Shadow of the Wolf(23)

Daniel, the next youngest, caught Zach's next candy and popped it in his  own mouth. "From what Gareth said you could use some help."

Zach shoved Daniel. "Hey! That was mine, asshole."

"You're the one who threw a perfectly good MandM." Daniel smirked.

Christopher finished dressing, still glaring at Gareth. "Remind me again why we need them?"

Zachary grinned. "Dude, one Beckett has problems, all the Becketts have  …   hello." Zachary stopped, his expression turning wicked, his eyes glued  to the doorway into the great room.

Christopher turned, knowing what Zachary was staring at with such  fascination. Lana stood in the doorway, looking startled and deliciously  rumpled. She was wearing one of his shirts. Thank the Gods it hung low  on her thighs or he'd be forced to pluck his brothers' eyeballs out.  "What are you doing out of bed?"

"A, I'm an adult, I can get out of bed in the middle of the night. B, I  was thirsty." She pointed a thumb at his brothers. "When did the rest of  the litter get here?"

Daniel's brows rose into his hair. "Litter?"

Christopher walked over to Lana, ignoring Gareth's chuckles, and pulled her into a light hold.

"Lana, I'd like you to meet my brothers." He pointed to Zachary, the  only one of the brothers with eyes that weren't gold. They were a soft  misty blue, and chock full of mischief. "Zachary Beckett, the youngest."

Zachary leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Pleased to meet you."

"Daniel, the next youngest."

Daniel merely nodded, but his serious gaze never left Lana's face.

Lana yawned. "Nice to meet you." She turned in Christopher's embrace. "You're out of milk."

He blinked. "Since when? I bought a quart yesterday morning."

"And this evening I finished it." She bit her lip. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'll send one of the boys out for more." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Anything else you need?"

"More milk?"                       
       
           



       

He smiled down at her. "I'll make sure you have some for breakfast. Go  on back to bed, you look exhausted." When she frowned, he decided to  play dirty. "Please, sweetheart. If you're going to help me figure out  how to deal with Cole, I need you well rested."

She made a cute little face before pulling out of his arms. He was gratified to see the reluctance.

"All right. But only because you asked so nicely." She smiled up at him.  "Good night, Chris." She peeked around him and waved languidly, tipping  her head back and yawning so wide he thought he could see straight to  her feet. "Good night, Beckett pups."

Gareth grinned, Zachary laughed outright, and Daniel just shook his head.

He kept an eye on her until he saw her start up the stairs, then turned  to face his brothers with a warning growl. "Paws off my mate, Zachary."

"Yeah, yeah." Zachary waved him off, his expression sobering. "She can't fight Cole, Chris."

"I know that. She seems to think otherwise."

"You're mate's a witch." Daniel was studying him, his expression revealing nothing.



Christopher tensed. He hadn't thought his brothers would have take issue  with that, but if they did, they'd have to get over it. "Yes, she is.  Is there a problem with that?"

Daniel smiled. "Not on my end."

"Not on mine, either." Zachary picked up another peanut MandM and tossed  it into the air, his face relaxing once more into its usual  devil-may-care expression.

Daniel caught it. "Does she know what we are?" He fended off Zachary's attempt to get the MandM

back.

Christopher grinned. "Yes. She does. She had more problems with the fact that I'm a wizard than she did with the wolf."

Daniel and Zachary stopped fighting over the MandM. "Seriously?" Zachary  let go of Daniel's fist and lightly punched Christopher in the  shoulder. "Congrats, bro!"

Daniel took advantage of Zachary's distraction to pop the candy into his mouth. "Congratulations."

Gareth stood up from where he'd been lounging against the patio table. "This calls for a celebration."

"No, it doesn't." Christopher got between his brothers and his kitchen.  "The last time you celebrated in my house my cleaning lady quit without  notice."

"Is it our fault she walked in while we were changing?" Zachary shrugged  and walked around Christopher into the kitchen, heading straight for  the fridge. For a man with the build of a runner he packed an awful lot  of food into his lean frame.

