Our mate is a strong protector, Drew’s awed voice whispered inside Carter’s mind.
She is. And now she’s ours again.
Drew nodded and leaned over to kiss Suzie’s temple lightly. Carter lowered his head to the side and smiled as she rubbed against his whiskers just like she used to. Their mate still wanted to be surrounded with their scents. He knew her words of hatred were spoken in the heat of the moment. Despite her anger, she still craved their touch, even if she wasn’t aware of it. That was a very good sign.
Suzie, can you hear my voice? Drew’s voice was loud and clear in Carter’s mind, but it was obvious their mate could not hear him.
Suzie, baby, please tell us you hear us. Carter looked at Drew and slowly shook his head. She’s lost our link. That’s why we couldn’t sense her or talk to her all these years, Drew.
I think it has more to do with the silver collar she’s wearing, Carter. I think there might be a good possibility that her wolf abilities and our shared link will return over time if we could just get the damn thing off.
I think you’re right, Drew. I think she needs the healing properties of our saliva. She’s right, you know.
About what?
The silver in her system would hurt our cub.
Well then, we’ll have to claim her again and often, because you and I both saw that she’ll soon be carrying our daughter.
“Last month, Randall came to my cabin to see if I had any more dreams. He found Meeka and Eric,” Suzie interrupted their conversation, unaware that they were talking. “He separated us that night. I heard him telling Boyd to put her in one of the isolation cabins. There are three of them.”
“We know. Mitchell told us,” Drew told her softly.
“You’ve seen Mitchell?” Suzie asked, opening her eyes and searching for the shadows of Drew and Carter. “Is he okay?”
“He is now,” Carter told her, kissing her neck lightly. “Jace Beckett has taken him in as part of his pack.”
“I knew he was a good alpha,” Suzie told them calmly.
“Yes, baby. He’s a fair and strong alpha,” Drew told her. “We’ve been part of his pack since you sent us to him. Thank you for saving our families, Suzie.”
Suzie nodded, trying with all her strength to keep from crying. “I’m glad all of you have been safe. I knew Jace Beckett would take you in. I saw in my dream that I wouldn’t be going with you. I knew Randall would keep me here. I thought my dream was wrong when Randall told me he had killed all of you. He said he killed both of you because of me.”
Her hands on their thighs tightened, and they both reached out and took her hands in each of theirs. Bringing them to their mouths, they kissed them gently.
“Mitchell has found his triad partner,” Drew told her, smiling at the instant smile that came to her face. “His name is Dean Young. His mother Laurie is mated to Jace and Jackson. Dean has a twin sister Mia. Both kids are a perfect fit for the family. Jace and Jackson are proud fathers to them.”
“I knew he was meant to find his triad partner within Jace’s pack,” Suzie told them, squeezing their hands tightly.
“Yes, honey, you did,” Carter agreed. “Mitchell has even shifted into his wolf form. He saved Laurie from an attack that her ex-husband made on her. We’re all very proud of him.”
Suzie sniffed away her tears. She was so happy her baby brother finally had a pack that respected and honored him. “I’m so glad,” she choked out, emotion overwhelming her.
“You saved all of us, Mate,” Carter whispered. “I’m sorry we didn’t save you.”
Suzie stiffened between them, unable to deal with the reminder of being left behind. Every time she thought of it, a pain sliced through her heart. Now that Drew and Carter were sitting on either side of her, the feeling of loneliness and sadness hit her deeply once again. So many years had passed without them in her life. She doubted she would ever get over it and forgive them. She pulled her hands from theirs and settled them on her lap, fisting them in anger. She had to remember to keep herself in control, but it was difficult when they were leaning against her and she could feel the strength and warmth of their bodies.
“Laurie is expecting their first cub together,” Carter added, unaware of Suzie’s depressing thoughts. “Our alpha and beta are the happiest I’ve ever seen them.”
“I’ll bet they are,” Suzie whispered. “That’s great that they’re expanding their family. Having a big family is nice.”
