“Janie, open the door!”
Flame quickly unlocked the deadbolt, yanking the door open at the alpha’s order, and Chase slipped into the apartment followed by Slade and Sable. “Stay with Janie,” he ordered, before he and his enforcers quickly made their way down the hall to the bedrooms.
“Alayna,” Janie cried, rising from the sofa to follow.
“They will keep her safe,” Flame promised, grasping her arm tightly in one hand, while holding her gun steady and ready in the other. “Let them do their job, Janie.”
As much as she wanted to fight her way to her child, Janie forced herself to stand still, her entire body shaking as she waited for her alpha to return. It seemed like forever, but suddenly he was there, placing a sleepy Alayna in her arms. She was snuggled in a pink blanket, holding her favorite teddy bear close. The moment she was in Janie’s arms, Alayna rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. Closing her eyes, she was out again.
“Alpha,” Janie whispered in fear, “what’s going on?”
“A couple of my enforcers ran into one of the General’s men while on patrol,” Chase said, reaching out to lay a calming hand on her arm. “He was here looking for you, Janie. He said he was with a man named Brent who has come for you.”
Janie clutched Alayna tightly, shaking her head in denial. “No! I won’t go back there, Alpha.” Looking at Flame in terror, she cried, “I knew I should have left. I won’t let them have my baby!”
Immediately she felt Chase push his power in her direction, trying to reassure and soothe her as he said, “No one is going to get to you or your pup, Janie. I’m going to get you somewhere safe, and then we are going to find Brent and the rest of his men.”
“There is no place that is safe if he is here,” Janie said, her gaze going to Flame. “I need a gun.”
“Janie, we will take care of you,” Chase vowed quietly.
“No, I refuse to be defenseless against that bastard when he shows up. I will not go back to the General, and he is not getting my daughter. Flame, please, get me a gun.”
Flame left the room and was back soon with a Glock in her hand. “Are you sure?” she asked, waiting for Janie to nod before hooking a holster securely to her thigh and sliding the gun in. “Do you know how to use it?”
Janie gritted her teeth as she nodded again. “I took lessons when I was younger. I just never thought the day would come where I would have to actually use them.”
“We need to go,” Chase said, urging her toward the door.
“Alpha, Aiden’s almost here with Xavier,” Slade cut in from behind them. “Doc Josie has the operating room ready, but it sounds like Xavier is not cooperating. He is refusing treatment at this time.”
Janie stopped at the door, turning quickly to look at Slade. “What’s wrong with Xavier?” she demanded.
Slade froze, his gaze going to Chase and then back to her. Janie watched as his brow furrowed in confusion, before suddenly widening in understanding. “It’s nothing to worry about, Janie. He’s going to be just fine.”
Janie heard the lie in his voice, smelled it in the air. For the first time in her life, her eyes changed, flashing a dark golden color, and her gums began to ache as a growl built deep in her chest. “What is wrong with my mate?” She accentuated each word individually, taking a step toward him as anger flowed through her. Xavier was hers, dammit. They would not keep information about him from her. As his mate, she had a right to know what was going on.
“Holy shit,” Flame gasped, causing Janie to turn in her direction. “Are you sure you can’t shift, Janie? Because you look awfully close to doing it right now.”
Janie bared her teeth, satisfaction filling her when she felt her fangs punch through her gums. “Where is my mate?” she demanded, her body trembling with fury. How dare they keep information about Xavier from her? Suddenly, the sound of Alayna’s soft whimper broke through her rage. Slowly, she loosened her hold on her daughter, closing her eyes and burying her head in the crook of Alayna’s neck as she tried to get control of her emotions.
She felt Chase pushing his alpha power toward her again, and then he was next to her, running a hand gently down her hair. “Xavier is going to be fine, Janie,” he promised. “Aiden said he was shot, but that he thought all major organs were missed.” When she glanced up at him, still looking through her wolf’s eyes, he asked gently, “How long have you known he is your mate?”
