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Gwyn lay on her side, her head propped on her hand, as she stared at Torin. So many things had influenced his life, forging the man beside her and making him who he was today with her. Less than a year ago, he had been reckless, living every moment as if it were his last.

She twirled one of the long strands of his brown hair between her fingers. It was so silky smooth, in contrast to her coarse curls. From the moment he walked into the pub, the hawk-like features of his chiseled face captured her attention. His sculpted body certainly didn’t hurt either. A perfect tight butt and muscular legs definitely stirred something within her.

She feathered the back of her fingers across his cheekbones and down his nose, one corner of her mouth rising at the slight bump in the middle. He reminded her of a Roman patrician, both in bearing and appearance, rather than the son of a poor Irish farmer.

"You know that tickles," he mumbled.

"Payback. Deal with it." She laughed.

He rolled over, pinning her beneath him. "If I knew you were so vindictive, I would've tickled you sooner to get this kind of rise out of you." His fingers feathered over her most sensitive spots, making her squirm uncontrollably, tears of laughter streaming from her eyes.

"Seriously! Torin, stop! Please! I can't... I can't take it—anymore!' She panted between bouts of laughter.

"If you insist, but only since you asked so nicely." He dropped onto the bed and tucked her into the curve of his body.

"Can I ask a favor?" She looked at him with half-closed eyes.

"You can ask me for anything, mon ange."

"I need to go to town. I've outgrown my only pair of jeans. We also could run by my house and pack a bag for me and my sister."

With a frustrated groan, he scrubbed one hand over his face. “Shit, but I can't believe I forgot to tell you." He pulled his arm out from underneath her and grabbed for the leather pants he'd thrown on the floor before crawling into bed. He dug into the back pocket. "I'm afraid they didn't spare much at the house, but I found this." He handed her the photograph. "I'm sorry, Gwyn, but the werewolves destroyed everything else."

She sighed, one finger tracing the treasured faces of her mom and dad. "It was only a matter of time before they did." She stared at her mother's smiling face. "I miss them so much."

"I know, sweetheart." He smiled when she raised her sad gaze to his. He tucked a wild curl behind one ear and leaned toward her, feathering his lips over hers. "I would bring them back if I could—like my family. We must believe they are happy and with each other.”

He rolled off the bed, grabbing up his pants and slipping into them in one fluid motion. "If my lady wants to shop, then we will go shopping.”

She laughed. "You sound like a nursery rhyme." His deep chuckle relaxed some of the built-up tension squeezing her chest.

He leaned forward and placed his hand over her round abdomen, a soft smile playing across his lips. "I need to practice for our daughters."

She raised one eyebrow, knowing she carried a boy and a girl close to her heart. "What if she is a he?"

He shook his head. "We created two beautiful little girls. There is no way I could raise a boy. He would turn out just like me, which is not acceptable. He grabbed her legs and pulled her toward the edge of the bed. "Now, if you want to shop, we must leave now, or the stores will close before we get to town."

She pulled on her jeans, jumping up and down to get into them, leaving them unbuttoned, then squirmed into her shirt. She twisted her hair into a messy bun and grabbed her shoes as she ran from the room laughing. "Race you to the pickup!"

Two hours later, Gwyn smiled and hugged the bag to her chest, excited about the maternity clothes Torin bought her when a man's voice yelled her name. Turning, she caught sight of Michel's smiling face and waved, meeting him halfway down the sidewalk. She leaned forward and let him kiss each cheek, his hands on her shoulders.

"Where have you and Morgan been? I called the store every day this week to check on the huskies, but the man who answered wouldn't tell me anything."

Gwyn's eyes narrowed, and she threw Torin a quick scowl over her shoulder. The man had turned into a statue with his arms crossed menacingly over his chest. She turned back to Michel. "I'm sorry. Morgan and I took some time off."

She chuckled. “I know, I know. It’s something we never do We're forcing ourselves to relax, which is foreign to us. I swear, Morgan can't sit still for longer than ten minutes. Have you had a lot of requests for rescues?"

He shook his head. "No, and that's concerning. We had several calls daily for months, but now, not a one. I don't know what to make of it, do you?"

"Let's just hope and pray the animals are being loved by their owners and that we've cared for those who weren't." Gwyn ignored the low growl coming from behind her. "You'll have to forgive my very impatient escort. I'm afraid shopping is not his forte."

