Yawning, it surprised me to find myself held to Ryker’s chest while Tyger shook his fur and glanced at the wolves. Oh, dear. And the pissing contest begins… now. Sure enough, the large predators took off running, albeit the smallest of them was the swiftest. I laughed when Arctic stopped several yards in front of them to yip in a way I could only describe as mocking. That’s my fox.
“Close your eyes,” Ryker murmured tenderly, and I sighed before doing as he bid. I was sure he could run fast, and I didn’t want to be disoriented by a blur of colors and shapes. My stomach felt queasy at the thought, and a shudder shook my body. I’d like to say wind whipped my hair around, but it was more of that feeling you get on a roller coaster. That brief floaty sensation in your stomach before gravity catches up to you. Then it stopped, and the air was heavy while the stillness almost felt wrong. “Open your eyes, little one,” Ryker’s voice sounded amused, and I blinked them open.
“Hi, bunny,” Dakota grinned, his tired eyes full of relief and warmth. Meanwhile, Tyger, Snow, and Arc already returned to their human forms while the wolves eyed them with a touch of jealousy. Shaking my head, I recalled the shredded clothes the wolves shook off with a soft chuckle. Somehow, the shifters could keep their clothes, while the werewolves couldn’t. “Here, you dolts. You’re lucky I don’t want Angel to be embarrassed, and I brought you some sweats.” The relief of the wolves was palatable, and I sighed while they accepted bundles from Dakota before disappearing into the dark around the side of the house.
Blinking, I looked around while Ryker set me on my feet. Thankfully, he kept a steadying hand on my shoulder at first because my legs were a little weak. I’d say I was thankful it didn’t take him long to run here, but I feared that’s why I was so unstable on my feet. Smiling gratefully at the vampire, I took in as much of the house Jaxy left Dakota as I could in the dark. There were a multitude of windows along the vast expanse of siding, and a few balconies. It surprised me to notice there weren’t any houses nearby. I mean, I saw what looked like lights shining in the dark, but they were about the size of a pinprick because of the distance. Trees surrounded us, judging by the shapes and shadows encircling the house.
“Sorry, you must struggle to see,” Dakota murmured with a grimace judging by the tone of his voice. “I never turned the lights on since I haven’t been inside. I wanted to get everything set up, but I couldn’t find the courage.” Pain filled Dakota’s voice, causing my heart to reflect it while my soul wept for him. With Ryker’s help, I navigated the dark ground until I threw my arms around Dakota’s neck.
“Do you want me to help?” I asked, my voice a nearly soundless whisper. God, the relief pouring off Dakota almost caused me to stumble while my soul and shoulders relaxed. Poor thing. He laced our fingers together when he pulled away. Dakota led me to the door where Riff and Char waited with tiredness oozing from them in waves.
“Now, while I don’t come in here, my mom did a few days ago. She said something told her it would be needed soon, so we have dry goods and fresh sheets. Nothing fancy, and it’ll still be musty because she couldn’t bring herself to open the windows. It smells like Jaxy, and, well, he was her nephew, so she loved him too.” I nodded my understanding, poor Dakota’s voice sounded like he struggled to withhold tears. I squeezed his fingers, and he trembled for a moment before producing a key from his pocket. Char took his phone, using it to shine a light on the lock so I could see what Dakota did.
With shaking fingers, the young wolf put the key in the lock, but his arm trembled so badly his hand fell away. Swallowing nervously, I grabbed his hand, leading it back to the key before wrapping my fingers around his. After another swallow, we turned the key together, and a shuddering sigh escaped Dakota’s lips. I threw my arms around him to pull the tormented boy into a tight hug. My arms tightened when a soft sob left his lips, and I rubbed his back while trying to come up with something that might offer comfort. A song came to mind that brought tears to my eyes every time I heard it because it was something I wanted. A place to come from and a family. But it also felt like a song Jaxy would have loved had he been alive when it came out. Even if he only sang it to tease his cousin. It’s what I would never have, a song I couldn’t sing to any boy I wanted to bring home. Nor have I ever had to worry about any hearts other than mine suffering from my choices. My mouth opened after I hummed a few notes, and the words to More Hearts Than Mine by Ingrid Andress fell from my lips.
“I can’t wait to show you where I grew up
Walk you ‘round the foothills of my town
Probably feel like you’ve been there before
After hearing all the stories I’ve been telling you
For six months now
We’ll probably have to sleep in separate bedrooms
Pack a shirt for church because we’ll go
I’m not trying to scare you off but
I just thought that we should talk
