Chapter eight
Lark and Kal rode with Mike back to the SWAT compound. After checking to make sure Kal was truly okay and that Roman hadn’t hurt him, she sat there half-turned in the seat, gazing at him while he talked a mile a minute, so relieved and happy to have their son home safe.
From the look on Mike’s face, he felt the same.
“You’re a lot bigger now than you were in the pictures Mom showed me,” Kal said.
Beside her, Mike slanted Lark a surprised look. “You showed him pictures?”
She only nodded before glancing at Kal. “That’s because your father is a werewolf now.”
Kal’s eyes went wide. “You are?! That’s awesome!”
Mike chuckled. “And all my teammates on SWAT are werewolves, too.”
“That’s so cool!” Kal said, practically bouncing on the seat. “Can I meet them?”
“That’s where we’re going now,” Mike said.
Kal fell silent as he gazed out the window. After a moment, he settled back in the seat again.
“Mom said we had to leave because your job is dangerous and that it was safer for you and us, but I’m glad we’re all back together now.”
Mike glanced at her again, surprise mixed with what looked like relief this time.
Like he’d been afraid she’d take Kal and disappear again the moment they got back to the SWAT compound.
Lark gave him a small smile, hoping to tell him without words that she wasn’t going to do that without actually having to say it in front of their son.
It must have been enough for Mike because he gave her a nod before flashing Kal a grin in the rearview mirror.
“Me too, bud,” he said.
Lark felt her heart do a little dance. Maybe it would be this easy to pick up where she and Mike had left off.
When they arrived at the SWAT compound a few minutes later, Kal eagerly hopped out of the SUV, looking around wide-eyed. He seemed particularly interested in what looked like some kind of obstacle course at the far end before following as Mike led them toward one of the buildings.
They were halfway there when an adorable pit bull mix ran up to greet them, a happy doggy grin on her face. Kal rushed over to greet the friendly pup, kneeling to ruffle her ears and lavish her with pets.
“This is Tuffie,” Mike said, crouching down beside Kal to caress her head. “She’s kind of our pack mascot. She spends days here at the compound with all of us, then a different member of the team takes a turn bringing her home with them.”
“That’s cool!” Kal said, then glanced at Mike. “We have a dog, too. His name is Nugget.” Kal looked at Lark over his shoulder. “You brought Nugget with you, right, Mom?”
Lark smiled and reached down to pet Tuffie. “Afraid not. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to find you, so Nugget’s staying with your grandma and grandpa. He’s going to be so excited to see you.”
“I’m excited to see him, too!” Kal grinned. “We can introduce him to Tuffie!”
Mike glanced at Lark, that same look she’d seen in his eyes before, the one that gave her hope they could become a family again and leave the past in the past.
“Come on,” Mike said, getting to his feet. “Let’s go meet everyone.”
Tuffie led the way, Kal running after her, while she and Mike followed.
“This is our training building,” Mike said as he held the door open for them.
They stepped into a huge open area with two couches and a coffee table, as well as several gigantic beanbag chairs and a big-screen TV.
There was also a beautiful Christmas tree in one corner, complete with colorful lights, garland, and ornaments.
Lark had been so focused on finding Kal that she hadn’t realized it was so close to the holidays.
Tuffie continued to take the lead, guiding them into a big room with lots of tables and chairs where Mike’s pack was waiting. Lark had already met most of them, but there were a few she hadn’t, and since Kal hadn’t met any of them, Mike made the introductions.
Her own pack’s scouts were there, too, and eagerly came over to clap Kal on the shoulder, relieved he was safe.
Violet and Jasper, however, were nowhere to be seen.
That worried Lark, but she tamped down her anxiety.
If something had happened to her sister and brother, someone from Mike’s pack would have told them.
Lark couldn’t help smiling as she realized Kal was gazing at Mike with that same wonder her son had on his face earlier.
Even though she’d told him about Mike and showed him photos, Kal had always been curious about his father.
Now, he’d finally gotten to meet the man he’d only heard stories about.
The fact that it’d happened after Mike had come charging in to rescue them meant Kal would definitely be hero-worshiping him for a while.
Maybe forever.
Lark didn’t blame him. Mike’s dramatic entrance into the alley today had been jaw-dropping, to say the least. When Mike had taken out those first two supernaturals and then come charging toward her and Kal with his fangs and claws extended, Lark had been stunned.
Even though she’d been raised in a werewolf pack, she’d never seen anyone do anything like that before.
Though she supposed Khaki’s earlier comment about partial shifting now made a lot more sense.
In her experience, werewolves either shifted into a wolf or they didn’t. What Mike could do was pretty awesome.
On the not-so-awesome side was the injuries Mike had sustained while rescuing them.
When she’d hurried over to envelope both Kal and Mike in her arms afterward, the scent of blood coming off him had terrified her.
For a moment, she’d vapor-locked, terrified she was about to lose Mike all over again after just getting him back.
But then she’d realized his wounds had already stopped bleeding.
