by Eve Langlais
“You’re a mess, and besides, you need to tell everyone what’s happened. She’ll be okay, Alejandro. She has to be.”
Hanging his head, moisture stinging his eyes, he prayed she spoke the truth.
“What the hell happened?” barked Geoffrey, Naomi’s father, the grizzled wolf as angry as if his own daughter lay comatose.
Javier, Ethan and the rest of Naomi’s family crowded around him, questioning looks in their eyes that turned to rage as he relayed the cowardly attack. It was when he heard about the hunter’s potshots the night before, which still kept Mitchell abed this morn, that he lost his mind and roared.
“Why the fuck did no one call me?” If he’d known, he could have…still never expected such a brazen attack.
“It’s my fault,” Javier said. “I thought since he still staked out our house that he had no clue where you actually were.”
“You thought wrong!” Alejandro growled and lunged at his brother, only to have Ethan hold him back.
“Punching him won’t help things,” rumbled the big Kodiak. “Dr. Weston is going to patch her up and she’ll be fine. What we need to concentrate on is finding the hunter so he can’t hurt anyone else. This has gone too far.”
It had, and it was up to Alejandro to fix it. I did this to her. And now I’ll take care of it. Because if there was one thing he would not tolerate, was someone hurting the woman he wanted as mate. The woman I love. The realization didn’t come as too much of a surprise. He’d recognized how special she was from the moment they’d met. And after last night, only a forever after would satisfy him. He couldn’t wait to tell her on bended knee how he felt. Once she recovered, that was.
Rarely did rage come to visit him, and never before for someone not related to him, but Francine meant more to him than anyone he’d ever known. He would have gladly stepped in front of her to take the bullet to spare her pain if given the chance. Anything to ease the ache inside at knowing she hurt. A pain in his heart that could only find ease in vengeance. But he wouldn’t leave to wreak havoc until he knew she was safe.
It seemed like an eternity, but in reality was more like an hour before the doctor emerged, Naomi’s mother at his side looking pale.
“She’ll recover,” the doctor announced, easing the fear inside him. “The bullet nicked her spine and lung. The hole in her lung has already sealed over, but the bone injury will take a little longer to heal. She’s going to need quite a few days of bed rest. Oh, and lots of iron supplements, in other words, red meat to build up her blood because she lost quite a bit.”
Relief made his breath whoosh out as the terror that clung to him since he heard the shot finally loosened its grip. “Can I see her?”
“Go in, but not for long. She needs to rest. The silver made her weak and even though I’ve removed it, her body needs to regain its strength.”
Leaving the gathered men, with the exception of Mitchell whom they’d tied to a bed in his own home so he could also recover, Alejandro entered the bedroom and approached the large bed with leaden feet. Sprawled on her stomach, covered in a blue sheet folded to her waist, the white bandage plastered to the middle of her back acted like a sucker punch to the gut. He staggered, and Naomi, her cheeks tear streaked, glanced at him and tried to give him a wan smile. He couldn’t hold her gaze, the guilt making him look down where he saw her hand clutching Francine’s tight.
Flipping her head the other way, Francine’s weary brown eyes, so different from the passion-filled ones of the night before, peered up at him. It pierced him to see the happiness in her gaze when she saw him. How could she not blame him for her injury?
“Jag, thank god. Would you tell my BFF here that everything is all right? I swear, she’s trying to crush my hand.” Welcomed by his lover even though he didn’t deserve it, Alejandro moved to stand behind Naomi.
“Oh stuff it,” said Naomi in a thick voice still clogged with tears. “You didn’t seem to mind when the doctor was digging that bullet out.”
Turning back so she could see them both, Francine muttered, “Bitch.”
“Skank.” They both burst into giggles accompanied with watery eyes that they both surreptitiously wiped, Francine by rubbing her face against the pillow case.
“You’re both fucked,” he said, a ghost of a smile teasing his lips at their obviously long running joke.
“I sure was last night.” Francine winked and licked her lips. “I don’t know if the cow here was, although I bet once she’s on her back, there’s no getting her back up.”
Instead of taking offence, Naomi laughed. “Javier likened me to a turtle, which believe me, he’s paid for. His poor tongue is probably still sore from apologizing. But speaking of giant bovines, I’m going to send Ethan to fetch us a cow. The doctor said you needed to eat lots of red meat.”
An inelegant snort came out of Francine. “Ha, nice try, pregnant one. You’ve just got a hankering for a big hunk of steak.”
“Don’t forget the baked potato and Caesar salad,” Naomi added, rubbing her tummy with a smile.
“No wonder you’re the size of a house.”
“I am so getting a new best friend,” Naomi grumbled.
“Good luck with that. No one else would put up with your snarky attitude.”
“Love you, Francine,” Naomi said in a wobbly voice as she stood up before slipping out the door.
“Love you too,” Francine whispered, her voice tight.
Alejandro moved and took Naomi’s vacated seat. He clasped Francine’s just released hand. “Yours is a strange but beautiful friendship,” he said, stroking his thumb over the pale skin of her hand.
“If you mean fucked up, then yeah. But it works for us. Thanks for getting me help.”
