by Eliza Gayle
"Distraction huh?"
"It makes sense. Especially if those wolves have no issues with you directly. Going after a mate is risky. So why bother unless they are desperate to get you out of the way?"
He really couldn't fathom why they would care one way or another about him. His interactions with the Blackwoods had been minor skirmishes at best. Even the confrontation over Sienna when Shane had claimed previous ownership of her had been resolved somewhat peacefully once her mate bond with Gage was established.
"There is the fact that one of my crew is responsible for the death of their alpha. We can't discount how powerful revenge can be as a motivation."
"Then why didn't they go after his mate instead of yours? Who doesn't seem to realize her importance in this scenario, by the way. What's up with that? Why have you allowed her to return to the human world where it can be difficult to keep her safe?"
Galen's questions were poking at Bhric's nerves in a not good way. Each one felt like a stick of heated metal taking a quick jab. Or at least that's how his beast perceived it. And with the beast in control, the man took on that impression as well.
"One of her babies isn't expected to make it through the night. She promised to see it through with the child's mother and I couldn't say no to something like that. Could you?"
"Is her life at risk worth this?"
Bhric thought of his own mother in this situation. She'd loved he and Dean with a vengeance. She never cared one bit about what animals were mixed with what and she never feared them either. Her love had been so pure it still filled him with hope through some of his darkest days. It kept him fighting with the animal inside him too.
And then there was Marcy. A champion for mothers whose babies had to fight for their lives. And often lost the battle. He found Marcy's need to sacrifice her well being to help others in this situation both compelling and admirable.
In fact, it made his need to bond with her even stronger. Except he feared that if he followed through with a mating, her life would go to shit when she realized the truth about him.
"I can limit the risk. It's not perfect, but it's acceptable. Her work is admirable and necessary. That mother she is with deserves Marcy's help."
"Wow. I never pictured you like this. In fact, I wasn't sure you cared about anyone."
He shook his head. "Like you said, I've changed. We all have. I have a new family now and I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect them. Dean has a child not much older than the baby in there. I won't allow anything to happen with her."
"Look at you. Uncle Bhric. Getting soft over the years. Never would have--"
Galen didn't get to finish his words before Bhric had him backed against a wall with his forearm across his throat, blocking his airway.
"Why did you really come here? Why now?"
"I told you," the dragon wheezed, his breath hot against Bhric's skin.
He wouldn't be able to contain the man long. And if he let things go too far, he'd be risking everyone in this hospital and beyond if Galen shifted.
"Have I ever told you that I don't believe in coincidences?” He pushed his arm deeper into the man's throat. "If this situation with Marcy is meant to distract, then wouldn't sending you here do the same thing?"
The dragon's golden eyes flashed and his mouth opened on a roar that shook the walls. Bhric released him and jumped out of his way allowing the beast to push harder at his skin. No he wouldn't shift, but he'd borrow the animal's power if he had to.
"Fuck you, Bhric." Galen rubbed at his throat and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "If you think I'd be some sort of pawn in your feline/wolf games you're fucked in the head. If you idiots want to fight to the death I'm not going to stop you, but I sure as hell am not going to play your bitch ass games either."
Bhric had pushed Galen too far. It was a risk he'd had to take. And now he had his answer. His friend had nothing to do with the bullshit going down.
"I'm sorry," he said, panting from the effort it had taken to hold his friend down. "I had to be sure."
"Are you happy now? You risked your human and everyone else in this hospital for that."
The angry glare pointed in his direction nearly scorched him. "Maybe. Maybe not. I was pretty sure you could control it."
"You clearly don't understand the fight or flight instinct. I was half a second away from barbecuing you and burning this whole place down. I was only trying to help you figure this out."
"Your help was making me paranoid."
Galen rolled his eyes. "You don't need my help for that," he spat. "Whatever, I'm out of here. You need to figure out what's going on and clean up your house. Find out what's going on before that amazing woman in there gets caught in the crossfire."
Bhric watched Galen walk down the hall and disappear into the elevator. He knew the man would take his behavior badly, but he had to be sure. And the end always justified the means.
Too much was happening at the same time. His mate in danger. His family's mates getting pregnant. The leader of the Blackwood pack getting killed. And now the Ferguson's returning to the mountain.
He had a hunch the breaking point was just around the corner.
Speaking of which...
He turned back to the entrance of the NICU, the beast urging him to move. It was time he laid eyes on her again.
14
Bhric had pilfered a badge from one of the nurses during their last shift change. He planned to be prepared in case of any scenario, including one that might end up with him needing access to the NICU.
Using said badge, and after a thorough perimeter check, he entered the glass doors that would lead him to Marcy.
To his surprise it was even more quiet back here than in the empty lobby. This kind of quiet made his hair stand up on the back of his neck and a trail of sweat pop out on his forehead.
