Spike lifted a hand and gave Liam a weak thumb’s-up gesture. “A cub coming in is way more important than me. I’ve only been shot.”

Dylan picked out another piece with tweezers and dropped it with a tink into a glass bowl. “I’ll catch up. He took most of the blast. If we save the pieces, we can fill up another couple cartridges.”

“No thanks,” Liam said. “Spike, boy-o, when you’re feeling better, come on down and say hello to the next Morrissey.”

“Go away,” Spike said, his voice too weak. “You’re hard to take when you’re chipper.” He held up his hand. “Tell Andrea the Goddess go with her and her cub. She’s strong, Liam, and a healer. She’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Liam looked somber a moment. “The Goddess go with you too. You’re in good hands.”

“Ouch!” Spike jumped as Dylan dug deep. “Right. Sure.”

Ellison leveraged himself up, he too sporting plenty of bruises plus claw and bite marks. He leaned down and hugged Ella, who looked exhausted, then came to Myka and did the same.

“He’ll be fine,” Ellison said quietly to Myka as he held her. “He has you. The mate bond is an amazing thing.”

“Ellison,” Spike said, his voice holding the edge of a growl. “Get away from my mate, or I come off this table.”

Ellison laughed, gave Myka a final squeeze, and let her go. “You’re so screwed,” he said to Spike. “No more mateless nights, no more bachelor days. See ya, Spike. I’m going to go guard a lady having a cub.”

Myka stepped back so Ellison could go by, following the exuberant Connor, who paused long enough to give Myka a breath-stealing hug. “Guarding her?” Myka asked Kim.

Kim bounced Katriona, who was trying to eat her own fist. “It’s a Shifter thing. Friends and family gather while the mother has the cub. I guess in the old days, Shifters had to guard the females against predators while they gave birth.”

Made sense. Or would if Myka weren’t so worried about Spike.

Connor had assured Myka as they’d driven back to town that Andrea, Sean’s mate, had healing powers that would close up Spike so fast it would be like he’d never been opened. But now all seemed to think Spike would be fine without her.

Liam squeezed Myka’s shoulder. “Keep an eye on him, eh?”

“Are you sure he doesn’t need a hospital?”

Spike growled. “I hate hospitals.”

“So do I,” Myka said. She thought back to Jillian dying, the machines beeping. She didn’t want to see that again. And Dylan was right—they didn’t need to deal with the human police on top of everything else.

Liam squeezed Myka’s shoulder again as Kim said her good-byes and breezed out. “He just needs you,” Liam said softly. “The touch of a mate. Good night, kids.”

He caught up to Kim on the porch, slid his arm around her waist, and kissed her lips before leading her down to the street.

The touch of a mate.

He has you. The mate bond is an amazing thing.

The room went quiet, except for the clink of shot into the bowl, and Spike’s grunts of pain. Ella stood up and walked to her grandson, and Myka took her place next to Jordan on the sofa.

“Spike, I’m sorry,” Ella said. “I couldn’t protect him.”

Spike turned his head and reached out a hand to Ella. Ella took it and clasped it to her chest.

“Hey, that was Ronan’s job,” Spike said. “And Nate’s, the ass**le. At one time I counted him my friend.”

“Nate’s dead,” Ella said. “Liam . . .”

Spike closed his eyes briefly then opened them again. “The Goddess go with him. Sean wasn’t there.”

Dylan answered curtly. “The woman Hannah is guarding him until Sean can come.”

Spike relaxed. “Thank the Goddess.”

“What does that mean?” Myka asked from the sofa.

“Means Sean will be able to stick the Sword of the Guardian into him,” Spike said. “Releasing his soul instead of letting it stay bound to the flesh. Nate did the unforgivable, but I wouldn’t wish that on him.”

Nate had died tonight, and Andrea had gone into labor. Death and life continued its cycle.

Spike swallowed. “Course I thought I’d wake up to see the end of that sword coming at me.”

“No, son,” Dylan said. “You’ll hurt a little bit, but you’ll be fine.”

“What happens to Gavan?” Myka asked.

They’d put Gavan and his three thoroughly beaten thugs back into Gavan’s pickup, then Dylan had driven them off somewhere, after loading his motorcycle into the back as well. Ellison and Liam had retrieved the other motorcycles, fitting Spike, his bike, Connor, and Myka into the white pickup. Ellison had driven the pickup back to Shiftertown, Myka squashed between the injured Shifters and holding Jordan, while Liam had followed on Ellison’s motorcycle.

Now Dylan said, “Gavan didn’t make it. He’s waiting with Nate to go to the Summerland.”

“Oh,” Myka said. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know whether he’d died of the wounds Spike had given him or whether Dylan had helped things along.

Dylan continued, “I laid out Gavan’s boys in his front yard for anyone passing to see. Liam and I and their Shiftertown leader will deal with them. They’ll find themselves so low in the hierarchy that they’ll have to climb a ladder to kiss anyone’s ass.”

“That’s it?” Myka asked. “They did help kidnap Jordan—and me—and tried to kill Spike and Connor.”

“Trust me, lass, in the Shifter world, it’s living death to be taken down the chain,” Dylan said. “No one will trust them, no one will help them. They’ll spend years upon years making amends for what they’ve done this night.”

“Gavan’s name will be cursed,” Spike said, sounding satisfied, if weak. “I hope he enjoys his corner of hell with Fergus.”

Dylan clinked a final ball into the bowl then put down the tweezers and swabbed Spike’s chest with antiseptic. “That’s it,” he said to Myka. “Keep him warm, keep him clean, and he’ll be fine. Now I have a grandson to help bring in.”

For the first time since Myka had met him, Dylan looked lighthearted. He didn’t quite smile, but the corners of his lips definitely twitched.