RICHIE: New Orleans Wolf Shifters with plus sized BBW for mates (Le Beau Series Book 6)

by V. A. Dold

  He’d moved faster than he’d ever moved in his life. Vaguely, he remembered the sound of the gun as Qball fired, but after that everything was a bit fuzzy.

  He allowed Piper help him stay on his feet. The last thing he wanted was to fall on his face in front of his mate. He was pretty sure Nick was helping, too. Wasn’t he supposed to guard the door?

  Her body was so soft and warm. He wanted to snuggle closer and take a nap. Richie shook his head, his scattered mind was jumping all over the place. It was impossible to maintain a single coherent thought. Shit! Why weren’t they in a building, stalking Qball? He needed to focus so he could protect Piper, not think about snuggling up to her curves. What was wrong with him?

  When they reached the charred opening that once was the main entrance, he stumbled to a halt and swayed. Confused by her scent of panic, he took a good look at her in the light of day. She was distressed. He couldn’t stand for her to be so upset. Without thinking, he let go his hold on Nick to rub at the frown line between Piper’s eyes.

  Bad idea. He went down hard. Like a giant Cyprus felled in the swamp. Without the added support, his legs gave out and he was flat on his back, staring up at Piper and Nick in surprise.

  Piper fell to her knees next to him as Nick took up a protective stance. A crowd was beginning to form and it wouldn’t be long before police showed up.

  “Richie!” He was losing too much blood and his breathing was ragged. Piper raised her shaking hands to cup his face and gasped. Terror pierced her chest. He was so cold.

  She watched him struggle to take a breath and whimpered in despair.

  He turned his nose into her palm and tried to rumble. “I’m fine, mon amour. It’s just a scratch.”

  “Don’t talk, babe. Help is coming.” She glanced up at the man standing above her. She prayed help was coming. Then a thought occurred to her, if she could talk telepathically to Richie, maybe she could reach Seth. Richie said he was a healer.

  Piper took several deep breaths like she did to clear her mind when she meditated. Then she let herself leave her body. But instead of going across a room, she went into Richie’s mind.

  Slowly she reviewed the web of threads. She hadn’t expected this to be so complicated. Some of the fine silk filaments glowed brighter than the others, which had to mean something. Telepathy was a psychic gift, which as far as she knew was of the light so to speak. It could be argued the brighter threads were connected to that gift. Okay, here goes. She reached out with her spirit hand and gripped the brightest thread.

  Seth? Seth can you hear me? She shouted the thought as loudly as she could.

  Excuse me, but who are you? a strange voice responded.

  I’m Piper, Richie’s friend. I need Seth. Do you know him?

  Yes, I do. I’m his father, Isaac. Why do you need him?

  Richie has been shot, and he’s lost a lot of blood. I need a healer before it’s too late! Her voice was rising as she thought about the state Richie was in.

  Breathe, Piper. I need you to remain calm and describe his condition. Tell me everything you can.

  She took a steadying breath and became all business. I’ll need to return to my body, and I’m afraid I’ll lose the connection.

  Don’t worry, I have you now and I’ll hold the link.

  She returned to her body and studied Richie closely, gently checked his chest and rolled him slightly to see his back. Richie moaned when she moved him, but other than that remain quiet. It looks like a through and through. He was shot in the chest at fairly close range and the bullet exited his back. Based on his labored breathing it may have hit a lung. He’s lost a lot of blood, and his skin is cool to the touch. He’s still conscious, but that could change at any moment.

  Good job, Piper. Give me a minute.

  She waited for what seemed like hours before Isaac spoke again.

  I relayed Richie’s condition to Seth. He followed you to the French Quarter and is only a few blocks away. Expect him in a minute or two.

  She was surprised Isaac hadn’t questioned how she’d been able to contact him. Instead of interrogating her he asked. Is there anyone else there to help you? Do you need me to send protection?

  Richie called two of his friends to help us before he was shot. They’re here with us now.

  Good. That’s good. Try to keep him awake and talking.