“We’ll have a big family, too, baby,” Drew told her, reaching out and covering her belly with his large hand. “Carter and I have already had visions of you pregnant with our cub.”
Suzie gasped and covered his hand with hers, pressing it tighter against her abdomen before gripping his fingers and pulling his hand away from her. “No.” Her voice was firm as she crossed her arms across her chest and faced straight ahead.
“No?” Carter asked, looking at Drew worriedly before turning his attention back to the road ahead of them.
“No,” Suzie repeated. “I’m not going to have babies with you. I’m not going to let you make love to me ever again.”
Drew looked at Carter and smiled. “Okay, honey,” he appeased her. “Whatever you say.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, nuzzling into the side of her neck and growling softly.
Carter raised her hand and rubbed it across his whiskers, loving the involuntary purr that escaped her. Their Suzie was such a sensual creature. She had matured into a stunning woman with full breasts and hips. He smiled, knowing that their mate’s body would soon be filled with their young. He looked forward to watching her body grow with their daughter and feeling their daughter moving within her. His mouth actually salivated thinking about her nursing their cub. He thought about tasting the sweetness of her milk and saw himself suckling at her luscious breasts.
Carter, if you don’t stop thinking about those things I’m going to explode in my pants.
Drew’s growled words startled him. He wasn’t even aware that he had been projecting his thoughts to him.
Sorry, Drew. I can’t help it. Now that Suzie is with us I want to wrap myself around her and love her. I think we need to take some time off of work to be with her constantly. We need to strengthen our bond.
I agree. We also need to get that damn collar off of her before we can get her healthy.
Taking his cell phone out of his front jeans pocket, he touched the screen to speed-dial his human father. He waited while the phone rang, looking at Suzie and smiling at the stubbornness of their mate. Despite the fact that she was holding herself rigid, her legs were touching theirs. He knew she wasn’t aware of her need to be in contact with them, but it was obvious to them that she craved them as much as they craved her.
“Hello, Drew. Were you able to find Suzie?” his father’s voice called to him through the connection.
“Yes, Dad. We have Suzie with us, and we’re heading home now. Jace and Jackson are on their way with her friend Meeka and her son Eric. Would you let the family know and tell everyone to meet us at my office? We’re going to need help taking off the silver collar Randall put on our mate. Ask Pop, Reece, and Wade to bring tools that will cut through the collar. It’s about one inch wide and half an inch thick, so we’ll need something really strong to cut through it.”
“Okay, Drew,” Jack told his son immediately. “I’ll tell your mother you’re on your way. We’ll all be waiting for you. Don’t worry. We’ll get that collar off.”
“Thanks, Dad. We should be home within the hour.”
He ended the call and put the phone back in his front pocket. “They’ll be waiting for us. We’ll be able to get that collar off and get you back in good health, honey,” he told her, reaching out and taking her hand in his, holding it firmly despite her attempts to pull away from him. “Suzie, we’re going to wait you out,” he told her after a moment, his voice strong.
“What does that mean?” Suzie looked at him, tipping her head to the side as she tried to fo
cus on the dark shadow that was Drew.
“He means you can be stubborn and hate us all you want, but we’re going to love you every day until you realize that you love us, too,” Carter explained with determination. “You’re going to have to explain to our children why their mother doesn’t love their fathers.”
He turned to look at her and saw the stubborn set of her jaw. He chuckled softly. He was going to love it when she finally gave in to her feelings.
“You’re going to cave, Suzie Q,” he told her. “You won’t be able to resist us for long.”
“We’ll wait for you to come around,” Drew told her gently.
Suzie huffed and tugged her hand out of Drew’s tight hold. “Then you’re going to have a long wait, because that’s not going to happen. The men I loved disappeared the moment they left fifteen years ago and didn’t come back for me,” she told them angrily, but hurt tinged her words.
