“She only argues with those who matter to her.”
Devin forced his eyes open. Concern and regret etched lines onto the other male’s brow. “I know.”
Vader nodded and walked away.
Devin watched him and noticed the tensing of his body. He glanced at the others. Kade and Rafe both turned toward the door. Devin frowned, tried to figure out what had caught their attention. After a moment, he heard it. People screaming. Chairs crashing. Josh’s bellowed order to stay back.
The door to the office flung open and a small white cub ran in. Molly made a beeline right to him. He caught her and pulled her trembling body against his chest.
“Molly, what are you doing here?”
She burrowed her head into his chest. I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed home.
He forced himself to pet the cub, hoping to calm her. “It’s okay, little one.” He cleared his throat. “I’m just glad you’re able to talk to me. That’s, umm, amazing actually. Lena will be so happy.”
Lena. Molly whimpered. I’m scared. She…I…the car crashed. Now Lena’s hurt! So much blood.
“Gods, no.” Devin put her gently down and ran.
He flung the door to the employee parking lot open and stopped dead in his tracks. The enforcers, seven royal bear shifters known for their callousness, stood on the other side. Each male stood at over seven feet with a good fifty pounds more muscle than he had. Devin let his talons slip free. “Get out of my way.”
The center male shook his head. “Sorry, can’t do that. Council said you need to hurt.” He cracked his knuckles. “We’re here to deliver.”
He would’ve laughed at the cheesy line, but rage turned the world around him red.
Vader slapped a key into his clawed hand. “Go, we’ll handle this.”
Devin didn’t need to be told twice.
* * * * *
The rumble of the motorcycle between his thighs reverberated through Devin’s body, adding to the anxiety tightening his muscles. He passed a car, swerved to miss another and leaned into the curves when he hit a winding section of the road. He almost lost control of the bike twice. He didn’t care or slow down.
He tightened the leash on his raging cats. No time for a breakdown. His female needed him. And dammit, he wasn’t going to let her down.
Lena’s scent drifted on the breeze, tethering him to his heaven. He latched on to it, let it guide him home. Gods, please keep her safe. Not once in his life had he begged for mercy, not even during those months in the chambers. He did now. For Lena, he’d get down on his knees, kiss the gods’ feet, do anything if it saved his angel.
The first whiff of blood twined with Lena’s fragrance stopped his heart. He pushed the bike faster. Black, curved slashes marred the road ahead of him, made this whole damn nightmare real. The bike skidded out from under him as he leapt over the side of the embankment.
A trail of broken branches led to a mangled piece of metal that used to be his car. It lay on its side with the front bent like an accordion and smoke hazing the air around it, much like the dust cloud had around Lena’s sports car the day she became his life, his reason for living.
He couldn’t lose her.
He slid the last few feet and ripped the passenger door off. His eyes locked onto the sight of his beautiful female slumped against the driver’s door. One hand was splayed on the window next to her face and the other was bent at an odd angle to her side. Blood covered the body he knew better than his own. He swept his gaze over her and zeroed in on the broken tree limb piercing her stomach.
Oh, gods. He swallowed down the bile, reached a hand toward her. “Lena?”
She didn’t move.
“Please, angel, don’t be dead.”
Fear swept through him, brought a wave of dizziness. Darkness encroached, threatened to steal the light, his sanity. No! He snapped his teeth together, couldn’t give in. He focused on his female’s scent and listened. Her heart beat, weak and erratic. He still had a chance. The little sliver of hope gave him the strength to fight the blackness. Colors returned. Lena’s face came into focus.
Devin grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled. He grunted as the metal tore away, the sharp edges cutting into his fingers. He tossed it aside, ignored the blood running down his forearms. With a flick of his claw, he cut the seat belt that held Lena into the seat. He hesitated a moment more, not sure what to do. He inhaled, needing the sanity Lena gave him to fight the confusion making his thoughts muddled.
