by Sydney Addae
The SUV stopped. One by one the vehicles entered the gate. “Come on, come on, “she muttered looking out the window. She released Adam’s hand and slid next to the door to see better.
Everything looked the same as it had when she left yesterday. She looked at Adam. “It’s quiet.” She couldn’t explain why that bothered her but it did. Normally she heard or saw someone, even if it was the hum of prayers in the background.
He nodded and looked out his window. The car stopped. Eager to see her father, Bella jumped out and ran toward her home.
“Bella,” Adam called.
She looked over her shoulder. One moment he stood next to the truck the next he was airborne and slammed into something. She covered her ears from the deafening noise of the collision and then covered her mouth with one hand as she watched the unbelievable happen. Adam fought a mammoth of a man and to her surprise he was winning. He moved so fast she could barely keep up, but she never lost sight of him. He hit with lightning accuracy, the sounds reverberated through the ground. Just as she thought to take a relieved breath, another man slammed into Adam, knocking him back a few steps. He staggered but didn’t fall. Ducking, he missed the hammer sized fist aimed at his head and sent a series of punches to the man’s stomach and beneath his chin. Bella grimaced at the sound of that and turned from the bloodied face.
But he wasn’t done. A third guy she hadn’t seen or heard ran from the opposite direction and jumped. She covered her mouth to keep from screaming and thanked God when Adam ducked and the man hit the ground, rolled and jumped up.
She worried if Adam was getting tired, this fight took longer than the other two and may have been more evenly matched. Her heart dropped to her stomach when Adam fell on the ground, rolled and then jumped up before the other guy stomped him. She muttered a few words of prayer and when Adam’s head snapped back from a punch, she started singing.
It was crazy but she couldn’t hold back the words. “All of me loves all of you. Loves your strength and your touches…” she changed the words to match her feelings. “Yes, all of me, loves all of you, all your perfect imperfections…” she started softly, watched the fight with a prayer in her heart and told the world how she saw this man.
One by one, his opponents fell, tried to get up and then passed out. She couldn’t believe it and stopped singing. How could he have done that by himself. Did Adam look bigger than before? She wasn’t sure.
He turned and stalked toward her. His eyes blazed gold. His shirt had numerous rips. Beads of blood oozed from a cut above his eye. But his determined gaze never left her.
Her breath caught at the concern and hunger he oozed. He looked magnificent. An unknown icy barrier inside melted and something clicked.
“Are you okay?” He asked looking her over. His hands rubbed her arms up and down, creating a heavenly sensual friction. He turned her to the side and looked.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn’t speak. It was as if she saw him for the first time. He’d told her he’d protect her, but she hadn’t believed him. Not really. And definitely never thought he’d win a fight as ferocious as the ones he’d just endured. She could still hear the body punches echoing in her ear.
He shook her. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did one of those bastards touch you?” He looked at the men moaning on the ground trying to get up. “Who touched you?” His voice deepened to a low growl.
Bella hadn’t realized she was crying and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “No. I was perfectly safe. Just like you promised.”
He turned to look at her. “Why are you crying?”
“You…you…” She pointed toward the men on the ground.
Adam hugged her tight. “Baby, I’m okay. Don’t cry over that. I’m fine.” He rocked and stroked her hair. “Shh, don’t cry. I’m okay.”
“But, there were three of them.” She pushed against his chest. “Where was Leo and Brix?” She looked over her shoulder and saw the two of them in the distance with a third man. “Why didn’t they help you.
Adam stiffened. “Help me?” Although the words were spoken gently, his posture and the tone of his voice screamed she said the wrong thing.
Bella didn’t know what to say. “I thought they were security.”
“They are.” He looked down at her. “You thought I needed help with three full-bloods? Is that why you’re upset? Because they didn’t come help me?”
“Yes. No.” She sighed and stepped closer to him. “I’m sorry. I never took you seriously. You’re this good-looking guy who plays sports with a lot of experience with women…” She sighed.
“Are you apologizing for insulting me? Or because you didn’t believe I could protect you?” The tenor of his voice deepened. His nostrils flared and his eyes blazed bronze gold.
For a few seconds Bella fell into his gaze and saw the hurt behind the glare. The realization that she could hurt him stunned her. She placed her hand on his chest to feel his racing heartbeat and gathered her thoughts.
“Both. I was ashamed. That’s why I was crying.”
The brightness of his eyes dimmed. “Ashamed? Why?” he sounded baffled.
“Because you never lied to me. You said you’d be here for me and you have been through everything. I didn’t want to think you were honorable, could actually care about me, a stranger. I didn’t believe the mating thing either. I knew something was going on.” She pointed to the men on the ground. “But I didn’t think you were the answer.” She took a deep breath and prayed he still wanted her. “I was wrong not to consider what you said. I’m ashamed because you could’ve been hurt fighting to protect me. Most of all I don’t want you to think I’m a lost cause and leave me.” She said the last in a broken whisper.
Adam pulled her close, kissed the top of her head and asked. “Will you be my mate now?”
“I am your mate Adam Knight.”
