by Lacey Thorn
He heard the door click shut behind him and Tah joined him, dropping into one of the chairs beside Zane.
“What happened with Kenzie?” Tah asked.
“Have you spoken with her?” Zane questioned.
Tah shook his head. “Reno said she looked haunted when she got back last night. She apologized and went to her room. I don’t think she’s been out since. Reno said there was something off about her.”
“Last night?” Zane asked.
Tah lifted a brow. “She didn’t get here until after my daughter was born and you and Diane were downstairs for the night.”
Zane felt like cursing. Where had she been the whole time? God, he hated feeling useless when it came to comforting her. “Did Angel mention anything about her to you?”
Tah sat forward then. “He asked if she was important to me. I told him she was family. He seemed satisfied with that, told me he’d given you a number if anyone ever needed to get in touch with him. What the hell’s going on, Zane?”
Damn it! It wasn’t his place to divulge what had happened. Angel should have been the one to let Tah know what was going on. Barring that, it should be Kenzie. Of course, Zane had seen for himself how devastated Kenzie was that Angel had mated her and left. Fuck!
“You’re making me uneasy,” Tah warned.
“I don’t know what happened when Angel went in after Kenzie. I was with Diane. I know neither of them came out the same.” Zane blew out his breath and met Tah’s gaze. “I also know Kenzie came out with a bite mark on her neck she didn’t have before.”
“What?” Tah almost roared. “He mated her?”
“It appears so,” Zane said.
“And left? He walked away and left her?”
Zane nodded.
“That fucking bastard! How the fuck does that happen? Why?” Tah demanded, exploding from his chair and pacing around the room.
“It wasn’t easy for him,” Zane said. “I was there. I saw the look on his face when he forced himself to leave.”
“Then why leave?”
“To protect her. You heard who he is, an avenging angel. You think hunters haven’t heard of him? Aren’t searching for him? They’d hit pay dirt if they discovered he had a mate and took her instead.”
“And protecting her means staying away from her,” Tah said and groaned, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.
“Kenzie was devastated when she woke up and he was gone,” Zane said.
“Woke up?”
“She had passed out by the time Diane and I got to them. Diane sat with her while I helped Angel deal with the carnage. When Kenzie awoke…” Zane shook his head. “I’ve never seen her so broken. It scares me. It pissed Diane off. She was ready to go after him.”
“I agree with her,” Tah said. “If I’d known when he was here… I’m trying to understand his reasoning. But he’s not protecting her. He’s just as likely to get her hunted and killed by leaving her as he is to take her with him. She’s smart. Hell, she’s a fucking Marine!”
“He thinks he’s doing what’s best for her,” Zane stated.
“What a fucking mess,” Tah grumbled.
“Maybe I should have let Diane kick his ass,” Zane said.
Tah gave a brief smile. “Diane is loyal and tough. You have a great mate in her.”
Zane nodded in agreement. “I’m a little nervous about the pregnancy and becoming a father.”
Tah really grinned then, and his smile filled the whole room. “Thankfully, we learned a lot with Abby’s pregnancy. Diane will require regular infusions of your blood to help keep her body stable during the pregnancy. She’s strong and healthy. And being a father… I can’t express the joy I get looking into my daughter’s big brown eyes, or holding her in my arms with her mother snuggled up beside us. I never knew it was possible to feel like this.”
“It’s good to see you so happy,” Zane said.
“It’s funny how one thing can ease the burden on your shoulders. When Abby was sick and we didn’t know what was going to happen, when I feared I’d lose her, everything stressed me out. Now, knowing I have her at my side, I feel capable of handling anything.”
“I’m glad,” Zane admitted.
“You’ll make a great father,” Tah told him. “And our children will be close in age. Should I wish a daughter on you, so mine will have a best friend?”
Zane laughed. “As long as mother and baby are healthy, boy or girl doesn’t matter to me.”
