“I didn’t want to have to do this. You weren’t supposed to fucking be here and you weren’t supposed to recognize my voice. All we wanted to do was draw Mac out here to an area he wasn’t familiar with, so we could pick him off.”
“Why Mac? Why do you care?”
“He’s just good sport, Lily. Nothing personal.”
Rage flared hot and hard in her. She kicked out with her snowshoe and caught Derrick in the shin. He stumbled, off balance.
She dived to the side to avoid the misfire of his weapon, snow cushioning her lunge. A ringing crack sounded in her ear and then all was silent in her head. She’d gone deaf from the close proximity of the fired weapon. There was a flash of a silver-tipped wolf, a splash of red. Derrick waved his rifle, fired it into the air, then turned to run, only to be pushed into the snow by Mac.
Lily turned her face away, melting into the welcome quiet where there was no violence.
Hands grasped her arms and turned her. She opened her eyes to see Mac’s concerned face, his mouth moving. He’d shifted back to human form. Little by little, the sounds growing louder, his words became audible.
“I’m OK,” she answered, then launched herself into his arms, not even caring about the blood that stained his chin, throat and the front of his coat.
Mac held her close, rubbing her back with strong hands. She melted against him, feeling for the first time in years - no, maybe for the first time - that the man who held her truly cared. In his arms, she was cherished. She shuddered against him, shaking off the sensation of the gun pressed to her skull, and the echo of her death she’d seen in Derrick’s eyes.
A black wolf came bounding up to them and she recognized Casey. Lily knelt in the snow and wrapped her arms around him. With shaking hands, she explored the wolf’s haunches, legs and stomach. He was uninjured. Lily had never been so happy not to have to act in her capacity as nurse.
She let out a pent-up breath and hugged him. Maybe she would never quite be able to let go of the child she’d once lost, but this one was going to be all right.
They made their way back to Pack City. Not far from town, Mac made a call to the proper authorities to let them know of Casey’s well-being and where they could find the bodies of the hunters.
Lily and Mac stood at the top of the hill overlooking Pack City, watching Casey, still in wolf form, make his way down to the clutch of emergency vehicles at the base. Humanity and shifters alike swarmed the place. People everywhere. Just watching them all, anticipating their questions, made her tired.
“So, what are you planning to do now?” Mac asked.
“Now?” She sniffled. “I still have this cold, so I should probably get some rest.”
“That’s a good idea.” Pause. “I’ve got some tea left.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“It’s an invitation for a whole lot more than tea, Lily.” Mac’s voice was low and husky.
She smiled, happy warmth suffusing her face and chest. “Consider it accepted. Can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. Can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend my time with.”
In silence, they continued to watch the swarm of people. The news crews had arrived. One of the reporters spotted them on top of the hill and began to make his way up. Ugh.
“So, are you read
y to let go a little?” Mac asked, watching the man scramble in the snow towards them.
She looked up at Mac, enveloping his hand in hers. “I’m not letting go, I’m taking hold.”
Together they turned and walked back into the woods.
? Scanned by Coral ?
How to Date a Superhero
Jean Johnson
“Man, that was a great movie! Thank you again for inviting me this afternoon.” Silver-gloved hands cut sharply through the air, wielded by blue-clad arms. “I didn’t think an Ascendant could’ve survived that big an explosion at the end, let alone a normal citizen, but the way he did it... brilliant! Movie magic at its finest.”
Red-and-silver limbs wrapped around the nearest blue arm, hanging — literally - on his every word. A female voice cooed, “Oh, I don’t know; I think you’d have come out of it without a scratch.”
The man’s tanned mouth curved up in a wry smile below his blue-and-silver mask. “I may be a working Ascendant, a living, breathing superhero . . . but I’m no stunt-double. Those guys are tough. Besides, even if I did survive, the conflagration would’ve burned up my costume. I wouldn’t be able to show my face afterwards, for fear of being recognized!”