“Poor Paul, to have to put up with all those people loving you and taking care of you,” Skyler teased. “It makes me so sad for you.”

Paul scowled at her. “All right, I give up.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m getting no sympathy from this crowd.”

“We could compare scars,” Josef offered. “That might make you feel better. I’ve only got a couple.” He sounded disappointed.

“Naw. Skyler would win that round,” Paul said. “They riddled her with bullets. They only winged me six times.”

Skyler shuddered. “Don’t say ‘riddled.’ You both are a little out there, you know that? Who wants to get shot and compare scars?”

Josef’s eyebrows shot up. “You know, woman, you just don’t get it. Number one reason—chicks. Chicks love guys with heroic scars.”

Paul nodded in agreement. “Totally.”

Skyler shook her head. “The two of you are sad, sad, sad. You shouldn’t need gimmicks to get girls.”

“Are you kidding, Skyler?” Paul said. “We use whatever we can. Look at Dimitri. He suffered death by silver, valiantly staying alive, and did it work for him? In the end, he got the girl.”

Laughter bubbled over. “He already had the girl. He didn’t need to get hung on hooks with silver winding through his body just to impress me. I was already impressed. And that should teach you both something.”

Josef and Paul looked at one another. “That you’re easy?” Josef asked.

Skyler smacked him on the back of his head. “Those bullets are nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you.”

“Simmer down, little sister,” Josef said. “And spill your secret, because you have one and we want to know all about it.”

Skyler tried her most innocent face, widening her eyes and looking very sober. “Whatever are you talking about?”

“Whatever is the word,” Paul said. “I knew it. You’re hiding something. You’ve been going off with Ivory and Razvan for hours the past couple of nights.”

“He is my birth father. I’m getting to know him,” Skyler defended.

“In those fancy hunting clothes of yours?” Josef asked.

“You’ve been spying,” Skyler accused.

“Trying to spy,” Paul corrected without even a small hint of remorse. “Seriously, those two were on us in a second, and even Dimitri looked intimidating when they sent us home.”

Skyler scowled. “Clearly, I have a lot to learn if all three of them knew you were following us and they caught you, sent you away and never even let on. I wasn’t even suspicious.” She glared at them. “But I should have been. You two are awful.”

“Awful good,” Paul quipped. “Come on, what’s the secret.”

“We’re getting our own pack,” Skyler said. “That is, if I can master the techniques and get the hunting part down. Dimitri has no problem, but I’m always messing up.”

Josef whistled. “Totally cool. A wolf pack. I always thought Ivory was the coolest of the cool, but now you’re just plain ice.”

Coming from Josef that was a huge compliment. Skyler laughed. “In the middle of this horrible stuff happening around and to us, I still feel I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I’ve got Dimitri, the two best friends ever and now Ivory and Razvan are giving us wolves to care for.”

“It’s a lifetime commitment, isn’t it?” Paul said. “Don’t the wolves have to be part of your family?”

Skyler nodded. “We have to be as committed and as devoted to them as they are to us.”

“I have to agree with Josef,” Paul said, “you’re just plain ice.”

Dimitri emerged out of thin air, startling all three of them. “Are you two gentlemen being good to my lady?”

“You mean, strangling me, putting me in head locks, and teasing me unmercifully? If so, then yes, they’re being ultra-good to me,” Skyler said, flinging herself into his arms. Just fitting her body against his made her feel sheltered and safe. “I missed you.”

Josef groaned. “Here it comes. She’d got that goofy face again. That’s our cue to leave.”

“Run like a rabbit now that Dimitri’s here.” She began to hum an old song Francesca always sang when Skyler was younger. “My boyfriend’s back . . . ”

“I’m retreating gracefully,” Josef said. “It’s the only gentlemanly thing to do when you’ve got that silly look.”

“I’ve got to agree with my bro,” Paul said. “You do look a little smitten.”

They each waved and began to trot back toward the village. Skyler let them get nearly to safety and then she retaliated by sending a gust of wind blowing a mini-tornado of leaves and debris around them. Twigs and moss covered both, even sticking on the spikes in Josef’s hair.

“You just had to show off, didn’t you?” Josef called. He spit moss out of his mouth.

“You are such a little believer in revenge,” Dimitri accused and turned her in his arms so that he could look down at her face. “A beautiful one, but I am beginning to think your ‘angel’ title might have to be changed.”

“Since you never actually called me angel,” Skyler said, “I’m not offended.”

“Let’s hope I never offend you,” Dimitri said. “Those who do, don’t fare very well.”

She smoothed the lines in his face with her finger. “Have you heard how Zev and Branislava are doing?”

“Fen, Tatijana and I have taken turns giving them blood. Zev, so far, is only responsive when Bronnie pushes him to accept the blood. He hasn’t really regained consciousness. Tatijana is worried about her sister. To hold him to us, she wove her spirit through his. Whatever his fate is, so is hers.”

“Why would she do that?” Skyler asked. “He’s a virtual stranger.”

Dimitri shrugged. “Healers heal anyway they can. All of us have gone too far at times to save someone—even strangers. Look at Ivory. She knew she shouldn’t save those wolf pups, but she couldn’t stop herself.”

He gathered Skyler up and took her into the air. She loved flying, by herself or with him, it didn’t matter. Just the wonder of moving across a night sky, whether clouds had gathered or the stars were out in force, didn’t matter. The feeling was the most amazing thing. The wind in her face, the butterflies in the stomach, and the view, was so different from the one below.