Bound (Legacy Series Book 4)

by Ellendale, Max

  "Nee!" Xany's voice broke through as she stormed into the cabin. Caden, Hank, and Imogene took up the rear.

  I expected my mates to act as they did, but I never anticipated Caden's reaction. He looked almost as bad as Mal, with his hair out of the ponytail and wearing only a simple pair of shorts. His stoicism lost to whatever he had experienced over the last few days, leaving his brows narrowed and skin sallow. The moment he saw me, his eyes brightened and he joined Xany as she raced over and hugged all of us. Caden, for once, allowed his Alpha composure to remain at bay and added the final layer to our group hug. For the first time I experienced skin-to-skin contact with the entire pack at once. My confusion washed away and a sense of power and connection filled me. Xany's touch alone erased some fear and my mates flooded me with safety. Xany's giggle set the tone for the moment.

  "I'm okay," I said, muffled in the embrace.

  "Did you really stake a vamp? Vanessa said she saw it." Xany was the first to break away to question me. Mal growled and continued to hold me, pulling me away from the others. He was not ready to separate, and neither was I. Vanessa allowed him his time though I could sense that she felt just as desperate for reconnection.

  Eventually, he set me down and stroked my cheek. I held his gaze and offered him a soft smile, more for him than myself. Mom was right when she called me numb. Although I could identify my relief to be home and happy with my mates, I hadn't quite processed the events of the last three days. I glanced over to Xany, my response a bit delayed, and nodded.

  "I need to shower," I said, not to anyone in particular. All I wanted was to remove any evidence of the leeches from me. I didn't doubt that the Changers in the room could smell them on my skin. Mal nodded as I broke away from him. Vanessa made to follow me but Mal put his hand out to her as if to stop her but, to my surprise, she took it instead.

  "Miss Shawnee," Hank spoke up before I had a chance to head down the hall. I turned to him. "Save up them clothes you got on. We'll need them for—"

  "Tracking, I know," I said. He nodded once in approval as I hurried down the hall, discarding my shirt along the way. Neither of my mates followed, I didn't want them to and they knew it, but Xany did.

  Once in the bathroom, I ripped off the rest of my scrubs, balling them up and setting them beside the trash bin. Xany started the shower for me as I rid myself of the leech-tainted underclothes. It was the quietest moment the two of us had ever spent together. I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run over me. Only after soap covered my entire body, did she speak.

  "Better?"

  "Yeah, much," I said and continued to wash.

  "I don't feel much from you, Nee." Xany's voice echoed from the other side of the curtain.

  "You will eventually. I'm okay, really. I think I'm angrier than anything right now." After a full scrub, twice, I rinsed and turned off the faucets. Xany handed me a towel and I took it, stepping out with it wrapped around my middle. She hopped up sitting on the sink while I brushed my teeth.

  "I've never staked a leech before, what was it like?" She swung her legs in a childlike manner.

  "Powerful," I said with a mouthful of toothpaste, then spat. "And ugly." Xany handed me a clean set of Mal's flannel pants and a shirt. The clothes wrapped around me like a fresh-smelling hug. Xany hopped off the counter and began brushing out my hair. I let her.

  "Ugly? Did they go poof or melt into some kind of globby goo?"

  "No." I sighed, the gentle movement of the hairbrush sent relaxing sensations up and down my back. "Vamps, if staked the right way, return to their proper decomposition state. He was a new leech so he turned into a decomposing corpse. Older ones become skeletal. Ancients turn to skeletons but their bones are so brittle, they can crumble to ashes. That's what Mom told me. A hundred years ago it seems."

  "Oh. Then why ugly?"

  "His face went all…" I mimicked the silent scream then laughed a bit, looking at her in the mirror over my shoulder. The presence of my mates grew stronger inside me as I finally started to settle down.

  "They have to be put down, NeeNee."

  "I know. All of them." I turned around to face her now that my hair wasn't a tangled ball of knots. "You had to see this place, Xee. It was like an S and M training ground. They were terrible wannabe's, like…" I paused, searching for the right words to describe what I saw. "They were cold, of course, but not super crazy or hungry."

