But really, Bowman reflected, Shifters loved any excuse to light fires, get drunk, dance around naked, and run off with one another into the darkness.

Not that he didn’t enjoy it himself. He sipped beer as he watched Kenzie laugh with her friends. Her female cousins and girlfriends surrounded her, chattering with her, excitedly touching her abdomen.

Every once in a while, Kenzie would shoot Bowman a glance, and then burst out laughing. Her girlfriends would giggle with her. They were making fun of him, he knew, and Bowman was fine with that.

The night deepened. It was cold, but bonfires glared heat, and Shifter frenzy was rising. Cristian was the calmest, as usual. Right now, he leaned against a tree, talking with Brigid.

The Fae woman was trying to find a way back into Faerie so she could get home. Cristian was setting things up for her to go to Austin, where there was a known and navigable gate. They had to proceed slowly if she was not to be stopped by the humans, but Brigid seemed to trust that Cristian would get her there in the end.

Graham and Reid had departed before the cops had shown up at the university, knowing Graham couldn’t be caught outside his state of residence. Bowman hadn’t been able to say good-bye, but a call to Eric let him express his gratitude for their help. Graham had apparently said, When Bowman needs someone to get him out of the deep shit he digs himself into, tell him to call me. Reid had not passed on a message, but he’d kept Turner’s Fae dirk.

Gil had been invited to the party tonight, at Kenzie’s insistence, and now he was talking with Dr. Pat, who was smiling, as usual. Bowman still wasn’t happy with Gil, though he had more sympathy now that he’d heard the man’s story. Eric had confirmed that the Fae had driven Gil’s people out of Faerie centuries ago, and most of them hadn’t been able to adapt to the human world. Gil had lost his family, his friends, everyone he’d cared about. The Fae had put him through hell, and he’d led a lonely existence since.

Ryan, on the other hand, showed no sign of being lonely. He was dancing with his friends, the cubs being goofy, waving their arms and jiggling their bodies, before bursting into riotous laughter. Bowman enjoyed watching his son, thinking of the new cub who would soon join them, their little family increasing.

“Hey, Bowman.” Kenzie’s dusky voice came out of the darkness. She sashayed up to him, laid both arms on his shoulders. “Want to dance?”

Jamie, who’d been talking with Cade next to him, said, “Watch it, Bowman. Fertile females can be dangerous stuff.”

Cade laughed, his rich voice surrounding them. “Like Bowman cares. I caught these two going at it in the hospital bed. Kenzie’s machine was beeping like crazy.”

“Bite me,” Bowman said softly. Cade laughed louder, clapped Jamie on the shoulder, and the pair of them moved off into the darkness.

Music floated from the speakers in the trees, the beat sultry. Kenzie loved to dance, and Bowman loved to watch her.

She lifted her arms, her dress clinging to her belly, which didn’t show much of anything yet. But Bowman knew his cub was there, could sense her tiny heartbeat.

Kenzie swayed against him, her body brushing his. He supported her in his arms while she leaned back in complete trust, moving her hips to the music.

I love you, Kenzie. My light. My life.

Kenzie smiled lazily, her eyes half closed. She hadn’t heard him, he knew. Their ability to communicate inside their heads had vanished when the danger had gone. Maybe the thought connection would return when they had to fight again.

Didn’t matter. The mate bond was true, twining them together. Always.

Kenzie trailed her hand through his short hair. “Anyone ever tell you that you were sexy, Bowman?” Her smile deepened. “Oh, wait, a lot of women have. That’s why you’re so conceited.”

“You love giving me backhanded compliments,” Bowman said. “That’s why you’re such a shit.”

Kenzie stuck her tongue out at him. Before he could follow up with an interesting response, she kissed him on the mouth, spun out of his arms, and grabbed his hand.

“Come on. I know somewhere we can be alone.”

“Home?” Bowman asked hopefully.

“Can’t go there yet. Not when we’re guests of honor. But if we slip away for a little while, they won’t blame us.”

Kenzie cast her gaze on Ryan, surrounded by his friends, carefully watched by Afina and other older females. Their son had taken being nearly drowned in a bog, captured by a madman, subjected to a cruel “experiment,” and helping fight a battle with a monster in his stride. He was very proud of his part in the adventure and hadn’t tired of telling the story yet, though his friends were starting to tease him about it. Ryan would be all right.

Kenzie took Bowman’s hand and led him, at a run, through the darkness.

“Where are we going?” Bowman asked as they climbed hills. Perfectly cured and whole, Kenzie ran on light feet, loosening her dress as she went.

“To the zip line,” Kenzie laughed. “We missed the zip line streaking last time.”

“What?” Bowman pulled her to a halt. Their breaths came fast, fogging in the cold night. “We won’t be alone there. Cade’s friends will already be lining up.”

“No they won’t.” Kenzie broke free of his hold and kept moving. “I told them they had to stay the hell away for a while.”

Bowman sprinted after her. His body grew hot, his frenzy rising, as Kenzie’s dress slipped off, leaving her in nothing but a patch of black silk panties, the ones he liked best.

She reached the top of the hill and climbed up to the zip line platform, loosening the straps that held the bar in place.

“Kenz.” Bowman caught her wrist. “You can’t go zip-lining. You might fall. You could hurt the cub.”

Kenzie gave him her sexiest, most smart-ass smile, her golden eyes gleaming. “Oh, I’m not riding the zip line naked. You are.”

Bowman stopped. “Say what? The hell I’m stripping down to ride that thing in the middle of February. A good way to chap every bit of skin on my body. Especially in the important places.”

“Aw.” Kenzie gave him a sly look. “Are you scared?”

“Gimme a break. Damn it, Kenz, you drive me crazy.”

“Good. My work here is done.” Still holding the bar, Kenzie rose on tiptoe and pressed a long, promising kiss to his mouth. She thrust the bar into his hands as she backed off. “Bet you I can make it to the bottom of that hill, on foot, before you can ride down.”