Bill grinned and then stepped back, bumping into Mona. The mannequin fell and her head popped off, rolling across the kitchen floor. Gus stopped shoveling in cereal and went eerily still.
Bill grunted and shot the man a hard look. “I already told you that I didn’t behead your girlfriend on purpose. Stop saying that. I tried to fix her.”
Gus never moved or said a word.
Bane put his hand out to her. “Baby, come on. We’ll let the two of them sort this out. “
She went to him, putting her hand in his, her body warming at his touch. She used her other hand to straighten the pale yellow dress she’d found on the foot of the bed when she’d awoken. It was just her size. Bill may be crazy, but he was amazing at picking out clothing for women.
Bane led her down the hall and then onto the back porch. The home overlooked a lake and had beautiful views of the mountains. When they’d driven to the safe house, she wondered how far they’d go, but as they’d gotten farther from the city and deeper into the wilderness, she’d stopped caring. Now she never wanted to leave.
He took a moment and began taking off various weapons, placing them next to an oversized deck chair on the porch before taking a seat and pulling her onto his lap, making her laugh as he did. “That’s better.”
“You have an arsenal on you,” she said.
He grinned. “Yeah. It’s fucking great, isn’t it?”
She snorted. “Sure. Boys and their toys.”
“I want to be sure I can keep you safe at all times.” He winked, and then kissed her.
She kissed him back and nestled against his chest, looking out over the lake. It was breathtaking. In all the years she’d called Seattle home, she’d never realized all of this was two hours from it. “I love it here. It’s a beautiful home.”
Bane rubbed her arms, chasing away the morning chill in the air. “Galiena, if this is where you want our home to be, I’ll make it so.”
“Our home?” she asked, stiffening on his lap.
He sighed, holding her closer. “This has all been too much for you, hasn’t it? You’re not ready to give me forever, are you? I mean, you’re young. You probably want your freedom, not to be tied down to me, of all people.”
He kept going and she finally pressed her forefinger to his lips, silencing him. She locked gazes with him. “I love the idea of forever with you, but it is a lot to take in. It’s a lot to wrap my mind around, and it’s a lot of changes. I think I just need to get used to the idea of it all, but that doesn’t mean I want to get used to it away from you. I want to get used to it with you, Bane.”
He didn’t move a muscle. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
He bear-hugged her to the point she thought she’d pop. She grunted, and he eased up on his hold. “Sorry. I got excited.”
“I noticed. Ouch. Try not to get excited while hugging me again.”
He grinned. “You make me happy. Real happy.”
She laughed at his choice of words. “You make me happy too, Bane.”
He put a hand between her legs and held her tight to his chest as they both looked out at the lake. They sat like that for what felt like hours, simply enjoying being close to one another.
Her stomach growled, and the sound seemed to echo around her. She blushed and then covered her eyes.
Bane kissed her cheek. “Let’s get you fed. Is your stomach better this morning?”
“It is. Thank you.”
“Galiena,” he said, turning her to face him. “I want you to meet with a friend of mine. He’s a doctor and a scientist. You can trust him. He works for PSI.”
She tensed, having had her fill of scientists for a lifetime. She didn’t want to be around another one anytime soon.
“James Hagen is a good guy. I promise.”
She stilled. “James? Bill mentioned him. He said James could tell us for sure if I’m pregnant now.”
Bane stood fast, taking her with him, leaving her dangling in his arms. “What? You’re what? Ohmyfuckinggods, what? We just…last night…how could it happen so soon?”
“Dude, it only takes once, and from the grunting and groaning you two did all night, you did it a hell of a lot more than once,” said Bill from the open door. He smiled, holding Mona’s head under an arm. The head wore the helmet Gus was so fond of. “Figured out a solution right now that makes Gus happy.”
Bane swallowed hard and then set Galiena down quickly, touching her all over. “Did I hurt you? Did I make the baby fall out?”
Galiena howled with laughter, bending, unable to catch her breath.
