by Lisa Kessler
While I’d been hunting down Sloan and the sniper, Serenity had located Becca and given her the address to the Arizona Opera. It wasn’t far from the exclusive community where her uncle lived, and armed with Wendy Cain’s name, Becca should’ve been able to get inside and get someone to call Wendy. Or at least that was our hope.
I ran by her place and retrieved her phone, purse –and a change of clothes. Her phone was charging on the seat next to me right now. She’d escaped her uncle’s house, but I had no clue where she’d gone, and my number was in her phone on my seat so she couldn’t even call me.
My cell phone rang, and I hit answered it on speaker. “Yeah?”
“It’s Asher. I got a voice mail from Becca at the office. She was at Lookout Mountain heading for the opera.”
“Thanks.” Relief drained some of the tension out of my shoulders. “I’ll call you when I find her.”
“Watch for the police,” Asher warned. “There’s still a restraining order out there with your name on it.”
I nodded, checking my rearview mirror again. “I remember. Talk to you soon.”
I ended the call and eased up on the gas a little as I pulled over. I punched my hazard lights and put Lookout Mountain into my phone. It looked like it was behind her uncle’s development, in the opposite direction of the opera. From the mountain, she’d be about twelve miles from the rendezvous point. I’d go to the mountain first and then follow 7th Street all the way down, maybe I’d find her along the way. I set my phone on the seat again and merged back onto the freeway.
CHAPTER 24
Becca
By the time I made it back to the street, my shirt was stuck to me like a second skin and the stench of the garlic still stung my nose. I took the water out of my pocket and finished it, depositing the bottle in a recycle can next to a bus stop. The map I’d seen on the ranger’s phone had shown that the Arizona Opera was a straight shot down 7th Street, but it was about twelve miles from where I was.
I wasn’t sure my legs had that distance left in them right now. The bus stop bench lured me to rest, but I was afraid I’d never get up again. Plus, if the police found me, I’d probably be deposited right back where I started last night at my uncle’s house.
Nope. Somehow I needed to keep walking.
The ninety-five degree sun wasn’t helping, but it could’ve been worse. In a couple of months it would be around one hundred twenty degrees. This was nothing. I could do this.
My legs weren’t fooled by my pep talk, and now my feet were getting in on the complaining, too. My tennis shoes weren’t made for the hike up and down the mountain, and my scrunched-up toes and the blister on my heel were happy to remind me that I should’ve worn my hiking boots.
Sadly, I hadn’t known I’d be attacked by my drugged-up uncle, then kidnapped from a hospital and held hostage.
I crossed another block in a seemingly endless grid of the city. Heat waves rose off the pavement, making the buildings in the distance waver as if they were a watercolor painting instead of reality.
Maybe none of this was real. Maybe it was all a nightmare and I’d wake up in Gage’s arms back at my place.
I tripped on an uneven square of sidewalk, jamming my sore toes as I stumbled. When I regained my balance, I bent over, fighting to keep from bursting into tears. If I started crying now I might never stop.
Hold it together…
“Becca!”
I lifted my head toward the voice. Gage’s truck was pulled over on the street. He was behind the wheel with the passenger window rolled down and calling my name.
A sob escaped my throat as I limped over to the door.
Concern lined his eyes. “We need to get out of here.”
I nodded and opened the door, unable to hold back the tears. He was here. I got inside and pulled the door closed. He leaned over and wrapped me in his arms while I wept.
“I’m going to take you home.”
It sounded like heaven. “The police might be…looking for me,” I said.
“I know. We’ll be careful.” He cranked the air conditioner up to high, and I almost cried all over again. He tipped his head toward the back seat of the extended cab. “I keep a blanket and a pair of sunglasses in the back.”
Every part of my body ached, but I twisted around and fished out the blanket and glasses. Now my sweat-soaked shirt was freezing. I pulled it off, and Gage turned my way with a surprised look that made me burst into exhausted giggles. “I still have my sports bra on.”
He wiped his nose. “You…had garlic?”
Now the laughter sounded thin and near hysterical. I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. “I was trying to cover my scent and distract the jaguar shifter so he wouldn’t find me.”
He squeezed my knee. “You’re amazing.”
I looked down at my dirty, stinky self and shook my head. “I’m a disaster.”
“Not to me.” He smiled. “You’re a survivor.”
“I wasn’t going to let him use me to get Henry and Hawk.” I rested my head against the window, my eyelids suddenly weighted down by boulders. “Thanks for coming for me.”
His hand rubbed my thigh, massaging the tight muscles. “I’ll always be here for you.”
“My hero.” My eyes drifted closed as a smile curved my lips. “I love you.”
CHAPTER 25
Gage
The drive home took about two hours. I let Becca sleep, and eventually the garlic didn’t sting my nose anymore. She’d been more resourceful than I’d given her credit for. She’d escaped from her uncle in spite of his enhanced senses and a jaguar shifter. His other jaguar assassin had been up at the ranch attempting to either take me out or abduct my kids. Maybe both.
