Guarding His Mate

by Jenny Tia

  “I’ve just been feeling kind of down. So many things are changing. And I’m scared because… Well, I just can’t be sure how everything is going to shake out. It seems like no one knows right now. It’s overwhelming.”

  “Not all change is bad, you know.”

  I paused. “That’s true. Which is why I’m going to move in with Nic. That’s a change I think I can handle.”

  “Are you sure Nic didn’t bully you into it? He’s obsessed with you.”

  I smiled a little at the way Nic held me last night after he’d made love to me. “No. No bullying. I’m telling you, I’m fine.”

  “Well, you always have a place in our guest room. You’re not escaping from me or my daughter.”

  I handed Julian a tissue to dry his tears and squeezed his shoulder. “I wouldn’t dream of trying.”

  At the hospital that night, one of the patients was cordoned off into a private area. Someone had posted a sign on the door to the room stating only approved personnel were allowed to enter. Since I had only been working at the hospital for a short time, I sure didn’t quality as approved personnel. I passed the room while I did the rest of my rounds, but there was something eerie about it I couldn’t ignore.

  The evening started out pretty uneventful. I had a nice chat with one of the elderly patients while I changed her bandages. Then, about halfway through my shift, Helen paged me to the nurses’ station.

  I sauntered up to the desk. “Howdy, Helen.”

  “Stefan. Slight change to the roster tonight. Vivian called out sick, can you please cover the rest of this floor for the next three hours?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” It really was no big deal. More work would mean less boredom.

  “Great. Come with me so I can brief you on a few things.” She led me into a small office across the hall and her expression turned serious.

  “Is this about the patient in the private room?” I asked.

  She nodded tersely. “I can give you clearance to enter the room, that’s no problem. But I need to know you can handle the confidential nature of the patient’s…situation.”

  “Of course. I would never share anything from a patient’s file.” I felt a little offended she would assume I was untrustworthy.

  “I know that. It’s more than the usual confidentiality, though. The patient’s very existence and presence in this hospital is sensitive intelligence.”

  “You mean like, according to the government?”

  She nodded again. “The patient is a human.”

  I tried to keep my professional facade, but I couldn’t hold back a gasp.

  “He was captured by Everglow protectors. He’s refused to give up any information, he’s been refusing food, and he won’t drink much water. He’s not doing well. He’ll likely die soon if nothing changes.”

  I felt sure my eyes were bugging out of my head, but I promised Helen to give him competent care and keep the knowledge of his presence secure. However, I had questions, like who else knew about this? I pictured Casius, Nic, and Mikel’s worried, tired faces when they would come off a long shift. I wondered if Julian knew.

  What the hell else is going on that I don’t know about? That all the people of Colorado don’t know about?

  I had to don extra protective gear to enter the human’s room. Sure, wolf shifters immune systems were so strong we never got infections, but the doctors argued it made us more susceptible to contracting something foreign we’d never come across before. There was no way to know if the human could be carrying anything like that or what the nature of the pathogen would be since shifters hadn’t had contact with humans for so long.

  His eyes were open, but he didn’t react when I entered the room. He lay still on his bed and stared at the ceiling while I checked his vitals and changed out his IV fluids bag with trembling hands. I jotted down a few quick notes in his file and was about to leave when I heard a groan of pain followed by a dry hacking cough. My stomach sank. My wolf retreated. I was completely alone with the human and I turned around to see him looking at me.

  “Fire will rain down upon their heads. And how they will scream in agony as their bodies burn. The damned will be condemned, and the righteous will rise.”

  His words were chilling, as was the darkness I saw in his yellowed eyes. I stared at him for a moment, afraid there was more to come. But he turned his gaze back to the ceiling, and I rushed out of the room.

  When I got off my shift, the human’s words were still ringing in my head, and I couldn’t shake the creepy feeling they’d given me. When I got to my car, I realized my hands were trembling. I had to admit I was in no shape to drive, so I dialed Nic to see if he was up.