“Monkey-boy, it doesn’t work that way,” said Bill.
“What? I know that. It just came out of my mouth. Stupid things come out a lot around Galiena.”
“I noticed,” said Bill. “Gus and I are gonna get our stuff packed up now. You two good?”
He didn’t wait for a reply. He left Galiena standing on the deck with Bane.
Bane stared down at her, and his nostrils flared as he took deep breaths. “Your scent is starting to change.”
“I think they’re right about you being with child already. I should have noticed that the second it began. I was so swept up with you and with getting everything in order to protect you that I didn’t stop to focus. Galiena, I have to get you out of Seattle before tonight. I can’t risk Helmuth tracking you here or hurting you. I can’t risk you or the baby.”
The very idea that she could be carrying a child and that Helmuth could be a threat to it did something to her. In an instant, her darkness flashed upward, and she snapped her hands out to the side. A hard coating of what could only be described as marble came over her arms as talons shot out of her fingers, hardening as well. Her eyes burned, and she blinked up at Bane. “I’ll tear his throat out if he tries to harm our child.”
Bane took a step back and put his hands up. “Baby, your eyes aren’t green anymore. They’re violet—and you look like you could tear my throat out now too.”
She blinked, the marble hardness receding at once, the burning in her eyes stopping as well. “I love you. I’d never hurt you.”
He stumbled and righted himself quickly. “You love me?”
She realized what she’d said and gasped. “Um, well. Can we change the subject right now?”
He reached for her, drawing her against the expanse of his chest. He ran his hand through the back of her hair and forced her to look up at him. When she did, he bent and kissed her so thoroughly that she knew exactly how he felt about her. He loved her too. Her heart soared as she returned the kiss tenfold.
Chapter Seventeen
Bane held his mate closer to him as they waited in the backseat of the SUV for the plane with Casey onboard to come to a stop. Bill was in the driver’s seat, and Gus was next to him, sleeping off the effects of something Bill had given him. Bane hadn’t wanted to permit Bill to drive, but he’d wanted to hold his mate. That meant letting go of control. Before Galiena, that wasn’t something he’d thought he could do. Now, he’d do whatever he had to, to be there for her and protect her.
His free hand went to his sidearm and it helped to ease his worry some. Helmuth was still out there, still obsessed with Galiena. Sure, the man was injured, but that would more than likely only slow him down for a time. He’d surface again, Bane was sure of it. And he’d be there to end the bastard once and for all. He’d also lean on his friends for help hunting and killing Helmuth. It was one more example of him growing as a person and learning to let go of some control.
He snorted softly.
A glance over his shoulder proved just how out of control things had gotten. Mona—the creepy mannequin—was in the third-row seat, buckled in at Gus’s insistence, her head duct taped on, wearing some of the clothing Bill had purchased for Galiena. The damn thing was still staring at him with those dead eyes. It unnerved him in a big way. It hadn’t helped matters any when he’d woken from a quick nap to find Galiena had taken Mona’s head and put
it on the pillow next to his. He’d nearly smashed it to bits, all of which made his mate cackle from the doorway of the room.
Bill had found the entire ordeal hilarious as well, returning with another sandwich and a plate full of special brownies in hand. The leftover brownies had been brought along in a bag for the road trip, against Bane’s protests.
Casey’s little friends were a handful. And he couldn’t wait to hand them off to Casey and be done with them. That being said, they had helped him find his mate. They’d gotten him sexed up as promised, and he had Galiena because of them.
Also, his mate seemed taken with them, worrying over Gus, and doting on Bill—making sure the small man had a shave and a bath. She’d even stood next to him, watching while he brushed his teeth. Bill had grumbled the entire time, but he’d done everything Galiena had asked of him. She’d even given him clothing to put on Mona.
Bane’s life had turned into a circus, and he loved it.
He loved her.
