He couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was much more than that though, she had pushed him away earlier and the look of fear on her face crushed him.
Bree had asked her tonight if she wanted to go up north to visit an uncle and some cousins with her and India had agreed to the trip. He wasn’t delighted about her being so far away, even for a few days but thought it might actually do her some good to have a change of scenery for a little while.
Imogen had surprised her when she insisted that India take the trip, saying she had a feeling it was really important that she meet Bree’s relatives and he knew she would take her sister seriously.
“When are you and Bree going to set off?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her as she shivered.
“Tomorrow. It’s only for a few days, Garrett, I’m sure you can manage without me for that long,” she teased him.
“It will be hell.” He smiled.
It was killing her not blurting out what had happened to her, but she felt in her gut it was the right thing to do. If it was specifically her that Cillian was targeting then Kandis was probably right, he was trying to get back at Garrett, through her. As far as she was aware Garrett had done nothing to deserve his brother’s treatment and she was angry on his behalf.
They went inside and India locked the door behind them which alerted Garrett’s suspicions even more, no-one here ever locked their doors. Indi just felt safer with the eight-inch bolt slid into place even though a full-size shifter could break the door down with nothing but his shoulder, but at least they wouldn’t be surprised in the middle of the night.
“I don’t want any doctors or anyone else waltzing in here in the morning while we are naked,” she smiled hoping he wouldn’t see through her untruths.
“Oh, we are going to be naked, are we,” he backed her against the wall and caged her with his muscular arms and bent down to kiss her.
Desire flared inside her and she was glad that her encounter in the woods had done nothing to dampen down her yearning for her mate, just the opposite. She needed her head flooded with images of Garrett and not of his sick brother. She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over her defined abs and down to unsnap his jeans and he sucked in a breath. He undressed her right there in the hallway and she wrapped her legs around him as she closed her eyes and made some new memories to fill her brain.
Garrett was happy to let her lead the way and she needed that, she needed to be the one in control right now. They eventually made it to the bed in between lovemaking sessions and she snuggled warm and sleepy in his arms and eventually fell asleep with her cheek resting on his chest.
The wolf was chasing her down the main street of the small town and the passers-by lined the streets and turned to look at her. She begged for their help, but they just stood stock still and watched her as she tried to fight off the huge golden wolf. She tried running inside the shops, but something was off, she looked in the window and her reflection showed a wolf, not a human girl, she knew then that they would do nothing to help her.
His weight almost crushed her as he mounted her again and she screamed for someone to help. She didn’t want this, everything was wrong, where was Garrett. She snarled and bit him and he jumped down with a yelp. She bolted and ran through the crowd of people who parted for her, but he soon caught up and pinned her down again. The wolf opened his mouth and he could talk.
“Fight and struggle all you want, dear sister. It just makes it all the sweeter when I tear my brother’s mark from your neck and replace it with my own.”
“Why are you doing this?” she screamed.
He cocked his head to the side.
“Because it’s what my father wants,” he lunged for her again and she knew she would never escape his grasp, he was just too strong for her, she screamed with all her might as his huge paws held her firmly in place and he…
“India, wake up, baby, you’re having a bad dream.”
She sobbed with relief as Garret’s arms came around her and rocked her.
“I’ve got you, honey. You’re safe, Indi,” he said softly, and her sobs eventually subsided and she shivered. It felt so real, so awful!
“It was just a dream,” she said, forcing a smile as she climbed out of bed, but she could feel his eyes boring into her as she pulled one of his t-shirts over her head and went into the kitchen to make a hot drink.
She closed all the blinds, feeling Cillian’s creepy gaze everywhere and put on some milk to heat. Garrett watched her with narrowed eyes, she had never closed the kitchen or living room blinds before or locked the doors, knew she was acting so out of character and she was afraid of something.
She could feel Garrett watching her, she needed to get her shit together and fast before he rooted out what she was hiding from him.
“I’m a bit all over the place just now, Garrett, probably just my pregnancy hormones.” She smiled, and his shoulders relaxed as he came toward her.
“It will get better, babe,” he said, and she nodded as she spooned chocolate into two mugs.
She felt a tremendous amount of guilt weighing on her chest; it was so difficult to lie to your mate, but the alternative was unthinkable. He would kill his brother with his bare hands, and she couldn’t let him live with that either. Maybe she should have let Kandis finish him off.
They went back to bed and talked for an hour about the baby, how they would paint the nursery, names they liked, and India started to relax a little. Neither of them minded what they had, but India thought that a little boy may be easier on him; not such a constant reminder of little Kali, but the fates would decide in the end.
Her eyelids started to close, and he pried the empty cup from her hand and pulled her against him to sleep. She fell into a dreamless slumber and when she woke again the next morning it was still dark, but Garrett was already up. She could smell bacon but no eggs this time and she smiled. He was so thoughtful, even though he usually wolfed down a dozen eggs each day by himself.
