Chapter 31

31

Tami

Six Months Later—Mackinac Island

I 'm wobbling through Mackinac Island on a hot summer day, heavily pregnant despite Kane and Gabriel's protests.

I need a break from the village; sometimes their overwhelming love gets to me. Skylar and Nia are like sisters, and I’ve grown to love them too. Nia’s a mother now, and Skylar is expecting our due dates just a month apart.

Wintermoon is my home. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. But today, I have something else in mind. I asked Kade to help make Angie a lottery winner. I know she and her kids are here somewhere, and I want to find her. But Gabriel and Kane are practically caging me in.

After about ten minutes of walking, I stop to rest my belly. Kane growls at me, clearly unhappy that I’m out here instead of relaxing on the sofa with my feet up .

“Can I carry you now?” Kane mumbles, and I shake my head. I’m really enjoying this treatment; they spoil me. He growls as I start walking again, and Gabriel quietly follows.

Gabriel is a wild card. He’s overly protective and never backs down from a fight. When he says he’s watching me, he means it. The moment I step away from the village, he’s right behind me. He doesn’t complain about where I go as long as he’s by my side.

We walk a bit longer until I pause in front of the diner next to the bakery where Leah works sometimes.

Kane looks ready to throw me over his shoulder if I keep this up, but then I spot Angie sitting by the window with her four kids, enjoying their vacation. I glance up at Kane and smile.

I adjust my purse and take slow steps across the street, heading for the diner.

Surprisingly, Gabriel stays behind, leaning against a trailer. He’s eating another bag of strawberries, something he seems to do a lot. Kane presses his palm against my lower back, escorting me into the diner.

The patrons fall quiet for a moment when they see Kane’s towering figure. Angie and her children look around and, when she catches a glimpse of me, she smiles and stands from her seat. I wobble over to her and Angie pulls me into a warm hug, then smooths her hand over my belly.

“Look at you,” Angie coos, “I knew you’d be wobbling pregnant if I ever saw you again.” She teases. I laugh. She places her hands on her hips, giving me a knowing look.

“Let me guess, my lottery ticket wasn’t a coincidence.” She says, and I give her a nervous laugh. She looks at Kane and smiles.

“You’re mated to one of the big ones. That means big babies.” Kane smiles and wraps an arm around my waist, keeping me close.

“I wanted you to have your dreams.” I tell her, and I see Leah walking by from the bakery, right on time. She enters the diner and approaches me, flashing a smile with her fangs. It catches Angie off guard. She’s never seen a real vampire before.

“What are you doing out of the village? I told you I had it handled.” Leah chides but kisses me on the cheek. She looks at Angie, who takes a nervous step back.

“Oh, there’s nothing to fear with me, Angie. I’m Leah. I run Wintermoon with my wife, Kade, who’s the sheriff of Wintermoon.” She holds out a folder for Angie to take.

“Tami told me you are an excellent cook. We could use more good chefs on the island, that is if you’re interested.” Angie stares at me in awe and slowly takes the folder from Leah.

“We pay room and board, and ensure your children get the best education. It’s a win-win.”

“Oh, my god,” Angie says, as if she can’t believe it.

“I can come visit sometimes.” I say, but Kane just growls at me. Angie looks at him with a smile.

“Tami, I don’t know how to thank you. And before, when I was rude to you about being fated to Wintermoon…” I shake my head at her. I try to move forward to pull her into another hug, but Kane stops me, pushing me back behind him. Something’s off. Even Leah’s acting weird suddenly. They’ve caught the scent of something.

“Would you mind taking that outside, please? My family and I are trying to enjoy a meal, and you’ve got this big shifter with his bitch, stinking up the diner!” a man growls. Oh no, a radical. Why do they keep coming here if they hate us so much ?

“Tami, say goodbye to Angie and go outside and stand with Gabriel.” Leah says. I start to argue, but when Kane growls again, I quickly run to Angie and pull her into a tight hug, my belly bumping against her.

“Here, take this. Kane gave it to me a while ago, but he insists on paying for everything. I have no use for the money,” I tell her, placing the cash in her hand. Angie looks at me with a loving smile.

“You saved me, Tami. I can’t thank you enough.” I shrug. I couldn’t save Tiffany. Kade told me after she rescued her, she went right back to the same crowd. So, all this for nothing. But at least I could help Angie.

“Get your kids and get out of here. Everything you need is in that folder to get the employment process started.” I tell her.

The angry man starts to shout at Leah while she does her best to try to calm him down. Angie quickly gathers her children, and they make their exit along with several other patrons who realize the situation has become hostile. I tug on Kane’s arm, trying to get him to leave.

“He called you a bitch. I’m not leaving until I deal with him.” Kane says, not looking at me. I run a hand through my hair, wondering if there’s any way I can get Kane to leave with me. I tug at him again, but he remains unmoving.

