by Leah Brooke
Shaking his head, Jonathan looked from Ian to Alastair and back again, something he’d done several times over the last twenty-four hours. “I still can’t believe there’s two of you. There were many times over the last several years that I’d wondered how you seemed to manage being in two places at once. I also wondered about how different in temperament you could be. Now I know. Care to tell me why you never told me this before?”
“No.” Ian sat next to Serena again, taking her hand in his.
She’d never appeared as small and fragile than at that moment, and it scared him to death.
Keeping his gaze fixed on Serena’s features, he spoke to his brother. I’m going to try to get through to her.
I’ve been trying. Nothing. The frustration and fear emanating from Alastair echoed his own.
She’s so damned tiny. So delicate.
I know. Alastair forced a smile. I want to be there when you tell her that.
Appreciating his brother’s attempt at levity, Ian nodded and turned back to watch her. I yelled at her about putting herself in danger, and she gets shot in her own home.
She knew.
Conscious of Jonathan’s presence, Ian shifted his gaze to his brother’s. What?
Alastair met Ian’s gaze, still holding Serena’s hand pressed against his lips. She knew what was about to happen. She didn’t know when she came down the stairs.
How do you know that? Ian fought jealousy at the knowledge that Alastair knew that Serena had seen what was about to happen.
Alastair sighed. I saw her face when it hit her. She’s going to be upset that she didn’t see it before. Her visions are changing.
Holding her hand to his cheek, Ian stared down at her again, the sound of the beeping from the monitor getting on his nerves. She told me that she’s getting more and more premonitions, and that they’re becoming clearer. Inordinately pleased that she’d told him that, Ian took a steadying breath to combat the tug to his heart.
With a small smile, Alastair reached out to play with the ends of her hair. Her gift is getting stronger, and the more we practice, the better able she is to control it. We play a game sometimes.
Intrigued, Ian glanced at Alastair again. What kind of game?
Alastair’s lips twitched. When we’re out, we pick out someone and I observe them and tell her something about them. Then she tells me what she knows about them. It sharpens both of us and increases her ability to focus on just one person and close everyone else out.
Jealous of his brother’s closeness to Serena, Ian renewed his vow to spend more time working with her and honing her gift. Looking down at her again, he swallowed the lump in his throat, overcome by love for her. I want to have that with her.
Alastair nodded and straightened the light blanket covering her. She saved my life, and Jonathan’s.
Ian looked over at his brother again, surprised to see the anger and lingering fear that he’d been hiding from Jonathan. Did she?
She yelled to Jonathan to look out, giving Jonathan a second or two warning, enough of a warning to allow Jonathan to draw his gun. Lifting his gaze to Ian’s, he sighed. She threw herself at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me. Did you see where her wounds were? If those bullets had hit me, I’d be dead. One in the stomach and one in the heart.
Jesus!
She knew, Ian. She knew that DuBois was after me. She took two fucking bullets to save me.
Holding her hand, Ian willed her to wake up, hoping that somehow she could draw on his strength. She’s so damned brave.
She’s perfect for us.
Nodding, Ian sighed. Do you ever worry about what would happen if she could one day read our minds?
Of course. Lifting his gaze to Ian’s again, he smiled. If we keep practicing, I should be able to block her out. If not, I’ll have to learn how to live with it. I’m not willing to live without her.
Jonathan looked up from his phone. “The doctor’s on his way back. One of you needs to disappear again.”
With Jonathan’s help and insistence, he and Alastair had been taking turns keeping out of sight. Jonathan’s men informed him when anyone approached, making it easy to duck into the bathroom shower until the room was clear again.
Ian rose to his feet and bent to touch his lips to Serena’s, smoothing a hand down her hair. “I’ll go. Let me know as soon as the doctor leaves.”
* * * *
Serena woke to the sounds of beeping again, along with the sounds of male voices, two beloved and one very angry.
“Damn it! One of you had better get the hell out of here before someone sees you. I’m surprised no one’s caught you already.”
