by Kian Rhodes
When I woke, there was a soft rumble of voices around me and my head was rising and falling with Ralph’s gentle, rhythmic breaths. It seemed that as I slept, I’d decided to use his poor body as a pillow.
“Shit!” I whisper-cursed, trying to figure out how to move off his injured body without making things worse.
“Stay there,” Ralph said, his voice gritty. “Please?”
My head bobbed up, meeting his blue eyes. “You’re awake!” I felt the tears begin to build in my eyes. “Oh, thank God!”
“The blood transfusion made a huge difference,” Rafe said from the other side of my empty bed. “He came around about an hour ago.”
“You’re okay?” Ralph asked softly, brushing one heavily bandaged hand over my cheek. “I know Rafe said you are, but..”
“I’m fine,” I assured him quickly, pressing a kiss to his breast. “Thanks to you, anyway.” I nuzzled his chest, realizing for the first time that most of his thick chest hair had been singed off. “Thank you, Alpha.” When I felt his lips brush over the top of my head, I sighed. “You’re sure that you don’t want me to move?”
“Absolutely positive, sweetheart,” Ralph murmured, his words for me alone. “I was terrified when I had to let you fall to Rafe. I don’t ever want you out of arm’s reach again.”
My heart swelled so much at his sweet words that it nearly doubled in my chest, but before I could think of an answer, Rafe cleared his throat, drawing our attention to the bed on the end.
“Now that you’re back in the land of the living,” he said with a grin, “I need to get out of here.” He patted the plaster cast on his lower leg. “Not that I don’t trust Colby to head up the scene investigation, but this isn’t enough to keep me sidelined.”
Rafe slid from his bed, grunting when his injured leg impacted the floor and reaching for the crutches.
Ralph nodded, a look I couldn’t quite grasp stretching between them. “Thank you.”
Rafe shrugged his boss’s words off, but I caught the tiny nod that said he understood the emotion behind them.
Long after the door closed behind Rafe, Ralph and I sat in silence, cuddled together in the snug confines of his hospital bed. It wasn’t until Doctor Singh came in to check on us that I reluctantly moved back to my own bed.
“You’re healing remarkably well, even for a shifter,” the doctor pronounced. “If you keep on at this rate, we should have you out of here in a couple of days. Do you have any questions?”
Ralph raised his left hand, frowning at the heavy bandages. “When do these come off?”
The doctor frowned and hesitated. “How much do you remember of the accident?”
“I don’t know,” Ralph responded, quirking his brow. “How about you stop beating around the bush and tell me what you’re trying to get around?”
Singh sighed. “You suffered extreme burns on your hands and feet,” he said in a quiet voice. “We had to wait until you were stable to address it, but you are still going to need skin grafts on both hands and both feet.” He hesitated and glanced sideways at me, seeming to be hesitant to continue in front of me.
Ralph caught that, too, and shook his head. “You can speak in front of him. I need skin grafts and what else?”
Singh swallowed, hard, and I got the impression that he wasn’t used to giving bad news. “We aren’t sure if all of the digits can be saved,” he murmured. “We’re hoping that the blood flow will push them to heal, but the damage was severe. We really aren’t sure how bad it is.”
“No!” I choked on a gasp, horrified at the thought of the brave Alpha losing any of his body parts from injuries incurred while he rescued me. “I’m so, so sorry!” The tears that filled my eyes overflowed onto my cheeks and dripped down.
“Now, now,” Ralph chided gently, holding out one bandaged hand. “Come here, baby.”
When I walked over to his side, he drew me as close as he could with the side of the bed in between us. “No tears, Cass. I knew the risks when I started up after you. As long as you’re okay, it was absolutely worth it.” He kissed my cheek and turned back to the doctor. “When is the surgery?”
“It’s not scheduled yet,” Singh explained. “Your blood counts are just now reaching the safe level. I’ll put a call into the reconstructive surgery department and find out when they can get it done.”
