She bit her lip and stared at the man who had clearly lost his mind. There was no reasoning with him, no getting through to him. Hannah just had to wait it out and pray Reed and Josh could overtake him.
There had to be a way. It wasn’t just about her. No, it was about their people. Their family.
Chapter 5
Josh closed his eyes and opened his mind to the Finding, the pain slamming back at him as it hit a wall.
“Fuck, my Finding isn’t working,” he said as he rubbed his temples, closing his eyes.
He felt Reed’s hand on his thigh, soothing him. “You had it right when we got through the wards. We’re going in the right direction at least. Just relax and let it come to you.”
Josh lifted a lip and growled. “Really? Let it come to me? Fuck, Hannah’s out there, and we can’t get to her because my fucking demon powers, or whatever the hell they’re called, are screwing up my Finding. And, you want me to ‘let it come to me’? Jesus.”
“Feel better now that you’ve yelled at me?” Reed asked as he drove down the winding road where Josh had Found the path leading to their mate.
As soon as Reed had proclaimed that he and Josh were going to Find Hannah, they’d geared up and started driving. It had only taken maybe thirty seconds once Josh was beyond the wards of the den for his powers to work. But, now that he was trying to force it, his powers were fading. He fucking hated the demon bite that had screwed up his Finding. He let out a breath. No, without the bite, he wouldn’t have had the strength to protect those he loved, so he needed to keep it in perspective. But it was hard as hell to do that when his mate was in a dark basement and bleeding.
Yes, he’d seen that when he’d used his powers and cursed. He’d almost caused Reed to run off the road when he’d seen Hannah’s swollen face in his mind because his body had jerked so violently. When his Finding actually worked, he could Find any face he’d seen before and follow that path. But with the demon blood running through his veins, his powers were spotty now, at best.
“We’ll find her, Josh,” Reed whispered as he took another sharp curve.
Josh nodded even as fear clawed at his belly. “We can still feel her in the bond, so we know she’s alive.”
“Yes, and we can use that to find her once we get closer. I know our bond isn’t like Adam’s and Bay’s. They can find each other no matter the distance, but we can find her once we’re closer.”
Josh let out a curse. “We just have to get there. Meaning my Finding actually has to fucking work.”
“It will.”
“Who took her, Reed?”
“I don’t know, but you said the scent was almost familiar, right?”
Pain ate at him, and he cracked his knuckles. “I think so. That means I knew this guy, Reed. This guy came after our Hannah because of me.” The last word cracked when he said it, not because of the damage to his throat, but because he couldn’t hold in the emotion anymore. Damn it, he had to be strong for her.
“No, this guy came after Hannah because he’s insane or because of something else, but this is not your fault.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Fine, but dwelling on it doesn’t help your Finding, and it’s not helping Hannah. So get over yourself for a minute and Find our mate.” Reed’s eyes glowed as his voice rose, and Josh reached to squeeze his mate’s thigh.
“Thank you.”
“Find her.”
Josh closed his eyes and summoned his powers, or whatever he did to get them to work. He didn’t have a name for it and didn’t really want to name it. He was the only one of his kind in existence that he knew of, so it had never seemed important. He opened up is Finding, and this time, instead of hitting a wall, he continued down a fraying path until he saw her.
He let out a breath then cursed.
Fuck, she was in a cage and hurt. Really fucking hurt.
He could see only her and the bars around her, and she was talking, though he couldn’t hear what she said. He concentrated, tugging on that fragile bond in his Finding and wrapping it around their trinity bond. He’d never done it before, but he knew it was the thing to do. As it melded, the connection grew stronger, their bond flaring back to life. It sparked, warmed, strengthened.
There.
“Keep going down this road for another mile then take a turn into a copse of trees that looks like a run-off. She’s in an abandoned building three miles past that.”
Reed growled and sped up. “I knew you could do it.”
“She’s hurt, Reed.”
Josh could hear the strain of the steering wheel under his mate’s hands as Reed fought his wolf for control. He was doing his own fighting with his demon.
“Can you see who has her?” Reed asked as he took the turn a little too fast.
Josh braced himself against the door and focused his energy. “I’m looking.” He recognized the cage from a military bunker that he thought he’d destroyed and cursed again. Fuck, this was someone from his team. It had to be. He looked around, though it was hard to do because he could really focus on only Hannah, but he tried. There weren’t any other noticeable marks around, just the cage and her. When she held her wrist to her chest in pain, he growled…then saw him.
Cyrus Ferns.
His old commander.
Fuck.
“I see him. He’s that fucker from my team that was a hot head. He hates paranormals, Reed.”
“We’ll kill him.”
Though Cyrus was a human, and Josh wouldn’t have normally killed a man like that, this was different. This man was dangerous. Dangerous to his Pack, his family…his Hannah.
Reed stopped the car and cut the engine about a mile away from the place where Cyrus held Hannah. Josh nodded then rubbed Reed’s thigh again.
“We’ll go on foot so we have a better chance of getting him,” Josh said, and Reed slid a golden glance at him.
“Okay, soldier-man, I got it,” he said dryly.