Ian’s harsh voice came from her left. “No.”
A hand closed over her right one, holding it gently. “Neither one of us is leaving until she wakes up.” The fatigue and fear in his voice tugged her from the fog that had closed around her.
“M-wake.”
A stunned silence lasted for only a few seconds before both Ian and Alastair gripped her hands, calling out her name.
“Serena!” Ian’s hand tightened on hers, his breath warm on her cheek when he leaned closer. “Come on, baby. You scared the hell out of us. Open those beautiful eyes.”
Open them, Serena. Right now! Damn it, baby, if you don’t open those eyes—
Serena inwardly winced at his harsh tone. Bossy. Sleeping. Stop screaming at me.
After another stunned silence, she heard Ian’s voice again, this time much lower and more soothing. I’m sorry, baby. If you just open your eyes, I won’t yell anymore. Open your eyes, and I promise I’ll leave you alone. No. Strike that. I have no intention of ever leaving you alone. You’re stuck with me forever.
Us. Alastair threaded her fingers with his and leaned over her from the other side. “Open your eyes, Serena.”
Jonathan’s voice came from the foot of the bed. “I’ll call the doctor.”
“No.” Ian ran a finger down her cheek. “When she opens her eyes, we’ll call the doctor.”
“And you’ll leave?”
“We’ll be here in shifts until we can bring her home.” Alastair tapped her other cheek. “Open those eyes, Serena. Let us see that you’re awake, and then you can sleep all you want.”
“Tryin’.”
Ian squeezed her hand. “Try harder.”
After several tries, and much coaching from her lovers, Serena finally managed to open her eyes.
Their two grinning faces made it worth the effort.
Seeing Jonathan standing at the foot of the bed, a crutch under each arm, it suddenly hit her. “No. Not together.” Her voice came out as little more than a croak, but they apparently understood her.
Ian smiled and bent lower to touch his lips to her. “You didn’t really think I could stay upstairs when you got shot, did you? You knew I couldn’t.”
Something in Ian’s tone sent up red flags, but whatever it was, it eluded her. “Shot?” Horrified, she reached weakly for Alastair, but he was already shaking his head as he took her hand in his. “No. I didn’t get shot. You took two bullets for me. You and I are going to have to talk about that.”
Jonathan stepped forward, his eyes narrowed on hers. “And you gave me enough warning to save my life. I owe you one.”
She looked from Ian to Alastair before meeting Jonathan’s gaze again. “You know.” Tears stung her eyes. “My fault.”
“No.” Alastair leaned over her, bracing an elbow on either side of her. “It was our choice—especially Ian’s. He already told you that he couldn’t stay away. We both love you far too much. We’d do anything for you.”
A choked sob escaped and then another.
Jonathan got a slightly panicked look on his face. “I’m calling the doctor.”
As Jonathan made his way to the door, Alastair smiled again, his relief evident. “You’ve made quite an impression. He’s been almost as worried as we have.”
When she struggled to speak, Ian turned to get a cup and touc
hed the straw to her lips. “Take a sip of water, baby.”
Serena sipped greedily at the cool water until Ian pulled it away from her. “Easy, baby. A little at a time.”
The effort had worn her out, and with a moan, she dropped her head back against the pillow. “How bad am I hurt?”
Alastair touched his lips to her knuckles. “You were shot in the shoulder and in the back. Your lung collapsed.”
Frowning, she tried to move, but it proved too much effort. “It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Ian’s jaw clenched. “It will. You’re pretty drugged up.”
Still fuzzy, she looked at each of them. “You look so tired. Go home and sleep.” She could barely keep her eyes open but didn’t want to look away from them.
“Love you.” Her eyelids kept getting heavier.
Jonathan turned from the doorway. “The doctor’s on his way. I’m getting out of here. Once my men are gone, one of you should be able to slip out without being seen.”
Pausing, he looked back. “I’ll check on you later. Let me know if she needs anything.”