Vance had interrogated him and then had taken him out back. It was kill or be killed in our world, and Vance was the best killer in our pack. Or at least I used to think so. I still wasn’t sure what I’d seen Jett do last night while in his wolf form. He’d been involved in an experiment at the Nero Organization, but I didn’t know what they’d done to him. Judging by what I’d witnessed with the jaguar assassin, it had seemed like mind control.
Whatever it was, Sloan knew about it. He’d asked for Jett by name.
I shoved those thoughts aside. Right now, Becca was all that mattered. My boys were with Naomi and Asher, and I drove us back to my place. Until we got the restraining order straightened out, going to Becca’s house would be too risky. Her uncle could call the police and I’d be arrested. My place was safer.
I pulled into a parking spot and went around to the passenger side. Becca barely stirred as I opened the door and scooped her into my arms. I reached back into the truck for the bag of her things.
Going up the stairs was slow. I didn’t want to jar her. I didn’t know much about head trauma, but her mild concussion was probably not completely healed, and I didn’t want to risk bonking her on anything. Once I got her into the apartment, I walked her back to the bedroom and laid her on top of the bedspread. She barely moved. I sucked in a deep breath. It felt like I hadn’t been able to breathe since she’d been taken from the hospital.
We were okay. I took out my phone and sent a quick text to Asher to let him know we were at my place.
Becca groaned. “I need a shower.”
The beginning of a smile tugged at my lips. “You’re awake.”
“Barely.” She opened her eyes with a drowsy sigh. “I’m too tired to shower.”
I raised a brow. “I could help you.”
Her breathy laugh made me forget all about how she smelled. “I’m gross. How could you want to be anywhere near me?”
I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I wouldn’t give a shit if you bathed in bat guano; I’d still get you naked and wash your hair.”
She grinned. “You sweet talker, you.”
“If I’d known bat guano made you smile, I would’ve brought it up sooner.”
She rolled her
eyes, but it still made her laugh. “I want to seduce you in sexy lingerie, not reeking of garlic and sweat and dirt.”
I took her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. “How about if I help you shower, and if you’re up to it, you can seduce me later.”
Fuck, her crooked smile did me in. I bent to kiss her lips and whispered, “I know you won’t believe me, but you are so beautiful, Bec. You seduce me every time you smile.”
I took her hand and led her into the bathroom. She closed the lid on the toilet and sat down while I turned on the shower. When I turned around, she’d already popped off her shoes and socks. I removed my shirt and helped her out of her sports bra. Being naked together was still new, and if she didn’t believe my words a few minutes ago about finding her beautiful, my hard-enough-to-pound-nails erection spoke volumes about how she affected me.
She gripped my shoulders, and I slid her jeans and underwear down. She stepped out of them and straightened up as I took off my pants.
Her body was covered in bruises from the fall after her uncle had knocked her out, and the scratches on her arms were probably from the hike. I wanted to heal every sore spot, to worship every inch of her for the survivor she was. My mate was strong and smart and resilient.
How did I get so lucky?
As we stepped into the shower, I realized something. If I’d never been bitten, I wouldn’t have my boys and I never would have met Becca. I massaged her head gently, drinking in the sound of her moan as the water ran through her hair. If Sloan hadn’t decided the pack needed a soldier, I’d probably be a civilian back in Portland. I couldn’t even imagine that kind of life now. Henry and Hawk were such a huge part of my world, and Becca was the sunlight filtering through the clouds. How could anything else compare?
I shampooed her hair, enjoying every moan that escaped her lips. I loved her completely. She was my home now. Something shifted inside me. The seed of anger I’d been nursing since I’d been bitten had sprouted new roots when General Sloan had crossed my path again, but feeling her wet skin pressing against me loosened the grip of bitterness.
Becca wrapped her arms around my neck, her lips brushing my collarbone. “I know we haven’t solved anything with my uncle, but I still feel…victorious somehow.” She peered up at me while the water spilled down her back. “We’re here together again.”
I nodded, resting my forehead on hers. “We are.” I kissed her softly. “Because you’re so badass. I don’t know if you realize how hard-core you are.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “I covered myself in garlic and would’ve dropped from dehydration before I ever reached the opera if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
“You escaped from a trained jaguar shifter assassin.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It didn’t have to be pretty. You did it.”
She smiled up and me. “Not bad for a human, right?”
I dropped my head back and laughed. When I met her eyes again, my heart was so full I wasn’t sure I could find my voice. “I’m sorry we had to say our first ‘I love you’ in a hospital bed and that me sweeping you off your feet turned into me carrying you into the shower to wash off the garlic and dirt from your heroic escape.” I brought my hand up to cup her face. “My mate deserves so much better.”
“I don’t know.” She ran her hand down my forearm, her eyes locked on mine. “I don’t think you can do any better than being loved by a werewolf and his two little cubs.”
I grinned, brushing my lips to hers. “I’ll do my best to make sure you always feel that way.”
I turned off the shower and grabbed the towels off the rack. I dried her off first, then myself, and scooped her into my arms and carried her to my bed. After pulling down the covers, I laid her down and stretched out beside her. She rolled onto her side, facing me as her gaze wandered lower before meeting my eyes again.