“Months,” she admitted, through tightly clenched teeth. “Take me to him.” When it looked as if they were going to protest, she bared her teeth and growled, “Now!”
She saw the shock in Flame’s eyes, but ignored it as she turned and quickly left the apartment, Alayna still clutched tightly in her arms. Xavier was hers, and they would not keep them apart when he needed her.
“Janie, you need to think about your daughter,” Flame said, catching up with her. “We have to keep her safe.”
Janie didn’t stop moving. “She will be safe with me.” They could follow her or not, she didn’t care. She was finding her mate.
“Let it go,” she heard Chase say, and then he was in front of her, leading the way out of the apartment building and across the compound.
A vehicle screeched to a stop in front of the building just as they reached the hospital gardens. Janie watched as Aiden jumped out of the driver’s seat and ran around to the passenger side. Opening the door, he reached in and hauled his brother out of the SUV.
Janie stared at Xavier, her eyes raking over his blood covered body. He had obviously been shot more than once. Her eyes widened at the deep growl that erupted from Xavier’s throat. Her mate was there. And he was pissed.
6
Xavier snarled, grabbing hold of the truck door as he tried to pull free of Aiden’s grasp. He cursed darkly when his gaze wavered, and he had to fight the urge to black out again. He was weak, light-headed from blood loss, and unable to shift to heal faster because of the bullets Aiden had refused to remove on his own.
“Dammit, X,” Aiden hissed, struggling to hold him up, “stop acting like a dumbass. We need to get into the hospital and let the doc take a look at you.”
“What I need to do is get to Janie before that bastard Brent finds her,” Xavier growled, shaking his head to try and get rid of the dizziness he was experiencing.
“Well, you aren’t going to be of any help to her this way,” Aiden said, tightening his hold around Xavier’s waist and turning to move toward the hospital stairs. “You need to let Chase take care of her until you can. Hell, right now you couldn’t fight your way out of a paper sack.”
“Fuck you, Aiden.”
Aiden urged him forward. “Come on, X. Let me get you to the operating room, and then I will go check on Janie. I will stay with her and Alayna until you can be there yourself.”
Xavier knew it was a big concession for Aiden to offer to leave his side when he was hurt. Even though they were twins, Aiden had always felt that it was his duty to watch over Xavier and keep him safe. The last time he’d been shot, he almost died, and Aiden had blamed himself, barely leaving the hospital room until he was better. But he also knew Aiden understood that he was the only one Xavier trusted to take care of his mate and child while he was unable to do it himself.
Before Xavier could respond, he felt another arm wrap around his waist, and he looked down into a pair of dark golden eyes swirling with green specks. He stumbled, barely managing to catch himself as he whispered, “Janie?” He’d never seen her eyes that color before. He stiffened when his gaze narrowed on the tips of her fangs peeking out from behind her light pink lips. He had no doubt that he was looking at her wolf, one he had never seen in the year she lived with the pack. Why had she decided to show herself now? “What’s wrong?” he demanded, sliding an arm over Janie’s shoulder as he swayed on his feet. His eyes began to glaze over as he glanced past Janie. “Where’s Laynie?”
“She’s right here,” Flame said, stepping forward. “She’s safe. I have her.”<
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Xavier squeezed his eyes shut tightly, sucking in a deep breath when Aiden moved his arm up and accidentally grazed the wound in his back. His sweet Janie let loose a deadly growl that shocked the hell out of him, and he wished he could see the look on her face. He’d never seen this side of her before, and even though he felt like he was going to pass out, it made him hard as hell.
“What have you done to yourself now, Xavier Andrews?” Xavier heard Doc Josie’s voice, but it sounded so far off, and he could not open his eyes to respond. He groaned, trying to push back the darkness that threatened to claim him. “Shit, get him in the hospital now,” the doctor ordered.
Xavier groaned in pain when Aiden slid an arm under his legs and lifted him. He felt Janie slip away from him, and he tried to protest the loss of her touch, but he couldn’t seem to get the words out. He began to struggle in Aiden’s arms, his only thought to get back to Janie. His mind was muddled and confused, and he could not seem to get a grasp on what was happening. All he knew was that his mate was in danger, and she needed him.
