by Faith Gibson
“Like I said, I’ll send a nurse back when Marley’s settled.” Jonas tipped his head to the side, indicating Dane should follow.
“Go, Brother,” Jasper said, clapping him on the shoulder.
When Dane was through the door, his father said, “I had to shave the back of Marley’s head, and it took quite a few staples to put her back together, but her vitals are strong. Have you two mated yet?”
“No. I was hoping to get around to that tonight after dinner, but the godsdamned Unholy botched my plans.”
Jonas led Dane to a room on the next floor up where Marley was already situated in a private room. “She’s strong, and I have no doubt she’ll wake up soon. The trauma to her brain was minimal. The abrasions to her arms and legs aren’t so severe she’ll need skin grafts, but she will be in quite a lot of pain for a while. Your blood would go a long way in helping her heal faster. If you allow me to use your shifter blood in a transfusion, it won’t seal the bond; it’ll only help her fight faster and harder. “
“Yeah, sure. Anything to help.”
“Good. I’ll be back in soon to draw your blood. For now, take as much time as you need, Son.” Jonas squeezed Dane’s arm before leaving him alone with his mate. He was still getting used to having a father, but he found he rather liked it. Dane turned his attention to Marley, lifting the hand closest to him and cradling it in both of his.
“Oh, Sweetness. What did I do to you?” Dane might not have run her off the road or tried to kidnap her, but it was his fault the Goyles had chased her. If he was a normal human, shit like that wouldn’t have happened. She wouldn’t be a target. Dane didn’t know if he could go through with sealing the mate bond. Not if it meant putting Marley’s life on the line at every turn. In his heart, he knew it wasn’t an option, not for him. He needed Marley in his life. He would just have to do a better job protecting her.
Dane asked the nurse to bring Cammie up without letting the others know where she was being taken. Marley had cried out a couple of times, but she still hadn’t fully wakened. While they both kept vigil, watching Marley sleep, he and Cammie chatted quietly about what happened, but Cammie was more interested in the ring on Marley’s finger. As much as she had flirted with him the first time they met, Cammie was a good friend. She cried tears of joy before practically choking Dane with a hug. They spoke briefly about Marley’s parents, and Dane knew he and Lucinda would be fine, but he’d have to put his foot down with her father. Marley was an adult for the gods’ sakes, not a child like her father accused.
Dane didn’t want to leave his mate’s side, but he needed to let her parents in for a few minutes. He sent Cammie after them, and as they were walking down the hallway, Merrill was complaining to Lucinda about Dane. The man thought he was being quiet, but Dane’s shifter hearing allowed him to take in every hateful word.
“I don’t care if he’s the chief of police, the mayor, or the goddamned president. I’m taking Marley home. She’s obviously not able to take care of herself, and what’s a cop want with someone like her, anyway?”
When they got closer, Dane met them in the doorway, refusing to allow them entrance until he made Marley’s father understand how things were. After he further explained her condition and what Jonas had done, he said, “Mister and Missus Sperry, I know this is news to you both, but Marley and I are engaged. As for what I want with someone like Marley? That’s simple. I want the love of a good woman. A woman whose heart is bigger than anyone else’s I know. She may not have a college education, but she’s smart. She’s also funny, loving, and she makes my heart sing. Honestly, I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I love Marley and am honored she said yes. Now, you have twenty minutes with her before I return. When I get back, if the nurse tells me Marley’s machines went off for any reason at all, I’m going to assume you were the cause of it. If that happens, you’ll not be allowed within two hundred miles of her. Am I clear?” Dane let the beast loose momentarily, and a growl sounded from the back of his throat.
Merrill’s eyes widened, but he didn’t respond with anything other than a nod. Dane left them with Marley and stepped into a quiet waiting room for some privacy. There was something he had to take care of immediately.
Chapter Seven
After placing a call to Sixx and asking him to work a miracle, Dane made his way downstairs to ask for a couple of favors. Dane found Cammie and Trevor, enlisting their help outside the hospital while he remained by Marley’s side. They both agreed readily – Trevor with all the eagerness he put into everything, and Cammie with happy tears in her eyes for her best friend. Dane turned to go back upstairs when the waiting room door opened, and a little girl ran in.
