Slade's Desire (White River Wolves Series, #2)

by Dawn Sullivan

  “Yes,” he said shortly.

  Gypsy rose from the bed, wrapping the sheet snuggly around her. “Where is she?”

  “She died years ago.” Clutching tightly to the pillow he lay in silence for several minutes trying to collect his thoughts. “I’m sorry, Gypsy,” he finally said. “I should have waited for you, but...” Slade froze when he realized that he was alone. Lifting his head, he slowly turned around to look at the empty room. “Shit,” he hissed as he sat up and threw the pillow. “That went well.” Cursing loudly when he heard the soft click of the lock on the front door moments later, he jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, but he was too late. She was gone.

  Chapter 11

  When she left the apartment, Gypsy had no specific destination in mind. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there. She had no idea what to think. It was obvious that Slade was still in love with his deceased wife. Gypsy had known that he was about to bite her, to claim her as his, and she had welcomed it. Then, images of a pretty, young woman with long, straight, blonde hair and some of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen had come between them.

  It had not been Gypsy’s intention to read his thoughts. She never tried to get inside anyone’s head, but sometimes things slipped through. This time Slade had been projecting his thoughts so loudly that she was unable to block them out.

  A few minutes later Gypsy found herself in front of the hospital, the only place in the compound that she was familiar with. Sighing, she decided she would go inside and check on her sister before trying to figure out what to do next. Did she go back to Slade’s apartment? Did she stay in her room at the hospital? She was so confused.

  “Gypsy?” Jade’s soft voice came to her from the top of the stairs.

  Glancing up, Gypsy gave her a weak smile. “Hi Jade. I came to look in on Sari.” It was partly true. It may not have been her original reason for coming, but it was the decision she had just made.

  Gypsy could tell Jade suspected there was more to her surprise return, but the other woman did not ask. “Come in out of the cold,” she said, motioning to the front doors. “You are going to freeze out here.”

  Looking back toward the apartments, Gypsy saw Slade standing out in front of them watching her. He wore a pair of jeans, but nothing else. Even his feet were bare. He did not make an attempt to move in her direction. It seemed as if he were waiting for something, with his hands resting on his hips, and his head cocked to the side.

  Making her way silently down the stairs, Jade came to stand beside Gypsy. “He won’t leave until he knows you are safely inside the hospital,” she said quietly. “If your intention is to have some time apart, I suggest you come with me now.”

  Tearing her gaze away from Slade, Gypsy turned and trudged up the stairs. It was not what she wanted to do. She wanted to turn back around and run to her mate. She wanted to take him in her arms and tell him everything was going to be alright. That no matter what, she was not going anywhere, and they would work things out. Maybe he didn’t love her now, but she knew he cared for her, and love would come eventually. Her heart was already starting to open to him, one day his would for her as well.

  When Gypsy reached the front entrance, she placed her hand on the door and turned back one last time to look at Slade, but he was gone. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek unnoticed. Jade was wrong. She had not made it safely inside yet, but her mate was nowhere to be found.

  A soft sob catching in her throat, Gypsy turned and ran through the front doors. Did she even have a chance? Would Slade ever love her like he did Sarah? Could she stay with him if he could never feel more for her? How could she leave? From what she knew, mates could not stand to be apart for very long. Even now, without the mating bite, the pull between them was strong. She wanted to be with him, and had to fight the urge to turn back.

  Stopping in front of her sister’s room, Gypsy knocked lightly on the open door. Sari was sitting up in bed watching television. She smiled when she saw Gypsy, and quickly shut it off. That smile turned into a frown when she saw Gypsy was no longer wearing one of the hospital gowns they had both worn since they arrived. Nibbling on her bottom lip, Sari asked nervously, “Where were you, Gypsy? I wanted to come see you earlier, but they said you weren’t in your room.”

  Gypsy had asked the staff to allow her to be the one to tell Sari that she was leaving the hospital. She did not expect them to deliver that kind of news to her sister, especially when she had no idea how Sari was going to respond. Smiling gently, Gypsy walked in and sat on the side of the bed. “I’ve been at Slade’s,” she admitted.

