by Fel Fern
After Connor officially claimed Jace as his mate, they’d patched things up and Ferus had taken a liking to Jace.
“We can head back to the kitchen if you want,” Aubrey said, changing tactics.
Jace narrowed his eyes at her. “I know what you’re doing, Aub. I—”
Then he moaned, clutching at his stomach.
“Shit, shit, shit. Aub, what are we going to do?” Ferus demanded, clearly panicked. Aubrey helped Jace to his feet, although given that he was double her size, it was hard.
“Ferus, get one of Conner’s wolves. We need the shifter doctor to come to the mansion because I don’t think we’ll be able to make it to the hospital,” Aubrey said firmly, taking control of the situation.
Thankfully, Connor had always kept one of his wolves nearby ever since Jace got pregnant. Seeing it was Lance, Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the situation, Connor’s beta took Jace’s weight off her, and easily swung the protesting and pregnant Jace in his arms.
“The shifter doctor’s on her way,” Ferus said as they followed Lance and Jace back to the mansion.
“Lance, you shouldn’t be carrying me like this. You know how possessive Conner is,” Jace babbled. Another contraction tore through him and he cried out in pain.
“Jace, breathe in and out. Slowly,” Aubrey said calmly, having accompanied him to the hospital on numerous occasions.
Jace reached out for her, squeezing her hand painfully.
“Oh Aub, my babies. Do you think they’re going to be fine?” He let out another gasp.
“Of course they are,” Aubrey said smoothly. Jace’s screaming had caused a commotion among Connor’s wolves.
“I’ll leave him in your hands. I need to get Connor and the other wolves in order,” Lance told her once they’d settled Jace in bed.
“Go ahead. Connor’s probably still in the west wing holding a meeting with the Hedrin pack beta since they’re discussing the ongoing war with the Vivaldi.” Aubrey frowned when Lance just stared at her. “Why are you still here?”
“Jesus. I didn’t even know that. You’re really a dangerous little thing. I’m glad you’re on Connor and Jace’s side,” Lance muttered, shaking his head as he walked away.
“Ferus, stop pacing around,” Aubrey said, still stuck to Jace’s hand. “Jace is going to be fine.”
“Says you,” Jace complained, groaning again. Then became worse when he starting calling for Connor. He howled, yipped, and complained. “Can anyone here get my babies’ daddy?”
“Can I get him anything?” Ferus asked apprehensively.
“Maybe a glass of water?” Aubrey suggested. “And can you see if they’ve managed to get a hold of Connor?”
Ferus hurried out and Aubrey was glad to see the woman in a white coat with a stethoscope around her neck enter the room.
“Oh good, let me see him.” The doctor looked like she had hurried right out of the hospital.
She was about to reach out for Jace, but there was something about her that felt out of place. Aubrey slapped her arm away, eyes narrowing.
“You aren’t Doctor Benson. I’ve never seen you before and I accompanied Jace in all of his appointments.” Aubrey planted herself between the suspicious woman and Jace.
She took inventory. Young. Blonde. Green-eyed. She looked familiar, too, but Aubrey couldn’t put a name to the face at the moment.
“If you don’t step aside, your werewolf friend might just lose his pup,” the woman said calmly, although Aubrey could sense annoyance in her voice.
Something about the slant of those eyes and that strange white-gold hair pulled at Aubrey. Then it struck her.
“Do you think it’s wise, entering into a den filled with wolves, especially when your house is at war with mine?”
The doctor recoiled, looking shocked. The first genuine expression Aubrey had ever seen.
“How the hell are you able to tell? Not a lot of shifters can sense my aura.”
There were angry voices outside the door and the doctor snapped her head to the door then back to her, realizing what she’d been doing. “Oh. You’re very good aren’t you, distracting me until the wolves outside notice? Although I see a werewolf’s mating mark on your neck, you aren’t a Scavos werewolf yourself.”
The doctor, or rather, the Vivaldi assassin, slipped her hand into the pockets of her coat. Aubrey caught sight of a flash of metal. Was it made of silver? Why hadn’t the woman just leapt at her and made sure she was out of the way? A Vivaldi mountain lion could easily toss her aside without much effort.
