Into the Light by Tami Lund Page A

lightbearer for who knows how long. Hell, he wasn’t even sure where they were going nor how long they would be stuck together.
    “Something wrong?”
    Tanner blinked and pulled the world into focus. Olivia gave him a politely inquiring look, while she stood in the hall entry. He was saved from coming up with an answer by Lisa, who made a noise of pain and clutched her stomach with one hand while grasping the counter with the other. The plate she’d offered Tanner fell and shattered on the tile floor.
    Freddy was at her side in an instant. So was the lightbearer.
    “What are you doing?” Lisa asked in alarm, as she stared down at the woman who crouched before her, with both hands on Lisa’s stomach. Freddy wrapped his arm protectively around his mate as he too stared at the lightbearer.
    “I am a healer,” Olivia said without looking up. She appeared wholly focused on Lisa’s stomach. “Well, I haven’t been officially trained, because my father would not allow it, but I have a natural healing ability.”
    “That’s reassuring,” Lisa muttered sarcastically.
    “You are near to giving birth.”
    “Obviously,” Lisa said drily. Freddy admonished her for being rude, but she did not take it back.
    “You need rest. You are having contractions. This babe is just about ready to make his appearance.”
    “You know it’s a boy?” Lisa blinked rapidly, clearly taken by surprise.
    “You did not?” Olivia glanced up into Lisa’s face. “I apologize, I did not realize…”
    Lisa shook her head and gave her mate a bemused look. “No, no, it’s…okay. We didn’t—we can’t—”
    “Shifter midwives don’t have the ability to tell the pup’s gender until it’s born,” Tanner finished for her. He stepped up behind the lightbearer and helped her to her feet. “Your glow is dimming. Unless she’s in immediate need of medical attention, you should stop before you pass out again.”
    Olivia brushed at invisible dust on her skirt and kept her eyes downcast and then exhaled slowly when Tanner released his hold on her arm. He wondered if her reaction was because he repulsed her. He wouldn’t be surprised if it did, considering he was a shifter, but it sucked nonetheless.
    Freddy insisted Lisa follow Olivia’s advice, and despite her protests, she was soon tucked away in one of the bedrooms with Sofia curled by her side, watching a Disney movie.
    “Let’s go,” he said brusquely when he returned to the kitchen. “I don’t want to leave her alone for any longer than I have to.”
    Tanner produced a multihued scarf and gruffly commanded the lightbearer to cover her blonde hair. He handed her a pair of sunglasses, then shoved a straw baseball hat onto his own head and added a pair of aviator sunglasses. Freddy snickered.
    “You look like a country singer.”
    Tanner scowled. “Good. So long as we don’t look like a shifter and a lightbearer, in case we happen to come into contact with anyone from my father’s pack.”
    “It’s your pack too.”
    Tanner turned his back on Freddy. “No, it isn’t.”

Chapter 5
    She wanted to go to Vegas.
    Tanner thought that was a lousy idea.
    “That’s exactly where they’ll start their search once they’ve determined we’ve left the territory,” he pointed out, hoping he sounded diplomatic enough. What he really wanted to do was shout, “Are you fucking crazy? Do you want to die?” He didn’t particularly want to die, and somehow along the way, he’d decided he didn’t want the lightbearer to die either.
    She’s too damn pretty to kill . He’d thought those words shortly after he met her for the first time. Now, he thought, She’s too damn sexy to kill .
    Which was laughable, actually, because compared to the human women with whom he normally spent time, she wasn’t sexy, not really. Enticing was a good word. Something about her sent his blood to boiling and made his body so hard he continually shifted in his seat, because his shorts were too damn