“Don’t antagonize a wolf shifter. You’re asking for trouble!” Leah warns the man, but he doesn’t listen. He stands and throws off his hat.

“You supernaturals think you can just take everything! This is our land; you belong in the shadows. This is human land!” he growls, getting in Leah’s face. She may look small and frail, but she’s far from it. Every supernatural on Wintermoon knows better.

“Tami, go outside, now!” she growls, and I huff, trying to tug Kane again before giving up. I storm out of the diner in frustration, wobbling over to Gabriel, who’s still leaning against the trailer, enjoying his bag of strawberries.

“It’s pointless for Leah to reason with them. Those radicals are stiff-necked idiots. They can’t see beyond their own beliefs,” Gabriel mutters, biting into a strawberry.

“Why do you eat so many strawberries all the time?” I ask him in a huff, folding my arms over my chest. I’m irritated. I could only speak to Angie for a few minutes. But she’ll be working on the island full-time soon, so I guess that means I get to see her more. She won’t be able to travel into Wintermoon since she’s not fated to anyone there.

Gabriel holds a strawberry out to me, and I take it.

“I have this theory that Fate has been preparing us for our fated mates all along. We thought she gave up on us when the curse was cast, but she never did. I’m attached to this fruit because it’s the scent my mate holds.” He says, then he touches the tip of my nose. “You, little princess, smell like fresh country apples. With a scent so strong like that, your bloodline must be from Kenya or Southwest Cameroon. My mate is most likely from South Africa or maybe even Egypt. With Fate, we’re always placed in situations we don’t understand until the time is right.” I nod and take a bite of the strawberry. Gabriel grabs my arm and stands upright, pulling me behind him.

“Incoming,” he says. Suddenly, the glass in the diner shatters and a man comes flying out, sliding across the cement toward us. Gabriel places his foot on the man’s shoulder, stopping him.

“When will you radicals learn?” Gabriel says, shaking his head. Leah runs out of the diner, clearly irritated as Kane steps through the broken window. I huff, frustrated because he’s making a scene .

“Don’t panic everyone, it’s just a minor disagreement!” Leah shouts at the crowd of humans taking photos and video footage. He walks past Leah with a smug smile, crossing the street while she puts a finger to her lips, wondering what to do next.

“Kade!” Leah shouts into the air. Kane steps over the man, screaming in pain as shards of glass pierce his skin. Kane walks around Gabriel, who’s guarding me and pulls me into his arms.

“Kane!” I chide him, but he ignores me, pulling me against his chest.

“He had it coming, Tami,” Gabriel says, defending Kane.

“He called you a bitch. He’s lucky to be alive.” Kane says, kissing my forehead.

“Well, will you three get off the island now?” Leah mutters, then she fans her hand over the large broken window. Hues of blue and gray sparkle over the window as the glass leaves the ground, returning to its place.

The man screams as the glass pieces fly out of his body and back into the window. The broken glass repairs itself, leaving only blood streaks from the man’s injuries. Leah pulls a cloth from her apron and cleans the window.

“See, all done! Nothing to worry about.” Leah says, and the crowd cheers at her display of magic. Kade suddenly teleports in front of us, leaving a black mystical cloud of smoke behind her. She grips the man by the collar of his shirt, lifting him effortlessly. He looks like a bodybuilder and is twice her size, yet she holds him as if he’s nothing.

“Radicals,” she mutters, shaking her head. “If I could ban them from the island, I would. But there’s a no discrimination clause.”

I cling to Kane while Gabriel snickers, biting into another strawberry. He’s clearly enjoying this .

“But I can ban you from the island. We don’t mistreat our women here.” Kade smiles, flashing her fangs at the man. He starts to kick and pull at her, trying to get away in fear.

“Fucking vampire! This is our land! You can’t just come here and take our land.” Kade laughs.

“That’s rich, coming from a lineage of colonizers. That’s what your people have been doing for centuries. You’re only reaping the benefits of that. Entitled humans.” Kade looks at me with a wink.

Leah places her hands on her hips, giving Kade a hard glare. She sighs and starts to carry the man off, still holding him by his collar, heading for the police station. Leah crosses the street and approaches us, and Gabriel immediately stands aside.

“I’m sorry, Tami. He should not have spoken to you that way.” I shrug. I’m not offended. I’ve been called worse things growing up in Detroit.

But it’s nice to know I have protection here. Kane smooths his hand over my belly, and our baby boy starts to kick from his touch. Already in the womb, Kane’s bonded with our baby. I can’t wait to see the two of them together, watching as Kane teaches our son how to be a man.

“Let’s go home.” I say, and Kane scoops me into his arms.

“No more walking. That’s enough for one day.” Kane mutters, then starts down the hill, carrying me back to the ferry. Gabriel matches his pace, walking with us.

I relax against Kane and just enjoy his embrace, feeling the safest I’ve ever felt.