He couldn’t look her in eye, so guilty did he feel. “Don’t thank me. It’s my fault you got hurt in the first place.”
“How do you figure that? The shot could have just as easily hit you.”
“And the shooter probably meant to, given it’s someone from my past who followed me here. I led them straight to you and now you’re injured as a result.”
“But you didn’t know they’d do that.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m still at fault.”
“Damned fucking straight you are,” Mitchell retorted from the doorway, bare-chested with a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and his arm in a sling. “Because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants, some fucking hunter is out there shooting at me and my family.”
“You forgot me,” Francine interjected.
Mitchell turned blazing eyes her way. “You are family, Francine. Sister or not, mate or not, no matter what you are, that won’t ever fucking change. But him.” Mitchell turned his attention back. “You’ve been nothing but trouble, sauntering into town like you own it. Seducing innocent girls-”
“One girl and the only one from here on in,” Alejandro interjected.
“You seduced Francine! And now because of you, she’s been shot. If I weren’t wearing this fucking bandage-”
“And if you weren’t terrified your mom would kill you,” Francine interrupted with a snicker that earned her a glare.
“I should beat your furry ass right back to where it belongs,” Mitchell snarled, stalking toward him.
“No need to exert yourself.” Alejandro stood. “I need to leave anyway and take care of the situation. You’re right. It is my fault, and I will fix it.”
“No,” Francine whispered. “Please don’t go. I need you with me. Who will take care of me?” It sliced him like a knife to see her looking fearful, his beautiful brat who usually faced the world with a smile and a snappy comeback.
“You’re in good hands here, and besides, do you really think Naomi’s going to let you go anywhere?”
“But I don’t want Naomi to hug me and tell me it’s going to be all right.”
His heart wrenched and if his honor didn’t dictate he make her safe, he would have caved to her plea. As it was, he bent down and brushe
d his lips across hers. “I need to do this, baby. I need to make you safe. You won’t be alone though. I have a feeling Mitchell won’t leave your side. And isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along?”
“But-”
“Shhh.” He kissed her again, then stood to walk away. As he went to pass Mitchell, he grasped his good arm, and tugged him into the hall.
“Going to kiss me good-bye too, cat?” Naomi’s brother mocked.
“You wish, dog. I just wanted to ask you to take care of her while I’m gone. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to hunt the bastard down, but I’m not going to be back until I know she’s safe.”
“Is this your way of bowing out and avoiding any scenes? How classy and predictable.”
A snarl rose to Alejandro’s lips and he shoved his forearm across Mitchell’s throat, ramming him up against the wall. He kept his words low so Francine wouldn’t hear him. “Listen here, and listen well. I care for Francine. Actually, that’s an understatement. I am in love with her, and I want to claim her. Do you hear me, claim her as in forever. So don’t think I’m not coming back, dog, because I am, and when I do, I will mark her. But because I love her, I’m asking you to watch over her while I’m gone. She needs someone to hold her and tell her it’s going to be okay and despite the fact you’re an idiot, she’d probably really like it if that person was you.”
“You don’t need to tell me what she needs. I have no intention of leaving her side, possibly ever again. So what are you going to do about that, cat? Still going to come back now knowing you’re going to have competition? Or are you going to use this as your out so you can keep fucking your way across the country?”
Alejandro released him and stepped back, shaking his head with a light smile. “If you meant to scare me, try again. A threesome doesn’t frighten me. Can you say the same though? I can’t think of more fun than taking turns making love to her receptive body. The better question is, can you handle it? You’d better come up with an answer before I get back.” Alejandro turned to leave, but he couldn’t resist one parting shot. “Oh, and if you do decide to seduce her, she likes it when you bite down on her earlobe as you take her. Makes her go freakn’ wild.”
He chuckled as Mitchell’s face turned red from embarrassment and desire. Hopefully, his hunt for the human who dared cross him wouldn’t take long because Alejandro looked forward to the fireworks to come, both in and out of the bedroom.
* * * *
Returning to the bedroom, Mitchell seethed at the cat’s words, but his anger receded in the face of Francine looking so small and helpless in the big bed. Of course, he should have known her tongue was in fine fighting shape.
“Are you guys done pissing on Naomi’s walls? Or would you like to each grab one of my legs and pull me apart like a wishbone and see who gets the bigger piece?”
“You must be feeling better. You’re trying to rip a strip off me,” he remarked in a dry tone as he sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “Move over, you bed hog.”
“No. I’m the injured one here.”
“Excuse me? Do you think I’m wearing this bandage because it’s fashionable?”
She peered over at him, her eyes lingering more on his nude torso than his bandage, which made him puff up his chest. “Wuss. My bandage is bigger than yours,” she sassed, but she inched over a bit.
He slid down on the bed until he lay beside Francine, his head on the edge of the same pillow. Her eyes didn’t meet his for long, focusing instead again on the white strips binding him. Then, as if unable to resist, her gaze strayed to the rest of his bare chest, heating him without a single touch. Mitchell grew hard under her regard, and cursed his loose track pants, which made that point all too evident. He tried to cover it with his hand but that just drew her attention to it.