  "It's hard 'cause they are regular people or were at one time 'til something violated them and made them all killers. Why can't they just feed on the bags you see in the movies?"

  "I know. The humans wanted to be there. They didn't seem unhappy." I sighed again, all I seemed to be doing tonight was sighing. "Ileana breathes. Like regular breaths. With hot air and everything. She's an ancient."

  "An ancient? I thought they died out ages ago." Xany moved behind me and began massaging my shoulders while we talked to each other in the mirror.

  "Me too." I melted under her touch, blues and purples swirled in my mind's eye. "You're empathing me, or whatever you do when you make me feel better."

  "Of course." Xany giggled as she continued. "So how the heck do we get rid of an ancient and why the heck does she want you to replace the crazy one?"

  "I haven't figured out that part yet. She seemed… bored."

  "Great, that's all we need, some bored ancient on our ass."

  "Tell me about it. What did she do at the hospital to distract everyone?"

  "Typical stuff. Fires and bomb threats." Xany shrugged as she pressed her thumbs along the nape of my neck.

  "Nothing leechy about that." I closed my eyes and leaned into it. "I better go see my mates before they explode. Is everyone panicked that something really bad happened to me and I'm going to freak out again?"

  "You know it. So you're feeling better then? I can tease you now about getting kidnapped again?" Xany giggled, wagging her brows at me. I cracked up and hugged her.

  "Oh don't worry, it was the first thing I thought about in the middle of the kidnapping. Though, technically, I went willingly. Sorta. She threatened to eat everyone at the hospital."

  "Aww, that's so sweet, NeeNee, you do care." Xany giggled again. "No tech calling on this one. You were taken out of state so officially you were kidnapped."

  "Well darn. I broke your record now, right?"

  "That's right." Xany kissed my cheek then turned for the door but stopped. "They were all out of control, NeeNee. Every one of them. Honestly, I don't know how Caden was able to think straight."

  "I know. I could feel the chaos, even Caden's. All of you sent me images, pictures, sounds. I heard conversations, saw through the eyes of whomever. It was strange, insane and strange. Mom was the strongest, the loudest the whole time. Xany looked at me over her shoulder.

  "I've never seen Mal so lost before." Sadness washed over her features, dimming the light in her usual jovial expression. "If you hadn't come home…" She didn't need to finish, I knew. If Mal had let his beast take control for too long, he would have become a killer. Striking down anything that was in his path. Humans and nonhumans alike. He would've needed to be put down just like a rabid dog.

  "I know." I took a deep breath. Mal felt the most out of control to me during this whole ordeal. "In a way, I think Vanessa is used to my shit. More than Mal, anyway. She seemed the most levelheaded while they searched. It's sad, really, to be used to me in that way."

  "Just don't go getting yourself kidnapped again without me. It's me and you against the world." With that said, Xany walked out of the bathroom.

  "That's a promise, for sure." I smiled after her and scooped up the bloody, leech-tainted clothes to give to Hank.

  When we returned to the main room, Caden, my mother, and Hank were deep in conversation at the kitchen table while Mal sat beside the fire. He looked a lot better than he had when he first arrived. He tilted his head and sniffed the air when I entered the room, a satisfied expression smoothed his brow. Vanessa paced in front of h
im, she too had more color to her complexion. Before I joined them, I turned my clothes over to Hank.

  "She's a breathing ancient. How do we kill that?"

  "The same as the others, except she'll be much more difficult," Caden answered me and he, like Mal, looked a lot better. "Don't go getting kidnapped again, ya hear?" Finally, a sprinkling of wit from the Alpha.

  "Xany already lectured me."

  "Good Alpha-precious." He held his arm out to her as the others chuckled lightly.

  I smiled and left them to return to my mates. This time Vanessa caught me first. She lifted me just as Mal did and I wrapped my legs around her middle. Little puffs of air met my neck as she sniffed me, her shoulders relaxing under my embrace. For some reason, tonight, her presence brought me the most comfort. Memories of our nights hidden in bed together, holding me when my nightmares took hold or a phone call gave me flashbacks until dawn.

