Hired to Protect

by Leann Ryans

  “How could you let him claim you! You were supposed to be mine! Now you’re ruined!”

  Pulling his free hand back again, she saw the glint of light on something in his fist before he slammed it into the side of her chest.

  Body tensing in pain before going limp, Penny felt the elevator rock to a stop, doors sliding open with a ding. Looking over Adrian’s shoulder again, her eyes widened as she saw an officer standing in the lobby only a few feet away. He was looking in the opposite direction, out the window, scanning the street as he spoke into his radio, and hadn’t noticed them yet.

  Mustering everything she had left, Penny kicked her boot back against the metal wall of the elevator, slapping her hands against it too to make as much noise as possible. The officer’s head turned their way just as the elevator doors began to slide closed again.

  Eyes widening, the officer released his radio and ran towards them as Penny’s eyes slid closed. She was on the verge of passing out when Adrian’s hand released her throat. She could hear yelling, but even though she was able to drag a little air through her sore throat, she couldn’t convince her eyes to open so she could see what was happening.

  Laying crumpled on the floor of the elevator, she heard the doors close, muffling the yelling. Mind drifting, Penny had no idea what was going on and she was beginning to lose the tenuous hold she had on consciousness.

  She had begun to slip away when loud bangs jolted her back followed by the ding of the doors opening. Penny tried again to open her eyes, but the light blinded her as soon as they cracked apart, causing her to clench them closed again. She could hear someone speaking but couldn’t tell what was begin said with the fog wrapping around her.

  When she felt hands on her arms and legs, Penny tried to struggle, not knowing who it was, but her response was feeble, her body not wanting to follow her orders. Still feeling like she was being strangled with a sharp pain in her side, her limbs were heavy and uncooperative, and she finally let go, sinking into the darkness.

  37. Ethan

  Ethan’s panic mounted along with Penelope’s. Something was going wrong, and not knowing was killing him. By the time a Controller showed up at his cell though, he was no longer feeling anything from Penelope, and Ethan was frantic. It was like she wasn’t there anymore.

  Roaring and rattling the cage, he couldn’t think clearly enough to tell them what was wrong. It took the Controller aiming a stunner at him before he could finally get control of himself and try to explain what was wrong.

  “My mate! Something is wrong! Please!”

  Ethan was almost incoherent with his need to let them know Penelope needed help, but he had no idea where she was.

  “What do you mean?” the Controller asked, lowing his weapon though he maintained his distance from the bars.

  The man was large, almost Ethan’s size and Ethan guessed he was an Alpha too, which meant he had a mate.

  “Penelope Praine, her ex kidnapped and attacked her. I was arrested for assaulting him and a bunch of other bullshit. I can feel her panic! Something is wrong! Please, contact the Force. Help her!”

  Ethan assumed the Controller believed him, because he turned and trotted away, leaving Ethan clinging to the bars of his cell. Trying to calm his breathing, he pressed his head to the cool bars, assuring himself that the lack of any feedback from the bond didn’t necessarily mean anything bad.

  That she was okay.

  Eventually Ethan resumed his pacing, unable to lay down while he didn’t know what was happening. He had no way to track the time, but he knew a few hours had passed before he saw a Controller turn the corner by his cell.

  Freezing where he stood, he watched the Controller unlock the door and swing it open, waving for him to come out.

  “Follow me.”

  Swallowing hard, Ethan’s heart sank. He still hadn’t felt anything from the bond. He was scared of what it meant.

  Stepping out of the cell and following behind the Controller, he realized that he hadn’t been cuffed. It was the first time he had been outside of the cell without cuffs, so that had to be a good sign. If it was anything bad, they would want him restrained and easier to manage.

  The walk through the empty halls seemed to take forever, and when he looked out the windows that they passed he could see that it was dark outside. The kind of dark that only came in the middle of the night when the sun had been gone for hours.

  He was finally brought into an office on the second floor where an older man sat behind a large desk. Another Controller stood to the side of the desk with his back against the wall. Directed to take the seat in front of the man, the Controller that had brought him to the office closed the door and waited in front of it.

  Fighting the rising tide of worry, Ethan took the seat and stared at the grey-haired beta across from him.

  “Ethan Cirlee, I have some news for you. Your case was brought before a judge in an emergency hearing not long ago in conjunction with another case against the man who accused you. The charges against you were found to be false, and the death of Alexander Zale at the home of Adrian Darga was ruled self-defense, so I will be processing your release as soon as we are done speaking.”

  Worries dropping away, Ethan let out a relieved sigh.

  “That’s great! Can I call my mate so she can come get me?”

  Watching the man’s face cloud over, he knew bad news was coming.

  “I have more news for you, and it’s not good. Your mate was attacked outside of her home earlier today by Darga. An officer was able to subdue him, but Ms. Praine was taken to the hospital with injuries. As soon as you sign the release form, my officer will take you there.”

  Before he had finished speaking, Ethan had jumped to his feet, the chair scraping across the floor.

  “Give it to me! I need to get to her!”

  “Now!” he growled when the man didn’t move fast enough for him.