He laughed and stole her breath with a deep kiss. When they broke for air, she laid her hand on his chest and inhaled deeply. “That was unbelievable. You moved so fast, I couldn’t keep up.” She looked up at him. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Is it a wolf person thing?”
“We’re all dual-natureds,” Adam said turning her so that he faced the men on the ground trying to stand and watching them.
“Yeah, they were fast too. But not like you.” She shook off the memories and peeked around him at the guys. “Why aren’t they leaving? Are they planning to attack you again?”
Adam inhaled and grinned. “No.” He inhaled again. “No more pheromones. You’re mated.”
“That’ll stop them?” She watched the first man stand, brush his clothes, turn and walk off in the opposite direction. “He’s leaving,” she whispered as if Adam couldn’t see.
“Yeah. And just so you know, I was the answer to shutting down your pheromones.” He pulled her close as the other two men left just as the first.
She strained around him to watch and released a pent-up breath when they were finally alone. Adam placed his finger beneath her chin and turned her to face him. “In our culture, a bitch, I mean a female,” he said when her brow rose. “A female won’t accept a man she doesn’t believe can protect her and their future den or family. I just realized that’s what happened to us.” He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.
Stunned, she stared at his chest. Could it have been that simple? God knew she accepted his body well enough, but hadn’t accepted him completely. When she thought of the man she’d want one day, a strong protector topped her list. Why hadn’t she remembered that? “Most people are like that, right?” That scenario made too much sense to only be a wolf person thing.
He nodded. “Probably. You accepted me after I proved my ability to protect you.” He snorted. “If I’d known that’s what you needed, I’d have made it happen before now.”
The idea of him deliberately orchestrating a fight to prove something, twisted her stomach in knots. If she never saw that side of him again, it would suit her just fine.<
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“Let’s go see daddy,” she said taking his hand and walking toward the buildings.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Matt read the first report from the lab regarding the tissue samples he had taken from Greta. And then he read them again. And again. No matter how many times he read the report, the results were the same, which made no sense. How could a healthy woman simply die? What about the spots? Where had they come from? Did they have anything to do with Greta’s death?
The preliminary report said no. According to this report she was healthy when she died. He had done several tests and hoped one of them would give him something he could build on. He closed his eyes, pushed away from the desk and the laptop.
“Healthy people don’t simply die,” he murmured as he stood and walked into the room where Greta’s body lay. “Something happened to you, what?” he asked her. “Did you eat something? A chemical reaction to herbs or poison?” He looked at her fingernails and sighed. Although the Priestess allowed him to run tests on the body, she remained steadfast in her refusal to share what they did to preserve Greta’s body. He had no idea if they destroyed evidence after she died or added chemicals that had nothing to do with her death. He replaced her hand and continued to stare at the woman who appeared to be taking a nap.
Adam strode into the room and stopped. He eyed the woman. “Is that Bella’s mom?”
“Yeah,” Matt said. He allowed Adam another minute and then pulled the sheet over her nude body. “I’ve been running tests since yesterday, haven’t made much progress though.” He ran his hand through his hair and leaned against the wall. “Didn’t you just leave here?”
Adam nodded. “Seems like I’ve been going in circles since I met Bella.” He paused. “She’s with her dad. He seems okay?”
Matt took a moment to consider the unasked question. “He’ll pull through in time. What about your mate? She still emitting pheromones?”
“No, we got that squashed.” He moved further into the room. “For her it was different than mom, she had to accept me as hers to turn it off.”
Matt’s brow rose. They hadn’t considered that as a trigger. “She didn’t want you?”
“She didn’t think I could protect her. Once she realized I could, she agreed to be my mate.”
“Is that why the men fought? Sort of an Alpha challenge with the winner proving to be the strongest? The best protector?” He had heard of that amongst their kind, but never humans, or at least not to that degree. Was this some kind of crossover for breeders? He had no idea, but would like to explore it more.
Adam shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. “Probably. She hadn’t thought of it like that, neither did I until after the fight outside.” He told Matt what happened after they landed.
“When the two of you settle, I’d like to speak with her, see if I can gain some insight on breeder physiology if you don’t mind.” Matt suspected there was a lot more to Bella’s trigger and response than any of them knew.
“I’ll let her know.” Adam glanced at the covered woman and looked at Matt. “Peter’s an older man, his healing will be slow. Is there anything Bella needs to know? What I’m asking is there a chance he could die from what happened? I need to know.” He watched Matt purse his lips in silence for a few seconds.
“There’s always a chance of something going wrong.” He waved around the room. “I examined and worked on him in a place like this, no equipment, minimal tools, lower lighting than I’d prefer. By the time I looked at him they’d already stabilized him and I have no idea what they did and they aren’t sharing that information. Believe me, I asked several times. But they won’t share their secrets, not that I blame them. Whatever they did for him, to her…” He pointed at Greta. “works better for humans than anything I’ve seen. I can only imagine the staggering amount of people who’d come here for help.”
“And that’s one of the reasons we don’t share information and require that you don’t either, Doctor,” the Priestess said entering the room. She glanced at Adam, nodded and returned her attention to Matt. “I know you haven’t been here long, but how much longer will you need to keep her body?”