Ralph nodded his understanding and winked at me, clearly ready to change the subject. “You’ve got to be as hungry as I am,” he commented with a raised brow. “How about I treat you to the finest candlelit dinner that the cafeteria will send up?”
I laughed, just as he’d intended. “Really? Candlelight?” I teased. “In the middle of the day?”
Ralph shrugged. “I hear 2019 is a really good year for hospital Jell-O, so, might as well go all out!”
Even Doctor Singh laughed at that. “We missed the meal service for the morning, but I’ll see what I can arrange.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Rafe
One week later
I was sitting at my desk when a light rap came from the open door. Looking up, I expected to find Colby standing there the same as I had on so many other occasions in the past three years.
“Casen,” I said, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. “What brings you in?”
The Omega cast a furtive look over his shoulder and I felt my curiosity peak.
“Do you want to come in?”
“Yes, please,” Casen agreed promptly, stepping inside and pulling the door closed behind him. “Thanks.”
“Sure.” I nodded to the seat across from me and waited for him to settle. “What’s on your mind?”
Casen hesitated and I swear I could see him weighing the option of running.
“C’mon,” I cajoled. “You went to all the effort of coming in, you might as well talk to me, right?”
Casen frowned. “It wasn’t really a big deal,” he argued weakly. “I mean, I was already here for that interview.”
“Right, your deposition. I forgot that was today.” Given how deep our personal involvement in the Hydra case as we’d begun calling it was, my entire team and I had been recused from participating in assisting the prosecution in preparing their case against the only surviving suspect of the widespread criminal enterprise, Carol.
“Anyway,” Casen continued, fidgeting in his seat. “I was wondering if you could help me with something?”
“If I can, sure.” Three months earlier, I would have never made such a blind promise to the middle-aged rent boy. I would have prequalified it every way from Sunday, but I was the first to admit that Casen had turned over a new leaf once he’d hooked up with Ralph.
“I’m, ah, retiring from the social escort business,” he mumbled, his cheeks staining red.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from congratulating him. Instead, I nodded seriously. “And what can I do to help? Character reference?”
“What? No,” he groaned. “That guy from the destiny place. You know him, right?”
I felt my brow creeping up. “You mean Omega Destiny International?”
Casen nodded quickly.
“Well, yeah, I know him,” I agreed. “Colby is definitely closer to him, though, if you need an in.”
“Um, I don’t know if I necessarily need that,” Casen said with a shake of his head. “I was just wondering how, well, trustworthy they are?” Casen must have seen my confusion because he huffed. “Look, I don’t really want this to get back to Ralph, so I’m trying to find out on my own if it’s safe to sign on to their training program.”
“Oh, okay.” I was just getting more confused. “Well, if it helps, I’d have no problem with Trevor or any of the other Omegas that I care about getting involved with them. Does that help?”
Casen gave a nervous laugh. “It does, actually, but why would you use Trevor as an example instead of your husband?”
I snickered. “Have you met my Omega? He’s one of the toughest, most kick-ass wolf-shifters that
I’ve ever met. I’d pity the fools that tried to screw him over.” Casen laughed with me. “Hey, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure.”
“You and Ralph are still seeing a lot of each other?” I asked, knowing damned well it was none of my business, but Ralph had been annoyingly close-mouthed since being released from the hospital.
“Oh.” Casen bit down on his bottom lip. “Kind of, I guess.”
I raised a brow. “That’s less convincing than I would have expected, to be honest. Don’t you know?”
“Not really, I guess,” he said sadly. “I mean, we still see each other because, of course, I’m staying with him until he finishes recovering. But, well, I’m not really sure he still has feelings for me.” He shook his head, forcing a bright smile. “But that’s to be expected, right? I mean, honestly, it isn’t like one of the top law enforcement officers in the country can’t do better than a former whore.”