“Sorry, I’m just thinking aloud,” he said as he got out of the car and checked his ammo. The need to find Hannah and get the fuck out of there filled him. He wanted to be in his home, his den, and wrap himself around her and never let go.
Soon.
After he took care of this fucking prick.
“Change to your wolf, Reed. We need your senses for traps.”
Reed nodded then stripped out of his clothes and put them in the vehicle. Josh glanced at the tanned body that he loved then forced his gaze away to check his surroundings. From this distance, they couldn’t see the building, but Josh could feel it there. He couldn’t see any surveillance or signs of a trap, and Josh was damn good at spotting those. After all, it had been his job for most of his life, and now as one of Adam’s enforcers, his protection level had increased.
He heard a sharp groan as Reed finished shifting. He knew the change was as brutally painful as it was beautiful in its outcome. The russet-colored wolf came to sit by him, and he rubbed his mate behind the ears. Reed leaned into him as they both surveyed the area with a keen focus.
Reed huffed out a breath and started toward the building.
Good, that meant Reed didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary either.
They slowly made their way to the building, making sure they knew where all the exits were and had an escape path if needed. If they were lucky, they could overpower Cyrus and get out of there with Hannah quickly. But, they were never that lucky.
The building was an old storehouse that must have been part of an older dwelling. It had long since fallen into disrepair. Josh knew she was in the basement, and he could also feel that only she and Cyrus were in the area.
Apparently his demon powers were better than he’d thought.
Reed went first and sniffed around then did an awkward nod. Josh nodded back. Good, there wasn’t anyone around, and Josh agreed. Josh made his way to the door and gripped his gun tighter.
This was it.
Yet it all seemed so familiar.
He’d found his Reed and Hannah by breaking into an abandoned building when Corbin and Caym had taken them. But now he was different, stronger, and not afraid of the things that could kill him.
Well, not really.
He was afraid only of losing Hannah and Reed. They were his everything.
He quietly opened the door and did a quick glance of the hallway. Empty. Good. He went in first, letting Reed creep behind him, protecting him from anything that could come up from behind. Josh followed their bond until he reached another door farther down the empty hallway.
He knew the basement was through that door as well as he knew Hannah and Cyrus were beyond it. He turned the knob and crept down the stairs, Reed on his tail.
Cyrus stood by the cage where Hannah lay. His old friend’s body looked haggard, bruised.
Good, Hannah had gotten some good punches in.
Josh spared a glance for Hannah and noticed her eyes brighten, but other than that, she didn’t acknowledge them. Good.
She would have felt them through the bond as they got closer, so they hadn’t surprised her to the point she would give away their arrival and location.
“I see you’re here, Josh,” Cyrus said as he turned around. “You really didn’t think you could sneak up on me, did you? I trained you, boy.”
“Let her go, and I’ll let you die quickly,” Josh said as he gripped the gun harder.
Cyrus just shook his head. “You’re a fucking traitor and a sick freak. But I’m the one with the gun on your whore.”
Reed growled at the word, and Josh bit his tongue. “Put the gun down, Cyrus.”
“No, I’m the one with the power. You put your fucking gun down.”
Josh shrugged. He had another two strapped to him plus his knives, and the fact that he was a partial demon made him faster and stronger than Cyrus. Not to mention that Reed was a werewolf and could rip Cyrus’s head from his body with one strong bite. But Josh put the gun down anyway. He didn’t want to anger Cyrus any more than the man already was. That would risk causing Hannah more harm. Anything but that.
“Good. Now you see that I’m the one in control. You shouldn’t have left your blood with the Navy though Josh. This is all your fault you know.”
Josh made a mental note to visit the base and take care of any loose ends that might have been lost. After he killed the bastard in front of him. He’d also have to tell Edward that even though his blood had changed with the demon bite, there was still a way through the wards with his old blood.
“Let Hannah go.”
Cyrus threw his head back and laughed. “No, I don’t think I will. Things like you and your pussy here need to be put down. Humans are the powerful ones. If we weren’t, why are you the ones in hiding and we’re free?”
“Because we let you,” Josh said and watched as Cyrus growled and tried to pull the trigger.
But, Reed was faster. Before Josh could blink, a red blur bit through Cyrus’s wrist, severing his hand and the gun along with it. Cyrus screamed in pain then went silent as Reed snapped his neck. Reed howled as Josh ran to the cage and broke the lock using all of his strength.
Hannah was in his arms in the next instant, her body shaking as he ran his hands down her body, checking for broken bones. The bastard had broken her wrist and cheekbone, but the rest seemed only bruised, except for perhaps a cracked rib or two.
Josh shuddered as he held Hannah close to him, her sweet scent washing over him as he felt Reed change back to his human form.
“Thank you,” Josh whispered as a naked Reed wrapped his arms around them.
“I couldn’t let you do that to someone you knew,” Reed said as he kissed Hannah’s temple. “Hannah, baby, we’ll take care of you.”
“I knew you would,” she rasped. “Though I got a few hits in.”
Josh picked her up and kissed her softly, aware of her hurts. “We’ll take you home and clean you up, baby.” He felt Reed reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.
