by JoAnna Grace
Ezekiel swallowed hard. “Yeah, I got you.” Ezekiel’s wolf might be more dominant than Tyrone’s leopard, but he wasn’t foolish enough to think that mattered. Ty would kill him all the same.
“There are at least two more cats out there, and I’ve got a sneaking suspicion they see Ami as an easy target. Keep her safe tonight.” The “or else” was understood.
“You have my word.” Ezekiel knew that he shouldn’t let Tyrone know he scared the living shit out of him since he was more dominant, but at the same time, Ezekiel knew that if he had a sister, he’d be threatening any boy who looked at her funny. So he allowed Tyrone his say and remembered that this man was destined to be his brother-in-law one day. No need to piss him off now.
“Good.”
Melissa came out then, and the change that came over Tyrone was tangible. He went from this ominous shadow of a beast to basking in her light. He put his arm around her shoulder and they said their goodbyes. “Z.” Ty stopped and pinned him with that black gaze. “Amilynn might be a hard ass, but she loves romantic shit. Don’t let her fool you.”
“Thanks, man.” Ezekiel stood in the hall for a minute in shock. The threats were expected, the pointers were not.
Melissa giggled when they walked down the hall. Ezekiel wished he could have that with Amilynn. Ty and Melissa were so easily each a part of the other. Even Vivian and Kasey were beginning to mesh together to form one seamless being. And everyone knew how much she had fought him before she accepted their mating. His mom and dad were always a great example of a loving couple. Ezekiel knew for sure that their marriage had started out rough. Their wolves had not mated right off the bat. Sampson and Bianca had fallen in love in high school, but it had taken her pregnancy with him before their wolves acknowledged each other as a lifelong mates. Now, over twenty years later, they were deeper in love than when they began. It gave Ezekiel hope that eventually he and Amilynn would somehow come together and things would smooth out.
When he walked back into the room, Amilynn was telling Conall goodbye. Before he walked out of the room, Conall looked Ezekiel in the eyes for a long moment. He and Conall had not exactly clicked and both men knew it was because of their feelings for Ami. Ezekiel was highly jealous of the fact that Conall had been her lover for the past few years and Conall was jealous that it had all meant so little. Amilynn had made it clear that Conall was not her mate and, while she loved him, he never would be more than a friend.
Conall took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and raised a brow. “She’s going to eat you alive, spit you out, and leave you begging for more.” His stern expression broke into a wide grin. He slapped Ezekiel hard on the shoulder. “Good luck with that, buddy.” He shook his head and laughed his way out of the room.
Amilynn had both Nate and Tom hugging her at once and she placed kisses on both their cheeks. “Thank you guys so much for cheering me up. You two are the best friends a girl could have.”
“Friends?” Nate said. “Baby, when are you going to realize you’re in love with me and stop all this nonsense? We’re wasting valuable time not being together.”
Amilynn laughed and touched his cheek. “You know I’m completely in love with you, honey. But I’ve told you, I’m a leopard, not a cougar. If only you were just a few years older, Nate.” She shook her head at the travesty.
“You’re killing me, baby.” Nate put his hand over his heart.
“Okay, boys,” Bianca said, ushering them out. “That’s enough making fools of yourselves. Let’s go and let Ami rest.”
Before they all left, Tom bent to tell Ami something in her ear. Her face lit up and she took Tom’s face in her hands. “That’s awesome,” she whispered and snuck a fist bump with him. Tom left the room with a big smile on his face. That was the effect Amilynn had on people. Her love, her jokes, her attitude, it all made people beam with happiness when they left her presence.
Once everyone was finally gone and soldiers were stationed around the hospital for the night, Ami slumped down in the bed and closed her eyes. She’d never admit it, the hardhead, but she was exhausted.
“I have to pee.”
It was so random and dejected-sounding that it tickled Ezekiel.
“I’ve had to go since Bianca came in with dinner, but I didn’t want to flash my ass to everyone.” They locked eyes and smiled. “Will you call a nurse?”