  "I'm okay, baby." I kissed her cheek and she sat us down beside Mal. He welcomed our presence, moving close enough to Vanessa so that I could reach both of them with ease. I looked down at Vanessa's green dress-covered self and placed my hand on the round bump of her lower belly. "Are you okay?"

  "We're fine," she said, her voice raspy and tired. Vanessa stroked my hair while Mal gripped my thigh.

  "Did the leech bite you?" Mal's voice sounded much worse than Vanessa's did.

  "Yes, once because I ran."

  "Check her." Mal met Vanessa's gaze and nodded in my direction.

  "Check me for what?" I looked between them.

  "Did she give you her blood?' Vanessa asked.

  "No, well… I don't think so. Not while I was awake anyway. I fell asleep, or passed out at least twice. Check me out?" I looked between them.

  "She can tell if the leech blood-shared with you." Mal nodded toward Vanessa this time.

  "How can you check me, Ness?"

  "Your blood. Give me your arm." She held out one hand while the other hung in the air between us. I watched as her fingers twisted and contorted into a paw-like appendage with razor sharp claws where her fingernails should be.

  "Jeeze, partial transformations really are your thing, huh?" I placed my arm in her regular hand.

  "Yes," she said and slit my skin in a short, quick stroke. I flinched but it was hardly anything compared to the hell I'd been through. Blood droplets appeared on the surface as Vanessa leaned down and licked the wound away, her hand returning to normal. She closed her mouth and let my blood linger on her palate a moment before looking to Mal. "She's fine."

  Everyone seemed to suddenly relax and the bonds flooded me once again. Mal and Vanessa, strong and throbbing, the pack, blue and cool. Finally, everything made sense.

  "You were all blocking me out, weren't you?" I looked around the room at them.

  "We had to be sure," Caden answered first. "She could've commanded you like she did her servants."

  "I tried to tell them, Dodi. You are in the proper pack. A pack of stubborns." Mom stood up and began fiddling with stuff in the kitchen. I knew an epic meal lay ahead of us. My stomach squeezed with pain of emptiness though I'd successfully ignored it until now.

  "We both tried to tell'em NeeNee." Xany huffed at Caden. "Told you so."

  "Yes, both of you told us. We're sorry, Nee." Caden's gaze softened with his sincerity.

  "As long as Miss Shawnee is a'right, we've got nothing to worry about." Hank stood. "I best be getting these to the Sept then. Miss Shawnee, you stay put now, ya hear?" Hank lifted a brow at me and smiled.

  "I don't have any intention of leaving for a long while." I nodded to him.

  "Should've listened to the baby," Vanessa drew my attention back to her and I laughed.

  "You're right, Ness." I glanced at Mal who was smiling as well. "I'm fine, my loves. I am. I'll probably be a bit upset as time goes on but I'm not going to freak out yet. All right?" I couldn't blame them for shutting me out, it made complete sense. I hadn't thought about it until they brought it up.

  Hank took his leave and Xany helped Mom cook up a thick stew and tacos while I got reacquainted with my mates.

  "She's going to come for me," the words tumbled from my lips before I could stop them. "I know she will."

  "We'll be ready when she does." Caden nodded, his eyes scanning the room as a surge of strength struck my middle. He meant what he said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After a hearty meal of Mom's stew and a round of showers for everyone, the night fell upon a much calmer cabin. Mal ate more than I had ever seen him consume, and Vanessa did most of the fussing over us while I sat in his lap. I couldn't help eyeing her stomach every time she stood up or passed by. The small bump seemed to grow within the three days of my absence. I imagined what she would look like, with a full pregnant belly. She disappeared into the bathroom and Mal gave my ear a tug, stroking my neck after.

  "You're tired," he said, his breath against my cheek. I nodded and he stood, urging me with him. He lifted me in one quick swoop and I laughed a bit, hugging him around the neck. "Off we go."

