by V L Moon
Harshly, Shaver shoved down the pain that threatened to strangle him where he stood. Before he could respond, the door opened and Damian stalked in, his eyes wolf wild and glowing with menace. They swung to Shaver and then Khad.
“Lexi’s given Sage the attic room. She’ll sleep there for now. The little female is uncomfortable around males, and I think we all understand why. I suggest you boys get some rest, it’s been a long night.”
Damian sank onto the pack bed and lay back against the pillows. His expression and his attitude brooked no argument. Shaver shucked his shoes and avoided looking at Khadlyn as he did the same. Shaver’s wolf howled inside him desperate for freedom from the tense atmosphere of what should have been their sanctuary.
With a curse, he flung himself down beside Damian his back to the other male. He’d kept Damian out most of the night in the cold, he couldn’t do it again. The bed dipped as Khad claimed Damian’s other side. Shaver wanted to bolt, almost did, but Damian’s large hand landed on his hip.
Stay still, pup. The command slid into his head along with a soothing wash of power. Damian’s latent alpha genes offered Shaver some succor from the pain crisscrossing his gut. He knew the male did the same for Khadlyn. Shaver hoped it would be enough to stop the nightmares once Khad slept.
Minutes passed. Shaver concentrated on evening out his breathing. Behind him, the other two wolves also drifted toward sleep. Through their link, he listened as Khad’s mind quieted. The roiling panic settled into something more manageable thanks to Damian’s touch. Ever so minutely, their breathing patterns shifted and slowed.
Shaver wished for the oblivion of sleep, but it didn’t come. The pressure in his chest refused to let up enough for him to drift off. Just as he made the decision to get up, Damian eased up from the bed in a fluid motion and slid off the foot of the bed. Silently, he disappeared through the bedroom door, and in a few seconds, the outside door opened and closed.
“Guess we can quit pretending now, the big bad wolf is gone.” Khad’s attempt at humor fell flat.
Shaver swung his feet off the side of the bed and planted his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Khad’s scent and proximity tormented him. The words he longed to say tumbled through his mind, but the courage to say them deserted him in the face of certain rejection. Lost in his misery, he didn’t hear Khad move. When the other male’s hand fell on his shoulder, he stiffened and then jerked away before surging to his feet.
“Shay?” Khad’s deep voice full of confusion filled the room. It curled around Shaver slicing into his already abused heart. Instead of answering, he crossed the room to the small fridge. The pop and hiss of a Coors Light echoed loudly in the silence.
“Wanna tell me what’s eating you?”
“Nope.” Shaver bit the word out between one swallow and the next.
“Fine. I’m in no mood for sleep. I’m going out.” Khad tugged his boots back on and headed for the door.
“You mean across the bar and up the stairs don’t you?” The bitter words slipped past Shaver’s lips and fell like stones into the room. He wished them back immediately, but before he could utter a halfhearted apology, he stumbled in surprise when Khad slammed into him, his blue eyes turbulent and angry.
“She’s not your concern, Shaver.”
Shaver’s own temper spiked fueled by the pain. He went chest to chest with Khad, not bothering to keep his voice down. “Damned right she isn’t. Except, she’s got you and Alexa wrapped around her little fingers. She bats those freaky little eyes and the two of you are panting like pubescent pups. How do we know she’s not lying her ass off? It’s sickening to watch.”
Shaver listened to himself appalled at the vitriol spewing from his yap. He opened his mouth to apologize, but pain exploded in his head. He stumbled sideways, stunned. What the hell?
~*~*~*~
Engulfed by a wall of encroaching darkness, Khad lay lost in a void of his own judgmental depravity. When Sage relived her perilous escape from the clutches of her captor, he'd had no idea how his own torturous past would come back to haunt him. But, with the mention of a name, Khad's whole world tipped precariously close to the edge.
Khurn.
