by T. S. Ryder
“Diana,” he called. “It’s Noel.”
There was a brief pause, then Ruby spoke. “It’s him.”
The door opened and Diana threw her arms around him. “Has there been any word about the others?”
He shook his head. Part of him wanted to rush out into the storm and find the missing alphas, but he couldn’t leave her. Not when it was only the four of them, unarmed, against a killer who had already shot a man to death.
“It’s going to be okay, though. And when this is all over, I’m going to build a special pool for that pup.” He gestured to the little animal in his bathtub. “And I’m going to make fake fins for it and—"
“Don’t.” Diana buried her face into his chest. “I don’t want false promises, Noel. And it’s not going to change my feelings if the wedding feast is this sea lion or one that you’ve hunted. Okay, maybe I’ll have a harder time since I was able to see how cute this little guy is . . . But I just . . . ”
Ruby turned her face away to give them privacy. Noel took the opportunity to kiss Diana. He pressed her against the wall, his whole body yearning to be joined with hers. There was a layer of desperation to the pounding of his heart that he had never felt before. He just knew that if anything happened to her . . . he would hunt down whoever hurt her and rip him limb from limb.
“If something happens, I will never forgive myself,” Diana whispered as soon as the kiss broke. “I should have tried harder to know where they were coming from. I shouldn’t have let their fighting continue on like this.”
“Hush.” Noel kissed her forehead, her cheek, and her lips again. “This isn’t your fault. We were all a bunch of blockheads, too.”
“You can say that again. Ricky especially,” Ruby put in. “He was a real idiot. I’ve seen him do some stupid things, but—”
“Ruby.” Diana frowned at her.
Ruby shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
“I don’t like you calling my alphas idiots.”
My alphas. A grin blossomed over Noel’s face. He couldn’t stop it. Even though he wasn’t technically a part of it, since they had been referring to Ricky and Kurtis, the warmth spilled from his chest and wrapped around his heart, firm and happy. He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her again, more passionately this time.
Thunder shook the house and Diana moaned at the same time. He could feel the vibrations from her throat and everything else seemed to fade into the background. Her fingers dug into his shirt.
By the time he pulled back, they were both out of breath.
“What was that about?” Diana panted.
“Your alphas. We are yours, Diana. All of us. And hearing you say it . . . Everything is going to be fine. I promise.” He stroked the hair from her face. His bear growled at him to stay with her, reassure her, comfort her, but he had to go and reluctantly slipped from her grasp.
The door closed behind him as he went back to the main level to look out of the large windows.
“Anything?” he grunted at Bobby.
The smaller alpha nodded. He stood to one side of the window, as though trying to keep the lightning from giving him away. Noel quickly went to the other side, his whole stance tensed. There was a black shape outlined in the darkness, creeping toward the house. He growled and crouched, his bear going still. He was in hunt mode, assessing the situation.
“How long has it been there?” Noel asked Bobby under his breath.
“A minute. It’s too big to be just one person, though.”
Was a whole gang after Diana? Noel felt his skin ripple the way it did when he was about to shift. A flash of lightning illuminated the area, revealing a bear with a man sprawled on his back. Noel’s heart jumped to his throat: Kurtis and Ricky.
Bobby was out the door before Noel could fully assess possible dangers. He cursed and chased after him. The two of them got to Ricky and Kurtis quickly, just as Kurtis’ legs gave out. They flopped into a pile. Kurtis groaned as he shifted back to human form. Both of them were soaking wet . . . with rain and blood.
“He has a punctured lung,” Kurtis gasped.
Noel seized Ricky around the arms. It took effort, but he hefted the other alpha up and headed for the house. “Bobby, get Kurtis in here.”
He carried Ricky into the living room and laid him on the floor before going back for Kurtis and Bobby. Kurtis’ pale skin was deathly white, his chest heaving. There was a black mark on his upper back. Noel locked the door.
“We need lights on,” Bobby mumbled. “Otherwise we won’t be able to see what we’re doing.”
