“She was nothing like I’d ever seen before. Her hair was the color of corn silk, her eyes like the bluest ocean. She had a wild streak in her, too.” He smiled, remembering how they’d gone skinny dipping in the lake. He refocused on Ava, her green eyes studying him closely.
“Losing someone you love is never easy.”
He sucked in a breath and released it. “No, it’s never easy, but at least I got Grace. She’s been keeping me sane, but I didn’t realize how tough it was going to be.”
“You’ve got your mom and Casey though, right? They help?”
“Only when I’m desperate. I don’t want to be dependent on them.”
Her brows rose. “They’re your family, though. They’re supposed to be there when you need them.”
“You sound like you have a good family support network.”
She got busy looking at the comforter, the fierce woman who was there just a moment ago somehow lost. “We’re not talking about me right now.”
“Right,” he said, sensing the conversation was over. He stood up and walked toward the stairs.
“When can I go home?”
He turned to look at her. Why was the idea of her leaving him so distasteful? “Not yet.”
Her eyes hardened as she replied, “Right.” She picked up her book, dismissing him.
Hunter woke with a start, the sounds of Grace’s screams cutting him to the bone. Leaping out of bed, he ran to her room, his heart pounding out a staccato rhythm. Grace was standing up in her cot, tears streaming down face.
“What’s wrong, Gracey, huh?” he said, scooping her up into his arms. Christ, it felt like she was on fire. He ran his hand over her forehead, felt her temperature and swore. Hustling into the bathroom, he rifled through the drawers until he found the infants’ Tylenol. Grabbing the syringe, he started filling it up.
“What’s wrong?”
He spun around to find Ava standing in an oversized sleep shirt, her hair wild around her face. “I don’t know,” he breathed, refocusing his attention on the bottle in his hand. Trying to draw the plunger back, he almost dropped the bottle.
“Fuck!”
Ava was there in an instant, her hands wrapping around the bottle and the syringe. “Let me do that.” Before he could protest, she took over, popping the bottle down on the bathroom counter and drawing in the recommended dose.
“Make it 6ml.”
“What? No, that’s too much.”
Grace’s wailing intensified. “We have to account for her metabolism. Give her six. Trust me.” He could see she wasn’t so sure about that but drew out the extra amount. “Thank you.”
She gave him a curt nod then brought the syringe to Grace’s mouth and depressed the plunger. He studied her face, noticing that this close up, her green eyes had a little blue in them. Her gaze darted to him, their breaths shared, the heat of their bodies noticeable, although probably only to him. Like he’d done before, she ran her hand over Grace’s brow and frowned.
“She’s burning up. I mean, for a werewolf, she is.”
“I know.”
Her crying hadn’t quietened yet, so he tried to jiggle her on his hip.
“Look, I don’t know much about werewolf physiology yet, but what I do know is we need to bring down her temp,” Ava announced, pushing past him and kneeling in front of the bath. “Normally a cool washcloth will be enough, but I think we need to do a little more to cool her off.” Popping the plug into the hole, she turned on the cold water then added a little hot to take the edge off. She stood up to face him. “She’s probably going to cry even harder once she’s placed in there.”
Nodding, he said, “Okay.” It would take all his willpower to stop himself from snatching her out of the bath, but he knew it was what had to be done.
When he hesitated, Ava asked, “Do you want me to do it?”
He turned to her, wanting so desperately to say yes. He didn’t want to be the bad guy here. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head.
“No. I need to do this.”
Laying Grace down on the plush bath mat, he stripped her out of her pajamas and diaper and placed her into the water. Somehow, the pitch of her screaming intensified as she thrashed against his hold. He felt like the worst parent on the planet, forcing his child to endure this. Her little face was getting redder and redder, her tears streaming down her face. What was he doing? He couldn’t do this to his own flesh and blood.
Ava placed her hand on his shoulder, her grip firm yet gentle. “Just a few more minutes, Hunter,” she murmured.
He glanced over his shoulder at her, shocked to see her nibbling her bottom lip, her eyes focused on Grace. Her gaze darted down to meet his, her intense forest green eyes morphing into a blazing orange as her wolf peered out at him. He nodded to her, feeling his own wolf stepping forward for just a moment before slipping back into the shadows of his mind.
For five agonizing minutes, he held Grace in the cool water until, finally, she quietened. Ava ran her hand over her forehead, her professional persona firmly in place.
“How is she?”
“She still has a temp. Damn it; I thought the bath would’ve brought it down a little.”
“Do we leave her a little longer?”
“No. Get her out. Just put her in her diaper. We need to keep her as cool as possible until the fever breaks.”
His eyes darted back down to Grace. “How long will that take?” he asked desperately. Grace had never been sick like this before. He always prided himself on being in control, of knowing exactly what he was going to do, but being a father threw all sorts of curve balls at him.
“Hunter,” Ava said in a tone he could only describe as doctorial. “I don’t know how long this will take, but you have to trust me when I say I’ll do all I can to help her, okay?”
