My Captive Valentine
Book 5 - The Rabbit River Saga
By Elyce de Reefe
Copyright © 2020 by Elyce de Reefe
First electronic publication: February 2020
Elyce de Reefe
www.elycedereefe.com
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Coming February 29, 2020
Because Dragons are real— and they’re coming back!
Dragon Lure – Book 1 – Return of the Dragons
Chapter 1
Gage sat on the front porch of the pack house watching a flock of dark-eyed juncos hop and flutter in the melting snow. Their plump little bodies were a dark contrast to the white ground, but he knew they blended in well with the branches of denuded winter trees, their soft white bellies making them difficult to spot from below. Their actions were carefree and playful, the large dark eyes they were named for bright and curious.
Sometimes he envied the simple creatures of the forest, unable to conceive of worry, incapable of experiencing regret. His fingers sought the object in his pocket once more. He would have to return it now. Why he had taken it to begin with— he couldn’t say. Except when he’d entered that upstairs bedroom for the “clean up” and took in what he had done, he’d felt the man’s life deserved some kind of remembrance. He’d had some idea he should carry it as a token of remorse.
Because while Cray had managed to subdue and restrain two opponents without killing them, Gage had turned his into a bloody mess. He’d been so furious anyone would try to harm Elizabeth, harm Pack, he’d just lost it. They had snatched Elizabeth right off the street, right out from under his nose—he had been the one guarding her at the time—and Gage had been beyond reason when he took the man apart.
Only the man hadn’t died. And Gage still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, or not.
He sighed and got to his feet. He’d have to go check on him more often now that he’d regained consciousness. Make sure whatever he remembered wasn’t taken seriously. Not that it would be. But…
Gage had half-shifted when he’d ripped the man to shreds, using his razor-sharp claws to maximum effect. And while that wasn’t precisely against the Law, it was definitely frowned on. For good reason. There was only one thing a human would associate that precipice between man and beast with, and that was werewolf. Something the People did not want humans to even speculate about. Ever.
Not that they would. Modern humans were so arrogantly certain they knew everything there was to know about the world, foolishly believing they had pierced all of nature’s mysteries. The People knew better.
But going back upstairs on that fateful day after discovering Elizabeth whole and unhurt, the blood- splattered room had brought him up short. It was as if someone had created a macabre imitation of a Jackson Pollock— encompassing the entire room.
The memory of it still shook him. Had he really done that? He remembered standing in the doorway shivering, taking in the destruction of the room, and wondering—was this how it happened? The human’s limp body lay crumpled on the floor like so much garbage, blood still seeping out onto the carpet. He felt a chill run down his spine. Was this that first step into the madness? That terrible, inexorable slide into the Sickness, sanity gradually shifting away like the grains of sand in an hourglass until you were just a husk, howling at the full moon and rabid for blood…
Maiden’s mercy. He took two steps into the room and knelt by the man’s crumpled form. He was still breathing. How, Gage wasn’t sure. He didn’t have much time, but he set to work, stripping off the shredded clothing and binding the wounds with it. He could feel the man’s life force slipping away as he worked, in spite of the blood-clotting enzymes in the saliva he was frantically licking onto the bandages before he applied them. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
Looking down at his own bloodstained hands, he followed an urge he didn’t fully understand. It seemed vitally important that he did not let this human die. With the flick of a claw he opened his own wrist, letting a few drops fall into the worst of the wounds. The gaping rent across the abdomen.
It was from an old story. A fable dimly remembered from when he was young, told around the fire on dark winter nights. He didn’t think anyone actually believed it really worked, but he had to do something. So he did.
And impossibly, somehow, it had been enough. He’d left the man lying on the floor wrapped in so many torn strips of cloth he’d looked like some kind of rag-tag mummy. And then, feeling ridiculous, he’d wiped down the surfaces he’d touched as quickly as possible, going back out the window and removing the evidence of his entrance that way, too.
But he’d left blood in the human. Evidence that was more dangerous than any fingerprint. If they looked. Which, thank the Maiden, they hadn’t. Or maybe such a small amount of blood would be impossible to trace. He could hope.
And now, as far as the law was concerned anyway, Gage was pretty sure he had a son. Not that he could ask. You didn’t ask a Lore Master like Dean that type of question without fielding some very uncomfortable questions.
Whether the blood had actually made the difference, he didn’t know. The saliva aided healing. It helped fight infection and knit the wounds. Everyone knew that. But in the story, a woman who had lost her mate and all her children to the Great War, had healed and adopted a human child with a drop of her blood. Which was something he had not considered when he’d gifted the man with his.
The human had undergone several operations and spent months in a coma, months during which Gage haunted his hospital room, certain he would die, that the next time he visited, the man would be dead, but instead, he’d slowly improved. Even the doctors had been surprised.
