“I don’t mind you telling Caleb.” When Taryn’s awkward expression remained, Shaya narrowed her eyes. “That’s not the ‘problem’ you mentioned, is it?

“No. He called me just now and, well…Remember I said he complained we were leaving him out of everything? Well, he thought it was only him who we hadn’t bothered to tell about Nick finding you. So he sort of might have mentioned it to your parents, thinking they already knew.”

“What?”

“And they sort of might have demanded to know if he’s claimed you yet and when the mating ceremony is.”

“Taryn!”

“It’s not my fault. Blame Caleb.”

Running a hand over Shaya’s curls, Nick asked, “You didn’t want your parents to know you’re mated?”

“Not until after the ceremony, because then my mother couldn’t insist on going.” She grimaced.

Roni cocked her head. “Why wouldn’t you want her to go?”

“My mom isn’t like yours.”

Confused, Roni frowned. “In what way?”

“She’s evil,” supplied Taryn. “Her dad’s okay, though…albeit a little unbalanced.” Shaya couldn’t deny that.

Nick tightened his hold on his mate, rubbing her back. “She’s not coming to the mating ceremony.”

“I doubt she wants to,” said Shaya, “but she’ll go for the sake of appearances. In any case, my dad will want to be there, and he’ll force her to do her motherly duty and attend.”

“I don’t care what they want.” Nick leaned his forehead against hers. “If you don’t want them there, they don’t go—that’s it.”

“It’s not that I don’t want my dad there. It’s just that I know he won’t leave my mom behind.”

“Then they both stay behind.”

“I agree.” Taryn nodded. “Now I’m going to save my son from Yoda—he’s due to have a nap soon. If you guys are going to go upstairs again, try not to make too much noise, okay?”

“We’re not that loud,” maintained Shaya, blushing.

Taryn’s expression said, “Sure you’re not.” Aloud she said, “By the way, Nick, I have to say you’re good at the dirty talk—you could give Trey a run for his money. You know who else is good at it? Cam.”

Shaya gasped, shocked. Cam was a reasonably quiet mated Phoenix wolf with the cutest baby face. “Really?”

“Really.” Taryn shook her head in disbelief. “To look at him, I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him. I think Derren would be good at it too. What do you think?”

Before Shaya could answer that, Nick slapped a hand over her mouth. “Just in case you say something that could get Derren killed,” he explained to Shaya. He threw a warning look at a departing, laughing Taryn, who had clearly been baiting him. He looked into his mate’s amused eyes. “You have a very strange friend. I shouldn’t like her, but I find that I do.” When amusement fled from Shaya’s eyes and they became more like lasers, he dropped his hand and kissed her hard on the mouth. “Not the way I like you, baby. I told you, you never have to feel insecure about us.”

“Maybe you should reassure me a little. In the bedroom. Naked.”

A grin spread across Nick’s face. “I’ll reassure you anytime you want.”

When a soaking-wet Dominic appeared at Shaya’s side, fidgeting with a weird grimace on his face, she looked at him questioningly.

He wiped a hand over his brow. “Is it hot in here, or is it just you?” Naturally, Nick’s fist went flying at his jaw. Laughing, Dominic barely dodged it. He had to be suicidal.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

While the males loaded the vehicles early the next morning, Shaya pulled Taryn aside in the front yard and told her all about Nick’s cognitive functions degenerating. She’d wanted to do this since last night but hadn’t been able to get her alone while the house was so crowded.

“Jesus.” Wide-eyed¸ Taryn blew out a long breath. “Well, that sure explains a hell of a lot. And now I certainly no longer feel like strapping him to a bed and smashing his ankles with a sledgehammer like Kathy Bates in Misery.” She sighed, her expression sympathetic. “You want to know if I can heal him.”

“Yes. Amber’s powerful, but so are you.” Seeing reluctance on Taryn’s face, Shaya quickly added, “All I’m asking is that you try.”

Taryn dragged a hand through her hair. “It’s not that I don’t want to heal him—it’s that I’ll hate myself if it doesn’t work and I’ve let you down this badly.”

Shaya hugged her reassuringly. “I would never see it as you letting me down.” She pulled back and held her best friend’s gaze. “Not ever, I promise. Will you please try?”

Exhaling heavily, Taryn nodded. “Let’s get back home first. Then I’ll try, okay?”

“Thank you.” Seeing that Nick was approaching wearing an exasperated expression, Shaya smiled. Her wolf practically melted—she was so pathetic. Once he was up close, he pulled her against him. “You look totally pissed off.”

“Of course I’m pissed off.” He gestured to the vehicle behind him. “My motor home is full of a number of wolves, and I’ll have to deal with them for the next five hours.” Dominic, Greta, Kathy, Amber, Kent, Jesse, Bracken, and Zander had all decided they would prefer to travel in the luxury of the motor home rather than any of the other vehicles. “Thank God I’ll have you to keep me calm. You have to sit up front with me or I’ll lose it.”

“How did you cope with being an Alpha for so long when you don’t like having lots of people around you?” asked Taryn, genuinely flabbergasted.

“Like I told Shaya, I’d killed the pack’s old Alpha, and no one wanted the position. I did what was fair to them.” He looked at Shaya then. “And now that I’ve finally got free of that life, I have Derren doing his best to make me form a pack. Oh, don’t think I hadn’t noticed what he’s been doing by deferring to me and involving Jesse, Bracken, and Zander more.”

Shaya gently ran her nails down his chest, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a smile. “In Derren’s defense, those guys follow you like you’re a guiding light anyway.”

At Taryn’s chuckle, he growled. “I’m glad you find this so amusing.”