“I love you,” I gasp out. “I know that’s crazy, but I do. I would have died for you, so it’s not fair if you get to die for me. We should have talked about it. But we were never that great at talking. Come back to life so I can kick your ass for trying to leave me.”
I give myself a second or two more of pity, and then get up to do more rescue breaths. He still has a pulse, so there’s hope. Then, on a long breath, a huge cough and wheezing sound, his lungs draw in air.
I don’t know what caused it, or if I even helped, or if his body just decided to breathe again. Whatever it was, I thank heaven for it and slump back down in my place on the bed to try not to go into shock myself.
I listen to the rise and fall of his chest, enjoy his scent, relish the sound of his breathing. If anything it sounds more steady than before the cessation.
I breathe a sigh of relief and look at the clock. Morning in just a few hours. Will he be better then?
Gosh, I hope so. My heart can’t take much more of this.
Chapter 8
Morning creeps forward, showering bright sunlight over my tired, aching body. I put a hand up to shield my face as I look outside and see sun sparkling over the trees and grass.
My eyes flip to Lindon. I’ve been watching him all night and never fell asleep at all. I owe it to him for taking the shot for me. I doubt I could have been strong enough to have survived it, considering how low tolerance I have for staying in wolf form. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with that, but he transformed back to human almost instantly after being shot. So it was bad.
I’m sitting there by the side of the bed, leaning over on it, when his eyes flutter and open, long lashes blinking blearily. The whites of his eyes can’t really be called white.
“Misty?” he croaks, pushing himself to a sitting position. “What…what happened?”
I sit up and resist the urge to hug him. To take him in my arms and assure myself he’s all right. What does he last remember? Our fight? Anything?
“Um…what’s the last thing you remember?” I ask.
He puts a hand to his head and tries to sit back against the headboard. I reach out to help him but he stops me with a shaking hand. “I…okay…it’s fuzzy but I remember…a gunshot.” His golden eyes go wide and his breathing increases. “You…had to get to you.”
I fight down a flush. Will he be angry?
He calms his breathing as he studies me intently. What’s he thinking in that big, frustrating brain of his?
“You’re okay,” he gasps out. “Thank heavens.”
I laugh dryly and eye him back. He’s still so pale, and his hands and one leg seem to be twitching here and there. When he sees what I’m looking at, he shakes his head gently.
“No, just hungry, I think. Don’t worry.” He puts a hand to his forehead and rests against it. “I think I’m through the worst of it. I feel like I got hit by a bus, though.”
“A bullet isn’t far from that,” I say quietly.
He nods. “But I made it. How? They were coated with some kind of poison, Jack had the notes in his bag.”
“Ah, so you knew you would die?”
He doesn’t answer, just lifts his shirt slowly, with a grimace, and looks down at the nearly healed wound, the puckered, red skin. “What happened to me?”
I bite my lip. Should I go get Hawes? It was his idea. No, it was all of us agreeing on it. It was his only chance. “It was Lock. His alpha power is healing quickly. He…” I bite down on my lip again, I can’t say it.
“Bled on me?” he asks quietly, pressing his lips into a firm line. “Interesting. I’ll have to thank him later. After I beat his ass for taking you.”
I sit up a little. “You don’t think the blood thing is gross?”
“No,” he says. “It probably saved my life. And shifter science fascinates me.”
“Is there anything that doesn’t fascinate you?” I joke, feeling the dryness in my throat and the tiredness in my body from not sleeping.
“So what happened until I got there? Did Lock…” His jaw tightens. “Do anything to you?”
My face warms again. “No. I mean, he tried.”
Lindon lets out a low growl and I put a hand up. He should save his strength for more important things than overprotective shows of aggression. Sexy though they may be.
“He didn’t achieve it. I got him in the groin. Hard.”
He sighs in relief and relaxes against the headboard, looking up at the ceiling as if to thank it for his good fortune. “Wait, in the groin? How did you do that?”
I smile slightly. “I um…waited for a good opportunity.”
“Wow, you blow me away, you know that? You’re not like anyone I’ve ever known. You use donuts as bookmarks and hit men in the groin after tricking them. I continue to be impressed.”
I look down at my hands, pleased at the praise but still uncertain where we stand now that he’s awake. When he was unconscious it was just me alone with my feelings, and I knew what I wanted. But with him awake now, it’s setting in that there are two of us who will have to make a decision.
And if I know anything about Lindon at this point, it’s that I never know what to expect. One would think jumping in front of a gun would mean he’d finally faced his issues about me. But then again, I’m half expecting him to come out swinging and push me away again. Once he’s strong enough to. I’ll deal with that when it comes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, folding his arms carefully and wincing slightly.
“Nothing,” I say. “Let me get you some water, you must be really dry.”
He coughs. “Yeah. What about you? How are you doing?”
“I wasn’t shot,” I point out, grabbing a cup from the cupboard above the counter and filling it with cold water. I carry it back carefully and hold it out toward him.
He puts out a hand. “You first.”
“What?” I ask.
“You first. Drink it up and go get me another one. You look like hell.”
