We're going to be traveling for days.
With a bunch of kids crammed into a truck. There won't be enough room to stretch out, and there are only so many snacks you can cram down a child before they get full.
And Pip doesn't even have a carseat. Worse, even if we buy her one, there isn't room for it.
I gnaw at my lower lip. If we get into an accident, I'll never forgive myself for not having a car seat for the baby… but the idea of sending one of the kids in the car with Evan unsupervised makes me want to vomit. Or have a panic attack. Or both.
Evan's been… nice. Helpful. He hasn't complained once about suddenly being under the thumb of the Lycan King—but then again, why would he? It's putting his life on the line for nothing.
So, while he hasn't done anything outright to harm us, I just can't quite trust him. Not with my kids.
When I look up, Echo's staring out the window again, her body unnaturally still.
"What's wrong?" I ask, abandoning the pile of books I'm trying to cram into a closet. It's more like I was staring at them while thinking about seat arrangements, anyway.
Her cat-like eyes narrow as she points through the glass. "Is that the couple you had dinner with?"
I follow her gaze. "Yeah, that's them. Walter and Mabel. They were really sweet."
Echo doesn't look convinced. She studies their vehicle with unsettling intensity, then raises her phone and snaps a photo.
"What are you doing?" I ask, a cold feeling settling in my stomach.
"People aren't always what they seem, that's all." She tucks her phone away with a casual shrug, but it feels anything but casual. "Paranoia comes with the job, Violet."
I frown, unconvinced.
Sure, the couple was odd—Mabel's blessing over dinner had given me goosebumps, and they were both a little too friendly. But dangerous? They're just a pair of retirees who shared their barbecue and taught Finn to play Go Fish.
He's terrible at remembering the rules.
"They're harmless," I say, but doubt creeps in anyway.
Before I can pester her for more information, a loud, frantic bout of barking erupts outside, followed by the kids shouting.
Echo and I lock eyes for a split second before bolting for the door. I nearly trip on the small step as we rush outside.
Fenris stands with his massive body tense, teeth bared, hackles high, with a deep growl rumbling through the air.
Bailey, the golden retriever, barks back frantically, her body low to the ground in a strange mix of fear and defiance. Maddox holds Pip protectively against his chest while Lily tries to position herself between the two animals.
"Fenris, stop!" I call out, stepping toward him without thinking.
Asher materializes from somewhere behind the camper—he was on put-away-the-generator duty—and grabs Fenris by the scruff. The giant wolf doesn't retreat, but he stops advancing.
It's almost comical, if it weren't for the stressed-out children and the terrified dog.
"He says she smells wrong," the Lycan translates, his face impassive as he also stares down the poor dog.
Echo stands beside me, resting an arm against my shoulder. "Well, it's supposed to," she replies evenly. "You can't blame it for how it smells."
What a strange response.
Asher must think so, too, because he immediately glowers at her. "What do you mean?"
In his moment of distraction, Bailey breaks away from her standoff, zooms in a happy circle around all of us— is just some great game—and then bolts straight into the open camper door.
"No!" I cry out, but it's too late.
Finn doubles over, laughing so hard he can barely breathe. "She's—she's stealing our house!"
His older brother sighs. Maddox has a specific, Finn-said-something-stupid-again sigh. "How can she steal a house, Jeridiot? If anything, it's a home invasion."
Okay—I don't think this is the point to focus on, though…
Lily, the darling, is the only one of the kids to exhibit the proper reaction. She shrieks, taking off after the dog. "Come back, Bailey! You can't go in there! We're getting ready to leave!"
I press my fingers to my temples, feeling a headache bloom. These children have only one level of volume, and it's MAX. "I'll get her, Lily."
Echo sighs, removing her arm from my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure it's coming with you."
"What? No." I shake my head vehemently. "She's not our dog. We can't just steal people's dogs."
Asher's jaw tightens as he releases Fenris, who continues to stare daggers at the camper where Bailey disappeared before disappearing like he never existed. "Wolves and dogs don't mix," he grumbles. "I'll get the dog, Violet."
It isn't a surprising statement, coming from wolves. Domestic dogs never hang around pack territories for a reason. Bailey seems to have more courage than most—or less brain cells. I'm not sure which.
He heads into the camper with heavy steps, and I hope he doesn't scare Bailey too much. She strikes me as the kind of dog who might submissively pee when cornered by the Lycan King.
Finn, who apparently has superhuman hearing only when it comes to conversations he wants to join, perks up immediately.
"Then I'll get permission!" he shouts, and before anyone can stop him, he bolts toward Walter and Mabel's camper.
Maddox's face falls into his typical exasperated expression. "Finn, don't be an idiot! We can't just take their dog!"
My stomach drops as I watch Finn's small figure race across the campground. Wow. We're the strange family with a kid who wants to take other people's pets. "We have to stop him."
Before I can move, Echo's fingers wrap around my wrist with surprising strength. Her expression has changed, all the casual humor vanishing as she frowns after Finn. "Come on," she says, voice low and tense. "I have a bad feeling about this one."
Rowan appears at her side as if summoned, his silver-gray eyes scanning the campground. His face is grim, and I wonder where the hell he was until half a second ago. "Maybe Violet should stay back," he murmurs.
"No," Echo shakes her head, pulling me forward. "Just make sure the idiot Lycan doesn't follow."
I glance back at the camper, where Asher still hasn't appeared with Bailey. "Wait, let's grab their dog first—"
Finn's voice cuts through the air, shrill and panicked.
"Holy shit! What the fuc—Rowan!"
Echo and Rowan burst into a run a split second before I do, but they're halfway there before I've taken three strides.
Panic makes my legs feel like jelly and I'm cursing myself for letting a kid run so far ahead while simultaneously praying to the Goddess he's safe. "Finn! Are you okay?!"