by Faith Gibson
“I would agree. I’d rather Tessa be my sister instead of the one I have.”
“Yeah, I had the, uh, pleasure of meeting yours.”
“I’m sorry.”
Trevor laughed. “I didn’t have to interact with her, but you might want to apologize to Dr. Bailey. Speaking of the gorgeous oncologist… Dr. Bailey, here’s your patient. Safe and sound and newly mated.”
“Thank you, Trevor,” a familiar female voice said. When the door clicked shut, the sheet was pulled off Josie. “Hi. I’m Sabrina Bailey, one of the other mates. I’m glad to see you coherent and without a fever.”
“You and me both. Thank you for helping in my escape.”
The pretty doctor smiled, her teeth white against her dark skin. “My pleasure. I have to admit, that’s the first time I’ve lied to someone’s mother like I did yours. She is beside herself with worry.”
“When’s the last time you gave her an update?” Josie asked, climbing off the gurney. Dr. Bailey handed her a hospital gown, and Josie changed out of the scrubs into the scrap of fabric that did little to cover her butt.
“A couple hours ago. I told her we were waiting on test results. I have to say, you look relatively clean for someone with such a high fever.” Sabrina had a glint in her eyes. “If your mom asks, I’ll tell her we used dry shampoo. God, I hate lying, but it was for a good cause. Right?”
“The best.” Josie found she meant it. She was now part of a secret society of shifters and their mates. She had never felt so alive.
Chapter Eleven
Malakai followed Gregor and Tessa into the main part of the hospital. Gregor let Kai know Frey had picked his Jeep up from Josie’s apartment and was parking it in the main visitor’s lot. Gregor and Tessa turned left to head to the waiting room, and Kai went right toward the front entrance. Trevor texted to let him know what room Josie was in, but Kai couldn’t walk right in. He had a part to play.
“I’m here for Josie Pierson. Where is she?” he asked, playing the concerned boyfriend. Sabrina, Deacon’s mate, was in on the ruse, so when he stopped at the nurse’s station inquiring about his girlfriend, Sabrina intercepted him.
“Kai, what are you doing here?” Presley asked. A woman who was an older version of Josie was behind her. Gregor and Tessa had joined them at that point.
Sabrina stepped up. “I called Malakai at Josie’s request.”
Presley ignored the doctor. “Yes, but what are you doing with Joselynn? What has she told you?”
“I’m not sure I follow. She’s told me lots of things. That’s what people do when they’re together.”
“Together? You and my sister? How is that even possible? Did she track you down at the gym? This doesn’t make sense.”
Gregor pulled Tessa back by a belt loop, banding his arms around her chest and whispering something in her ear. Her anger on Josie’s behalf was endearing.
Sabrina motioned toward the family room behind them. “Let’s take this conversation somewhere a little more private.”
Kai had known this confrontation was coming, but he hadn’t realized how angry he was going to be. As soon as the door closed, he turned to Josie’s mom. “You must be Jacinta. Now I know where Josie gets her beauty from. I’m Malakai.” Jacinta blushed the same pretty shade her daughter did. “Where’s Josie? What’s going on?” Kai asked Sabrina.
Before she could answer, Presley grabbed Kai’s arm. “Can we go somewhere private and talk?”
Kai jerked his arm away. “No. Whatever it is, I want to know. How bad is she, Dr. Bailey?”
“I wasn’t talking about Joselynn. I want to talk about us,” Presley clarified.
“There is no us, as in you and me. I’m with Josie, so you need to get used to it.” Kai gave Presley his back, turning his attention to Sabrina. He had to give the doctor props. He could feel her anger building, matching his own, but she hid it well.
“We’ll wait in the hallway,” Gregor said, pulling his furious mate along with him.
Sabrina waited until the door closed to speak. “Josie—”
“Joselynn’s medical information is private. He isn’t family, or have you forgotten the laws, Dr. Bailey?”
“Presley! Stop being rude,” her mother seethed.
“I can handle this, Mrs. Pierson. Josie specifically asked for Kai. She asked me to call him, and that is all the permission I need to speak to him about her condition. She also made it clear she doesn’t want you having the same privilege. I’m going to have to ask you to step outside while I speak with Kai and your mother.”
