by Kyle, Celia
But she couldn’t remember! She called up every image from the photos, her laughing face, Elias’ smile, the dancing on the beach…
She could not remember! Nothing she did would force those memories to come. She couldn’t stop chasing them, even though she knew how useless that was. Now that she had felt the power of their bond, all she wanted was to be as it was.
Avery sensed that she had something most people never have. If she couldn’t remember who she was before, she would never get it back.
Gently, she reached out with her knuckles and brushed them down his cheek. He didn’t stir, except for a small smile. The feeling was comfort, safety. Imagining herself anywhere else was impossible.
For the first time since the accident, she felt truly upset at the gaping hole left in her life. She was angry with it, wanting to impose her will upon it until it gave back every secret of hers it had taken. To her frustration, nothing came, and she was left feeling as empty as before.
With only Elias to fill her mind and her heart. It was enough. Even if she never remembered, Elias was enough. He always had been and always would be—her one and only for all of time.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Elias sat in the warm sun streaming through the window, his gaze on Avery as she ate breakfast. He had ordered everything, wanting to make sure she had anything she craved. In the true spirit of a pregnant woman, she devoured waffles, fruit, yogurt and pastries.
“I’m sorry I’m such a pig.” She grinned as she tucked into the food. He was so enchanted by the sun in her hair that all he could do was shake his head, his eyes dazzled by her beauty.
“You are growing a strong cub—a future alpha. You eat as much as you want.”
She looked up with a cheeky, sidelong glance as she dug into another pastry. He shook his head a little, smiling at her.
The night had been perfect. He could not have imagined the fierce joy and contentment that flooded him when he woke up holding her. The pain of the months without her turned in his chest and flew away to be replaced by new fears that he could lose her all over again.
She sat back, wiping her hands and taking a sip of juice. “I guess I better get to work then.”
He frowned, though he tried not to let her see his expression. He was not happy about her decision to keep going to work. He stayed with her at all times, eyes open for the barest glimpse of an enemy and alert for any trace of scent. He knew she liked her work and would get frustrated locked in the hotel, so he tried to support her.
He helped her gather her things, and they began their walk, the morning bright around them. He wanted to hold her hand, but she kept waving them excitedly as she moved, pointing things out and gesturing.
His heart leapt because this enthusiasm was a lot like the old Avery—bold and adventurous. So full of exuberance that anyone who didn’t enjoy life to the fullest was not worth her attention. He wondered if he would ever see that woman again.
On the street, he watched every single person. If someone seemed to get too close, he came between them and Avery. He kept his attention on every car that slowed near them, every doorway that opened suddenly.
He was relieved when they reached the office. She was still in danger, but at least he had a finite area to work with now. The faces were mostly familiar, and he could pick out a stranger with ill intent pretty quickly. He walked her all the way to her desk, his hand on the small of her back.
“Elias, you don’t have to go to this much trouble.” Her cheeks glowed and her eyes shone. She enjoyed the attention, even though she was a bit embarrassed.
“I absolutely do.” He smiled, kissing her on the cheek. “I would do anything for you. Walking you to work is not trouble. It’s a pleasure.”
Memories of every single day he spent without her tore his heart. He smiled even wider, determined that she would only see him happy and optimistic. He wanted to banish that darkness from their lives and from his mind. He knew that until he found her attacker, that would be impossible, but to her face he only wanted to show calm assurance. He would never let her be in danger again. He couldn’t lose her twice.
Her cheeks flushed a little as she sat down, opening her computer and picking up some files. She looked up at him shyly.
“Are you going to stand there all day?”
He grinned. “Maybe.”
She laughed. He may have taken up station right behind her if Galen hadn’t come out of his office. “Elias. A word?”
“Sure.” He moved toward his friend, eyes lingering on Avery. He knew she was safe. He would only be a few feet away. Still, he watched her for as long as he could before turning into Galen’s office.
“Can’t take your eyes off her, huh?”
“Do you blame me?”
“Not at all. Especially since I have news for you.”
Elias was instantly at attention. His hands pressed into Galen’s desk as he tried to control himself. His lion roared inside and waited to tear itself free of the human restraints.
The very idea that she could be in danger he could not prevent was unacceptable to man and beast.
“Speak,” he demanded.
Galen kept his eyes on Elias’ face. “There is definitely an unknown lioness in the area.”
Elias’ breath hissed between his teeth. Even though he stayed in human form, he was more lion than man at that moment. “How do you know?”
“At first, we couldn’t be sure. A few of my wolves thought they might be imagining what they discovered. The signs were so slight that we easily overlooked them.”
Elias shook his head, shocked. For someone to go to this much trouble, they were very determined to get to him. He knew a few had escaped last time, but he assumed them to be the same ilk as those he slaughtered. Clumsy, vicious brutes.
Clearly, the one who stalked him and his mate was far more serious than the others. “How? I mean, how did you finally pick up the scent, and how was she hiding from you?”
