Tempted by the Jaguar #4: Infiltration (Riverford Shifters)
Page 10
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It was a little before noon when Sasha arrived, and the moment the siblings hugged, she thought Maxim would finally break down and cry. When he didn’t, Kylie was more than a little worried. She was afraid that if the worst did indeed happen, then he would shatter with all that pent up emotion.
Anna was still in surgery a couple of hours later when a doctor came to inform Hunter that Ryder’s surgery had gone well and they had just moved him into a recovery room. Kylie was immensely glad that Sasha was there to support and comfort Maxim as Hunter needed to be with Ryder now and she needed to be there for Hunter.
Ryder was still under the anesthesia when they entered his room. He was now breathing on his own with only the help of a little extra oxygen through a nose catheter. As Hunter pulled over a chair and sat down next to his brother’s bed, Kylie opted to stand next to him for the time being while Molly took the only other chair next to the door.
For a long while, she studied Ryder’s face. The shape seemed a bit wider than Hunter’s, but she wasn’t sure if it was because his face was a little swollen and distorted from the multiple bruising throughout. They had the same black hair, and she knew from the picture Maxim had passed around that Ryder also had hazel eyes.
“You two look so much alike,” Kylie said softly as she ran her fingers through Hunter’s hair soothingly.
Hunter nodded. “Even after not seeing him for over a year, I’m surprised at how much he still looks the same. A little thinner, yes, but no shock there.”
Speaking of shock… “I’m worried about Maxim,” Kylie said hesitantly.
Again, he nodded. “I am, too. I’ve never seen him keep his emotions to himself to this extent. I was actually glad to see him release his rage on that lion. We’ve both been holding it all in ever since Jack told us about Ryder and Anna, but unlike me, he didn’t have someone to distract him from the worst of it. He was a ticking time bomb as you glimpsed yesterday. This though—the way he is now—this is a million times worse.”
Kylie bent down and hugged him around the neck. “All we can do is stay by his side as much as we can.”
“You guys are already so close,” Molly suddenly cut in. She mock-frowned at Kylie. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about him. We should all wish that our fathers had ‘friends’ like him.” The last was said sarcastically.
Kylie winced, remembering the lie she had fed Molly the night the redhead had brought her the bracelet.
“Very few humans know about us,” Hunter said. “She would’ve been in a lot of trouble if she had told you and you flipped out about it and went running to the nearest TV station to scream it to the world.”
“She’s not going to get in trouble now, is she?” Molly fretted.
He shook his head. “No, because it was the lions’ own damned fault for dragging you into our world. As long as you don’t do any interviews, everything’ll be fine.”
“Speaking of,” Kylie said. “We need to start thinking about what we’re going to tell Tara—oh my God!” Her eyes widened in dismay. “I can’t believe I forgot! We think Ty went missing the same night as you! The cops found human blood in your apartment!”
For a split-second, Molly looked alarmed, but then she shook her head. “Actually, we had a big fight earlier that day and broke up. He probably went down to Houston for the weekend to sulk at his brother’s house. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned his phone off in case I called. He would’ve probably ignored any of Tara’s or your calls, too.”
Kylie sagged in relief against Hunter’s back. “Thank God.”
“The blood,” Molly continued, “it was probably mine. I ended up with a bloody nose trying to fight the bastard who took me. He was wearing a black ski mask like some cheesy burglar, if you can believe it.”
“The sound of a woman’s voice that isn’t screaming,” a deep, unfamiliar voice abruptly rasped, making all of them instantly turn their eyes to the bed, “that’s something I never thought I would hear again.”
Hunter made a sound deep in his throat that sounded suspiciously as though he was choking back a sob. “Welcome back, bro.”
“Seeing you here—” Ryder’s expression became pinched, as if he was trying not to cry, “I was afraid seeing you come for me down in that pit of hell was something I had dreamed while delirious. It’s happened before.” He closed his eyes, and this time, a single tear did fall from the corner of his right eye.
Kylie felt her throat tighten with the threat of tears, herself.
Hunter reached over and clasped Ryder’s hand tightly. “Of course I came. I’m here, and you’re going to be okay.”
Ryder smiled and then slowly wiped his eyes with the side of his free hand, careful not to jostle the IV inserted into the back of it.
“So, are you going to tell me who these lovely ladies are?”
Hunter grinned. “Ryder, meet Kylie Moore.” He paused and then turned to look heatedly at Kylie. “…my mate-to-be if she’ll have me.”
The incredulous look in Ryder’s eyes was priceless.
In that moment as her mind whirled in something like shock, Kylie found herself wishing with all her soul that another miracle would happen, that she would be wrong, and Maxim would get his happy ending as well. Anna had survived this long into the surgery. Surely that had to be a good sign? Because she didn’t ever want to see that man break.
Kylie looked from Ryder to Hunter and felt her lips curve up into an answering smile that was bittersweet.
There was still one thing missing from this moment. How close had she come to actually finding her mother today? Hopefully the data they had taken from the lions’ ranch would offer her an answer. Maybe it would even have an answer to the whereabouts of her father.
Once they returned to Riverford, she also hoped for a chance to talk to Karen face-to-face in order to find out the truth of that security footage. Even if it turned out that Karen had been lying to them from the beginning, Kylie still wanted to know, though deep down she didn’t really believe that would turn out to be the truth.
“I’ll be a handful,” she warned seriously, giving Hunter one last chance to take back his proposal. “We may even need to spend a lot of time in Great Britain if you catch my meaning.”
He laughed. Now that he had his brother back safe, if not yet completely sound, Hunter’s eyes seemed to blaze with life. “I’m counting on it. What’s life without a little intrigue?”
RESCUED? BY THE WOLF
Riverford Shifters Novella #1.5
When Rogue lion shifter, Tori, jumps into the truck of an annoyingly hot wolf shifter she mistakes for human, lifelong hostilities and self-restraint are tested as they flee from the lions in pursuit tasked by her clan’s Alpha with dragging her back to a fate worse than death.
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Cristina Rayne is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in West Texas with her crazy cat and about a dozen bookcases full of fantasy worlds and steamy romances. She has a degree in Computer Science which totally qualifies her to write romances. As Fantasy is her first love, she feels if she can inject a little love into the fantastical, along with a few steamy scenes, then all the better. She is also the author of the Claimed by the Elven King, Claimed by the Elven Brothers, and Erotic Tales from the Vampire Underground series.