by Aline Hunter
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.
She sat on the windowsill, gazing outside. Her eyes saw nothing, her brows smooth as she looked into the night. His heart broke at the sight, the wrenching agony like a fist to the chest. Slowly she turned her head, her thick hair falling over her shoulder. The emptiness in her features changed as he expected it to, shifting from vacant to livid.
“You!” she spat, rising to her feet.
She looked around, trying to find something to throw at him. Since she’d done this plenty of times in the past he’d had most of the things she could toss with ease taken from the room.
“Aye,” he said softly, observing her. “It’s me.”
“You can’t keep me here.” It was an argument they’d had more than once. Her soft, Southern lilt—even when she was furious—was like a symphony to his ears. He could listen to her talk for hours. “Eventually I’ll find a way out. When I do you’re screwed. You’re going to jail. You’re going to rot behind bars. This is illegal. You’re crazy for thinking you can get away with it. Your face will be splashed all over the news!”
“We’re about to leave.” He continued speaking quietly, not wanting to upset her further. “I’ve come to take you downstairs.”
“Leave?” Contempt turned to suspicion. “Leave for where?”
“A special place.” It was the truth. He’d always loved the island. “Somewhere safe.”
“It’s not your right,” she hissed, her beautiful brown and blue eyes furious. “This is my life.” Pounding a fist to her chest, she snarled, “My. Life.” She lowered her arm, glaring at him. “You don’t have any say in it.”
Not your life. Your death. If allowed such a thing.
Never.
“That’s where you’re wrong, little one.” Sliding a hand into his pocket, he carefully removed the plastic shield from the needle and crossed the distance to her. “When it comes to you I have more of a say than you think.”
She tried to get away but there was nowhere to go. When he cornered her, she gazed up at him with terror in her mismatched eyes. “I’ll scream. I swear I will. I’ll bring the house down.”
“I won’t hurt you, Mo chride,” he promised, edging nearer to her. “Easy, lass.”
“You take it easy!” If she could have vanished into the wall he was certain she would have. “Stay back. Don’t come any closer.”
He admired her attempt to fight, although she didn’t stand any real chance. As a human she’d never match his speed or strength. He pinned her to the wall, preventing her from seeing the syringe. Before she could break into a full-fledged fight he slid the needle into her arm and pushed the plunger.
As she’d warned him earlier, she screamed. “No! You said you wouldn’t hurt me!”
“And I will no’. I’ll never harm you.”
He hated the way her anguish and obvious feelings of betrayal corroded his insides, eating away at him like battery acid. The sedative was strong and he only had to hold her for a couple of minutes before she rocked unsteadily on her feet. For the first time since he’d brought her to his home he was able to sweep her into his arms.
Christ, she felt so right.
Nothing was more perfect.
“Put…me…down.” Her words were slurred, almost impossible to make out.
“But I like having you like this. So close and warm,” he murmured against the shell of her ear. “You’re a sweet little armful. If I could I’d keep you this close all the time.”
The panther within loved the nearness, urging him to swipe his tongue along his female’s throat. It ached for the taste of her, wanting to lap at her skin. His cock went instantly hard, his fangs dropping of their own accord. She wasn’t aroused but he knew the first time he smelled a hint of her cream the beast would want to lick at her slit, discover exactly how sweet she tasted. Thankfully the panther also felt her pain and wanted to take it away. It knew she needed more than it could give her so it took a backseat. As long as he was able, he’d make sure the man and not the animal stayed in charge.
“Sleep for me, wee little creature.” With care he swept heavy strands of hair from her face. Like this, with her peaceful and resting in his arms, he never wanted to let her go. A surge of protectiveness and longing spiked through him. He’d attend to her. Give her good memories. Love her beyond measure. “When you wake up you’ll find a whole new world waiting for you.”
He strode from the room, carrying her with ease. She settled against him, her deep breaths telling him she’d fallen asleep. The guards stood aside but followed him as he carried his female down the stairs. He turned in the foyer and made the trek to the back of the house. The car would be waiting. Soon they’d travel to the airport and be on their way to paradise. It was beautiful at the island. The water was so clear you could see the sand. She could frolic and play or spend her days gazing up at heaven.
Whatever she wanted would be hers.
If it took everything he had, he’d make her happy. No matter how long it took. No matter if she hated him and would never give him her heart and soul. He’d gotten everything in order for the packs and the prides in the area. Diskant was going to have to hold his own for a while. This was his moment and he wasn’t letting anything else get in the way.
He’d finally found his female, the most important thing in his world.
God knows he’d done enough for everyone else.
Chapter Seventeen
Finally. Her injuries were healing.
Thank God.
Trey brushed the back of his hand across Sadie’s cheek.
At first the horrible gashes in her chest had kept filling and spilling over, covering the sheets in stains of vibrant red. He’d opened his mate’s pale lips, slashed his arm and dripped his blood into her mouth. She’d swallowed despite being out for the count. Certain she’d had enough, he’d taken a seat beside her.
Then he’d waited.
Each second had felt like minutes, the minutes in turn like hours. When the bleeding had stopped he’d put her in a button-down shirt Ava had provided, so he could inspect Sadie’s chest without shifting her body. She hadn’t healed as fast as she should have and it terrified him.
