by Lisa Kessler
She nodded. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” She glanced my way. “You should come over with me and I’ll grab a gurney for you to transport him.”
There was no way Jason would admit anyone from our Pack into the hospital. Too many chances our tissue and blood samples might end up under a microscope. But if I didn’t accept her help, this nurse would be suspicious. Besides, we couldn’t leave Wyatt on the floor.
“Good idea.” I got to my feet. “I’ll be right back.”
…
Jason lowered the gurney so we could shift Wyatt onto it. I helped him lift his father onto the thin mattress and we pulled up the rails before raising the bed.
“I better go check on Nadya.”
Jason nodded, but all his attention stayed on Wyatt.
I jogged back to the exam room and opened the door. She was still asleep on the table where I left her, and still human. The tension drained from my muscles watching her chest rise and fall, breathing peacefully like she hadn’t just partially shifted into a wolf in my arms.
I’d wake her soon enough. For now, I returned to the hallway to check on Jason. He leaned against the rail, holding Wyatt’s hand. I stood beside him, unsure what to say. I’d lost my father. I understood the pain, but I had no clue how to offer any comfort.
Nothing I said could fix it.
“You’re not going to admit him to the hospital, are you?”
He shook his head. “No, we can’t risk that.” Jason glanced my way. “When we set the appointment today with Granger, I forgot my dad was coming by to meet me for dinner. He saw Granger running from me and caught him. Granger injected him right in the chest.” His attention shifted to his dad’s still form. “This is my fault.”
“You didn’t know Granger was going to pump him full of potassium.”
“But he warned me not to trust him. I didn’t listen. I was desperate to save Nadya. Now I’ve doomed her, too.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, wishing like hell that Adam or Aren were here to talk some sense into him. “Nadya’s fate was sealed when Fonthill bit her. She wanted the serum as much as you did.”
Did I believe that? Casting blame on Jason would be easy, but would it help anyone? It certainly wouldn’t change what was happening. Jason squeezed Wyatt’s hand and placed it back down on the gurney. Everything happened so fast.
And Sebastian had been telling the truth.
Dr. Granger had been juicing her up and reporting back to Nero. He’d ordered her to be picked up for research. The guy who killed my brother may have helped me save my mate, or at least given me more time with her. In a twisted way, I was grateful to him. When did the world get so damned crazy?
“How’s Nadya?”
Jason snapped me back into the moment. “She’s sleeping. Probably will be for hours. These shifts without the moon zap her strength.”
“It’s not going to get better.”
I did not want to hear this. “I know.”
His gaze met mine. “I’m really sorry, Gareth.”
“I am, too.” My eyes burned. I swallowed a ball of emotion and nodded. “But I’m not giving up on her. Whatever time we have left, I’m going to make it count.”
He gripped my shoulder. “I never gave you enough credit.”
“I have asshole tendencies.”
“I’ll give you that.” He almost smiled. He pulled in a slow breath and let it out. “I need to get him out of here.”
“Want me to help you?”
Jason nodded. “Let’s move him down to the ground floor and I’ll go pull my car around.”
We rolled Wyatt off the elevator and Jason walked out the glass doors, leaving me behind with his father. I pushed the gurney closer to the door and waited. Jason’s dad looked peaceful, like he was just taking a nap.
“Hey, Wyatt. I don’t know if you can hear me, but you’ve gotta hang on and get better. Jason’s going to take you home to Sarah.” My voice wobbled and I cleared my throat. “She’ll help you until your head is healed.” I cleared my throat. “She needs you. Jason and Jared need you, too.”
He never moved. I didn’t expect a response, but I hoped he heard me. He and Sarah had been together for almost forty years. I couldn’t imagine one without the other, and I didn’t want to think about how tough it was going to be for Jason to bring his father to her in a coma.
Jason pulled up outside and I put the rail down on the gurney. I scooped Wyatt into my arms and lifted him out. Even though he was in his sixties now, he was still a big strong guy. Heavy. If I hadn’t been a werewolf, I probably couldn’t have carried him all the way down the front stairs to the car.
