His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series

by Sandra Antoni

  His tone and the expression on his face had me lowering my guard. He loved Chelsea, and I could see that written all over his face. In this, we were the same, and now, he was here because of her.

  “She found Marissa’s death certificate, but because it had Marissa’s maiden name on it, Chelsea had never been able to find you. It wasn’t until I dug deeper that someone else realized who she was. That is when they tried to kill her,” I explained. He nodded, taking in everything that I told him.

  “Can I see her now? Can I see my daughter?” he asked anxiously, and I turned and headed back towards the living room. Governor Adams followed right behind me.

  Chapter 16

  Chelsea

  When Zeke returned to the living room, there was an older man standing behind him. I studied him closely He was tall, slightly taller than Zeke, but he was slender compared to Zeke’s broad shoulders. He had dark hair that was peppered with gray. He was a handsome man, even though I figured he was probably in his mid-fifties.

  He wore a gray, tailored suit, and his bearing led me to believe that he had a position of authority. His eyes met mine, and he seemed to be studying me in the same way that I had been studying him. A chill ran down my spine, and I turned my eyes to Zeke.

  “Chelsea, I would like to introduce you to someone. This is Governor Adams. Your father,” he said gently, and my eyes flew open wide and my hand flew to cover my gaping mouth.

  The man walked across the room towards me, and then he knelt on the floor in front of me. I had a feeling that this man was not often on his knees. He reached for my hand, and I felt it trembling in his as I studied his face.

  “Chelsea, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…I thought that I had lost you too,” he said in a tender voice that was filled with emotion. A tear slid down my face, but I didn’t try to wipe it away.

  “You look just like her. Marissa, your mother. You look just like her,” he repeated, and his eyes filled with tears. I finally found my voice, even though it was shaky.

  “I didn’t know…I mean, I don’t know what she looked like. I’ve never known,” I managed to get out.

  He leaned back and reached into his suit pocket, pulling out a wallet. When he had it open, he pulled out a picture and handed it to me. With trembling hands, I reached for the picture and looked at it.

  The woman in the photo looked to be a few years younger than me. She wore a smile that I would recognize anywhere. I saw that smile every time I looked in the mirror. The resemblance was obvious. This was definitely my mother. I finally knew what she looked like, and I looked just like her.

  The picture fell to my lap, and my arms went around the man in front of me. I sobbed against his shoulder, and I felt his arms come around my back, holding me tightly against him. I never thought that this day would come. I never thought that I would meet my father.

  I had always thought that my father had abandoned my mother and me. He had not been listed on my original birth certificate, and now I knew why. My mother had done that to protect me. My father had loved both of us, and now he was here. He had thought I was dead.

  When my tears finally stopped, I leaned back and studied him again.

  “I’m sorry. Your suit,” I said, reaching up and touching the spot where my tears had left his shoulder wet. He laughed and took my hands in his.

  “Don’t worry about the suit. I have more. Some things are replaceable, and some things aren’t,” he said softly, and I knew that he was talking about me. He kept my hand in his as he stood from the floor and sat down on the couch beside me.

  I had so many questions, and I knew that he did as well. Jessica spoke up first. She told my father how her parents had gone with Marissa to Kansas City and hid her until I was born. She told him everything that she had told us when she first arrived here.

  Next, Zeke told him about my fall down the mountain and how we happened to meet. I felt my body shudder when he told my father how someone had tried to kill me when we were on the tram.

  “When I married your mother, we kept it a secret. Once the council found out about it, I was forced off the council. That was fine with me because I had your mother, and she was all I needed. When we discovered that she was pregnant, we didn’t think anything of it. But that was when someone tried to kill her.”

  “I assured her that I would protect her, but she left in the middle of the night. I didn’t send her away. She left to protect you. I had no idea where she had gone, and I searched for her for months. I knew the approximate time that she would have had you, but the only thing my men found was a death certificate,” he told me quietly as tears streamed down his face.

  “We named you Chelsea, your mother and me. You were to be Chelsea if you were a girl, after your mother’s mother. You were going to be Joshua if you had been a boy, after my father,” he said, and his voice broke. It felt like my heart was breaking along with it and I studied the man who had given me life.

  “I never even knew that you were a girl,” he said softly. “I assumed that they killed Marissa while she was still pregnant,” he whispered, and I leaned against his arm. He reached his arm around me and pulled me against him.

  “Chelsea, do you want to get to know me?” he asked softly, and I could hear the vulnerability in that question. I leaned forward and looked up at him.

  “Of course!” I replied. “I’m here because of you and my mother. This is all still new to me, being a shifter and all, but I have always felt incomplete. That void could never be completely filled until I found you…and Zeke,” I said, turning to look at the man who had become everything to me. His eyes were full of love, and his tender expression caused my heart to skip a beat.

  “And now, knowing the circumstances of how I was adopted, I know that it was all done out of love and to protect me,” I explained, looking back at my father.

  “My adoptive parents are good people. They were good parents, and I had a good life. I was happy. But this, finding you, I needed this,” I continued.