Noel cursed under his breath. There went that plan. “Close the blinds and curtains first.”
He blinked in the bright light when it came on. Kurtis had a hand on Ricky’s wrist and his face creased with stress and pain. The other alpha’s eyes were wide as he clung to Ricky.
“Is he alive?”
Noel checked his pulse. “Yes. What happened?”
He only listened with half an ear as Kurtis explained what happened. In all honesty, he didn’t really care except to know what he needed to do to save them. The first thing he needed to do was take care of Ricky’s punctured lung. This was far outside of his area of expertise. Kurtis groaned in pain as he finished up. Noel gently probed Ricky’s chest; there were definitely bones out of place.
“Bobby, there are some pain meds in my bathroom for the sea lion pup. I want you to get some of those.”
Bobby disappeared.
Kurtis’ hand lashed out and grabbed Noel’s arm. “He’s playing games.”
“What?” Noel turned to him, frowning.
“The killer. Whoever is after Diana. He’s playing games. He attacked us, didn’t kill us, and delayed long enough for us to get back? He’s playing games. It’s the Alphabet Killer. It’s him.”
Noel put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down as he attempted to get up. “Stay down. You’re in bad shape and you need to heal.”
“Diana—”
“Is fine.”
“Is in danger!”
Noel pressed both hands to Kurtis’ shoulders. “Stay still so I can look after Ricky. We’ve got this handled; we’ve got people coming. Don’t worry about it. Nobody is going to hurt Diana.”
Kurtis stopped struggling, which allowed Noel to turn his attention back to Ricky. There was no way he was going to attempt any sort of medical intervention. He did know enough to help out the occasional wild animal, but an injury like that? He’d kill the animal to end its suffering.
Broken ribs. Punctured lung.
Lungs full of blood.
“Shit! He’s drowning!”
Noel quickly rolled Ricky to his side, putting him in a position where the buildup of fluid would drain out. As he did so, Ricky’s body heaved and blood splattered out from his mouth. Noel moved to his other side and began to massage his back, to encourage more of the blood to leave his lungs.
Bobby came back in with the small bottle of pills. Ruby and Diana were right behind him. At the sight of him, Diana let out a short scream. Ricky jerked at the sound and groaned. So he wasn’t completely dead to the world. That was a good sign.
“Ruby, you help with the animals on your farm, right?”
“Ranch. Yes. I mean, yes.” Ruby’s face was a bit pale.
Noel nodded. “Diana, come here. I want you to hold Ricky’s hand and talk to him. It doesn’t matter what it’s about, just talk to him so he knows you’re here and alright. Ruby, give Kurtis some of those pain meds.”
“They’re for—”
“They’re stronger than anything else we’ve got and look at him. He’s been shot. He needs the rest if he’s going to heal.”
Kurtis shook his head, then fell back with a groan again.
“Bobby, radio into town. Get them to send a doctor — and find out what is taking so damned long for my people to get here!”
Everybody went about doing as he said. Diana knelt between Ricky and Kurtis. Kurtis put a hand on her leg and she sque
ezed it gently before taking one of Ricky’s hands in both of hers. She spoke in a low, soothing voice about things they’d talked about before she came to the island, about his water purifying plant, about things that they were going to do in the future. His breathing became a little easier and Noel leaned back on his heels. He had at least got most of the blood out of Ricky’s lungs.
Noel met Diana’s gaze. Fear and fury warred in his eyes, but he managed a small smile at her. He wanted to assure her that everything was going to be okay, but he had no clue that it would be. Kurtis would most likely pull through. The painkillers were already starting to work and his huge body relaxed. Kurtis pressed his face into the side of Diana’s legs — maybe it was more than the pills, then.
“Stay here,” Noel said and stood to join Bobby in a corner of the room. “Anything?”
“Our backup is stuck in the mud with two blown-out tires. I couldn’t get hold of the doctor, but the fire chief picked up and said they’ve got three fires in town and people hurt.” Bobby glanced at the wounded alphas. His jaw tightened. “Kurtis is right. Whoever is doing this is playing with us.”
