“Always,” was Ken’s only response as he headed out the door.
Ryan shook his head at Ken and wrapped his arm around Talia. He led her down the hall to the safe room where Jacqueline, Tessa, and Nico were already inside. With one last kiss, he guided Talia into the room and shut the door behind her. When he heard the thunk of the locks engaging, Ryan switched his mind to the task at hand and made his way to the roof.
Once in position, Ryan scanned the area through the scope of his rifle. As usual, he saw nothing other than Ken and Mitch running the woods in their animal form. He wasn’t able to see Ben, but he could hear the man’s footsteps as he patrolled the clearing surrounding the house. There shouldn’t be a way for anyone to get past the four of them, but Ryan kept his ears open and stayed on alert just in case. He didn’t want anything to happen to the people he considered his family.
Hearing a twig snap from behind, Ryan swirled his rifle in that direction and focused through the scope. He took slow steady breaths to calm his breathing and pulse, and listened. He didn’t hear or see anything out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean something wasn’t out there.
“Someone is watching us.”
Ryan silently agreed with his lion. If he was in shifted form, he knew his fur would be standing on end. As it was, the hair on his arms and the back of his neck was standing straight out. “Can you sense where they are?”
“No.”
Ryan couldn’t either. He continued scanning through his scope, watching for any movement, but there was nothing. He wished Percival would pop his head out from behind whatever tree he was hiding behind. Ryan’s finger itched to pull the trigger and end all of their trouble right then and there.
“Yes, we have a mate to get back to. And I could use a nap.”
Ryan smiled at his lion. Although he wasn’t as bad as Mitch’s, his lion loved an occasional nap in the sun as well.
“I think we all could use a good nap,” he told his lion.
“I know just the spot.”
Ryan held in his laugh when his lion showed him the spot he was picturing in his head. He had a feeling his lion was going to have a fight on his hands, but Ryan just grinned. His lion hadn’t tussled with Mitch’s in a while. It would be fun. He had a feeling Mitch’s favorite spot would still only be claimed by him by the time they were done, but Ryan’s lion didn’t really want the spot. He would get exactly what he was after, and that was to annoy Mitch and his lion.
“I look forward to it.”
Ryan also looked forward to having both his mates in his bed and not just sleeping. They would eventually get around to sleeping, but not before he had his way with both of them. For the thousandth time, he imagined what it would feel like to have Talia between him and Ken. What it would be like to have her beneath him while Ken pushed into him from behind. Ryan’s mouth watered to taste Talia. The list went on and on and Ryan had all intentions of exploring every possible item on his list.
“Whoever it was is gone.”
His lion was right. Ryan didn’t sense anyone out there anymore. He stood still and watched for a while longer, but still didn’t see any movement. He had no idea how it was possible for someone to move in and out of the area without being seen and that scared Ryan. If they couldn’t see movements, then how were they going to see the attack when it came? He had no doubt it was coming either. The false alarms were escalating and Ryan knew in his gut it was only a matter of time before Percival made his move.
When he was positive there was no one in their territory, Ryan packed away his rifle and made his way down from the roof. He was tempted to open the safe room door and check on his mate, but he passed by and headed down the stairs to Mitch’s office. Ben was already there waiting and he shook his head and grimaced when Ryan entered.
“This shit is really starting to piss me off.”
Ben was the most the easygoing of the group, the one always laughing at some joke or prank that he pulled. The fact that he was upset and scowling told how bad their situation was. He heard when Mitch and Ken entered the house. Both came through the door pulling on sweats and shaking their heads.
“We didn’t find a sign of anyone out there,” Mitch said as he sat behind his desk and rubbed his face with both hands. “I want to kill that little bastard so bad.”
Ryan frowned as Ken pulled him down next to him on the couch and Ben took the chair in front of Mitch’s desk. He hadn’t really noticed it before because he was too busy concentrating on trying to spot the intruder, but none of the other guys had gone on alert like he had. Ben had been the closest to him, so he at least should have sensed the same thing Ryan had. “You guys didn’t find any tracks or signs, but didn’t you sense him out there?”
All three guys sat up straight and looked at him. Mitch shook his head. “Just like all the times before, I didn’t sense a thing.”
“Someone was out there tonight. My lion and I both sensed it. We never saw any movement, but we felt whoever it was watching us. They were close, too, about twenty or thirty feet into the woods behind the house.”
Ben shook his head. “I never felt anything and I circled the house several times.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but if whoever was out there, and we all know it’s Percival, was that close to the house then that means he’s getting bolder.” Mitch sat back and sighed. “He’s tiring us out before he attacks, but we can’t let that happen.”
“Then we give Percival what he wants.”
Had that statement come out of anyone else’s mouth besides Ken, it would have started an argument. Instead, everyone stayed quiet and waited for Ken to elaborate. It didn’t take long.
“Percival wants us tired and off our game so we make a mistake and give him the opportunity to carry out his plan. I say, we let him think that is exactly what he’s doing. We need to stop responding to the alarms as quickly and make it seem that we aren’t as thorough when we search. In the meantime, we start patrolling in shifts. If he thinks we aren’t as alert or only one or two of us are focused at a time, then he will eventually make his move and we’ll be ready for him.”