“She has to be using a suppressor.”
Elias’ breath whistled through his teeth. “She must be desperate then. If anyone came across her when she was under its influence, she’d be as helpless as a drunk infant.”
Galen smiled briefly at the mental image. “It took some tracking to determine if she was really a stranger, too. The pack has grown, more wolves coming in to join family. We had as many reporting as possible and sent them out with orders to come back if they found news. No one found anything truly significant, but the sheer number of strange reports convinced us something was up.”
“So, she is very good, then.”
Galen nodded, eyes wide and serious. “She is very serious, yes.”
“Nothing else but the barest of scent? No clues as to her hideout?”
“No. Afraid not. Nowhere that her scent intensified would give us a clue to who she was or where she was staying. She must have picked her hiding place well.”
Elias frowned, his fingers curling as the lion begged to be free. He wanted to prowl around the building. He wanted to shift and go roaring through the streets until he found this enemy who thought they could take anything from him. All sorts of impossible, rage-driven thoughts flashed through his mind.
He blinked hard, trying to get himself under control.
“I have every available wolf on it, my friend,” Galen said softly.
“I feel like I need to do something, I have to find them…” He clutched the back of a nearby chair, needing something to grip to take his mind off the change that was threatening to rip through him. His lion refused to be contained.
“There are wolves all over the city now,” Galen tried to reassure him. “Even though all we have is a distorted scent, it’s enough to alert us to her presence if she’s stupid enough to move around.”
“She doesn’t sound stupid to me.”
“I agree. Even the smartest people make mistakes, though.”
“Like I made a mistake,” Elias whispered, eyes blank and
unseeing. “I thought I was untouchable. Alpha supreme. What a fucking joke. They took her right out from under my paws, Galen.”
Galen looked at the floor, sighing sharply. Nothing that comfort his friend in this situation.
Elias moved over to the window. He watched Avery talking on the office phone, her smile bright. She twisted the phone cord around her finger, tilting her head as she listened to the person on the other end.
She was like a vision, something from a dream. Even after being with her and possessing her physically again, he still couldn’t believe she was real. “I can’t lose her again, Galen. I won’t survive it. I barely survived the first time.”
“You won’t.” Galen’s voice was firm. “We won’t let it happen.”
Even though Elias believed his friend, he also knew he couldn’t be everywhere at once. He simply couldn’t control some things, and this knowledge filled him with fear and made the lion roar in frustration.
Elias leaned on the glass, keeping his eyes on his mate as she finished the call and started making notes in a file.
“You can’t keep her locked up in a cage, Elias.”
“I know that. But while danger is around, I feel ridiculous letting her out in public.”
He heard his friend laugh softly. “She won’t leave this floor. I promise you that. She will be under my eyes of and our security at all times.”
“And me,” Elias said firmly as he turned back to his friend. “I’m not leaving.”
“I didn’t expect you to go, but I thought you might need to prowl around to let off some anger. Your lion is growling so loud I can hear it from here.”
Elias nodded. “We have only just found her again. For months it was like living as a dead man—the horrible, aching loss. Like having your heart torn out yet still being expected to live. Every moment was empty, every thought painful.”
Galen nodded in sympathy, his own eyes dark with understanding.
“Now that the impossible has happened, she’s alive… She doesn’t know me, but at least she’s alive. My beast can’t take it again. I can’t take it again. If I live through it, I won’t be me anymore. I won’t be anything.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Galen said firmly.
“This lioness is undoubtedly the one who attacked Avery.” Elias’ emotions were quickly turning into a fierce desire to do something—anything. “If she is unknown to everyone in the pack, she must be the one. I have to find her.”
Galen nodded. “As well as having every wolf on high alert and regular patrols, we do have a couple of sightings.”
“Where?” Elias took a step toward him, the lion in him far too eager to come out and go loping through the streets until he found the one who dared to hurt his mate.
“Here’s a list.” Galen handed it to him. “Some of these are unconfirmed. The wolves who saw her just got a glimpse. Because of the suppressor, they couldn’t be sure. It’s worth checking out, though. She hasn’t been seen at all yesterday or today, but there is an uneasiness in the pack, a sense that other shifters are nearby.”
Elias scanned the list. “I have to check it out.”
Galen nodded. “I know. I’ll watch her, my friend. I’ll make sure no harm comes to her.”
“Thank you.” Elias reached out and gripped Galen’s hand firmly. He turned to go straight to Avery’s desk and let her know he’d be going out for a while. The quicker he checked out these addresses, the quicker he could get back to her… hopefully after dealing with the dangerous lion stalking them.
For the first few seconds, Elias was sure he wasn’t seeing the scene correctly. He came out of Galen’s office and blinked several times, shaking his head.
His beast roared and he grabbed his chest. Fear was stabbing him, attacking him from every side. The worst of the worst, that which he could not bear.
She was gone.
