Checkmate

by Elyce de Reefe

  Well. This was not quite what she’d been expecting. Cray was grinning as he strode over to Dean and enveloped him in a man-hug. Complete with back slapping. Something she’d never seen him do before. But those two were close. Elizabeth pressed her lips together and tears sprang to her eyes as the flood of happiness Cray felt for his friend shot down the bond.

  Cray released Dean at about the same time as Gage released Aster. Lucas had a big smile on his face as he watched Gage set her down. She’d never seen him smile like that either.

  “Dean. Aster. Welcome to the Rabbit River Pack.”

  He spread his hands in a gesture of welcome. A sudden flash of light surrounded the couple, and there was a burst of power as Lucas’s words echoed through the great room. Elizabeth felt a little shaky and sank back down onto the arm of the chair. Freaky.

  She widened her eyes at Lyla, but the other woman just smiled and nodded. Witches. So blasé about power. She shook her head. What can you expect?

  Cray crossed the room to stand behind her. She glanced back to the happy couple standing together hand in hand. Dean was looking enormously pleased with himself, and Elizabeth noticed for the first time that Aster’s long-sleeved tee was torn. Both the neckline and the hem sported a tear of about four inches, giving it a v-neck it hadn’t been designed with. It fluttered open when she moved, revealing a hint of cleavage, or bellybutton.

  But the two were standing there looking happy and maybe just a little embarrassed— exactly like a young couple who had just announced their engagement. Okay. So that’s adorable.

  She gave a tiny shake of her head. They looked so young. Aster was thirty, right? And Dean was older than that. Well, Dean had always had a baby-face. Elizabeth got the impression he was often underestimated because of it. But when did thirty get so young?

  Face it, girl. You are going to be forty in September. Everything is starting to look young to you. She glanced over her shoulder at Cray, who was still grinning. Well, not Cray. Cray looked great. She smiled back.

  Lucas had begun leading Aster around the room, introducing her first to Jeffrey, who was closest, leaning against the wall by the entrance to the hallway. He mumbled something and she heard Aster say “enchanté,” and then Lucas inform her that Jeff didn’t speak French.

  “Quel dommage!” Aster exclaimed, but then she smiled and winked at him. The poor boy turned crimson. Dean put his arm around her waist and pulled her away.

  Elizabeth started to think she might just like Aster. A moment later Aster was standing in front of her. Elizabeth rose to her feet and held out her hand.

  “Hi. I’m Elizabeth. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “Elizabeth. It’s nice to meet you too.” She tilted her head briefly, indicating the room in general, and gave her a sardonic smile. “Keeping this lot in order, are you?”

  Elizabeth grinned. “Somebody’s got to do it.”

  Aster nodded, still smiling, and then Lucas drew her away to meet Lyla.

  Okay. Yes. She was definitely going to like Aster.

  Elizabeth had a sudden thought and narrowed her eyes, examining Lyla closely. But the other woman was as neatly put together as always, no sign of any damaged clothing. Apparently, Aaron didn’t feel the need to show his dominance. She rolled her lips in to hide her smile.

  Lucas brought Aster back to stand before Mari, saying, “And this is Mari.” He paused for a moment, looking uncomfortable. “She is under my protection.”

  Aster glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a playful smirk on her face. “Yes, Lucas. I know. I have a nose after all.” Then she winked at Mari, her smile becoming more genuine before turning away, looking every inch the gracious queen after greeting her subjects.

  Okay. Wow. Not what Elizabeth had been expecting. Not that she’d had any idea what to expect, but—

  “Aster,” she said before she could talk herself out of it, “would you like to join Mari, Lyla and me, getting lunch together? We were planning on making chicken salad, but we could make something else if you’d prefer.”

  Aster looked startled, and then pleased. “Yes. I would. Chicken salad sounds perfect.”

  “Oh, good. I sent Gage out earlier for some French bread and prosecco, and we have some lovely vine-ripe tomatoes…”

  Chapter 21

  The term Fianchetto comes from the Italian, ‘little flank.’ It is a tactic that employs the Bishops along the sides of the game to influence the center of the board. It was favored by the Hypermodern School that developed in the 1920s. They preferred to use more subtle methods to dispute control of the center rather than immediately occupying it with two or three pawns.

  — From the Journals of Aster Ardennes

  Dean wasn’t quite sure how to describe the complex mix of emotions he felt carrying Aster’s suitcases down the wooded path that led to his trailer, but pride was definitely at the top. He was bringing Aster—this incredible woman who was now his mate—to his home. To live with him. To share a life with him.

  Aster preceded him down the tree-lined corridor and stopped just before it opened to the weed-choked grassy area in front of the doublewide. “Oh.” She sounded surprised.

  Dean winced, suddenly remembering the rickety table and plastic chairs. “I know, it’s not…” but he trailed off as he followed her into the clearing.

  There was a newly-installed slate patio in front of his trailer. A black metal table and six chairs in some kind of braided pattern graced its surface. Or maybe that was woven? There was a beige umbrella in the center of the round table, and matching cushions on the chairs. A fancy new grill sat off to the side. Dean glanced around in amazement. It looked— great.