Tah smiled, paced away and turned back with a serious look on his face. “What are we going to do about Kenzie?”
“Watch her. Protect her. Love her,” Zane answered. “All the things we’ve always done.”
“Do you think her mate’s bite might change things for her?”
Zane sat up straight as he thought about it. “I’d have to talk to Diane, but anything’s possible. Angel’s bite could definitely bring on her beast. I’ll speak to my mate about it. I know she’ll want to keep a close eye on Kenzie, anyway.”
Tah nodded. “We’ll have to tell everybody. Kenzie has to be protected. Abby will be mad as hell when I tell her.”
“I almost said no when she told me she wanted to go ahead alone, that she needed some time alone. So much sorrow was in her eyes, so much pain,” Zane said.
“We’ll stand beside her. Be there, anything she needs,” Tah swore.
Zane agreed. “I promised Angel I’d watch after her. She’s the reason he gave us a place to go.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Tah agreed. “It would be easy to hate him for this,” Tah admitted. “But I feel sorry for him. He’s lost more than he realizes by leaving Kenzie. She deserves better than a mate who claims her then leaves her. I’m not sure I could give Abby up. I don’t think I’ll ever have that strength. Hell, she is my strength.”
“I understand,” Zane agreed. “I tried to stay away from Diane. It almost cost me the woman meant for me and only me.”
“I’m glad she found you,” Tah said.
“About that,” Zane said and frowned. “Did you know the Professor gave her a shot before she left?”
“A tetanus booster,” Tah said, but Zane shook his head.
“Nope. He gave her something to force ovulation, thinking it would bring us together quicker.”
“What?” Tah roared again.
“He sent her out there like a lamb to slaughter, knowing I was primal and making the situation even worse by forcing her into heat.”
“That conniving bastard,” Tah muttered, hands fisting at his sides. “When will he learn to stop meddling in everything?”
“She was a virgin,” Zane added softly.
Tah’s gaze flew to his and locked on. “You didn’t hurt her, did you?”
Zane shook his head. “But no matter what the Professor says, he couldn’t have known for sure that I wouldn’t.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Tah said. “I know it would have destroyed you if you had.”
Zane nodded. It would have. Hurting Diane would kill him.
“Seems like the Professor and I need to have another talk now that I’m not so easily distracted by my concern for Abby.”
“I know I don’t have the right, but I’d like to ask you a favor,” Zane said.
Tah shook his head. “You can ask me a favor anytime. If I can, I’ll do it for you.”
“Will you talk to Kenzie before you tell everyone?”
“Of course, I will,” Tah stated. “You didn’t even need to ask.”
“One more thing,” Zane said. “Something Angel made a point of making me aware of.”
“Making sure all of us can defend ourselves,” Tah grunted. “Yeah, he told me.” The look on Tah’s face made Zane think it hadn’t been a pleasant conversation. “I was remiss in that. We’ll take care of it.”
Zane nodded and stood. “I’ll go check in with Logan then see where you have me in the rotation.”
“We didn’t put you in, yet,” Tah said. �
��How do you feel? How’s the fever?”
“Still there,” Zane admitted. “But eased. I’m back at peace within myself for now.”
“As long as you’re with your mate?” Tah asked and Zane nodded again. “I think it might be better for now if you stay close to the house. We’ll take it day by day and see how you feel as more time passes.”
Zane hated the idea of not pulling his weight. “As long as there’s something I can do around here to help out.”
“We’ll be packing most of the house over the next few weeks,” Tah said. “Not to mention with hunters getting that close to us, I want tighter security inside the house. No one gets in. No one.”
“I’d be happy to keep an eye on the house,” Zane said.
Tah nodded. “Plus Abby will have to go to Denver before we leave to take care of the paperwork involved with inheriting the money from the Professor’s estate. I’d like for you to go with us.”
“I’d be honored,” Zane said.