  "My favorite escort." I nipped his chin as he carried me off into the bedroom.

  "My favorite damsel." He chuckled and set me down on the bed.

  I sprawled out and watched him as he undressed. Considering he wore nothing more than a pair of jeans, the show was short-lived.

  "Ana says skin to skin, it's the law." He climbed up on the bed and kissed my cheek, his hair tickling my face. "Do you accept the laws of the land, damsel?"

  "Hmm, I suppose I have to if I wish to remain here." I love his games. The heat of him burned against me, I caressed his chest, digging my nails into his skin the tiniest bit.

  "Those are the rules," he said through a grunt, then helped me out of my clothes.

  I tossed my shirt on the floor and he tugged off my pants, the two of us lay together with our heads on the same pillow. In the semi-darkness, his features shadowed though I could tell he was watching me. If only I had Changer eyes, I wouldn't have succumbed to the darkness as easily in Ileana's basement. Mal ran his hand over my bare stomach, tracing my hip and side. A sigh escaped him and our bond fluttered inside me as if his touch was smooth and sweet like a droplet of honey.

  "You're not sleeping," he said.

  "Nor are you." I tucked myself closer to him and his hand continued to stroke my skin.

  Vanessa's silhouette appeared in the doorway. Mal glanced at her then turned back to me. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, sealing us in the darkness. Even though I knew I was home, and that Mal was beside me, the panic still hit me like a freight train.

  "Turn on the light," I pleaded.

  Mal's quick movements bounced the bed once and the room flooded with the light of the bedside lamp. I gripped my chest as Vanessa appeared on the bed beside me and I leaned myself back against the headboard. My mates watched me, their eyes wide. Vanessa put her hand on my knee and Mal nudged my chin up.

  "What was that about?" he asked.

  "I couldn't see." I panted a bit as I calmed down, grateful that the panic hadn't risen any further.

  "The dark never scares you." Vanessa caressed my cheek.

  "Ileana had me in a dark room. Nothing happened there other than the fact it was dark." I sighed. "I think I'm just tired."

  "It's all right, love." Mal brushed my hair from my shoulder and kissed it. "We'll leave the lights on tonight."

  "Will you both stay in here?" I nuzzled Mal's jaw with my cheek and reached for Vanessa. She took my hand and scooted closer. Her towel acted as a barrier between us so I gave it a tug. For some reason, I wanted to take all my frustration out on that towel and tear it up. She lifted her arms and I ripped it away from her, tossing it on the floor. She laughed a little bit and kissed my shoulder the same way Mal had.

  This is what I want. Both of them. At the same time, all the time.

  I wrapped one arm around each of them, gripping their hair and tugging them down with me as I lay properly on the bed.
My mates followed my demands. Mal continued to nuzzle and nip at my neck while Vanessa put her head on my shoulder, her hand wandering down my torso, lingering around my navel. Their touch fanned the tiny spark of heat buried deep within. Igniting the ember into a full flame that held the darkness at bay.

  The dark didn't matter anymore. Ileana didn't matter.

  Nothing matters but this.

  ***

  Caden accosted me in the clinic the next morning. Mal decided he would fix breakfast while Vanessa slept in. I didn't want to leave either of them but I had to check on things. I was just hanging up the phone after calling the hospital when Caden entered.

  "How's everything there?" he asked, leaning against the corner of the desk.

  "The administrators say everything is back to normal. What story did Hank tell them to smooth this over?"

  "That you were knocked out during the fire while helping a patient in the parking lot or something like that." He chuckled. "I suppose he had to come up with something."

  "Well that doesn't explain anything." I smirked a bit. "Getting knocked out at a hospital would mean that I would have to be admitted to said hospital."

  "My point exactly."

  "Well, it worked well enough to throw them a bit off. They think I'm out on leave." I sat back in the desk chair. "But I'm not going back. I've decided."

  "Have you?"

  "Yeah." I sighed and stood from my position. "It's too much stress on everyone and, with everyone worried about me being separated, this last incident proves it. A lot worse could've happened."