Noel nodded. A crash of thunder made him wince. It was as wild and terrifying as the one that had taken his parents away from him. Was history doomed to repeat itself? Was he going to lose everything again in the heart of a storm?
No. I won’t lose her. I won’t.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Ricky
“You have to.”
Ricky was aware of Diana’s voice. He had been for some time but had been unable to distinguish what she was saying. Now, he heard the words quite clearly. Her tone had changed – become harder, more determined. That was his mate . . . He tried to smile but was unable to tell if it had worked. There was another voice now, perhaps two, but they didn’t matter. Only Diana’s did.
“I have Bobby and Ruby. We’ll keep the doors barricaded, and Kurtis is getting stronger. You have to get the doctor.”
His chest felt like it was collapsing. Every breath was painful. Ricky fought the urge to fall back into unconsciousness. He remembered the attack. The cave. Trying to crawl back home only to have to turn around and go back. Feeling like he was going to die without telling Diana how much she meant to him.
He licked his lips. Blood. Making a face, he tried to spit it out.
“No more arguments. He needs a doctor. Go.”
More sounds became clearer, and as a door closed, his eyes opened. The first thing he saw was that Diana was not in his line of vision. He turned his head to try to see her, but the movement hurt him so badly that he had to moan. Footsteps pattered toward him and then Diana was there, kneeling beside him. He couldn’t smell her over the scent of blood, but she was there. Her warm hand slipped into his.
She smiled. “Hey. You’re awake.”
A voice rumbled behind them. “I’ll call Noel back—”
“Don’t you dare.” Diana’s voice was like steel. “We need that doctor.”
Had she sent Noel away? Ricky jerked, trying to get himself up, but he only managed to flop onto his back. “Get him back. I’m f—”
Something caught in his throat. He coughed and pain exploded in his chest. White and black spots danced before his eyes, and for a moment, he thought he was going to pass out again. Diana rolled him back to his side. She wiped a cool cloth over his face. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he regained his strength.
“Not safe for him to be out there,” he mumbled, but as the pain slipped around his brain and squeezed it, he forgot what it was they were talking about. “Kurtis . . . ?”
“He’s here. Sleeping.”
Ricky opened his eyes again. He managed to focus beyond Diana to Kurtis. His eyes were closed and a pillow was under his head, his breathing deep and even. Ricky let out a slow breath, finding that if he controlled his breathing, it didn’t hurt so much. Kurtis was alive. Diana was alive and unharmed, but they were all still in danger.
Time passed, and he was uncertain if it was minutes or hours.
He looked up at Diana and she smoothed the hair from his face. So tender. Worry shone from her eyes and guilt hit him hard in the stomach. It had taken him years to confess his true feelings to Kurtis, and he’d done it when there was no chance to see his reaction. He couldn’t have planned to collapse after his declaration, but it did save him from the sting of rejection that he was sure would come after.
He’d pushed her away from him the same way that he’d pushed Kurtis away. Why? Why was he so determined to punish himself over his feelings?
Ricky wet his lips, tasting blood again, when the radio went off. Diana looked up, presumably at Bobby. Ricky strained to hear what was being said, but everything was spinning again.
His hand found Diana’s. “What’s happening?”
“Noel’s met up with our guard. He’s sending two of them back to town to get the doctor and the rest of them are coming back with him.” He heard the relief in Diana’s voice. “He’s coming back.”
Ricky grunted. Good. It wasn’t safe for him to be out there alone. Look what the killer had done to him and Kurtis! He had caught them off guard, yes, but there were two of them. Noel was one person, and even with his hunter’s senses, he wasn’t immune to the dangers of humans.
So, the question was whether the killer would strike before they got back, or stop them from returning altogether?
Ricky managed to lift his head, but Diana quickly pushed him back down, not letting him attempt to get up.
“You have a punctured lung, Ricky. Stay still or you’ll only make it worse. Do you think that I want to lose you? Save your strength.”
