At that declaration, Charli felt tears swell in her eyes. He knew nothing of her or the girl he now thought of as her daughter, and here he was willing to guarantee that Emily had the best possible care. A sudden need to ease his worry had her sharing both her and her sister’s story while they were alone with the sleeping Emily.
He sat there in silence, listening to what she had to say. She explained that the doctor mattered little because she knew the truth behind Emily’s seizures. She even went on to tell him about her father’s misuse of her ability, as well as her concern for Emily once her mother had been killed. She explained that her father was in jail but neither she nor Emily were safe because of his boss’s cousin. He’d made a great deal of money from her visions and wasn’t willing to give it up. Charli confirmed that Emily was indeed her half sister, but everyone thought her to be her daughter. It was safer that way because the men searching for them would be looking for two sisters.
“I want that man’s name, mate,” Judge demanded once she’d finished her short and condensed story.
It was not something she was willing to give. She and Emily had remained very well hidden for the last two years thanks to her handiwork on the computer. She didn’t want to draw the man to Las Vegas by sharing his name with Judge, who would no doubt look into his past. Didn’t he understand that the man probably would have had his own computer guys flag his name to alert him as soon as someone entered his name into any number of databases? It was too dangerous. And she told him so.
“I have no intentions of allowing him anywhere near you or Emily,” Judge stated. “But I can’t protect you blind.”
“We don’t need your protection, Judge. We’ve been doing fine without you so far,” she retaliated while maintaining a quiet voice.
“So you’re fine with the fact that you’re constantly looking over your shoulder? And what about Emily? Do you want her going the rest of her life too scared to trust anyone?”
“It’s worked fine for me so far!”
“Really? You’re happy with your lonely existence. I bet Nikki was the first person you let into your little inner circle since this all happened,” he challenged sadly.
She refused to acknowledge the truth in his words. Her loneliness was for their continued protection. If Nikki’s life hadn’t been in danger, then she would have kept her secret from her as well. But Charli couldn’t in good conscience let the nurse who had taken such great care of Emily walk into a dangerous situation when she could protect her. Nikki was a different case altogether, and Charli wouldn’t have done anything different. But that didn’t mean she would threaten Emily’s continued safety by selfishly opening their lives up to strangers just because she was lonely.
“That’s not much of an existence for either of you, kitten,” Judge continued, his voice and eyes softening further. “Trust me, I’ve spent more years than I wish to admit watching Devil do exactly the same thing. He shut himself off to everyone who entered his life, just for a different reason. It took finding his mate in Gabby to draw him out of his dismal existence. And now you have found your mate. I intend on ensuring your safety, health, and happiness. I can guarantee it.”
Before she could respond, the doctor entered. He looked over Emily’s charts before ordering a swab of tests. Then he finally turned to Charli.
“I’m going to be running the same tests I ran before. They will tell me whether this latest seizure has caused any damage,” he explained. “Has anything happened that I need to know about? Something that may have brought this on.”
“She hasn’t been sleeping too well,” Charli explained, omitting the fact that her visions had been causing her nightmares. “I slept on her floor the other night just to monitor her and she was a little restless in her sleep, even sitting up and talking to me. I asked her the next morning about it, but she didn’t remember our conversation.”
“How did she seem the next morning?”
“Exhausted. I kept her home that day from school. She rested on the couch, dozing on and off. Then that night was a little quieter.”
“Okay, let me run these tests and see if we can find some answers for you,” the elderly doctor said, patting her shoulder as he exited the cubicle.
A soft hiss sounded from beside her. She turned to look at Judge, unsure what had caused his reaction. “I don’t like other men touching you.”
“Are you kidding me? That man’s old enough to be my father.” Her response was met with a cringe from Judge. “What?”
“Does age worry you when it comes to men?”
“I don’t know. As you pointed out earlier, I’ve let very few people into my life. That includes men,” she said, shocked at her openness with this man.
Judge surprised her by leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “Thank you, mate. You make me happy.” Before she could respond to his outward display of arrogance, he asked, “If you know what’s behind these seizures, why allow Emily to go through all these tests? They can’t be pleasant for her.”
“She and I discussed it when the seizures first brought her to the hospital. While she was at home, we could deal with them ourselves. But as soon as she entered the school system that was when we had some decisions to make. Her last stint in the hospital was the worst. Just when we thought she could go home another seizure hit, forcing her to remain in the hospital for another couple of days. I could have taken her home, denying the doctors a chance to poke and jab her, but that would mean we would have had to move on,” Charli explained. “We couldn’t have child protection knocking on our door. Ultimately it was Emily’s decision.”
“But she’s only six.”
“Yes, a six-year-old who is going to continually suffer from these seizures until she can gain control of her visions. If we’d left the hospital, it would condemn us to a life of moving because they will continue and only grow worse before they get better.”
“Are you sure she still sticks with her decision now that she knows what is going to happen to her?”
