Most of this was Benny’s fault. The little bunny shifter was a cooking and baking machine. Dean was still stunned that bunny shifters existed, as well as wolves, snow leopards, and lions. He was pretty sure there were more types of shifters out there, but he didn’t ponder the idea. He was still getting used to the ones he knew about.

  When Trigger walked into the bedroom, Dean said, “Tell Benny to stop bringing over all those treats. My waistline is suffering.”

  Trigger chuckled. “I think you’ll offend him if you stop him. He’s a very sensitive guy.”

  Yeah, no, Dean didn’t really want the treats to stop coming, but he had to at least make a conscious attempt at verbalizing his irritation at the weight gain. After the baby. Definitely after the baby he’d work out until he was back in shape.

  Trigger stepped in behind him and ran his hand over Dean’s bare back. He did that from time to time, just staring at the scars that creature had given Dean. Dean was glad he couldn’t see them. He still had nightmares about the attack.

  “Any luck on finding them?” Dean shoved his shirt over his head, and Trigger grabbed the hem and worked it down Dean’s torso. He was getting used to the way Trigger pampered him. Admittedly, he liked it. A lot.

  “Nothing yet.” Trigger grabbed his jeans from the bed and slid them on over his boxer briefs. Dean loved watching Trigger get dressed, but he loved watching him get undressed even more. “Everyone is searching, not just us. But so far, those things have stayed pretty well hidden.”

  On the nights Trigger searched for them with his brothers, Dean always stayed up worrying. Those creatures were fast and lethal, and Dean still remembered how foul they’d smelled. That had nothing to do with how dangerous they were, but the gag-inducing odor seemed to be permanently etched in his brain. “We should call them what they are.”

  “What’s that?” Trigger pulled his tight T-shirt over his head, making Dean drool.

  “Vampires.” He felt silly saying the word. There were so many movies and books about them, though. Some people even pretended to live that kind of life, going to underground clubs that catered to their fetish about the undead.

  Dean had even seen romance books involving vampires, which he thought was utter nonsense. But with so much out there about vampires—and now that he knew shifters were real—he began to wonder if there was a grain of truth that they really did exist.

  “I don’t think that word fits them,” Trigger said.

  “It’s about as close as you can get.” He shoved his wallet into his back pocket and stuffed his phone into the front one. He’d destroyed the phone he’d come to Grizzly Ridge with so the FBI couldn’t track it. But Trigger had gotten him a new one, a smartphone, which Dean absolutely loved. He was hooked on a few games already.

  “My father used to call them etetö. Or something like that.” Trigger shook his head as he sat on the bed and pulled his hiking boots on. “I can’t really remember. He said it was Hungarian for ‘feeder.’”

  “Your father was Hungarian?”

  “My mother was. My father’s side migrated here from England a few hundred years ago. My mother could speak fluent Hungarian, but I’ve forgotten what little I learned.”

  Dean had no idea about his family tree. He’d never bothered to ask. His surname was Holiday, but that didn’t tell him much. It might have been the fact that he tried to distance himself so earnestly that he didn’t want to know.

  He could’ve called his mother and asked, but now that Dean was more than likely a wanted man, his family wouldn’t want anything to do with him. His father would probably try to find out where he was so he could turn Dean in.

  “Okay,” Trigger said as he grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone from the dresser. “I’m ready.”

  Dean looked Trigger up and down, forcing himself not to drool over how good he looked. His jeans hugged his hips, and his shirt stretched over his delicious muscles. He felt as though he needed a bib as he stared at Trigger. He wouldn’t mind stripping him back down and licking every inch of his impressive body.

  Unfortunately, his hunger won out, along with his need to be in civilization again. Being up in the mountains was fine, but he missed the hustle and bustle, even if it wasn’t a large amount considering Howling Cavern was a small town.

  Dean tore his gaze away from Trigger’s tempting body. “Then let’s go get some grub.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I got a theory,” Clint said as he stepped onto Trigger’s porch. It had been five weeks since Trigger had taken Dean out to brunch. Dean seemed happiest when they were doing things he considered “normal.” Trigger didn’t mind staying in the mountains 24/7, but he had to consider his mate’s wants now, too.

