Bound by Darkness

by Alexis Morgan

  Chapter 17

  Sasha counted the minutes until they reached the condo, where she could take a shower, crawl into bed, and pretend the world didn’t exist.

  It also didn’t hurt that Larem had thought to ask Laurel about the possibility of Chance moving in with Sasha. Not only had the Handler agreed, she’d offered to stay with Sasha and help her get settled while the two men made a run to the pet store for the doggie necessities. Larem had also called Dr. Isaac, who agreed to wait until they got there to pick up the dog.

  She couldn’t wait. Right now she could use the comfort of her furry friend, because once Devlin and Laurel left, she’d be alone with Larem. Any kind of buffer would come in handy.

  Devlin pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine. Larem hurried around to help her out. Pride had her wanting to refuse, but the truth was she was so stiff and sore that she had to accept. Once he got her into the house, Laurel, bless her, took charge and shooed the men back out of the cono.

  As soon as they left, Sasha stopped trying to maintain a brave front and sagged against the counter. “I’m sorry to be such a bother, Laurel.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Besides, that’s what friends are for. Now let’s get you into the shower before the guys get back with your new roommate.”

  Sasha let Laurel help her down the hall. Funny, she hadn’t realized they’d crossed the line into friendship, but she liked the idea.

  The hospital had given her a pair of disposable scrubs to wear home. Her clothes had been torn and covered in blood, and the police wanted to check them for trace evidence from her attacker. Laurel stayed close by in case she needed help peeling the scrubs off, but she managed to do it on her own. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

  The shower stung when it hit her scrapes, but the heat soothed away some of the stiffness. At first the water ran brownish red as it took two rounds of shampoo to get rid of all the blood in her hair. Washing away the last vestiges of the accident was well worth the price of a little pain.

  Laurel was waiting to help Sasha dress in a clean pair of pajamas and her robe. “Why don’t you sit on the edge of the bed and let me dry your hair? I’d like to take a look at your head, too.”

  Sasha eased herself down on the corner of the bed and let the Handler do her thing. She winced when Laurel’s fingers pressed briefly on the bump.

  “Sorry about that, but it’s looking good. Not nearly as bad as I feared.” She gently toweled Sasha’s hair and then used the blow dryer to finish the job.

  “Once we get you settled in the living room, I’ll make us tea. I’m pretty sure I left some in the cabinet. One of the caffeine-free herbals will be safe for you to drink.”

  “Sounds good,” Sasha agreed as she shuffled down the hallway to the living room.

  The mention of herbal tea hinted that a question was coming. She’d hoped to have more time, but circumstances had made that impossible. When Laurel joined her with two steaming mugs, Sasha spoke first.

  “So the doctor told you I’m pregnant.”

  Laurel nodded. “She did, and for what it’s worth, I haven’t told Devlin and won’t without your permission. I take patient confidentiality seriously, but I do think he should be told. He can help you deal with any fallout.”

  “I’ll think about it. I only found out for sure yesterday myself.” She sipped her tea and blurted out the rest. “I guess you’ve also figured out Larem’s the father. He knows, but I don’t know how. I hadn’t told anyone, not even him.”

  Laurel frowned. “Were you going to?”

  “Soon, but not yet.” She managed a smile and placed her hand on her still-flat stomach. “Of course, eventually the truth will reveal itself.”

  Laurel seemed to take it all in stride. “Have you had a physical yet, other than what they did at the ER?”

  One more thing to add to her to-do list. “Not yet. I’m so new here, I don’t have a doctor of any kind, much less an OB/GYN. Never imagined I’d need one, at least not like this.”

  “I can make a couple of recommendations for you.”

  Okay, that took care of the basics. “Laurel, about Larem. I know this is going to sound crazy considering everything, but I’m worried about how he’s going to feel about this. Before all this happened, the last time I saw him we didn’t exactly part on good terms.”