She wet her lips and whispered, “Part of you missed me.”
“All of me missed you.” I chuckled. “That part is just excited you’re naked.”
She grinned and kissed my chin. “What about this part?” She tapped my forehead.
“Oh, that part has been appreciating your body since I got you in the shower.”
She rested her hand on my chest over my heart. “And here?”
I covered her hand with mine. “This part wants to spend every last beat loving you.”
She fused her lips to mine, and I wrapped her in my arms. My mate, my love, my Bec. I rolled over her, and she parted her legs. Sinking into her, I growled into the kiss, losing all sense of where I ended and she began. We were one, and we were strong.
Whatever war might be brewing on the horizon, we’d face it together.
EPILOGUE
Becca
“Thanks for the update, Paul. I appreciate it.” I ended the call with my new lawyer and fired off a text to Gage.
The restraining order has been lifted. How soon can you move in?
My uncle Mitch had made one slight miscalculation in his plans to keep Gage and me apart and use me to get his grandsons: my trust fund.
His brother, my uncle Burt, hadn’t had any children. I was his favorite niece growing up, and he’d left me a substantial amount of money and stock holdings in his will that had appreciated in value every year. That gave me the funds to hire the best council, attorneys who weren’t afraid to face off with a Supreme Court judge.
I laughed when Gage’s reply lit up my screen.
The boys are already coloring on your bathroom walls.
We had been consolidating his stuff at my place over the past few weeks anyway, but now we could make it official.
We’d made it through our second full moon together, and this one I hadn’t spent in a hospital bed or locked in my uncle’s house. Actually, I hadn’t heard from my uncle since I escaped. That didn’t mean it would stay that way, but for now, I was happy to immerse myself in building a new chapter in my life.
Having Gage, Henry, and Hawk in my world had changed everything, but I welcomed all the noise and messes and giggles. Gage had a gift for making me laugh, and if we weren’t together, we were texting or talking on the phone. I wanted his face to be the last one I saw when I went to sleep and the first one I saw when I opened my eyes.
And now we wouldn’t have to worry the police might come knocking after an “anonymous” tip from a judge in Phoenix.
I turned off the lights and locked up the Wild Sedona Tours office. Now that I knew the truth about Asher and the pack, I had a circle of friends, and gradually, that isolated emptiness that had been swallowing me whole ever since I’d lost my father was receding. It was being filled by stolen kisses, breathless nights, and giggly times reading stories to toddlers.
When I got home, Gage’s truck was already parked in the driveway. I opened the door to my house, and two little heads popped up over the back of the couch.
“Becca!” Henry and Hawk raced over to hug my legs.
I crouched down and wrapped my arms around them, tickling them and drinking in their laughter. “I missed you guys. How was your day?”
“Great!” Henry stepped back, showing me some karate moves. “Aunt Naomi is teaching us kara-kar-te.”
“Karate,” Hawk explained.
Gage came out of the kitchen in jeans and a tank that fit him just right. His smile sent a ripple of warmth through my whole body as he came over and pulled me into his strong arms.
He rested his chin on top of my head. “You’re the best part of my day.”
“Right back atcha,” I murmured, holding him tight.
The boys kicked and punched at imaginary marauders around us while we clung to each other. Gage leaned back to peer down at me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I lost myself in his eyes as I nodded. “Better than all right.”
He kissed me slowly and so tenderly my toes curled in my shoes.
“They’re kissing…again!” Hawk giggled.
I smiled against Gage’s lips and whispered, “
They caught us.”
He chuckled and kissed me one more time. “To be continued later?”
“Definitely.” I stepped back and peeked at the little werewolves. “Better go wash up. Smells like dinner’s almost ready.”
They bounced off each other as they raced down the hallway to the bathroom. Gage took my hand, and I followed him into the kitchen. I leaned on the counter, watching him stir the beef stew he’d been working on.
He glanced back at me. “You sure you’re okay? Are you worried about your uncle?”
“Nope.” I shook my head as a smile crept up on me. “I’m just admiring the view.”
He gave his hips a shake, and I laughed, moving up behind him. I slid my arms around his waist and closed my eyes as I rested my cheek against the warmth of his back. The day my dad died, I had thought I’d lost my rock, the one person in the world who could protect me. It had taken five years for me to discover that he’d infused me with some of that strength. I’d been thrust into a paranormal world, and I once I’d found my footing, I hadn’t needed a superhuman shifter to save me. I’d saved myself. Discovering I was stronger than I’d ever realized brought me closer to my dad in a way. Maybe I’d just been in Sedona too long, but it seemed like I could feel his spirit around me now.
And every time Gage and I played with the boys and took them on hikes, pointing out birds and wildlife, I noticed the bonds of our new little family growing, and instead of missing my dad, I started including him in my stories and my life.
My dad had loved me, and I loved him, and now that love was spreading to Gage, Henry, and Hawk. It multiplied through us, endless and immeasurable. For so long, I’d tried to isolate myself from the world, avoiding connections so I’d never again feel loss like I had with my dad, but now I could see that love never died. It was a living thread that bound us all together.