“I got you, baby.” He stepped over to her bed to help her up.
“Z, you are so not helping me to the toilet. That’s way too cozy for my liking.” She pressed the button to page a nurse. It was a good thing because Ami was hooked up to a couple of machines. The nurse, who eyed Ezekiel, tried to tell Amilynn that, in her condition, the nurse needed to accompany her. He had to cover his mouth when Amilynn started arguing with her. Then they argued about the IV stand.
“Miss, you need to have pain meds through the IV and you shouldn’t be putting any kind of pressure on your leg. One day is not going to—”
“Listen very carefully, lady. I’m not a good patient and I can tell you right now that I will get to that bathroom one way or another, even if I have to fall out of this bed and crawl on the damn floor.” Ami gave the girl a look that dared her to challenge her proclamation.
The nurse let out a huff. “Fine, but if you get dehydrated or get an infection because you don’t have the antibiotics . . .”
“Yeah, whatever, I can’t sue, blah blah blah, hurry it up. Gotta pee here.” Ami snapped her fingers at the flustered nurse.
Ezekiel chuckled, but neither one of the women found it as funny as he did. The nurse took out the IV and unhooked her from the oxygen monitor. She had some trouble trying to lift Ami up, so he stepped in, receiving a hiss.
“It’s me or the bed pan,” he threatened, stifling a grin.
“I hate you both.” Ami mumbled and grumbled the whole time she hobbled to the bathroom. She saw the shower and asked what her chances were of getting in there. The nurse answered from the other room, “I can give you a sponge bath, but you can’t get your sutures wet.”
“Oh, for the love of Pete. You’ve got to be shitting me,” Amilynn whispered to herself. “I’ve got it from here.” She fought him off and made him shut the door before he heard her cursing again as she sat down on the toilet. She had to be hurting, stubborn woman.
While she was behind closed doors, the nurse made no attempt to hide her flirtatious smile from him. She tried to comment about how she’d seen him dancing and thought it was cute. Her comments fell on deaf ears.
“So she’s your . . . sister?” the young nurse fished in a very hushed whisper.
“No, she’s my heart.” He hadn’t thought about how naturally the reply crossed his lips until the nurse’s face morphed into pure longing. All he could think about was Ami. He shot the nurse a quick smile and leaned against the bathroom door.
A few minutes later, Ami opened the door, all her weight on her good leg. She bit down on her jaw to keep from showing just how much pain she was in. Amilynn reached out to him, needing to lean on him. When her fingers touched his skin, he shivered. Her green eyes snapped up and held him captive for a moment. Slowly, he put an arm around her and aided her to the bed. Ezekiel asked the nurse to bring some pain meds and, despite her objections, he made Amilynn take the pills, since she had also refused another IV.
Once they were alone, things got awkward again. Amilynn flipped channels and pretended he wasn’t there. But he didn’t miss the way her eyes flashed over to him every now and then to see what he was doing (messing with his phone). And he sure didn’t miss the death stare she gave to the nurse who so kindly popped her head in and asked if he needed anything to make him more comfortable before leaving them alone again.
He put down his phone and kicked back. “Can I ask you something?”
“If I say no, will you actually respect my wishes?” Her stare remained on the tube.
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “You’re such a smartass.”
&nbs
p; “I try to be a full-service sarcasm station.”
He leaned over, his elbows on his knees, and asked, “What in the world were you doing out there this morning?”
“What do you mean? I was trying to keep a cat from attacking a wolf. Don’t worry. I learned my lesson. Next time, you mutts are on your own.”
Ah yes, there it was: the barrier that rivaled the Great Wall of China. “No, Amilynn, why were you there in the first place, at that hour of the day?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the bluff. There’s this great tree out there and I like to go sleep in it sometimes.”
“Let me rephrase this, baby.” He dug deeply for control. This was what Ami did. After a moment of open vulnerability, she closed up shop. “Why weren’t you in the bed . . . with me?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why not? Did I do something wrong?”
“This isn’t about you,” she said, staring him down. “I don’t sleep well and I go out there all the time. You should be glad I did. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise?”
