Natalie felt a shove that sent her flying into Lity and both women went down to the floor. A few women screamed, while Tali and Selly gasped, immediately helping them off the floor. Rome and Hannan were immediately there, helping them off the dance floor and back to the couches.
Hannan crouched before Natalie and asked, “What happened? Are you okay? Did you see who did that?” Natalie shrugged, shaken.
She wanted to say it was an accident, but that sick feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t let her.
“I don’t know what happened. I was dancing and then someone shoved me into Lity.”
She looked over at Lity to ask if she was okay, but she stopped her question, noticing that Rome was sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders.
Well at least that’s something positive that came out of this.
“I didn’t see who it was but,” she looked intently into Hannan’s eyes, “I’ve had a feeling someone has been watching me all night. I thought it was just because of the way we look tonight, but my instincts are telling me it’s more than that.” She looked at the other women, relieved that none of them, including Lity, seemed to be hurt. “Would you mind if we called it a night? I think I’ve had enough adventure my first time out.”
All the women hastened to agree; grabbing their stuff and making their way back to the exit when Salius suddenly appeared.
“You ladies okay? I saw what happened. Did anyone see who was responsible?” He looked Selly over, making sure she was alright, before turning back to Natalie. “Are you leaving then?”
“Yes, we’re okay, and no, we didn’t see who did it. But we are going to call it a night. It was nice to meet you.”
Natalie gave a little wave, following Rome and Lity into the back hallway while Tali, Selly, and Hannan spoke with Salius.
They walked out into the night and piled into the car.
“I’m sorry you guys. I didn’t mean to ruin the night.”
Now that the fear and disquiet had passed, Natalie couldn’t help feeling like she had overreacted.
Hannan started the vehicle as Tali wrapped her arm around Natalie’s shoulders.
“Honey, if you felt something was wrong, then it was the perfect time to leave. Never distrust your instincts. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Natalie couldn’t help but laugh, the old saying soothing her frayed nerves.
They pulled out of the parking lot and were making their way around to the front of the club when lights appeared in their lane ahead of them. Hannan tried to stop the car and swerve out of the way, but the other vehicle plowed into theirs, flipping them. The crunch of metal and shattering of glass punctuated the car doing multiple flips.
That car had to have been speeding, Natalie thought dazedly, after their car had stop rolling, resting on the roof. Everything had an otherworldly look to it; everything appeared to be just a little too dim and fuzzy to be real, and yet the stinging in her head and the bystanders screaming and running toward the car assured her that it had actually happened.
She looked around the vehicle, only now realizing she was strapped in her seat and upside down. Looking around at the other occupants, she realized all the women were strapped in their seats and all were conscious, but on closer inspection, Lity was out cold. Blood was dripping down her face and landing on the roof, which was now their floor.
Hannan was swearing, struggling to get his seatbelt off, and Rome was crawling into the backseat to help them down. He started with Selly, cutting her belt off and catching her before she hit the ground.
“Careful, Sel,” he rumbled, taking off his jacket and laying it on the roof, “there is a lot of glass laying around. Crawl out and go get someone to call Taav.”
Selly crawled out of the door Rome had shoved open and made her way to the group standing just beyond the car. Natalie could see Salius sprinting from the club and grabbing Selly in his arms. She would be fine, Salius would see to it.
Rome made his way to Natalie, wincing as his palm encountered some glass.
“Rome,” Natalie said, but her voice sounded tinny to her ears, “is Lity alright?”
Rome glanced into Natalie’s eyes, and Natalie grimaced at the grim look she saw there.
“She will be,” he ground out, releasing Natalie from her belt.
He carefully lowered her to the floor and made his way to Tali, detouring to Lity as Hannan helped Tali down.
Natalie sat there for a moment, watching as Rome and Hannan gently released Lity from her seat. Rome carefully gathered Lity into his arms, brushing her hair away from her head to look at her face before crawling out of the vehicle.
“Nat,” Hannan took her hand and pulled her from the car. “You okay? You have some cuts on your face that are bleeding.”
He was gently wiping away the blood when sirens pierced the air.
They both looked toward where other cars had appeared, filled with what Natalie hoped were the police, and hopefully, an ambulance.
When the ambulance pulled up and a floating stretcher was pulled out, Rome gently deposited Lity onto it, following the two men back into the ambulance before it pulled away.
Salius ushered their group to the authorities, arranging for them to give their statements at the hospital so they could be with Lity and Rome. They had to separate into two vehicles and met up in the hospital lobby. Tali and Selly had their arms around each other, whispering.
Natalie grabbed Hannan’s arm and pulled him away from the group.
“Hannan, you don’t think it was the person who pushed me, do you?”
The angry look in his eyes confirmed what she thought. This whole accident was her fault. Someone was after her, and Lity got hurt.
Hannan’s eyes soften and he rubbed Natalie’s arm.
“Little sister, Taavi is on his way. Lity will be alright. And this isn’t your fault.” At Natalie’s widened eyes, he gave a small smile. “You’re emotions are written across your face. I see guilt there and it isn’t much of a jump to get to the reason you would feel guilty. Come, let’s get you looked at.”
