“Rebecca was mated about six weeks before those brutes ‘accidentally’ got her pregnant. Don’t do that to me.”
“Noted.” Trace leaned down and kissed her lips. “How the hell did we get so lucky?”
•●•
Melinda’s eyes shot open. It was dark in the room—the middle of the night. Her mates breathed heavily at her sides, both of them with a hand over her belly. She was hot.
But the room was suddenly cool, and something had yanked her awake.
As she blinked in the darkness, adjusting to the lack of light, something caught her attention at the foot of the bed. She eased onto her elbows, her heart beating wildly.
Sure enough, they were not alone.
Neither mate moved as she took in the sight in front of her. Except for Sunday afternoon, she’d never been this close to a spirit.
She wasn’t afraid. Nothing about the cloud of darkness made her fear for her immediate safety. Like Sunday, the smoky substance seemed to organize and crowd in on itself as she watched, forming into a more solid shape. It wasn’t quite human though.
As she stared, the spirit took on a form that reminded her of a black bear on its hind legs.
The chill in the room grew more prominent as she watched the shimmering form inch closer. A shiver raced down her spine. If she wasn’t as knowledgeable, she would swear it looked right at her. Or perhaps into her.
Moments passed. She had no idea how long. Her mouth was dry. She couldn’t bring herself to speak. And besides, what would she say? She knew of no one who’d ever conversed with a spirit.
With the same slow process it had coalesced in the first place, it eventually spread out once again until she could see right through the gray smoke. It became thinner and thinner until she blinked and it was no more. A brief flicker in the room told her it was gone, the temperature rising to warm the goose bumps that had formed on her arms.
“Fuck me.”
Melinda jerked her gaze to find Keegan’s eyes wide open, staring into the space where the spirit had been.
“No shit,” Trace said on her other side. He pulled himself up to sitting as she shifted her attention to him.
She’d had no idea either mate had awoken.
Trace ran a hand through his hair. “What the hell was that?”
Keegan sat upright also. “I’d say that was a swift kick in my ass to inform me not to doubt anything our sweet mate ever says again.”
Melinda smiled and leaned into Keegan’s chest. “I don’t think the spirits much care about your personal beliefs, sweetheart. But I’m certainly glad I don’t have to spend the day trying to convince you that happened.”
“What did it mean?” Trace asked.
“No idea. But we need to be diligent.”
“I thought you said these black smoky spirits liked to hang out at the mountain peaks?” Keegan wrapped an arm around Melinda. His chest was warm, but his hand was freezing.
She dodged his fingers at the side of her breast. “That’s always been the case in the past, until Sunday when I met up with one halfway to the top on our run.”
“Was it the same one?” Trace asked.
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I saw the same thing you did.”
Keegan chuckled. “They all look alike?”
“Ha ha.” She twisted her head up to face him. “I think I for sure better make a stop by your construction site tomorrow before I go to my shop.”
“Yeah.” He eased back onto the mattress, taking her with him. “I’m just worried about what you’ll discover. Seems like you can bring more revelations to that site in a few minutes than all my inspecting has unearthed in months.”
“Careful,” Trace said as he lay back down also, setting his hand on her belly. “She’ll put you out of a job in no time.”
Melinda giggled. “Hardly think so. It’s not like we can announce to all the men working on the foundation—half of whom aren’t even lupine—that they need to be aware of black cloudy spirits coming to warn them of imminent danger.”
“What do we do?” Keegan asked.
“All I can do is keep my mind open, pay attention to the signs, and let you know what I feel. You, in turn, have no option but to find a way to heed my advice in a convincing way that won’t send people running from you to hire an exorcist.”
“Great.” Keegan kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to his side. “I’ll never get back to sleep now.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Melinda followed Keegan to the casino site first thing in the morning. It was early. Most of the men hadn’t arrived yet. They’d done so intentionally.
As she shut her car door and rounded the hood to catch up, Keegan stopped moving in front of her.