  Piper stiffened, stopped breathing, and analyzed what she was suddenly experiencing. She was seeing things without seeing them, at least with her eyes. It was as if she was seeing them play out in her mind. Was this clairvoyance? It must be.

  Then her heart stuttered. She could see Richie slipping away from her. It looked like he was backing into a shadowed area. What if he disappeared into that void? Would she be able to bring him back?

  What’s that shadow I see near him? She choked out in panic.

  Whatever you do. Do not let him go into the shadow! He’s strong and deeply connected to you. Call to him. Demand he stay with you. Tell him something, anything to keep him with you until Seth can get there. Isaac’s voice was tinged with alarm, booming loudly in her mind.

  Piper framed his face with her free hand while maintaining pressure on the wound. She pressed her forehead to his and put every bit of force she had into her voice. Richie! she commanded. You aren’t allowed to leave me without a mate. Seth is coming, so hang on… for me. If you go, I go with you. Do you want me to die today?

  NOOOOO! He suddenly bellowed in her mind and she saw him trying to move away from the shadow.

  Richie’s lashes fluttered as he strained to resurface, but he didn’t have the strength to open his eyes.

  For a heartbeat, Piper was sure he’d open them and stay with her, but he was too weak from loss of blood. Dammit! Where was Seth? Richie was fading fast and her hold on him was tenuous at best.

  Panic welled in her chest and mind. Pushed to her limit, she grabbed him by the shoulders and wailed as her heart shattered. “Don’t you dare die on me! You don’t get to take the easy way out and leave me here alone. Open your eyes and look at me. Right now.” Crushed by grief and despair, Piper laid her cheek on Richie’s chest and wept. “Dammit. I need you to open your eyes.”

  If she’d been looking at his face, she would have seen his eyelashes flutter. She could feel him as he struggled to reassure her. Her heart leapt with encouragement as he pushed and fought to come back to her. He was giving it everything he had, but all he accomplished was a gasp from his efforts.

  She was losing him!

  “Please, Richie. I need you,” she choked out.

  She felt his chest rise and then a shuttering breath left his lungs. She waited.

  Nothing.

  No inhale.

  “NO!”

  From out of nowhere, a man appeared at Richie’s side and began checking his heart rate and breathing.

  “Don’t give up yet, cher. There’s still a chance. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to work a miracle.”

  Piper’s initial reaction was to defend Richie from an attacker. But then she realized who it was that had pushed her aside. She fell back, shocked by Seth’s sudden presence and smooth baritone voice in her ear.

  Her eyes widened once her brain kicked in, and she scrambled to give Seth all the space he needed.

  Seth smiled as he urgently worked on Richie. She hadn’t freaked out over Richie’s condition or gotten in his way, he’d known she wouldn’t. Piper was made of tougher stuff. She was every bit as courageous as any shifter he’d met. His friend was a very lucky man.

  Knowing he didn’t have a second to lose, he’d gone immediately into healer mode. Richie wasn’t breathing and he couldn’t hear a heartbeat, not even a flutter. It couldn’t have been much worse.

  He could smell Piper’s profound gratitude that he was there to help Richie. He was sure she didn’t realize it, but she was mumbling, praying that he would be able to work the miracle he’d promised. From what he could see Richie was going to need one.

&
nbsp; The woman was incredible. She stayed close, ready to lend a helping hand if he asked for it, yet never once got in is way or broke his concentration.

  His healing energy was helping and Richie’s color was a little better. His cool skin and gray pallor showed hints of beige here and there. But it wasn’t enough, there had to be internal damage.

  “Hold his spirit to you, or we’ll lose him.”

  “How?”

  Seth frantically worked to stabilize Richie as he said, “join with him telepathically. Feel your connection, heart to heart, mind to mind. Once you’ve got a solid link, imagine taking hold of his spirit with your hands and hold on tight.”

  Once again, she amazed him. She didn’t hesitate or distract him with questions or arguments over what must have sounded like a ludicrous idea of holding someone’s soul with her hands. She simply closed her eyes tightly and did as she was told.

  “Hold them back, boys. I need to give Richie my complete attention.”