"You should have warned us that she was coming in that day." Daniel  shook his head. "We would have gotten back sooner and at least had our  pants on."

"Instead she got an eyeful of naked ass." Gareth sniggered. "In more ways than one."

Zach snarled at Gareth. "Dickhead. Three minutes sooner and she would  have gotten the shock of her life. Hey, you got any cheddar?"

Christopher groaned, watching both Daniel and Zachary empty his fridge,  his fears confirmed. If Daniel and Zachary were doing that, they had no  intention of leaving any time soon. "No, I don't."

"Damn it. It's my favorite, especially with grapes."

"Go buy some. Bring back milk while you're out."

Zachary grumbled, but pulled out his car keys.

"Beer run?" Daniel joined Zachary, heading towards the front door.

Zachary made a face. "Nah, wine for me."

The two headed out, leaving Christopher and Gareth alone in the kitchen. "Help me put this stuff away."

Gareth sighed and began repacking the fridge. "Think they'll be back by morning?"

Christopher just glared at his brother and put the grapes back in the crisper.



* * * *

She was still sleeping when he entered his bedroom that night. He  watched her, unable to stop himself from stroking her hair back from her  cheek. He loved it when she was sleeping; her face was so soft and  innocent that …  He frowned. She was cold, and pale. He leaned closer,  dread filling him.

She was barely breathing.



"Fuck." Hopping from the bed, he ran for the door. "Gareth! Annabelle!"

Doors slammed open, feet came running, and soon all of the Becketts,  plus Annabelle, were in his bedroom. When Zach and Daniel had returned  from their run he had no clue, but he was grateful that they were there.  He was doubly grateful that his brothers were dressed. "Something's  wrong with Lana."

Annabelle rushed to the bed. "Let me see." She placed her hand on her  granddaughter's cheek, pulling it back with a startled look. "She's cold  as ice!"                       
       
           



       

"We need to warm her." He picked Lana up. He tried to ignore the way her  breath was beginning to stutter in her chest. "Zach, start the water.  Daniel, get a warming charm on that blanket. Gareth, I need you to put  another protection spell on the room. Somehow Cole got through mine." He  had no doubt who had tried to harm his mate. But how had he done it?  He'd never laid a hand on her, so sympathetic magic, like he'd used with  the wolf hairs, wasn't an option!

Zach preceded him into the bathroom, muttering under his breath, so low  Christopher couldn't make out the words. He turned on the water and  began filling the tub once it was hot enough to suit Christopher.

Annabelle stood in the doorway and watched, worried. "We need to take the hex off of her."

Christopher turned and stared at her. "Hex?" Cole couldn't do hexes;  only warlocks did hexes. Cole was most definitely a wizard. Besides, a  hex most definitely required something of the victim's to bind the  magic.

Oh fuck. Her damn car was still out on the road. Cole could have pulled something from it.

And that meant he could do something to Lana whenever he wanted.

Fuck!

Annabelle nodded. "If that isn't a hex I don't know what one is."

"Damn." That also meant Cole had help; warlock help. "Is the tub full yet?"

Zach was mumbling under his breath, stirring the water with  …  bath oils?

"Zach?"

"Almost ready." He sat back and frowned, his face determined and vaguely  un-Zach-like. His little brother never looked this serious. "I need a  white candle."

Christopher opened his mouth to object but before he could, Annabelle turned. "Be right back."

"What do you need the white candle for?"

Zach looked back at the bath. "The uncrossing."

Christopher blinked. "Uncrossing." He shifted Lana's cool body in his arms. "Care to explain?"

Zach looked up at him. Something in his younger brother's eyes  …  scared  him. He'd never been scared of Zach before. Zach had less power than  almost any other wizard he knew, so little that he was barely a blip in  the Registry. So why did the expression on his little brother's face  bother him so much? "I need the white candle, Chris."