  The Handler looked sympathetic. “From everything I know about him, Larem is one of the good guys. Devlin sure likes him, and he has made good friends among the Paladins.”

  Laurel stopped to sip her tea. Finally, she said, “If he hasn’t told you his story, you should ask him. I can guess how he found out about the pregnancy, but you’ll need to hear that from him.”

  The sound of the garage door warned them that their private conversation was about to end.

  “Are you all right with Larem staying with you? If not, we can stay over.”

  Sasha couldn’t avoid Larem forever, and the truth was that she felt safer when he was with her. “I’ll be fine. Besides, Chance will keep both of us occupied.”

  When the kitchen door opened, Chance came bounding in, skidding to a halt in front of Sasha’s chair. Then he approached her slowly as if he sensed that she needed a gentle touch. He laid his big head in her lap and sighed.

  Laurel’s eyes were huge as she took in the size of the beast.

  “You said it was a dog, not a horse,” she laughed.

  Devlin spread out the cartons of Chinese food he’d brought on the coffee table. She could hear Larem rooting around in the kitchen, and a minute later he appeared with plates, serving spoons, and forks.

  Sasha struggled to sit forward, trying to push the dog’s head off her lap. “Come on, Chance, give me a break here,” she said, giving his soft fur a stroke. “I promise to pet you all you want once I’ve eaten. Why don’t you go check the place out?”

  His ears immediately perked up and then he did exactly as she suggested. He made the rounds in the living room, accepting pets from all four people before taking off to investigate.

  Devlin loaded up a plate for himself and one for his wife. “You got yourself a nice dog, Sasha. Larem told me his history. I’ve gotta tell you, it makes me want to hunt down his former owner and heap some serious abuse right back at him.”

  “Me, too, but he’s really Larem’s dog. I’m just Chance’s roommate for now.”

  Although she had a feeling it would be really hard to hand him over when the time came. Rather than dwell on it, she concentrated on finishing her dinner before she gave in to sleep.

  She set her plate back on the coffee table, content for the moment to listen to the murmur of the other three talking between bites. After a bit, their voices grew more distant, until they almost disappeared altogether. Right before sleep claimed her completely, though, a pair of strong arms lifted her off the couch. Bits and pieces of conversation floated past her.

  “Can you turn down the sheets?”

  “Here, let me help you with her robe.”

  The touch of cool cotton against her skin felt good as someone—Larem?—settled her on the bed. She thought maybe she smiled. Then there was nothing but silence and sleep.

  “Call if you need us, and don’t forget to set the alarm.” Devlin jingled his keys in his hand. “Barak said he’d be glad to come over first thing in the morning if you need him to relieve you. I’ve also posted a couple of the young Paladins across the street to keep an eye on the place.”

  “Thanks, Devlin.” Larem patted Chance on the head as he followed Devlin toward the kitchen door. “I know she appreciates both of you coming to help.”

  “Anytime.”

  Laurel joined the conversation. “Devlin, would you mind waiting in the car for me? I need to talk to Larem for a minute.”

  Her husband looked less than pleased as he started for the door. “You know, I really hate secrets.”

  “Yeah, I know. That doesn’t change the fact that I need to talk to Larem in private.” She frown
ed before adding, “And crank up the radio, so that super-duper Paladin hearing doesn’t let you eavesdrop.”

  “Woman, you are way too suspicious.” But Devlin was laughing as he disappeared into the garage.

  Laurel waited until she heard the music turn on before speaking. “I wanted to remind you to wake Sasha up every couple of hours. Any sign that she’s slow to respond or can’t answer simple questions, call nine-one-one and then me.”

  “I will.” But there was more—he could see it in the way her eyes kept bouncing between him and down the hall to where Sasha lay sleeping.

  “Look, Larem, I know about the pregnancy and that you’re the father. The ER doc saw no sign of any problems, but I’ll be setting Sasha up with an obstetrician for a full workup as soon as possible. It would help if you made a list of anything you know about Kalith pregnancies that might be helpful. For example, the normal human gestation period is nine months. If it’s different for your people, we’ll have to keep that in mind.”