She showered and braided her hair around her crown and quickly packed a small bag for the few days she and Bree would be gone. Jeans and t-shirts seemed to be her go to these days, but she packed a denim skirt too just in case. She wasn’t looking forward to not being with Garrett but was happy to be as far away from Cillian as possible.
Garrett watched over her, making sure she had enough to eat but the sickness seemed to have eased up this morning and she ate the plate of bacon and pancakes he put down in front of her and refilled her mug with tea.
“I’m going to miss you, baby,” he said, and she melted under his pale green gaze.
“Me too but it’s only for a few days, I promise. Besides, you can eat as many eggs as you like while I am away, just get rid of the smell before I get back please,” she was grinning and he pulled her to her feet and just held her against him, breathing in her scent, committing it to memory.
“Let’s take a walk, Bree won’t be here for another couple of hours yet,” she suggested wanting to spend as much time with him as possible before she went away.
She slipped her arms into her puffer jacket and zipped it right up to the neck, it was still cold out as the sun wasn’t yet up. They passed several other cabins, most of them still in darkness and the odd one lit up as someone got ready for work.
Their workshop was completed now, they were already partially using it but would be fully moved in by the end of the month. She always felt a moment of pride as she glanced at the wooden structure. This was her and India’s business, their hard work and vision had produced a viable business, one that was even likely to be profitable by Christmas.
Garrett understood, he got it. He put his arm around her as she stared at the workshop with a smile on her face.
“You should be proud of yourself; you have already achieved so much and you are still just a baby,” he teased her.
“Okay, old man, did you forget your walking stick?” she shot back, and he threw back his head and laughed. It was true that he was three
times her age, although he looked no older than thirty, but she didn’t seem to be hung up about it like Imogen was at first when she found out how old Seann was.
She leaned against him and looked back at her workshop.
“We should be able to start paying back what you and Seann have loaned the business in a few months. I can’t believe it has grown so quickly already and we couldn’t have done it without you both.”
“You do know that we are fairly well off, India, we have more money than we are likely to ever spend in a lifetime...and then some,” he teased her knowing full well how fiercely independent she was.
“I want to contribute, Garrett. I also want my daughter to know that she should always be able to provide for herself, not to rely on anyone else to provide for her and if it’s a son, I want him to grow up respecting strong resourceful women, not think they are beneath him if maybe he is the breadwinner. The pack is still a little old fashioned in that respect.”
“Just because we protect our women and children doesn’t make us cavemen, India,” she could hear the annoyance in his tone.
“I didn’t say that, Garrett.”
“It’s just a fact that we are stronger, faster and more aggressive than you are and that you are more nurturing, softer than we are. No-one is forced into any role, here, everyone chooses their own path. Look at Kandis, she is much stronger than any other female here and most of the men too, so she chooses to be a protector, traditionally a male role. Roisin, on the other hand, hasn’t ever wanted to do anything other than care for others, she cooks, cleans and fusses over anyone who will let her, despite being told many times to go home and put her feet up.”
“I didn’t mean to offend or imply that the pack’s way was wrong, just an observation and believe me, I am very happy that Kandis is such a kick-ass,” she said stopping and turning to face him.
“India, you are free to choose whichever path you want as long as it doesn’t put you in danger. I would hate to see you doing what Kandis does but then I don’t think you would want that either.”
She slipped her hand in his and continued walking,
“No, it wouldn’t suit me, I am not strong enough for one thing, but I do want to work, to put this business on the map and I can do that and be a mother too. I may just have to juggle things a little at first, Imogen and I may need to hire someone to help in the office and we will use the childcare facilities for the babies too. Now that Bethany is running the creche and Sophia is involved, I don’t think I will get much of a choice anyway. Millions of women every day, manage both and so will we.”
“I will support everything you do, India. I intend to be as hands-on as possible with the baby, not like my Dad was with us. I think he pretty much ignored us until we were big enough to play ball or watch a game with him and even then, he always preferred my brothers over me.”
He was just stating a fact, not feeling sorry for himself but India felt his pain just the same. Even though she had always felt her parents favored her sister they were still good to her.
They were almost at the last cabin on the street where Bethany, Zac and Sophia lived just as the sun was starting to make an appearance on the horizon.
“We better get back, I still have a couple of little things to pack,” they turned around to walk back to the cabin when India caught a whiff of Cillian’s scent in the air. She looked around but couldn’t see him and she shivered as she knew he was following her, watching her every move.
She leaned in and breathed in deeply to fill her head with his familiar scent, anything to rid herself of the sickly smell of his brother. Garrett wrapped an arm around her and scanned the trees.
He could sense someone else was there, but he didn’t have India’s enhanced abilities when in his human form. Many of the compound wolves were up early, running before they went to work but something was off here, his radar kicked in and then he wondered about something India said earlier.
Why was she suddenly glad that Kandis was such a kick ass?
