“He needs to be trained. Those kind of powers, if left un-checked…”

Could kill him. He didn’t finish the sentence because Aimee knew that as well as he did. An Aristos required a tutor, especially the males. While a female could adapt better and learn to control those powers on her own, a male couldn’t. It was what had saved her, but she couldn’t train Kyle without exposing them both. “What should we do?”

“I was hoping you’d have some ideas.”

“Not really. I don’t even know of an Aristos.” That wasn’t entirely true, but she wasn’t about to share that with Alain. “They’re too rare.”

He nodded. “I know… think about it. Let me know if you come up with something. I don’t want to leave him alone in this.”

Neither did she. Kyle would be as scared by his powers as she was by hers. “You want me to talk to him?”

“I hate to dump it on you, but you’re the one he’s closest to. He might open up to you. At least more than he ever would me.”

Aimee smiled at him. He was right. Kyle kept his brothers in the dark, but for some reason he saw her as another mother. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. See if he knows what’s happening to him.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re the best.”

She snorted. “Go ahead, Etienne, and tell me I’m the best sister you have.” Etienne was another of her brothers who was a scoundrel and a charmer. He was forever telling whatever lie he needed to get his way.

Alain laughed again at her insult. “He’s such a shit, isn’t he?”

“Yes, yes he is. And speaking of excrement, have we heard anything more from the wolves and their threats?”

“You mean Eli’s group?”

She nodded.

“Not a word. I think Dev put the fear of Zeus into them when he refused to back down.”

“That I doubt. They’re pretty stupid.”

“Yeah, but even Eli has a smidgeon of self-preservation. He should know by now to leave us alone.”

She hoped that was true, but doubted it too. Eli was such a narcissist that the idea of someone actually besting him just didn’t seem to be in his scope of reality. “I wouldn’t be so sure. They don’t call it blind hatred without a reason. I think he’s at the point with us that he will cross any boundary regardless of consequence.”

He narrowed his gaze on her. “You have one of your precogs, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but I can’t put a finger on it exactly. I just know he’s going to do something we’re not expecting. I only wish I knew exactly what and when.”

“Then I’ll spread the word for everyone to keep their eyes peeled.”

“Thanks.”

Vane sat off to the side of camp in human form while he listened to the idle conversations around him. Half the pack was in human form while the others were wolves.

Many of the men were restless. There was a disturbing scent in the air. One that denoted trouble, but no one could get a handle on it. Not even he was sure what was causing it.

But he was as edgy as the rest of them. One wrong word or action and he was just as likely to take a life as a Daimon. More so, in fact.

And maybe that was the source of his unease. Ever since he and Fang had helped Acheron and Talon, he’d had a sense of foreboding that he couldn’t shake.

Fang walked up to him and offered him a cold beer. “You want to go patrolling and see if we can find out what’s going on?”

Vane popped the lid and tilted his head so that he could see around Fang’s body where Stefan and the others were gathering. He shook his head.

If he went out with Stefan in the mood he was in, one of them would end up dead.

“Whatever it is, it’s coming this way. I think we should hang close to the women.”

Fang laughed at that. “I love the way you think, adelphos. Hanging close to women is what I do best.”

He smiled at Fang’s words. “Yeah, but I haven’t seen you doing that lately.”

Fang glanced over to Petra who was sitting in wolf form with several other wolfswans. “I’ve been preoccupied.”

“With what?”

“Stuff.”

Vane didn’t press him. His brother, for all his never-ending stream of sarcasm and live-for-the-moment arrogance, could be extremely moody sometimes. Even secretive.

It was a space and freedom that Vane willingly gave him.

“Vane!”

Vane choked on the beer as he heard his sister’s frantic, scared voice in his head.

“What?” he sent back silently.

“The pups are coming. I need you.”

“Did you hear that?” he asked Fang.

“I’m on it.”

His beer forgotten, Vane shot to his feet and ran for her. He found her to the side of the camp, near a small outlet of water where she must have gone to get something to drink.

“I’ve got you, babe,” he said gently as he knelt down by her side to help her.

She licked his chin, then whined as more labor pain hit her.

Fang joined them a few seconds later with blankets. “Should I get Markus?”

Vane shook his head. “We can handle it.”

As he reached to pet Anya, his cell phone rang. Vane started not to answer it, but the ID showed Acheron, who wouldn’t be calling unless it was important. Pissed at the timing, he flipped it open. “I’m busy, Dark-Hunter. This isn’t a good-”

“I know, but there’s a massive number of Daimons converging around Miller’s Well. They’re coming for your pack, Vane.”

Vane went cold at the news as he looked to Fang to see if his brother had heard the words as clearly as he had. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Looks like they want a supercharge before the Mardi Gras festivities with us so you guys have got to get out of there. Pronto.”

How he wished it were that simple. “Anya’s in labor. We can’t move her. But I’ll make sure the others get out.”

“All right,” Ash said. “Sit tight and I’ll have some reinforcements to you ASAP.”

The implication insulted every animal part of Vane. “I don’t need your help, Dark-Hunter. We can take care of our own.”

“Yeah, just the same, we’ll be there shortly.”

The phone went dead.

Snarling, Vane returned the phone to his pocket. He met his brother’s stony gaze. “Get the others mobilized.”

Fang nodded, then ran off to spread the word.

Acheron Parthenopaeus, leader of the Dark-Hunters and an immortal Atlantean god under a massive crisis situation, not the least of which was his own brother trying to kill him, cursed as he hung up the phone. This was not good and it was getting worse by the heartbeat. If the Daimons got a hold of those pregnant wolves and augmented their powers, there would be no stopping them and the streets of New Orleans would run red from the blood of its human occupants.

He walked quickly down Bourbon Street toward Canal, which was where his Dark-Hunter was supposed to be patrolling for Daimons out to munch on human souls.

There was no sign of him.

And where the hell was Talon?

The Celt was supposed to be in his swamp, guarding the human, Sunshine Runningwolf, and instead there had been no sign of him when Ash had gone there.

Closing his eyes, Ash sensed the Celt was fine. But he didn’t have time to fetch him away from the woman he was protecting. The Daimons were moving fast and he didn’t have long before they’d reach Vane and his family.

Then it would rain rainbows and rose petals on them…

Not.

He flipped his phone open and called Valerius who was still at home. The ancient Roman general was a major pain in his ass on his best day, but in a crisis, there were few better fighters. “Val, I’m on Bourbon-”

“I will not venture down that street of crass iniquities and plebeian horror, Acheron. It is the cesspit of humanity. Don’t even ask it.”

Ash rolled his eyes at the Roman’s arrogant tone. “I need you in the swamp.”

Silence answered him. He could just imagine Val at home with his lip curled in repugnance. Not that the general hadn’t been in worse places back in the day when he’d commanded a Roman army. He was just cranky in his old age.