“Yes, I asked her just over a week ago, after she was released from the hospital. She hasn’t budged on her decision. She claimed our destiny was here in Las Vegas and that we had to stay.”
“Both of your futures are here in Las Vegas, with me. But I loathe the idea of her suffering any further pain.”
His reaction to Emily was somewhat surprising. He hadn’t even been officially introduced to her, and yet she was in his heart already. Charli knew it wasn’t because of her. Emily had this way about her that had people immediately falling under her spell. Not that she could blame them. Charli was guilty of it herself.
Emily had a way of building a bond with people. Sometimes people she hadn’t even spoken to, like Judge. She had experienced enough corruption in her short life to know that abusing such a gift would be wrong. Charli was proud of her little sister for many reasons, and her maturity to recognize the difference between right and wrong was just one of them.
She was drawn from her ponderings by a squeeze to her shoulder. Judge’s phone was in his hand while his gaze was on her. “I’m sorry, kitten. I have to take this. I’ll make it short. Will you be all right?” Her nod was met with a smile of thanks before he swiped the phone and brought it to his ear. As he strode out of the cubicle, he said gruffly, “This better be good, Andrew.”
Chapter Four
Judge had rejected Andrew’s first nine calls over the last half an hour. Of course now his beta was playing on the safety net they had put into place. No matter what, the tenth call had to be answered, otherwise it would be assumed they were in danger.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Alpha. Dad told me about your mate’s little sister, but I think this takes precedence.”
“Nothing takes precedence over my mate’s needs,” he hissed down the phone.
“I beg to differ,” came the challenge.
“You’d better start explaining yourself, Beta. Otherwise I’ll be finding myself a new second-in-command and your family wil
l be mourning your loss.”
“When some of the kids were walking home after school, someone tried to grab them.”
“Please tell me you got the fucker.” Silence. “Is anyone missing?”
“Katie.”
“How long ago?”
“Just over an hour,” Andrew replied. “We’ve done the usual sweeps, but I think we need your nose to track her down.”
Judge had never been asked to choose between his commitments in the city and his pride. His brothers understood and supported his need to be with the pride when duty called. Never before had his obligations clashed. His mate needed his emotional support, while his pride required his tracking skills.
Needing to be near his mate again, he moved back toward the cubicle in which she still sat. Emily’s sleeping form lay on the bed beside her. They had yet to take her for her tests.
“I’ll call you back in five,” he said to his beta before ending the call.
“Is everything all right?” Charli asked, concern filling her eyes. He explained what he knew. “You have to find her.”
“We will. I’m the best tracker the pride has. It’s why Andrew, my beta, thought it urgent enough to disturb me even when my mate needed me.”
“Her need is greater,” Charli stated like any true alpha female would. “What’s her name?”
“Katie.”
“Katie,” Charli whispered right before her eyes glazed over. Within seconds they cleared again. “She managed to escape but she hurt herself in the process. She’s barely conscious.”
“Did you see where she was?”
“No.” Charli slumped. “She’s in a cave but it all looks the same to me no matter which way I look. She needs your tracking abilities.”
“I’m not happy about leaving you, Charli.”
“You have little choice. Your pride needs you. That little girl needs you.”
“And what about you, Charli? Is there not a part of you that needs me too?”
“That’s neither here nor there. My life and Emily’s life don’t hang in the balance. Katie’s does!”
She hadn’t admitted that she needed him, but her lack of denying it eased his mountain lion enough for him to make a decision. He would find Katie, but not before he placed a few strategies in place to protect both Charli and Emily.
“I will go, but if you leave this hospital before I get back, you will wait until Gabby’s finished work and ride with her. Or wait until her guards return to the hospital. They’ll take you wherever you want to go,” Judge said, crowding his mate’s body. “Yours and Emily’s safety are paramount. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you both or exact revenge on those who hurt you. Do you understand what I’m saying, mate? No more hiding from me, for your safety and my sanity.”
He could sense her unease about the restrictions he had placed on his leaving to save Katie. She had given him an insight into her life with her father after her mother’s passing. He could understand her reluctance to agree to his terms. Even though they weren’t anything like the unreasonable limitations her father and his boss had placed on her, they still hindered her freedom. But they were a necessity, especially now that he knew someone was trying to remove her from his life. It was an unacceptable outcome that he needed to protect both her and Emily from. Again he pushed for her compliance, only this time, he used her own protective emotions against her.
“Please, kitten,” he pleaded. This was a Judge that no one had seen before, and no one would outside of the woman in front of him. “If I know you two are safe, then I can concentrate my whole energy on finding Katie. If there was even a hint that you were unprotected, then my thoughts would be split, placing both myself and Katie in more danger.”
She gasped. “No, that area is full of menace. You have to be careful.”
“What do you mean by menace?” he asked, a little too forcefully for his liking. But her statement had him concerned for his pride and Katie.
“I don’t know. It’s a feeling I get. Unfortunately the fates only allow me to see what they wish. I think it also has to do with unmade decisions. If someone has yet to decide, then there is nothing to show.”