  He knew Nick and Derick would follow his orders and maintain their defensive positions, forcing the growing crowd to stay to the sidewalk. Normally, a vampire so young wouldn’t be able to withstand the rays of the sun, but the king of the vampires, Etienne, had countless tricks up his sleeve and their new ability was only one. Goddess bless, Etienne.

  Seth took a deep breath and closed his eyes. With his palms flat on Richie’s chest, he sent his spirit inside. Heat flowed from his healing spirit form. One after another, he sealed arteries and veins to stem the blood loss. Then he used the intense magic he’d been gifted as a rogue hunter to force Richie’s body to produce blood at an unnaturally high rate.

  *****

  Piper? Richie slurred in a weak voice. Piper, I’ll always love you. And then he was gone.

  Piper gasped and shook uncontrollably, but she held it together and tightened her hold on his soul.

  Minutes that felt like hours, ticked by.

  “He’s fighting me, trying to regain consciousness. Keep him under and dammit, make him lie still,” Seth barked, more out of shock than anything else.

  Richie, baby. You need to lie still and be quiet. Seth is trying to heal you and you’re not helping. Please, sugar, for me.

  I can feel your heartache and fear.

  If you want me to feel better, you need to let Seth heal you. She couldn’t quite hide the distressed pleading in her voice.

  Stay with me? He asked weakly, and then he was gone again.

  Piper was terrified for Richie, but she stayed strong. Her heart pounded so hard, her chest felt bruised and battered.

  *****

  Seth had never been ejected from a body before. Richie in his desperation to get to his grieving mate had literally thrown him out.

  Once Richie was quiet and creating rather than losing blood, Seth turned his attention to Richie’s heart and lungs. Visualizing a hand made of healing energy, he squeezed the heart gently, over and over, palpating the silent muscle. Once he had a normal rhythm he sent a jolt of energy into the heart to jump start the organ. A beat and a miss. He jolted the heart a second time. Another beat and a miss.

  Come on dammit! Seth snarled.

  He feared hitting Richie’s heart with more voltage, too much and he would destroy the heart rather than heal it, but it had to be done. He gathered a little extra energy and shocked it again.

  The weak, yet steady beat was the sweetest sound Seth had ever heard.

  Next, he went after Richie’s lungs. He surrounded them with healing energy and forced air into them. He watched as one expanded, but the other remained flat like a deflated balloon. There had to be a tear. Carefully, he examined the lung. On the left side near the top was a ragged hole. Concentrating all his healing energy on that spot, he slowly regrew lung tissue and sealed the gash. Once the hole was closed, he once again forced air into Richie’s lungs. Both left and right inflated normally and picked up a healthy rhythm.

  Seth returned to his body, exhausted and relieved. Richie would live. If he’d been a minute later, his only friend would have gone on to his everlasting reward, leaving his mate and Seth to grieve his loss. Seth wasn’t sure he would have survived that final blow. His soul was too ragged as it was, full of holes and missing pieces.

  Shaking like a naked man in a snowstorm, he pulled Piper into his arms and held her. “He’s out of the woods. He’ll make it. Thank you. Without you to hold him to this plain of existence while I repaired his body, we would have lost him.”

  Piper cried, shaking with relief in his arms. “I’m not sure how you saved him, but I’m forever in your debt.

  “Is he going to be all right? Will he have any permanent damage?” She searched his eyes, her voice filled with concern.

  “I don’t expect him to have any lasting effects. He still has a ways to go before he’s one hundred percent, but he’s well on his way.”

  Richie groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Then, in a weak voice he asked, “Piper? Seth? What happened?”

  “You jumped in front of a bullet, that’s what happened!” Piper growled before she could temper her tone. She wasn’t really angry with him, she was merely reacting to the terror she still reeled from.

  “I had no choice, it was the only way I could save you. Are you mad?”

  “No, you idiot. But if you ever do anything like that again, I’ll shoot you myself.”

  Seth let out a snort and stood. “I’ll have one of the boy’s collect your car.”

  She gave Seth the information of where it was parked and Richie’s keys. Then turned her attention back to Richie.