Adam perked up at her sharp tone and wondered what happened?
“A few more days.”
“That’s unacceptable,” she snapped. “You’ve already taken samples, why does she need to remain like this?”
It was a valid question. Adam waited for Matt’s reply.
“To make sure the samples are good. Otherwise I’d need to do them over. Plus, I need to verify the analysis from the samples. That’s best done visually,” Matt said.
“There was no blood work, and no reason for a visual verification. I agreed to allow you to examine her and that’s been done. I’m walking a thin line here and must insist she be returned to her place of rest, especially with Bella here. She does not need to see this.” She waved at the table.
At the mention of his mate, Adam considered how this might impact her and agreed with the Priestess. He didn’t want her to see her mom with the small incisions Matt made. She probably wouldn’t understand. On the other hand, a breeder, like his mom and mate, had died and they needed information about that, too.
Matt nodded. “Of course, I understand. You can take her.”
The Priestess seemed to deflate, straighten and nodded. “Thank you. I’ll remove her now.” She unlocked the wheels, opened both sides of the door and rolled Greta away.
“Can you find answers without Greta’s body?” Adam asked thinking of his mate, his mom and his grandmother, who were all breeders.
“I’ll have to.” Matt turned and strode to the desk with the computer. “We need to know what happened to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“What about Peter? Maybe he knows something? Saw something he might not think was important,” Adam asked moving to stand against the wall as Matt sat.
“It’s possible.” He exhaled. “They may all know something they don’t want to share. A part of me thinks whatever killed Greta is indigenous to this area and not likely in the states.”
“That’s good, right? For mom and everybody?” Except for Bella, the other breeders lived in the Compound and would be safe.
“Not really.” He looked at Adam. “Do you plan to take Bella home with you one day?”
Adam frowned. “Yeah.”
“Do you think your father would agree to bring someone into the Compound from this area when we’re not sure what it was from this area that killed Greta?”
Adam’s stomach clenched. “What?”
Matt shrugged. “What if whatever attacked Greta is contagious to other breeders? We don’t know enough and can’t take that chance.”
An icy tendril of fear rolled down Adam’s back. “Contagious?” He shook his head. “Is Bella infected with something? Is she going to be okay? Can you check her out to make sure she’s good?” He fired off the questions one after the other before Matt could answer the first one.
Matt held up his hand. “Hold on. Don’t panic. I just wanted you to understand why it’s so important to get answers for everyone involved. Your dad is just as concerned as you and wants me to stay until I get this figured out.” He released a sigh. “Davian and Tomas will arrive in town later today, I haven’t seen them in a few days. This isn’t turning out to be the vacation we planned.”
With everything going on, Adam had forgotten about Tomas and his modeling gigs. “Did you tell him I found my mate?” At one time Tomas thought his mate was nearby, had anything happened on that front? Wouldn’t it be a hoot if they both returned home with mates?
Matt nodded. “I told him. He was a little disappointed you hadn’t told him, but Davian explained what happens with the mating heat. I think he understands. He’s said he thought he sensed his mate once but maybe it was a premonition for you.”
Even though Adam hadn’t ever heard of that, it could be true.
“Adam? Come quick,” Bella’s voice sounded strained. Adam
didn’t think. He spun and headed down the hall toward the room where Peter was recovering. Sounds of low chanting and prayers reached him. Lavender, menthol and some other scent Adam didn’t recognize filled the room and seeped into the hall.
“Bella?” His gaze sought her out before he moved quickly to stand next to her a few feet behind the group of women chanting. She looked up at him. Her watery gaze filled with fear and pain. He wished they could speak mind to mind, but that hadn’t kicked in yet. Taking her hand, he squeezed it gently and looked at her father. Face devoid of color, Peter could be a ghost so pale was his skin. Adam watched his chest and then looked at his neck, searching for a pulse. It was irregular but still there.
Matt entered the room, glanced at Peter and frowned. “What happened?”
No one answered. The women continued their chants and prayers. Matt looked at Bella and moved closer to them. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. He just… he stopped talking and went like this.” She gestured to the bed.
Matt looked at Peter for several seconds.
“Can you help him?” Bella asked, her voice shaky.
“Do I have your permission to examine him?” Matt asked glancing at the three women and then at Bella.
“Yes. Yes. Please, if you can help my Daddy, help him.” Her nails dug into Adam’s arm as she stared at her father.
“Adam, I need my bag.” Matt walked to the side of the bed, took Peter’s hand and looked at his watch.
“Be right back,” Adam said as he moved quickly to retrieve the bag from the other room.
The Priestess met him in the hall on his return. “Slow down. You could hurt someone moving that fast,” she chastised him.
Adam didn’t slow down. Peter didn’t look good. “For Peter.”
“What?” the Priestess asked his back as he continued down the hall. Her footsteps echoed behind him.
He handed Matt the bag and stood behind him to block the Priestess’ interference. As far as he was concerned, Bella’s wished trumped everyone else in this place.
“What happened to Peter?” the Priestess asked as she entered the room. Adam suspected she was asking Matt but since he was busy preparing to give Peter a shot of something he didn’t respond.