Just the thought of the sadistic bastard’s name rippled a shudder down Khad's spine. For so long, he'd thought himself over the torture and abuse served by the hands of the male he believed to be his father and his pack of rabid friends. But, the torture hadn’t lasted. When Khad failed to deliver the ancient lineage of pack magic flowing through his veins, Khurn had put a bag over his head and beaten him before driving off with Khad stuffed in the trunk of his car. Hours later, Khurn had dragged him kicking and screaming from the trunk and thrown his body into the lake.
He’d been no more than a useless commodity subjected to just about every form of abuse there could be. To hear his captor's name from the newly healed lips of his only known blood kin and to find out she was his mated wife, it brought a sickening rise of bile to Khad's parched mouth. Khad never spoke of what happened under Khurn’s ruthless rule. He blocked it from his mind; refusing to accept what happened was easier than having to deal with what had been done to him.
Shaver’s verbal attack on Sage held an abhorrent ferocity that scalded Khad’s heart. His wolf snarled. It was the only warning Shaver got. A surge of anger rose over Khad like a cloud of blistering heat. Its fiery rain raced through his veins and coursed through to his beast.
Blinded by the rage of injustice, Khad lashed out. His fist connected with the side of Shaver's face. The hit echoed around the room. The bitter sting of split knuckles ramped up the wolf’s demand for release. Khad snarled. His teeth lengthened while at the same time his eyes began to glow. His body trembled under the need to shift. Pushing back at his wolf, Khad's teeth snapped as he ground down on his jaw. When he did speak, the words came out guttural and rough.
“What the fuck would you know about her? To you, she's just someone who's pushed her way into your perfect little life where you run off home to mommy when you don’t get your own way. Well fuck you, Shay. That female is my blood kin, and I sure as shit won't be the one to throw her to the bastard wolves that raped and beat us both, just to make you feel better. I thought you were better than that.”
Angry tears streamed from Khad's gleaming blue eyes. As his temper peaked, Khad's clawed hand clipped Shaver just beneath the eye. The scent of blood filled the air. Its astringent metallic tang drew Khad closer to Shaver. In the time it took for his heart to beat, Khad forced Shaver hard against the wall. Shaver's hands rose up in defense. Khad grabbed his arms to pin Shaver’s back flush against the wall.
Khad's wolf surged up against his skin. Its dominant determination to claim what it saw as his pushed Khad to close the gap between them. His mouth descended, devouring Shaver’s full parted lips with his teeth before plunging his tongue deep into the male’s beautiful sweet mouth.
The explosion of taste fueled Khad on further. His hips ground against Shaver's groin as he deepened the kiss, turning the blistering intensity into something else. Khad slowed down the brutal assault and moaned against the delicious taste of Shaver's full ripe mouth. His tongue rolled against the sweet sweep of Shaver's lips until the need for breath drew him away. Panting and wanting more of the same, Khad shored himself to take whatever Shaver decided to dish out. His secret was out.
The look on Shaver's face said just about everything Khad always knew it would. The stunned expression was enough for Khad. Shaver obviously didn’t feel the same way. Khad didn't bother with his clothes or shoes. Instead, he escaped from the room and dropped the fight against his wolf. He hadn't even made it to Iniquity’s front door before the change took over. Khad drew on the ancient magic and changed mid-stride. He bolted through the unlocked door. He didn't look back. Instead, he ran into the night, ran for the dock and an escape route back to Alexa's cabin where he knew he could hide and wallow in his shame.
~*~*~*~
Chapter Forty-Two
; ~*~*~*~
Thunder Bay, Ontario
The scent of sulfur snatched Alexa from a fitful sleep. The good doctor had finally arrived. Slowly, she sat up in the chair beside Sage’s bed. She’d taken over from Copi when the male’s need to feed had grown unmanageable. He’d politely excused himself and slipped from the room, careful not to disturb Sage. Alexa took a moment to gaze down at the petite female. However, she resisted the urge to stretch out a hand and brush the hair from her cheek.
Alexa didn’t understand the pull she felt to the white wolf. It was as if she’d known her for a life time. Soulmate. The word drifted through her mind and not for the first time since she’d laid eyes on Sage. Her heart pounded and her mouth dried. She’d waited so long, had almost given up hope. And, out of the blue, this female showed up and drew her like a moth to flame.