Presley bowed up. “She’s delirious. You can’t take anything she says as the truth while she isn’t in her right mind.”
“Do I need to call security?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Presley stepped toward Sabrina, but Jacinta grabbed her arm. “You need to leave.”
Presley looked down at her mother’s hand. It looked like Jacinta had a death grip on Presley’s arm from the way her fingers were turning white. “Fine. I’ll wait outside,” she said, pulling away from her mother.
“No. You need to go home. Your home. I have no doubt you’ll call your father on the way, but I don’t want you at my home when Josie is released.”
Kai didn’t correct the woman. He would wait and let Josie tell her mother where she was going upon release. Presley stomped out of the room. Before the door closed, she pointed at Kai. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow, and we will talk.”
“Okay then,” Sabrina said as soon as the door closed. “Josie’s fever broke a couple hours ago. I waited until her bloodwork came back to tell you the good news. It seems Josie had a reaction to the fish she ate.”
“But she’s not allergic to anything,” Jacinta said.
“I’m not either, but I was sick too. I’ll be sure to be more careful where I shop from now on,” Kai told her. He hated lying to the woman, but it was necessary.
“We gave Josie something to counteract the effects, and she is on the mend. She might need a day or two at home to rest, but there’s no need to keep her overnight.”
“Can we see her?” Kai asked.
“Yes. I’ll get her discharge papers together. Come on.”
Kai gestured for Jacinta to go first. With her back to them, Kai mouthed, “Thank you.” Sabrina inclined her head before leading them to Josie’s room. It had been less than an hour since he’d seen his mate, but he still held his breath when he entered the room. Jacinta strode to Josie’s side, picking up her hand. Josie smiled at her mom, but when she turned her eyes to Kai, her smile grew larger.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey, Sunshine. You had me worried.”
Josie held out the hand her mom wasn’t holding, and Kai circled the bed. He brought her knuckles to his lips.
“Oh, my,” Jacinta whispered. Josie winked at Malakai. “Dr. Bailey is getting your discharge papers ready. She wants you to rest a couple days. I don’t think you should go to your apartment.”
“I’m not. Malakai will take care of me.”
“Josie—”
“Mom, I’m going home with Kai. I know I haven’t told you about him, and that was because I didn’t want you mentioning anything to Dad. He would tell Presley, and I didn’t want to deal with her. It’s going to be bad enough when I give my notice.”
“What? Josie, you can’t quit. Your father and sister won’t be able to find anyone to take care of them the way you do.”
“They’re going to have to. I’ve given them eight years of my life and have received not one word of appreciation. Not one. Maybe when I’m gone, they’ll realize just how well I’ve done my job.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Jacinta wiped the corner of her eye.
“He’s your husband, and I would never have you feel anything other than love for him. He’s not so bad, but Presley is impossible.”
“I’m so sorry, honey. I wish I had done something different with that girl.”
“You did a fine job raising
both of us. She just got all of Dad’s genes.”
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Sabrina walked in with a set of papers. “Are you ready to go home?” she asked Josie.
His mate smiled at him. “Definitely.”
Sabrina left a new pair of scrubs for Josie to wear since her clothes needed washing. Kai wanted to burn them. The smell, even contained in a plastic bag, was strong with sickness and fear. Sabrina allowed Kai to push the wheelchair to the front door. He left Josie to speak privately with her mother while he pulled the Jeep around. When Kai parked in the loading area, he could tell Jacinta was still upset. He used his shifter hearing to eavesdrop.
“Please come home with me. At least for tonight.”
“Mom, I love you, but I’d much rather have my sexy man taking care of me. Besides, I feel fine. I’m going to go home and shut my phone off. When you tell Dad I’m taking my first sick day in eight years, I don’t want Presley calling because she somehow feels I’m doing this to get back at her.”
“So, you want me to be the bearer of bad news?”
“Yes. Dad loves you. He won’t be angry when you explain why I’m taking one day off.”