He felt himself nod, although he wasn’t sure if he or his wolf were doing it. The bastard always had better instincts than him. “I can’t lose her too,” he croaked, and Ava’s expression softened.
“You won’t lose Gracey. I promise.” She stood up from her crouch. “Come on, let’s get her back to bed. I think the Tylenol has kicked in.”
He glanced back down at his daughter, seeing her glassy-eyed stare. He lifted her from the bath, wrapping the towel around her and holding her close. At least she felt cooler than before. Ava followed at his back. Instead of going to Grace’s room, he brought her into his. He glanced over his shoulder when he felt Ava stop at the door.
“It’s fine. You can come in.”
She took one small step, then another, before finally coming all the way inside. He placed Grace on the bed, snatching a diaper off the dresser.
“Can you fix the pillows so she won’t roll out?” he asked.
“Of course.”
By the time he was done with the diaper, Ava had set up two pillows along the edge of one side of the bed.
“Is this okay?”
“Fine,” he replied, picking Grace up and placing her down. He lay down beside her, his eyes on her small chest as it rose up and down as she drifted off to sleep.
“I’ll check in on you in a few hours,” she announced.
“There’s no need. I’ve got it from here.” She turned around to leave, stopping when he said, “And Ava?”
“Hmm?”
He stared at Grace. “Thank you.”
* * *
Three hours later, Ava crept back down the stairs and knocked on Hunter’s door softly. When there was no reply, she pushed into his bedroom, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the low light. Both Grace and Hunter were sound asleep on the bed. She didn’t want to overstep her bounds here, but she needed to check on Grace’s temperature. Walking as lightly as she could, she moved to Grace’s side of the bed, running her hand over her forehead. She felt a little warm again, and she figured that would be the case. There was still another hour before she could safely give her more Tylenol...well, at least that’s what she thought. Honestly, she had no idea, and the
gaps in her knowledge were bugging the shit out of her.
After touching her arm to confirm her initial suspicions, her gaze darted to Hunter. He had his body practically curled around Grace, protecting her even in his sleep. He looked so relaxed now, so different from his crazed expression before. His words to her, though, they were still an echo of pain in her head.
I can’t lose her too.
Hunter must’ve suffered so much loss in his life to have that thought when Grace had a fever. Did he think he was going to lose her from that? His brow furrowed suddenly, a small moan escaping his parted lips. He must’ve been dreaming. She glanced around at the small armchair in the corner of the room. It looked as if he was using it as a closet right now, judging by the number of clothes he had draped over the arms and back. Still, she sat down, tucking her feet up under herself. She leaned back, resting her head against his sweatshirt. Her nostrils flared as she took in his scent. Inside her head, her wolf rubbed against her, appreciating the smell of the alpha.
Settle down, she thought. The female was acting like she was in heat.
While she waited to give Grace more Tylenol, she wondered what her life was going to be like once she finally returned home. She had no intention of giving up her career just because she got shaggy at will. She’d worked too damn hard to build it up just to let it all go. She was curious to know more about werewolf anatomy and physiology. If she knew more, she’d actually be of use to more than one group of people. She could help the shifters who lived in Seattle and the surrounding areas. Maybe she could even set up a clinic for the exclusive use of werewolves.
Her mind whirled with the possibilities. Perhaps being bitten wasn’t the worst thing to have happened to her. Her eyes darted to the bed when Grace began to stir. She stood up, her wolf whining when she drew away from Hunter’s scent that had cocooned them.
“Hey there, Gracey,” she crooned softly. Hunter’s eyes were still firmly shut, so she slid her arms beneath the little girl and lifted her up. She felt her forehead and smiled. Somehow, the fever had already broken.
Was that because of her DNA? Fascinating.
“Let’s get you something to drink and change your diaper.”
Back in Grace’s room, she changed her and dressed her in a light outfit that would allow her healing body to breathe. Out in the kitchen, she placed Grace into her high chair, and then got to making some breakfast for them to share.
“What do you think? Pancakes this morning?” Ava glanced out the window. The sun wouldn’t be up for another hour or so. Grace would probably be hungry after her late-night ordeal anyway.
The little girl watched her work as Ava cracked an egg into the flour then added some sugar and milk. She was mesmerized by the movement of the whisk, her blue eyes tracking every revolution of Ava’s hand. She was just heating the frying pan when Hunter ran into the room.
“How is she? Christ, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He was next to Grace in the next breath, feeling her forehead. When he realized the fever had broken, he let out a relieved breath.
“She’s okay,” Ava said. “Although I’m surprised she recovered so quickly.”
He turned to look at her and shrugged. “Just another one of the perks.”
“You were so worried though.”
“It could’ve gone either way,” he told her, lifting Grace from her seat. “She’d either recover quickly or go downhill.”
She returned her attention back to the pan when she heard the batter sizzling. Flipping the first batch of pancakes, she kept her eyes down, acutely aware that Hunter was staring at her.
She cleared her throat. “You’re staring.”
“I want to thank you for helping me last night.”
Ava turned around to face him, leaning back against the countertop. “You don’t have to thank me; it’s my job to look after kids.”
