Free My Guardian (Bewitched and Bewildered Book 6) by Alanea Alder Page B

had to walk, but this way, no one was accidentally falling over.
    "I'm so sorry you have to walk with me Eva," the young pregnant woman huffed.
    Eva wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't you worry about me one bit. In fact, I like this slower pace, it's really relaxing."
    Josie ducked her face, smiling. "And you get to avoid Stefan back here."
    Eva heaved an exasperated sigh. "That's a perk, too." Stefan Bolivar was the current pack Alpha, her best friend, and pain in her ass all in one.  
    After losing her family to human hunters in eastern Russia, she'd decided to leave the country. She was intrigued by the stories she heard about the Wild West in America, and before she knew it, she had paid for passage and begun her journey west.
    Stefan had only been one hundred and fifty years old in eighteen-fifty, when she finally ended up in Wolftown, Texas, a small town run by a pack of Mexican Gray wolves. When she approached the pack alphas, Demetrio and Adora Bolivar, she had been warmly welcomed despite being a tiger.
    She plunked down her life savings and opened up a saloon. She called it the Gold Penny, and she made sure it was a safe place for the locals to grab a drink. Over the years, Wolftown morphed from a dusty desert town into a thriving tourist attraction.
    The pack had modernized all the buildings but kept them looking exactly as they had when the town was founded. The townspeople wore the same style clothing they wore over a hundred years ago, giving the town an authentic feel. Plus, it made it easy to know who was a shifter and who was a visiting human.
    Eva understood why the pack decided to head to Noctem Falls for protection, but it had been hard to put up a closed sign in her bar. She missed her home already.
    "We'll be back before you know it." Josie patted her arm.
    "Am I that transparent?"
    "I think we're all feeling the same way. If it weren't for all the missing families in the area, I don't think Stefan would have agreed to move us to Noctem Falls, even temporarily. You know how we feel about vampires." Josie shuddered.
    Eva knew that the decision to move the pack to Noctem Falls had been a hard one for Stefan. He had spent nearly two days perched on one of her bar stools, spinning a half empty beer bottle in his hands. There was bad blood between the local vampires and wolf packs, and Eva really wasn't looking forward to the tension.
    "Speak of the devil." Josie nodded ahead of them.
    Stefan was walking back to them, he was frowning, and his entire body was tense. This wasn't a good sign. "Stefan, what's up?"
    He walked up and wrapped a casual arm around her waist. She thought he was just flirting again when he began to lean in. She was about to grind her boot into his foot when he whispered in her ear. "We're being followed. Can't see 'em, but something doesn't feel right."
    Eva felt a chill race down her spine. She slowly began to look around. Damn. He was right. To her left, she watched as the wind kicked up a cloud of dust that separated and blew around a large object.
    She turned to Stefan.
    "I saw," he whispered harshly. "When I give the signal, I need the two of you to run as fast as you can toward the ledge." His eyes met her, and she nodded. She would protect Josie so he could concentrate on the rest of the pack. "Father has already sent an emergency message to the head bloodsucker; they are sending help." With a quick grin, he leaned in, licked her cheek, and dashed off before she could smack him.
    Seconds later, two of the pack's betas jogged back to flank them on either side. Eva should have known that Stefan wasn't taking any chance with a pregnant female. She grinned wickedly at Elias Santiago and Jorge Diaz. "Looks like we're about to have some fun."  
    Elias's answering grin was reassuring. "Can I put my arm around you too, Eva?" he teased.
    "Only if you want Stefan to rip your arm out of its socket. You know how protective he is of Eva," Jorge warned. Jorge, however, didn't wait for