by Lia Davis
His answer was a chuckle before he lifted his head and locked gazes with her. His brown eyes held flecks of gold that burned with the promise of passion. “Aren’t we being demanding?” he teased then stood.
After removing his jeans, he leaned over her and, with a quick swipe, sliced the side of her panties with a claw. She jumped and gasped at the same time. When his lips touched the sensitive skin below her belly button, she moaned.
The sensations touching each nerve ending threatened to consume her. She was sure Travis was trying to torture her to a slow, pleasurable death. She felt his unshaven cheek brush against her inner thigh right before he pressed a kiss to her core. She cried out when his tongue licked her clit.
“Travis.”
She fisted her hands in the sheets just as an orgasm rocked through her.
As the last tremor left her body, Travis moved to position himself at her entrance. She admired his handsome face. The gentle, yet possessive, expression sparked something inside her.
Mine.
Her tiger within purred as she tried to rise to get at the wolf above her. For the first time since he’d saved her from the attack, she felt the tug of mating. Travis was hers.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “What’s wrong?”
She let out a soft laugh and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “My tiger’s claimed you.”
He kissed her on the nose. “And what about the human?”
“I think I could live with you.”
She froze at the admission. Reality crashed around her. She had found her mate and was pregnant, and had a sick four-year-old in the adjacent bedroom. Her heart sped up as worry assailed her.
Travis cradled her face in his warm hands, forcing her to look into his gold-brown gaze. “Stop.” He kissed her lips before continuing. “We will find out what is making Josie sick and fix it. I have to believe that, and I need you to as well. As for our mating, we can take all the time you need.”
The wave of anxiety washed away almost as fast as it started. “How did you know?”
A lazy smile lifted his lips. “You’re a pregnant female. I think it’s a rule to worry about everything. Plus your hormones and emotions are going all over the place.”
A muffled sob stilled the both of them.
Travis drew his eyebrows together in worry. Shay kissed him and said, “Go get her. She can sleep with us tonight.”
His eyes lit up as if the man and the wolf were happy with her offer. “Thank you.” He rushed off the bed and quickly dressed in a pair of sweats. He returned to her and gave her a brief kiss before going to get Josie.
She stood, walked to her dresser to pull out a pair of female boxers, and put them on, along with Travis’s shirt, before crawling under the covers. Her pulse thumped in her veins a little faster. She was going to be a mother, and she hadn’t a clue how to do it.
Chapter 12
Shay opened her eyes to a green-eyed little girl smiling at her. She returned the smile and tucked a stray curl behind Josie’s ear. Relief flooded Shay at the cooler temperature of her skin. “Morning, beautiful. Your fever’s gone. How do you feel?”
“My bones hurt.”
Out of reflex and the sudden possessiveness that wrapped around her, Shay ran a hand down Josie’s arm, gentle massaging it along the way. Shay wasn’t sure if it was possible for bones to be in pain, but muscle and joint discomfort could make children think it was their bones. “What do you mean?”
She lifted her little shoulder in a half shrug. “My legs and arms hurt a little.”
That didn’t sound good. If Josie were ill due to a cold or the shifter’s version of the flu, then Shay would dismiss it as a side effect from the fever. The fact that Travis and Dani had detected some kind of poison in Josie’s blood made Shay worry even more. With her heart hammering in her chest, she got out of bed and dressed.
God, she hoped it was a sign that whatever made the sweet girl sick was working its way out of her system.
Coming to stand at the side of the bed, Shay held out her hand. Instead of taking Shay’s hand, Josie stood on the bed and hopped into her arms.
“Come on, squirt, let’s see what your daddy’s making for breakfast.” Some of the worry left Shay as she carried Josie to the kitchen where she sat her on countertop next to Travis. Despite the complaints of achy bones, as the little girl described, Josie seemed to be in good spirits.
At least she wasn’t running a fever anymore.