  “What’re you talking about?” he asked as Clint dropped into one of the white rocking chairs.

  “About those creatures. We wondered why they were suddenly popping up, and I think I know why.”

  In truth, Trigger had given it some thought, but not much. He’d been too busy glorying over how Dean’s stomach was swelling. They’d been taking a lot of trips together, most of them simply walking in the woods during daylight hours, or making a quick stop in Howling Cavern for ice cream.

  Until Dean’s stomach could no longer be hidden by large shirts. And besides, the days weren’t so hot anymore and the ice cream stand had shut down for the season. It was mid-September, and the temperatures were finally bearable during the day. “Hit me with your theory,” Trigger said.

  Trigger felt he gave sound advice. He must have because he was Clint’s go-to guy whenever his brother was confused or conflicted.

  “There was a lot of bloodshed over the summer. What if the scent of blood, or blood being spilled into the ground drew them out? For the past month everything has been quiet. There hasn’t been any bloodshed during that time, so we haven’t seen them.”

  It was an interesting theory and kinda made sense. If those things lived off blood, then what Clint had said was the best hypothesis they had. “So no more blood and those things’ll leave us alone?”

  “I didn’t say that.” Clint scratched his bearded jaw. “I’m just working off assumption. They might decide to stick around now that they know we’re here.”

  “But where have they been all this time?” Trigger asked. “We never saw them growing up, and I’ve never laid eyes on one in my thirty-one years. How have they been feeding?”

  Clint shrugged. “Dude, I don’t know. Maybe they have some sort of feeding cycle and we woke them with the killings.”

  “Then again, there’s over eight hundred square miles of mountains. They could’ve been feeding, just not in our neck of the woods.”

  Trigger looked toward the screen door when it opened. Dean and Elijah stepped outside. They had become inseparable over the past few weeks, and Trigger was glad Dean was acclimating to his new family. All three were close to their due dates. Trigger just hoped they didn’t go into labor at the same time.

  “We’re heading over to Benny’s,” Elijah said. “He made peach cobbler.”

  “Holler if you need me,” Trigger said as Dean and Elijah headed toward Wade’s house. When they were out of earshot, he turned to Clint. “So all we got to do is not shed any blood, right?”

  “Like I said,” Clint replied, “all this is just a theory. We don’t know shit about them, so I can’t promise they won’t be back.”

  “If it bleeds, you can kill it,” Trigger said. “That’s all I need to know.”

  “True. Valentino’s been keeping an eye out for reports of dead hikers and such. Nothing has spooked him since that night at the station, but he’s a bit jumpy now.”

  “What about that hiker on the road?” Trigger asked. “I forgot to ask about that.”

  “Valentino took the body into town and said he’d been attacked by bears.” Clint rubbed his jaw again. “But we can’t keep using that excuse or we’ll have a hunt on our hands. We already said the hiker, Blake, and Nolan died that way. Hell, I’m surprised no one has come looking for that posse that was killed, too.”

  Trigger was still waiting for that shoe to fall. So far it hadn’t, but their luck wouldn’t hold out much longer. He could only hope that since Blake had supposedly died from a bear attack, the townsfolk would assume the men who had formed a posse to come after Wade had found their demise in the mountains, as well.

  Then again, with over five hundred thousand acres of forest, anything could have happened to them—although the shifters knew the truth. Trigger was still pissed that he hadn’t found the people responsible for laying down those bear traps. He’d grabbed every trap he’d found and disposed of them, but if poachers had been responsible, they’d hauled ass out of there, because when Trigger went to investigate, he’d found no one in the woods.

  “Jesse is sending some of his men to Lazarus’s tonight. They’re gonna cover the north side of the mountains to see if they can find the cave those creatures are hiding in.” Clint got up and trotted down the steps. “Anything happens, I’ll let you know.”

