“Hey, it’s Ken,” he answered.
“Tell the boss it’s handled. No problems.” Martin chuckled. “And Duncan didn’t kneecap anyone.”
Finally, something Ken could laugh over after the afternoon’s heavy situation. “I’ll pass the word. We’re eating dinner right now, so if you want to stop and grab something on the way, go ahead.”
“Did our guests arrive?”
“Yeah.”
“Do I want to know?” Martin asked.
“It’s…” He sighed. “We’ll fill you in when you get here.”
“Okay. Talk to you soon.”
Dewi glanced his way when he ended the call, and he gave her a thumbs-up.
As Ken listened and learned, it reaffirmed his thinking that waiting to have a baby was probably the right call. With this latest threat now on their plate, they’d need every available Prime to take care of business, and definitely didn’t need extra babies to protect.
Then there was the unspoken—that any baby of Dewi’s would be a more attractive target, striking at the heart of the pack’s core emotionally and structurally.
While it was unlikely Faegan Lewis or any of his men would make it as far as their front gate, it only emphasized how many threats truly shadowed their lives, including the ones they didn’t even know about yet. Ones Ken likely had no clue about, but the wolves probably did.
What next?
There’d always be something, sure, but two directly targeted threats like this was something else and definitely nothing to be taken lightly.
Another thing—he didn’t understand why him. Why Dewi had pinged on him as her mate. He wasn’t complaining, because yeah, he’d do it again in a heartbeat, even after what he’d been through so far. He was just…
Curious.
If the Goddess—which he didn’t believe in and wasn’t sure if Dewi and the others actually did, either, or if it was just a comfortable habit to talk about—was so perfect, why him? A geek who couldn’t even protect himself. Another valuable target which could be leveraged against Dewi and the others.
Then again, I guess it makes about as much sense as anything else I’ve learned lately.
Which was absolutely none whatsoever.
* * * *
Nami stood inside the large, empty living room and looked around while her sister, husband, brother-in-law, and the realtor silently looked on. She tried to envision the house filled with furniture and family, where a Christmas tree might look perfect in front of the large windows overlooking the front yard.
How Bebe and her future cousin would look running around and laughing as they chased each other. It had a pool and a hot tub, five bedrooms, a gorgeous master suite.
And a gigantic eat-in kitchen, along with a huge dining room area right next to it that the realtor suggested could be repurposed into a family room, if they wanted.
No, they’d use it as a dining room, with a large table that could easily seat a dozen or more people.
Nami could see them all in there, laughing, cooking.
Teaching their babies how to make their momma’s biscuits. Plenty of room for Lu’ana and Dewi and Da’von’s future wife, if he found one.
Or husband, because, honestly, she didn’t care either way, as long as they were happy.
Had a nice, fenced-in backyard, too, to contain frisky little wolf pups and help keep them out of trouble. It sat located in a great neighborhood.
Only ten minutes from Nami and Beck’s house, and five from Martin’s.
Beck walked over to Nami and stood behind her. He gently rested his hands on her shoulders. This was the last of the houses they’d looked at this evening, and while she hadn’t given her answer on any of the others…
Yeah. She really liked this one.
It felt right.
“So what do you think, Sis?” Malyah asked. “Did you like any of them?”
Nami tipped her head back against Beck’s shoulder and reached out to him mentally. “Tell me this is the right thing.”
He nuzzled his cheek against hers, the sweet scratch of stubble helping to anchor her and reminding her this was real and not just a dream.
He also knew the perfect thing to say to her. He didn’t try to talk her out of her feelings. “He loves her, babe. He loves her every bit as much as I love you. He’d be dead already if Dewi and I didn’t know that.”
“Promise me you’ll hold him down for me so I can neuter him if he breaks her heart.”
He chuckled aloud, his lips brushing against her ear. “I promise,” he whispered.
Her hands settled over his and squeezed. “Okay,” she said aloud to Malyah. “Get this one. It’s perfect for you.”