CHAPTER TWENTY
India
They passed out through the compound gates and India breathed a sigh of relief. By the time they came back home, Cillian would be long gone, merely a distant memory and she could get back to normal, planning her future with Garrett and the baby. She was going to miss him terribly; it was physically painful to be apart from him, but he also needed to have a few days away from worrying about her too.
Bree chatted non-stop and India smiled at the petite brunette who was fast becoming one of her very best friends. She loved Bree’s twin sister, Hope, too. But she was spending all her spare time with Rafe, the young doctor, and she didn’t think it would be too long before she announced she would be going with him when he went back to his own pack. That would be hard on Bree; as identical twins, they shared a special bond and had been together almost every day since birth.
They planned to visit Bree’s Uncle and cousin first and her cousins who were from the pack that Gabby and Kali had gone to live with when she left Garrett for Ricky Edwards. It seemed unfathomable to her that anyone would prefer this other guy to Garrett, but she also knew you couldn’t help who you loved.
She loved her Dad and her relief when she found out he was alive after three years of thinking he died with her mother was immense. She loved him but he was unreliable at best, especially considering how much time they had spent apart. He didn’t show up for Sophia’s birthday party after promising he would be there and she still hadn’t told him yet that she was pregnant.
Imogen told her to let him get on with it but a tiny part of her still craved her father’s approval. She knew she had done immensely well, considering her age but it was never enough, she never felt as valued as her sister when it came to her parents, especially her Dad. Garrett told her to talk to him about it and she was considering it but then he was a no-show for the party and she was back to square one.
She offered to drive part of the way, but Bree was happy to do it and they stopped only once to eat before they arrived at her uncle’s house.
“My aunt and uncle never lived with the pack. They lived in town, but my cousins opted to go to the pack when they were old enough to leave home. My aunt never knew, she thought they were all in school in the city and every now and then they would come home to keep up appearances.”
“Why didn’t they want her to know? Why didn’t they want to live with the pack?” India asked, her curiosity piqued.
“My uncle is the police chief, so living in town was more convenient for one, but they couldn’t live with the pack because my aunt was human. My uncle and cousins would be welcomed into the pack, but not a human. In some packs, my aunt wouldn’t even have been allowed to live because humans can’t know of our existence and they wouldn’t have taken the risk that she would find out eventually but because of his job and his standing with the pack they allowed them to live in peace.”
“Why didn’t he change her?” she asked.
“He would have needed her permission to do that and to get her permission he would have needed to tell her, putting her life at risk. She wasn’t in the best of health so in the end, he decided to live out his life with her as they were. She died quite a few years ago now and he hasn’t really been the same since, but they had five children, so he has them. All but the youngest are mated and still live with the pack, Anjelica wanted to stay with her Dad in town.”
They pulled off the road and the scenery was lovely, like a picture postcard, as they drove slowly down the tree-lined main street of the busy little town. She took a left at the end of the street and she parked in front of a row of older homes. The door of the white stucco house opened, and a young girl flew down the steps and into Bree’s arms before she even had the car door closed. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old and might have looked boyish with her slight build and cropped dark hair if not for the incredibly long, thick lashes framing her warm coffee eyes.
“Breeeeee! I missed you so much, I am so
happy you came to rescue me from the boredom that is this town!” she gave an exaggerated sweep of her hands and India couldn’t help but smile at her theatrics.
“I missed you too, Jellybean, Bree hugged her and then walked up the steps as an older man came into view and she knew he was Bree’s uncle. His daughter favored him in looks but he was much more stoic in his greeting.
He hugged his niece and looked curiously at India as she climbed the steps to shake his hand. He looked to be in his forties, but she knew he was probably in his seventies and he reminded India of a young James Brolin. His handshake was firm and his greeting warm as he ushered them inside his home.
“Nice to meet you India, I’m Jay Donovan and this is my daughter Anjelica.
Her boots clicked on the wooden floor as they went inside, and she followed them down the passageway to the rear of the house. It was much bigger than it looked from the front, and they passed a sitting room and office to get to the huge kitchen at the back. Glass doors looked out over the well-tended garden and a fat ginger cat sat curled up on the chair by the Aga.
“I have never understood how you got a cat to come live here with you; they are normally wary of us,” Bree said as she approached the animal to pet it. It scooted away under the chair, and India could now only see its long tail swishing back and forth.
“They seem to like me,” he said as he filled the coffee pot, then glanced briefly at India’s stomach. He opened a cupboard and brought out a box of tea as well and held it up toward her.
“You prefer tea?”
“How did you know I was pregnant?” She glanced down at her flat stomach, and he smiled showing a row of pearly white teeth and honest to goodness dimples.
“I can sense it. I don’t know why I can but since I was maybe fourteen or fifteen, I have been able to sense life…and death. I can just see it, feel it. Your aura is different because of the baby inside you. I sensed all five of my children before my wife even suspected she might be pregnant. It has always been a useful tool in my job, especially when it comes to finding people.”
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