Anything could have gone wrong back here and he'd never know. Although he was already aware of the fact that besides the main entrance there was only one locked fire escape door that would alarm if anyone opened.
Still he had asked one of Galen's security detail to keep that exit secure and to report the slightest incident. Whether or not that man remained at his post didn't even enter his thoughts except under the assumption that he would be there for the duration.
He might have pissed off Galen, but he knew his friend well and he would make sure his man stayed put. It wouldn't surprise him if he'd dropped more of them on his way out.
Mad or not, his friend would take his back. That was always the kind of relationship they had. He would do the same for the dragon.
When the sound of beeping machines hit his sensitive ears, he followed them. Where there were monitors there would be babies and where there were babies, he would find Marcy.
Two more turns along the corridor and he encountered a large room with the lights turned down. The nurses’ station stood empty, but he heard the sound of a woman's voice singing a well known lullaby.
The sweet lilt drew him forward and about half way there he realized he was listening to Marcy crooning. His heart stuttered. He detected the very real pain in her voice and it made him feel it to. Sheer sorrow that sliced to the bone. That she felt that kind of emotion for a baby not her own told him everything he needed to know about this woman.
One thing became apparent. She was far too good for the likes of him.
The beast moaned and Bhric had to clench his jaw tight to keep the sound of it inside. He took another tentative step forward and the scene of Marcy, the mother, and the tiny infant came into his sight. The mother rocked the child, while Marcy sang nearby.
He stayed into the shadow so as not to be seen and relished the precious moment in front of him. No machine beeped in this room. He opened his senses and especially his hearing to absorb everything. Marcy's voice soothed both man and beast as it obviously did to mother and child. Her heart beat strong with the melody, calling out to him. The mother's heartbeat seemed as slow and as sad as
the woman herself.
The child's heartbeat came through the loudest. Strong and fast it filled his ears. Way too fast for a human. He wanted to do something. Help the child. Save Marcy the pain that would burn within her--
His head snapped up. The heart rate increased. The sound of blood rushing in his ears. That wasn't the child's heartbeat he'd heard, it was his own.
He strained to hear the fourth. Nothing came to him. He couldn't see the baby's face as it was turned away from him on his mother's shoulder, but only silence came from his tiny body. Yes, it was a boy, of that much he was certain.
The mother turned her head and Bhric got his first glimpse of the silent tears running down the woman's face. Sheer agony ripped through him. The urge to break and throw things hit him so hard it was difficult to breathe.
The beast rose up, pushing completely through his skin. The mother stared at him as if she could see him when he knew that she could not. His bones shifted and moved as his body grew and reshaped. He couldn't contain the animal now if he tried. He was as stricken by the grief as his mate.
How? How did she do this?
This kind of pain took pieces of your soul and never gave them back. It took everything he had not to go to her and pull her from the room.
For the first time in many years, he cursed his abilities. What good did it do to be physically stronger or more capable to understand everything through his senses with the world filled with this kind of cruelty? This death was not about peace nor was it justice. It went against nature.
He dropped to his knees as the pain and senselessness crippled him. This world made no sense to him. He fought for breath and a calm that never came. Only chaos ever survived in his head. He had no idea how much time had passed, but the soft touch of a hand to his shoulder sent him scrambling to his feet.
She was there. His mate had found him.
He reached for her to find out if she was real or a figment of his pain clogged imagination in desperate need of a lifeline. He touched her lips, a slight brush against their softness and released a guttural moan of pleasurable discovery.
"Bhric, are you all right?" she whispered. "You shouldn't be back here."
"I had to see you. Needed to."
"I know the feeling," she said, some of the light going out of her eyes.
That loss of light broke something inside him. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against him. He had to feel her warmth. Her strong heart beat against him.
But it wasn't enough. He walked them backwards into an adjoining darkened room, spinning her around with his front to her back he pushed them against a wall.
"Oh, God, Bhric." She gasped as his lips attacked her neck. "Yesss!"
Somewhere in the back of his mind a small piece of him thought maybe this wasn't a good idea. Neither one of them were in a safe headspace.
Instead he was consumed with need. He wanted reassurance that they were both okay.
"Do it, Bhric. I need it. Take the pain away."
Her barely uttered words slayed him. How could he deny his mate in need?
He couldn't.
He didn't hesitate as he roughly yanked her scrub pants and underwear down her thighs.
He had no control and he knew it, which scared him more than a little. But this woman, this beautiful creature who gave of her soul to help others needed him now to make it better.
He pulled at his own pants, frustrated at the time it took to get the job done.
Fuck!
The frenetic energy swirling in his head made his movements jerky as he pushed his leg between her thighs to make a little more room. He palmed her luscious ass, grabbed her hips and before he could try to slow down, slammed inside of her.
Her shocked gasp feeds the beast as he begins to pound into her. There is no sweet in him. Not this time. Only frenzied need that comes from deep in his core.