She leaned forward and kissed Michel's cheeks, stepping back as Torin's growl grew louder. "We should be back soon. I'll give you a call, d'accord ?

Michel chuckled. "Fine. I told both of you to take a few days off—you work too hard. Vacations are a wonderful thing." He gave her a quick wink. "Now, you'd better attend to that drool-worthy man behind you, or I might have to step in and see if I can do something for him myself." He wiggled his brows.

Gwyn laughed and shooed him away with a flip of her hand. "Oh, go on. This one's mine. Go find your own man."

"Good for you, girl!" His expression grew serious. "You deserve it, you know. Let him take care of you for a change."

She stared after him and realized she was relaxed and happy for the first time in quite a while.

“Well, I will admit that was…unexpected,” Torin mumbled beside her.

She chuckled, following Torin to another store just off the main square, and stopped in front of the large picture window. A small white bassinet sat inside with pretty lilac sheets on the mattress and an adorable baby blanket decorated with Celtic symbols on top. She glanced up, her breath painfully catching in her throat. Torin's eyes were narrowed as he stared into the store.

His harsh expression baffled her, and she didn't like how his jaws clenched the longer they stood there. He seemed fine just before Michel arrived, so she chalked it up to nerves. Wrapping her arm through his, she pulled him into the store and pushed aside her doubts as the baby things called to her.

The inside was huge and contained anything and everything for newborns and toddlers. The decorations inside were even better than the front window display. She couldn't decide where to turn first.

Running her fingers over the incredibly soft, pastel fleece blankets on a table beside her, she pulled Torin toward a circular rack, confident she could snap him out of whatever was bothering him.

She bypassed several clothes racks until she found the newborn to three-month outfits. Working her way through them, she oohed and ahhed as she slid one outfit after another to one side. She held up the last hanger.

"Oh, this is adorable..." She smiled, smoothing the purple gauze-tiered skirt. The blouson-styled top was dark purple velour with two tiny pearl buttons in the center. The capped sleeves were sewn from the same gauze material as the skirt.

"A bit impractical, don't you think?"

She studied the tiny dress. "Why? A girl should dress like a girl."

"Do we need to buy clothes now? We don't even know if the babies are boys, girls, or one of each." He stepped back, his glance touching on the merchandise surrounding them as if they were about to jump out and attack him.

In addition to the dress, which she still gripped in her hand, and pulled out a pair of jeans and a purple tee shirt. She glared at Torin. "There. One outfit for each sex. Happy now?"

Without waiting for him to speak, she headed toward the sales desk, but no one was behind the counter. Gwyn glanced around the store and, for the first time, realized it was empty. She stared into the open doorway at the back of the building, not liking the dark shadows that seemed to pour into the peaceful store. She shivered.

Torin moved to the far end of the large display window at the front of the store. He peered outside, then gave her a quick scowl. From his stern gaze, she second-guessed her earlier thoughts. Maybe he wasn't all right with her pregnancy? Perhaps she was wrong about everything?

Doubts filled her mind as her hands grippedthe side of a beautiful white Victorian-styled crib near the counter. She drew in deep, even breaths, trying to calm her rioting nerves. How stupid could she be? She mentally chastised herself. Evidently, very stupid.

If he didn't want anything to do with her or the babies, he should've said so when she told him and not waited. She glanced at him over her shoulder, deciding this would be the last time she asked him. "Are you really okay with all of this? Because you don't seem to be."

He continued to stare out into the empty cobblestone street and shrugged. "It will be different, that's for sure. I'm the only man in human form—with deposable thumbs and four fingers. My brothers have claws, which won't be ideal for changing diapers and whatever else is involved with a baby...babies. It will just take getting used to, is all."

Her lips trembled. "Different." She looked at her feet. "Having babies will be...different," she whispered. Her breath caught in her lungs, feeling like a heavy boulder pressed against her chest.

“Gwyn, that's not how I meant?—."

"My father used to tell me that a person's first response is usually the truth,” She interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to ignore the slight pain as the weight of her arms lay heavy on her tender breasts. "Go, do whatever has you chomping at the bit, Torin. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Gwyn—."

"I don't want to talk right now, so just leave. Please."

He swiped his hands across his handsome face. "Fine, but I'll be back to pick you up in an hour."

She shook her head. "No. You won't."

"Gwyn."