I put a hand through my hair, which is in disarray, half in and half out of a ponytail, dark curls in every direction. “Thanks, asshole,” I mutter.
“No, I mean…” He frowns. “Just drink some water, will you? I told you I’d need some free passes.”
I shake my head and down the water, then stomp back to the bathroom for a new cup and begin filling it.
“The same cup is fine,” he says.
I freeze and look over at him. “What?”
“I want to drink from the same cup,” he repeats quietly, staring at me with a matter-of-fact expression on his beautiful face. Does that mean…?
“I’m going to be sharing a lot more with you, after all.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, walking forward with the water in my hands. My fingers tremble and I hand him the water so I don’t have to risk dropping it.
He drinks it quickly, looking stronger by the minute, then sets it beside him on the bed stand and looks up at me. “We’re going to be mated, right?”
I bite my lip, wishing for a sassy retort, but I have none. “Why?” I ask stupidly, knowing it’s a silly, fishing question and just asking to get me hurt.
He frowns. “What do you mean, why? My body literally flew in front of yours. We’re fated.”
I bristle at that. Not the right answer for me. I lift my chin. I know I’m being stubborn, but I want to be wanted for me, not because of some uncontrollable destiny.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Fated isn’t enough,” I say. “You thought you were fated with Ava, and you were wrong about that, too, right?” My tone is bitter, but I don’t see how saying we’re fated brings any security. What I feel for him is far beyond a sense of obligation to any fate we may share.
“Misty, you don’t understand…”
I turn away and fold my arms. “People keep telling me that, but I think I understand more than they think. I may not understand all of werewolf culture, but I understan
d human hearts. And we’re a little of both.”
He nods, tilting his head curiously as if he doesn’t see what the problem is. He’s beautiful, that hair, that body, and oh my gosh, that face.
But would it be enough to spend a life with him, knowing how much more I felt than he did?
Either way, I don’t think I can spend it with anyone else either. I liked the idea of being fated with him, but that’s because I care for him.
“I’m going down to get Hawes,” I say. “And your family. They’ll want to see you.”
“What happened with Jack?” he asks.
“We turned him over to the tribunal.”
Lindon nods. “And Lock?”
I shake my head. “He got away.”
Lindon gives me a knowing glance but doesn’t say any more. “Okay, send the family up.”
I nod. We still don’t know who killed my parents. Jack didn’t know anything about it. So we were wrong about the person trying to kill me having anything to do with my parents dying. A mystery that may never be solved. But I seem to be safe now anyway.
I stop at the door, a chill up my back as I wonder if I should be brave enough to tell Lindon all of the things I thought while I watched him dying, while I stayed with him last night.
“Misty?” he asks.
“Yes?” I say, turning around hopefully.
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you going?”
“Oh, right,” I say, heart sinking in my chest like a boat loaded with water. He didn’t have to watch me dying, so he didn’t have all of the same revelations. It makes sense.
I head to my room first to put on proper clothes. A bra, a loose tee shirt, and some yoga pants that hug my curves. Then I pull my hair back up into a ponytail so that it’s not everywhere, and head downstairs.
Lindon’s family is waiting on couches around the living room. Aspen, Rafe, Hawes and a pale, blond female I don’t recognize, and Rowan all sit facing each other with wan faces and blank expressions.
Hawes stands. “Misty, this is Rose, my mate.” He beams with pride despite the stress lines on his face, and I force a smile as I walk forward and shake her hand.
Rowan stands and grips my hand in both of his. “Thank you so much for taking care of him.” Then he pulls me into a harsh hug. “I don’t know what we’d have done if you hadn’t been there.”
“Really?” I ask quietly. “I mean, I felt like I was hogging him.”
Rafe chuckles and some of the others join in nervously. Hawes pulls me away from Rowan and into the kitchen while they wait.
“How is he doing?” he asks.
“Good, he’s awake and asking for the family.” Well, that’s not completely true. I’m the one who wanted to run away and used the family as an excuse. But I did know that they were probably dying to see him and know he was okay. I know I waited all night for that.
“Alright, I’ll go see him,” Hawes says. “You should probably say goodbye.” He gestures outside and I see cars out front, and a cab, and suitcases. Of course, the other men.
I guess everyone agrees with Lindon at this point. It’s over, and I’m going to be with him. And it’s what I wanted, so why do I feel just the tiniest bit bitter? I have a man who would sacrifice his life for me. But…doesn’t love me.
He’s fated to me, but he didn’t…choose me.
I open the front door as Hawes takes the family upstairs.
Thor turns to see me, and his face pales. Bradley and Asher also freeze, hands on their suitcases, which they are loading into the cab.
Tim and Tom are next to a Limo, and they walk over to give me a hug, squishing me between them. I hug back, and then Thor joins, and then Fifi, and then it’s just a big ball of men with me laughing and crying between them.
I pull back, wiping a tear that’s just from the emotion of saying goodbye to them all. They’ve been good to me, for the most part.
“I’m still going to finish that book,” Thor says, a half smile on his face.
I nod. “Good.”
“Tell me if you need someone to make a wedding cake,” Bradley says, coming to give me a hug of his own. He smells amazing. “I never told you what my family does. We own a bake shop.”