The only thing his brain seemed to register was the fact that he was inside her again. Where he needed to be since that first night so long ago.
Marcy splayed her hands against the wall, tilted her hips and pushed into him. "Harder. Please."
His thrusts roughened, going deeper as his hips slammed into her each and every time. Fuck control.
"Dammit, Marcy." That's all he could say. His throat was too clogged with emotion for any more words to escape. He'd dreamt about this day and night for months, had craved it and now she had him. He would do anything for her. All she had to do was name it.
"Bhric, I'm getting close. Faster, baby."
Her pleading sent him over the edge as he gave her what she needed. Or at least that's what he thought until he watched her reach between her legs and rub against him where they were joined.
He dropped his head against her neck and sucked on her skin. He also reached around and pushed her hand aside, taking over the job of rubbing her clit with his fingers.
His teeth scraped against her flesh. "So beautiful," he gasped. "Come for me."
When she cried out and her muscles tightened around him he wanted to yell out how fucking amazing she felt. But he couldn’t as his body flew over the edge with her and the breath has left his lungs.
If he had the strength he would have bitten her right then. Marked her as his. But instead he only gasped each time his body convulsed. This wasn't about being together forever.
No, this was about reaffirming they were both alive and would survive this day. They would find a way to understand the cruelty of the world and live.
They would live.
Bhric eased from her body and winced at the red marks he'd left on her hips. He'd been really rough.
"Don't" she said.
"What? I hurt you."
She pulled up her pants and refastened them around her waist as did he. She then grabbed his face and pulled him down to her.
"You gave me exactly what I needed when I needed it." She pressed her lips to his.
He closed his eyes letting the sensation of her touch take over his mind. It was she who had given to him a priceless gift tonight. He'd seen her world and it's importance to her.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her deep. He knew he needed to let her get back to work, but it wasn't easy letting go right now.
For a few perfect minutes she melted in his arms and he devoured her, imprinting everything about her on his mind. Her taste, the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest. The way her hips fit into the groove of his.
He released her and sucked in air. "You'd better go or I'm not going to let you."
She smiled. "Will I see you later?"
"Hell, yes. I'm going to be right outside in the waiting room until you come out."
"Good." She combed her fingers through her hair and pulled out a tube of lip gloss from her pocket. "I'll see you then." She then disappeared into the outer room and he waited a few heartbeats before he followed.
She'd returned to the mother and after a few minutes of talking to her she resumed singing. He was pretty damned sure her beautiful voice would haunt his dreams for eternity.
Footsteps down the hall made Bhric move deeper into the shadows. He didn't sense any danger, but that didn't mean he wasn't on alert. If someone wanted to use Marcy as a distraction for him it was certainly working.
Instead a pretty strawberry blonde stopped outside the door and motioned to Marcy through the window. She nodded, but continued to sing until she finished the song. Only then did she bend down and whisper something to the mother before coming through the door to face the blonde.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
"The boss is asking to see you. I bet he wants your decision on the promotion."
That most certainly got his attention. She'd mentioned a promotion in passing, but they'd never gotten into the details.
"That's fine. I've already decided. Tell him I need a few more minutes here and then I'll be in."
"Oh my God, you've decided to move to Memphis ha
ven't you? Although I don't blame you. If I was given the chance to run a place like this I'd probably take it too. Despite the downsides." The last was said with both women looking through the window at the weeping mother.
The beast snarled as Bhric tried to take a breath. What the ever living hell?
"It's important work. I will fight tooth and nail for every life, and if we occasionally lose then by God it’s just as important to help then too."
The other nurse nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "You go back in. I'll tell him you're still tied up." She turned to Marcy then and pulled her into a hug. "You really are the best at this you know. You deserve that promotion."
Marcy didn't say anything else. She simply returned to her post next to the mother and began another song.
For some reason unbeknownst to him, the beast receded and drifted away. Bhric was left standing there, certain the wind had been knocked out of him.
Promotion.
Memphis.
Far away.
He couldn't think straight either. He slipped out of the deep shadows and moved toward the door that led him back to the waiting area. His need to know if Marcy was okay temporarily sated. She wasn't one hundred percent okay, but no one had harmed her.
The wolves either didn't know she was back at work or didn't seem to care. He returned to his seat with the best vantage point to see everything and sat heavily.
His thoughts turned to his brother and the hell he'd been through over the years. Now he had a beautiful mate and the sweetest cub alive. The idea that any of that could be snatched from him under any circumstance made his blood boil.
Promotion.
Memphis.
Far away.
His erratic thoughts about his future with Marcy wouldn't stop. He needed her, but he couldn't make her stay. If her heart wanted to go to Memphis he couldn't stop her. She obviously had important work to do and he could never fault her for that.
Never.
But if he told her about shapeshifters and the mate thing, it could and likely would, destroy everything she loved. That couldn't happen.