An acrid stench burned his nose. Gasoline. Shit. He had to work fast, get her out of here before the car exploded. He slipped his hands under her thighs and back, lifted her out as gently as he could. More blood gushed from around the protruding stick. She didn’t cry out in pain, didn’t acknowledge him. Her head lolled back, the whites of her eyes showing.
Oh gods, please. Please don’t take my angel.
He carried her, careful not to jar the branch, to a small clearing farther down the hill. He sat with her in his lap and sliced her shirt to expose the wound. Yet more blood flowed from around the piece of wood. Bubbles. There were bubbles in the liquid. He ran a finger along the edge of her rib cage to the spot where her life’s essence gushed out. Uncertainty settled over him.
“Lena.” He brushed at her dirty cheek where her tears had left a path. It was dry now. “Wake up, baby.”
Devin heard his friends and family scrambling down the hill. Their curses rang out and he heard a woman crying. Jasmine, maybe? He didn’t care. He ignored them and focused on the female who was the center of his universe. He pushed her brown locks back, kissed her cheek. “Please, don’t leave me. I need you.”
He stared at her belly where the stick now bisected the claw mark left there. It had to come out except he couldn’t make his hand move, couldn’t bear to cause Lena any more pain.
Kade laid a hand on his shoulder. Devin glanced up, met his friend’s eyes. The determination he saw there gave him courage.
“Make it fast.” Kade tilted his head toward the branch. Devin reached for it. Kade grabbed his wrist. “Remember, Lena needs to be awake to understand what’s going on.”
Devin took a calming breath, gripped the wood close to her skin and yanked. The wet, sucking sound of the branch pulling free sickened him. Her body jerked. She didn’t wake, didn’t even groan. Panic tightened the noose around his chest. The edges of his vision blurred. The abyss loomed in front of him, threatened to suck him in. He fought the breakdown. His cats prowled restlessly but lent him strength instead of panicking. The black faded. Lena’s bloody, bruised face filled his vision.
Kade knelt next to him and held a balled-up shirt to her stomach to stanch the flow. “Hurry up. She’s fading.”
“Open your eyes, angel.”
No response.
Devin shook his head to clear the fuzziness and brushed shaky fingers against her cheek. “Dammit, Lena! Wake up. I need you.”
Her eyelids fluttered. The chocolate eyes he loved focused on him. Her lip quivered as she tried to smile. Blood dribbled over her lower lip. “Devin.”
He licked his lip, something salty met his tongue. He ignored it and his damn runny nose.
There were so many things he wanted to say. What came out wasn’t one of them. “You promised not to leave me.”
Her fingers moved but her hand didn’t.
“Didn’t mean…hurt…you.”
He cursed himself for upsetting her. He’d made so many mistakes where this beautiful woman was concerned. For once, he wished he could say the right thing.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I have you now and I’m going to take care of you. You’re going to be okay.”
She shook her head weakly. “Dying.”
He stared at her blankly, his words stuck in his throat, and watched her lids close. He flashed back to the moment in the woods, their first meeting. A sense of finality came over him. There’d be no more chances.
“No! You can’t die.” He tore his wrist open with his t
eeth and pressed it to her lips. “Take my cats. They’ll protect you. Just don’t let them go. Okay? No matter how much it hurts, don’t let them go!”
A shaky breath escaped her lips. His blood ran down her chin.
“Please, don’t leave me. I love you, Lena. Do you understand? I love you more than I ever thought I could love another. You’re my world, my life, my future. Please don’t make me spend eternity without you.” Devin dipped his head, strands of hair that smelled of coconut and Lena sticking to his wet cheeks, and whispered, “I love you. Love you so much.”
“Devin,” she breathed his name.
He lifted his head. Her beloved eyes met his then her lips moved against his wrist as she latched on. She held his gaze and sucked. His cats leapt from him to her and as their spirits moved through Lena, so did he. It was the most beautiful, wondrous experience he’d ever shared. Her soul was pure and welcoming. She embraced him with open arms despite his flaws. She knew them. With his soul bared to her, she knew his every weakness, every failure yet her love surrounded him.