“I never want you in harm’s way. It’s in my very blood to protect you from things like this.”
“What makes you think I need your protection?”
He held out a hand, indicating her leg. “Gee, I don’t know. Exhibit A.”
Ami’s head jerked back. “You think because I got this little scratch that I need you to go all caveman on me? This is nothing.”
“I almost lost you.” His raised voice made her pause. Ezekiel rubbed both hands over his face. He had freaked out this morning and she acted like it was nothing. She would’ve bled out had Ty not intervened. Did she not realize how close it was? How much blood she lost? What would happen next time, when Tyrone and his mystery-magic weren’t there?
“Ezekiel,” Ami said, her tone low and calm. “I’m a big girl. More than that, I’m a dominant female leopardess who is damned hard to kill. If this is ever going to work out between us, you must stop treating me like I’m a submissive.”
Ezekiel met her gorgeous green eyes and his wolf responded. The animal understood and loved how dominant Amilynn was. He wanted nothing more than to go head to head with her, to mate someone who could match his strength. Only the human part of him was afraid of her reckless spirit.
“Give me some leeway, warrior princess,” he said. “I just convinced you not to rip my head off. I’m not willing to let you escape so easily.” He grinned, hoping she understood.
Ami’s return smile knocked the air out of his lungs. “What makes you think I won’t still rip your head off?”
“Is it weird that I find it extremely sexy when you make death threats against me?”
She laughed, her cheeks reddening. “Yeah, you’re a freak.” Ami hesitated, then took a deep breath. “You know, my past keeps knocking me in the ass at every turn. It’s only a matter of time before it gets to you too.”
“I’ll deal.” He blew off her worries. There might be a fight coming with her old Pride, but he wasn’t scared as long as he knew they would stand side by side against the storm.
“I’m a selfish person, Z. I want what I want when I want it. I don’t know how to submit to a man, not the way mates are supposed to.”
“I’m not asking you to submit.” He narrowed his eyes at her. Where was this resistance coming from? “I’m only asking that you quit running.”
“What about the number of men I’ve slept with? Can you deal with that?”
And, there it was, the one thing he tried damned hard not to think about. “Yep.” He spit out the word before he mentally went down that road. “What’s really going on in that pretty head of yours, Ami? What’s with all the excuses and reasons you don’t think we will work?”
Amilynn turned her head away and bit her bottom lip. She closed her eyes and erupted.
“I’ll never be a good wife or mother. Don’t you understand that? Vivian, she’s selfless when it comes to others. I’m not. I’m selfish. Melissa, she loves kids and wants to nurture and cherish babies. The thought of it makes me have panic attacks. I mean, could you imagine how much I could seriously fuck up a kid? What happens when they get older and find out their mom used to be a prostitute and a stripper? That she danced on a pole and let grubby assholes fondle her for a few hundred bucks. You really want your child being nurtured by me? You think your parents want little leopard grandbabies? You’re going to be alpha one day, Ezekiel. Alpha. You can’t be chained to a woman like me. I’m not Vivian. I’m not Melissa. I’m not your mom. They all have the ability to put others above themselves. I don’t. And Martin was right; this leopard can’t change her spots. I’m just not the kind of girl you bring home to Mama.” She wiped a tear from her eye and turned her face away from him.
I should sleep with him and get it over with. Once that’s over, he’ll think straight.
Ezekiel’s wolf picked up her thoughts as easily as if she had said them aloud.
“How could you even think that, Amilynn? You think I stayed away from you for sex? You think I held you that night in the hospital for sex? You think I’ve been here all day, holding your hand while you slept, helping the nurses dress your wounds, taking you to the fucking toilet because I just want to get into your pants?” He blew out a gust of air as though punched in the gut. “Is that how little you value yourself? You think that’s all there is to love about you, your body? What about your talents? Your singing and the incredible way you dance. Your sense of humor. Your ability to teach others how to defend themselves. Nate and Tom love you because of how wonderful you are. They respect you and care about you because you treat them like they walk on water. What about the way you nearly sacrificed your leg to save a wolf? You protected a member of my Pack without hesitation. That shows amazing courage and loyalty.” Amilynn rolled her eyes and his temper went through the roof. “You don’t see any of that. Do you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head as if he were full of nonsense. God, she was so pigheaded. She left him no other options.