Malyah squealed and ran over to tackle her in a hug, pressing Nami back against Beck.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you, Sis!”
Nami wrapped her arms around her little sister and hugged her back, trying to hold her own tears at bay.
They’d grown up. All of them. Da’von might be her baby boy, but there now grew a new life within her who’d need every bit of love and energy she could give him or her.
Her job here, with her siblings, was done, from a mothering standpoint.
Well, from an active mothering standpoint. They loved her and wanted her to be happy, to have a life for herself. They wanted her to be their sister—they didn’t need her to be a “mom” to them anymore.
“I love you, baby girl,” Nami softly said aloud to her without opening her eyes. “I love you all so dang much. I’m sorry I dragged my feet. I just…worry.”
“I know, Sis. And I love you for it.” Malyah hugged her even tighter. “I can’t wait to be an auntie!”
Nami finally released her and wiped at her eyes. She’d forgone makeup today because she knew she’d be crying. She’d spent the morning crying off and on—happy tears, at least—and making love with Beck. He’d taken the day off and they’d curled up on the couch to watch movies and talk, to look at baby furniture online, and to decide that the bedroom closest to the living room would be the one they’d turn into their nursery.
Joaquin walked over, his arms open to Nami, and she stepped in for a long, strong hug.
“They will never find your body,” she whispered. “So you take care of her and make her happy, you hear?”
He softly snorted but didn’t release Nami. “I love you, Sis. I swear I’ll make you proud.”
She sniffled again and, after ending their hug, she held Joaquin’s face in her hands. “Take care of her,” she whispered. “Protect her. She’s my little sister, but she’s my baby, too.”
All humor fled from his expression. “I swear, Nami,” he whispered. “I’ll die to keep her safe.”
Hell, he was a year older than her, even though he looked much younger. Then there was the whole wolf thing. And he was an Enforcer for the pack. He knew his shit, knew how to hold his own. Nami knew he could protect Malyah.
She just needed to hear him say it out loud, to put her mind at ease.
Nami nodded and hugged him again, even patting him on the back. “Fly free, little birds,” she said. “Oh, and Thanksgiving will be here.” She smiled. “Y’all will host it.”
He chuckled and received a hug from Beck. “Anything you want, Sis.”
Chapter Fourteen
It was close to midnight. Ken had already gone to bed a couple of hours earlier. Dewi, Duncan, Badger, and Joaquin, who’d returned with Malyah just a little bit ago, sat at the kitchen table and finished catching each other up on the day’s events. They also worked out plans to move Tamsin to Idaho. Duncan and Joaquin would stay behind with Martin and Beck.
It’d be bad enough with both Dewi and Badger leaving. Dewi didn’t like the thought of not having at least one Prime left behind in case there was trouble with the Seguras.
Dewi was glad to hear Joaquin and Malyah had signed the purchase contract for the house. The money had been sitting in an escrow account ever since they’d returned to F
lorida from Idaho, just waiting for Nami to finally make up her mind so the couple could close on one.
“And Nami says we are hosting Thanksgiving,” Joaquin said with a playful smile. “I believe it was an order, but one I don’t mind at all.”
“Thank goodness,” Badger said. “It’ll be nice havin’ yer first holiday dinner there, an’—”
That’s when they heard the sound of the sliders from the lanai opening. Tamsin walked into the kitchen just a moment later.
They all turned her way. “Hey, there,” Badger said. “Can I fix ye some supper, lass?”
“No, thank you,” she quietly said. “I just wanted to make myself some tea, if it’s not too much trouble?”
Badger shoved himself out of his chair. “I’ll take care of it for ye. Please, sit. Peppermint okay? Or chamomile? Or would ye prefer somethin’ more traditional?”
“Peppermint would be lovely, thank you.” She sat in the chair Badger vacated. Now, she looked…
Dewi worried about her. The grief-stricken girl had been ripped from her mate. With Trevor returning to the UK tomorrow, she would be separated from the only true family she had left.