And now, he was awake. Which was going to cause a problem. It had been easy enough to establish himself as a friend when the man was unconscious and unable to refute it. All the nurses knew him and freely gave him updates even though technically, since he wasn’t a family member, they shouldn’t. But as the months went on and he got to know the staff, certain rules had been relaxed. It helped that the guy didn’t seem to have anyone else visiting him. But now…
Could he maybe use the amnesia excuse? “What do you mean you don’t remember me? Dude. I’m crushed.”
Gage shook his head and trotted down the porch steps. The juncos scattered to the bushes along the river in a flurry of chirping and fluttering. It was too early to go to the hospital yet, visiting hours weren’t until later this afternoon. Anyway, he didn’t want to skip the training session. That would require explanations. And he really didn’t want to explain this to his brother. His perfect, older brother, Lucas. Who was also his Alpha. No. Gage had no desire to tell Lucas what a complete mess he’d made of this.
He kicked at a stone on his way around the house to the training facilities in the back. Because if the man remembered... and talked...
But who would believe him? Everyone would assume it was all fever dreams. Even the man himself would think that. Right?
Still… somehow Gage didn’t expect Lucas to be impressed with his reasoning. He sucked in a breath and let it out. He probably should have just let the human die. He’d brought it on himself, kidnapping women and cavorting with criminals. Even if he was very young.
A sudden thought struck him. The man would be questioned now, by the p
olice. Probably he would be tried in the human courts. He should tell Cray. Elizabeth’s mate should know about anything that pertained to her safety. Or maybe… should Gage try to get the information from the man himself before the police showed up?
He shook his head and shoved his hands deep into his sweatpants pockets. Should have let him die. Only, he couldn’t. Something inside him, that he didn’t understand, had insisted he try to fix the mess he had made. And now he had an even bigger mess on his hands.
He glanced up as he walked through the open bay doors of the garage, spotting Eli and Zeke practicing a new Jiu-jitsu hold Dean had showed them yesterday. Showtime.
He pasted a big, goofy grin on his face. “Dude. Lyla’s granny could do a better job with that hold. Maybe you should let someone who knows what he’s doing demonstrate.”
Eli glanced up, distracted, and his brother Zeke slipped out of the hold, and kicked him in the ass, sending him sprawling on the mats.
Gage laughed out loud. “Hey, what did I tell you? You need to get your thumb underneath…”
Eli rolled his eyes. “Yeah, thanks, Gage. You’re a big help.”
Gage strolled over and gave him a hand up, still chortling. Eli was probably the one person he could tell about his accidental adoptee. The one person who might understand why he’d done it. But that didn’t stop him from enjoying faux pas. It felt good to laugh.
“Like this,” he said, pressing down on the nerve by Eli’s wrist. “See, the thumb goes here…”
Four hours later, Gage parked his truck in the hospital visitor’s section. He smelled her as soon as he opened his door. He got out slowly, scanning the parking lot. And there she was, cutting through the lot, her long raspberry scarf bundled around her head and neck, but unable to contain her hair. It glinted copper and gold in the stark winter sunlight, the wind wiping stray stands into her face. She didn’t see him. She never did. Striding across the parking lot as if on a mission, she passed within thirty feet of him without ever glancing his way.
Gage sighed, wishing he could follow her, but he had to get upstairs and check on Mike. His good buddy Mike. Gage still didn’t know what he was going to say when he saw him. His mouth tightened as he followed in the woman’s wake. She would be heading to the University. He knew, because he’d followed her that first time. Unable to stop himself, he’d trailed behind her, with his heart pounding in his chest and his mind chanting this one, this one, this one.
But Gage had already made enough mistakes for a lifetime. He couldn’t afford to make another. It was forbidden to date humans, and he didn’t want just one night. So he’d followed her to her classroom, and loitered outside while the students filed in, peeking in to see her set up her computer at the front of the room. But once the class had started, her voice sweet and melodious as she led the class, he made himself step away. He’d forced himself go back to the hospital and check on Mikey. The other thing he should not be doing.
Gage turned now and headed into the hospital, feeling a nervous sort of anticipation build within him. It seemed almost unreal that the human would really be awake after all these months. But then, there he was— his frail form sitting propped up on pillows against the raised hospital bed.
The sight hit Gage like a punch to the gut. The man was almost lost among the bedding and nearly as white as the sheets. Gage forced himself to keep going though, rather than pause on the threshold the way he wanted.
“Mikey Mike, I heard you are lonely as fuck, so I came to visit. ‘Bout time you woke up. Dude. Nine months. Not cool. Nobody knew if you were going to make it. You really dragged it out.”
Mikey, his good buddy, had lost what little color he had. Not a good sign. Could he possibly recognize Gage? That was something he’d never considered. But the guy clearly remembered something.
“You— you…” Mike croaked out, trying to slither up the top of his bed, which wasn’t going well, since after nine months the guy had the muscle tone of Jell-O. He blinked rapidly, staring at Gage like he expected him to pounce. Poor guy.