Galiena was tucked safely against Bane’s side, having dozed off herself on the way to the airstrip. Bane kissed the top of his mate’s head, unsure if he’d ever get to the point where he’d be able to stop making contact with her. As it stood, if he wasn’t touching her, and she wasn’t in his line of sight, his beast began to make itself known, pacing, watching, wanting out. It wanted to be close to her.
So did he.
“I love you,” he whispered against her hair as he inhaled her jasmine and vanilla scent.
Bill snorted from the front seat. “Big bad alpha says it when the girl is asleep. Pussy.”
“Mind your own business,” snapped Bane, his voice low to keep from waking Galiena.
Bill stuck out his tongue and then faced forward.
Bane tucked Galiena against him more, not wanting to share her with the others coming. He knew Harmony would have a number of questions for her, and he didn’t doubt the two women would bond. While he was happy for Galiena to have a female around, another part of him, a selfish part, wanted her attentions all to himself.
He took a deep breath, realizing that if she was pregnant, he’d have to learn to share her sooner rather than later. A smile touched his lips slightly. He could just imagine a little one with Galiena’s big green eyes, and her light-colored skin. As he thought about what their child might inherit from him, he gulped.
Shit. My temper, no doubt.
He was in no way ready to handle dealing with a child with his stubborn streak. Though, it would serve him right. He had to laugh softly at the idea of it all.
Bill glanced back at Bane, winked and then got out of the vehicle, giving Bane some private time with Galiena. While Gus was still in the car, he wasn’t in any condition to be a bother. At breakfast, Bill had slipped the man something, swearing up and down it was for the benefit of the group. Bill mentioned something about Gus needing to be hogtied last time he flew, so it was better he be unconscious. Bill had sworn the man was fine. That a deep sleep was needed.
Bane couldn’t help but look at the odd man in the passenger seat and think more on the fallen PSI agent. Was Gus related to Christopher? Was Christopher’s DNA really used in Gus’s creation? If so, did the others at PSI know?
Stirring, Galiena drew his attention to her. He stared down at his woman and fought the urge to smile. He wasn’t known for being overly happy, yet the feeling in his chest was one of pure euphoria. He had a wife, a mate—something he’d never wanted to believe could be true, and he might even have a little one on the way.
It was sheer bliss.
He had to fight the urge to squeeze her tightly. She was so tiny he couldn’t but worry he’d accidentally break her. Although, she could certainly hold her own when need be.
Pride welled in him.
Casey opened the door to his jet and a woman Bane wasn’t expecting to see again so soon burst past Casey, rushing down the stairs and hopping onto the tarmac. A big guy who looked like he’d given up trying to control the woman was close behind her.
Bane laughed softly as Paisley managed to outrun her mate, Weston. The small woman made it to the SUV in record time, throwing open the door, causing Galiena to jerk upright and gasp against Bane.
He kissed his woman’s temple and held her tight. “Shh, baby, it’s okay. I think someone missed you. I’m betting she didn’t give Casey a choice on coming.”
Bill opened the driver’s door and leaned in as Paisley and Galiena squealed and hugged one another. Bill smiled wide, looking quite pleased with himself. “Gus thought it was important Casey and Harmony stop and get Weston and his woman before they come. He thought your mate might like it a lot.”
“Thank you.” Bane continued to grin as his woman slid out of the SUV and kept squealing and hugging Paisley. Bane followed behind them and stood, stretching his aching muscles. Battling Helmuth had been harder than it should have been, and that was concerning. Hopefully, Bill was right and Helmuth’s day was coming. The idea that he was still out there, still fixated on Galiena, horrified Bane.
Weston extended a hand to Bane and then pulled him into a manly hug. When he released him, he nodded. “Thank you for finding her.”
“She found me, brother,” he said, watching his woman cling to Weston’s. “I was just in the right place at the right time. Fate did the rest.”
“Thought you didn’t believe in fate,” said Weston with a wink.
Harmony, Casey’s mate, was next off the plane. She hurried in the direction of Bill, bent and hugged him before looking toward the passenger seat. She gasped and locked gazes with Bane. “You killed Gus!”