  “Hey. Is everything okay?” Hearing his deep, steady voice soothed me immediately.

  “I’m okay, I just… Something freaky happened at work. Would you mind coming to pick me up? I don’t feel like I’m in the right mindset to drive.”

  “Of course. Don’t move. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

  “Thank you. Be safe, though. No stunt driving needed.”

  He chuckled. “Alright, fine. That makes it much less fun, though.”

  After we hung up, I was able to take a deep breath. I leaned the driver’s seat back and closed my eyes for a moment. Then I heard the wind howl through the parking garage and felt the same chill again. I suddenly didn’t feel safe, even in my own car.

  I should go back inside. Who knows what could happen if the humans are plotting something.

  As I walked back into the hospital, weaving my way through the hallways to get to the main entrance where Nic could pick me up, I remembered my initial reaction to the news of a human. Nic might already know about this. He might not have known I was going to have to change a human’s IV bag, but he knew at least one of them was in Everglow. How could he keep that from me? How could he sleep at night?

  When I walked out the doors at the main entrance, the chilled night air felt like it cut right to my bones. The only thing that kept me warm was my rising anger.

  19

  Nicolas

  My heart fluttered when I saw Stef’s silhouette, black and dark against the bright light shining through the door to the hospital. But as I drove my truck closer, my excitement turned to worry. He had his arms pulled tight around his body as he moved from foot to foot. Maybe he was nervous I wasn’t going to show. The thought made me sick, but I was proud to prove him wrong.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” I leaned out of my window. He chewed his bottom lip and looked at me like he was gazing at a wide field with nothing in it. “I’m here. Safe and sound. No stunt driving, right?”

  Stef grunted and hurried around to the passenger door. My body was still sore from our night together and a delicious pain shot through my side as I reached across the car and opened his door.

  He jumped into the seat and slammed the door shut. I flinched and looked him over, trying to see what had happened. Was he mad at me? Why?

  “There are human prisoners in Everglow.”

  I stared at him.

  He stared right back. “Did you know that? Did you already know that?”

  I swallowed, nodded.

  “Well, that’s great, thanks for telling me.”

  “It’s confidential, I couldn’t—”

  “I met one tonight. And I was really not prepared.”

  “What?” My grip tightened around the wheel, while my heart stuttered.

  “I had to change his IV. He’s dying. We have a dying human in our care, and he’s threatening us? And you didn’t think to tell me?” His chin shook and tears welled in his eyes.

  I swallowed dryly.

  “I’m sorry.” He wiped at his eyes. “I’m just really overwhelmed. I know it’s not your fault. You couldn't tell me.”

  “I appreciate that, but… What do you mean, he threatened you?” Fury like I’d never felt before rushed through my veins as I suddenly focused on the fact someone had frightened my mate.

  “Threatene
d us, Nic. He said some shit about fire raining down and that it’s happening soon.”

  Fuck. It sounded a lot like what Eli had been ranting about, but my intuition told me there was more to it. “Can you remember exactly what he said?”

  Stef looked at me and frowned. Maybe he caught the concerned tone of my voice or the look on my face had given away my panic.

  “Yeah, I probably can. Hang on…” He closed his eyes and put fingers on his temples. “He said, ‘fire will rain upon their heads and how they will scream in agony as their bodies burn. The damned will be condemned, and the righteous will rise.’ What the fuck does that mean?”

  I swallowed a bitter taste. “It sounds a little like a prophecy, and more ominous than anything he’s said so far. I think we need to go see Alpha Hughes.”

  The Supreme Mansion always looked impressive at night, lit up from below by soft yellow lights, but it was at its most beautiful under a full moon. The building glowed like it was its own star. I pulled up as close to the front steps as I could and waved to the guards on duty. All seventeen of them. The extra protection seemed like overkill until I remembered what the older man had said. It seemed Alpha Hughes had foreseen trouble and was acting proactively because who knew when the humans were going to strike. And that’s what it sounded like, that they were ready to move against us in a way we couldn’t predict. We needed to be on guard against every possibility.