Jason had the passenger door of his Lexus open with the seat reclined. “Can you lay him there?”
“I think so.” I leaned in, my arms shaking as I struggled to keep Wyatt steady. Jason was on the other side, stabilizing his head and shoulders as we placed him on the seat. Once Wyatt was in, Jason pulled the seat belt down and snapped it around Wyatt.
He looked up at me. “Do you need help with Nadya?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Set the alarm when you leave.”
Everyone in our Pack had the code to Jason’s office in case we ever needed medical attention after hours. “Got it.”
He drove away and I jogged back up to Nadya. Reality sinking in more and more with each step I climbed.
There wasn’t going to be a cure. And I had no idea how I’d survive without her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nadya
I woke up in Gareth’s bed. He slept beside me, his arm around my middle. I smiled, drinking in the feel of his muscular body molded against my back. This was how I wanted to wake up every day. Or as many as I had left. I took his hand, careful of the scratches. His skin was nearly healed. Tracing the veins on the front of his wrist and up his forearm, I admired the miracle of my mate.
The unexpected shift in Jason’s office drained me, and reminded me my time was limited. I wanted to spend all of it memorizing every part of Gareth, learning every memory.
Although we’d had a bumpy start, Gareth had kept his word. As my body continued to morph and change, he’d been at my side each step of the way, fully aware the outcome wouldn’t be in our favor. Love only took you so far, but his was braided with loyalty, honor, passion, and duty. Together they made a rope that had pulled me back from the edge of oblivion.
Few people had that kind of fortitude.
I tried to remember what happened. I’d started feeling sick on the elevator ride up to Jason’s floor of the medical building. We’d been in the exam room when the wolf came forward, instinctive and aggressive. She sensed my weakened state. The moment Jason brought over the blood pressure cuff, I realized my wolf was present. Fully. If he had touched me, I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t have attacked him.
A little jolt of fear shot through me.
Dr. Granger had come in and argued with Gareth. Blood. I had smelled blood. My memory ended there. My wolf took over, clawing her way forward without the moon’s help. Protecting her mate.
Gareth’s lips caressed the tender skin below my ear. “Good morning.”
I reached back to run my fingers through his hair, grounding myself in the present. “I’ll move in with you.”
“Works for me.” He chuckled, his chest vibrating against my back. I turned over to face him and he ran his thumb along my jawline. “What brought this on?”
“Simple answer?” I nuzzled into the gentle touch of his rough fingertips. “I don’t want to waste any time away from you.”
He smiled and tipped his head up to kiss my forehead. Underneath his chin were four angry red scratches. “Did I do that?”
He froze and reached up to inspect his chin with his fingers. “It didn’t hurt. I didn’t even realize it left a mark.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m turning into a monster. Just like Fonthill. I was so angry at Jason for trying to touch me, I worried I’d attack h
im if he tried.” A hot tear rolled down my cheek. “I can’t trust myself anymore.”
He shook his head. “You’re no more a monster than any of us in the Pack. You weren’t feeling well, it makes sense your wolf would step up to protect you. If I’d been thinking straight, I never would’ve punched Dr. Granger while he was in the room with you. As soon as I smelled his blood I knew I fucked up. That’s when you started shifting.”
“I can’t remember. She took over.”
He nodded and kissed the tear stain on my cheek. “I called you back. That’s all that matters.”
“How long until that doesn’t work anymore?”
“Come on…” Gareth sighed, meeting my eyes. “If you lose hope, we’ll be lost. You’re our sunshine and rainbows. Don’t count on me for that.”
“I don’t want sunshine and rainbows. I need reality.”
He broke down the dam on his emotions, leaving me to tread through the churning anger, fear, and rage. “Granger is gone. I tried to track his scent, but there’s nothing. It’s like he was never in Reno. We’re not going to get a cure. The bastard shot up Jason’s dad with enough potassium chloride to stop his heart. Now Wyatt’s in a coma, and Adam is pissed to high heaven at all of us for bringing Nero in without telling him. To top off that shit heap, your nose was bleeding and I’m fucking petrified that the next time you shift, I might lose you for good.”