“That’s bullshit,” I snapped, startling Casen in to looking at me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. It’s just that I’ve known Ralph a long fucking time and he wouldn’t have led you on like that.” I sighed. “Besides, Casen, you know I don’t think of you like that; none of us here do. You stepped up when we needed you and you went all in.” I reached across the desk and patted his hand. “You’re a fucking hero, Casen, and you know it.”
Casen blushed again. “I really don’t know about that, Rafe, but thanks.”
“So, what’s your plan with the ODI program?”
“You won’t tell anyone?”
“Even Ralph?” When Casen nodded, I shrugged. “If that’s what you want, of course.”
“They have a program where they offer business training and then help find investors to back them. I think I want to try opening my own diner.” He was blushing even more. “Maybe if I can get my life together, make something of myself, then I could catch a guy like Ralph.”
“That’s a great idea,” As much as I hated Casen not trusting in my longtime friend, I couldn’t help but enthuse at his plan for the future. “Especially if you put those burgers that you made for us on the menu!”
Casen grinned, his embarrassment seeming to be forgotten for the moment. “That’s the plan, Rafe. That’s definitely the plan.”
Chapter Fifty
Ralph
It turned out that the reconstructive surgeon had only been waiting for Doctor Singh to clear me for surgery. Once that was done, things moved at lightning speed. I was put on a restricted diet and pumped full of steroids and antibiotics to decrease the odds of me crashing on the operating table. Then, the next morning Cass kissed me on the forehead as I was wheeled down the hall and out of sight.
All things considered, the surgery went well.
Skin from my butt and the back of my thighs was grafted onto the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet – the areas that had suffered the worst damage were those that had been in direct contact with the superheated steel of the fire escape.
The only downside was that they’d been unable to save the thumb and index finger on my left hand. Even then, I’d pretty much shrugged the loss off. After all, Cass had survived and I’m right-handed, so I was still pretty much counting it a win.
It wasn’t until I was released from the hospital a few days later that I noticed a change in Cass.
Well, not in him, exactly, but in the way that he acted around me. Kind of like he was walking on eggshells all the time, and when I asked what was wrong, he’d turned away, unable to meet my eyes when he blurted out, “Nothing!”
He was still affectionate and sweet. He’d even moved into my townhouse with me temporarily, worried that I would need someone to take care of me while I finished healing. He’d shared my bed, wrapping himself around me every day to provide more of the Omega touch therapy, even though he didn’t take things any further, insisting – correctly, I admit - that the doctor hadn’t cleared me for sex. It wasn’t that I blamed him, but even with all of the warm meals and gentle massages, I could tell something wasn’t right.
My Omega had grown distant.
And I didn’t like it, but danged if I knew how to work past it if Cass wouldn’t talk to me.
The morning of his deposition, I’d spooned up behind him, more than ready to show him just how much better I was feeling, but Cass had quickly shut me down.
“The doctor hasn’t said it's okay yet, Alpha,” he’d reminded me, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “I can’t bear the thought that I might make something worse.” He’d rolled over and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. “Besides, I have to get to your office for that stupid interview, anyway.”
“Okay,” I agreed, forcing my deformed hands to release him. “Do you need anything?”
“No, Alpha,” Cass assured me as he headed to the bathroom to shower. “I’ve got it under control.”
“Of course, you do.” I waited until I heard the shower start and collapsed back into the bed, dragging Cass’s pillow over my face. The last thing I’d ever do is bind an Omega to me against his will, but I was starting to suspect that Cass was letting his guilty feelings over my injuries do just that. I was going to have to find a way to let him go without hurting him any more.
By the time that Cass had finished his shower, I’d pulled on a pair of faded jeans and made my way down to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee and throw together some grub.
“You made food!” Cass’s happy exclamation seemed a little forced as he let me guide him into a chair. “I would have done that.”
“It’s not like I’m an invalid and, trust me, it’s nothing fancy,” I said with a laugh. “Just a ham omelet and some coffee.”