“I’d like you and Logan with me, along with Clara, and I’m guessing Diane,” Tah said, and Zane agreed.
He wouldn’t be comfortable leaving Diane behind.
“I’ll leave Reno in charge here with everyone else. Once everything is signed and taken care of, we’ll leave.”
“Are you okay with leaving here?” Zane asked.
Tah shrugged. “We don’t have a choice. I think we all knew it was only a matter of time before the hunters discovered where we are. We’ve been lucky they didn’t come sooner. I just hope they continue to flounder until we’re able to leave.”
“Me, too,” Zane agreed. One thing was certain, he’d do anything required to protect his mate. Anything.
Diane knocked softly and stuck her head around the door to peek in. Abby and Amia sat on the bed while Abby held the baby to her breast.
“Diane, come in,” Abby said. “Join us.”
Diane crossed to the bed and took in the rosy color on Abby’s cheeks before glancing down at the baby.
“You both look good,” she said. “Healthy. How are you feeling?”
“Fantastic,” Abby said with an engaging grin.
“I’d like to take a few minutes and check on you, if you don’t mind. Just to be sure everything is healing as it should,” Diane said.
“Can you wait until I’m done feeding Regan?”
“Regan? What a beautiful name,” Diane said.
“Regan Marie,” Abby said. “Regan is for Reno and Logan, and Marie for the Professor.”
“Marie?” Diane asked, not understanding how that name related to Professor Mueller.
“It was his wife’s name. I wasn’t going to use it in case Jess wanted to, but his whole face lit up when I mentioned it. So Regan Marie it is,” Abby stated.
“That’s lovely,” Diane answered.
“So how’s mated life?” Amia asked.
Diane grinned then. “Fantastic,” she said, borrowing the same word Abby had used earlier. “And…I’m pregnant.”
Abby and Amia both squealed with happiness.
“Wait,” Abby said. “You’re happy about this, right?”
Diane nodded. “I’ve never been so happy. First Zane, now this.” She placed her hand over her belly. “I’m scared. I’d be a fool not to be. But I want this baby.”
“Our kids will be close together,” Abby said. “Zane’s a panther. So it should be a similar gestational period, right?”
“Yes,” Diane agreed. “I should have a baby in about three and half to four months.”
“You’ve gone pale on us,” Amia said as Diane closed her eyes.
“Oh, God,” Diane said. “That’s soon, very soon. We’re here another month, which means I’ll be in my second trimester when we travel.” She laughed. “Second trimester at one month along. God, this is all so crazy.”
“It is,” Abby agreed. “But worth it.”
“I might need you to remind me of that a few hundred times over the next few months,” Diane said.
Amia laughed.
“I will,” Abby promised.
They all paused when Tah’s roar sounded through the house.
“I wonder what that’s all about,” Abby mused and Diane sighed. “You know, don’t you? What is it?”
“Kenzie,” Diane said.
Tah was going to tell everyone and Kenzie was going to need more than just Diane at her side. If anyone would know what to say or do to help Kenzie, Diane figured it would be Abby.
“What’s going on with Kenzie?” Amia asked. “Is she okay? Reno said she looked sad when she arrived last night. But she asked to be left alone, so we’ve all made a point to follow her wishes.”
“Last night?” Diane said. “She should have arrived before Zane and I did.”
Abby shook her head.
“She didn’t get here until late. Reno was surprised. We just assumed she arrived with you and Zane,” Amia said.
“She needed some time alone,” Diane said.
“Why?” Abby asked. “What happened?”
“Did Tah tell you about the hunters we encountered?” Diane asked.
“He told me there was a party of hunters. This shifter stopped through and spoke with Tah. He said the hunters had been taken care of. He also told Tah we were no longer safe and needed to move on, quickly. Tah seemed to trust him.”
“I know the shifter. His name is Gabriel, but most shifters refer to him as the Angel,” Diane said. “He’s like an angel of vengeance. I watched him shift, and I saw what was left of the twelve hunters in the party he took on.”