The door was practically ripped out of its hinges and Connor’s loud bestial howl of rage filled the room. An expression of panic crossed the woman’s features, and Aubrey couldn’t blame her. The sight of Connor in all his fury even made her skin crawl.
The woman desperately lunged, pushing Aubrey aside, aiming her flashing knife at Jace. It occurred to Aubrey in that millisecond that there was a desperation to her movements, but it didn’t matter. She unthinkingly used her body as a shield, hissing when the knife sunk several inches into her abdomen.
Chapter Eight
Connor’s half-shifted monstrous form let out an enraged howl and the woman was suddenly flying through the air. Seeing the crazed look in his eyes, Aubrey was almost afraid of him, but he caught her stumbling form with surprising gentleness.
“Get her medical attention.” Connor growled, his voice hardly human, and it occurred to her he didn’t just react because Jace was in danger.
He was pissed she’d gotten hurt, too. Wow. He really did mean it when he saw me as a friend. One quick look at the assassin told Aubrey she was unconscious. Good.
“Where the fuck is the real doctor?”
“No time,” Aubrey wheezed, leaning against Ferus who held her gently when another fearsome presence filled the doorway.
Seeing Max, she went even paler. He took one look at the scene then at her bleeding figure, eyes narrowing, shifting dangerously to amber.
“It’s not so bad, just a scratch,” she said when he growled at Ferus, who easily handed her over to him.
Pain flared from the wound, but since she wasn’t dead, she figured the blade wasn’t silver. She got lucky. Priorities first. She desperately clutched at the lapels of his suit, wincing when her blood began seeping into the expensive fabric.
“Max, some help please. Jace is about to give birth and Connor’s hysterical and out of control.”
Some semblance of logic returned to Max, but he didn’t let her go. She thought hearing the desperate “please” from her lips must have helped him get back his head in place.
“Ferus, get London. He hasn’t practiced medicine in centuries, but he’ll know what to do. He’s in the meeting room on the third floor,” Max commanded.
Aubrey stubbornly insisted on staying until London came down and Connor had calmed down. Max ignored her protests and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Max hissed once they were alone. He’d personally seen to her wound, saying he didn’t trust anyone.
“Jace was in danger and I didn’t want to risk losing his pups,” Aubrey said defensively, wincing at the bolt of pain when she shifted.
Max sat her on the counter of their bathroom as he tended to her wound, so she was effectively trapped until he’d finished saying his piece.
“How about thinking about yourself for a change?” A new voice interrupted.
Aubrey was about to deliver a smart comeback when she caught sight of Dom’s worried expression. Any sort of retort died down when he pushed his way to them. Guilt rammed painfully into her. Max stepped aside. Dom gripped her shoulders, and then buried his face to her chest, his entire body shaking.
“Fuck, Aubrey. Did you know how worried I was?”
Swallowing, Aubrey touched his face, gently tilting his face so he’d look at her.
“I’m really sorry,” she said softly. “It just all happened so fast. I didn’t h
ave time to warn anyone about the assassin because I thought she was nothing but human. She concealed her aura so well.”
Dom took her fingers, kissing them. “I know, baby, but you know it would kill us to lose you, right?”
“I know.”
He gingerly lifted up her shirt and fingered the swath of bandages around her abdomen.
“Seriously, I’m going to heal in a matter of days.”
There was a knock on the front door and Aubrey was about to get off the counter and answer. Dom firmly but gently pressed a hand over her shoulder, using his body to trap her.
She flashed him a look of annoyance. “That must be Ferus with news of Jace’s pups.”
“Hey,” Dom said, his voice sounding strangely tender and vulnerable. He rested his forehead against hers for a while. Max joined them, twining her small fingers against his large ones.
Even though the silence spoke volumes, Max kissed her cheekbone, the side of her jaw.
He whispered the words privately reserved solely for the three of them, knowing she wanted to hear them. “We love you, Aubrey. We intend to spend every waking moment and the rest of our lives with you. So please. Take better care of yourself.”