Travis leaned into Shay as he ruffled Josie’s bed-head hair then pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads before returning his attention to the omelets on the stove.
“You look better, munchkin,” Travis said with a relieved, tender smile.
Josie wrinkled her nose. Shay guessed it was at the munchkin reference. Her heart bloomed at the playfulness in Travis’s tone. He might be a dominant male, but he was also a compassionate and loving father to the little girl who was obliviously the center of his world.
“I feel better,” Josie said at once.
Travis lifted a brow at Shay. She frowned, knowing he’d caught the scent of Josie fib. “She said her bones hurt.”
Travis stilled, and Shay wondered if there was something she’d missed, something she didn’t know or understand. He turned a softened gaze to his daughter and asked, “How much does it hurt? No lies, Josie.”
Josie’s bottom lip quivered just a bit before she answered softly, “Only a little.”
A tic formed in Travis’s temple as though he was battling some kind of internal war not to press the child for more. When he didn’t speak right away, Shay did. “I’ll take her to Sasha this morning. I have to make my rounds to see if I can get a couple more mentors for the teens, and it’ll give me a chance to show Josie and Robyn around town. Wanna come?”
A spark lit up his eyes but was gone before she could tell what the emotion was. “I have to meet with your father and brothers this morning.”
Uh-oh. Dread froze her in place.
Travis chuckled and ran his knuckles down her cheek. “Keegan wants to discuses making me a Tracker. He said they need another wolf to balance out the team.”
Relief washed through her in one huge wave. “Oh.” The balance Travis mentioned was her father’s way of gaining the wolves’ trust in his leadership. With two Packs, balance was important for stability.
Just then, Robyn padded into the room and sat on a barstool on the other side of the island that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Morning.” She took a slice of bacon and popped it into her mouth. “So I take it we’re staying in Ashwood?”
Travis met his mother’s stare. “Yes. It’ll be good for Josie to start living a normal life.”
Robyn nodded. “Good. I had a great visit with Luna. She said I could open a spell shop. Oh, and the connection between the wolves and leopards is fascinating.”
Shay’s vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears. She was unsure where the overload of emotion came from. If this was what she had to look forward to, it was going to be a long seven months. Josie’s small fingers touched her cheek. Shay nipped at those fingers playfully, drawing a squeak of laughter from the little girl who was fast becoming a part of her own heart. Lifting the giggling child from the counter to set her on her feet, Shay smiled at Robyn, delight filling her chest. “A spell shop would be wonderful. I’ll show you around the town center where all the businesses are. I’m sure there is a perfect little space you can rent.”
Robyn’s face brightened. “That would be great.”
When Josie wobbled on her legs, Shay reached out but caught the shake of Robyn’s head. The older woman was right. Shay needed to let Josie be independent and build her own strength. But, it was so damn hard when the four-year-old was hurting.
Strong, muscled arms wrapped around her waist. Travis’s scent enveloped her in a dizzying blanket of awareness. He kissed her ear and whispered, “Stop spoiling her. She’s already rotten.”
Turning in his
arms, she slapped at his chest. “Stop. She’s a beautiful and sweet girl.”
Laughter lit in his eyes. “Boy, she’s got you fooled.”
***
Travis stood in the doorway of the apartment generously given to him and his family to use until permanent arrangements could be made, watching the three females in his life walk down the sidewalk. Worry for Josie still ate at him, churning inside until it darkened into anger. Then there was the helplessness. His medical knowledge and experience consisted of first aid boxes and a sewing needle for those times he’d been wounded and too far from a Healer. Then again, his Pack Healer had died with Hunter Ridge’s fall.
Hands fisted to his side, he fought the urge to go track down every last rogue and give them the slow, painful deaths they all desired.
“Letting the fury eat at you will only destroy you.”
Travis clenched his jaw at Blaine’s words. The male had arrived a few moments before the females left for the medical center in a mood that Travis couldn’t decipher. Now that mood was bleeding over to Travis’s. “What do you know? You didn’t lose a whole Pack.”