  Someone had placed planter boxes along the base of the trailer on either side of the front door and filled them with decorative bushes and flowers. And the ‘lawn’ had been mowed. It actually looked almost like a lawn now, rather than a patchwork of grass and weeds surrounded by trees. As he walked farther into the clearing, he could see that two Adirondack chairs had been placed along the side of the trailer that faced the river, with a small end table between them. And last, but not least, the trailer sported a fresh coat of white paint and new black shutters.

  “Oh, Dean. This is so nice.”

  “Yes. It is.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “Welcome home.”

  She smiled and turned in a circle, taking it all in. What had been a somewhat ragged opening in the woods with a used doublewide at one end of the clearing was now a charming, peaceful space screened by trees. Dean felt a well of emotion clog his throat. He knew Lucas had done this primarily for Aster, but even so, it was still a little overwhelming to have his Alpha devote so much attention to his comfort.

  Gavin, Lucas’s father, had been one of the best Alphas Dean had ever heard of—including those he’d studied in the archives—but he’d never spent this kind of energy on any one individual. No. With the People, it was all about the wellbeing of the pack. Thriving within that structure was left to the individual.

  He set down the suitcases and opened the trailer door. “After you,” he said, gesturing Aster up the stairs. He watched her ascend the three steps, admiring the way her jeans outlined her long legs and slender curves.

  She took one step inside and spun around, eyebrows raised. “You have a lab in your living room. Why am I not surprised?”

  “Hey. I think we’ve already established lab techs are hot.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  He grabbed the bags and pushed through the doorway, crowding her back into the room.

  Aster did a slow turn, eyeing all the equipment. “Nice setup. Not sure where you’re going to put your micro-thingy though.” She smirked at him. “Kind of full.”

  “I’ll find a spot. Don’t you worry.” He jerked his chin toward the back of the trailer. “Bedroom’s that way.” He gave her a little swat on the ass to get her moving.

  “Dean!”

  He just grinned. Picking up the suitcas
es he’d dropped, he continued crowding her along the length of the trailer in the right direction. Unfortunately, when they reached the bedroom, he discovered the upgrades ended at the front door. His messy, unmade bed and single dresser didn’t make such a great impression.

  Aster shook her head, gazing around the small room. “You expect me to live here? I think we are going to have to discuss some kind of addition.”

  “Stop giving me lip and get on the bed, wench.”

  “What?”

  But she was laughing when he dropped the suitcases again and pressed her back onto the mattress.

  “Did you just call me a wench?”

  “Mmmm,” he agreed, and kissed her.

  After that, they didn’t talk for a while.

  ** *

  Nina hung up the phone and rubbed her forehead. This was not a disaster. Eva’s doctors were already scheduling a second transplant. The good news was that Eva’s body hadn’t rejected the bone marrow transplant; it had just failed to graft. They could try again with the same donor without the lengthy process of identifying another match. Which was good, because her little sister was running out of time.

  She slammed her fist down on the desk. It just wasn’t fair. Eva had been struggling with this for the past three years, and every time they thought they found a solution, all they got was just a little more time. At best. Nina pulled in a deep breath, trying to push the worry out of her mind. A failed graft could have serious consequences. They had to deplete the patient’s diseased bone marrow first with radiation or chemotherapy—leaving them with even less than they started with.

  Nina blew out her breath slowly, searching for calm. She repeated the familiar statistics. Seven out of ten patients diagnosed with aplastic anemia recover. Yeah, but that’s not much of a comfort to those other three. Nina was desperately afraid that her sister was going to fall into that category.

  And here she’d thought graduating from medical school would give her a sense of confidence when facing illness or disease. All it did was make her that much more aware of all the possible complications. Dr. Evans not to the rescue.

  She stood and headed for the tiny employee lounge just past the reception area, trying to ignore the bathroom as she went past, which held yet another failed pregnancy test. How many times could one girl visit the sperm bank? It was mortifying, showing up month after month like clockwork. She knew they must be wondering when she would just give it up already. But she couldn’t. She needed a baby. Eva needed a baby. Well, they needed the stem cells—cord cells they were called—from the umbilical cord. Because it looked like without that, this aplastic anemia was going to be a death sentence for her sister. A slow, agonizing death sentence.

  Nina pushed the knowledge of the dwindling odds out of her mind. Even if a miracle happened and she did manage to get pregnant, it still might not work. The treatment was experimental, and the baby might not be a match. But the chances of a match were high. Whether the baby would be born in time—

  It just isn’t fair. She was only thirty-seven. Why couldn’t she conceive? But she’d tried everything, in-vitro, drugs, hormones, and each and every one of the experimental fertility treatments she’d developed so far.

  Except for this last batch— which had been stolen before she’d reached the right time in her cycle. Why? Why would they steal them? She’d had such hope for this last batch. Of course, she had hope for every batch…

  She’d planned to talk to Marten about the break-in, but he’d run out of the office before she could pin him down. The man was like a secret agent. He’d talked her into leaving one of those odious pheromone samples Simon had her working on open on her lab table and told her not to enter the lab for any reason that night. And as a result, the lab had been raided.