“Aunt Cammie!”
Dane didn’t have to ask who the child was. It was like looking at a miniature version of his mate.
“Hey, Graciepooh.” Cammie bent down, and Grace wrapped her arms around Cammie’s neck. Cammie stood, propping the little girl on her hip.
A woman who resembled Lucinda followed by a handsome man entered the room on the heels of the child. “Cammie, what’s going on? The nurse’s station wouldn’t give me Marley’s room number. Told me I had to wait in here.”
Cammie looked to Dane and said, “Lynette, Chase, I’d like you to meet Dane Abbott. He’s Marley’s fiancé.”
“Fiancé?”
“Hi, Lynette. I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances, but it is a pleasure to meet Marley’s sister. She’s told me quite a bit about you.”
“Yet she hasn’t mentioned you one time,” Lynette muttered as she shook Dane’s offered hand. Dane then shook her husband’s hand. The man nodded but didn’t say anything.
Dane turned his attention to the girl in Cammie’s arms. “And you must be Grace. You’re as pretty as your… aunt.” Dane almost said mother, but Lynette couldn’t hold a candle to her younger sister. The little girl held out her hand for Dane. He laughed and shook it, taking care not to squeeze too hard.
“What’s a fiancé?” Grace asked Dane.
“It means I’m going to marry your Aunt Marley.”
“Can I be the flower girl? My best friend, Taylor, was a flower girl.”
“Absolutely. First, we need to get Marley well so she can walk down the aisle.” Dane gestured for Lynette and Chase to follow him to the far corner of the room. He didn’t want Grace to hear the details of Marley’s condition. “Marley sustained trauma to her head when she was thrown from a vehicle. She’s unconscious, and the doctors are monitoring her closely. We won’t know the extent of the damage until she wakes up.”
“Can we see her?” Lynette asked.
“Yes. Your parents are in with her now, but I’ll show you to her room. I think having Grace visit will do her good.” Dane walked back to where Cammie and Grace were waiting with Jasper and Trevor. Trevor was kneeling down so he was on Grace’s eye-level, and they were talking about dogs. Dane’s fondness for Jasper’s mate continued to grow the more he was around him. He had always considered Trevor a friend, but now he thought of the younger man as family. He missed living down the hall from Trevor and playing video games until all hours of the morning.
“Cammie, why don’t you go home and get some sleep. I want Marley to rest after Lynette and Grace visit for a few minutes. I’ll text you as soon as I have confirmation from my friend.”
“Will do, Chief. Thanks for taking care of my girl,” Cammie said before rising on her tip-toes and kissing his cheek.
“Jas, if you’ll secure two rooms at the Westwood and put them in my name, I’d appreciate it.” Dane pulled his credit card out of his wallet and handed it to Jasper.
“You got it, Brother. Call me if you need anything else.” Jasper pulled Dane in for a hug, and they clapped each other on the back.
“Thanks for everything,” Dane whispered in Jasper’s ear.
“That’s what family’s for.” Jasper pulled back and held out his hand for Trevor. Trevor told Grace goodbye before linking his fingers with his
mate’s. “Don’t worry about a thing, Chief. Cammie and I got your back.”
“Thanks, Trev.”
“Can we go see Marley now?” Grace asked, pulling on Dane’s pants.
“We sure can. Marley’s asleep and probably won’t wake up while you’re visiting, but you can still talk to her. She has a booboo on her head, and it’s wrapped in a bandage. Her arms are scraped up, too, but I don’t want you to be scared. She’s going to be fine in a few days.”
“Okay. I get booboos all the time. See?” Grace pointed at her scraped leg. “I fell off my bicycle.”
“And you’re a tough girl like our Marley. Come on, let’s get you upstairs.” Dane opened the door, and as they were walking toward the elevator, Grace slid her small hand in his. When he looked down at the child, she smiled up at him. The fact that she was missing two front teeth only added to her cuteness. Dane couldn’t help but wish Marley had been able to keep the girl. He would love to help raise her.