“It sounds great.” Cass took a bite of the fluffy eggs and gave an over-the-top groan. “So good!”
Yeah, there wasn’t anything weird here at all.
We ate pretty much in silence until a random ray of light broke through the curtains at the window and refracted through the glass jar on the sill, spreading tiny rainbows all over the wall.
“A swear jar?” Cass laughed. “Why on earth would you need a swear jar?” He squinted at it and laughed out loud. “Your swear jar has a fifty dollar bill in it?”
I shrugged. “I had a rough couple of days when Carol grabbed you,” I admitted. “Definitely not proud of it.”
“Oh, I am going to have to hear this story,” he teased, draining the last of his coffee. “What kind of curses does the ever-steady Alpha throw out?”
“You’ll never know,” I joked back. “The staff all signed non-disclosure agreements!”
Cass was still giggling when the door locked behind him and I turned to the sink, allowing the situation to simmer as I scrubbed up the dishes. It didn’t take me long to admit that Cass and I needed a few degrees of separation.
Since I was still on medical leave from work, there really wasn’t anything to keep me from taking an impromptu trip, so I scribbled a note on the pad on the fridge, tossed a couple changes of clothes into a shoulder bag, and headed to the jeep, determined to put some breathing room between me and the city after my doctor’s appointment.
~*~
The drive up to Sharon Hill was long, giving me plenty of time to dwell on the situation with Cass.
I didn’t think his sudden avoidance was related to my surgery. Granted, I could be wrong, but he’d barely batted an eye when the doctor had removed the bandage to reveal my missing digits. He’d seemed much more concerned about whether or not the mostly healed incision was causing me pain, so, no, I didn’t think that was the problem.
Once I acknowledged that, my mind kept returning to the other, more viable option. That Cass had been suffering from a sort of Stockholm Syndrome caused by his reliance on me in a scary situation and, now that his world was returning to normal, the guilt he felt from my injuries was forcing him to stay with me when he’d rather we go our separate ways.
So, in other words, I was a charity case for the Omega that I’d fal
len hard for and, blame it on my oversized Alpha ego, but that wasn’t going to work.
By the time I pulled the jeep to a stop in the driveway of Sonny’s cabin, the restlessness that had built on the drive was threatening to overtake me and the dark forest behind Sonny’s place was calling to my inner beast.
“To heck with it,” I muttered, stripping out of my clothes and folding them neatly on the passenger seat. The sheriff was still finishing up his shift and I knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t begrudge me a run through the trees.
The cat pushed forward slowly, gracefully, with none of the loud, frantic yips and cracking bones that accompanied most canine shifts. As my limbs stretched and reformed, claws erupted and my fangs poked through, I was overtaken by a certain peace.
It was the first time I’d shifted since the surgery and, sure enough, my left front paw was missing two toes. The first few tentative steps were awkward, but I quickly learned to compensate. Then, I was moving through the darkness with complete ease, bounding over the ground and climbing up to spring from tree to tree.
I was leaning against the trunk of an ancient oak when a movement in a clearing below me caught my eye. I jumped to the ground, landing with a soft thud that was far too quiet to carry to the animal across the way.
I stalked across the ground, keeping to the patches of tall grass until I was close enough to the other animal to catch a good whiff of its scent.
Hyena.
I smiled to myself. A familiar one. I didn’t know what the hell Kade was doing up in the back forty of Sonny’s property, but I wasn’t sorry I’d run into him.
Heck, I hadn’t even had a chance to thank him for backing us up on the night of the fire.
I stepped out of the grass and padded toward him, not making any effort to conceal myself anymore.
The hyena stiffened and turned to face me, a snarl on its face. Then I saw the moment that he recognized my scent. Kade lowered his neck and relaxed his shoulders, even flicking his fluff of a tail in greeting as he turned back to the scent he was trailing through the grass.