He ground his teeth together, boxing his emotions up again, but his eyes shone with tears he’d never let fall. “But you’re here. You’re with me. And I’m with you. I’m doing the best I can to appreciate every second of time we have. So this fear and anger can fuck off. All I’m going to concentrate on is loving you, sweetheart. You’re all that matters to me.”
I clung to him, kissing him with all the passion and love in my heart. I didn’t want to think about Wyatt in a coma, or Adam being upset with us, or even that my next shift might be my last. Gareth was the only thing that mattered to me. I was alive and I was in love. Some people who lived twice as long as me would never experience this. A gift.
He rolled over me, my nails sliding down his back as he entered me slowly. I moaned into the kiss. Yeah, I definitely wanted to wake up like this every day.
…
I held Madeleine on the mare’s back and Lana had Malcolm right behind her. Bubbles stood, patiently waiting for Luke’s signal to move. The Morgan mare was the most docile and sweet in Adam’s barn, and the little ones loved riding her bareback.
“Ready?” Luke held the lead rope, looking up at the kids.
Madeleine squealed, “Ready!”
Malcolm was more reserved than his sister, his pudgy hands grabbing her shoulders to keep him steady.
Luke eased Bubbles forward. The mare walked very slowly, sensing her precious cargo. We stayed beside her, each of us steadying the little ones at the waist, ready to pull them off and into our arms if Bubbles spooked at anything. The kids giggled in delight, and I glanced up at the house. Gareth was up there facing the music with Adam. I tried to stay with him, but both Gareth and Lana plotted to have me help with the twins. Diabolical.
They knew I couldn’t turn down the little guys. Would they even remember me when I was gone? I struggled to reel in the emotions and stay focused on today, right now. On Gareth, accepting the wrath in my place.
“It’ll be okay,” Lana murmured behind me. “Adam’s just worried about everyone. He’s gotta blow off some steam, and Gareth is the only one close by.”
“Am I that obvious?”
She smiled. Lana had grown up in foster care, dreaming of a family, and now that she had a big werewolf Pack, she’d blossomed into a strong, beautiful matriarch, grounding the hotheaded wolves around her.
“You keep watching the house, like Adam might throw him out any minute.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “I just feel bad that Gareth’s taking the heat when I was the one pushing everyone to help me fight this bite.”
Luke turned around to walk the kids back down the barn aisle. “Adam’s no angel, either.” We both glanced his way and he shrugged. “Adam dated a jaguar that Nero was hunting, and he kept it a secret from the Pack.”
I glanced at Lana. “You?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Adam was convinced they’d kill me first and ask questions later, so we tried to get rid of Nero on our own. I’ll remind him of that if he doesn’t let this go soon.”
Tonight was the new moon. My sister and Lana would both shift into jaguars. The Pack used to kill jaguar shifters who trespassed on their territory on sight, but things were different now. Adam and Aren would be out watching over their jaguar mates to be sure they didn’t cross paths with humans, protecting them instead of hunting them.
“I’m really sorry I got everyone involved in this mess. When I realized Gareth was my mate, I wanted to live for him. He’s lost too many people already. I didn’t want to be one more. I pushed way too hard and it ended up putting everyone in jeopardy.”
“Luke, stop for a second.”
He pulled on Bubbles’s halter. “Whoa, girl.”
Lana placed a hand on my shoulder. “The whole Pack feels responsible for you being bitten in the first place. We all want to make this right. None of this is your fault.”
I reached up with my free hand to cover hers. “Thank you.”
“Move, horsey!” Madeleine wriggled, trying to make the clicking noises her dad made when he was out training the horses.
We laughed and I tried not to focus on the milestones I would miss in their young lives.
Yeah, it was getting tougher not to be bitter.