“Nice wood. Hope you don’t usually whack off with your left hand,” she said with a snicker.
“You have a filthy mouth, Francine.”
“All the better to do wicked things with. Hey, weren’t you supposed to be tied to a bed somewhere to make sure you didn’t get out and reopen your own gunshot wound?”
He shrugged. “They tried, but when I heard you got hurt, I kind of broke the bed to come see you.” Which hurt like a fucking bitch, but he lost his freakn’ mind when he heard about Francine’s injury.
“Ah, isn’t that the sweetest thing, but stop trying to distract me. What did you and Alejandro discuss?”
“He’s leaving and told me to take care of you.” He didn’t bother lying.
“What? He wasn’t serious, was he? He could get hurt.”
Again, his shoulders lifted in dismissal while at the same time, irritation filled him that she seemed to care so much about the cat’s wellbeing. But obviously not enough to let him mark her last night. Which meant he still had a chance. “Who cares? It’s his fault we both got shot so it’s only right he fix it.”
“What is it with you guys and the macho bullshit about taking responsibility? Just because some psycho fixated on Jag doesn’t mean it’s his fault. Did he say how long he’ll be gone?”
“He didn’t. But, honestly, do you really think he’s coming back?”
She bit her lip and didn’t reply, but he saw the tears in her eyes. A twinge of guilt made him sigh and say, “I’m sure it will only be a day or so. Long enough to catch the human and stop him from hurting anyone else. But, you won’t be alone. I’m not leaving your side.”
“Gee, lucky me,” she grumbled.
“What happened to we’re meant to be together forever?” He said it in a teasing tone, but a part of him held his breath waiting for her reply, hoping he’d not completely fucked things up. Tied to a bed, with only his thoughts for company-his lonely state probably caused by him yelling at everyone to get out-left a man with way too much time to think. Hours to sift through his emotions and visualize one person over and over, and not just naked in his bed, but in his life, as a friend and lover.
He’d finally caught the damned mating fever and like a mask lifted from his eyes, he could now see Francine in a new light. See the merits in mating with someone who knew him and his family and didn’t run in fear. Appreciate the fact that she shared some of his same interests like watching sports and even playing them. Snicker with pride over the way one tiny girl used her tongue and rapier wit to defend herself. And most of all, he finally saw her as more than the pig-tailed torment who’d tackled him so many times he vowed never to play football again. He looked at her and saw…perfection. My mate. And his wolf sighed in canine relief that the idiot human it was stuck with finally stopped being a dumbass.
Startled from his musings, he heard her reply. “I gave up on you as a mate. Too much work. And besides, you’re grumpy. I don’t need to wake up to that every day.”
He frowned. “I am not grumpy.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Children, behave!” shouted Naomi from the hall.
“Am not,” he whispered.
She elbowed his injured side, and he sucked in a breath. “Ow! That wasn’t nice.”
“Pussy.”
“Shrew.”
She snickered. “Shrew? Really? That’s the best you could come up with.”
“You’re really annoying sometimes, you know?”
“Only sometimes? I’ll have to try harder then.”
“Or you could shut up. You know, enjoy the sound of silence and rest your gums.”
“Make me.”
What possessed him, he didn’t know. The scent of the cat still lingered on her. He’d not yet resolved what he wanted to do about her. Actually, he had, he wanted her, but he wanted to go about it slowly, cautiously. But still despite all that, he kissed her, a brief touch at first, which sent a jolt of awareness through him and made her gasp. He liked it, liked it a lot actually, and even better, she seemed to as well. So he kissed her again, slanting his mouth over hers, testing its fullness before tugging
her lower lip between his for a suck. She parted her mouth, a small moan of need rolling into his. He thrust his tongue into the opening, ran it along the length of hers, tasted her, and wanted more.
Her hand crept up to touch his face, and he didn’t miss her wince. It brought him back to sanity, but did nothing to curb his arousal. He pulled back. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why did I know you were going to say that?” she replied on a sigh.
“I didn’t mean I regretted kissing you. That we’re definitely going to have to do again, but first you need to heal. I don’t want to be the jerk who takes advantage of you while you are lying injured in bed.”
“Could have fooled me,” Naomi said from the doorway. “Men. Always thinking with their little heads instead of their big ones. Now get out so she can sleep.”
A mulish expression dropped over Francine’s face and he could smell the coming fight. He verbally stepped in before it could erupt. “I’m staying. Besides, won’t it make it easier if we’re both in the same room to take care of?”
“I thought you weren’t that injured,” his sister said, narrowing her eyes in challenge.
Adopting a puppy dog face, he tried to look as pitiful as possible while beside him, Francine snickered. “I’m feeling kind of weak, actually. I think all that exertion has caught up. Francine won’t mind if I nap beside her. Will you, Red?”
She let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine. But I warn you right now, I’ve been told I’m a bed hog.”
And boy, did that turn out to be the understatement of the century, Mitchell thought as she sprawled on her stomach across the mattress, the comforter tucked under her cheek while he held on by the tiniest sliver of mattress. However, despite the discomfort, he couldn’t really say there was another place he’d rather be. The thought didn’t frighten him as much as he expected.