Ignoring his shocked look, she clamped down on her shattering heart. "I will go home…my home. Morgan and I will be all right, and Rhona can train us there." She pressed a hand against her swollen belly, the flutter of movement deep inside becoming more pronounced.

I know, sweeties, I'm upset too. But your father has to come to us willingly. I refuse to force anyone to take care of us. The babies' stress bothered her, but she had no idea how to fix this and needed time alone to figure it out.

She met Torin's amber gaze. "You need to decide what you want. I don't want a man who feels trapped. My sister and I were doing fine before you, and we will continue to do fine without you." She took another step back and bumped against the crib slats behind her. "Go back to the caves."

He stared at her a moment longer, his jaws clenching and unclenching. Without a word, he left the store, the jingling bell sounding like a death knoll.

The trembling in her legs worsened. Before she fell, Gwyn moved to a delicate, white rocking chair and sank onto the floral cushion with a quiet sob. He had seemed happy to find out he would be a father. What had happened between the caves and here?

Gently rubbing the small mound of her stomach, the back-and-forth motion of the chair calmed both her and the babies. "Maybe we're better off without him?" She hated the words the moment they left her mouth, and the babies’ increasing stress pounded in her head.

She forced herself to stand and gathered her inner strength like a cloak, wrapping it around her before shoving the doubts from her mind. "Sitting here wallowing in self-pity won't do us any good either, so how about we find a toilet and then head home?"

She ducked behind a large display case and wove her way through the store, amazed at the amount of furniture and stuff packed into the small space.

The back room was dark and ominous. After some searching, she found the light switch and flipped it up. The room flooded with a dull, yellow incandescence.

She blinked back tears and glanced around for the bathroom, frowning when she saw the 'office' sign hanging sideways and the office door torn off its hinges and thrown across the large, wooden desk inside. Behind a toppled pile of boxes, a puddle of red liquid pooled into the walkway.

It took her a moment to realize fingers were lying next to what she now knew was blood. She moved forward a couple of steps but jerked to an abrupt stop, her wide-eyed gaze landing on a severed arm.

Covering her mouth, she stifled the horrified scream gurgling in the back of her throat. She turned to run back into the front of the store when something hit her from behind.

Without thinking about anything other than protecting the babies, she curled into a ball and fell to the tiled floor, pain exploding in her head. Just before losing consciousness, she noticed a long arm with matted brown and black claws reaching for her.

* * *

Torin stomped down the street, uncaring that the few shoppers he came across turned around and ran the other way. What had just happened? His steps slowed as he reached the river.

Gripping the cool metal of the guardrail, he stared into the murky water, watching several islands of white bubbles float by. How had things turned so wrong so fast? Easy, he admitted to himself. The moment that man kissed Gwyn, Torin saw red. Literally.

He wanted nothing more than to smash in the man's handsome face and drag his woman back to the caves. It still didn’t make sense, though, because Michel was gay. He should feel relieved.

“So why was I so angry in that store?” he muttered to the river, his only answer was the churning of the dark green water beneath him. “I’m at peace about Gwyn and the babies.

The soft chug, chug of a small boat sailed by, pulling his gaze to the two people on board. The captain steered the sleek craft with one hand, his other arm wrapped protectively around a woman. Their hair was salt and pepper, and with his wolf's vision, he could see the lines on their faces. But they were smiling and staring into each other's eyes with such love.

He scrubbed his face and let out a loud puff of air, resting his forearms against the top rail. Leaning forward, his hands dangling over the river, he knew without a shadow of a doubt, he had just screwed up, but for the first time, he wasn’t confused about being a father. He wanted that more than anything, so why…

"Torin!"

"Torin!"

He turned his head toward the familiar voices and frowned, glancing around to see if anyone was still roaming the river's edge beside himself. Hurrying toward the two cowled figures standing in the alley, he grabbed their arms and pulled them deeper into the darkness.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing? Do you want to get caught? You both know the rules—never leave the caves?—."

"Shut up and listen!" Makari jerked his arm away and leaned closer. "Rhona was at the caves, waiting for you and Gwyn to return and had a vision. Gwyn is in trouble!” His black gaze glanced around before narrowing on him. “Where is she, Torin?"

"It was just a misunderstanding.” He shrugged. “I think. I left her in the baby store to shop and told her I would be back in an hour. Not that she'll actually listen to me," he muttered under his breath.