  If Clint’s theory was right, and it was the only logical theory so far, then all they had to do was make sure no one else died, but with a vast forest surrounding them, and predators spread throughout it, that was wishful thinking.

  * * * *

  Dean had to admit he loved this new life. He wasn’t chasing down leads or writing reports, hitting dead end after dead end in pursuit of someone he and his ex-partner may or may not catch. He wasn’t going home to an empty apartment, to microwave dinners and his neighbors blaring their music to cover up their ear-piercing arguments.

  He didn’t lie in bed at night wishing he had someone significant in his life, then wishing he had time to spend with them because his job sucked up most of his existence.

  No, Dean was mowing the lawn—to Trigger’s loud protests—and cooking meat on the grill—in sandals, no less. He spent time with Clint and Dane’s son, wrestling around with King and loving every second of it.

  For the first time in his life, Dean was blissfully happy, even if he had gained a good twenty pounds and was waddling as he walked. Before he had begun to show, Trigger had taken him on dates to restaurants and the movies, and they’d done the grocery shopping together, as partners.

  He’d even become good friends with the mates. He babysat for Clint and Dane when they wanted some alone time, helped Noel juggle the twins when Bobby Ray hung out with his brothers, and spent a lot of time with Benny and Elijah, trying to eat his way through his pregnancy.

  Like now. He sat at the island in the middle of Wade and Benny’s white–and pale yellow kitchen taste-testing Benny’s bread pudding.

  “Well?” Benny asked, his hazel gaze bouncing between Dean and Elijah. “How does it taste?”

  It was Benny’s first attempt at making bread pudding, and damn if he hadn’t done an excellent job. It had always been one of Dean’s favorite desserts, and Benny’s was probably the best he’d ever tasted.

  Elijah gave him a sideways glance, and Dean caught the message loud and clear. Benny was just too easy to mess with, and why pass this opportunity up? “Kinda dry,” Dean said, forcing himself not to take another bite of the heavenly treat.

  Elijah made a gagging sound, as if swallowing the bread pudding was the last thing he wanted to do. He grabbed his glass of iced tea and drank a good portion of it.

  Faint lines formed between Benny’s platinum brows. “That bad?”

  Dean ran his hand through hair he’d let grow out. He was so used to a buzz cut that he sometimes forgot he had length now. His dark hair fell in waves, strands curling toward his face. The back touched his neck, tickling his skin at times. Trigger seemed to love Dean’s new look, so he hadn’t bothered to cut it.

  “Dude, you could spread this stuff around the woods as a deterrent against wild animals. Trust me, they wouldn’t come near our houses with it in their way.” Dean hid his grin with his glass of water.

  “I feel like I’ve just swallowed deer dung.” Elijah grimaced. “I don’t think I’ll get this taste out of my mouth anytime soon.”

  Benny snatched up his recipe and bounced from foot to foot as he scanned the card. “But I did everything to the letter,” he whined.

  Dean and Elijah glanced at each other, grinning like idiots. When Benny looked up, their smiles quickly fell into scowls.

  “Take my advice and burn that card,” Dean said. “You’d be doing the world a favor.”

  “Or feed this to our enemies. Worse torture ever,” Elijah said.

  Benny curled his hand over the edge of the counter and cried out, looking as though he was in pain. Dean held up his hands, never thinking Benny would take the news so badly. “Hey, we were just teasing you!”

  “Yeah.” Elijah nodded quickly, his head bouncing up and down as if on springs. “This has to be the best bread pudding I’ve ever tasted.” To prove his point, Elijah shoveled half the bowl in front of him into his mouth.

  Pain radiated across Benny’s face. He panted, swallowing repeatedly. “I-I think the baby is coming!”

  Dean’s fork clattered to the counter. He sat there slack-jawed as he stared at the little bunny shifter. A bomb could’ve struck the house and he would’ve been too stunned to move.

  Elijah wasn’t fairing any better. Judging by his expression, his brain had flown the coop. Bits of bread pudding were stuck to the side of his mouth, and his jaw was just as slack as Dean’s.

  “Don’t just sit there like mindless idiots, go get Wade!” Benny howled as his pale skin flushed red. “I want my mommy!”

