by Davis, Lia;
“Graham?” Dani questioned from beside him.
He turned so she could run her hand down Max’s back. She walked her fingers back up the middle of his back, and he giggled. Dani laughed. “I knew you had a giggle hiding in there.” She looked at Graham and said, “See if you can sit him on the bed. I need to do a complete physical.”
He nodded and shifted Max to sit on the bed. He let out a soft cry, and Graham growled low, snapping Max’s attention to him. “No one here will harm you, little man.”
Max’s bottom lip quivered, but he sat on the bed watching Dani as she moved to stand in front of him. Carefully, she removed his dirt-caked shirt and started to check him over. When she was done, she looked at Graham and smiled. “He’s healthy… dirty, but healthy.”
Graham sagged in relief. “Thanks.”
“He wouldn’t let anyone touch him but me.” Cameron said again.
Graham felt her gaze on him as he pulled his phone out, opened the bubble wrap app, and handed it to Max. “He’d always been a quiet baby.”
“I think he was touch-starved.”
Graham snapped his head and narrowed his eyes at her. “Isaac would have never…”
She didn’t flinch. Instead, she crossed her arms and glared back at him. “They were being held captive.”
His heart sank as fear rose within him. “What?”
She let out a sigh. “Sammie said they slept in a dirty cell with bars. The only connection he had was with his sister.”
Anger bloomed within Graham, but he tamped it down. “Where is Samantha?”
Just then a shriek of joy filled the waiting area outside the room they stood in, followed by Sammie’s voice. “Papa!”
He turned in time to catch her as she jumped for him. Picking her up, he held her tight and kissed her temple. Her blond hair was wet from a bath, and she smelled of roses and soap. “Are you okay?”
She nodded into his shoulder and whispered, “Daddy’s not coming back.”
Squeezing her, he didn’t respond. It was the only reason why Isaac would have sent the kids to search for him. The male had gotten into something way over his head.
He lifted his gaze to the doorway as the leopard Marshal, Blaine Andrews, walked in. The male was about a couple of inches taller than Graham and must outweigh him by fifty pounds of muscle.
The male was built for fighting and fucking.
This is so not the time or the place.
What the hell was wrong with him? Had he gone back to being a horny teen again?
Blaine gave him a short nod in greeting, his grey eyes darkening slightly as the male studied Graham, most likely sensing Graham’s desire. Hell, any shifter within a mile radius would sense the way his blood heated with the Marshal and enforcer in the room.
One of Blaine’s eyebrows raised and Graham swore his lips twitched before Blaine spoke to Dani. “Sasha says Sammie looks good from what she can tell.”
Dani turned her attention to Sammie, running a hand lightly over her back. As a leopard healer, Dani could sense internal injuries in other felines.
At the Healer’s soft touch, Sammie relaxed a little and squeezed his neck. “He left us alone. He said he’d be right back, but the monsters came and took us. We stayed inside that dirty room for so long. Daddy never came. I tried to sense him, but couldn’t feel him because we were too far away. Then he came and set us free, he told me to go to Ashwood Falls. He showed me the map on his phone, but I didn’t understand. He just shoved us out of the building, pointed toward the forest and told me to run with Max.”
She talked so fast, her words didn’t make since at first. When he pulled her back to peer into her face, she had tears running down her pale face. Her blue eyes holding more terror than he’d ever seen in a child. Graham hugged her tight again, rubbing her back, soothing her. “Shh, baby. You’re safe now. Let’s get you two home and get you to bed. We can talk more in the morning.”
Dani smoothed a hand over Sammie hair and agreed, “It’s late.” She turned to Blaine and said, “We can call a meeting at my house in the morning.”
Chapter 2
Cameron sat at Dani and Nevan’s dining table with Max balanced on one knee as she helped him cut his waffle, dip it into the syrup, and bring it to his mouth. When he dropped the fork and stuck his hand in the syrup, she squeaked and grabbed his wrist. Graham came over with a wet cloth to clean him up. Max grunted his frustration then gripped Cam’s hair with his sticky fingers, tangling his fingers around the strands. “Oh, Max.” Cameron stood, only to come nose-to nose with Graham.
