About freaking time. I was on edge, the need to be in control, dominant, was slamming into me. Braxton had stepped up his possessiveness more than a notch since we’d escaped the relative safety of our hometown. Maybe it was that I’d never been outside Stratford before, or simply everything from the past few weeks, but now seemed to be the time to nip this bullshit in the bud.

My finger flicked around to rest of them. “Listen up and listen well, Compasses. I’m not a delicate human, or a damsel in distress. I’m a wolf, an alpha and a supernatural. If you all try to bubble-wrap me up, I’m going to rip your faces off.”

Mischa and Grace seemed impressed and shocked by the attitude I was throwing at my boys, but the five of us fought all the time. It was how we related, we loved and fought hard. It was part of our pack dynamics.

Unfortunately, my five-feet-four of spitting mad shifter didn’t instill even an ounce of fear in my moronic quads. They exchanged amused glances, before Maximus snatched me up and threw me over his shoulder. Braxton seemed reluctant to let my hand go, as it stretched out between us, but eventually he was forced to release it.

“It’s damned cute the way you boss us around, Jessa babe,” Maximus said. He sounded amused. I sighed and resigned myself to not winning any domination contests today.

I could hear Jacob and Tyson chuckling as they followed their vampire brother. Over Maximus’ shoulder I saw Braxton ushering Mischa and Grace onto the path ahead of him, as he took the rear of our group.

“Are you planning on carrying me the entire way down?” I deadpanned, hugging myself into the broad, muscled back of Maximus. “I might just have a nap.”

His laughter rumbled the hard body under me. “Yep … and by the way, you’re starting to feel a little light. We need to get you some food.”

“Tell me about it,” I grumbled.

I could hear Mischa murmuring to Grace. “Why does Jessa even have feet? The Compasses can’t seem to stop themselves from carrying her around.”

Gentle laughter sounded from the witch. “It’s been that way since they were young. Jessa is their girl, and … well, there is more love in their little pack than in any other I’ve ever seen.” Her tone was hard to get a read on, but there were hints of envy. I couldn’t blame her.