She found herself leaning closer, the yearning to touch, to claim singing through her system. Firming her resolve, she snagged her cell phone and slid from the bed. Sage needed the doctor. Quietly, she let herself out of the attic with a final glance at the sleeping she wolf. After a pit stop at the restroom where she washed her hands and finger brushed her teeth, she strolled from the bathroom and flipped her phone open.
The first message furrowed her brow. “I’ve got Khad on the island. We’ll be staying to make sure the female’s scent is covered. See you two when we get back. Call Bastian if he isn’t there when you wake up.”
While the message made perfect sense, the timeframe worried her. They’d left just after going to bed. Why? And, if the other two males were on the island, where was Shaver and why hadn’t he gone, too? She turned toward the bedroom, and then grimaced when the sulfur teased her nose again. She cast one last glance at the door before turning toward the bar.
“Bastian. Thank you for coming.” Alexa crossed the empty dance floor with a smile on her face. She hugged the beautifully attractive demon male lounging against the mahogany stretch with a drink in his hand. “Glad you made yourself at home, I hope that’s water since you’re here on business,” she teased.
“Lexi.” He raised the glass and grinned. “It is, of course. Wouldn’t dream of helping myself to your profits. You look stunning as always.” The doctor sat his glass on the bar. The sulfur scent clinging to his skin clogged her sensitive nose and she struggled not to sneeze. She didn’t want to offend the male. They’d been friends almost as long as Iniquity had been open. Usually, the smell wasn’t so strong. Bastian must have come straight from Hell to answer her call. Alexa eased away and circled behind the bar.
“So how’s the practice going?” She asked.
“Steady. You know paranormals can’t keep themselves out of trouble.” Bastian took another swallow of the water and glanced around.
“So, which one of your males lost his cool? Let me guess, the black wolf.” Alexa laughed and fixed her own drink.
“Damian’s fine, so are the other two. It’s a female.” At Bastian’s quick grin, she growled before she remembered herself.
“Relax Lex, your friend is safe.” The stunning smile he gave her made her heart hammer despite her knowledge of who and what he was. He really was a good looking bastard. Well, this side of him was anyway. The demon side of him scared the living shit out of her. She’d only seen it once, but that was more than enough for her.
“Alexa?”
Alexa’s head swiveled to see Sage standing uncertainly on the other side of the bar. Her eyes were locked on Bastian. Every instinct bade her hurry across the room to Sage’s side. The other female’s fear beat at her, making her wolf whine. But, Alexa stood where she was determined to bolster Sage’s courage. She beckoned her closer.
“Sage, this is Dr. DeRhys. I called him last night.” Sage’s panicked eyes flew to hers. “Honey, you aren’t healing fast enough. Something’s wrong.”
Sage shook her head and backed away. “Where’s Copi?”
“I’m right here, little wolf.” Copi appeared at Sage’s back in a blur of speed. His eyes darted to Bastian who eyed the hybrid with a mix of awe and curiosity.
“Mr. Dane, I take it?” Bastian approached and held out his hand.
“Yeah. Copi Dane, how do you know my name?”
“We’ll talk later, after I see to Sage.” Bastian smiled. Alexa wondered what Copi’s story was and how Bastian knew it. She felt bad for not having the time to talk to him about his life. He was obviously new to their world and trying to find his way.
“I can’t do this, Copi. I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, you can, and you will be fine right after the doc takes a look at you. Do you really think any of us would allow you to be hurt? C’mon, Sage. You know me better than that by now.” Copi held out his hand and Sage went to him so easily.
A spike of jealousy lanced its way through Alexa. She circled around the bar to stand beside Bastian. She kept her voice low but firm. “Listen to Copi. You need this Sage. Bastian’s a friend. He won’t hurt you. We’ll stay with you the entire time.” Sage’s mismatched eyes locked on her, and she shook her head vehemently, sending her white hair flying around her shoulders. Alexa saw her fear, understood it, but wouldn’t accept it.