“I’m going to call Adam and tell him to send a cleanup crew then get North to our house to take care of Hannah.”
“Let’s go home,” Josh said as he carried Hannah out of the room, leaving behind the dead man he’d once trusted. That man was his past, but the woman in his arms and the man beside him were his future.
Chapter 6
One Month Later
Hannah snuggled between her two men as they shifted in their sleep. Josh’s hand was on her breast, kneading even as he rocked against her from behind, while Reed’s hand drifted down her belly to rub her softly. She moaned and leaned into Reed then back into Josh, loving the way they woke up in the morning.
In the month since her attack, she’d healed and let go of the pressure. She’d had to. She and her men made love daily, softly, forcefully, and everywhere in between. But she didn’t stress about conceiving. She’d almost lost her life and risked her mates’ lives because she’d been so stressed and lost her focus. The lines of what she could do and what mattered had been blurred, and she’d almost lost herself.
But, not anymore.
She felt Josh shift and heard the nightstand drawer open, sending shivers of anticipation down her spine.
“Good morning,” Reed said against her lips, and then he kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers. He increased the pressure of his hand, her body opening for him as he curled two fingers within her. She rubbed against him, wanting more. “Greedy,” he whispered.
“I want you,” she said, panting.
“You’ll have me,” Reed said as he picked up the tempo, hitting that spot to send her over. Her body flushed, tingled, and cascaded as she came.
Josh moved her leg, and then she felt the cool lube at her back entrance, his fingers soon following.
“Good morning, baby,” Josh said, his voice low, needy.
He worked her slowly while Reed teased her nipples. She closed her eyes, taking in every sensation she could, even though there were too many for her to count, to feel.
Josh moved back, and then she felt the head of his cock pushing in her past that tight ring of muscles. She stiffened at the familiar intrusion, and Reed rubbed her clit to make her relax.
“Take him in, love. Then I’ll fill you up,” Reed said, and she could feel his cock throb against her mound.
She nodded, unable to speak as Josh filled her.
“Damn, mate of ours, I love filling this ass,” Josh said as he stilled, her body slowly relaxing even more.
Reed lifted her leg higher and slowly, oh so slowly, filled her pussy. When he was seated, Hannah moaned, her body too full, too needy.
“I need you to move, or stay still, or I don’t know. Do something, anything. Oh, goddess, I love this. I love you,” she said as her body shook.
Josh licked and nipped at her neck as Reed rolled her nipples.
Then they moved.
In tandem, they filled her, alternating so she could feel their cocks rub against the soft tissue separating them.
Oh, goddess.
They increased the pace as her body heated, her climax coming…soon. Josh bit down on the mate mark as Reed thrust, hard.
Her body shattered.
She came on a wave, her men following her as they panted and slowed, their bodies pooling in a state of carnal bliss.
“Best wake-up ever,” Reed said, breaking the silence. Josh chuckled behind her, but she didn’t say anything, merely cuddled deeper into their holds.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too,” her men said as one.
They lay down together for a bit longer before necessities and time tables forced them up. They had family lunch at Edward and Pat’s house and were going to be late if they didn’t hurry. She forced herself and her men to shower separately, or they’d never leave, and then she finished getting ready.
They drove to the Alpha’s home, a giddy excitement running through her. This was family; she loved it. They were greeted by all of the Jamensons, big an
d small. The sight of Micah, Finn, and Brie didn’t cause that ache anymore.
As they ate, they discussed the upcoming frost, the goings on of the Pack, and the dangers that lurked.
“We need to be aware of all dangers,” Edward said as he held his grandson Micah closer to him. “It’s not just the Centrals out there, and we need to remember that. But we must also remember what is good.” He smiled at Micah, and Hannah gripped her men’s hands as emotion welled over at the picture. “This family is what is good. We’ll survive. We always have, and we will continue.”
Hannah looked over at North as he patted Ellie’s shoulder. A dark look passed over her face. Maddox stood up from the table abruptly and picked up Finn.
“He needs to be changed.”
He left the room, and the others looked around, confused.
Their family was changing. With each addition, the dynamics evolved, and Hannah was part of that. She leaned into Reed’s side as Josh rubbed her knee.
These were her mates. Her wolf and demon. Hers.
****
“Push, Hannah, push,” Josh said as he kissed his mate’s brow. She gripped his hand as Reed gripped her other.
Josh looked over at the other man and gulped. Jesus, why did they always say childbirth hurt only the mother? From his perspective, they were both about to pass out.
She’d been pregnant at that lunch with the Jamensons. She’d also been pregnant when Cyrus had taken her, though she’d only just conceived that day, or sometime close to then.
Josh shook his head then kissed Hannah again. Things had a way of coming full circle and scaring the crap out of him.
Here he was, about to be a father, and all he wanted to do was sit down so he didn’t faint and look like a pussy. From the look of Reed, Josh figured he wasn’t alone.
Thank God.
“Okay, Hannah, you’re doing good,” North said as he smiled.
Fuck that. Why did that man smile? Shouldn’t he be helping to get this done already? Didn’t he see Hannah was hurting?
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