  “Governor,” Zeke said from the other side of me.

  “Please, it’s Richard. At least, here among friends and family. It’s just Richard,” my father said. Zeke nodded his head in agreement.

  “Richard, do you have any idea who might be after Chelsea? I mean, did you ever discover who killed Marissa?” Zeke asked next. My father sighed deeply.

  “I never found out exactly who. However, I discovered that whoever it was had ties to the council. There are only three current council members who were on the council at that time, and those three are the only ones who would have something to lose if Marissa’s killer were ever found,” he told us.

  He told Zeke the name of the three council members, and he and Brady left the room. I knew that they were going to look into those three names. One of them had been responsible for my mother’s death and was also trying to kill me.

  “Chelsea,” my father said, and I looked up at him. “You have to understand, shifters taking humans as mates was against our laws at the time. But when I found your mother, none of that mattered to me anymore. The council took that as a sign of my disloyalty to our kind.”

  “Times have changed since then, but ultimately, we have to keep what we are a secret. Hollywood has turned what we are into a vicious thing, and if humans ever found out that their horror movie werewolves were real and living among them, there would be panic.”

  “There is a small committee of humans in the government who know about us. They help us to preserve our way of life, and the council deals directly with them. That committee is responsible for maintaining our anonymity among humans and dealing with any actions of shifters against humans.”

  “Whoever is after you obviously thought that you were dead as well. The only thing that I can assume is that, now that they know you are alive, they probably think that you know who they are. They are trying to silence you, and only a council member would have something to gain by making sure that you don’t reveal who they are.”

&
nbsp; I thought about that for a moment. Obviously, I had no idea who was trying to kill me. I mean, I had only been a few months old when my mother was killed. But if they knew who I was now, were my adoptive parents safe? Whoever was after me might think that they knew something as well.

  “What about my parents? My adoptive parents?” I asked Richard. “I mean, what if whoever tried to kill me finds out about them and thinks they might know something? Are they safe?”

  “Well, considering that you are here in Arizona, and whoever is after you knows that you are here as well, I believe that your parents are safe. These people found you here in Tucson, so I believe it is safe to say that they are going to remain here as well. It’s you they want,” he replied softly.

  That made me relax again. Not that having someone trying to kill me should make me relax, but I felt comforted that my parents would be safe.

  “Chelsea, when we find whoever is after you and this is all over, would you visit me in Phoenix? I’d like to be able to show you my home and introduce you as my daughter. My father is still alive, and I would like you to meet him as well, that is, if you are okay with that,” he said next, surprising me.

  There was no hesitation on my part. Of course, I wanted to know him better. He had loved me before I was even born, and now that I knew the whole truth about who and what I was, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know him.

  My adoptive parents had raised me well, but they could not teach me about what I was. They could not teach me about being a shifter, but my biological father could. Him and Zeke, and I needed both of them in my life.

  When Zeke and Brady walked back into the room, I noticed Zeke’s concerned expression when he looked at me. I flashed him a brilliant smile and his expression instantly relaxed. I saw only love in his eyes. Sure, I was still in danger, but my life had come full circle, and I knew that I was right where I belonged.

  My father reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card and a pen. Then he wrote something on the back of it and handed it to me.

  “This is my personal cell number. You can call me or text me any time you want,” he told me gently. I took the card and looked at the number. Then I pulled out my cellphone and entered his number in my contacts.

  It was too awkward to call him dad, so I entered him under Richard Adams. Then I pulled up the picture of Zeke and me that I had taken at the canyon. I texted it to him. When he pulled his phone out and saw the picture, a smile spread across his face. He just studied the picture for a few moments. When he finally put the phone away, he stood from the couch.

  “Zeke, um…could I talk to you for a moment in private?” he asked Zeke. Zeke nodded and led Richard out of the room. Jessica sat down in the seat Richard had just vacated. She had a tender expression on her face, and she took my hand in hers.

  “Chelsea, are you okay?” she asked me softly. Her eyes were full of concern. “I know this has all been crazy for you. Your whole world just got flipped upside down. You know I love you like a sister, right?” she asked me.

  I reached around her and gave her a hug. She was more than just a friend, and if I’d had a sister, I would have wanted her to be just like Jessica.

  “Thanks, Jess. I’m fine, really. It has all been a lot to take in, but I’m glad I know now. I needed to know, and whoever killed my mother needs to pay,” I told her, and she agreed.

  A plan began to take shape in my mind. I did not want to remain in the house forever, and I knew that Zeke would want to keep me in lock down until whoever was after me could be found. However, I was not willing to wait forever. I was used to overprotective parents, but not an overprotective boyfriend.

  Emily was still in the room, and I didn’t want to discuss my idea with her. She had become a good friend, but I had a feeling if I revealed my plan to her, she would tell Zeke immediately. It would have to wait until I could get Jessica alone.