  I switched off the truck and glanced across at Stefan to see how he was holding up when I heard a thump, like someone had kicked the outside of my door. I jumped and spun toward my open window, only to be faced with a sleazy grin, waggling eyebrows, and a cocky tilt of the head.

  “What the fuck, Sloan?”

  “Nicky, Nicky. Sticky, picky, Nicky. What brings you here so late?” Alpha Hughes’s awful son wet his lips and looked me over.

  I held my chest and willed my heart to stop beating so fast. “We need to talk with Alpha Hughes.”

  “Boring. How about you spend some time with omega Hughes?” He waggled his eyebrows and leaned against the door, sticking his head into the cab. I was about to grab his face and push him back out of my personal space when his eyes landed on Stef. “Oh, hello. Is this the latest Goldleaf piece?”

  Stef snarled. “Piece?”

  My stomach clenched, and my wolf instantly jumped into protective mode. But I didn’t need to be. Stef looked disgusted, and Sloan reeled back.

  But the creep tried to recover with another sleazy come-on. “Hmph. Nicky, when you’re done with the out-of-town exotic flavor and want something more local and sophisticated…”

  “Well then, he won’t be coming for you, honey! Not with that hair!”

  Sloan was slack-jawed and offended. And I was shocked. I’d never seen someone put him in his place. And Stef wasn’t stopping.

  “Get your thirsty mouth away from my man. Back up. Go on! Get out of here in those fashion victim pants. Where did you get those? Take them back to the store. Go on. Shoo!” He flicked his wrist, urging the creep to retreat. Sloan complied, rolling his eyes like it was just an annoyance. But I could see in his eyes Stef had him frazzled.

  “Call me,” he said to me as he sauntered off, away from the Mansion.

  “I’ve never called him in my life,” I said to reassure Stef.

  “Um, obviously not. Why would you? Ew.”

  I stared at my mate in amazement and couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re incredible.”

  He blinked softly and grinned like a kid. “Thanks. But um, don’t we have to save the world right now?”

  Guards had alerted Alpha Hughes that I was there, and he met us at the door with his mate, Gina. She was a tall, beautiful woman with long dark hair she always wore in braids. As we walked up the stairs to the front doors of the Mansion, I noticed how tired she looked. It must have been hard work being the mate of the Supreme Alpha. But despite her exhaustion, she was always warm and welcoming. She spread her arms and brought me into a tight hug, and then kissed my cheek with her full lips.

  “How are you, Nic? How’s your mother?”

  “She’s well, Gina, thank you.”

  I glanced at Stef because I was yet to tell him my mom wanted to meet him, and I wondered how he’d react. He hadn’t even accepted he was my mate yet.

  Gina smiled then turned to Stef. “You must be from Goldleaf, is that right?”

  “Yes.” He seemed a little guarded, so I put my hand to the small of his back for support. He seemed to relax into it, and he cleared his throat. “I’m Stefan. Julian’s friend. And uh, Nic’s…”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” Gina said as she took his hand.

  “What brings you in so late?” Alpha Hughes asked. He looked tired too, but he was in full uniform. The full moon was the next night, so he would have been up organizing a New Moon Initiation or a pack run.

  I cut to the chase. “Stefan was treating the human in the hospital. He spoke.”

  Alpha Hughes caught the gravity of what I was saying and immediately motioned for us to follow him into his office. The portrait of Jebediah Hughes was still missing, and I wondered if it was just out for repairs or if Alpha Hughes had removed it permanently for some reason. Either way, I was still happy it was gone.

  Alpha Hughes sat behind his desk, and the three of us stood just inside the door.

  “Tell me what the human said, won’t you, Stefan?”

