by Lucy Kelly
“She didn’t use her cell phone to call for help?” asked Marshall. Alex, standing on his hind legs, towered over the truck. His bear was scenting the air in all directions. With a loud roar he ran off into the woods.
“Her phone was left at the house,” he said and then went on to explain about Laura’s tracking lesson and her lunch at the pack house. Every available shifter was combing through the woods looking for them. They had started looking for the rogue and then their task changed after the crushed cars and dead bodies had been discovered. They were passing it off to the local full humans as a traffic accident. There weren’t many full humans living in this immediate area, the land was owned entirely by shifters so the full humans only drove through this area periodically anyway.
Marshall decided to drive up to Laura’s house. The facility she set up underground was perfect for this situation. There was a command room with a huge electronic map they could use to coordinate the search. All of Alex’s clothes were on the passenger seat so Marshall reached over, closed the door, and drove off at the highest safe speed.
Alex was running through the woods as fast as his bear could go, dodging through the big trees, plowing through the smaller ones, and jumping over fallen logs. The scent he caught was one he had only scented once before, Incanta. If Laura had shifted into her dragon out in the open, then she was in terrible danger.
As the miles fell away he grew tired, Kodiak bears weren’t made for running long distances. He ran anyway, the worry about his mate drove him on he used the fear to push his bear. As he approached the mountain south of Laura’s, he scented wolves nearby. Roaring again he let them know he was there. He was calmer now and able to think more clearly, the run and the scent of his mate’s dragon growing closer, easing his system somewhat. He wouldn’t relax fully until he laid eyes on his mate but it would keep him from maybe tearing into anyone who got in his way.
Calling out again, he stopped to catch his breath. The wolves howled out a response. He could hear them coming. While he waited, he shifted back into his human form. Two large wolves were the first to appear in the clearing where he stood. They shifted form. Marc Hunter and his beta approached and nodded their heads in a short bow to acknowledge Alex’s dominance.
“Alpha, we haven’t been able to scent your mate. We will keep looking until she is found. I blame myself, I should have put more guards with her,” said Marc.
“None of us were aware the rogue would try to retaliate against her. I can’t scent her, but I can scent her dragon. She must have been and may still be in danger if she hasn’t shifted back. Incanta, however, does like to keep her form when she can. The scent is coming from the direction of her house. You and your wolves come there with me. We don’t know what kind of trouble we’ll find,” said Alex before he shifted and started running again, the men followed after shifting.
The wolves streamed down the mountain behind him and all around him. They called out to their pack mates to join them in the hunt.
Back at the site of the ambush, flatbed tow trucks had arrived along with the local undertaker’s hearse. The undertaker was also the coroner. There was a small line of cars stuck waiting for the road to clear. The second car back was a rental out of Billings with two men in it.
“Can you see how long we’ll be held up?” asked Josh from the passenger seat.
“They loaded up a body so the wreck must have been a bad one. The two trucks are totally demolished. One is flipped on its side and looks as if it’s been stepped on and the other one looks even more smashed up. It’ll take a while to load them on the flatbeds. We’ll be stuck for another half hour at least,” answered Evan.
“Those are local deputies dealing with the traffic. It may take even longer to ask questions about area residents. The population here is really sparse too and Laura grew up in a city. What do you say we move west and loop back around?” Josh suggested.
“I agree,” said Evan as he pulled a U-turn on the road. “We’ll put this area last on our list. You should probably text home and let them update the search map.”
“Roger that,” said Josh as he pulled out his cell phone.
As the two men turned their car to search for their sister to the west, east of their position, Alex and the wolves were converging on the scent of Laura’s dragon, Incanta. His fear for her safety diminished when he realized the scent seemed to be coming from Laura’s large garage. The garage was surrounded with wolves when Alex’s bear broke through the trees and crossed the road. As Alex shifted to open the side door, Marshall roared up in his truck, and Frieda came running down the walkway.
“She’s in the garage!” she called out before she saw Alex. “Oh, you know.”
Alex opened the door after he had waved all the others back. He stepped inside and saw the dragon curled up in the center of the garage. A body was on the ground and he assumed it was the missing wolf shifter, Jason. Incanta had turned her massive head to look when the door opened.
‘I can sense all of those outside. Where were they when we were attacked?’ He heard the dragon ask in his head.
“You will never be in such danger again if I can prevent it. I need to hold my mate. Laura, why aren’t you speaking to me?” Alex asked.
‘She is not damaged, I am keeping them all safe. She has crawled inside her mind from killing the evil one. You will need to wake her up. She is not talking to me, you have to fix this! We can’t lose our eggs!’
“I will wake her up, I can’t lose her, Incanta, she’s my whole life. But I don’t understand, what eggs?” Alex asked.
‘We have two younglings growing. We have to care for them.’
“Please change back and let me take care of my mate,” he begged.
‘And the younglings, you must take care of them too!’
“With my life, I will protect them all with my life,” he swore.
There was a flash of sparkling light and where the dragon had been a blood-covered Laura now lay on the floor. Rushing over he picked her up. When he exited the garage, Frieda, Marshall, and Marc Hunter all came forward. Alex couldn’t help the growl that came from his throat. He wanted them all to stay back from his mate.