  “Slade’s?” Sari questioned in confusion. “Who’s Slade?”

  That was when Gypsy realized that she and her sister had not had a chance to sit down and talk. At first it was because of Gypsy’s memory loss. Since she was unable to remember the young girl, she’d had no idea what to say to her. Once she finally regained her memory, Sari had closed in on herself and spent most of her time in bed following her minor breakdown. Now Gypsy wondered just how much she should tell her. There was a time when the two had talked about almost anything...anything except Gypsy’s gifts. That was something she had not been allowed to share with anyone in the past, but maybe now it was time. She trusted her sister with her life, and she was so tired of carrying her burdens alone. That was exactly what her abilities had become to her over the past few years; burdens.

  In the beginning, Gypsy’s powers were magical and fun. She used to love to sneak in and out of people’s minds just to see what they were thinking. Well, most people. Some minds were scarier than others. She had learned fast to leave instantly when she touched the dark sludge of hatred and evil that was alive in some. When she got older, she became more wary about others finding out about her abilities and began to heed her mother’s advice. She became better at hiding the things she could do, but it did not stop her from helping those in need if she could.

  Deciding it was time to share everything with Sari, Gypsy stood and kicked off her boots before sliding onto the bed and leaning back against the pillows beside her sister. “There are so many things you don’t know about me, Sari,” she started slowly. “Things I always wanted to tell you, but Mom was afraid of what might happen to me, to all of us really, if I did.”

  “Well, you can tell me now.”

  Hesitating slightly, Gypsy said, “Growing up, you always knew we had different fathers. I loved our Papa so much, but he wasn’t my biological father.” When Sari nodded, Gypsy continued, “My dad was a very special man. He had gifts that not a lot of people have. Gifts that he passed down to me.”

  Sari’s eyebrows rose, a look of suspicion in her eyes. “Like what?”

  “I can do things, Sari. Things you wouldn’t believe.”

  “Are you going to tell me how you turn into a glow worm sometimes at night? Because I already know about that.”

  Gypsy looked at Sari in surprise. “You’ve seen me?”

  Sari flushed as she looked away. “You would leave the house sometimes really late at night. I have always had trouble sleeping, so I started following you. I just wanted to see where you went.”

  “You saw me dancing under the moon?” Gypsy guessed softly.

  “You were so beautiful,” Sari admitted, a slight apology in her voice. “I couldn’t seem to stay away. You would start to sort of glow, getting brighter and brighter, and then you would say things. It was like you were talking to the moon and stars, and they were responding.”

  “Why didn’t you ever ask me about it?”

  Sari shrugged, leaning closer and resting her head on Gypsy’s shoulder. “You didn’t want me to know. If you did, you would have told me.”

  “Not true,” Gypsy said, laying her cheek on the top of Sari’s head.

  “No?”

  “I always wanted to tell you. We never kept secrets from each other. But Mom wouldn’t let me.” Sighing, Gypsy told her the whole truth. “People used to think my father was a witch. He w
as killed by hunters, and Mom was always afraid that they were hunting us.”

  She heard Sari gasp softly, and then she whispered, “I’m so sorry, Gypsy.” They sat in silence for several minutes before Sari asked, “Do you hate me, Gypsy? Is that why you don’t come to see me very often?”

  “What?” Gypsy pulled away from Sari, and placing a finger under her sister’s chin, she raised her head until their eyes met. “There was one reason, and one reason only that I never came to see you before, Sari Elizabeth, and it most definitely was not because I hate you.”

  “Then why?” Sari’s chin trembled as she fought back tears.

  “Sari, something happened to me when we were rescued, and I lost my memory. I honestly had no idea who I was, let alone who you were. I have never ever hated you. Why would you think that?”

  “Because it’s my fault we were taken. Dad and Mom died, and you were hurt, all because of me.” Sobs tore from Sari’s throat, tears falling from her eyes.

  “Who told you that?”

  “Philip did. He said he wanted me, so he eliminated anyone he thought would get in his way. He killed our parents, and then he kept you locked up in that horrible place. He told me that every time I did something that he didn’t like, he would hurt you. I always messed up. I could never make him happy. I’m so sorry, Gypsy. Please don’t hate me!”