Chapter Fourteen
The excitement of the office was always invigorating. It had drawn her to the job from the very beginning. She could truly lose herself in the hustle and bustle. It didn’t matter who she was or what she could remember. The only thing that mattered was gathering the information and preparing it for Galen’s assistant.
She thrived on the fast pace and the fact that she didn’t have to think too much. When the phone stopped ringing for a few seconds, she took a sip from her nearby glass of water and thought about taking a break.
Before she could, a call came in from HR—something to do with her deposit account in payroll. She was frustrated that something had gone wrong with her account but didn’t think much of it. Paperwork screw-ups like this happened all the time in a big business. She was guilty of misfiling and losing things herself sometimes.
She got up slowly, looking over her shoulder at Elias and Galen. They were talking quietly with their heads together, obviously deep into an important conversation. She would only be a few minutes and HR was not far away. She didn’t bother to leave a note or tell anyone where she was going.
She waddled as fast as her pregnant bulk would allow her to across the office. She wasn’t painfully big yet, but enough that she noticed the weight and being off balance so much. She pressed the button for the elevator and got in as soon as it stopped.
A woman was standing in the back corner. Avery smiled politely and the woman smiled back, but something about the smile seemed utterly wrong. It wasn’t the kind of reflexive smile people usually flash at each other but somehow threatening.
Like the woman was a predator waiting to spring a trap to bring in its prize.
Avery glanced over her shoulder, seeing the woman standing not far behind her. Something about the way she stood was familiar. It was a frustrating, maddening sensation to Avery. These moments came upon her regularly and she could never make sense of them. Like she was remembering half of something and the rest had been cut away.
As they went down a few floors, other people started to get into the elevator. The woman moved so she was directly behind Avery, and it bothered her that she had lost sight of her.
Something was wrong here and Avery didn’t need lion senses to know that.
Just when she thought she had to get away, even if it meant getting off on the wrong floor, she felt something prick at her neck. It was like being bitten by a spider, a sudden sharp sting that seemed hot and itchy.
Immediately, drowsiness seeped through her bones. She staggered, grabbing at her belly. Suddenly, the woman was there, holding her arm gently and guiding her to the floor.
“That’s it, everyone,” the woman’s voice rang through the small space as she helped to maneuver Avery to the ground. “Just give her some space. She just needs some air.”
With one hand firmly on Avery’s arm, she lifted her phone with the other.
“I’ve called the paramedics. Nobody panic.”
Avery tried to speak. Something was not right, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. She was grateful for the woman’s help because she was literally falling to the ground, her bones turning to water. On the other hand, the way the woman was possessively standing over her freaked her out a bit.
She watched everyone step back as she was laid on the floor. There was nothing to see but a long line of people’s shoes. The strange woman helped arrange her limbs comfortably and kept reassuring everyone in the small space that the situation was under control.
Avery’s eyes were closing, and she couldn’t do to stop it. This was not a pregnancy faint, she knew that, but as the dark wave passed over her, all she could think about was her baby.
Her hands went numb as her legs turned cold. The wave of darkness took her, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.
* * *
The next sensation Avery became aware off was the uncomfortable jolting of her joints. She was being moved against something hard, the sound of an engine accompanying the painful jerking.
She knew without opening her eyes that she was in a vehicle. She could smell the metal, oil and gas, f
ar stronger than if she was in a comfortable car. She knew she wasn’t carefully laid out on a bed or chair because she could feel her limbs twisted together.
Every jolt of the wheels on the road brought her great pain as she bounced against the unforgiving metal. She was afraid to open her eyes, but there was nothing else to do. Trying not to whimper, she slowly cracked her eyelids open. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself if she could help it.
Fear twisted her from every angle. These were the same people behind the mugging… Elias had been right. It was some kind of plot. No one got attacked and then kidnapped within a few days by random chance.
It took a few minutes to blink everything into focus. She was still groggy from the drug, whatever it had been. She was full of terrible fear for her baby which was only enhanced by the fact she could barely move.
The woman stood against the wall nearby. The vehicle was vaguely the shape of an ambulance but there was no bed and no shelves of medical equipment. Two men were sitting on a rough bench to one side and the tall, dark-haired woman stood across from them.
Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest and she appeared perfectly relaxed and balanced against the wall. The two men who sat across from her had huge, hairy arms and massive chests. The uniforms they wore were too tight and both of them were clearly uncomfortable.
They weren’t paramedics. She wondered what had happened to the guys who owned the uniforms.
She’d bet any money that the outside of this van looked like an ambulance, too. If they ripped off some uniforms, why couldn’t they steal the real thing? Avery supposed it was harder to knock off an ambulance than a couple of uniforms.
You can probably buy the damn things off eBay.
It took a few minutes for Avery to realize that the three of them were talking. The effects of the drug wore off slowly, releasing one sense at a time. First, her sight. Then, feeling. Numbness and tingling through her every cell. Her ears came back into use very slowly, like she was under water.