“Nah, he’s just drugged,” said Bane with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“You drugged him?” she asked, looking alarmed.
Bane grunted. “I didn’t do anything. Wild Bill did. Those two do what they want.”
She shook her head. “I swear, no one would believe you’re all elite, trained soldiers. You can’t even watch an old man and Gus.”
Bill batted his lashes as if he were totally innocent. Bane wanted to wring the small man’s neck.
Harmony doted all over Bill before going over and checking Gus for herself. Her husband approached Bane and hugged him as well.
“Brother,” said Casey. He looked to Galiena and worry flashed in his eyes. “She’s so thin.”
“I know,” returned Bane, knowing his mate needed to be tended to. “She’s been through a lot. Helmuth had her all this time, and there was testing involved. Krauss did things to her.”
Bane had tried his best to fill in Casey early in the morning while he’d been tucked away in the safe house’s base of operations in the basement. There were still a large number of unknown factors.
“So, gargoyles are real?” asked Casey, letting out a long breath.
“Yeah, and they’re fucking strong.” Bane rotated his neck. “I’m still fucking sore.”
Casey’s eyes widened and he glanced briefly at Weston before returning his attention to Bane. “You had that much trouble with him?”
“Yes.”
Weston stilled before commenting, “Bane, you’re one of the strongest of us.”
“I know.”
“This isn’t good,” said Casey, stating the obvious. “You said you think Krauss put gargoyle in Galiena’s makeup as well?”
“That’s what she told me. And from what I saw her do, I’d say yes. It’s a sure thing. Also, I, uh, think she might be carrying my child now. I want to get her to James right away. I need him to check her over. I need to know she’s safe.”
Casey and Weston shared a look that said they understood the significance of that statement. It was Casey who spoke. “What about Helmuth?”
“Like I told you on the phone, he’s gone. No trace of him or Lance.”
“I notified Lukian,” said Casey evenly.
Bane eyed them carefully. “He doesn’t know he’s Lance. He really thinks he’s this Thor guy. But something was off. He didn’t help Helmuth or his men. And
he didn’t let innocents get hurt. He put his life on the line for me and my mate. I think something of the Lance we all knew is in there.”
“Think he’s fighting whatever they did to his mind?” asked Casey, sounding hopeful.
“Yes.”
“What about the hybrids? You mentioned one of them being giant and Bill taking him out with a rocket?” asked Casey.
The mere mention of Bill and the rocket made Bane instantly tired. “Yes. Lance told me that whatever it was, Krauss made it.”
Weston cleared his throat. “Do you think it used to be one of us? An Outcast?”
Bane hadn’t wanted to allow his mind to go there, but the way the pieces were fitting together, the chances were high that it was the case. He nodded.
“Fucking assholes,” snarled Weston.
Paisley broke from hugging Galiena and lifted a brow in her mate’s direction. Weston lowered his head and grunted. “Sorry. I’ll stop using that language.”
Casey hid his laughter, but Bane didn’t bother to.
Weston pointed at him. “Ha, laugh it up. You’re about to know what it feels like to have your balls in a jar.”
Bane’s eyes widened. Harmony had done as much to Casey. And it was pretty clear Paisley had done the same to Weston. Was it his turn?
Paisley and Harmony leveled hard gazes on Weston as if daring him to say more.
He pursed his lips. “Did I say balls in a jar? I meant to say you’re about to know what it means to have your heart full of joy.”
Snorting, Paisley rolled her eyes. “You were right the first time.”
“Totally right the first time,” added Harmony, making Galiena laugh softly. “We like to keep you guys on your toes. You’re way too alpha for your own good.”
The men shared a look and no one dared deny they were too alpha.
Bane stared at his woman, and his chest tightened more. As much as he’d always thought of himself as a loner, independent, and too alpha to be led around by a woman, he realized there was no place he’d rather be than at his mate’s mercy. “She’s welcome to mount mine above the fireplace. Whatever she wants, she gets.”
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