Izzy, his rather entertaining daughter-in-law, was the other reason the bastard was allowed to live. The woman had a soft spot for the shifter and wouldn't allow anyone hurt him. She'd quickly wormed her way into Ephraim's heart with her quick wit and sweet smiles, but she'd earned his undying loyalty for bringing his son back to him.
After Chris barely survived the home invasion that almost left him crippled for life, he changed, grew up too fast and in the blink of an eye his once smart ass son who used to make him smile with very little effort was gone. A man hardened by life and too much responsibility took his place. He'd still managed to maintain a close relationship with his son after that, but he missed the easy going Chris and wanted nothing more than to see his son smile again without it being forced.
For the first time in a long time Chris was truly happy. He was head over heels in love with his mate, adored his baby girl and couldn't wait for the birth of his son. He'd always known that Chris would make a good father and was pleased that Chris had surpassed all the hopes and dreams he had for him. After the bullshit start Chris had in life he deserved some happiness and Izzy gave that to him.
The other reason he didn't kill the bastard tonight was very simple, he came in handy every now and then. Tonight of course being one of those times. The Alpha was powerful, probably one of the most powerful shifters Ephraim had ever met and that was proven by the fact that the man was able to keep his human form during the three nights of the full moon. It took a great deal of control not to give into urge to release the animal inside and Kale had mastered that control centuries ago.
When they did a sweep of Boston Common and came across the pack that purposely turned within city limits just so they could fan the city and search for Izzy, Kale stopped irritating the hell out of them and quickly turned into the cold brutal killer that he was famous for. Without any hesitation, Kale began to tear through the pack of shifted werewolves until he made his way to his target, the Alpha of the pack.
Without the Alpha the pack would quickly become useless as they fought each other for control. Even Ephraim had been impressed by Kale tonight. While he worked with Chris to take down the more violent members of the pack he kept an eye on the irritating Alpha. No matter how many hits Kale took, he never reacted. He remained focused until the end and when the pack Alpha was dead and the pack panicked he demanded their obedience and any shifter that didn't immediately comply was dealt with, severely.
It sure as hell made Ephraim's night easier. Without Kale, there was no doubt in his mind that they would have lost Sentinels tonight instead of packing the infirmary, which reminded him that he needed to move his ass.
"Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I just came up to take a quick shower before I help wrap things up downstairs," he partially lied.
He had come up for a shower, but only so that he didn't scare little Jessica with his appearance. She was already frightened enough and didn't need to see her grandfather covered in blood on top of everything else tonight, especially since most of the blood belonged to her father. With that in mind he moved towards the bathroom, hoping that Madison hadn't picked up on that little fact, but of course nothing got past his wife's senses.
"Where is he?" she demanded, suddenly fully awake as she struggled to climb out of bed.
With a soft curse he crossed the room and helped her to her feet, but even his assistance didn't stop her from wobbling under the weight of the twin baby boys she carried in her womb. He scented her panic rise as she tried to move away from him and go hunt down her best friend, probably to beat the shit out of him for scaring the hell out of her, which of course is what Izzy threatened to do when she spotted her mate being carried into the infirmary.
"He's fine, sweetheart," Ephraim said soothingly, knowing that he would have to delay going back to the infirmary for a little while in order to take care of his mate. She was the most important person in his world and he made damn sure that he took care of her first.
Without her, he would be lost. She made him whole and gave him the strength to make it through the day when most days all he wanted to do was rage at the world for what happened to his son. All the shit Nichols did to him in that dungeon couldn't compare to the pain he felt for Joshua. Thanks to him, his son was locked up in a cell several levels down and there wasn't a damn thing that he could do about it. He hated not being able to help his son.
"He's going to be alright," Madison said softly, once again pulling him from the oblivion that threatened to drop him to his knees.
"Who?"
"Joshua, I know that look, baby, and I'm telling you that he's going to be okay," she said with a forced smile when they both knew that she didn't know anything of the sort, but it was comforting to hear.
"I know," he lied, brushing his lips softly against hers before he stepped away. "Let me go take a shower and then I'll feed you before I go back downstairs to make sure everything is okay."
"I'm not hungry," Madison said stubbornly with a cute little pout that had him smiling even as her stomach growled in demand.
"Give me ten minutes," he said, giving her one last kiss before he made his way to the bathroom where he quickly undressed, jumped into the shower and scrubbed.
He was just about to shut the shower off when he felt the swell of her large stomach press against his back and her hand snaked around his front to grab his soft cock. Within seconds he was hard and more than ready to give into his pregnant wife's hormones.
"Changed your mind?" he asked, dropping his head back and moaning as she slowly stroked his shaft while she pressed soft little sexy kisses along his shoulder and arm.
"Mmmhmm," she murmured as she used his arm to slowly turn him around and pressed him back against the smooth tiled wall of the large shower stall. "I had a craving," she said with a sexy little grin as she slowly dropped to her knees in front of him.