“Your guard is inside,” was all he said before he strode for the path to the house.
He went to the kitchen door because it was the shortest route to their bedroom. He wanted to get the blood washed away from her body. The door opened before he got there. Lola held it open with tears pooling in her eyes.
“Is she going to be alright?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes!” was all he could say. She had to be all right, he wouldn’t survive if she didn’t. She had become his whole world in such a short time. When he reached the room they shared, he didn’t stop until he’d passed through into the bathroom.
“The tub has been filled, I was able to add Laura’s favorite bath salts. Is there anything else you would like me to do? Shall I monitor her pulse and respiration?” asked Maggie the house.
“She’s pregnant, are you able to tell if the babies are okay?” he asked as she stripped off her clothes.
“At this time I am unable to monitor any offspring.” Maggie the house went on to explain what she’d need to do to further monitor Laura’s health. Alex tuned her out after the first sentence. All of his attention was on his mate. He absently agreed to let Maggie watch over Laura and then told her to be quiet. He was still nude from his own shift so stepped into the tub holding her in his arms. Most of the blood had been on her clothes but there was some in her hair and on her skin.
Very gently he washed her body. She was still unconscious so he had to hold her up with one arm while he washed her with the other. There were many who would have volunteered to help but until she woke, and he was satisfied she was okay, he and his bear were not going to let anyone near.
Carefully climbing out of the tub, he walked dripping water back to the bedroom. Someone, most likely Lola, had laid out several large bath towels on the bed. After
he laid her down, wrapping the towels around her so she wouldn’t get a chill, he quickly dried himself, never moving his eyes away from her face. She was still unresponsive and he was worried.
He liked to watch her sit and comb out her long white-blonde hair. After blotting it dry, he found her comb and went to work on the tangles. “Laura, I’m combing your hair. Have I ever told you how much I love your hair? It’s so soft and feels like silk in my hands. Please wake up and talk to me, I need you,” he crooned to her as he slowly and carefully took care of her hair.
When her hair was smooth and flowing over the bed, he got up and found her favorite moisturizer. Unwrapping one leg, he began massaging it in to her skin. “Most of the lotions and potions women use, the scents are too strong. I love the light lemony scent with a hint of lavender you use. I always want to be near you and breathe you in. Of course, your natural musk is my favorite of all. Lapping up your cream, bringing you pleasure while I listen for those little sounds you make. Won’t you wake up so I can make love to you?” he asked again.
For the next twenty minutes he continued rubbing the moisturizer into her skin until she was pink and glowing with health. Then he gently moved her under the blankets and got in next to her, pulling her into his body to share his heat. All the while talking to her, trying to get her to respond and wake up.
He kept running his hands over her body and noticed her nipples had tightened into tight buds. Her body at least was responding to him and he took it as a positive sign. Still talking to her, he began to deliberately arouse her, moving his hand down her body to the nest of curls at the junction of her thighs.
“Come back to me, Laura, be with me. Don’t you want to tell me about the babies you’re carrying? When did you find out?” he asked her as he strummed her clit. A small orgasm rolled through her and her eyes popped open. Turning her head, she looked at him and then around their bedroom.
“Was it all a dream? A horrible dream?” she whispered.
“No, my love, it was all real. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you. I’ll never leave you again,” he swore as she started to cry. Gathering her into his arms he let her cry. He knew she needed the release of tears to wash away the ugliness. He held her and whispered in her ear how much he loved her and would cherish her and their children.
Finally the sobs lessened and with hiccupping breaths, Laura reached over to the nightstand for a tissue to blow her nose. “I don’t want to talk about those men right now. Tomorrow we can go over everything that happened. I want to know how you found out about the babies. I was planning a whole romantic dinner for us tonight so I could tell you then,” she said with a voice that still wavered a little.
“I’m sorry if your surprise was spoiled. Incanta told me about the babies. Are you healthy enough to carry twins? I don’t want you to get sick,” he said. He was so happy she was talking and awake, he leaned over to give her a kiss before she could respond.
“I’m fine. I’ll be completely healed and walking well before I’m even showing,” she told him when he let her come up for air.
“I need to make love to you,” he said moving over her. “I’m sorry, you scared me, I can’t wait, I have to have you now.”
“Yes, now,” she said, opening her legs and wrapping them around his hips as he surged into her. She was still wet from her earlier orgasm but she felt each exquisite inch of him as he moved in and out.
Leaning over, he set his teeth to the sensitive line of muscle connecting neck to shoulder and lightly bit and suckled, sending her up another peak. “Yes, come for me, again!” he said, reaching down to pluck at her clit. He wanted her to have pleasure upon pleasure, her spasms stroking and squeezing his cock as he continued to thrust in and out.
No longer able to speak because her body had aroused so fast, she tossed her head back and forth on the pillow and moaned even as her nails scored his back when she pulled him closer to her.
He kept her off balance by changing his speed. Fast shallow thrusts followed by a long deep one fusing their hips together. He knew every spot on her body to stroke to increase her sensation. Running a nail along the line of her previous paralysis sent her over another peak.