He never wanted to see her like this again.
If he had his way he wouldn’t.
“They’re asking about her,” Diskant said quietly. “We should tell them something.”
“How about fuck off,” Trey growled, not turning to look at the man. “Do you think that’ll do?”
“Trey, please,” Ava said, imploring him to listen. “You’ve gotten their attention. Do this right and we can work things out. They want to understand. Go to them and explain. You wanted to plead your case. Now’s your chance.”
“They can kiss my ass.” Whipping his head around, he narrowed his eyes and growled at Diskant. “And don’t even think about using your mind juju shit on me. You can wear me down but you can’t change my decision. We’re not staying. Fuck it. As soon as she’s well we’re leaving.”
Over the years Trey had been careful with his money. He wasn’t the richest man in the world but he had enough saved to find a place Sadie would love—a place they’d call home. Perhaps they’d venture to a distant location where no one would find them. There he’d keep her safe. He didn’t need anything else.
At least that’s what he told himself.
Grief kept rearing its ugly head. He didn’t understand it. The pack had hurt the woman meant for him. The only female he’d ever be given. But knowing he’d soon leave everything behind—no longer be able to turn to other wolves that understood and embraced him, a part of something much larger than himself—created an enormous divide in his soul.
Are you fucking serious? Think about what they’ve done.
Remember how they treated her.
The wolf tried to make him think logically. No one in the pack had behaved in a manner he wouldn’t have. If someone had brought a vampire to him and asked for his blessing on the
mating he probably would’ve turned him or her away.
Right?
He shook his head. He didn’t know what he’d have done. Circumstances had changed. His opinion had drastically shifted when it came to mating and vampires. And it all made sense, didn’t it? After all he was mated to a vampire. That was enough to make the most arrogant and disagreeable bastard see the light.
Shifting emotions confused him, making him see things both ways.
His growl deepened as he stared Diskant in the eye. “Don’t mess with my head.”
“I’m not,” Diskant snapped in return, eyes going from green to gold. “If you want to go it’s not my place to stop you. I can’t say I blame you for being pissed. I’d want to rattle a few heads if I were in your shoes. But I won’t let you look back on this and blame me for making you leave. If you go it’s on your conscience.”
“I wouldn’t.” No way. Diskant had done everything he could to help. “I can’t blame you.”
“Then you have to understand something.” With a step to the side, Diskant placed an arm around Ava’s shoulders. She leaned into him, wrapping both arms around his hips. “What I told the pack applies to you as well. Leave this city and you’d better not ever try to come back. If you do I’m not reaching out to help you. The mess you leave won’t be easy to clean. You’re on your own.”
“S’okay.”
The heavy weight of dread lifted and Trey tuned Diskant out, placing all of his concentration on Sadie. She’d finally woken up. He wasn’t sure how hurt she was since she’d communicated with him telepathically. Perhaps the wounds were deeper than he’d thought. A few had scored through her flesh down to the bone but he hadn’t noticed more than that.
He gazed down at her face, begging her silently to open her eyes and look at him.
Her lashes fluttered, thick wisps beautiful against her fair skin. She blinked a couple of times, like she was fighting sleep, then he was peering into her beautiful blue eyes, the color so magnificent it challenged the bright colors of the ocean.
Someone nudged him and he almost lashed out.
His gaze drifted to Ava who had one had on her stomach and another covering her mouth. The teensy female had tears in her eyes—eyes that were shifting colors. The trait of a human mated to an Omega. She’d never change forms but slivers of Diskant’s beasts resided in the fragile female. Usually Ava didn’t give off emotion. She’d always been strong when it came to such things, keeping herself apart in a small way from the pack. Now he could feel how grateful she was to Sadie, how much she wanted to repay the favor.
“Thank you.” Ava choked out the words, pulling in a soft breath as she tried not to cry.
Sadie’s eyes flittered to Ava.
She studied the woman for several seconds and then she gave her a small smile and nod. The motion caused her to wince and Trey inserted himself in front of Ava, crowding Sadie’s body. She needed time to rest. Werewolves healed during sleep. More than likely his female would do the same.
“Talk to me,” he pleaded, reaching out to her.
“What do you want me to say?”
Hell yes. There was humor in the question. That meant she was going to be fine. “Tell me what to do.”
He couldn’t rationalize clearly, worried only for her. The man in him wanted to get the fuck out of town. The wolf wanted to stay. He was fighting an inner battle he wasn’t sure he could win. He felt torn right down the center. As much as he wanted to get into a car, drive away and never look back the idea haunted him.
“Don’t run.” She closed her eyes but kept the line of communication open. “I never wanted or expected that from you.”
“I don’t want to see you hurt.” Her well-being was more important. His pride be damned. “Not ever again.”
“Then be the man I fell in love with. Don’t turn your back on what you love. Don’t cut and run when things get tough. You found me, didn’t you? Even when you thought it was impossible you didn’t give up. You kept going. And you saved me. Without you I wouldn’t be here now.” Her thoughts became broken, a messy, convoluted tumble. “I need to rest. If I were at the caverns I’d have been ordered to sleep by now.”