  Gypsy enfolded the devastated girl into her arms, crooning softly to her. “I could never hate you, sweetheart. I love you so much, and none of this was because of you. Nothing that happened was in any way your fault. Philip Perez was a sadistic bastard. An evil, cold-hearted son of a bitch who liked to prey on young girls and feed off the fear of others. Nothing you could have done would have ever made him happy.”

  Gypsy rocked her sister back and forth in her arms for a long time before Sari finally calmed down, her head resting on Gypsy’s chest. Lightly touching the cast on Gypsy’s left arm, she asked, “Did he do this to you because of me?”

  “No,” Gypsy promised, “this had nothing to do with you. Actually, Philip didn’t break my arm. Titus did.”

  “Titus?”

  “Yes. He was one of Philip’s henchmen. He would come down into The Dungeon to torture all of the prisoners. I was no exception.” A shiver ran up Gypsy’s spine as she remembered the beatings she had endured at the hands of not only Titus, but the other guards. There had been so much pain and suffering for so long. “Titus used to bring me extra food sometimes, which wasn’t saying much. They did not like to feed us often. They needed to keep their prisoners weak.” At Sari’s gasp of dismay, Gypsy placed a soft kiss on the top of her head before continuing. “One time I tried to feed Trace some of the food he brought me. Titus found out and punished me severely. The broken arm was the worst of it, though. He said I was his. That he had paid Perez a lot of money for me, so he could do whatever he wanted to me.”

  “What?” Sari cried, raising shocked eyes to Gypsy’s. “He owned you?”

  Lifting her chin slightly in defiance, Gypsy said, “He thought he did. But he was wrong. No one owns me.”

  Sari’s lower lip trembled as she whispered raggedly, “I missed you so much, Gypsy.”

  “Me too, my love. Me too.”

  Laying her head back down on Gypsy’s chest, Sari spoke so quietly Gypsy had to strain to hear her. “They told me I lost my baby.” As far as Gypsy knew, that was the first time Sari had spoken of the infant she miscarried. “Philip killed him. I would have loved him, Gypsy. I would have loved my baby no matter what.”

  “I know, Sari.” It broke Gypsy’s heart that her sister was suffering, and there was nothing she could do about it. She should be hanging out with friends right now, talking about boys and what shoes to buy next. Instead, Sari was hiding in a hospital room, afraid to face the world after walking through the fires of hell.

  Gypsy held her sister as she cried for the loss of her baby. The poor girl had lost everything. Her parents, her baby, her home, her innocence. But she had survived. She had lived, and no matter what, Gypsy vowed to help her move on and learn to love life again. After a while, only soft sniffles could be heard.

  Trying to take Sari’s mind off of her pain, Gypsy whispered, “I met someone, Sis.”

  After a moment of silence, she heard, “Slade?”

  “Yes.” Lowering the hospital bed down slightly, Gypsy settled back against the pillows holding her sister close. “He’s an enforcer for the White River Wolves here at the compound.” Sticking to her vow from before to always be honest with Sari from now on, she continued, “He’s my mate.”

  “Mate?”

  “Kind of like a soul mate, but so much more.” Sari sighed as she snuggled closer. “I’m going to tell you some things, Sari. Things that you have to promise not to tell anyone. It could put some wonderful people in danger if you do.”

  “I promise.” There was no hesitation in Sari’s voice, only acceptance. Her little sister had been forced to grow up so fast, and Gypsy hated Philip Perez for it.

  “Some of the people of this compound are different,” she began softly. “They are magical, powerful beings.”

  “Like you?”

  “Like me, but so much more. They can do things that I can’t. They have the ability to shift into wolves, and I even heard something about a bear and a fox.” She expected shock and denial from Sari, but she got neither.

  “And panthers,” Sari said quietly.