Hunter shook his head. “Maybe, but I’ve been an asshole to you the last week. I’m just afraid of getting played by a female looking to become an alpha’s mate. It’s Grace I have to think about now, not my own selfish needs.”
Selfish needs? This was new. “I get it. Believe me. I’m not interested in you that way though.”
The words tasted bitter as they left her mouth, and her wolf howled and clawed in protest.
“You’re not?” he asked, his brows hiking up to his hairline.
“Believe it or not, Hunter, you aren’t irresistible.”
With a frown, he said, “Right.”
Turning back to her task, she took the two pancakes out of the pan and placed them on a plate.
“I made enough for all of us,” she told him, setting the plate aside.
He came up behind her. “I haven’t had pancakes in forever.”
“I’m glad I could break the dry spell.”
His eyes shifted quickly: blue to yellow and back to blue. His gaze was locked on hers and she didn’t know whether it was the heat of the gas range, or the heat from this alpha male, but she was suddenly too warm. Clearing her throat, she glanced away, breaking the moment.
Chapter Seven
Hunter watched Ava move around the kitchen like she’d always been there, always fit into his life.
He cleared his throat. “Had a lot of experience with making pancakes?”
Ava smiled over her shoulder at him. “I made pancakes for me and my brothers every Sunday from the age of ten.”
“Impressive,” he replied genuinely. “Casey did the same thing... Well, once Mom actually let her into the kitchen.”
She smiled and turned back around. His eyes drifted down to the hem of her sleep shirt. The thing wasn’t damn near long enough. It barely covered her ass, which he could see was perfectly round and firm.
“Hunter?”
His eyes darted back to her face. “What?”
“I asked if you wanted syrup or ice cream.”
“Can I have both?”
“A man after my own heart,” she replied with a small smile, before pulling out the ice cream and then hunting around the kitchen for the syrup.
“Top shelf in the pantry.”
“Thanks.” She popped open the door and stretched up to grab the bottle of syrup. As she did, her t-shirt rose, revealing the object he’d been staring at.
Fuck.
He shifted in his seat, his cock getting hard. Glancing down, he saw the tent in his sweats and surreptitiously tried to pull his shirt down to hide it. It had been so long since he’d been remotely interested in a woman that this reaction kind of took him by surprise.
“Are you okay?” she asked, tugging at the bottom of her shirt. Had she smelled his arousal?
He cleared his throat. “Fine.” He reached for the syrup she’d put beside his plate, concentrating on pouring it out carefully. Next, he scooped out some ice cream, placed it next to his small stack of pancakes. Grace smacked her lips, waiting impatiently for him to share with her. With a small chuckle, he cut some small squares and put them aside to cool down.
Ava was still moving around the kitchen, putting another batch of batter into the frying pan.
“Will you sit down and eat with us?”
“In a minute,” she replied, half-distracted.
Grace made another small sound of distress at being made to wait, so he started to feed her. She ate hungrily, chewing and swallowing what he’d cut up for her in a matter of minutes.
He ate between her bites, feeding her more small mouthfuls until his plate was cleared. Wiping some syrup off the corner of her mouth, he asked quietly, “Hungry, huh, little one?”
He glanced up as Ava took the seat opposite him, a plate loaded with both ice cream and syrup. He watched her eat for just a moment before taking his plate to the sink to begin washing up.
“Someone’s tired,” Ava said.
He turned to find Grace yawning and rubbing her eyes. Drying his hands on the dish towel, he took her from the highchair.
“Come on, Gracey, let’s get some rest.”
He hesitated for a moment, suddenly unsure. For the first time in a long time, he felt ashamed for treating a female like he had. Despite that, and despite her own feelings toward him, Ava had stepped up and helped him last night. Perhaps she was different from all the other women.
“Do you like spy novels?” he asked, gesturing to her choice of book.
She looked at the cover and shrugged. “It’s a book. I take it you do, though. You have so many.”
Sitting down on the couch opposite her, he said, “I don’t have much time to read anymore.”
“Not since Grace was born?”
“Not since I became alpha.”
She frowned. “You sound like you didn’t want to be alpha.”
“It’s not that. I did want to rise to this position, but I would’ve liked to have had it under different circumstances.”
“I don’t follow.”
He sat back in his seat and heaved a sigh. “Wolf territory usually goes from father to son, as long as the son has secured a mate. I became alpha before that happened though.”
“How?”
“My father was killed. In order to maintain our territory, a replacement had to be found quickly. I was the natural choice, but I think I assumed power too early. I still had so much to learn.”
Why was he being so open and honest with her? Maybe it was because she was a doctor—she was a professional—and much like a priest in a confessional, weren’t her secrets taken to the grave?
“And Natasha?” she asked.
“After my father died and I became alpha, we got mated. Not long after that, she fell pregnant, but... I was scared.”
“Why?”
“Pregnancies for werewolves are dangerous. There are so many things that could go wrong. She’d insisted though. She said she’d always wanted to be a mother. I loved her. I wanted to give her the world, so I gave in and agreed to it.”
The Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas: The Complete Collection Page 4