When they stepped off the elevator, Dane reached out with his senses. All was quiet, and when he asked the nurse how Marley was, she said everything was the same. Nodding, Dane led Marley’s family to her room. When he stepped in the door, Grace turned loose and ran to Lucinda. “Gramma, we’re here!” she said loudly before turning to Marley. “Hey, Aunt Marley. I’m here to see you.”
“Keep it down, Grace. You don’t want to disturb your aunt,” Merrill chastised.
“But Dane said I could talk to her.” Grace’s bottom lip quivered, and her little hazel eyes filled with tears.
Dane took the chair next to the bed Lucinda had vacated when her family came in, and he pulled Grace onto his lap. “You sure can talk to her, Princess.”
“What do I say?” Grace asked, sniffling.
Dane wiped the tears from her cheek and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Whatever you want to tell her.”
“Aunt Marley, I’m here. It’s past my bedtime, but Momma said I could stay up late so we could come see you.”
“Dane…” Marley murmured, keeping her eyes closed.
“I’m here, Sweetness.”
“I’m here, too,” Grace said. “It’s me, Graciepooh,” the little girl added, using the nickname Cammie had earlier.
“Grace… my baby… Momma’s sorry… So sorry…” Marley’s voice faded out.
“Come on, Grace, we need to go,” Lynette said at the same time Merrill shouted something about Marley needing to keep her mouth shut. Chase looked like he’d been punched in the gut, and Lynette was crying while trying to calm her husband down.
“Out, everyone. Now,” Dane announced to the room. He motioned toward the door, and the nurse was there meeting them.
“I know you have special privileges, Chief, but it’s after hours. I think it would be best if everyone came back in the morning.”
“You’re absolutely right, Trina. I apologize.”
Dane led them all away from Marley’s room toward the elevator. Holding onto Grace as long as he could, he said, “I’ve arranged for two rooms at the Westwood Plaza. I’m sure you’ll find it to be comfortable. It’s been a long night for everyone. Go get some rest, and I’ll see you back in the morning.”
“Who is Marley’s baby? I didn’t know she was a mommy,” Grace asked Dane. Instead of looking at the others, he answered in a way he hoped didn’t come back to bite him in the ass later.
“Your aunt Marley was a mommy a long time ago, but she was too young to take care of the baby, so she gave her to a wonderful mommy and daddy to love.”
“She didn’t love her baby?”
Lynette sobbed harder, and when Merrill tried to console her, she jerked away. Chase held onto Lynette as she cried softly into his shoulder.
“She loved her baby more than anything. She loved that baby as much as she loves you, and that’s to the moon and back.”
“Are you going to have babies with Aunt Marley?”
“I sure hope so, Princess. I surely hope so.”
Marley thoroughly enjoyed driving Dane’s car. Her little junker got her from home to work and back, but it was nothing more than a means to an end. The Porsche was a work of art designed specifically for pushing the limits while hugging close to the pavement. She didn’t need to change lanes as often as she did, but weaving in and out of traffic gave her a sense of power like she’d never encountered.
As she got closer to home, she considered going to her house instead of Dane’s apartment. If she did that and he didn’t come back until later, she would have to explain to Cammie what she was doing home with Dane’s car. That would lead to her having to confess what she’d seen. She had to keep Dane’s secrets, so she made her way to his apartment as planned.
When she arrived at the complex, Marley parked next to the open spot beside his cop car. It wasn’t a secure building fitted with a guard checking IDs, but it was one of the nicer apartments in the city. After taking the elevator to the third floor, Marley turned left and made her way to apartment 314. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it behind her, tossing the keys on the table like Dane did whenever they’d been there before. It felt weird being there without him, but it gave her time to look around. Dane had given her the nickel tour the first time she’d visited his home, but now, without him rushing her back to the sofa, she could really take a good look around and become more acquainted with the man who she knew to be so much more than a mere mortal.
In other words, she could snoop.