Chapter 11
They drove in silence for quite a while, but the silence was not a comfortable one. Suzie’s anger and sadness were palpable. They were nearly home when Carter couldn’t take the pain any longer.
“We did try to come back for you, Suzie,” Carter finally told her softly as they pulled into the long driveway that led to the Circle Three Ranch.
“When? When did you try to come back for me?” The anger she shot at him was deep and tore through Carter’s heart. She didn’t believe him one bit.
“Carter,” Drew growled.
“No, Drew,” Carter stopped him. “She needs to know we didn’t give up on trying to get her and bring her and her family back home with us.”
“Why don’t you want Carter to tell me, Drew?” Suzie asked, confused. “Would you rather me think you forgot about me? Because that’s what I think. No. That’s what I know.”
“Suzie, about six months after we left, Drew and I came back to Randall’s pack land,” Carter told her gently. “When we arrived at your mother’s cabin, Randall was able to pick up our scent even though we were hidden in the trees that edged the area. Mitchell was out in front of the cabin with your mother. He was playing in the small swimming pool she had set up for him.”
Suzie tensed, knowing immediately what Carter was going to tell her. She remembered that day vividly. That was the day Randall’s abuse of her little brother had begun, and her determination to protect him from that abuse had set the tone for the next fifteen years.
“Randall swiped at your brother’s exposed back with his claws,” Carter told her, his voice betraying the anger and horror they had felt at the cruelty inflicted upon Mitchell. “Your mother tried to protect your brother, but Randall pushed her away. He slashed out at her, too, and opened a long gash on her arm. Both of them were injured because we were there.”
“I remember,” Suzie whispered, reaching out and taking hold of Carter’s hand and pulling it to her chest. She searched for Drew’s hand and was relieved when he grabbed for her and allowed her to pull his hand against her cheek. “I tried to help them.”
“Yes. We saw you try to pull your mother and brother to safety,” Carter told her. “We also saw Randall hit you.”
Suzie nodded, unable to speak. It was one of the most horrifying times of her life. She hadn’t cared about Randall’s abuse of her at the time. She had been scared to death that her baby brother was the recipient of Randall’s cruelty. And she had been angered by the abuse he had directed at her mother.
“When you took Mitchell and your mother into the cabin, Randall turned to the area of trees where we were waiting and called out to us that what we saw was only a beginning of how he would destroy you and your family if we ever came back again.”
Suzie remained still as she processed Carter’s words. He had to be telling her the truth. His knowledge of the incident was exact. They had to have been there.
“We came back again after two months,” Carter told her, his voice quiet as he revealed the truth.
“Carter, don’t,” Drew warned him.
“We were so damn smug,” Carter continued as if Drew hadn’t spoken. “We thought we had Randall fooled. We planned it down to the last detail. We masked our scents and waited for you to walk with your brother and your mother down to the grocery store in town. We knew you were being watched, and we waited for you to check out. We were ready to take you and speed away in Drew’s dad’s truck.”
“I don’t remember that,” Suzie told him, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“You wouldn’t,” Drew spoke up.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because the two enforcers who were guarding you grabbed us before we could get near you,” Carter explained. “Simon stabbed Drew with a silver blade and told us he would do the same to each of you if we didn’t leave.”
“I’m sorry we failed you, Susannah,” Drew told her softly.
“I remember the blade Simon used to carry,” Suzie whispered, knowing they had to be telling her the truth. “He and Warren were the ones who guarded us most of the time. They followed Randall’s orders to keep us isolated, but they didn’t torture us like some of the other enforcers did. When they were guarding us, none of us felt threatened or afraid.” She turned to face Drew, reaching out to touch him but pulling back before her hand made the connection. “How badly were you injured?”
“I was fine,” Drew insisted.
“No, you weren’t, Drew,” Carter stopped his denial. “He was sick from the poison for nearly a month. He’s lucky Simon didn’t connect with any vital organs. He could have done much worse damage.”
“He probably did it on purpose,” Suzie told them. “I don’t think either Simon or Warren ever really wanted to follow Randall’s orders.”