“Hey, Mikey, relax. It’s me, Dan. Take it easy, okay? I brought you some reading material since I understand it’s going to be a while before you get out of here. Wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for so…”
He handed the human a bag of magazines he’d purchased in the gift shop. Without taking off his gloves. Just in case. The man noticed. He looked up from Gage’s gloved hands to his eyes with a fearful, questioning gaze, but he took the bag. The thin hands trembled as they pulled the bag up the covers and clutched it to his chest. Gage was pretty sure that was just weakness, but it could have been fear. The man smelled terrified.
“You attacked me…” The words were a breathy whisper, and the young man’s eyes were wide, like he wasn’t really sure Gage was actually there.
“No. No, man. What are you talking about? What kind of drugs do they have you on?”
Damn. This had been a mistake. The whole thing had been a mistake. Should have let him die. But something inside him twisted at the idea and he pushed it away. The human looked pitiful and vulnerable nestled among the white sheets, and much younger than the twenty-three years Gage knew he actually was. He was pale and painfully thin, with huge sunken eyes that looked at Gage like he was some kind of monster. Which, possibly, he was.
“Here, let me get the nurse. Maybe she has something that will help you relax. You were in pretty bad shape, buddy. I’m not going to lie. That kind of thing could shake a guy up.”
He poked his head out into the hall and saw Betty pushing a blood pressure machine towards him. “Betty, my girl. Bring that thing over here, would you? Our boy is a little confused and worried. Must be quite a shock to wake up after all that time.”
“Dan! I knew you’d come! Isn’t it the best news ever! Sometimes this job can really break your heart, but then you get a great happy ending like this and it makes it all worth it.” She came over and gave Gage a big hug. Betty was a very enthusiastic person. Gage liked her a lot. She smelled nice, too, like vanilla and strawberries. He was pretty sure that was her shampoo.
She bustled into the room with the machine and a bright smile. “And how are we doing? Do you remember me? I’m Betty. We met earlier today, remember?”
Mike nodded and she went on. “Dan said you were feeling a little confused?” She wrapped the blood pressure cuff efficiently around his arm. “Disorientation is normal for a coma patient, along with some short-term memory loss, so don’t let that worry you. Dr. Klemins will explain it all to you when he comes by.”
The machine beeped and she jotted something down on her chart, then tucked the wires back onto the cart. “Dr. Klemins should be here soon. You can ask him any questions you have.” She flashed her bright smile at Gage. “You’re so lucky to have such a devoted friend. He’s been roaming this ward like a lost soul for months. Well, I’ll let you two visit.” She winked and went out the door.
Gage stared after her. Mike did too. Apparently, Betty though he was very devoted.
“Um… no. It’s not like that, Mike. You really don’t remember me?”
Mike shook his head, looking bewildered. “I… I remember fur.”
“Fur? No, I don’t think so.” Shit. Why did the kid have to have such total recall? “It was April when you got hurt. We moved some blow… a shipment of guns… but no fur. Not that I remember. But listen, Mikey… about that. I’ve pretty much left the business, you get me? Ours is not an easy occupation to retire from, but when I saw what they did to you… Well, that’s not right. I got out. So… I’m not in real good with the boss, if you know what I mean. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention me to him, or anyone, should they come to see you.”
Gage paused and tried to assess the effects of his words. This seemed to be making more sense to good ol’ Mikey, since he had been in the mob. Of one kind or another. It was a plausible explanation, especially after Betty mentioned the memory loss thing.
“But I have to tell you,
Mike,” Gage said more seriously, “they haven’t been to visit. No one has come out once. I checked the logs.”
Mike swallowed. “They haven’t?” His voice was still very soft and a little rusty.
Gage shook his head.
Mike closed his eyes. “Thank God.” It was a fervent whisper that Gage probably wouldn’t have heard if he didn’t have such excellent hearing.
“So, um… this retirement thing… Do you think I could do that too?” The hope in the young man’s eyes made Gage’s chest go tight.
“I don’t know, kid. I don’t know how deep you’re in. But the fact that they haven’t visited… Well, that’s a good sign. You want out?”
“Yeah. They had me by the balls… but now…” He shook his head.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll do what I can to help you. You’re not going anywhere for a while yet. You’ve got about a mountain-load of physical therapy ahead of you. And the police are going to want to talk to you. I’m surprised they’re not here already. The best thing to do is tell them you can’t remember anything. Stick to that, and you may just stay out of trouble.”
Mike nodded. “Yeah, I got nothin’ I want to say to the police.”
Gage held in his sigh of relief. Good. At least he didn’t have to worry about that right now. At least, he hoped not. Hoped the kid was being straight with him. But talking was not in Mikey Mike’s best interest right now. So I guess I got that going for me.
He made arrangements to have Mike call him if and when the police showed up, and if anyone from their former employer should come by and left wishing there were some way to sic Elizabeth on the kid. She’d have him fattened up in no time. But the poor guy was still on clear liquids. Maybe he could convince Elizabeth to make some chicken broth. Come to think of it, there was probably some chicken broth in the freezer.
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