“Screw this.” Ezekiel stalked over to the door.
HERE COMES GOODBYE, Amilynn thought as Ezekiel headed for the door. It was for the best. Better to end it now before he grew cold and bitter towards her. No matter what he thought, Ezekiel would continually resent her for being with other men, for challenging him, and not being the type of mate an alpha needed.
Instead of storming out the door as she expected, he leaned his head out and addressed the guard on duty.
“We’re not to be disturbed.”
“Yes, sir,” said the soldier.
Ezekiel locked the door and came back over to her bed. “Scoot over.” He kicked off his boots.
“You can’t. This bed isn’t big enough for both of us.”
“Then my ass will hang over the edge. Shut up and scoot over.” He removed his belt and emptied his pockets. He pressed the controls that lowered her bed flat. Ami gingerly turned onto her left side.
“I hope you fall out right on your ass.”
“Shut up, Ami.” Ezekiel climbed in the bed, careful to arrange himself so he didn’t bother her thigh, but he could wrap his arm around her waist. “So help me, you’re going to learn to love yourself if it’s the last thing I do in this life.” Ezekiel whispered loving words in her ear. “Can’t you see that your philosophy doesn’t hold water when it comes to us, Ami? I never had to bring you home to Mama like some prize I’d won at the fair. You’ve been in my home for a while now. My mother loves you as her friend and family, my father respects you as the warrior you are and the daughter you’ve become. Hell, I’ll have to keep on top of my game for the rest of my life because if I ever act less than what you deserve, my two little brothers will steal you away and flay me.”
Ami laughed and sniffed.
Ezekiel kissed her head. “I don’t want to control your life. I simply want to be a part of it. And yes, one day I would love to marry you and do all the thing
s that come with that. But I’m not even twenty-one yet, Amilynn. I’ve got an entire lifetime ahead of me for all that, and so do you. All I need right now is to feel you in my arms and know that you might like me a little. Love, marriage, kids, me being an alpha—none of it matters without you. Baby steps, remember? That’s what we promised.” He kissed her neck and nuzzled into her hair. “Can we just do that, Ami? One tiny step at a time?”
He was right; she’d been a part of his family since the day her Pride walked into the alpha house. Bianca, Sampson, Nate, and Tom were just as much her family as they were his. Ezekiel’s parents knew that she would possibly be their daughter-in-law one day and they had never shunned or treated her like she wasn’t good enough for their son . . . or sons. Bianca and Sampson hadn’t told the twins not to spend time with her because she dressed too sexily or flirted too much or was a bad influence. His whole family had adopted her without questions or prerequisites. Ezekiel had claimed her and they loved her. Period.
“I’m scared.” Those two words were the hardest to say. “If I lay everything down, what happens when I lose it?”
“You won’t, Ami.” Ezekiel pulled her tighter to his heart. “You’re not the only one with a risk. We’re both going all in, baby. We’re both committing to the unknown. It’s not going to be perfect, and it’s not going to be easy. But we can do this. Hell, I’ve already had your bother promise me death if I ever hurt you. He’s one scary sonofabitch. He’ll follow through. That’s incentive enough for me to kiss your feet for the rest of our lives.”
Ami laughed and she felt Ezekiel’s smile against her neck where he kissed her.
“Take the risk with me, Ami,” he whispered. “Jump. I’ll catch you. I’ll break your fall, even if it means landing on my ass.”
Ezekiel held her close and didn’t apologize for staying right in the bed with her when the nurses checked on them a few hours later. Her leg was healing so fast it dumbfounded the nurses. The pain was still there and as annoying as a toddler screaming in the grocery store. But her skin had knit back together and was pink with new growth.