A man in scrubs led them into a small room. He checked Selly and the baby first. Apparently besides the MedHand, which he used to heal the glass cuts on her arms and legs, he had a small handheld device that acted as an ultrasound, showing the baby moving around and its strong heartbeat.
Tali was next, having cuts and a massive bruise on her shoulder healed.
When the man came to Natalie he paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face before once more becoming professionally blank. He ran the MedHand over her, paying particular attention to her head. He set the device down, reached into his pocket and removed a fairly large piece of glass from her head with tweezers. Blood started to run down her face, over her eyebrow and she had to close her eyes before the blood got into them. She had just closed them when she felt a familiar presence blast into the room.
She kept her eyes closed as Taavi shoved the man out of the way and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his fear and rage, pouring off him in waves, his heart pounding and his breaths billowing out of his lungs.
He pressed his lips to her hair, muttering, “Natalie, alaila,” over and over again.
Natalie sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaned into him.
For the first time in hours, she felt safe and protected.
A throat clearing had Taavi growling low in his throat. A timid, “her head is still bleeding,” made Taavi release her, though reluctantly.
He stood next to her as the healer closed her wound and quickly stepped back as Taavi once again grabbed Natalie.
Natalie wiped her eyes and looked around the room.
Tali was standing in Hannan’s arms, patting his shoulder and watching Taavi and Natalie. Selly was standing in Aaren’s embrace, while he alternated between rubbing her back, kissing her neck, and caressing her belly. Salius, Andris, and Aaden stood in the doorway, parting when the healer left.
�
�Where’s Lity? Have you heard from Rome?”
Natalie pulled back again and hopped off the table.
She strode toward the door, the women right behind her as the men scrambled to catch up. Natalie stopped a woman in scrubs before she walked into another room.
“Excuse me, but there was a man and woman who came in a few minutes ago by ambulance. Do you know where they are? Her name is Lity, she’s small and blonde, and the man is Rome, he’s big with red hair and golden eyes.”
The woman looked Natalie over before looking at the group.
Her suspicious look disappeared and she said, “I can’t give away that information, but if you go to the desk, they will be able to help you,” before walking into the room.
They strode down the hall, people quickly moving out of the way when they saw them coming. They stopped at a desk, and before they could say anything, Rome rounded the corner of another hallway.
His face looked pale and ragged, his eyes burning. He nodded his head back down the hallway he had come from and turned on his heel.
They stopped in front of a room, quietly poking their heads in.
Lity was lying on a bed, eyes closed as Rome resumed his seat next to her, grasping her hand. If it weren’t so sad, it would have been cute. When they filled the room, Lity opened her eyes and gave a small smile with a little wave.
“Hey everyone. I’m okay; just hit my head when the car flipped. The healer gave me something for the swelling and I should be fine soon.”
They gathered around the bed, squeezing into the small room.
“I don’t mean to ruin a nice moment,” started Andris, “but what the hell happened?”
He pinned Hannan, Salius, and Rome with his gaze, waiting for some answers.
“Someone pushed Natalie in the club, knocking her and Lity to the floor. When we went to sit back down, Natalie told me she felt like someone had been watching her all night, so we all decided to leave. Then when we were turning into the front of the club, a car was in our lane. I tried to swerve, but the car kept coming and hit us. It drove off before anyone could see who it was. I’m sorry I failed you.”
Hannan hung his head, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.
Taavi reached over, Aaren doing the same, and grasped Hannan’s shoulder.
“We do not blame you, my friend. You did what you were supposed to do, and no one was seriously hurt.”
A sharp snort had Taavi whipping his head toward Rome.
“You call this not seriously hurt?” he gestured toward Lity, lying in the bed. “She could have died. Hell, any one of the women, or us, could have died. I want that son of a bitch. He’ll pay,” he growled, glaring at the men in the room.
Natalie looked at Taavi, a tad worried the outburst would send him over the edge.
Taavi was studying Rome and then Lity, his eyes speculative. Natalie caught his eye and was surprised when he winked.
“Oh, we will catch who did this. Mark my words.” His eyes glittered when he made the promise.
The person responsible is so screwed.
Chapter Sixteen
Dammit, I almost had her, he thought, ripping his hand through his hair.
He walked into the brothel, aware that he was being watched. He had to play it cool. When Alpha found out about his miss, he was going to lose it.
And what a fucking stupid code name. Alpha my ass.
The man in charge was an old fool. Well, he wouldn’t be in charge for long once his plan came into action.
That bitch and her fucking stupid ass mate won’t know what hit them.
He grinned evilly as a whore came towards him, a come hither look on her overly made up face.
All women were whores, in his opinion, just like his mother.
Yeah, this woman was attractive enough, but not as much as Taavi’s mate. Now there was some prime pussy. Alpha was stupid, wanting to kill her, but he had a better idea. An idea that wouldn’t go unnoticed and would be respected once the followers found out about it. Then he would be the Alpha.