  Dean and Elijah jumped up at the same time and ran right into each other. Elijah stumbled backward, and Dean reached out to stop him from hitting the counter, but only managed to knock the pan of bread pudding to the floor.

  Elijah winced when his back struck the edge of the counter. Dean spun, ready to race to the door, but slipped in the bread pudding. He crashed into the chairs, taking two of them down with him.

  “Oh my God!” Benny shouted. “I’m dealing with Laurel and Hardy. Get it together before I kick—” His threat was cut off by another piercing cry.

  Dean untangled himself from the chairs as Elijah gripped his side, tears in his eyes. Dean crawled away from the island before he attempted to get to his feet. With his left side covered in bread pudding, he raced to the door.

  He slung it open and shouted, “Wade!”

  No one was in the backyard. The seconds that ticked by felt like hours. The evening breeze cut across the deck, ruffling Dean’s hair. If he had to run for help, Benny was in trouble. Dean had gotten so big that the best he would’ve been able to achieve was a fast-paced waddle.

  Wade broke through the line of trees by the clearing at a gallop, Duane and Trigger close behind him. Dean moved out of the doorway before Wade bowled him over.

  “What’s wrong?” Trigger shouted before he reached the house.

  “Benny’s in labor,” Dean shouted back.

  Wade nearly stumbled. He paled as he hurried past Dean into the kitchen. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

  “Suck it up and get me upstairs, now!” Benny snapped.

  Wow. Dean had never seen the little bunny shifter so aggressive before. It would have been kind of funny, if he didn’t look as if he’d tear Wade a new asshole at any second.

  “I’ll go get Deloris,” Duane said, changing course and taking off.

  Trigger grabbed his phone and dialed. “Gather everyone. Benny’s gonna have the cub.”

  Dean had no idea who Trigger was talking to or why everyone had to be gathered. He was ready to hightail it out of there. Why did everyone have to be there?

  He grabbed Trigger’s hand, trying to pull him from the kitchen. “We need to go.”

  Trigger glanced at Dean, his gaze running the length of Dean’s left side. “Why are you covered in bread pudding?”

  “Saving some for later.” Dean tried again to pull Trigger away, but Trigger yanked his hand free.

  “We can’t leave.” Trigger placed his hand on the small of Dean’s back. “It’s tradition that the family be there for every birth.”

  Dean had avoided asking Trigger how men gave birth. It wasn’t a question he wanted answered, not until he had no other choice. He’d rather battle a hundred of those feeders than have the mystery of how men gave birth solved.

  “We have to watch?” Dean felt queasy. He gripped Trigger’s arm, turned, and grimaced as Wade carried Benny toward the stairs. “I’m not going up there.”

  Deloris rushed through the back door and ran toward the steps, looking harried, but grinning. “Out of my way! My grandbaby is coming!”

  Abe wasn’t too far behind her. He seemed winded as he stepped inside. He also wore a wide grin. “I’m gonna be a grandpa…again,” he said with a chuckle.

  Everyone had gone upstairs except for Trigger and Dean, who slapped at Trigger’s hands when his mate grabbed for him.

  “We can’t miss this,” Trigger insisted.

  “Watch me.” Dean tried to run for the door, but Trigger hauled him off his feet and started toward the steps. Dean was amazed Trigger could pick him up. He had to weigh a ton. Since growing larger, Dean had refused to step onto a scale, but he was pretty sure he weighed more than a grizzly bear.

  “Stop being a chicken,” Trigger teased as he climbed the steps. Doors branched off from the foyer upstairs, and Trigger headed to the bedroom where Benny was lying on a four-poster bed.

  As soon as they entered, Dean fought to get free. He didn’t want to be in here, not when Wade’s hands were stuffed inside Benny’s stomach like he was preparing a damn Thanksgiving turkey.

  “Settle down.” Trigger said. He wouldn’t let Dean go.

  “I’m gonna be sick.” Dean covered his mouth, feeling a bit green as Wade pulled a baby free.