He relished the sting of the sweat that ran into his eyes, it was another reminder of the strength of their passion. At last he drove her up and over one final peak and allowed himself to follow her, his hips pounding and jerking as he spilled his seed deep into her womb. Collapsing beside her, he pulled her back into his arms, kissing her temple as they both regained their breath.
The stress of the day and the relief of being in each other’s arms caught up to them and they both slipped into sleep.
Two hours later a light beeping noise woke them up.
“Maggie, why are you calling?” asked Laura.
“A pregnant mother needs nourishment. There is a meal waiting for you and your mate in the sunroom. Lola says to tell you it is romantic. She has lit candles and instructed me on what music to play during the meal. She explained this would help you to feel better. My research concurs with her suggestion about a relaxing meal, I am still researching the need for burning pillars of wax. Your romantic meal will be ready in fifteen minutes,” Maggie told them before going silent.
“Um, Alex, how come Maggie is so concerned about my health?” Laura asked from where she was snuggled in his arms.
Alex’s cheeks turned ruddy in color. “I may have given her permission to monitor you during your pregnancy?” he mumbled, causing Laura to giggle.
“I wasn’t paying too much attention at the time. I was more concerned with caring for my mate,” he said.
The two of them kissed a little longer and then Alex got out of bed and threw on his flannel lounge pants. Wrapping a robe around Laura, he carried her up to the sunroom. Her main wheelchair was still there from earlier in the day. Seeing it brought back everything that had happened earlier.
Alex felt her stiffen up in his arms. “Don’t think about it. Remember, we’re not going to discuss it until tomorrow. Tonight is all about our celebrating the babies,” he said.
Laura looked up into his face, “I love you, Alex.”
He bent his head even as he lifted her close in his arms to kiss her. “I love you too, you are my life, never forget that.”
When he put her down in one of the regular chairs at the table, instead of her wheelchair, Laura took a good look around the room. The lights had been dimmed and the surrounding trees filled with fairy lights. There were also lighted candles on the table. Next to the table was a warming tray with covered dishes on it. Alex served them both and they spent the next hour enjoying their meal and talking. For this meal they didn’t discuss shifter politics, potential uses for the underground facility, the thirteen magical artifacts or anything else except for their love for each other and plans for their upcoming family.
It wasn’t until the end of the meal that Alex dropped his conversation bomb. “Now that there are babies coming, remind me to call my mother. She’s been nagging me for grandchildren for years. She’ll probably want to come visit right away to make sure you’re taking care of yourself,” he said casually.
Laura sputtered her wine, “Your mother? What if she doesn’t like me?”
“My mother will love you. And since you’re giving her two grandchildren in one shot, she’ll probably kiss your feet. You have nothing to worry about. Now how about some dessert?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t see anything on the cart for dessert,” she said.
“That’s because I’m the one who’s going to be eating it…in our bed,” he said, standing up to come around the corner of the table to pick her up.
“Well, after you have your dessert, I insist on having some of my own,” she said.
They were on their way out when Maggie interrupted, “Laura, how many estimated calories are in your dessert. I will need to add them to the nutritional database I’m building to monitor your health.”
“I’ll
tell you tomorrow, Maggie, good night,” Laura said with a giggle.
*****
The time flew by. After the incident on the road, Alex and Marshall increased security around the house and Laura was assigned a personal guard of twelve shifters that worked in groups of four for eight-hour shifts. She had two guards within sight of her at all times, which she hated. For the time being she would let Alex get away with it because he was still getting over the incident as everyone had taken to referring to it. And she finally got him to move the guards from standing outside their bedroom door at night when she threatened to cut off sex. There was no way she was going to be moaning and screaming out his name with them on the other side of the door!
The one humorous item attached to the incident happened the next morning. Frieda had Maggie tape a news item from the night before. Some hikers had reported what looked like a dragon flying through the early evening sky. They were being checked over at the local hospital for drugs or poisons.
In a few months she wouldn’t be able to shift to defend herself anyway, so she reluctantly conceded the guards were probably a good idea and stopped complaining to Alex about them all the time. However, she had no intention of letting Alex know she was giving in. The man would become obsessive and his alpha ego did not need any more stroking!
One good thing she learned was how to change a human into a shifter. Jason, the guard who had all his magic stolen from the Shayatin sorcerer, had lost his ability to shift. With Frieda’s help, she was able to give him the gift of shifting again, reinstalling his magic so to speak. She had absorbed all the magic the sorcerer had stolen throughout his life. It turned out that Jason was the wolf mated to her physical therapist, JoAnne. And after discussing it together, not only did Jason regain his shifting abilities, but JoAnne was granted shifting magic as well.
She and Jason had been mated for three years and she had been considered a pack member. Now she was able to fully participate in all the pack activities. Though she confessed she didn’t care for chasing down and killing things. The chasing was fun, it was the killing part that bothered her. Jason was giving her lessons but she would always be an omega wolf. Her healing abilities were strengthened when she was given the gift of shifter magic.