  Okay, he hadn’t had time to think that far ahead. In fact, he hadn’t let himself think beyond the next few minutes since the time of the accident.

  “I’ll do that. I’ll also ask Hunter to contact Sworn Guardian Berk to obtain a medical book on the subject from my world.”

  “Good thinking.” Laurel knelt down to pet Chance again. “And I think it’s wonderful that you’ve been practicing your mojo on the animals at the vet’s clinic. I assume you’ve also used it on Sasha.”

  Larem nodded. “I eased the bruising on her ribs, slowed the bleeding on a few cuts, and repaired some of the damage to her head. My gift wasn’t strong enough to completely heal her, though.”

  Judging by the way Laurel hesitated, she was about to venture into awkward territory. “And I’m guessing that’s how you discovered she was pregnant.”

  “Yes.”

  “Does she know about your gift?” Laurel stood and picked up her purse.

  “Not yet. I was going to tell her, but it never seemed to be the right time. Now I guess I’ll have to.”

  “You think?” Laurel said with a small smile. “And, Larem, sooner would be better than later. I don’t know how things are in your world, but the women here tend to take it badly when they find out their men have been holding out on them.”

  “As I already pointed out to your mate, I doubt Sasha considers herself mine.”

  “Larem, I don’t know what has happened between the two of you. Obviously you’ve got some serious stuff to work through, but stop and think for a minute. After almost being killed, Sasha has to be terrified, especially when she has no idea who’s behind the attack. Right now, she’s vulnerable, hurt, and barely able to take care of herself.”

  Laurel tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him. “So who is the one person she trusts enough to protect her tonight? You. Just you. And don’t think we didn’t offer to run you off and take your place if she wanted us to.”

  Then she gave him a quick hug. “Now, I’d better get out there before Dev decides to leave without me.”

  They both knew her warrior husband wouldn’t do any such thing, but it was nice to part on a teasing note. He locked the door after Laurel and set the alarm.

  “Well, boy, let’s make the rounds.”

  The dog followed him from room to room as Larem checked to see that the windows were locked. It seemed unlikely that anyone knew for sure where Sasha was living now, but on the other hand, someone had evidently been following her.

  He saved Sasha’s room for last, not wanting to disturb her. It was still another hour until the time Laurel said he should check on her. Chance quietly stalked into Sasha’s room, acting like a perfect gentleman. He walked around the periphery of her bed, testing the air and whining softly. Obviously, Larem wasn’t the only one who wished he could crawl under the covers and lay his head on the pillow beside hers.

  After checking the window lock, Larem allowed himself the small privilege of watching Sasha sleep. The room was dark except for the light that poured through from the hallway. That didn’t matter; his eyes functioned better in dim light than a normal human’s, allowing him to drink in Sasha’s beauty. He wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and hold her tight.

  The thought of how close he’d come to losing her made him physically ill.

  Chance moved up next to him and rested his head on the foot of the bed. Larem smiled at the dog. Boy, talk about kindred spirits. Both of them had it bad for the same woman. That was okay—he was more than willing to share her with his four-footed friend.

  Sasha might not appreciate waking up to the two males standing over her, although she probably wouldn’t mind Chance sticking close by.

  “Stay, boy. I’ll check in on both of you soon.”

  • • •

  The living room was a lonely place with both of the other occupants of the condo sleeping down the hall. Larem made the rounds again, more because he was restless than because he thought there was any immediate danger.

  He stared across the street, trying to see where their Paladin guards were hiding. Even with his superior night vision it took him a while to spot them lurking in the shadows. It was doubtful that anyone passing by would see them at all.

  Larem went back to trying to outdistance his demons.

  Half an hour later, he finally admitted that no amount of pacing was going to help and stretched out on the couch. It was a few inches too short for comfort, but he needed to wake Sasha shortly anyway and didn’t want to risk falling asleep.