  Gypsy stiffened in surprise. It was obvious her sister knew about Trace, and there was only one way she could have found out. “You overheard Philip and his men talking, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” Sari agreed, a shiver running through her body. “They were experimenting with Trace. Seeing exactly how far they could go before they killed him. Philip didn’t want him dead, but he told his men to push him to his limits. I remember one of them said he didn’t understand how Trace could still be alive after everything they’d done to him.”

  Tears filled Gypsy’s eyes as she remembered watching each and every one of those torture sessions. The struggle with life and death had been a daily constant in Trace’s life. “I do,” she told Sari. “Trace is strong, and courageous. He wanted to free us, to get us away from that place. And he wanted to come to Jade. Mates will do anything for each other, Sari. They are the other half of one another’s soul. Without one, the other loses the will to go on. Trace had to come home to Jade. There was no other choice.”

  “So that means Slade is the other half of your soul?”

  Gypsy took a moment to respond. Closing her eyes, she pictured Slade; so strong, loyal, and brave. “Yes,” she replied. “He is. I feel it, deep inside. I know, no matter what, he will always be there for me. He will always protect me.”

  “Even from someone like Philip? What if someone kidnaps us again? What if...?”

  “Hush,” Gypsy whispered, rubbing her back gently, “Hush, baby. Heaven forbid that would ever happen. But, if it did, Slade would hunt to the ends of the earth for us, because I am his, and that’s what mates do.”

  “Do you think maybe I have a mate out there too?” The soft question was spoken with both trepidation and a hint of hope. “Do you think someday, someone will want me like that? Even after what Philip did to me?”

  “I know someone is out there who will love you, care for you, and treat you the way you deserve to be treated someday, Sari. He may be human, he may be other, but I know he is out there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I have gifts of my own, remember?” Tilting Sari’s head up so she could look at her, Gypsy grinned as she leaned down and gently rubbed their noses together. “Trust me, little sister, your future is very bright and full of joy. You will get past everything that has happened. You will move on. It will take time, but it will happen. I promise you.” She would do everything in her power to keep that promise.

  Sari’s eyes filled with tears, and one slipped out. “I hope so. It is so hard right now, Gypsy.”

  Sari laid
her head back down, and Gypsy tightened her arms around her. It was not long before soft snores filled the silence. After Sari fell asleep, Gypsy continued to hold her close, because she needed that comfort as well. She needed to know that somebody loved her, and cared for her. That they needed her, like Sari did. The minutes stretched into hours, and when she finally glanced toward the window, she was shocked to see that it was pitch black outside. The clock on the wall read 3am.

  Gypsy slipped out of the bed and used the buttons on a remote to lower it down all of the way so Sari would be more comfortable. Pulling the covers up, she gave her sister one last kiss on her brow before leaving. Walking down the hall, she paused outside her old room, but knew that was not where she belonged. Waving to the nurse at the front counter, she left the building. Lost in thought, Gypsy walked slowly down the front stairs, stopping to look up at the sliver of moon that showed from behind some dark clouds. She didn’t hear the man behind her until it was too late. “I’ve missed you,” a terrifying voice from her past said before a hand covered her mouth and she felt a small prick in the side of her neck.

  Chapter 12

  After Gypsy left his apartment, Slade made it outside in time to see her standing in front of the hospital talking with Jade. She’d turned to look at him, and he had thought maybe she would come back. When she turned back around and walked up the stairs, he waited just long enough to make sure she made it to the doors, before backing out of sight. He watched as she looked in his direction one more time, before going into the building. Fighting the urge to follow her, he cursed beneath his breath and stomped back up to his apartment. Quickly changing into sweats and a tee-shirt, he grabbed his duffle bag and left again.

  Slade spent the rest of the day in the gym, pounding the piss out of first one of the punching bags hanging in a corner, and then taking on Chase when he showed up. Both men had a lot of aggression to let out, and once they finished in the gym, they shifted and ran the perimeter of the compound checking for signs of an intruder. Finding none, Slade finally went back to his apartment, hoping Gypsy had shown up. When he didn’t see her, he called the hospital and was told she was resting with her sister. He was not happy, but knowing she was safe, he decided to try and get some sleep himself. Unfortunately, he was unable to without Gypsy by his side.