Before, she’d been on the run, terrorized, and likely unable to fully process the events. It’d barely been forty-eight hours since her life upended, her happiness shattered.
“Oh, Tamsin, this is Duncan Lister, my grandfather, and our former pack Alpha,” Dewi said. “He’s a Prime and one of our Enforcers now. He’s also on our expanded pack council.”
Tamsin nodded to him. “It’s very nice to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise. I’m truly sorry about the circumstances. My deepest condolences to you.”
Her smile faded. “Likewise, and thank you.”
“I talked to Peyton,” Dewi told her. “He’s my older brother and our pack Alpha. You’ll be staying with him and his wife, Gillian, in Idaho. We have a pack compound there. I’d like to give you a day to rest, and then we’ll drive you out there.
“Drive? Is it far?”
“With Badger and me taking turns, it’ll probably take three or four days. We’ll drive straight through. I don’t want to risk flying with you and catching someone’s attention. Once you’re out there, Gillian will work you up a new identity that you’ll use to help keep you safer. They also have doctors in town, right by the compound, who are part of our pack. They’ll make sure you and your baby are well cared for.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry to be putting everyone through so much trouble.”
“It’s fine. It’s not trouble. This is what we do for pack. Oh, and fair warning, I think Gillian and Asia, my other sister-in-law, are already planning a baby shower for you. If you end up staying too long, you’ll probably be adopted. They love babies.”
Tamsin managed a weak smile. “Maisie and Rupert would have loved that, thank you.”
Dewi reached over and gently covered the girl’s hands with hers, gave her a quick, comforting squeeze, but it was also to better gauge her condition.
As Dewi had felt with Trevor, Tamsin was utterly grief-stricken.
Dewi eased a little Prime energy into her. “I think once you drink your mug of tea,” she gently said, “that you’ll be able to go back to bed and sleep soundly until morning, don’t you? When you wake up, you’ll feel hungry enough to eat at least a little something.”
Tamsin nodded. “Yes, I think so. Thank you.”
Dewi patted her hands and released her, sitting back to watch her. Ever since Malyah shook off the suggestions Dewi had given her following her father kidnapping her, Dewi felt a little nervous when working with her Prime powers. There hadn’t been any other incidents, as far as she could tell, of her Prime failing the way it had with Malyah. Duncan, Badger, and Peyton were nearly certain it was because Malyah had distant wolf ancestors, combined with the force of her mating with Joaquin, who was a very strong Alpha.
But they weren’t positive that explained it. Meaning Dewi was now…careful.
Very careful.
Another reason Peyton wanted Tamsin living with them in Idaho was so he could keep close tabs on her and, if needed, use his Prime on her to make sure she ate and took care of herself for her baby’s sake. He wouldn’t be so cold or callous as to try to make her “forget” Maisie and Rupert, or eliminate her grief, but he would use just enough Prime to help her remember to make healthy choices for her own sake, and her baby.
Starving to death because she felt heartbroken would only compound the tragedy and multiply the grief for Trevor and his wife. Nothing could ever take away Tamsin’s loss, or make up for it, but they could rally around her as a pack to help her through it, until she finally felt strong enough to keep living for herself and her baby’s sake.
Badger and Duncan were proof that loss could be survived, eventually.
So were Dewi and her brothers.
Dewi was only four years older than Tamsin, but Tamsin appeared years younger. It was often difficult for Dewi to think of anyone who wasn’t as gnarled as Badger as being “older” than her, much less see a person close to her own age as being a peer.
Dewi felt responsible for her pack. It was one of the reasons Peyton made the tough call to name her Head Enforcer at such a young age, because he knew it was one of the only ways to help her channel her strengths in a healthy direction, keep her focused. An old soul, as Badger, Beck, Peyton, and Trent had told her countless times.
Times like this, Dewi wished she didn’t have the insights she did, the powers.