He barely managed to bite back a groan of pleasure as she took the head of his cock into her mouth. She gave it one teasing little suckle before her eyes shifted red and her fangs pierced the sensitive tip. This time the loud groan escaped his lips and he didn't care.
His fangs slid down in his mouth as gently cupped her face with one hand, loving the utter look of rapture on her beautiful face as she drank from him while he wrapped his other hand around his shaft and slowly glided his hand over himself as he watched her.
The heavy scent of her arousal teased his nostrils, urging him to stroke faster as his mate took her fill.
"Are you ready, baby?" he asked her in a rough voice as he stroked himself harder and faster. Her answer was a hungry moan as she watched him. He knew by her scent that she was soaking wet and it gave him a craving of his own. One he fully planned on satisfying, soon.
Keeping his eyes locked on her beautiful red eyes, he felt his seed rush up his shaft and within seconds he exploded in her mouth, clenching his teeth shut tightly to stop from roaring his release as he watched her take every last drop.
God he loved this woman.
As soon as she released him he scooped her up in his arms, uncaring that they were wet and that the shower was still running. He carried her into their room where he gently laid her on the bed.
"What are you doing?" she asked, sounding breathless even as she scooted up higher in the bed, cradling her large stomach with her hands as she allowed her legs to drop open and exposed heaven on earth for him.
"You're not the only one with a craving, sweetheart," he said with a wink just as he dropped his head between her legs to get his sweet treat.
Chapter 25
"Give me my precious baby girl," Chris demanded as Kale cradled his goddaughter in his arms.
He pressed a kiss against the top of Jessica's fuzzy little head as he simply said, "No."
The large Sentinel's eyes narrowed on him seconds before he tried to shove the doctors and nurses trying to patch him up out of his way so that he could jump off the bed and take the little girl, but his mate wasn't having that. With a bored
sigh, Izzy shoved Chris back down onto the bed. When he threw her a glare and went to move again, she simply climbed onto the hospital bed and sat across his legs, careful of the large gashes that the doctors were working their asses to patch up before Chris lost too much blood.
"Do you really think that's going to stop me?" Chris demanded with a snort, but his eyes never left Kale or his little girl so of course Kale had to give the sleeping baby girl another kiss just to piss the man off.
"Yes," Izzy said with absolutely no hesitation as she gestured for one of the nurses to grab the bag of peanut butter M&M's that she left on the side table. As soon as Izzy had the bag of chocolaty peanut buttery goodness in her hand she began snacking away, her mate and his temper all but forgotten.
"Traitor," the man grumbled as the doctors cautiously returned to stitching up the gashes on his arms, chest and his right thigh.
"If you want to keep your hands, you'll rethink that little plan, cupcake," Chris said coldly when one of the doctors went to move Izzy off his legs.
Izzy simply gave Chris' leg a reassuring pat as she continued to eat. It pleased Kale greatly that she had a mate that took care of her. Over the short time he'd known Izzy he'd grown to love her like a sister and he would kill anyone that harmed her. The knowledge that she was well protected was the only thing that allowed him some peace of mind while he was away.
He wouldn't lie and say that he was pleased with this situation, because he wasn't. He hated having a weakness and there was no question that she was one. Thankfully, she was locked up in this compound so he didn't have to worry about any of his enemies finding out about her and making a grab for her.
The situation was too damn stressful and if that wasn't bad enough, it was cutting into his work. He was so damn close to reaching his goal and if he could just get in a few more jobs he would finally be able to live the life he'd always wanted, the life he'd worked centuries to earn.
He might be that much closer to his goal thanks to the two missing Pytes. He could make an easy ten million by taking the contract the vampire offered him last night or he could simply find the pair and turn them over to the Council. He was certain that they would more than match that offer.
When Chris informed Eric that there were now two Pytes to go after, Kale hadn't missed the way the Sentinel's expression went from concerned to disbelieving in a matter of seconds. It also didn't hurt that Kale was a master at gathering information and found out that the Pyte had been forbidden to change anyone. Now the search and rescue plan was solely a hunt and capture job.
That was fine with Kale, more than fine. He hated Pytes and would be more than happy to help aide with the permanent removal of one of them. He knew they couldn't be killed, but he'd be willing to help encase the bastard in cement and drop his ass in the middle of the ocean, free of charge. Of course, the capture part was going to cost them and he would make damn sure that he collected in full.
"How much longer is he going to be?" Izzy suddenly asked as she dropped the now empty candy bag onto one of the metal trays and placed her hands on her stomach.
Instead of getting mad at what the others no doubt thought of as an insensitive question if the dirty looks they sent Izzy's way were any indication, Chris became immediately concerned.
He brushed the doctor who was applying the last few stitches to his chest away so that he could sit up. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked in a soft cooing voice that was admittedly a bit annoying. He really couldn't stand to be around love sick bastards. It was really pathetic to watch a man be brought to his knees by a woman.
