spending too much time with Katalina. Next, she’d want to be in the line of battle.
His phone chimed in his pocket. Keeping his eyes on the road, Nico reached into his pocket and gasped as pain shot through his shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” Olivia asked.
“Get my phone,” Nico instructed, not answering her question.
Olivia leaned across, her hand slipping into his pocket to retrieve his phone. “It’s Bass,” she murmured, answering, “Hello.”
“We’re under attack.” Bass’s voice crackled through the speaker.
Nico laughed bitterly. “Thanks for the heads-up, pal. But we already know that. Assholes hit my mother’s house.”
“Everyone all right?” Bass asked.
“Yeah.”
“Good. I need you to make a detour. Do you remember River Run’s twin boys?”
“Yeah?” Nico took another turn, the wheels screeching as he went.
“Anna says they’re