  She sighed and reached into the overhead cabinet, pulling out a mug and a tea bag. Maybe a nice cup of tea would help. The truth was she’d known he’d been up to no good. But she’d done it anyway. Sometimes she hardly recognized herself. It was amazing what a person would do when faced with the death of a loved one.

  He’d promised her more blood samples—the raw material she needed to make the fertility treatments—and she needed them desperately. Especially after the Latham lab had burned to the ground. If she wasn’t firmly grounded in the real world, she’d be tempted to think there was some kind of major conspiracy going on. She shook her head, concentrating on the here and now. There was no point in looking back.

  The microwave dinged and she retrieved the mug of hot water, suppressing another sigh. Of course, Marten had his own agenda in all this. His help was contingent on her not asking too many questions and her aid in solving his own medical dilemma. Very quietly. Which, okay, she didn’t mind working on. It was fascinating. She’d never seen a disease that acted quite that way.

  So she ignored all her misgivings, kept her head down, and just kept plugging away. For her little sister, she’d do anything.

  Walking back to her office with a steaming cup of tea, she spotted a flash of gold sticking out from behind Millie’s desk. She moved closer, fighting the urge to close her eyes in defeat. Millie had just tendered her resignation. Over the phone. She sighed. Millie had been a find. Quiet and almost painfully shy, she did a great job organizing the office and never asked a single question.

  But wait— was that? Yes. That golden flash she’d spotted was the box of chocolates. Well, Millie isn’t coming back for that. Nina felt her lips curve in a tiny smile. Tea and chocolate. Maybe things were looking up.

  Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, girl. But she snagged the box from the edge of the wastebasket anyway as she walked by. It was chocolate after all.

  Chapter 22

  The Endgame, or the final stage of the game can be the most challenging. Typically, many pieces have been captured by this point, and you must do more with less. Often the Queens are out of play, and it becomes necessary to activate your King.

  — From the Journals of Aster Ardennes

  Lucas stepped through the front door into the great room feeling grim. This was not going to go over well, but there was no choice. He’d taken a walk through the meadow hoping to settle his nerves, but it hadn’t helped. His eyes shot to Mari puttering around in the kitchen with Elizabeth. He’d been trying hard not to think about what had happened the last time Mari was here without protection. That wasn’t working either.

  He ground his teeth in frustration trying again to come up with some alternate plan, but he couldn’t. His only hope was that Lyla might have some spell that would make a difference. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension. The idea of using magic did not sit well with him. But Lyla had done well with the spell to find Elizabeth…

  He glanced around the great room. Eli and Gage were sitting on one of the couches watching something on Eli’s phone, heads close together. They looked up briefly when he entered the room, but went right back to what they were doing. Some kind of music video from what Lucas could hear.

  Cray sat in one of the leather armchairs watching him expectantly. He had the remote in hand and looked like he’d been idly flipping through channels. Lucas gave him a nod and strode over to the basement door and trotted down the steps. As expected, Jeff and Zeke were down there playing pool.

  “Finish up that game and come on upstairs,” he said.

  He glanced at the bar and considered grabbing a brandy. After. He poked his head into the command center instead and checked the monitors. They showed everything normal, as expected. Any type of alarm would have been sent to his phone. He sighed. There was no point in putting this off. He turned and headed back up the stairs.

  When he reached the great room again, Jesse was leaning against the hearth watching the muted baseball game Cray had switched to. They both glanced up at him briefly as he strode over to check the score, but neither said anything. Everyone could feel the mood.

  And the Blue Jays were down seven. Not a particularly good omen. He shook his head and p
aced back toward the kitchen, his gaze going to Mari again, who from what he could smell was mixing her famous biscuits. He was careful to look away before she noticed him watching.

  Lyla and Aaron had still not arrived. Neither had Dean and Aster. But the rest of the pack was here. Soon he would have to break the news. He suppressed a sigh. But the pack—the People—came first. And it was his job to uphold the Law. He’d gone over the information briefly with Aaron this afternoon, so he was probably expecting this. Cray, though…

  He glanced over at the dark-haired enforcer, who met his gaze with a grim look of his own. This would be hard on Cray. He hadn’t let Elizabeth out of his sight since the abduction. Lucas knew how he felt. His gaze flicked back to Mari, just for a second.

  He heard the mudroom door open and Lucas turned. A moment later, Aster and Dean entered the great room, hand in hand. That brought a reluctant smile, and he nodded to them in greeting. It was nice to see Aster so happy. And the little Lore Master was obviously over the moon for her. He’d had his suspicions about them. At least there was one bright spot in all this.

  Zeke and Jeff joined them, heading over to the couches. Jeff settled on the second couch and Zeke joined his brother and Gage, leaning over to see what they were watching. Jeff gave him a nervous glance and Lucas tried to look reassuring. He was going to need the kid for this too. He was going to need everyone.

  Aaron and Lyla entered from the porch and Aaron met his gaze. Lucas could tell just from his expression that Aaron knew. He understood what would have to happen. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he’d discussed it with Lyla, because she was carrying her big book of magic under one arm. She gave him an anxious look and a nod, and he returned it.