Her skin heated and her heart skipped a few beats. His blue eyes darkened slightly, then a flash of bright blue told her that his puma wasn’t far from the surface.
Graham gripped Max’s hand and tried to unwrap her hair from his sticky fingers. Cameron laughed, trying to ignore the heat blooming between them. “You’re making it worse.”
Graham drew his brows together, making him even more handsome. She let her gaze travel over the masculine lines of his face. His skin was tanned, as though he worked long hours in the sun. He had high cheekbones and an average size nose that was just right for him. When her gaze fell on his lips, she wondered what they would feel like against hers. His lips were slightly full, the bottom one begging for her to bite it. When his blue gaze met hers, a wash of desire rushed through her, heating her skin even more.
Good Lord, what the hell was wrong with her? She had a mate, or could have one if she’d get past her commitment issues. She damn sure didn’t need another.
The front door opened, drawing her attention to Blaine as he walked in and shut the door behind him. Cameron immediately met his glare with one of her own.
Damn possessive male.
She stepped away from Graham and went to the kitchen sink to wet her hair and untangle Max’s hands. A moment later Blaine was at her side, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and then took Max from her. Her heart lurched as the little guy started crying and kicking his feet.
Graham appeared and took the wailing child from Blaine, and Cameron swore she heard a growl come from one of them.
Drying the ends of her hair with a kitchen towel, Cam stepped between them, giving Blaine a narrow-eyed glare. “Are you done?”
His leopard flashed in his eyes, and he leaned in to growl, “Not with you.”
She pushed past him, pissed that he would pull this possessive dominant shit with her, especially before she’d had her second cup of coffee. “We’re waiting on Keegan and Travis.”
“What about the wolves?” he asked as he followed her to the living room.
She rolled her eyes, knowing he was referring to Luna—the wolf Alpha—and Hayden—the wolf Marshal. “I already called Luna, and she said to fill her in later.”
Cameron sat down on the couch behind where Max stood playing with Graham’s Smartphone. She reached over his little shoulders and rapidly tapped her fingers on the screen, popping the virtual bubbles. Max laughed that infectious baby laugh, drawing out a laugh from her. She kissed the top of his head, loving the way he leaned into her in that comfortable way a child does with a parent.
Blaine sat beside her, and when she glanced at him, she noticed the slightest hint of longing as he peered at Max. She frowned. Loss twined around her, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. She looked away and blinked back the onset of tears.
Blaine’s warm hand came to rest on her back, and he leaned into her. “Stop. We have a lifetime to try again.”
She was about to snap at him to drop it when Max climbed into her lap and pushed at Blaine with a grunt. She laughed, hugged Max, and buried her nose into his baby-fine white-blond hair.
Blaine huffed playfully and sat back. “I see I’ve lost my mate.” He reached over to ruffle Max’s hair, but the toddler buried his face into Cameron’s shoulder.
Cameron laughed at Blaine’s offended expression as she heard footsteps entering the room. She peered toward the hallway and saw Nevan and a bed-head
ed Sammie following.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she quietly called out to Graham, “Papa?”
Graham stuck his head out from the kitchen. “Here, baby. You want some juice?”
“Yes, please,” she said as she came to sit next to Blaine.
Blaine held out his hand, palm up. She smiled and placed her small, thin hand in his large, callused one. Blaine studied the girl for minute, and Cameron could feel his concern. “How old are you?” he asked with his eyebrows drawn together.
Sammie lifted her chin. “Eleven in August.”
“She’s close, but Dani thinks she has at least another year before she shifts,” Nevan said, answering Blaine’s unasked question. “We’ve asked Graham to stay in Ashwood with the kids so they can be with a Pack.”
“I said I would think about it. Mom is capable of aiding Sammie in anything she needs.” Graham glared at Nevan and handed Sammie her OJ.