“So, you’d rather suffer and possibly die just when you found Khadlyn. How do you think that’s going to affect him?” Alexa leaned back against the bar tossing the questions out almost casually; however, she watched the other female closely. Sage flinched at the mention of Khad. Her eyes widened a fraction as her lips firmed.
Alexa saw the moment Sage made her decision and her shoulders relaxed. “Dr. DeRhys, if you’ll follow me up to the attic.” Inside the small room, the scent of Sage’s fear set Alexa’s wolf to snarling. She slid her hand into Sage’s and squeezed.
“He’s not a wolf,” Sage’s whisper, loud in the quiet room, drew a smile from Bastian.
“No, I’m definitely not a wolf, little female. But, Lexi’s right. You do need an exam. I smell blood, but I don’t see any which means it’s internal. Since we aren’t at my office, I’ll have to do this another way. It will require me getting very close to you. I sense your fear very clearly so is that going to be a problem?” Beside her, Sage visibly paled, but squared her shoulders.
“Do what you have to; I don’t want to cause my Khadlyn any undue worry if it can be avoided by a simple exam.”
Keeping a tight hold on Sage’s hand, Alexa moved back next to Copi to allow Bastian to work. He circled Sage, his face only millimeters from her skin. Taking deep draws through his nose, he worked his way up and down her slight frame before stepping back. “I want to do an MRI, but my guess is there are several tears or holes in a vessel or vessels in this area,” his hand hovered just over her left side and swept from her rib cage to her hip though he didn’t touch her.
“I presume that several ribs were broken at some point and something prevented her from shifting to repair the damage. Those bones have most likely healed with ragged edges and are now repeatedly puncturing the vessels when she moves. If she were human, she would have already bled out. But because she’s wolf, her body is compensating for the blood loss. However, it has been unable to repair the damage because she isn’t eating properly or resting.”
“So what do you advise?”
“She needs surgery to file down the bone and close the torn areas. She could try shifting, but I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s a possibility she could rip open the vessels and cause major hemorrhaging.”
“When can you do it?”
“Whenever she’s ready. I have an OR nurse on standby and some major league pain meds designed especially for wolves’ as I wasn’t sure what we were dealing with. You wolves are a crazy lot.”
Alexa tossed him a wink as she approached Sage and looked down into her pale face. “You ready?" Sage glanced back over her shoulder at Bastian and Copi and nodded once. Through their linked hands, Alexa felt her tremors increase.
“Thanks Bastian.” The demon doctor nodded once and vanished to get his bag. Sage blinked i
n astonishment. Alexa laughed. “He’s a show off, he’s just getting what’s needed. Copi, would you mind boiling some water, bring some vodka and as many towels as you can find please?”
“On it. I’m really proud of you, little wolf. You’ll be up and about in no time.” Copi pressed a swift kiss to Sage’s cheek and left the room.
“Where’s Khad? Shouldn’t we let him know?”
Sage’s question halted Alexa immediately. “Khad and Damian went to the island to make sure your scent was covered. We’ll send them a text.”
Shay? When she received no response, she started for the door.
I’m fine, Alexa. Go take care of her. Shaver’s thoughts floated into her mind, dark and dismissive. They immediately set her on edge. Something wasn’t right with her boy. She was used to the broodiness from Damian, but Shaver? He was their level head, their peacemaker. Torn between the two, Alexa cursed.
“I can wait,” Sage’s spoke softly.
Alexa cocked a brow at her and mouthed. “Are you getting anything from him?” Sage shook her head. Alexa took one step and Shaver’s voice sounded again.
I’m fine, Lex. Please, just leave me alone.
Still Alexa wavered. Shaver was clearly distressed and Khad and Damian were gone. I’ll be back, Shaver Drakos. And, we are going to talk!
~*~*~*~
Chapter Forty-Three
~*~*~*~
The scent of Sage’s blood intensified as did the aroma of sulphur, brimstone and ash. Bastian.
Tobias would recognize that scent anywhere. He picked up his pace, ignoring the blatant danger that faced him from the local pack. Let them try and stop him from getting to Sage, and possibly Khad.