With the two men pressed beside her, a warm flutter settled in her stomach along with guilt.
“I’m sorry and I understand. I love Dom and you so much it would kill me if I lose either one of you.”
“No one’s losing anyone,” Max said, patting her hand.
“I’ll come with you to see Jace. No arguments,” Dom said. At his severe look, Aubrey conceded.
“Watch her,” Max told Dom. “I need to get back to the Hedrin pack beta, since he must be wondering why Connor left him in a rush.”
Max then looked at her gravely. “Will you behave?”
“Yes Sir,” Aubrey answered sarcastically. She became wary when he smirked.
“We’ll practice saying that word again once you’re all healed up in a few days and I have you spread on my lap.” Max pressed her to him and gave her a rough and lingering kiss.
They headed out the room, and Ferus eyed Dom warily for a moment before telling her the good news. “Jace and his pups are fine.”
“Pups?” Aubrey asked excitedly.
Ferus grinned back at her. “Twins. One boy and one girl.”
They headed back to the room. True to his word, Jace looked unharmed, if not exhausted. He cradled one sleeping chubby, dark-haired boy in one arm. Aubrey squinted at the baby thoughtfully.
“He looks exactly like his father. Hope he doesn’t grow up as violent.”
“Hey watch your mouth, little crow. I’m still in the room,” Connor grumbled near Jace’s bedside. He was speaking to Dom and juggling an adorable little girl in one massive arm. Aubrey had to smile at the sight.
She had a feeling the two pups would be spoiled by their parents and Connor’s entire pack. Natural-born and pure-blooded shifter children were a rarity these days, which was why most pack alphas had to resort to creating half-breeds through the bite to swell their pack numbers.
“The Butcher, a doting father. Imagine that,” Aubrey said. She blinked when Jace reached out for her hand.
“Aubrey, I heard how you risked your life for me and the pups.” Jace’s eyes shone with tears, making her embarrassed. “Thank you.”
“Oh Gods. Please don’t be too dramatic,” Aubrey muttered.
Ferus snorted beside her. They eventually let Jace sleep and Connor refused to let a nurse take his son, so he now had two pups in both arms. All of them exited the room quietly, and Aubrey noticed Connor posted two guards outside the room while Lance headed inside.
“What happened to the Vivaldi assassin?” Aubrey had to ask because something was nagging her at the back of her mind.
She ran the events in her head again, and two details sorely stuck out—the woman’s desperation and her weak aura. Her actions spoke of reluctance, of doing an unpleasant task she wanted to be over and done with.
“I wanted to rip her apart.” Connor growled.
He didn’t look less threatening, even with his two napping babies draped on either broad shoulder. “But I understand it’s better to pump her for information first. London took over the questioning since he was afraid I’d simply just kill her before we can get anything out of her.”
“Wise decision,” Dom murmured.
“I think I’ll stay with Jace,” Connor decided, heading back to the room.
Chapter Nine
“You have an idea who the assassin is, don’t you?” Dom asked Aubrey once Connor was gone.
Aubrey nodded. “I’ve seen her before and there’s something about her aura that bothers me. Not even half-changed shifters feel that weak, but she isn’t half-blood.”
“No?” a new voice added with interest. “What is she then?”
Aubrey paused, seeing London in the hallway looking at her expectantly. Knowing most of his pack had, on every available opportunity, made her aware they only tolerated her because of Max, Aubrey had no love for either London or his wolves. The fact she spent so much time with Ferus didn’t help her standing among them. Aubrey had no quarrel with London though.
Often, if he ever did notice her, he saw her as nothing more than a useful piece of furniture or tool. Her dealings with him, when he did require her expertise, were polite and brief.
“Don’t let me interrupt, crow,” he said smoothly.
Dom hovered protectively behind her, pressing her to him.
“Please, Dominic. I am not here to start a fight,” London explained.
Her only gripe with him was the fact he seemed blind to those around him. For as long as she’d known Ferus, she knew her friend only desired one man from afar, and that was his alpha, but London was known for his avaricious appetites. Every wolf in House Scavos knew London didn’t do commitments, and he wasn’t interested in taking a mate anytime soon.