His brother made a noise that sounded more like a cat instead of the human he was. “I know Mom can, but the kids need a Pack. What about Cale? He joined a Pack.”
“Because his mate belongs to Crimson Stone.” Graham held up a hand when it looked as though Nevan was about to speak. “I’ll think about it.”
Max jumped at the sternness in Graham’s voice. Cameron ran her fingers through his hair, soothing him.
Blaine grunted beside her. “What about their father?”
Sammie set her juice on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around herself and spoke in a hushed, saddened tone. “Daddy is dead.”
Graham was in front of her in an instant, drawing her into his arms. “You sure?”
She leaned into him and nodded against his chest. Cameron’s heart ached all over again. “I can’t feel him,” she said softly. “It’s like I’m alone inside.”
The bond between child and father had broken. Cameron held Max a little closer. Sammie was old enough to understand what the disconnect meant. Her lion was most likely telling her.
But Max…he wouldn’t understand. Now his reluctance to go to any other male besides Graham made a little more sense to her. He missed his dad and didn’t know why. She kissed Max on the top of his head and peered up at Graham. His sorrowful expression made her chest tighten. Then it clicked. The way the kids acted toward him was so comfortable and affectionate, like children were with a parent.
“He was your lover,” she whispered.
Graham’s attention snapped up to her. “Sammie, take Max and see if you can get him to eat some more.”
Sammie wiggled her fingers at Max, and the toddler scooted out of Cameron’s lap and warily walked past Blaine to his sister. Blaine reached out to him as he past, and Max jerked his little arm away. Cameron smacked Blaine. “Stop.”
She returned her attention back to Graham just as the doorbell rang. Dani emerged from the kitchen with a couple of bowls. She set them on the table for the kids and moved toward the door.
The sound of Shayna—Blaine’s adopted sister and one of Cameron’s best friends—brought a smile to Cameron’s lips. She loved Shay as if they were sisters. And it helped that they were about five years apart in age. Shay walked inside, giving Dani a quick hug. Behind her was her stepdaughter, Josie, who smiled wildly at everyone. Once she spotted Sammie and Max at the dining table, she walked over and introduced herself.
No fear, Cameron mused.
“Do you want some cereal, Josie?” Dani asked, and then kissed the four-year-old on the cheek.
Josie beamed and nodded then pulled out a chair and climbed on it. Shay laughed. “Josie, you just ate.”
Dani disappeared into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a bowl and set it in front of Josie. “Oh stop, Shay. I know the only time the poor girl eats is when she comes over.”
“Nah, it’s the extra exercise she gets.” Travis came in, wrapping his arms around Shay and pressing a kiss to her neck. Looking at Dani, he said, “My mom will be by later with some toys and stuff for the kids.”
Dani smiled and leaned in to give him a hug. “Thanks.” She went to close the door and stopped as Keegan appeared in the doorway.
Cameron stifled a laugh when Dani jumped. The leopard Alpha was great at sneaking up on people. Dani shook her head and walked away. With a smirk, Keegan stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked to the table where the kids sat eating. Well, all but Josie, who was babbling about school and the nursery.
Blaine stretched an arm out behind Cameron’s head and drew her into him. She went, wanting to feel him close. She’d put too much distance between them lately. She had a feeling of something missing, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Yes, she’d lost a child several years ago. Since then she had refused to be around him during her time of heat. She just couldn’t go through the loss of another child. She couldn’t put him through losing another.
It was the main reason she’d hadn’t wanted to bond with him. Blaine deserved better, like a female that could carry his cubs to term.
Another reason she’d kept him at a distance was the uneasy feeling that something was missing in their lives.
As if sensing her soured thoughts, he squeezed her closer and kissed the top of her head. She sighed and wondered how she’d found a male so complex. He was an alpha male to the core, but also compassionate and frustrating as hell.
Pushing back, she eyed him suspiciously. “What’s with the cuddling?”
“I always cuddle with you.”