He wanted to ask what the caverns were. Then he knew she’d picked up on his curiosity. She was too tired to respond so he thought back to her, suffusing the words with all the feeling inside him. “Then sleep. I’ll watch over you. I’ll be here when you open those beautiful blue eyes.”
“Don’t you dare run.” The order was weak. “Be fierce.”
Her chest rose as she drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. She returned to sleep as quickly as she’d ripped herself away from it. His skin prickled, frustration eager to find an outlet. She’d told him to stay. He wasn’t sure if he could. The pack wanted to ask questions but he didn’t know what answers to give them.
“If you go there’s a chance she won’t find Leigh again,” Ava said. She hadn’t moved, standing slightly behind him. “Diskant can keep her informed. She doesn’t have to stay in the dark.”
Damn it. He’d forgotten about Leigh and Nathan.
Sadie would want to know about her friend. She wouldn’t allow them to push her out of Leigh’s life.
“We’re not going to be able to keep any secrets.” It was hard to find words. He wasn’t sure how to phrase things. “If you’re going to give them answers they deserve to know everything. But packs have a tendency to gossip. We have to make sure they stay quiet.”
“We can weed out the deserters,” Diskant offered, shrugging his large shoulders. “Sort out who’s going and who’s staying.” His deep, threatening growl filled the room. The grim upturning of his lips and the glimpse of his fangs screamed vengeance. “Ava and I can take care of Brandi and Andrea. If their friends decide they want to leave we’ll make sure they don’t remember much about what went down.”
Trey had never known how the couple manipulated people’s thoughts. Honestly, as long as it didn’t involve him, he’d normally never cared. There was more on the line now. The slightest slip and they’d all be fucked.
He pondered the future, working out the angles.
Sadie had told him not to run.
If that’s what she wanted he’d stand down hell itself.
“Do it.” A part of him remained with Sadie as he moved from her side. The connection kept growing, bringing them closer together. “Take care of the bitches first. Then I’ll talk to the pack. But I need to speak to Zach first. We have to be up to speed.”
“I figured you would. He’s in the living room.”
The smugness in Diskant’s voice was almost too much to take. The male had known Trey wouldn’t go. He’d been banking on the Alpha standing his ground. Trey faced his friend, trying not to lunge at him and unleash the fucking fury he’d held inside for too fucking long.
Son of a bitch. “You knew I’d stay.”
“Call it a gut feeling.”
Gut feeling my ass. “How did you know?”
“Ava is my life,” Diskant answered with a heavy dose of gravity. “I’d die without her. But your life and living are two different things. You have to choose what’s most important to you and work everything else out around it. You’ll find your way. For now everything is new.”
“And you want me to lead?” He couldn’t understand how Diskant could fathom such a thing. “You think I’m capable?”
Diskant didn’t respond. Not right away. After a pause, he closed the distance between them. The Omega stopped inches away, looking at Trey, his eyes brimming with respect and admiration. Trey remembered when the Omega had been born. The moment he’d arrived everyone in the pack had felt the newborn’s power. They’d known what he’d eventually become. Trey had taken Diskant Black under his wing, guiding the young man to maturity, much like an older brother would a sibling.
“I wouldn’t trust anyone else,” Diskant said. “You’re who they need.”
“Tell me that after I speak to them.” Turning his head slightly, h
e gazed at Sadie. “Someone needs to stay with her in case she wakes up. I don’t want her alone.”
“I’ll stay.” Ava walked to a chair on the other side of the bed. “I won’t leave until you come back.”
At least he had that small consolation. Ava wouldn’t let anyone near Sadie. He actually felt sorry for anyone who tried to get into the bedroom. Ava—even in her condition—would likely throw them out by their ears. Then they’d have to deal with Diskant.
Anyone with half a brain would know better.
“I’m going to speak with Zach.” Swiveling around, Trey faced Diskant. “It won’t take long. You’ll need to take care of the females. I want them gone before I address the pack.”
“Consider it done. Ava mine,” his voice softened as he spoke to his female, “be ready.”
“I don’t want them near Sadie.” Hell no.
“Trust me,” Diskant said, a menacing glint in his eye, “they won’t be.”
It took all of his will to walk out of the room. He detested the distance, hated each step he took away from his mate. Sadie’s request, “Be fierce,” kept him going. This was what she’d wanted, for him to be the man she admired. He could do no less. Not after what she’d sacrificed. He’d be the Alpha the pack needed, commanding their respect. Trust would be slower to achieve but eventually it would come as well.
Zach was where Diskant had said he’d be, seated on the couch. The male had changed drastically since Katie had died. Physically he was thinner, his frame no longer as wide or muscular. His hair was long and unkempt, dark blue eyes constantly brooding. Once Zach had been a consummate joker, easy to laugh and exchange witty barbs. Those days were gone, leaving behind a shell of Zach’s former self.
How in the hell he’d survived the loss, Trey had no idea.
Perhaps it was his need for revenge.
Maybe Zach couldn’t rest until he’d made the Shepherds pay for what they’d done.