She knew werewolves could handle a lot of damage, but if someone from her pack had been injured like that, they wouldn’t be up and moving around so easily.
Lark was beyond grateful right then that Mike was a different kind of werewolf.
As if feeling her gaze on him, Mike interrupted his conversation to glance her way, the smile he gave her lighting up the room.
And yeah, her heart, too.
Lark returned his smile before looking at Gage. “Thank you for everything you and your pack did for us today.”
“It’s the least we could do. We’re all relieved Kal is home safe,” Gage said. “Unfortunately, while we have three of Roman’s crew in custody, he got away.”
Mike frowned. “I wish I could say I’m surprised, but Roman’s always been slippery. We got Kal back safe, and that’s all that matters right now.”
Lark couldn’t agree more. She would have said as much when Violet and Jasper walked into the room with Khaki. Her two siblings looked thrilled and relieved to see her and Kal in one piece, both of them hurrying over to hug Kal, then her.
“This Roman guy isn’t going to try to kidnap me again, is he?” Kal asked, looking from her to Mike and back again.
Lark exchanged worried looks with Mike, who dropped to one knee and placed his hands on Kal’s shoulders.
“We aren’t going to let that happen,” he said. “Okay?”
Kal nodded.
“There are video games on the TV in the other room,” Mike said. “Why don’t you and your uncle go play some for a while?”
“Good idea,” Jasper said, giving Mike a nod over Kal’s head.
Kal thought about it, never taking his eyes off his father. “Do you have Minecraft?”
Mike grinned. “We do.”
That decided it for Kal. “Okay. Come on, Tuffie.”
Lark couldn’t help but smile as the dog obediently fell into step beside Kal and he and Jasper walked out of the room.
“I stopped by headquarters to see if they had an ID on the supernaturals we took into custody, and they did,” Khaki said when they were out of earshot.
Well, Kal’s, anyway. Jasper could still hear what they were saying, of course.
“Wayne has been put in charge of a task force to track down Roman, and he told me all three of the men have criminal records, mostly related to organized crime activities.”
“Any previous supernatural indicators in those records?” Xander asked curiously. “Something like that isn’t easy to hide.”
Khaki frowned. “Strangely enough, I couldn’t find a single thing to make anyone think any of them are supernaturals.
They’ve all been arrested multiple times.
No mention of unusual strength or aggression.
They appear to be common, everyday criminals.
Heck, one of them got arrested after getting thumped by an octogenarian with a cane he was trying to pickpocket.
Another got chased down by a cop who’s been retired for fifteen years.
Does that sound like the men we fought today? ”
“Maybe they weren’t always supernatural,” Mike said thoughtfully.
“You mean like us,” Gage said.
Mike nodded. “And like Roman. Unfortunately, we still don’t know what kind of supernaturals they are.”
“But we know someone who might,” Gage said. “Davina.”
Lark perked up at the name. “Davina DeMirci? The witch?”
There couldn’t be that many women named Davina who knew about supernatural creatures.
Mike looked at her in surprise. “You know Davina?”
Lark nodded. “She’s pretty much our eyes and ears in the supernatural world.”
“Huh. Ours, too.” Mike frowned. “Though I’m kind of surprised Davina never mentioned your pack. She has to know we’d be interested in knowing about another kind of werewolf.”
Lark shrugged. “Maybe she didn’t mention our pack for the same reason she never mentioned yours to us.
We aren’t a threat to each other.” She felt a smile tug at her lips.
“It’s not like she randomly spills every supernatural’s secret just because she can.
Davina is discreet with the information she gathers. ”
“You’re right about that,” Mike said dryly.
“In the meantime, what do we do about Roman?” Lark asked.
“Find him before he finds you and Kal,” Mike said firmly.
“You really think he’ll come after them again?” Violet asked worriedly, taking a protective step closer to Lark.
“I’d bet money on it,” Mike admitted. “Not only because he still wants that damn flash drive, but also because he’s pissed at us for embarrassing him today. If it wasn’t personal before, it sure as hell is now.”
That didn’t make Lark feel any better.
“There’s no way we’ll be able to secure the house our pack has been staying in,” Jasper said from the doorway. Beyond him, Lark could still hear Kal playing his video game. “Especially with Roman now knowing we’re here in Dallas.”
Her brother wasn’t wrong there.
“What about here at the compound?” Khaki suggested. “We have several beds on the second floor next door and a kitchenette, so you can cook. Plus, the fence will help with security.”
Mike made a face. “Those cots are tiny, uncomfortable, and squeak every time you move. Plus, there’s not enough of them to accommodate everyone. We need a bigger place. Somewhere we can control access as well as we can here.”
Mike and his pack mates discussed several possibilities, including their various homes, but none of them sounded like they’d work.
“Maybe we could rent a house,” Xander said. “There has to be someplace that specifically fits our needs.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Hale said, blue eyes thoughtful. “And I think I might have just the place in mind.”