Ryan grinned with pride before kissing his mate. “I knew there was a reason I mated you.” Ken grunted, but Ryan could see the smile he was trying to keep off his face. Ken’s brains turned him on just as quickly as his looks. The hard-on that Ryan had finally gotten to go down was back with a vengeance and he shifted to try and make himself comfortable. If Ryan didn’t get some kind of relief soon, he was going to explode.
As if sensing Ryan’s dilemma, Mitch stood. “I don’t think Percival will be back tonight, so let’s all head to bed and try to get some sleep. We’ll start patrolling tomorrow.” He smirked at Ryan before heading out the door with Ben following close behind.
Ryan ignored the man and stood. He held his hand for Ken. “Let’s go get our mate. I have plans for the both of you.”
Ken growled and stood. “As long as your plans don’t interfere with the ones I have for both my mates.”
Ryan shivered at the deep growl in Ken’s voice. When the man’s eyes flashed, showing that his bear was close to the surface, it took all Ryan’s strength not to drop to his knees right there and take Ken’s cock into his mouth. Grabbing Ken’s hand, Ryan turned and practically dragged him from the room. He tried to slow things down as they headed up the stairs toward their mate, but his body wasn’t listening.
Ryan had a feeling his lion was playing a big part in helping his body go rogue. For the most part, his lion had kept quiet about mating Talia. He knew his lion wanted it just as much as Ryan, but was willing to give Talia as much time as she needed. Now, with the prospect of mating her so close and adding in the danger surrounding them, Ryan knew his lion was just as desperate to claim Talia.
“She’s ours and it’s time.”
Ryan wasn’t arguing. He and his lion were on the same page. Talia was the mate he and Ken had waited a long time for and the need was riding them to complete their
bond. It was time and he planned on her having his claiming mark before the night was over.
Chapter 8
“I hate this.” Talia threw herself in the chair. She knew she was pouting like a child, but that didn’t stop her tantrum. “How many times do they have to go out there before something happens to one of them?” Every time she watched Ryan and Ken walk away, she could feel her heart breaking. She knew she had promised to give their mating a chance, and she really had, but all she could think about was the last time Xander had walked out the door on his last mission. He had promised to keep himself safe and come home. That hadn’t happened. She knew he hadn’t gone out with the intention of getting himself killed, but things happened. Thing didn’t always go according to plan and she knew that firsthand.
Now, it seemed that fate was torturing her. She vowed to never mate again and fate gave her not only one, but two new mates. Not only that, but they were both enforcers just like her previous mate. If Talia wasn’t so scared of the consequences, she would curse fate.
“They’ll be back soon, safe and sound. Don’t worry.”
Talia bet Tessa was tired of giving that response because she was tired of hearing it, but the weary tone in her voice had Talia cutting her rant short and looking over at the woman. She didn’t like what she saw, and Talia moved to take a closer look at Tessa, who was lying across the room on the bed in the corner. Nico was curled up next to her, sleeping peacefully, but Tessa was far from peaceful.
“Tessa, how long have you been having contractions?” From the way she was sweating and panting as she held her belly, it wasn’t hard for Talia to tell that Tessa was in pain. She felt instant guilt for being so caught up in her own issues that she hadn’t even noticed the other woman in labor.
“I started hurting right before the alarm went off but I didn’t want to say anything. I know how long labor can last so I didn’t want Mitch out there more worried about me.”
From the tremble in Tessa’s voice, Talia could tell that she was scared but trying to hide it. “Have you been timing the contractions? How far apart are they?”
Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out as she doubled over. Talia could see her belly ripple as the muscles contracted and knew the contraction was a strong one. That worried Talia as she headed over to the sink to wash her hands. They hadn’t been in the safe room more than an hour so if Tessa’s contractions were that strong already, then the baby was coming a lot faster than Tessa had expected. She wished the woman had told her about the pain when it first started, but there was nothing that could be done now.
When the contraction was over, Talia helped Tessa lay back down. “Get Nico,” she told Jacqueline and made room so she could get the boy. “I need to examine you, Tessa, so I can see if you’re dilating.” At Tessa’s nod, Talia helped her remove her sleep pants and panties. She covered Tessa with a blanket to give her some privacy and bent her legs at the knees.
Talia breathed a sigh of relief as she examined Tessa. She had dilated to about seven centimeters, but Talia didn’t see any crowning showing that she was ready to push. She wished she had the ultrasound machine so that she could give the baby one last look, but Talia was glad she was able to get at least one look at the baby a few days ago. Then, the baby had already been turned the correct way for birth. Talia could only hope that still held true. She helped Tessa stretch her legs back out and settle on the bed before she stood and headed over to the sink to wash her hands again.
“I don’t think this labor is going to go as slow as you think it will,” she told Tessa. “Your daughter is ready to enter this world and I don’t think she’s going to be patient about it.”
Tessa laughed. “That sounds familiar. I wondered who she would take after, but now I see that Mitch won this round. I just don’t want to have this baby without him.”