You’re not a failure, Devin. You’re the most honorable man I’ve ever known and I’m proud to be your mate.
Do you mean it, sweetheart?
Absolutely, love. Now, hold me. My body feels like it’s on fire and I swear even my fingernails hurt.
He chuckled at his mate’s spunk. She was in excruciating pain—his cats shared her agony—but she still managed to make him smile.
Okay, love. He returned the endearment that meant so much more now. I’ve got you. Remember, don’t let go of my cats. They’ll protect you.
Don’t worry, I’m never letting you or your cats go. You’re mine.
Epilogue
Lena rested her head against Devin’s chest and surveyed the new town park. Children played on the monkey bars. Mothers pushed their kids on the swings and teenagers played basketball in the courts. A walking path with empty flower beds lining it curved lazily through a barren section of ground which would be filled with lush grass and flowers come spring. The stone walkway led to a small pond. Weeping willows skirted the edge of the calm water and offered a beautiful backdrop for the wooden gazebo that overlooked the run-down town, her new home.
On the opposite side of the small city, a new community center was being built in honor of her parents. They’d unveil it in a couple of months just in time for the holidays. Today, however, Gwen’s memorial had its unofficial opening and it was bittersweet.
Lena tugged Devin’s arm tighter around her. “Gwen would’ve loved this. It’s beautiful.”
He brushed strands of her hair off her shoulder and laid his cheek over her mate bite. “She will love it.”
Lena sighed and Devin turned her face toward him with a single finger under her chin. “She will love it,” he repeated.
“Just because her remains weren’t among those found at the plane crash doesn’t mean she’s still alive.” They’d had this conversation already, more than once. She didn’t know why he kept bringing it up.
“Because it’s the truth. Gwen is alive. I refuse to believe anything else.”
She tried to turn away. He held her in a gentle grip and stared at her until she couldn’t help allowing the determination displayed in his eyes to become hers too.
“There’s hope, love. We won’t give up on her.”
She gave him the smile she knew he needed. “You’re right, we won’t.”
Devin bent his head and pressed his lips to hers, a chaste kiss that reached inside her heart and filled it with his love. “With Dante, Vader and Xander looking for her, chances are they’ll find her soon and get her home in time for the holidays.”
She frowned. She knew Dante and Vader had teamed up—surprising everyone—and were following a few sketchy leads but… “Why did Xander go? Doesn’t he have a pack to run?”
“Yeah and they’re not too happy with him at the moment. He’s been gone a lot over the past few months. His twin has been shouldering the responsibility but Xander feels guilty and won’t sit idly by while others look for Gwen. He thinks if he hadn’t come back to the lodge after finding the empty warehouse that he might’ve rescued her before she disappeared.” Devin released her chin and wrapped his arms tighter around her, cocooning her in his embrace. “He gave up on her. You understand?”
“She loves Vader.”
Devin nodded. “She’s his one.”
Lena snuggled closer and buried her face in the crook of Devin’s neck. “So was I, wasn’t I?” Another nod. “I’m sorry I hurt him but it would’ve been a mistake staying with him. You’re the man I was waiting for.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “And you’re the one I’ve waited for. You’re my beautiful mistake and the best damn one I’ve ever made.”
“Same here, Devin. Same here.”
About Nancy Corrigan
Nancy Corrigan has always had an active imagination. When she finally sat down to pen her first novel, she found her sweet romance had too much spice. After trying to tone it down and failing, she gave in and let her characters have their way. She’s glad she did. Because isn’t the best romance the kind with lots of amazing sex anyway?
She’s lucky enough to share her cat's home with three wonderful children, husband, dog and snake. When not writing, she works in a pharmaceutical lab.
Her passions beyond family and reading include music, classic cars, tattoos and animals (all of which have found their way into her writing in one form or another).
Nancy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Nancy Corrigan
Unexpected Find
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Beautiful Mistake
ISBN 9781419948015
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Beautiful Mistake Copyright © 2014 Nancy Corrigan
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Electronic book publication January 2014
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Beautiful Mistake: 2 (Royal Pride) Page 35