So that he could attack when the killer struck. Yes, that was a good idea . . . His mind pitched and weaved, and then he opened his eyes again. The rain still slammed against the windows, but Diana had moved, sitting with a bowl of soup broth that she was helping a groggy-looking Kurtis drink. How long had he been unconscious?
The pain was worse, but his mind was clearer. He could tell just how badly he had been injured. A growl rose out of his throat. In that state, he wouldn’t be able to do much more than vomit on the killer. How was he meant to protect Diana? Panic rose up his throat. His hand reached out, grasping the nearest part of her. He held tight, as though she was going to be sucked away into the blackness of unconsciousness again. Diana turned to him and cupped his face with her cool hand.
“I’m here. I’m here, you don’t have to worry. I’m here.”
“Diana.”
She nodded at him, indicating for him to continue.
His mouth and throat were dry, still coated with blood. It tasted sour and almost made him gag, but he swallowed down the worst of it. “I love you. I love you, Diana. I love you.”
He would have kept saying it, the words coming out as a sweet relief, if it wasn’t for her smile. Both of her hands cupped his face and she kissed his forehead lightly. She bent over him, surrounding him with her scent of honeyed lavender as her soft breath wafted across his skin.
“I love you, too. And I’m sorry for—”
“No. You don’t have to be. It was me. Kurtis called me a charity case and I thought I was. I was stubborn and stupid.”
Diana sighed. “Perhaps, but I could have—”
“It’s not your job to make sure that we don’t act like children.” He found her hand and pressed his lips to it. “I’m sorry, Diana. I love you. I should have told you earlier . . . But I was confused. I was confused because I’ve been in love with Kurtis for as long as I can remember, and I didn’t know how my feelings for you could be real if I loved him, too.”
From Diana’s other side, Kurtis let out a weak chuckle. “Don’t start pinning this on me, Rick.”
“I’m not—”
“Stop it.” Diana gave Kurtis a narrow-eyed glare. “I know you like stirring shit up, but now isn’t the time. Try to go back to sleep.”
Ricky glanced past Diana’s knees to look into Kurtis’ eyes. His gaze was warm, tender. Pe
aceful, despite the situation. Ricky’s heart gave a lurch; it hurt, so he broke their gaze. His eyes closed briefly, but he refused to let them stay shut. “I tried to deny who I was for so long but I’m . . . I’m bisexual. Not straight. Not gay. Bi. Although I still don’t . . . don’t really understand how I can be in love with two people at once. That’s not what usually happens, is it?”
“I don’t know,” Diana said slowly. “But I’m in love with four people . . . That’s a bit more complicated than two, isn’t it?”
Four people. Him and the other Alphas. The warmth in his chest spread until it filled his body. Even the pain didn’t feel so horrible. A smile crossed his face. Despite the danger outside their doors, waiting to rush in and destroy everything that made life worth living, he had never been happier.
Diana kissed Ricky gently on the mouth. He made a small noise of protest, because of the blood, but she didn’t seem to be phased by it. She wiped her mouth after the kiss broke, though, and sent Ruby for a glass of water so he could rinse out his mouth.
Thunder crashed overhead. Bobby came over to them, kneeling next to Diana. “I don’t like this. It’s taking too long for Noel to get back. They just got to the border of Ridgeline territory. At this rate, it’ll be a couple hours before they’re back.”
Ricky tensed. “Were they attacked?”
“No. Just they keep running into roadblocks. The bears they sent to town have retrieved the doctor . . . We should move them to the bathroom upstairs. It’ll be easier to defend.”
“Unless he sets the house on fire, in which case we’ll burn to death.”
Bobby sighed and nodded. “I’m going to grab a couple more blankets, then. You’re shivering.”
Ruby returned with the water and murmured she was going to go to the other rooms to see if she could see anything outside. It left Ricky, Kurtis, and Diana alone again. Kurtis had fallen back to sleep, his chest rising and falling gently. Ricky realized that Kurtis must have carried him back . . . In his state, it was a miracle that they’d managed to make it.