“No. But, I’ve lost. Everyone in Ashwood has. And I’ve watched my father almost kill himself trying to track down the bastards.”
Travis peered over his shoulder at the Marshal and raised a brow. “I still sense the rage in him. What keeps him grounded?”
Blaine shrugged. “The Packs, Luna, me, Alec, Shay, and the enforcers. The merger with MoonRiver was the turning point. It brought back the connection the Packs lost.”
Travis nodded, understanding fully that an Alpha needed his Pack as much as the Pack needed him, or her in Luna’s case.
God, his missed his Pack.
Stepping out of the doorway, Travis walked toward the sidewalk with Blaine beside him. “I’m surprised you haven’t punched me yet.”
Blaine snorted. “I still might for the hell of it. But if you hurt her, your death will be slow and painful.”
Travis hid his grin. He was beginning to like Blaine, sour mood and all. “Noted.”
They walked the rest of the short distance to the Alpha’s office located in the center of the den in silence. Shay had called it the town center, and Travis could see why. The whole den was laid out like a small community, the center consisting of office building no taller than three stories surrounding a playground.
The laughter of children made his chest tighten even more. Memories crashed into him. No, not memories, a living nightmare of the day the rogues had taken his Pack and all the young with it. The rogue assassins—half-man, half-animal killers—had stormed his den, killing everything in their way, without warning.
Travis knew the Onyx had an army, but before that night, he’d never dreamed it was in the form of crazed animals in a state of half-shift. He’d also discovered that night that mutants could turn others through a bite. With the number of bloodthirsty mutants growing by the second, Travis had no choice but to destroy them all.
“Daddy!”
Josie’s distant squeal drew him out of the dark part of his mind. Focusing on his surroundings, he noticed Blaine was a couple of feet from him holding Josie. Travis narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on?”
Blaine nodded at Travis’s hands. “You have pyrokinesis.”
Travis looked down, and fear raced in his blood like ice, dosing the building fire of his ability. He’d become so emerged in the memory, pain, and anger that he hadn’t realized he called the fire. “Fuck.” Meeting Shay’s concerned gaze, he balled his fist. “Did I…?”
“No. Everyone is fine,” Blaine said as he lowered Josie to her feet.
As soon as his daughter’s feet touched the ground, she ran at him. He squatted to allow her to wrap her small arms around his neck. He hugged her tight. “It’s okay, munchkin. I’m all right.”
She pulled back and cupped his face with her hands. He smiled at her as he watched the oddest color swirl in her eyes. Instead of their normal emerald-green, Josie’s eyes were two-toned. A dark green mixed with a brighter and lighter green, very much like her mother’s eyes when her wolf had watched him through Mara’s eyes.
His heart stopped briefly then skipped back to life as realization slammed into him. The intense fever followed by achy muscles and bones. He thought it was an illness, because she was too young to go through the shift.
The poison. Or, was it the mutant virus? But, how was that possible?
Damn it!
Fear threatened to turn on the flames again. He would not watch his little girl turn into a half-shifted monster unable to control her bloodlust.
“She’s going to shift.” Travis picked Josie up and turned to Shay. “Where’s the medical center?”
Shay looked confused, but to his relief, she didn’t argue. “This way.” She led him a few feet to the building next to the Alphas’ offices.
By the time they walked through the door of the medical center, Sasha was there, taking Josie from him. He let the Healer take over, knowing all too well that arguing with her would be wasted time and breath. Not even the Alpha argued with the Healer.
He followed the petite blond to a large room in the back of the center. He felt Shay at his side, as well as his mother, Blaine, and two others he didn’t recognize, nor did he care at the moment.
“Why is her wolf awake? She’s too young. She has about six more years…”
Shay’s cool fingers twined with his, halting his rambling. Her touch soothed him enough to take a deep breath and think. Or, at least try to. His mind whirled with scenarios. The one that kept coming up was that Josie had been infected with the mutant serum.