Izzy's cheeks blushed with obvious embarrassment as she admitted, "I'm starving."
"Tie the stitches off," Chris demanded quietly, but there was no missing the threat in his tone.
Everyone around them stilled, some nervously swallowing while others who weren't caring for Chris directly left the room as discretely as possible. Kale was actually impressed by the level of fear one man could instill with just a few simple words. The man was definitely growing on him, he thought, as he watched the doctors finish their work with shaky hands.
Chris never took his eyes off his mate and even gave her a teasing smile when her stomach growled, further embarrassing the poor woman. He'd offer to go get her food, but they both knew that the likelihood of her food arriving without him having a nibble or two was very unlikely. Since one of the only pleasures he allowed himself was junk food he indulged whenever he could. Izzy understood and even respected his love of food. Which was why they came up with their rules. That way nobody got hurt, well, other people did, but he really didn't care about them.
"Last one," the nervous doctor, who stupidly tried to move Izzy off of Chris' legs only moments ago, mumbled anxiously.
Before the last stitch was tied off, Chris was helping Izzy off his legs. When he swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed and stood up, Kale noted that the man hid his wince well from his mate. The man worked his ass off to make sure that his mate never had a thing to worry about and Kale wasn't sure how much longer the man would be able to keep it up before he snapped under the pressure.
When a man pushed a wheelchair over to Chris, Kale thought for sure he was going to kill the poor bastard.
"Get that thing away from me," Chris ground out, practically seething with rage as he glared at the orderly as he paused mid-push. One look at the murderous expression on Chris' face had the man backing up, quickly.
He didn't miss the look of fear that crossed Chris' features before he pulled it back and apparently neither had Izzy. She took Chris' hand into hers and gave it a gentle tug in the direction of the hallway. "Don't make me hurt you," she said, giving her mate a stern look that told him to move his ass.
With a smile Chris did just that, but not before he limped over to Kale and took the sleeping baby from him with a triumphant grin. "This is my precious baby girl," Chris said softly before mouthing, "Asshole," making Kale chuckle.
The man truly did amuse him, he thought as he followed the couple. He trailed after them to the main hall before heading for the elevators that would take him to the secured levels. He used the code he talked Izzy into giving him months ago.
Before he left he had to take care of some unfinished business. Once he was inside the elevators he made sure to flip off the cameras, loving the fact that the majority of the Sentinels here hated him. Well, they pretty much hated him wherever he went, but that didn't bother him. There were only a few Sentinels that he liked and the ones manning the cameras weren't them.
A few minutes later he was stepping out of the elevator and ignoring the Sentinel behind the desk as he headed for the lockup area. He caught the silver eyed glare of the vampire who he'd once called friend and hated the way his stomach twisted in agony at the memory of all that he'd lost.
Logan lazily flipped him off as Kale strolled past his cage, but not before Kale caught a whiff of something that didn't have any business being near a Master's cage. With a heavy sigh he backed up until he was facing his one time friend.
"Really?" Kale asked, gesturing lazily to nothing at all. "Are you really that fucking stupid?"
Logan didn't pretend not to understand as he simply sent him a smug smile, daring him to interfere, which Kale wouldn't. He had enough shit to deal with. Besides, this little secret wouldn't last much longer so he wasn't going to waste his time on it.
Flipping Logan off for good measure he headed towards his purpose. He wasn't too surprised to find the young Pyte sitting on the floor in front of his brother's cell. Marc took one look at him and was immediately on his feet, moving as fast as he could away from him. The kid sent him a defiant look before he turned and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Kale didn't bother calming the kid down by promising him that he wouldn't kill him, because that would be a lie and they both knew it. If he thought for even one minute that the boy would grow into a Pyte who would rein hell on this world, he would kill him without a moment's h
esitation before the boy hit his transformation and came into his immortality.
He watched the boy's retreating back for a moment longer before he turned his focus on the little problem at hand. For a few minutes he was content with studying the young man sitting on the cot in the cell before him. He looked over the young man, noting his mussed light brown hair, chiseled jaw, strong build and the aura of rage practically pouring off of him and wondered, not for the first time, what the hell he helped create a few months ago.
Kale scented the air, detecting the scent of a vampire, shifter and something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he would. Soon. That was a matter for another day. Right now he was curious about something else.
"You're in control of it, aren't you?" he asked.
The man who hadn't spoken in months said with a cold chuckle that sent shivers down his spine, "Completely."
********
The first growl Danni ignored, thinking it was just an animal sending off a warning, but the second and third growl had her quickening her pace and mentally kicking her own ass for going into the woods. She knew better than most people about what lurked in the woods during the three nights of the full moon. Tonight the full moon was at its fullest and here she was running through the woods like an idiot.
Tall, Dark & Heartless: A Pyte/Sentinel Series Novel Page 23