“He took on twelve hunters?” Amia asked. “Holy shit!”
“What is he?” Abby asked. “Lion? Tiger? Panther?”
Diane shook her head. “He’s a liger. Absolutely huge in animal form. Majestic looking.”
“A liger,” Abby said. “I didn’t know those existed.”
“They’re still rare. The ones I’ve come across were bred in captivity,” Diane said.
“So what does this liger have to do with Kenzie?” Abby asked. “And what about it has my mate upset to the point he’s roaring the house down?”
“Kenzie’s the liger’s mate,” Diane said.
“He’s here then?” Abby asked.
“No,” Diane said with a shake of her head.
Amia sat up straight. “Then how do we know he’s Kenzie’s mate for sure?”
“He bit her and gave her his mark before he left. He said he couldn’t stop himself, that he wasn’t prepared to face her,” Diane muttered.
“He mated her and left her?” Abby gritted out between her teeth.
“That bastard,” Amia said. “Reno said there was something off about her scent, but he didn’t know for sure what it was.”
“Kenzie was devastated,” Diane admitted. “You know how she’s always smiling, quiet but happy. She looked broken when she woke up and found him gone, like all that happiness had been sucked out of her.”
“He left without saying goodbye,” Amia said. She lifted her hands and placed both of them over her heart. “It would rip me apart if Reno left me. I can’t even bear the thought.”
“I know,” Diane agreed.
Abby nodded. “We’ll need to be there for her. Make sure she’s all right. Has anyone been up to check on her?”
“I’m planning to go up after I check in with the Professor and Orsai about Gideon,” Diana said.
“I heard about that,” Abby said. “Amia and I were talking. The Professor said the anomaly looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. What if the poison contained a different strain of the feral fever virus?”
“I had the same thought,” Diane said. “Clara said her Uncle Thomas brought the virus back when a group of hunters captured him and tried to use it on him. That’s the version Dillon hit Zane and Logan with. But the hunters would have had it all this time. Who says they don’t have people like the Professor to work on mutating the virus and hiding it within other things?”
“Exactly,” Amia agreed. “The hunters get together every few months for a summit of sorts where they exchange information. At least, they did back when I was there. I looked forward to those times as Marcus and the others would leave.”
“There’s no telling what they might have turned the virus into,” Abby said.
“Or how it might affect a shifter,” Diane added.
“I’ll start researching and working on it as soon as I can,” Abby said. “Regan sleeps a lot. There’s no reason I can’t have a laptop in here to work on while I rest and recuperate. I’m past ready to jump back into things, and quite frankly, you and the Professor need the help.”
“We do,” Diane agreed.
“She’s asleep again,” Abby said, gazing down on Regan. “Amia, can you take her so Diane can give me a checkup?”
“Oh, if I have to,” Amia said with a huge smile on her face as she held out her arms. “She’s so perfect, so beautiful.”
“She is,” Abby agreed.
Diane smiled in agreement. She set about checking Abby, but her mind was on other things. Mostly, it was on the fact she was going to be a mother soon, as well. She was still coming to terms with it. In a normal world, she would have taken the time to make sure everything was good with her pregnancy before sharing the news with anyone other than her husband. As the mate of a shifter, surrounded by other shifters, that wasn’t possible. Diane said goodbye when she was satisfied Abby was on the mend and headed out, shutting the bedroom door behind her. She paused as she started to pass the staircase leading up to the second and third floors where most of them had rooms. Kenzie’s was on the third floor. Making a sudden decision, Diane went up to check on Kenzie before going down to meet with the Professor, Orsai and Gideon. They could wait. Kenzie shouldn’t. Besides, Diane was afraid she’d get wrapped up in what was going on with Gideon and not get a chance to check on Kenzie.
She stopped outside the other woman’s door and knocked softly. “Kenzie,” she called. “It’s Diane.”