“Okay, honey. But call me tomorrow, or you know I’ll worry.”
Kai hopped out of the Jeep at that point. “Your chariot awaits,” he said, bowing low.
Josie laughed as she pushed herself out of the wheelchair. “Funny. That’s the same thing Trevor said.”
“Who’s Trevor?” Jacinta asked. Josie’s eyes widened at the slip.
“Oh, he’s one of our friends.” Josie hugged her mom. Looking over Jacinta’s shoulder, Josie rolled her eyes. “Thanks for being here. I promise I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“You better, or I’ll let myself into your apartment.”
Josie didn’t admit to her mom she wouldn’t be there. If Kai had his way, his mate wouldn’t spend one more night in the city.
Three hours later, after packing as much as they could in both vehicles, Kai carried Josie into Sixx’s house and straight to the bedroom. “I’ll get your bags later. Right now, I need you.”
They had been tempted by Josie’s bed, but Kai tamped down the beast when it urged him to fuck Josie while she was packing. He knew if they got naked, they’d never leave. Another three hours later, Kai left a sated Josie curled up on his – their – bed, and carried her bags inside. There was plenty of furniture in the master bedroom. Kai’s clothes didn’t take even half the space, so he unpacked her things while his mate slept on. He shuffled things around in the closet, hanging Josie’s on one side, and placed her shoes in a row underneath. She hadn’t been lying when she told him she had a lot of the sexy pin-up style dresses. Kai admired each one as he hung them up. He even went as far as putting them in the order he wanted to see them on her. Her bathroom at the apartment had been neat with very little on the counter, so he left those items for her to put away as she wished. After making sure the doors were locked and the alarm was set, Kai climbed back in bed, spooning his gorgeous mate with one arm against her stomach.
Kai didn’t sleep. He spent all night wrapped in the scent of sunflowers and coconut. It was going on nine the next morning when his phone vibrated with a message.
Frey: Call when you can
Kai was loath to leave his mate in bed, but he needed to take a piss, and he wanted the coffee ready for when she woke. After taking care of business in the bathroom, Kai headed to the kitchen, got the coffee started, and then called his boss.
“Kai, how are you feeling?” Frey asked.
“Like a new Goyle. Thank you for what you did.”
“You had us scared, Brother. Dante said he’s never felt that level of despair. I take it things with Josie are good?”
Kai found himself smiling. “The best. Well, they will be once I convince her sister I’m not interested. She can’t understand why I would choose Josie over her. Josie is going to turn in her notice at the firm, so we will have a few bumps there, but it’s nothing we can’t weather together.”
“That’s great news. Another reason I’m calling is because you mentioned someone being at the gate. With Drago on the loose, we need to take a close look when something like this happens. I don’t need to remind you, but I’m going to anyway. Don’t leave Josie unprotected. With Arden in our custody, we don’t know where Drago’s head is. Julian is doing his best to keep tabs on him through the hacker Drago has working for him, but it seems the human is being cautious.”
“You think this could be someone from Drago’s camp?” Kai reached out with his senses, just in case.
“Yes. It’s been almost two months since he lost his chance at getting his claws on Matthew. Arden said Drago wanted Matt as leverage. We aren’t locking down the mates and kids, but we are doubling up on protection. There are plenty of guards at the Pen willing to assist. Rafe is ready to temporarily close the quarry so we have Lex and those Goyles at our disposal as well.”
Kai felt Josie before she entered the kitchen wrapped in a bath towel.
“Frey, can you hang on a second?” When the male agreed, Kai gave his mate his attention.
“I’m going to get my clothes out of the car,” she said.
“I’ve already unpacked your bags. The chest of drawers is yours, and your hanging clothes are in the closet. Feel free to rearrange anything except your sexy dresses. I left your toiletries on the counter so you can arrange them however you wish.”
Josie padded toward him, and when she was close, he grabbed the edge of the towel and dragged her near enough to kiss. “Good morning,” he whispered against her mouth. “Coffee’s ready, and after I finish my call, I’ll start on breakfast.” Kai patted Josie’s ass when she turned to walk away. She glanced over her shoulder and winked. She put a little extra sway in her lush hips, and Kai bit back a groan.
