Page 15 of Cold Foot Croc (Wreck’s Mountains #3)

“You good?” Wreck asked.

Garret sat on the stairs of Raynah’s porch, staring at his clenched fists. The rage hadn’t ebbed.

“Garret?” Wreck tried again.

He swallowed down the growl in his chest, unclenched and clenched his fists again. Blood trickled from the stupid bite marks on his forearms.

Fuckin’ jackals. He would teach Maybe-Billy-Jack to fight better than those assholes.

“I’m fine.” His voice came out sounding like he’d swallowed glass though.

“I would’ve done the same thing, just so you know.” Wreck sat beside him on the stairs and looked out to the woods.

“I should’ve killed them all,” he gritted out.

“No, what you did was better.”

He gave Wreck a sideways glance to see if he was serious.

“You showed them you have control. You left scars on them as reminders. You fought them within an inch of their lives, but let them keep the lesson. You just told that entire Pack that if they ever come for that child, they will have to get through you. And if they did get through you, by some freaking miracle, then they would have to get through the rest of the Crew to get to Raynah, who is scary as hell on her own.” Wreck chuckled. “That was the first time I’ve seen her worked up. I bet she’s a monster when she Changes.”

Some of the fury ebbed inside of him as he thought about the heaviness that had emanated from her when she was locking eyes with those jackals. When she locked onto a target, she was hard to shake, and there was no fear. Harold had played with fire, and then burned alive with it. A strange sense of pride filled Garret’s chest just remembering the prehistoric rumble that had come from her when she’d figured out why those jackals were here.

“I should be in there,” Garret murmured.

“Nope. Those women are on it,” Kade said from where he and Cash were sitting on the porch furniture. “Like a well-oiled machine in there.”

Another sound of pain rang out, and Garret stood, unable to stay still. He slapped his head three times to keep himself from Changing again. He wanted to be here for Raynah.

“You’re doing good,” King rumbled from where he was leaned against the porch railing. The giant gorilla shifter looked back at where the Land Rover had disappeared with the Jackal Pack. “That one guy looked just like him. He must’ve been the Jackal’s twin or something. Psychos.”

“I mean, it wasn’t smart to come into this territory to witness the paperwork being served.”

“They better cancel that shit,” Garret growled.

“The blue dragon is already working on it,” Wreck assured him.

Garret inhaled deeply, looked up at the sky, and counted to five to steady his pulse.

“Whoa,” Wreck murmured. When Garret looked over at him, the Alpha of the Cold Foot Crew was frowning down at his phone.

“Is that who I think it is?” Kade asked, staring at his own phone. King and Reed were looking at their phones too.

“What?” Garret asked.

“We just got a text that says, ‘Crocodile.’” Wreck’s frown deepened, and he looked up at Garret. “It’s signed ‘Beaston.’”

Chills rippled up his arms at the name. Even when he’d been human, Garret had heard about the legend of Damon’s Mountains. Beaston was some kind of future-teller.

Crocodile? Why did he text the Crew that?

“Garret?” Sasha called from inside. The door flung open, and Sasha appeared. She wore the biggest grin he’d ever seen. “Raynah’s asking for you.”

He took the stairs three at a time and rushed through the door. “Where?” he asked.

“Loft,” Sasha said, following him toward the stairs. “She wanted to be by the nest. Her instincts are really big right now.”

He took those stairs three at a time too, and then froze at the top of the landing. The wooden partition had been moved to the side, and Raynah was leaning against the wall, propped up on a pillow just beside the big bedroom window. A big comforter was draped over her, and the room smelled like copper. Her cheeks were pale, and the smattering of freckles there were stark in contrast. She had makeup under her eyes, and her hair was a mess, and her eyes were full of emotion…and he’d never seen her more beautiful than she was right now, holding the little bundle in her arms. Timber and Katrina were kneeling on either side of her, and both looked overwhelmed with emotion. Timber had her hand over her mouth, and was staring at the little baby in Raynah’s arms.

“Is he okay?” he asked in a whisper.

Raynah shook her head, and tears streaked her cheeks as she looked down at the baby. “He’s a she.”

Garret frowned and approached slowly. “What?”

“It’s a girl,” Sasha murmured from beside him. “Raynah had a perfect little baby girl.”

But…what? He remembered her saying jackals only made baby boys. Right?

Timber and Katrina moved back, and he knelt beside Raynah and gently moved the blanket away from the baby’s cheek to see her better. Oh, she was beautiful. Just like her momma. She was just perfect. His eyes were rimming with moisture. He couldn’t help it. His heart felt too big for his chest right now.

“Oh,” Raynah squeaked out emotionally. “If you cry, I’m going to lose it.”

He slid his arm around her and pulled her tight against his shoulder, rested his cheek against Raynah’s head as he stared down at the little baby slow-blinking up at him.

My girls.

This right here made every single thing that had happened worth it.

He no longer cared what had made him, no longer cared who his Maker was, no longer cared about going back, no longer cared about missing his old life. If his old life hadn’t died, he wouldn’t be here, in this moment, with his animal promising to protect these two with his life.

A girl. A baby girl.

He sat up straighter as he remembered what had just happened outside. “She’s a crocodile.”

Raynah lifted her emotional gaze to his. “W-what?”

“The guys got a text from Beaston. He messaged the Crew. Do you know who Beaston is?”

“Wait, are you serious?” Katrina asked. “Who has their phone?”

“I have mine downstairs,” Sasha said, already heading for the stairs.

A few seconds later the words, “Holy shit,” echoed up the stairs. “She’s a crocodile. She’s a crocodile. She’s a motherfreaking crocodile!”

The excitement was catching, and the women were chattering happily. Raynah was just looking up at him with such vulnerability in her eyes.

“Those jackals couldn’t touch her if they tried,” he murmured.

Raynah closed her eyes, and her shoulders shook with her soft crying as she leaned her head against him and let him hug her up tight. He couldn’t imagine the emotions that were surging through her right now. He couldn’t imagine the relief. The baby that she’d lost in Cold Foot was a little girl, and a crocodile, and now Raynah would have the chance to teach, and raise, and love, and protect her little sister. She wouldn’t be reminded of the dad constantly, because this little girl was like Raynah, not the Jackal.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised her. “You’re both safe. You can just be happy.”

She sniffed, and her breath hitched in her throat as she eased back and settled the baby in his arms. He sat there on the ground, near the nest of sticks and leaves Raynah had built, holding this perfect creature that had come from something so dark, with the woman he loved nestled against his ribs. She’d done so good. So fucking good. Strong woman. She’d been through hell to get to this moment, and she was glowing.

Sasha brought the rest of the guys up the stairs, and they took turns meeting the baby, peeking past her little blanket, saying their greetings, and then backing off to sit in a loose half-circle around them.

And he got it. He got it. Garret could see the draw of Crews. They were a makeshift family. It didn’t matter if they fought and bickered from time to time. All that mattered was that when push came to shove, they had each other’s backs. None of them would’ve let those jackals near Raynah and the baby. All that mattered were moments like these.

The Cold Foot Crew had a new gem. They had a new treasure to protect.

They had another Cold Foot Croc, and Garret could just see her future, with an amazing mother in Raynah, and aunties and uncles who would guide her and spoil her and protect her.

And she would have Garret.

He didn’t care that she wasn’t his child by blood.

She was the child of his heart.