…
From the Journal of Dr. M. Granger – Journal Entry 537
I am back on Nero property with my experiment results. I regret that the Pack discovered my intentions. The subject was on the verge of achieving a full body shift. My employer is dispatching another team to Reno to attempt to procure Ms. Dalca for further study and testing.
The Lycan Project subjects could not tolerate the higher levels of adrenaline in their bodies, but Ms. Dalca has had twice the amount of treatments in half the time, and no sign of the brain hemorrhaging yet.
Due to the research collected during the past two weeks, we are very close to a new treatment plan utilizing subjects who exhibit psychic abilities. One question remains unanswered; is the success due to Ms. Dalca being bitten?
Once we have collected her, we will have her bite one of our subjects and chart the progress of the serum in a bitten and unbitten subject. Mr. Severino assures me I will have the answers I seek. Until then, I await Ms. Dalca’s arrival.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Gareth
I sat still and shut the hell up for the better part of the last hour, allowing my Alpha to blow his stack even though we both knew I wasn’t a primary target. Jason and Nadya had brought Dr. Granger to Reno.
But when I found out, I kept it secret. Since Jason was busy with Wyatt, and there was no way I’d let Adam rage at my mate, that left me. I could take it. Besides, we deserved it. Inviting Nero to Reno was stupid, but we were out of options and Nadya was running out of time.
Adam stopped pacing the room and finally took a seat across the table from me. “Tell me again what Sebastian said when he left?”
“He told us when he didn’t complete the mission to bring Nadya back, his father would send more men.”
Adam growled, raking his fingers through his hair. “Shit.”
“I have a plan if you care to hear it.”
“Does it involve getting in bed with Nero?”
I clenched my fists under the table. “Screw you, Adam.”
He shook his head. “What’s your plan?”
“It’s a new moon tonight. Perfect night for Nero to send in a couple of jaguars to keep us on our toes, and while we’re busy fighting them, their human mercenaries can make the grab for Nadya.”
Adam crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.
“You and Ar
en will be out tonight watching over Lana and Sasha, Jason and Jared are with Wyatt, and that leaves me and Nadya to watch the kids. We can take them up to the Sloan cabin at the lake. Nero won’t know to look for us there.”
Adam dropped all four legs of his chair to the floor and shook his head. “Your hand, arm, and chin have wolf scratches on them. I’m assuming that’s from Nadya. Malcolm and Madeleine wouldn’t stand a chance if she went after them.”
“You think I’d let anything happen to them?” I got up, gripping the chair back. Hard. “Nadya isn’t a monster and she’s not dangerous. I got cut because I tried to restrain her wolf. I had it coming. You have my word if she starts shifting I’ll have the little ones locked in a bedroom before they see anything.”
“Sorry, Gareth. I can’t take the risk.”
“The risk?” I shook my head, pushing off of the chair. “What are you going to do with your kids tonight, Adam? I don’t see you have many options. You and Aren will be out protecting your mates, watching for Nero’s jaguars. Jason and Jared are helping Sarah with Wyatt, Logan has a rock concert tonight, and Luke has told anyone who will listen that he doesn’t enjoy babies.”
I watched his eyes, daring him to look away. “So your move. You’ve got a safer place for those kids than with me? They love Nadya and she loves them. She’d never hurt them.”
“Nadya loves you, too, and you’ve got wounds anyway. How can you expect me to agree to this? I love Nadya. We all do, but this wolf that emerges without the full moon—that’s not Nadya, it’s a Nero synthetic creation.”
“Nadya is not a monster.” It took all the strength I possessed to keep from attacking him. My voice lowered to a gravelly growl. “And if you make her feel like one, I will kick your ass, Alpha or not.”
The door opened. We both turned and in came Lana with Malcolm on her hip. Nadya followed behind with a giggling Madeleine as they rubbed noses. She looked so beautiful, beaming with the little girl in her arms. My gut twisted. Never in my life had I considered a family, but seeing her with the afternoon sun in her hair and Madeleine in her arms, I suddenly ached to see her holding our children.