He gripped the woman’s hand tightly causing her to wince. He smirked, loving the fear that was starting to creep into her eyes. He dragged her toward the private rooms in the back, looking forward to the release of tension. Oh, she was going to regret choosing me, he thought, pasting on a fake look of concern.
She relaxed, smiling once again and following him to the back.
Little do they know, I have a new partner; a partner that will be a very useful ally once all hell breaks loose.
He pulled the woman into the room, locking the door behind her. He went to sit on the couch and shoved the woman onto her knees.
Exactly where she should be, on her knees prepared to worship me.
He impatiently waited as the woman unbuttoned his pants and took out his hard cock. Just thinking about his little alien had gotten him hard. He watched the woman lick her lips, before stretching them to fit around the head of his shaft.
When she had taken him to the base, he fisted his fingers in her hair and waited for her to quit struggling against him. Once she realized he wasn’t going to do anything more, she relaxed, breathing through her nose. That was what he had been waiting for.
He held her head in his fists as he thrust into her mouth. He kept going; doing it harder the more she struggled, making her gag on his length. He pictured that little alien, Natalie, on her knees before him, struggling to break free as he fucked her mouth. He became impossibly hard at the thought of taking her when she fought to get away from him. He came with a deep groan, pumping himself into her mouth, feeling her throat stroke his length as she swallowed; he had gotten off quicker than he expected, but it would have to suffice until he came back.
Freeing the woman, he shoved her to the floor. He tucked himself back into his pants, threw some money at the whore, and left by the back entrance.
It was time for him to start putting his plan into motion. It might take awhile, but it would be worth it.
~ ~ ~ ~
They had transferred Lity to the medical wing at the palace.
The medical staff at the center had wanted to keep her for observation, but no one wanted to leave her there.
Tali volunteered to stay with Lity in the castle’s facility and Rome stayed to guard. Everyone bid them goodnight and went their separate ways.
Taavi kept his arm around Natalie, holding her close as they walked into the apartment.
Natalie could feel the tension in his body slowly release as they walked into the living room. She took off her shoes, rolling her shoulders to release her own, and walked into the kitchen for a drink.
She was just closing the fridge door when she felt Taavi move up behind her.
“Did anyone touch you tonight, besides that asshole who pushed you?” He slowly brought both of his hands to her shoulders, palming them and rubbing his hands up and down.
“No. No one touched me,” Natalie whispered, worried if she spoke louder that he would stop.
At her words, if anything, he became bolder, allowing his hands to travel down her arms and around her stomach. He pulled her into his chest as he let his hands rest on her.
They stood that way for a while, breathing together and taking comfort in each other. Taavi shifted the bottle out of her hand and set it down before turning her into him.
Natalie could immediately sense a change in him, the anger and fear once more taking hold.
“You fucking scared me, Natalie. You could have died tonight. I felt your fear. I felt your terror. I could taste it, Natalie.” He stepped away from her, pacing the kitchen, running his fingers over his head. His tortured eyes looked at her from a face ashen with remembered fear. “Is that what you want? To leave me? Is it too much to ask you to be my mate?”
Natalie gaped at the ridiculous claims.
“Are you kidding? Please say you’re kidding. You really think I made or allowed this to happen? You think I would choose to be killed, instead of just saying I didn’t want to
be with you?” Natalie yelled in outrage before getting a lucky shot in and slapping his face.
That seemed to bring him out of his mini freak-out.
Shaking his head and rubbing his face, he leaned against the counter, looking at his feet.
Natalie was shaking, she was so angry. After Andris accused her of letting Imhal hurt her to get their sympathy, she was about ready to burst.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. That was a ridiculous accusation. You would definitely tell me to go to hell instead of being all secretive.”
He gave a shy smile, watching Natalie’s expression.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Leave it to him to be an asshole – a charming asshole.
She let out a gusty sigh, too tired to even deal with him.
“Forgiven, but don’t accuse me of that again. Between you and Andris, I’d happily go on a slapping spree. Now, I’m tired and sore and ready for bed. Good night.”
She turned on her heel and strode toward her room.
She showered and brushed her teeth, climbing into bed for the night in her old jammies.
I could have died tonight, she thought in amazement.
It was so surreal, even though it had only happened a few hours ago; it seemed like something she had witnessed on a movie instead of her actual life. She wondered who could have been behind it, and if it was targeted or a random attack. Her gut was telling her it was the same person who was staring at her all night, the same person who had shoved her and Lity to the floor.
She was still sorting through who it could have been when her door opened.
She was facing the window, her back to him. She heard clothes rustling before her covers were lifted and a warm male body slid in behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, shoving his face in her hair. He sighed, warming the skin on her neck.
He gave her a gentle squeeze and murmured, “I really am sorry, Natalie. I don’t know why I was an ass back there, but I freely admit I was. Please, don’t be mad. I was just so scared. You really could have died, and I would never have known the other half of my soul. I would have lost you before I even had a chance to know you,” his voice cracked, breaking her heart.
Destiny Found (Epsilon Chronicles Book 1) Page 11