Yeah, he did, but it was never in public or even around family or friends. She raised a brow. He took his arm from around her and sat straight. She noticed he cast a glance to Graham, who had sat in an armed chair diagonally to their right watching them.
Narrowing her eyes and pressing her lips together, she held Graham’s stare until the male looked away. She was so not doing this. She couldn’t do it. Blaine was enough, all she ever wanted and needed.
Wasn’t he? Why in the hell did Graham make her want things that were impossible to have?
She had never really been sure about her future, and entering the mating dance with Blaine at the age of nineteen had only tamed her jaguar a little. She was young and hadn’t wanted to complete the mating bond then. When she went into heat for the first time at twenty-two, she was glad to have him. She got pregnant and was both happy ¬and scared shitless at the same time. Yet, she still hesitated with forming the mating bond with him. Then she lost their child in her fourth month of pregnancy, halting all plans of mating and having a future.
Uncertainty and fear consumed her, making her withdraw from her mate and the new family she’d found in Ashwood. Well, not everyone. It was hard to push Blaine away too far. The stubborn male didn’t possess the phrase “back off” in his vocabulary. And her two best friends, Dani and Shay, were impossible to stay away from. About two weeks after the miscarriage, they’d shown up at her apartment with a couple of bottles of wine and forced her out of her depression.
Cameron was grateful for her friends. Without them she would have left Ashwood and left the pain behind with it.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped off memory lane and returned to the present. Her gaze landed on Graham. His short blond hair was unruly, as though he ran his hands through it constantly. When his blue eyes lifted to stare into hers, she suppressed a groan as desire threatened to rise. Something about those blues, something in his stare and the way they darkened ever so slightly when he looked at her made her want things she shouldn’t, couldn’t have.
The damned sexy mountain lion tempted her like no one other than Blaine had.
Shit. She was in trouble.
Shay sat beside her, drawing her from her worries. “Care to share your thoughts?” she purred.
Cameron looked at her and smiled. Her best friend glowed with life like the happy, mated, pregnant female she was. Cam took her hand and leaned her forehead against hers. “Pissing contest.”
Shay’s smile faded as she peered over at her brother then Nevan’s stepbro
ther. Then amusement lit up her features. “Oh, man.”
“Yep.” Cameron sighed.
Keegan emerged from the kitchen chewing on something and nodded at Graham in greeting. Cameron knew Graham had been in the den for a couple of days now, working with Luna on a new centralized nursery and school. So it wasn’t surprising that Keegan didn’t bother with formalities. Plus, no one came into Ashwood Falls without meeting the Alphas first.
Keegan sat down on a dining room chair he drug in with him and said, “This will be an informal meeting. I’d like for Graham to explain a little about his relationship with the kids. Then we’ll decide what to do next.”
Graham cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable as he began to speak. “Isaac, the children’s father, and I were lovers. I met Isaac a few months before Max was born. He was full of life, happy, and content with a seven-year-old Sammie and his human mate about to give birth to a son. Then everything changed after Max was born. Libby grew depressed and started having doubts about raising puma cubs.”
Graham paused, and Cameron wondered if the pain she felt rolling off him was grief for Libby or Isaac, or maybe the kids.
He sighed and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Isaac found her on the bathroom floor when he got home from work. She’d overdosed on sleeping pills. It nearly destroyed him, and it destroyed me as well to watch the man who had fast become my friend hurt so much.”
“Graham stepped in and helped put the pieces together and made sure the kids had what they needed,” Nevan said grimly.
Graham nodded. “Isaac and I weren’t mates.” He sat back and scrubbed a hand over his face. “It took months for Isaac to start living again. I moved in with him and the kids. Everything seemed to be moving forward. Isaac took a new job paying double what he’d been making, and then, about a year ago, he took the kids and left. No forwarding address and his cell phone was cut off.”
Blaine stretched out his arm across the couch behind Cameron’s head. “And last night we find the kids running from the Onyx goons and mutants.”