  Before she could scold him further, he caught her face in his hands and pulled her lips to his.

  Piper moaned and savored the incredible taste of Richie’s lips and the fact he was alive. She shuddered when the reality of what almost happened finally hit her full force. She’d nearly lost him, really lost him, forever. His tongue swept against hers, turning her shudders into shivers.

  Piper finally broke the kiss so she could check Richie’s wound and reassure herself, he really was out of the woods. The bleeding had stopped and it looked like the bullet hole was scabbing over. His coloring was good and the sparkle was back in his eyes.

  She looked up at Seth standing with his back to them a few feet away. “Thank you, Seth.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned. “My pleasure.”

  Richie frowned at his friend and then asked, “What are you doing here? I thought you were guarding the cabin. Not that I’m not incredibly grateful that you’re here instead.”

  “When you left this morning, I got a very bad feeling and listened to my intuition. I’m glad I followed you to the Quarter or you’d be fertilizer right now.”

  “Believe me, I’m grateful you did, too,” Richie said, before closing his eyes again.

  “Derick should be here any minute with your SUV. Once he pulls up to the curb, I’ll get you into the back seat. Piper, why don’t you get in back with him? I’ll drive while you keep an eye on our patient.”

  “All right.” Then she caught sight of Qball on his knees in front of Nick. The serial killer swayed back and forth like he was in a trance. A feral snarl ripped from her lips as she propelled herself to her feet and lunged at the piece of shit.

  Nick snatched Qball out of reach as Seth restrained Piper. “You don’t want to kill the little bastard while the police are watching, cher. You’ll need to learn to be covert about things like that.”

  Piper stiffened and glanced around. Two officers on foot were mere feet away and three additional squad cars arrived.

  “Give them your statement, cher. But be very careful with the words you choose. Many in law enforcement know about us, but some do not,” Seth whispered in her ear before releasing her.

  Piper showed the police officer in charge her credentials and the bounty order for Qball. Two officers took Qball into custody as the others took statements from the rest of them.

  The process took longer than Piper lik
ed, but the officers were professional and thorough. They agreed her gunshot wound to Qball was an obvious case of self-defense. Besides, as the bounty hunter of the fugitive, she was authorized to use deadly force.

  Seth squatted next to Richie and lifted him easily into his arms. “It’s safe to move you now.”

  “Really? You have to carry me? This isn’t embarrassing at all, Seth.”

  “You can’t walk yet, and you know it, so be still,” he chuckled.

  “Way to make me look weak in front of my mate,” Richie grumbled.

  “Knock it off, wolfman. You’re the toughest, sexiest man I know.” Piper grinned and threw him a kiss.

  Richie groaned, but stayed quiet.

  Finally, they reached the vehicle and Seth helped Richie lie across the backseat while she held his head in her lap and stroked his hair. Under her palm, Richie’s body vibrated from his wolf’s rumble.

  Piper held Richie’s hand and brushed the hair from his face as they drove from the French Quarter. She was exhausted, the tension from the day settled on her shoulders like a ton of bricks. “When we get you home and into bed, I’m going to sleep for a week.”

  “I’m a bit tired myself,” Richie joked without opening his eyes.

  He was beyond tired and his chest hurt like a mother. She knew because she could feel the pain as an ache in her own chest.

  Richie had just fallen asleep when Seth began to speak. “Piper, I sense your need to flee the situation. This wasn’t your fault.”

  She shook her head as silent tears tracked down her face. “Yes, actually, it was entirely my fault. I’m sure he won’t want to see me anymore. It would be best if I left and made it easier on him. He’s too gallant to tell me to go.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong. That’s not how mates work. Besides, you’ll cause him an immense amount to pain if you leave.”

  “How would I possibly do that?” she asked incredulously.

  “With the mating incomplete, it will be downright painful for him if you are more than a mile or two apart. He’ll experience debilitating physical pain, not to mention his wolf will be nervous and pacing. He won’t be able to rest and if you try to leave, the idiot will get his half dead self out of bed and go after you.”