Because even though she could use them to help someone, as she’d just helped Tamsin, it also emphasized to Dewi how utterly helpless she truly was sometimes to “fix” things for people when they were broken beyond measure.
Yet their pain ripped at her as if it were her own.
* * * *
Ken barely stirred when Dewi slipped into bed with him a little before one that morning. After coaxing a piece of toast into Tamsin without even needing to use Prime on her, Dewi and Badger had walked her back to the pool house and made sure she was securely locked in. Joaquin would sit up tonight to keep watch, just in case, and patrol the grounds immediately outside the house so that Dewi and Badger could sleep. Depending on Tamsin’s condition tomorrow, they might leave as early as tomorrow night.
Usually, Dewi enjoyed traveling to Idaho when it wasn’t winter.
Yes, even for her damn wedding…before all hell broke loose, that was.
This time, they were traveling for a somber reason, and Dewi wouldn’t risk bringing Ken with them, either.
She didn’t want him possibly exposed to any risk of being followed, but, also, she wanted him in Florida, where he could pick up a gun, if needed, to defend the house there.
Joaquin and Badger had convinced her that, yes, Ken was progressing, growing. That just as Nami had to let her siblings go, in this way Dewi would need to let Ken come into his own as her mate.
That to try to smother him with her protective love wouldn’t help him, in the long run.
That he was a man who needed to have his dignity, even if he wasn’t egotistical like that to start with. He’d proven himself twice with nearly no training, in circumstances where far more experienced humans—and wolves—likely wouldn’t have survived.
As much as Dewi hated to admit it, they were absolutely right.
Yay, personal growth.
She stirred the next morning when Ken awoke. “Hey,” she mumbled, rolling over onto him. “We need to talk.”
“Before coffee? This must be bad.”
“No, not bad.” She updated him about what he’d missed after going to bed.
“So Nami finally gave in, huh? That’s good.”
“Yeah. Now if we can transport Tamsin to Idaho without incident, that’ll be a relief. How’s your ankle feel?”
He lifted his foot and wiggled it. “Still achy, but not as bad as yesterday.”
“Good. Please try not to hurt yourself while I’m gone.” She offered him a smile.
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“I’ll do my best, Dewi.”
Her smile faded. “No risks, huh? Keep Da with you. If you run errands, take him with you.”
“We’ll be fine. You and Badger be safe driving.”
Dewi wished she could stay in bed and make love to him that morning, but she had a lot to do if they were going to leave that evening. When they made their way downstairs, they found Malyah ready to head to work and Badger and Joaquin already starting to cook breakfast. Duncan joined them a few minutes later.
Then they heard the sliders open, and Trevor appeared.
He looked even worse than he had yesterday.
Badger walked over and hugged him. “Steady, there, man. Keep breathing.”
“I had horrible nightmares all last night. I still can’t believe they’re gone.”
“Any word from home?”
His expression hardened, filled with dark anger. “They haven’t caught him yet. They killed another of Tamsin’s brothers, though, and captured her mother. My men think Faegan escaped into Scotland. They’re still tracking him. We’re nearly certain he hasn’t escaped by air or boat. Tamsin’s mother is cooperating. She didn’t know he’d ordered the attack. She says she was trying to convince him to accept the latest dowry offer we’d made, but she had no idea he’d ordered blood. One of the Primes involved in the hunt helped interrogate her and confirmed she’s telling the truth.”
“Eventually, they’ll corner him against an ocean, then,” Badger said.
“I can only hope. I told them they didn’t need to wait for me, either. If they have confirmed his identity, they are to take blood immediately and bring me his head.”
Tamsin joined them a few minutes later. Badger was able to coax more toast and an egg into her. Trevor had time for a shower before he packed to leave for the airport to catch his flight. Outside, as they all said good-bye to him, he hugged Dewi tightly.
“Thank you, again. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay all of you, but I am forever in your debt.”
Bleacke Spirit Page 11