The few times Dane had taken Marley back to his apartment had been so he could cook for her. They had stayed in the living room and talked. Dane had kissed her, but to her chagrin, that’s all he’d done. Dane was a good cook, and when she thought about them and a future together, she had daydreamed about one day standing in the kitchen of their home cooking together while talking over their days. She had also imagined a ring on her finger and her belly swelling with Dane’s baby. She had the ring, and now all she needed was for him to take her to bed and make love to her. Yes, Marley was one of those women who wanted the fenced-in back yard where the kids could chase after their dog and vice versa while she and her husband relaxed on the porch and admired their family.
Wait, that wasn’t right. She didn’t want kids. Not when she’d given Grace up to her sister.
Yes, you do. You want Dane to fuck you until you’re pregnant with his baby. Not a baby… a shifter. Marley was going to have a little shifter with fangs and wings and claws. Holy shit! Would it claw her insides?
Marley walked around the two-bedroom home, not sure what she was supposed to do while she waited other than worry. Dane had been holding his own before the others arrived to help, so it was probably safe to say he didn’t need her worrying over him. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if she should call around to find out if he was okay. How long did it take to fight the Unholy? Whenever he’d left out on “emergencies” before, she’d gone home and gone to bed, expecting him to actually be working, not out fighting monsters.
What if he was hurt? Worrying never did anyone any good, or so her father had told her mother many times over the years. “It’s a waste of time thinking about something negative, Lucinda,” he’d fussed. Marley didn’t much care for her father, but she had tried to hold onto that one piece of advice, remembering the way Dane kissed her before they left for the restaurant. Or the way he clocked her every movement as he was drinking his latte while she worked. The way his dimples dug into his cheeks when he laughed.
Doing her best to keep that version of Dane in her mind, Marley searched the apartment. Each room was tidy if sparsely decorated. The kitchen, living room, and dining area were one large, open space. There were two bedrooms. One was a nursery. A crib sat next to the far wall, and the mobile dangling from one end was twirling slowly, playing a soft tune. As she got closer, she could see the bright danglies were moons and stars. What the hell? This room was an office, not a nursery. Marley walked over to the crib and looked down. A sweet baby girl was asleep on her back, her th
umb tucked into the side of her mouth.
Grace… “My baby… Mommy’s sorry…”
No, not Grace. But Dane didn’t have a child. Did he? If he did, that meant he had a wife. A different mate. Marley rushed across the hall. The master bedroom wasn’t all that spacious, but the bed was large enough to accommodate a man of Dane’s size. It was made up and not unruly like her own. When she inspected the closet, it was full of men’s clothes. Not one single article belonging to a woman was to be found. Marley walked over to the bed and took a big sniff. When she realized what she was doing, she laughed. You’ve lost your mind.
The only photos in the apartment were of Dane and an older woman who she knew was his adopted mother, and one of him receiving his promotion at work. Dane had touched briefly on the topic of his birth family the last time she was there, but a call from work had him cutting their date short. She knew it was something she would need to get used to now that she was going to be his wife. She was going to need to do something besides walking around his apartment sniffing his bedding and being nosy.
“I’ve been looking at houses,” he’d said. Dane was going to buy Marley a house. When they got married, she would be at home while she waited on him. Maybe she could talk him into getting a dog so she’d have company all those late nights spent waiting and worrying.
Marley returned to the second bedroom, only this time, it was the office it was supposed to be. Yep, definitely losing her mind. Not able to stand it any longer, Marley walked back to the living room and clicked on the television, turning it until she found the local news channel, hoping to find a breaking story about what was going on. Marley couldn’t breathe. Bloody bodies were strewn along the sidewalk, and she couldn’t tell if they were Unholy or Dane and the Clan.
She had heard both Dane and the previous police chief give interviews where they warned the public to stay vigilant if they saw the beasts. She couldn’t remember ever seeing a newscast showing the police fighting the Unholy. Maybe the chief had forbidden the TV stations from airing the fights. She would have to ask Dane about that when he got home. If he came home.