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semi-sweet red wine, then picked up the throw from the back of the couch and draped it around her shoulders. A smile tugged at her lips and she warmed slightly. He paid attention . “Thank you.”
    After pressing a kiss to her lips, he settled next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her into his side. “I know how connected you are to the elements. The temps must have dropped a good twenty degrees in the last hour.”
    “Twenty-two.”
    He laughed and kissed the top of her head. She was about to pinch him in the side when a strange yet familiar sensation touched her awareness. She sat up and listened. When Kieran opened his mouth, she held up her hand.
    Light scratching sounded at the back door. Relaxing, she stood. “I think I hear Cora’s bobcat cub.”
    Spring ran free around Ashwood. It amazed Ana how the cub knew not to leave the den.
    Ana opened the back door and gasped. Curled up on the welcome mat with a backpack next to him was a young jaguar. But not just any jaguar. “Nigel?”
    He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. A tidal wave of sorrow slammed into her. No, please no. She glanced back at Kieran, her vision blurring. Kieran stepped forward, picked up the cub and carried him to the fire.
    Ana sat cross-legged next to Nigel, stroking his fur until he warmed enough to shift. When he did, he threw himself at Ana, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back while pulling the blanket from where it had dropped on the couch and wrapping it around his naked body to keep him warm.
    “Mom…they took her.”
    Ana’s heart froze for a brief moment and her blood ran cold, but it wasn’t from the weather. “Who?”
    “Felix and a witch.”
    Ana tightened her hold on Nigel and glanced to Kieran, who had his phone to his ear. “Who are you calling?”
    Kieran shook his head as he spoke to whoever answered on the other end. “Dani, can you come by and bring Nevan? Please be discreet.”
    Ana heard the Healer’s soft, “sure.”
    It took only moments for Dani and Nevan to arrive. Ana didn’t glance their way as they entered the living room. She didn’t need to. The smell of chocolate and peanut butter filled the air.
    “The house was so cool that I decided to bake some cookies,” the Healer said.
    Nevan laughed, the tray of cookies in his hand. “I may not have to worry about human illnesses anymore, but I can still gain weight from her cooking.”
    “Oh, hush,” Dani laughed, her voice growing closer. “Ana, is everything alright—”
    Ana uncurled her arms from around Nigel and turned to them so the couple could see the teenager. As she expected, Dani covered her mouth with her hands as she stared at the boy who looked so much like his father.
    Dani opened her mouth, then closed it. She paced over to the couch and sat. “Is that…?”
    Ana nodded. “Yes.”
    “How did he get here?”
    After handing the tray of cookies off to Kieran, Nevan touched the boy’s shoulder and studied Nigel. “Something has happened to his mother.”
    Ana brushed Nigel’s hair from his eyes and gestured toward the couch. “That’s Dani. She’s a Healer.”
    Nigel shook his head. “I’m not hurt. I don’t need a Healer.”
    Ana closed her eyes briefly. The kid was scared, angry, and worried about his mom. But before she said anything, Nevan sat on the floor a few feet from them. Nigel met his gaze. “You’re human.”
    The corners of Nevan’s mouth lifted. “Very much so, but my mom is a puma, as are my brothers. I’m also an Empath. Dani is my mate.”
    Nigel flicked his gaze to the Healer, then back to Nevan. “Mom told me to run in this direction. I saw the den and thought it was abandoned until I heard everyone return. I scented Ana and hid until a little while ago.”
    Dani stared at the teen with a mixture of awe and sadness. “He looks so much like his father.”
    “My father is dead.”
    Ana took a breath. “Nigel, your mother—”
    “Sometimes adults tell their children