  Lying on his back, he laced his fingers behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. It was the first time since discovering Sasha carried his child that he’d had a chance to really think about things. It was almost impossible to sort out the tangle of emotions knotted up inside him.

  Starting with the fact he was going to be a father. A child that he and Sasha had created in a moment of angry passion. He tried to picture an infant with his eyes and her hair or the other way around. The images made him smile even as they scared him.

  True, he’d always imagined a day when he’d find the right mate and start a family, but that was before his life had been ripped out of Kalithia by the roots. After that, he’d pretty much given up looking beyond the day at hand. Despite his efforts to find a place for himself in this world, somehow, someday, he’d always hoped to find a way to go back home and pick up the pieces of his life.

  As unlikely as that possibility had been, it had kept him moving forward one day at a time, but now he’d been cut completely adrift. How could he return to Kalithia and leave his son or daughter behind? Here, half-Kalith children could blend in and live a normal life. In his world that wouldn’t happen, and he’d never subject a child of his to the pain of prejudice.

  He would’ve expected to be angry over having the decision made for him, but oddly enough, all he felt was relief and maybe a bit of excitement. It didn’t really matter to him where he lived; the why was far more important. A child gave him a new sense of purpose, a new focus for his future.

  But what if Sasha decided to return to her life back in Missouri to be closer to her father and friends? She might not want him to follow, but he would. Granted, the move would be hard. At least here in Seattle, the Paladins were willing to accept him as part of their inner circle. That was unlikely to happen anywhere else, but it was a risk he’d have to take to remain near his child—and the woman who held his heart.

  From the beginning, he’d been fighting the attraction he felt for Sasha, but no longer. His feelings for her ran deep and true. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to keep her and their child safe.

  Anything, that is, but walk away.

  • • •

  Closing his eyes, Larem reached out with his senses to listen to the night. When he’d first arrived in Seattle, it had taken him weeks to grow accustomed to the noises that humans took for granted. Right now it was quiet except for the buzz of the city in the background. But for a secon
d there, he could’ve sworn that something had jarred.

  Sitting up, he waited to see if he heard it again. There. It was coming from down the hall. A soft moan and a whine. The first was Sasha, the second a worried Chance. Immediately, Larem was up and running.

  He paused in the doorway. Chance stood beside the bed watching Sasha thrash around, twisted up in the sheets. The dog looked relieved to see Larem and backed away to give him space at the head of the bed.

  “Sasha, wake up.”

  She stilled briefly but then started struggling again. Larem drew on his replenished pool of energy as he cupped her face with his hands and used a small trickle of healing warmth to soothe her. It didn’t help.

  He said her name louder this time. “Sasha, it’s time to wake up.”

  No response.

  “Please, honey, I just need to make sure you’re all right.” He shook her shoulder slightly, just enough to break the hold sleep had on her now.

  Finally, she blinked up at him. “Larem? What’s wrong?”

  “Sorry to wake you, but you were having a nightmare.”

  “Yeah, I was.” Her eyes looked haunted. “I keep hearing that car and then I jerk awake just before it hits me. Then I’m back down in the tunnels with someone following me. I keep running, but I end up going in circles. It’s all mixed up together.”

  “I’m not surprised.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “Are you hurting?”

  She nodded, her hand straying up to where her head had hit the curb. “A little, but I don’t want to take any more pain medicine. You know, because of the baby.”

  “That’s probably wise.” He wondered if he should risk giving her another dose of his energy. Maybe it would be better to wait until she was asleep again.

  She petted Chance, who’d worked his big head under her hand as soon as Larem stepped back out of his way. Her eyes followed him to the door. “You’ve got to be exhausted, too.”

  “I’m all right. I was stretched out on the couch.” He remained in the doorway. “If it helps ease your mind, Chance and I made sure everything was locked, and I set the alarm after Laurel and Devlin left.”