Alastair ran a hand over her hair. “Thanks. We’ll make sure she has whatever she needs.”
Smiling, Serena drifted off again.
Chapter Fourteen
“They know their mistress is home. They’ve missed you.” Ian lifted her from the car, carefully avoiding her injuries.
Curled against Ian’s chest, Serena smiled at the sounds of the dogs barking excitedly. “I’ve missed them, too.” Seeing them running across the large lawn toward them, she closed her eyes and struggled to focus. Down, babies. Don’t jump on me. I’m hurt.
Ian paused, staring down at her, the look of shock on his face priceless. “I heard you.” Bending his head, he touched his lips to her in a gentle kiss that made her heart beat faster. “I heard you talk to the dogs.”
Struck by the emotion in his voice, Serena tried to reach up to cup his jaw, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. “That pain medicine makes me groggy and makes it hard to focus. I’m probably broadcasting everywhere.”
Grinning, he held her closer, his movements that of a big man used to reining in his strength. “Yeah, but I heard you. You never know. I might be able to end up reading your mind.”
Loving his teasing, she put her hand out for the dogs to lick her fingers as she dropped her head back against his shoulder. “That might come in handy during sex.”
Alastair had driven her home from the hospital and came up behind them, laughing softly. “Are you trying to insinuate that there’s something wrong with our lovemaking?”
Ian stepped aside for Alastair to open the door. “Before you answer that, keep in mind that we feel what you feel, not to the same extent, but enough to know what you’re feeling.”
Secure in Ian’s arms, Serena let her eyes close as he carried her up the stairs. “You know, that’s going to hurt when you dump me. You’re not going to have that with the next woman you take to bed, and you sure as hell—” She had to pause as a yawn overtook her and cuddled against Ian again before continuing. “You sure as hell aren’t going to be able to tell her there are two of you.” Frowning, she patted his chest. “I still can’t believe you let Jonathan know. It’s all my fault.”
Frowning again, she forced her eyes open. “Hey! We’re not moving.”
Looking from Ian to Alastair and back again, she smiled, hovering somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. “Am I slurring my words again? It’s those stupid pills. I told you I didn’t want to take them.”
Ian continued up the stairs, his body tight against hers. “No. I understand every word. I just don’t understand your meaning.”
Alastair ran a hand down her leg. “Why don’t you explain it to us?”
Opening her eyes again, she sighed and struggled to make herself clear. “If I hadn’t gotten shot, Ian wouldn’t have run downstairs and Jonathan wouldn’t have known there are two of you.”
A muscle worked in Ian’s jaw. “That was my choice. Not yours. As a matter of fact, you told me not to come down when you realized that there would be trouble. What did you mean about the next woman I take to bed?”
The anger in his voice penetrated, sending a jolt of adrenaline through her that woke her enough to realize that she’d made a mistake. “Hell. Did I say that out loud?” Shaking her head, she flattened her hand on his chest again. “It’s the medication talking. Just ignore me.”
Lowering her to the bed, Ian shook his head. “No. I don’t think I will. Maybe while your tongue’s loose, I’ll get some answers.”
Alastair gently propped pillows behind her, his eyes dark with concern. “Are you comfortable?”
“Very.” She smiled at each of them, hoping to erase the anger thinning their lips and tightening their jaws. “Thank you. I appreciate you getting me out of there. I know the doctor didn’t want to release me.”
Alastair tucked the covers around her. “He didn’t release you. He only agreed to let you come home under Steve Williams’ care.” Lifting his arm, he glanced at the gold watch on his wrist. “Even though he’s our doctor, although he doesn’t know there are two of us, he’s very discreet about things like gunshot wounds and knows Jonathan. He’s the one who’s going to be taking care of you. You met him before, and he’s well respected at the hospital.” Lowering himself carefully to sit beside her on her right side, he smiled. “It’s a hell of a lot easier for both of us to be with you this way. Now, would you like to explain what you meant about another woman?”