How?
Josie whimpered, and Travis rushed forward to take her hand in his. “Daddy’s here.”
Sasha dragged an EKG machine over while Dani brought over a plastic box with needles and tubes. Dani straightened Josie’s arm and slid the needle into her vein with quick ease.
“Nevan,” Dani called when Josie started to thrash.
Helplessness blanketed Travis and threatened to suffocate him. He couldn’t lose Josie, not like this. Not like he’d lost Mara.
The human he met at the fencing site the day before came into view. He looked from Travis to Josie as though he was unsure about something but moved to stand behind Josie’s head. Lifting his hands, Nevan ran his fingers through Josie’s hair then massaged her scalp until she calmed.
“What?” Travis looked at the human for several moments. Nevan offered a weak smile, then Travis remembered Blaine had said the human was empathic.
Travis dropped his shoulders. Most Packs had an Empath to aid the Alpha in balancing emotions and gauging any issues that might arise within the Pack. However, he had never met a human empath with Nevan’s strength. “Thanks.”
Dani took the vial of blood to a table in the corner as a large male dressed in black slacks and a white dress shirt came into the room. Travis’s wolf pealed back his teeth and paced under his skin. There was something about the way the male moved that put his wolf on alert.
The male came to a stop next to Nevan but didn’t look at anyone except Josie. Travis growled and moved to push the male away from his daughter, but Shay tightened her grip on his hand in a slight command to stay put.
“Jared?” Nevan asked with a raised brow.
“The child is infected.”
“Impossible.” Travis stood in disbelief, his heart hammering, and his wolf let out a whine in his head. “I kept her and my mother in a safe house no one knew about.”
Even as the words left his mouth, he knew it was bullshit. Nothing or no one was ever safe. The rogues were like roaches, harder than hell to kill and they showed up everywhere. Taking a deep breath, he asked, “How is it possible if she wasn’t bitten?”
Jared shrugged and moved to sit on a small sofa against the wall. “It may have been in something she ate or drank. Since neither you nor your mother is affected, I would guess it was something only she likes.”
His mom g
asped and clapped her hand over her mouth. “Her strawberries.” When everyone fell silent and stared at her, she continued. “I’m allergic to strawberries. I have to wear gloves when preparing them for her. Oh, God.”
Travis wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.
Dani came back to the bed. “Her cells are changing, but at a steady rate. I got in touch with a geneticist through the Network. Do I have your permission to send him my notes and the sample?”
Travis nodded. “Yes, whatever it takes.”
Sasha spoke next. “It may not have been the strawberries. It could have been anything she ate or drank. The serum could have not been strong enough to affect you too.”
Travis gave a short nod and reached out to stroke his daughter’s hair. She was now sleeping, and he knew that Nevan had helped. Travis was grateful. Keeping Josie calm would hopefully buy them some time. “How long do you think she has before she turns?”
Sasha drew her brows together and frowned. “Not sure. Twenty-four hours, maybe less.”
Chapter 13
Ten minutes later Travis paced Keegan’s office. His fear had heated into anger toward the bastards who’d infected his daughter. He wanted to tear every one of them apart with his bare hands.
Yet, he still didn’t know how it could have happened.
“So tell me again how Shay can help my daughter.” Travis’s mind was a whirlwind of thought and emotion.
It was Cameron who spoke. “My brother was implying that Shay is naturally immune to the serum. She carries the brand of the Onyx, because she was born in the Pack. We already know this, but it also means she has their blood. The Onyx would make sure they’re immune to their own pathogen if needed…”
Travis stared at her, unbelieving and unsure. Jared moved slightly so his shoulder touched his sister’s.
Looking away at the subtle display of affection between siblings, Travis swallowed his sadness and fear for Josie. Footsteps, followed by the opening of the door, drew his attention. Relief poured over him at the sight of Josie, awake and smiling in Shay’s arms.