“I’ve got you, X,” Aiden whispered, as Xavier fought weakly to get free. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
Bright lights swarmed overhead as his brother sat him down on what felt like cold, hard steel. “We are going to have to tie him down if he doesn’t stop thrashing around like that.”
“Hush,” a soft, soothing voice said, as someone gently stroked a hand down his arm. “You need to calm down, Xavier. Let the doctor do her job.”
Xavier bared his teeth in what he assumed was the woman’s direction, but she just laughed. “I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf. I’m mated to a black panther. They are scarier than a wolf any day.” A panther? Xavier shook his head in confusion. He knew who she was; mate to a member of RARE, daughter to Angel, and now recognized as the daughter of his alpha. It did not stop him though. All he could think about was protecting Janie. She was the only thing that mattered. She and little Laynie.
Xavier felt someone place a hand firmly on his shoulder and push him back against the table. He grunted as pain slammed through him, arching up to try and relieve the agony in his lower back. “Lay down, Xavier,” Doc Josie demanded. “I need to see what I am dealing with here.” When Xavier snarled at her, his whole body shaking as he tried to sit up, the doctor growled, “Watch yourself, pup. You will not disrespect me in my own hospital.”
“Stop, Xavier.” Xavier froze as Janie’s voice washed over him. He breathed her scent in, immediately beginning to calm. Slowly, he let himself lay back on the cool table, moaning in pain.
“He was shot in the back, Doc.” Aiden was still there. His mate and his brother. There was only one person missing.
“Laynie,” he rasped, struggling to open his eyes.
“He needs your touch, Janie. He needs to know you are with him and are safe,” Jade said softly.
Xavier sighed when he felt Janie’s hand brush his hair back from his forehead, and then begin to stroke through the strands gently. “Laynie,” he gasped again, worry for the little girl in his voice.
“She’s just outside the room with Flame,” Janie whispered into his ear. “She’s safe, Xavier. We both are. Please, let them take care of you.”
“Gun,” he muttered, unable to say more.
“You saw that, did you?” Janie said, a slight teasing note in her voice. Hell yeah he had seen the Glock strapped to her thigh. Part of him had been turned on, but another part of him was mad as hell that she felt the need to carry one to protect herself. He was the one who was supposed to keep her and Laynie safe. She should not have to carry a sidearm, or any other kind of weapon.
When he didn’t respond, Janie lightly ran her fingertips over his face. “It’s just until they capture Brent. I need to be able to protect my daughter.”
Weakly lifting his hand to capture hers, he said, “Our daughter.”
He heard her gasp right before he lost the battle and succumbed to the darkness.
7
Janie leaned her head back against the chair next to the hospital bed Xavier lay in, overcome with exhaustion. It had been a long night, first in the operating room watching Doc Josie dig a bullet out of Xavier’s back, and then his thigh. He’d also been nicked in the arm, but thankfully it had already closed up.
Afterwards, they moved Xavier to one of the open hospital rooms, and Janie refused to leave his side. She’d sat in the chair next to him for hours, holding her sleeping daughter close as she gazed at the man she had come to care deeply for. The man who claimed not only her, but also her child, even though Alayna wasn’t his flesh and blood.
Alayna had woken up early that morning, all smiles as she sat on the bed beside Xavier and talked. Janie had no idea what the little girl was saying, but she was happy, and that was all that mattered. After eating her breakfast that one of the nursing staff brought in, she was now in Doc Josie’s office with Flame and Aiden playing with some toys the doctor kept for the children who visited.
Chase and several of his enforcers were out combing the White River Wolves’ lands, looking for Brent and the rest of his friends. They had found two small campsites a couple of miles out, but nothing else as of yet. Sighing deeply, Janie reached up and rubbed at her tired eyes. She needed sleep, but there was no way she was leaving Xavier.
“Come here, sweetheart.”