“Sorry about that,” he told Frey when Josie was out of sight.
“Nothing to apologize for. Since it sounds like you have a sleepy, probably naked mate to tend to, I’m going to let you go. I’ve got your class covered the next few days, so I will talk to you when I talk to you.”
“Thanks, Frey. For everything.” Kai disconnected and went in search of his mate. He found her in the bathroom sorting her toiletries and makeup.
“Is it okay if I move some things around in the cabinet?”
“You can do whatever you like. Until we decide whether to stay here or find something else, this is your home.”
Josie, now dressed in shorts and a soft tee, turned and leaned against the counter. Malakai fisted his hands so he wouldn’t toss her over his shoulder, carry her to the bed, rip off her clothes, and bury his face between her legs.
“Wow. That’s amazing,” she muttered.
“What is?”
“The fact that I can hear your thoughts. But I will ask that you don’t rip my clothes off. I happen to like these shorts. It’s hard to find bottoms that fit as well as these do. It’s one reason I like to wear dresses. They are easier to find that fit my curves.”
Kai didn’t mind Josie knowing his thoughts, but there were things he wanted to block from her, like this mess with Drago. Then again, she needed to be aware of the possible threat.
“Who is Drago?”
Ah, shit. “Remember I told you there are things we need to talk about? Josie nodded. “He’s one of them. While you finish putting your things away, I’ll go start breakfast. After we eat, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Sounds good. I need to call my mom at some point. I have no doubt Presley has been blowing up my phone.”
“Go ahead and call her if you want. You can get that out of the way so after breakfast we can focus on us.”
Josie gave him a wobbly salute. “Aye, aye, captain.”
“That reminds me. I can’t wait to see you in your sailor dress. Paired with those shiny, red shoes?” Kai pushed down on his dick. It was getting hard thinking about Josie spread out in the bed in nothing but those heels.
/> “Out. Now.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “Coffee and food and talking first. I’ll put my heels on after.”
Damn. She really could hear all his thoughts. He took the three steps needed to be in her space and bent her backwards over the counter, kissing her hard but quick. Anything longer and he wouldn’t be able to walk away. “Twenty minutes, Sunshine. Any more, and I’m coming to find you.”
Drago tipped the delivery boy, then took the food to the kitchen and separated everything onto two plates. The coffee was already perked, so now all he needed was his… Hagen had become more than Drago’s employee. He was a houseguest, roommate, confidante, and dare he say, a friend. Those were hard to come by in Drago’s world. Ones he trusted, anyway. And he did trust the young human. Drago had trusted Arden. He had been pissed at the male for weeks at allowing himself to be caught, but he had been outnumbered. Even Drago wasn’t strong enough to take on more than one Goyle and come out the other side unscathed.
Drago went to Hagen’s room and knocked. He didn’t receive an answer, so he pushed open the door. The young man had his face buried in his pillow, snoring softly. Drago almost left him to sleep, but he wanted his company, so he shook his shoulder, allowing himself a brief moment to enjoy touching someone. Ever since Audrey was taken from him, Drago hadn’t thought about finding someone for sex. It was like his dick was broken. He hadn’t even jerked off in the months since her murder. He wasn’t touching Hagen sexually. Not really. But Drago had found something in the man comforting. He didn’t understand it. Not once in all the many years he’d been alive had Drago wanted the type of peace which came from being around Hagen.
Drago’s life had been one of following orders. First his father’s, then Alistair’s. He had been born to a family of unfeeling Goyles. Even his mother had been a hardass. Sometimes more so than her mate. The Costas family was known for being warriors. Following the rules of their King. Fighting for him without questioning his motives. Drago’s parents had both crossed over more than a century ago, leaving him to carry on the family legacy. It was the main reason he was so hellbent on taking over the throne from Rafael. To restore the honor the Stone Society has taken from the Greek King. There had never been room in his life for things like comfort and companionship, but with his mate dead, Drago could use someone in his life to help him rule. Hagen, who was now awake and staring at Drago, could be that person.