“Suzie, we really did try,” Carter told her, his voice soft. “I guess we weren’t strong enough or smart enough. Randall stopped us every time. After the third attempt, we stopped trying to get you.”
“Why?” Suzie’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Because Randall told us he would fuck you in front of us if we tried again,” Drew told her bitterly. “He said he would make your mother and brother watch, and then he would kill them both.”
Suzie gasped, covering her mouth in horror. Her anger fought with her sensibility. Her men had come back for her time and time again. With each attempt, they had all suffered. She wanted to stay angry, she wanted to blame them for the last fifteen years of abuse and loneliness, but she realized that she couldn’t. They had tried. And they had suffered, too. Maybe not in the same way that she had, but they had suffered.
“After that last time we realized that there was nothing we could do,” Carter told her sadly. “We couldn’t subject you or your brother or your mother to more punishments because of us. We couldn’t allow it to happen. So we never tried again. Even though it was all we ever thought about doing, we couldn’t risk him hurting you or your family ever again.”
Suzie was quiet for a very long time. Drew could feel her thinking. He didn’t know if it was their fragile mating bond, but he sensed the way her thoughts were warring with each other. He knew she wanted to hate them—something he completely understood and felt they truly deserved from her. But he could also sense the way her heart was softening to them. Maybe they had a chance at salvaging their relationship after all.
“I’m sorry, Susannah,” he apologized sincerely. “I promised you I would always protect you. I failed you.”
“We both failed you,” Carter added, his voice deep with guilt.
He drove his truck around the main lodge and headed toward the home he and Drew shared, parking the truck in the garage that was attached to their home. He turned off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt, turning to face Suzie. She remained silent between them.
“We’re home,” Drew told her quietly.
Suzie nodded and allowed the men to help her out of the truck and lead her into their home. She could hear the murmurs of many voices inside.
“Sounds like you have a full house,�
�� she told them, her head tipping to the side as she tried to concentrate and identify the sounds she was hearing. “You must be really popular guys.”
Drew and Carter looked at each other and smiled. The sweet woman before them was more relaxed and more like the Suzie before they had lost her.
“You don’t have to be jealous, honey,” Carter teased her. “We only love one woman.”
“I’m not jealous,” she insisted.
“Good,” Drew answered. “There’s no reason to be. We love only you.”
Suzie nodded and sighed. “That might be a good thing. I have to think about it.”
Drew opened the inside door of the garage that led the way into the kitchen of their home. His entire family, along with Jace and Jackson, were there waiting for them. A hush fell over all of them as they watched Suzie enter the room.
“Aunt Suzie!” Eric called out, pushing from his mother’s arms until he was released. He ran to her immediately.
Suzie opened her arms and waited for the small bundle of energy who launched himself into her arms. “Hey, baby,” she greeted him, laughing as he burrowed into her shoulder and hugged her tightly. “Did you take care of your mother like I asked you to?”
“Yes, Aunt Suzie,” Eric told her, his voice serious as he nodded.
“He did,” Meeka agreed, stepping forward and embracing her best friend.
Suzie hugged her tightly. Meeka Martin was a human who had shown more strength in the short time Suzie had known her than Suzie could have ever imagined. She was a true friend and a loving mother despite the way her son’s father had treated her. Suzie remembered sadly that her friend had once been a voluptuous woman with feminine curves and an easy smile, but the years of hiding from Randall, Boyd, and the rest of the pack enforcers had taken their toll on her. She had always been a beautiful woman with long, black hair that hung to just below her shoulders with side bangs that framed an adorable face with heart-shaped lips, but the soft, brown eyes that had once sparkled with humor had become filled with sadness and had been dulled by years of loneliness. These physical changes in her friend had caused Suzie many restless nights as she thought about the way her friend had nearly reached the point of desperation. Only Meeka’s love for her son had given her the strength to continue on.
Susannah's Saviors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 13