Xavier’s rough voice broke through her thoughts, and Janie looked over to see him staring at her, his eyes full of concern. When he held out his hand, she could not stop the sob that tore from her throat. Covering her mouth with her hands, she bowed her head and let the tears she had kept bottled up all night flow freely down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook with her ragged breaths and she cried, “I was so scared, Xavier.”
“Baby, please, come here and let me hold you.”
It took some more coaxing, but finally Janie was out of the chair and sitting beside him on the bed. She did not resist when he lifted up the blanket and pulled her down so that she was lying next to him, her head resting on his chest. “It’s okay,” he whispered, covering them both with the blanket and gently rubbing a hand down her back. “I just need to shift a couple of times and I will be as good as new.”
Janie slid her arm around his waist and carefully slipped one of her legs over the top of his, snuggling as close to him as she could get. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she whispered, raising her eyes to meet his.
“You aren’t,” he promised, kissing her softly on the forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally gently on the lips. “It was my other leg that took the bullet, but I have more aches than actual pain right now anyway.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she groused. “Either it hurts or it doesn’t.”
Xavier laughed, cupping her cheek and wiping away the tears with his thumb. “Stop worrying so much, beautiful. I’m fine.”
Janie bit her bottom lip, jumping slightly at the low growl that came from Xavier. “What did I tell you about that?” he muttered, his eyes glued to her mouth. “You can’t do things like that, Janie. It makes me forget.”
The tip of her tongue snuck out as Janie licked her lips nervously. “Forget what?”
“That I’m not supposed to do this right now,” Xavier muttered, just before he closed the distance between them and captured her mouth with his. Janie moaned when the tip of his tongue traced her lips, and she opened up to allow access inside, which he quickly took advantage of. He groaned as he sank his fingers into her hair, cupping her head and holding her still as he tangled his tongue with hers.
Janie felt her vision blur and her gums began to ache. Mine. Her body trembled as she pressed closer to Xavier, the evidence of his arousal pushing against her hip. Ending the kiss, she leaned back and looked at him, licking her lips when her attention was drawn to where his shoulder met his neck. She wanted to mark him. Wanted to sink her teeth deep into his skin, and leave no doubt to anyone that he was hers. The thought made her fangs drop, and
a low growl began to build in her chest.
“Fuck, Janie,” Xavier rasped, sliding his hands down to grasp her hips and pull her over so that she straddled him. His own eyes were glowing, his fangs visible as he arched up into her. “You feel so good.”
“Xavier.” She moaned his name loudly, sliding her hands up his bare chest, before bending over to lick at one of his nipples. Twirling her tongue around it, she sucked gently.
Janie felt a shudder run through him, as he growled, “We have to stop.” When she nipped at the other nipple, he groaned, “We can’t do this, baby.”
Janie stiffened, raising her head to look at him. “You don’t want me?” She knew that couldn’t be true. His hard cock was pressed against her, and his eyes had darkened with desire. He could not hide that from her.
“Of course I want you,” he rasped, gripping her hips tightly as he pushed into her again, his gaze locked on hers. “I want nothing more than to take you right now. To sink deep inside of you and claim you as my own. But you deserve so much more than a hospital bed for our first time, Janie. I want to worship you, kiss every inch of your soft, silky skin. I want to show you how much I care about you. I can’t do that here.”
“I don’t need that,” Janie protested, leaning in closer to trace her tongue down his neck, sucking the skin gently into her mouth.
Xavier groaned loudly when she ran her fangs lightly over his shoulder, “I just want to do this right,” he said, his body shaking as he tried to hold back. “I don’t want to scare you.”
Janie raised her head to look at him, her heart filling as she realized that once again, her mate was looking out for her. After everything the General’s men had put her through, he didn’t want to bring back those memories, or make her relive them. Gently running a finger down the side of his face, then over his lips, she smiled at the pure love that shone in his gaze. “I’m not scared, Xavier. I could never be afraid of you. You are my mate, my soul. You would never hurt me.”
Janie's Salvation Page 4