Talia was glad to see Tessa taking everything so calmly. Joking was good in her book. It was always better than screaming and cursing. Talia agreed with Tessa, and silently prayed for the guys to hurry up. She didn’t want to have to deliver the baby in the safe room either. They had a little time, though, just as long as Tessa’s water didn’t break. Unfortunately, fate stuck her cruel hand into the mix once again. As if reading her mind, Tessa’s water broke at that moment.
“Oh, crap.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“What do you need me to do?” Jacqueline anxiously asked.
Talia noticed that she had laid Nico down on his small bed and Tiny had curled up beside him. She shook her head at the cat who took whatever opportunity he found to cuddle and nap. She wished she could do the same, but she had a job to do.
“Are there any extra sheets in here?” Jacqueline nodded and went off to get them before Talia could ask. She was glad for the help because she didn’t think she could do everything on her own. Not even twenty feet down the hall way was a room set up with all the equipment she could possibly need to deliver the baby safely, but instead, Talia was locked inside a room that she couldn’t even find extra sheets in.
Talia helped Tessa stand and led her to the bathroom while Jacqueline put fresh sheets on the bed. Once she helped Tessa get cleaned up, she guided her back to bed. Sitting next to Tessa, Talia sighed. There was nothing she could do at this point but wait, and she told Tessa as much. “Since your water broke, things will move a lot faster, but it’s a waiting game right now.”
She had been timing Tessa’s contractions in her head and they were slowly getting closer together. They were up to four minutes apart, but she didn’t think that would last long.
Where are you guys?
Normally, they were only in the safe room for two hours at the most, which was barely enough time for Talia to get worked up over all the crazy scenarios of what was going on outside to her mates. Now, she could feel herself getting worked up for a totally different reason. At the rate things were progressing, Talia figured they had about twenty more minutes before Tessa got the urge to push. She felt as if all the air was being sucked out of her lungs as self-doubt crept in. What if she wasn’t ready? She hadn’t delivered a baby since before Xander died. What if she had forgotten something? What if her being there did more harm than good? Surely Mitch could have found someone better qualified than her, someone who had actually been doing the job for the past three years instead of wallowing in self-pity.
Talia was saved from the darkness creeping around the edges of her vision by the sound of knocking on the door. She felt her chest expand as she finally drew a deep breath when she recognized the code being banged on the door.
“Thank God,” Tessa muttered next to her, and Talia couldn’t agree more.
As Jacqueline made her way to the door, led by her distended belly, Talia stood and went into a mode that was all too familiar to her. Just like riding a bike, she thought as she went over everything that needed to be done in her head.
“Let’s get you ready to move,” she told Tessa and she helped her sit up in the bed.
Talia didn’t even complain when Mitch practically pushed her off the bed to get to his mate’s side. She was saved from hitting the floor when a pair of large arms surrounded her followed by a deep growl. Talia knew the growl from Ken was at Mitch for the rough treatment, but thankfully he didn’t go any further. The last thing she needed was two alpha males fighting.
Talia drew strength from Ken before stepping away from him. “Mitch, I need you to get Tessa to the exam room. Once you have her on the bed, I want you to scrub your hands all the way up to your elbows. Jacqueline, if you don’t mind helping, I could really use it.”
“What can we do?” Ken asked.
Talia soaked in his heat behind her before turning. Ryan and Ben were still standing in the door. She smiled before continuing. “If you guys don’t mind keeping an eye on Nico, then I think we have everything else under control.” The look on Ryan’s and Ken’s faces told her that they would have done whatever she asked. It made her feel go
od to know she had them in her corner as she followed Mitch out of the room and down the hall.
Excitement wasn’t an emotion she had experienced in a long time, but Talia recognized the feeling as she prepped Tessa for delivery. Somehow, these people had crept into her heart without even trying and she couldn’t wait to meet the newest member of the family that she had grown to consider hers.
* * * *
Talia eased the door closed as she crept out of the room. Although Tessa’s labor hadn’t lasted very long, Talia was still exhausted. Her body was wired like she could have run a marathon, but mentally, she was worn out. The stress from the past few days and then Tessa’s delivery had finally caught up with her, but Talia wasn’t done torturing herself just yet. Leaving the happy family gushing over the new baby, including Nico, who was happily taking to his big brother role, Talia went to look for her mates.
She knew she had already told Ken and Ryan that she was open to trying to mate them, but her worries over them for the past few days added to watching the miracle of birth had done something to her. Something had clicked in her mind and she realized she wanted what Tessa and Mitch had. She wanted a family of her own and she had the chance if she would only quit holding her mates at arm’s length. Talia was being given a second chance, but she was still stubbornly holding on to the past to take it. It took placing a newborn baby in Tessa’s arms and seeing the tears in Mitch’s eyes as he looked at his daughter for the first time for her to realize that.
Xander was gone. As much as it hurt her to admit that, Talia was finally ready. Her mate was gone and he wasn’t coming back. He wouldn’t have wanted the life for her that she had lived for the past three years and it was time for her to make some changes. Talia grinned. She knew the first change she planned on making if she could just find her mates.
Until the End of Time [Council Enforcers 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 8