  Stefan repeated it word for word, and Alpha Hughes listened attentively. He asked him to repeat it again, and then one more time. I worried that Stef would be annoyed, but he seemed happy to oblige.

  “Hm. Right. Thank you very much for telling us, that is of great help.”

  Gina leaned forward and took Stefan by the shoulders. “I’ll take care of Stef while you two finish up.”

  I glanced at my mate, nervous he’d be uncomfortable, but he was beaming at Gina. I had a feeling they might become good friends. Before they left, he took my hand and squeezed it warmly. The comfort of his touch ran through me and my shoulders relaxed.

  “We need to call Casius in on this. Come.” Alpha Hughes motioned for me to join him on his side of the desk, a strange honor I wasn’t accustomed to. I did so, and we got Casius on a video call. He looked dead tired. Were we really all that exhausted? Then again, he did have the excuse of having a baby.

  “Alpha Hughes. Nic. What’s going on?”

  We relayed the new information to him, and he knitted his brow. “Raining fire… Again with the fire.”

  “It could just be more repetition of whatever kind of scripture the humans have,” I said, though I didn’t really believe it was just coincidence.

  Alpha Hughes shook his head. “If it’s anything like any other human writings I’ve ever seen, there would be plenty of other themes to choose from. It’s too random for both Eli and this man to be warning us about the same thing.”

  Casius agreed. “We need to keep eyes on the humans to get more intel on what they might be planning. Do you have any reports from Dominic?”

  “Yes. The camps he and his fellow shifters were tracking have disappeared. No trace of the humans now.”

  “Shit,” Casius grumbled. He ran a hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh. “We’re sitting ducks, and we have no idea what they’re planning to do.”

  “Well, we know it will probably involve fire,” I said.

  “And we know it will be disastrous.” Alpha Hughes lowered his gaze.

  “How can we proceed without any more information?” Casius was almost growling with frustration.

  “We can’t. We can only hold our position,” Alpha Hughes insisted.

  My wolf nudged me to speak. I bit my tongue.

  Casius nodded. “We can’t do anything yet.”

  My wolf nudged me again, and the words tumbled out. “I know how we could get more information.”

  The Alphas looked at me.

  “Eli. The moon is almost full. He must be going out of his mind now he isn’t medicated
.”

  Alpha Hughes looked at Casius through the video link. “This second in command of yours, Casius… He’s a good one.”

  I tried not to beam too brightly as Alpha Hughes and I hurried out of the office and through the Mansion, heading for a car to take us to the station, but I sure did have an extra pep in my step. I’d always known I was a good second to Casius, but mostly as added muscle. I kept a cool head in dangerous situations, and I’d always had Casius’s back when he needed it. But the tactical thinking… That was something I usually left for Cas. Being able to contribute in this way was a real buzz.

  “Wait!”

  I paused on the top step outside the Supreme Mansion. Stef ran to my side, and Alpha Hughes continued down, waiting for me in the car.

  “I’m sorry. I have to go, work stuff.” I grimaced apologetically.

  He squeezed my hands and shook his head. “It’s fine. Gina’s a blast. Just…be careful, alright?”

  I grazed my thumb over his jaw then kissed him softly. He leaned into me and kissed back. In response, I wrapped him up in a tight embrace and poured all of my love for him into his mouth. I couldn’t wait to get home to him. When I released him, the way Stef looked at me made my heart race. Was he ready to let me make him mine?

  “I’ll send someone to take you back to my house,” I told him.

  “Be safe. Okay?” Stef stared at me until I nodded, and then he kissed my hands. “I’ll see you at home.”

  Home. He’d really said that, hadn’t he?

  When we walked into the observation room, Mikel spun around from his place at the desk with a doughnut half-hanging out of his mouth.

  “Oh fu—” He quickly swallowed his bite and threw the rest of the donut into the trash. He stood to attention, but Alpha Hughes just laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, urging him to sit down.

  “What was that? Strawberry?”