  Raising one hand, the man slid a tablet across the desk to him as he said, “I understand how you’re feeling, but you need to remain calm. You don’t want to end up back here because you got too worked up. Your mate needs you to remain in control of yourself so you can be with her.”

  Glaring at the man as he scrawled his name on the tablet and pushed it back, Ethan managed to choke off the growl, though he remained standing. There was no way a beta understood how he felt.

  “Okay, can I go now?”

  The man had barely begun to nod when Ethan spun around, gesturing at the Controller in front of the door.

  “Let’s go!”

  If he had known where he was going, he would have left the Controller in the dust as he strode down the hall, but Ethan was forced to stick to the Controller’s pace, fists clenched at his side. When they reached the parking garage where the Controllers’ patrol cars were, the man gestured to the first one in the row in front of them.

  “You’ll have to sit in the back…”

  The slamming car door cut off anything else the Controller would have said as Ethan jumped into the back and waited impatiently. He stared out the window, leg shaking through the whole ride as he pictured what could have happened to Penelope.

  Even though he hadn’t known her long, and they had been bonded for even less time, Ethan couldn’t imagine losing her now. He needed her, and he would do whatever it took to make sure she would be okay.

  The car barely rolled to a stop before he was trying to get out, furious that there was no handle on the inside of the door, and he was forced to wait for the Controller to come around and open it for him.

  “Good luck,” he heard as he bolted from the car, not even stopping to acknowledge the Controller.

  Skidding to a stop at the desk inside the doors, Ethan’s chest was heaving as the woman behind the desk looked up at him in shock.

  “Penelope Praine, where is she?”

  “Are you-“

  “Her mate. I’m her mate, Ethan Cirlee. Where is she?” Ethan cut her off, patience running thin, though
he was trying to control himself.

  The woman checked the computer in front of her, seconds ticking by like minutes to Ethan as he struggled not to growl in irritation.

  “She’s in a restricted wing, I’ll have to call a nurse to escort you,” she finally said, lifting the phone next to her.

  Luckily it didn’t take long for a nurse to show up, Ethan following on her heels as she led the way through white, sterile hallways. Waved through a checkpoint, they finally stopped outside a door with drawn blinds blocking the window.

  Sliding her keycard through the reader, the nurse opened the door, moving aside for Ethan to step through.

  38. Penelope

  Penny’s eyes were crusted shut when she tried to open them, eyelashes refusing to part. Raising a hand, she rubbed at them until they finally gave. The room she was in was dim, and it took a moment for her eyes to focus.

  Bare white walls, white ceiling with fluorescent lights, and the steady beep-beep of medical equipment let her know she was in a hospital bed. The last thing she remembered was Adrian finally releasing her in the elevator, but still not being able to get enough air.

  Trying to raise her other hand, she realized something was holding it, and she turned her head to see Ethan’s large form. He was sitting in a chair next to her bed, hand holding hers, but his head was tipped back, and he was obviously asleep.

  He came awake with a lurch when she stroked her thumb over the back of his hand.

  “Penelope! You’re awake!”

  Standing, he peppered her face with kisses while she chuckled and tried to push him away.

  Gasping, she finally said, “Stop! It hurts!”

  Ethan jerked back, eyes searching her.

  “The laughing. It hurts. My chest.”

  Wrapping an arm around her ribs, she realized there was a bandage wrapped around her, and Penny tried to look beneath the hospital gown to see it. Grabbing her hand again, Ethan gave it a tug to get her attention.

  “Adrian stabbed you in the chest. It was a small knife, but it still punctured your lung. By the time they got you to the hospital the lung had collapsed, and they had to put a tube in to let the air out of your chest cavity so that it could inflate again and so the other wouldn’t collapse.”

  Mouth dropping open in shock, Penny looked down at the hospital gown again, wondering how bad it looked underneath. Taking her chin in his hand, Ethan raised her eyes to his.

  “You will be fine. It wasn’t collapsed long and they’ll remove the tube soon, then you’ll be able to leave.”

  Penny’s lips trembled as she looked into his hazel eyes. There were dark circles under them, like he hadn’t slept well in too long, and his stubble had grown out to the point it could be considered a beard, but he was still as handsome as he had been when she first saw him. She could feel the pulse of warmth in her chest from their bond, and she let the worry melt away.

  “What about Adrian?” she whispered.

  Ethan’s expression hardened, his eyes going cold.

  “When the officer tried to save you, Adrian attacked him with the knife. The officer stunned him, but apparently, he has been taking a synthetic Alpha hormone and he was so hyped up that the stun didn’t work. The officer had to shoot him.”

  Penny gasped, eyes going wide.

  “Is he...?”

  “Yes. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  When Penny burst into tears, Ethan’s brows drew together in confusion, but all she could do was shake her head. She couldn’t explain the way she felt other than relieved, and then feeling guilty that she was relieved Adrian was dead.

  Ethan leaned over her, pushing her hair back and framing her face with his hands as he let out a purr. Feeling the soothing vibration soak into her, Penny relaxed as the tears stopped and Ethan pressed his lips to hers.