"What in the hell were you thinking? Fer-Diorich is after her, and you left her by herself?" Rafael asked in a low, deadly voice.

Torin's heart stopped as the full impact of Rafael's words sunk in. “Those weren’t our feelings but someone else’s being projected at us.”

“What are you talking about?” Rafael asked, his scowl deepening.

Torin groaned. “We were happy and fine before entering that baby store. I felt something, but before I could focus, I was suddenly overwhelmed with doubt about being a father. Gwyn became suspicious and told me to leave. I knew something wasn’t right…”

Without another word, he turned and ran through the maze of narrow alleys until he reached the back of the baby store. The large, metal door hung at an angle but was still attached by the bottom hinge. He stepped over it, and the metallic smell of blood hit him.

Rafael laid his heavy paw on Torin's shoulder, the tips of his claws slightly digging into the skin. "It's not her blood, Torin, but we are too late. Rhona didn't see her death, only her disappearance."

Torin shook his head as the reality of what he'd done sank in. This was his fault. "I was so wrapped up in jealousy and fear—fear of losing Gwyn like I lost my family—that I failed to protect her from the very thing I was worried about."

“Someone out there knows you well and your triggers. Gwyn is smart and will realize that. There's still a chance she got away and is hiding somewhere—safe," Makari said.

Torin prayed he was right. A noise came from the front of the store. The stench hit his nostrils, and he shifted his upper body in mid-air as a werewolf loped into the storeroom.

Clamping his jaws around the throat, Torin growled, biting down until he felt the fragile bones snap. He dropped the carcass and spit out the nasty taste coating his mouth. He pulled the silver dagger from his boot and plunged it into the werewolf's chest.

The next Ironclaw through the door was brighter than the first, but not by much. He circled Torin, not paying attention to Makari or Rafael as they moved behind him. The werewolf threw anything he could lift as he made his way to the back of the store.

Torin jumped over a pile of broken display tables and torn clothing, landing in front of the beast. He raised his claws, preparing to strike, but hesitated when a huge red-eyed, black werewolf walked into the room with Gwyn slung over his shoulder.

Gwyn? She didn't answer, and his fear spiked until he heard the faint sound of her sigh inside his head. Thank God she was still alive.

The black beast glared at him. "You won't succeed, Immortal," he said in a raspy, unused voice. "Like the clans before you, prepare to die." The werewolf stepped back into the store.

Before Torin could run after them, something heavy struck the side of his head and slammed him into the wall. What felt like a vice clamped around the back of his skull and repeatedly rammed it against the painted cinderblocks. Dizzy and fighting to stay conscious, he heard Makari and Rafael yell as they pulled the beast away from him.

His vision blurred as he tried to find something to use as a weapon. His fingers finally closed over a thin piece of metal. He inched it closer and forced himself onto his hands and knees; the metal gripped in his fist. He blinked, trying to focus on the wavering figures in front of him.

The werewolf stepped back, and Torin sliced the jagged side of his makeshift weapon across the tendons just above his heels. Torin fell forward from the force of his swing as the werewolf's screams pierced his ears.

Groggy from the hits and lack of clean air, Torin pulled himself up the wall and, with an iron will honed by centuries of battle, forced his rubbery legs to hold his weight as he stood, one paw resting on the wall. Using his uninjured leg, the werewolf growled and lunged, grabbing Torin by the waist and shoving him against the wall...again.

Torin kicked with the last of his strength, and the annoying beast dropped to his knees. He ignored its pathetic whimpers, grabbed the massive head, and twisted. The neck snapped with a loud crack, and he dropped the body to the ground.

Shifting, he staggered through the back door, grateful night had fallen, and the surrounding stores were closed for the day. He followed Gwyn's scent toward a small employee parking lot, where it disappeared.

Head pounding, Torin clenched his fists at his sides and stared at the darkening area as night fell. Rafael knelt on the ground, studying the tracks, as Makari jogged toward them.

"They left in an old Audi. I followed them but lost the vehicle when they turned onto the highway," Makari said, pulling his cloak tighter around him.

The icy sensation of fear moved through Torin's body. He ran through the parking area without a word, knowing his brothers would be right behind him. He jumped the fence and returned to his Jeep, barely waiting for the two Immortals to jump inside before speeding from the lot.

There was only one way he would find Gwyn before the festival. Morgan. And there was only one group of people he trusted to save her. His brothers.