With her stomach in knots, she leaned back against the pillows, cradling the arm in a sling. “We’ve been avoiding this subject long enough, I guess. We’ve all been avoiding it for a reason. You know as well as I do that, if I’m ever able to read your mind, it’s over between us. You two talk to each other in your heads, and now I can occasionally do it with you, but if I hear thoughts you don’t want me to hear, you’re going to resent it.”
Sitting back, Ian crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed. “And what the hell makes you think you’ve got a chance of getting away from us?”
Forcing a smile, Serena reached for his hand. “Ian, I know you don’t like talking about things like this, but I see how angry you get when we talk about it. We’d never last if you knew I was in your head.”
“You were.” Lifting his gaze to Alastair’s, he smiled faintly. “She was in your head, too.”
Serena stilled, glancing at Alastair when he whipped his head around to stare at his brother. Fear brought a lump to her throat, the memory of what had happened coming back to her in a rush. “No. Oh God.”
Lifting the edge of the blanket to her eyes against the sting of tears, Serena sobbed. “I thought I’d imagined that. Oh God. I’m so sorry.”
Horrified by her outburst, Ian looked to his brother for help. “What the hell?”
Alastair shook his head and reached for her, stretching out beside her to take her in his arms. “Hey, now. There’s nothing to cry about. You didn’t do anything wrong.” He looked at Ian. “Would you like to tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”
Ian tried to take her hand in his, but she pulled away with another heart-wrenching sob, the weakness in her movements and sadness in her eyes breaking his heart. “A second or two before she was shot, she reached out to us. She was too weak to get through to you because she couldn’t…I don’t know…punch through to get to you.”
Serena laid her head on Alastair’s shoulder, smiling up at him reassuringly. “You had your mind on a lot of other things. You were thinking so many things at once that it made me dizzy.”
Ian’s chest tightened with pride and the kind of male satisfaction a man experienced when he was there for his woman. “So she focused on me. Since I was focused on her, she came through loud and clear.” He reached for her hand again, taking it in his. “The next thing I knew, she was in my head. She knew what you had in your head, which was why she switched to me. She also knew I was already on my way downst
airs. She knew how scared I was. She was trying to tell you that she loved you, but she said you couldn’t hear her. When she passed out, the connection was gone.” Lifting her hand to his lips, Ian held her gaze. “I wanted that connection back more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Just before you passed out, you told me that you love us.”
“I do, but that’s not enough.” Serena lifted her gaze to his, her eyes welling with tears. “I knew it would happen. I just knew it.” Shaking her head, she tried unsuccessfully to move away from Alastair. “I have to go. I need to call the airport. Can you send my things to me?”
Careful of her injuries, Alastair pulled her close, his jaw clenched in anger. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“I can’t stay with you. Don’t you see?”
Ian fought back anger, his insides turning to jelly. “No. I’m afraid I don’t.”
She looked so sad and forlorn that he wanted to yank her against him and protect her from the world. “You know that you’ve been dreading the day that I could get into your head and know what you’re thinking. I knew that if it ever happened it would be over between us.”
She smiled tremulously, the single tear rolling down her cheek the saddest thing he’d ever seen. “You didn’t even trust me to tell you when it happened. I don’t blame you. I admit I wouldn’t like it very much if someone could read my mind.”
“I’ve got news for you, baby. Your beautiful eyes are so expressive that I can pretty much tell what you’re thinking.” Ian stretched out beside her, his arm resting on top of her pillow, and bent to kiss her hair. “I’ll admit that I was worried about it, but now that I know that I can feel it when it happens, I’m okay with it.”
Tilting her head back to rest on his shoulder, he smiled. “You get in my head when I don’t want you in there, baby, and I’ll throw you out.”
The glimmer of hope in her eyes told Ian everything he needed to know. Her smile took his breath away, the happiness sparkling in her eyes filling him with a deep satisfaction that went all the way to his soul. “Can you do that?”