“Then why are you here?” Aubrey asked, ignoring Dom’s firm grip on her shoulder.
“Does my brother often let your pet speak out of turn like that, Dominic?” London asked, expression unchanged. “If she belonged to me, I would’ve punished her for her impudence.”
“She does not belong to you,” Dom said flatly. “If there is nothing else, we are leaving.”
He began to steer Aubrey, but she didn’t bulge. She looked London in the eye.
“Her name is Charity Vivaldi. She’s the youngest daughter of the Raquel Vivaldi.”
London couldn’t conceal the surprise on his face. “I have never heard of the head of House Vivaldi bear any children by the name of Charity. Are you certain about your information?”
“The Vivaldi wants the public to believe Raquel Vivaldi only had six pure-blooded sons and daughters. Charity’s a little special.” Aubrey shrugged, beginning to lose focus when Dom began stroking her back.
“In what way is she special?” London queried.
This suddenly conversation spiked Aubrey’s interest a great deal. When has London shown any interest in anyone this much? She doubted he was asking because he was concerned about his brother’s mate. London was an opportunist, and considered his interests more important than the welfare of his brothers.
“Why are you so curious?” Aubrey countered. London’s eyes narrowed and began to change color. This was the first time she’d ever seen him lose control. “I mean, Max’s spies would eventually sniff out that information for you, right?”
“Aubrey,” Dom said in a low voice by her ear.
“Why would I wait, when his best spy is standing in front of me?” London then surprised all of them and let out a frustrated growl. His next word surprised Aubrey even more. “Please. I have to know.”
“All right. She’s a pure-blooded lioness, but rumors say she’s a defect.”
“A defect?” London prodded, frowning.
“Yeah. They speculate she can’t shift, and my encounter with her just now confirmed it’s true. She could have reached for h
er lion anytime, but she didn’t. Not that she didn’t, but couldn’t.”
“We don’t need to execute her right away then,” London mused. Was it Aubrey’s imagination, or was he actually relieved Charity wouldn’t be killed? “Being Raquel’s daughter will complicate things, but we can use her as a bargaining chip.”
“Oh I don’t know.” When he looked at her expectantly, Aubrey sighed. “If Raquel kept her existence quiet this long and sent her here knowing the risks, do you think she’s of much value to him?”
London pursued his lips, and then looked at Dom. “I would need to borrow her.”
“Let me get back to you,” Dom answered.
“Right now.”
“Right now?” Dom asked incredulously.
“Indeed. We need to question Charity Vivaldi, and perhaps she would know the right questions to ask.”
Dom was about to refuse, but Aubrey clutched his arm. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. I want to know why she attacked Jace, too.”
Dom doubtfully looked at her. Knowing he was about to enter a losing battle, he sighed. “Very well, but don’t take too long. You’ve just been stabbed and need to rest.”
“This will not take long,” London promised, and Aubrey followed him. They walked past several corridors and down a flight of stairs leading to the manor’s multi-leveled basement, which Aubrey knew housed holding cells, interrogation rooms, and torture rooms.
London looked troubled and deep in thought, but Aubrey didn’t mind. She shivered. It was damp and cold down there, and she didn’t particularly like dark places because of her past. London nodded at the two wolves standing guard outside an interrogation room. One of them was Ferus, Aubrey noticed. He gave her a look of query, but she shook her head slightly, a gesture that he knew meant she’d tell him later.
“Everything all right, alpha?” Ferus still asked, and Aubrey noted the apprehension there.
“Nothing to worry about,” London said, gripping his shoulder. Seeing the way her friend stiffened at the touch, Aubrey frowned. Damn clueless bastard.
Inside the tiny windowless room, Charity Vivaldi slumped against her chair. She was chained to a metal table with silver cuffs, although it was no use given she couldn’t resort to shifting either way. Her head snapped up at their arrival. She bared her teeth at London, and Aubrey could see slight bruises blossoming on her skin.