  Jessica understood me and my need to not be smothered. I had confided in her numerous times over the years about my parents and how much I hated their overprotectiveness. She was the only one who I could talk to about this.

  Zeke and my father entered the room just then. Richard walked towards me, and I stood from the couch.

  “Chelsea, I have to get back to Phoenix now. I’m sorry that I didn’t have more time to spend with you, but when I get back, I’m going to work a few days into my schedule to come back and see you, if that’s okay with you?” he asked me.

  I could see the hesitation on his face, but I understood it. I had been raised by two completely different parents, and he had missed out on my whole life. Reaching for his hand, I smiled up at him.

  “I’d like that. I really would,” I told him honestly. He pulled me against him and hugged me tightly. When he leaned back, he reached up and grazed his fingers down my cheek. Then his hand dropped, and Zeke and I walked him to the door.

  I saw the two men standing on the front porch, and they walked my father to the waiting car in the driveway. Waving goodbye, I watched my father drive away. Then I turned to Zeke.

  “Can I thank you again?” I asked him, and he laughed. My heart was full, and it was because of this man in front of me.

  “Enough with the thanks. I wanted to do this for you, and I know how much you love surprises,” he said with a wink. Then he pulled me into his arms.

  Chapter 17

  It was several days later that I finally got Jessica alone. I had followed her upstairs to her room. Zeke was in his study working with Brady, and now Jessica and I were alone in her room.

  “Okay, Chelsea. I know something is up. Spill it,” Jessica said, standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. She knew me so well, and the look on her face let me know that she knew I was planning something.

  “Jessica, I can’t stay trapped in this house forever. If we want to find whoever is after me, we have to set a trap. We have to draw them out, and we have to use me as the bait,” I told her.

  Her jaw dropped open and her eyes narrowed as she studied me. She didn’t say anything for a long time, then finally, she relaxed her stance. She walked towards me and sat down on the edge of the bed where I was seated. Her arm went around my shoulder.

  “Zeke would never go for that, Chelsea,” she replied gently. “As far as we know, whoever it is doesn’t know where you are staying. Don’t you think it’s best if we keep it that way?” she asked me.

  “Jessica, if anyone understands me, it’s you. For twenty-eight years, I have had my parents breathing down my back. It hasn’t been living. I need this to be over. I need to be free. The walls of this house are closing in on me, and even my wolf feels trapped. I feel like I’m being punished…trapped in a cage, and I can’t take it anymore,” I told her sincerely.

  It was true. I hadn’t left the house since we got here after the incident on the tram. Zeke hovered. Not that I minded that too much, but he didn’t even let me out on the back patio. I had been completely trapped in the house.

  Sure, I understood why he was being this protective. I mean, someone had actually shot at me. Tried to kill me. But this was not living. I needed to be free. I had come to Tucson to enjoy freedom and nature, and now all I could do was stare out the window at the mountains. I couldn’t take this anymore.

  “What are you thinking, Chelsea? Do you have a plan? You can’t possibly think that I’m going to let you put yourself in danger, do you?” she asked me.

  “I want to borrow your rental car, Jess. I just want to take a drive. If they are looking for me, I want them to find me. It’s the only way to figure out who is after me. I’m going to do this with or without your help, Jess. You know I will,” I informed her, and her face took on a serious expression.

  “I think you are handling this wrong, Chelsea. Zeke loves you. He would never forgive me if something happened to you. But I know what you are feeling. I will agree to this on one condition,” she told me, and I waited anxiously for her to continue.

  “I’m coming along
with you,” she said next. “I think it’s a ridiculous plan, and you are putting yourself in danger for no reason, but I also agree that we need to do something to draw them out. Otherwise, this could go on forever,” she said, and I took a deep breath of relief.

  “Okay then, let’s go now while the men are working. Emily is in the kitchen starting dinner, but that won’t be ready for a couple hours,” I told her.

  Together, we made our way down the stairs and quietly slipped out the front door. We quickly headed to Jessica’s car that was parked in the driveway. We wanted to get away before anyone found out that we were missing.

  I drove with no specific destination in mind, trying to think about where would be the best place to go. Whoever was after me probably knew that I was here as a tourist since I had been staying at the resort before, so I headed to the resort first.

  Neither Jessica nor I spoke as we drove, and I noticed that Jessica had her eyes peeled on the cars around us. Every once in a while, she would glance in the side mirror, watching for anyone who might be following us.

  I knew there was only a slim chance that whoever was after me would find me driving through Tucson, but it felt so good to get out of the house. Tucson was huge, and there was no way I could determine where they would be waiting for me.

  “You know, you would make a great bodyguard,” I told her about twenty minutes later. She was a black belt in karate, and I knew that she went to the gym every day. She loved kickboxing. I had always thought she was well-built for a woman, but now I knew it was her wolf that helped with that.

  “I always wanted to be a cop,” she said quietly a few minutes later, and that surprised me. I glanced over at her.

  “Why didn’t you?” I asked. Jessica was a computer programmer, but I had always thought that she loved her job. She had always told me that she did.