I grin and playfully swat his arm. “Ha, so that’s why you were so good at baking.”
He grins guiltily and puts a hand behind his neck. Then he waves goodbye and steps over to the cab.
Asher is next, and he stands there awkwardly as Tim and Tom wave goodbye and take off in the Limo. “I…you’re not bad,” he says. “I think you ended up with the right man.”
“Thanks for the self defense help,” I say.
He blushes and starts to walk away, waving his hand. But then he turns back and envelops me in a rough hug. Then he flips around again. He walks to the cab and yells over his shoulder. “And tell that asshole if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”
“Will do,” I say, a smile touching the corners of my lips.
Thor gives me a hug. He’s tall and hard and fun to hug, and I’ll genuinely miss his weirdness around.
“What will you do now?” I ask him.
“Go back home,” he says, looking slightly haunted. “What else can I do? I’ll have to answer to the pack.”
“Thor?” I say, letting him go.
“Yeah?”
“Let me know if you hear from him.”
His face tenses a little, then relaxes. He gives me a smile. “If I can, I will.”
“And get a copy of that book, it’s on Amazon.”
“Will do,” he says, making a little salute. “Does it have a happy ending?”
I pause, thinking about it. Depends if you think about the book or the man who wrote it. “I don’t know,” I say.
“I hope it does,” he says, winking at me. Then he gets into a red sports car and pulls away.
I just stand there, stunned. The more I got to know him, the more I felt was under that shell. But I don’t have much time to think about it, because Fifi is now enveloping me in a flowery hug, and I cough and peel him off because he’s a little too strong.
“You’re strangling her,” Matt says, pulling him off. Fifi just shrugs and looks off in the distance. Matt puts a hand on my shoulder. “You know, I think I will miss you.” She pulls a note from her pocket. “Here’s my contact info. Get in touch if you want to. It’d be nice to have a girl friend.”
I warm and give her a wide grin and a deep blush spreads over her cheeks.
“Don’t get all weird about it, commoner,” she says, turning on her heel and walking away.
Fifi grins and follows her, giving me a wave. “Take care of Lindon,” he says.
“Will do,” I say.
“Take care of each other,” Matt corrects.
I nod.
How to do that I’m not really sure. But as I watch the last of my new friends and potential suitors drive away, the finality of it all really sinks in.
It’s just me and Lindon now.
So what happens when his family leaves? My heart skips a beat at the thought.
Chapter 9
I head back upstairs, hearing Lindon’s family talking loudly behind his closed door. I feel like an outsider once again. I walk down to my room and open the door and walk in and shut it behind me, breathing a sigh of relief to have a moment alone.
I eye the bed. Tempting. But I still feel like I have to get clean first. I have Lindon’s blood on me and all of the males’ scents, including probably Lock’s. I lock the bedroom door, put a chair against the knob just in case, so I’m not bothered, and hop in the shower.
The warm water seems to wash away my stress, but it also lets me feel how tired I really am. Maybe I’m just overreacting to Lindon right now because I’m exhausted.
I finish my shower and stumble out, taking just enough time to put my hair in a loose braid and tie off the bottom, and put on my pajamas. I crawl into bed with a sigh, and my last thought before drifting off is Lindon’s face. Smiling.
&nbs
p; I go to sleep peacefully.
When I wake up, it’s light outside still. Did I barely sleep at all? I groan and push my hair behind my ears, feeling like I’ve both slept forever and not slept at all. It’s still morning outside. Did I sleep for an entire day? I look at the clock. It’s earlier than it was when I went to sleep, so I must have.
I groan again, louder this time, and sink back into the covers. I feel weak from hunger, grumpy from stress, and hot and sticky from being in bed too long.
A knock sounds at my door and I growl and hide under my sheets.
“Misty?” Lindon calls out, sounding far too good for someone who was shot like a day ago.
I don’t answer.
“Misty, we need to talk. I’ve given you privacy because it feels like you’ve got a chair in front of your door, and you probably needed to sleep, but we need to talk. You’re misunderstanding something.”
Or maybe I understand things just fine. Maybe I don’t want to hear anymore from him right now. I’m not strong enough for more of his fated talk.
Not before breakfast.
But I make no move to get up or open the door. I just stare at it, a little nervous about even seeing the man behind the door.
“Come on, Misty, open up.” His voice is melodic and sexy. He sounds much freer than before. Maybe even before the shooting. I swallow. I don’t know how to deal with this Lindon. He’s not being snarky and mean.
But he doesn’t love me. And I love him. I know this really well, because I felt it deep inside me as I watched him hurt.
I pull the covers over my head again and hide, as if it’s my own little cave where no one can find me.
How did I end up in this mess? Werewolves everywhere. No job anymore. And just me and a supermodel gorgeous blond in a gargantuan mansion.
Life could be worse, right? So why am I so nervous? Maybe because once we’re mated it can’t be undone, and I’d be locked into a marriage of obligation for life?
Yikes.
“If you don’t let me in, I’m going to pull a Thor and climb your wall.”
Ultimate Alpha Boxed Set: A BBW and Wolf Shifter collection Page 65