“How about this?” he asked. He was about to step into new territory and do something he had never done before, compromise. “I will take precautions as long as you do the same by staying with the men assigned to Gabby.”
He left out the fact that she too would be gaining her own personal guards as soon as he returned. He had no doubt that if she was aware of his plans she wouldn’t be nodding her head like she was in response. His body relaxed slightly. One problem was solved. His mate and her sister were protected. Now to turn his attention fully onto the next one, Katie’s whereabouts.
Thirty minutes later, with many speed restrictions broken, he was home on pride lands, listening to his beta fill him in on what had been done so far to locate Katie. His lion was eager to be on all fours with his nose to the ground. It pissed both of them off that someone dared to try to take something from within his circle of protection. Katie was a pride member and therefore the responsibility of her safety ultimately lay at his feet. Failure to find her wasn’t an option.
Finally Andrew led him to the spot where Katie had been pulled into the van. His lion jumped forward, rearing to bring the young girl home. He took in the area and immediately conceded the location would challenge his nose.
The road that separated pride land and Lake Mead National Recreational Area was one that was well used. Even as they stood at the edge of pride land several cars had passed them by. It was going to be tough to distinguish which way the van that had grabbed Katie traveled. But not impossible.
Releasing his lion and power all at the same time, Judge transformed within seconds. The only member of his pride near him was Andrew. Most of the other pride members had trouble remaining within a few feet of him once his full power was released. They tended to fall to the ground on their knees, bowing their heads. That wasn’t what he wanted for his pride members, so he learned to hide his power. Thus reducing the time his pride family spent on their knees and instead allowing them to see him for who he was. He was not a leader who wished to be feared, rather one who was open and approachable. With his power contained, he had become both liked and respected.
In his mountain lion form sounds, sights, scents, and tastes had become clearer. He could taste the gas particles from the cars that traveled down the road. His eyes sensed movement all around him, while his ears told him of the little creatures that were scurrying for safety in his presence. The only sense he hadn’t allowed to partake in the world around him was his sense of smell.
In an attempt to hold on to Charli’s scent for as long as possible, he had been breathing through his mouth since leaving the hospital. Now it was time to let it go. Katie’s safety demanded it. Relishing his mate’s scent for one last second, he then forced it out of his body and out of his mind. He needed to absorb the odors around him in order to find Katie’s.
Taking in a large breath, his mountain lion began to sift through all the scents available. Rejecting anything that represented those around him, as well as anything remotely connected to vehicles, Judge began to pick out the scents that he wanted—those of the children. Searching through the familiar smells, he allocated a name to each one. Finally he found hers.
Running over the uneven terrain, confident that his mountain lion was camouflaged by the land around him, he followed Katie’s scent. His beta ran on his heel, protecting his back. Judge’s paws pounded along the ground, rocks and pebbles attempting to slow his progress. They didn’t. More cars passed, but even they couldn’t break his concentration. Now that Judge had his prey in sight nothing would stop him until he found it.
Suddenly his movement ceased. Something had changed in that spot. Here Katie’s blood began to flow. It was where he suspected she had escaped her kidnappers. If he was reading the scents correctly, she had jumped out of the moving vehicle. The van came to a halt
several meters away and two humans, men, he thought, had exited the car and attempted to chase Katie on foot.
His nose told him that the kidnappers returned to their car empty-handed. Now all he had to do was find the one cave out of the many in the area that Charli had told him about and pray he was able to do it in time.
Dashing across the road, Judge continued to follow Katie’s scent. The clever girl had led her captives on a wild goose chase, sending them in circles. With each circle the scent of her blood became stronger, telling Judge that she was losing a lot of it. Finally, Katie’s scent carried him deeper into Lake Mead territory. As her scent grew stronger, the terrain grew rougher. The air felt cooler as the light faded.
Katie’s scent had become overpowering—she was close. A large collection of boulders called to him, inviting him to take shelter. As he moved around the immense form a shadow fell over him, chilling the air even further. Still he moved around them, trusting in Katie’s scent.
He stopped. Her scent was weakening. He had somehow missed her as he passed by the boulders. Looking back at Andrew in the hope that his beta had found something, he saw it. An opening hidden in the shadows, only to be discovered by those looking closely enough.
Quickly changing forms, he moved toward the tiny gap. Whispering Katie’s name, he was confident in the child’s advanced hearing and sense of smell that she would know it was him. A moan was all he got in reply.
It was settled. He would be entering the cave. Praying the unmovable boulders that stood like sentinels at the mouth of the cave would allow his entrance, Judge pushed his body between the solid masses. The jagged surface took payment for his trespass, but it was a small price to pay to ensure Katie would be sleeping under her parents’ roof tonight.
“Alpha,” came the moan from deeper in the cave.
“Yes, poppet. I’ve come to take you home.”
“I’m tired.”
“I know, but I need you to stay with me. Okay?”
“I’ll try.”
Mated to War Page 3