  “Everything will be okay. I’ll go get the nurse,” he whispered to her.

  When she nodded, he took a step back and walked over to the door. Opening it and leaning out, he waved at someone she couldn’t see before coming back in and shutting the door.

  When a knock came on it a few minutes later, she was surprised to see her usual doctor walk in.

  “I’m starting to think you’re a magnet for trouble Ms. Praine,” she said as she made her way over to the bed.

  Quirking her lips up, Penny snorted then grabbed her side at the sharp pinch it caused.

  “Yes, you’re going to need to avoid laughing, crying, or anything else that will jolt your chest.”

  Her raised eyebrow and bland expression seemed to say she knew it was an impossible task.

  “Your lung looks good and it shouldn’t take it long to heal completely. It was a tiny puncture, and your body has already sealed it. We will remove the tube now that you’re conscious and you can go home tomorrow as long as everything continues to look good.”

  Putting her hands down to her side, the doctor continued.

  “I have the results of your blood tests as well. There doesn’t seem to be any lingering effects from the tranquilizer that was used on you. Your bond is fully formed and looks healthy, and I’d like to congratulate you on your pregnancy,” she finished with a smile.

  Backing to the door, she opened it, and with a wink, slipped from the room as Penny was left staring after her in surprise. Eyes slowly moving to Ethan, he seemed just as surprised, mouth hanging open and eyebrows raised as he looked back at her.

  Eyes drifting to her belly, his hand moved to cup her belly between her hip bones.

  “We’re having a baby,” he whispered, thumb stroking her through the gown.

  Penny huffed.

  “I don’t think there’s any ‘We’ to it. You did your part, I’m the one that has to have it.”

  Ethan’s eyes were narrowed when he looked back up at her, but she could see the smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

  “You’re already in trouble, are you sure you want to add to your punishment?”

  Heart stuttering, Penny felt herself grow damp at the suggestion in his words and the hunger she could see in his eyes.

  “Bu-but, I’m injured!”

  Chuckling, Ethan moved to lean over her again, cupping the back of her neck and tilting her head back. Penny could feel his warm breath wash over her neck when he continued to speak.

  “I can wait until you’re better. We have all the time we want now, I’m in no rush, but you will be punished for not waiting for the officer like you were supposed to.”

  He chuckled again at her startled intake of breath.

  “Yes, I know about that. Mimar came by with the paperwork from your case and to let us know about Adrian. You didn’t do as you were told.”

  Lips brushing over her neck, she felt him lick her where his claiming mark was before working his way down to her shoulder. Core clenching, Penny’s hands reached up to press against chest.

  “But I…”

  He cut her off with a growl that caused a gush of slick to flood her pussy as he sealed his lips over the skin where her neck met her shoulder and sucked. Moaning, they were both startled when the door opened again.

  Jerking back, Ethan growled until he saw a smirking nurse standing in the doorway. Coughing to try and cover it, he sat back into his chair but gave Penny a heated look as the nurse moved to her side.

  39. Ethan

  It was hard to restrain himself even though Ethan knew Penny was injured. Just breathing in her sweet jasmine scent made his cock throb, and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her and keep her locked on his knot as long as he could.

  The thought of his baby growing inside of her just made him want to take her even more. Ethan wanted to mark her whole body so that everyone knew she was his. She wouldn’t be able to move without feeling what he planned to do to her.

  But he forced himself to wait. The doctor released Penny to go home, and they returned to her apartment together. Refusing to even look at the elevator, Penny asked him to carry her up the
stairs, and he complied, purring for her the whole way up.

  Penny had been told to take it easy, but she had a hard time laying around the house with nothing to do. Ethan did his best to distract her, but his restraint was growing thin and she kept trying to tempt him.

  They had started out ordering delivery for their meals, but he began to make her teach him to cook to keep her distracted. Penny found it funny that she had to order her groceries the way her clients did and have them delivered.

  Most of her clients were very understanding with her though she did lose a couple when she called to let them know it was going to be a week or two before she could go back to her regular schedule. After already going missing for a week, they weren’t willing to wait even longer.

  After a week Penny was able to move around more without having pain when taking deep breaths. She began shopping for Jenni and a few other clients again, though Ethan made her use AutoCabs to get around, and take frequent breaks.

  At that point, Ethan’s restraint snapped. He was cooking dinner for the two of them with Penny sitting on the island watching him when the scent of her slick caught his attention. Breathing in deep, he turned around to face her, a rumble starting in his chest.

  “What’s that for?” he asked as he moved between her legs and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Just imagining you bending me over the counter,” she whispered in his ear as she ran her hands through his hair.

  Letting out a groan, he buried his face in her neck, licking and sucking on her skin. His cock jumped to attention, throbbing in his pants at her suggestion.

  “Are you sure you’re ready?”

  “Yes.”

  Her husky voice caused goosebumps to break out across his skin as he dragged her off the counter, setting her on her feet before spinning her around. She didn’t wear the boot at home anymore, so he was careful of her foot and the spot on her side where she had been stabbed.