Shielding Her

by Kelly Lucille

  Logan looked at him, his eyes going to the woman beside him, and then the hands clasped between them and gave Eli a slight nod of understanding. His attention straying to his mate who stood close to his side with just the brush of their arms connecting them. And Eli knew he understood. Logan had known as soon as he scented his mate who she was to him.

  But Margaret was human. It had taken Eli a bit longer, but he knew just the same. She was his. She had other things on her mind right now so dragging her off to fuck and claim her was out. For the moment.

  He could wait. He was a cat, that's how cat's hunted. Lying in wait before the pounce. And she was still married to her shit heel ex and in trouble so that would have to be dealt with. Quickly. Already the idea that there was a man with a prior claim to his mate ate at his insides like battery acid. But... waiting. He could do it. And really when you think about the problem logically, the marriage and the trouble would both go away if her soon to be ex was, say mauled to death by a freak meeting with a jungle cat.

  Something to think about.

  Just then more cursing filled the hall, this time it was Lucas who headed for the door they all hovered around. "She's giving too god damn much," he snarled and nearly ripped the door off its hinges to get to his own mate. Eli knew what that meant and put his new found understanding away from him to focus on the now. Miley was in trouble, which meant Rebecca, and or the baby was in trouble, and she was killing herself to help them.

  The door Lucas stomped through slammed closed behind him and they were all left with new worries and another of their most fragile in trouble. This time it was Eli who needed the reassurance of his woman’s hand in his.

  God, he thought. If Rebecca is that bad off Miley will kill herself trying to save her.

  They could lose them both. Or was it the baby she was trying to save? All of them? How much could they lose today? Suddenly he wanted to howl his frustrations to the sky like the wolf he was not. Cleo, he saw was wrapped tight in her mate’s arms. And from the look in her eyes she knew exactly what could happen. Not one person in the Lionsgate pack doubted what would happen if Becca was so far gone Miley could not save her, or the baby. They all knew she would die trying, no matter what. It was not in the woman to admit defeat, not Miley Isabella Rose, not their Alpha female. Not the only woman Cleo really thought of as a mother. And he had his doubts that Lucas would survive if she died again. He had already lived that hell once, thinking she was dead, and it had changed the man in irrevocable ways. To have found her again, only to lose her a second time? He was not sure Lucas, or the Lionsgate pack would survive the fallout.

  "What happened?" Margaret asked, her eyes on him as she moved closer into his side to look up at him. "What changed?"

  Eli opened his mouth and for the first time he could remember there were no smart remarks to hide behind. In fact, he had nothing at all to say, because no fucking way he would tell his woman that her friend was far worse than they had thought. But he had to tell her something, and he was not about to start off with this woman with a lie between them. He just hoped like fuck he kept it vague enough. "Miley is a healer but if she pushes herself too hard to heal she can hurt herself in the process. Lucas can feel it happening."

  Her eyes searched his for a long moment and then whatever color remained in that pale, pale face drained away. And he knew she understood at least some of what he did not say when she swallowed hard.

  "Rebecca," she whispered, her eyes going to the closed door Lucas had disappeared behind. Then her eyes returned to his, and he saw the worried understanding there. "It's worse than the gun shot before."

  It was not really a question so he did not answer it. He pulled her into his arms without any more pretense and held her against his chest, breathing in the floral scent of her hair and looking up to meet the eyes of his pack. He did not say that Miley had slept for days after that healing, or that she had almost died saving Shawn when he was nearly killed. He did not have to. His pack knew it well enough without a word. They had all instinctively moved closer, Ian stood practically in his sister’s space, with Liam right beside him. Everyone in Lionsgate looked grim and suddenly haggard. For a group of people used to battle this standing here and waiting with nothing to do to help the most fragile of their pack was torture. For all of them. So, they huddled close to pack and waited.

  CHAPTER NINE

  "We need another bed brought in here."

  It was not the most comforting start to the break of silence from the sick room. But it was all they got until Marcus, an older wolf, got everyone organized and a bed was quickly delivered, along with calling for food and drinks. Then Janey stepped out of the room and everyone and everything stopped. They had all heard the wails of the baby but that had seemed to happen hours ago, and no one was sure what had happened after. Her hands freshly washed and without the large apron she had been sporting over her scrubs, the nurse midwife looked to her pack first and smiled tiredly. Her short brown curls practically matted to her head from her exertions.

  "The baby is a good six pounds 2 ounces, and we'll have Miley take a look at him when she wakes up again, but the doctor says his lungs sound fine."

  She took a deep breath and her eyes went to the Lionsgate pack, who had gathered together until they all stood as one in that hall. All eyes were on her. "Becca is fine, just sleeping." Her eyes teared up and she took a shuddering breath. "The doctor does not think she would have survived the blood loss if Miley had not been there. But she did and both women are sleeping but otherwise healthy."

  Margaret slumped into his side giving him all her weight as if her legs had just suddenly gone out beneath her and his focus shifted in a heartbeat from his pack to his mate. He held her easily against his chest and she let him. Her hands clutching at his shirt pressed between them. He felt her shuddering breath and smelled the tears she finally allowed to fall. When he looked down her eyes were closed, and he had the feeling she was not even aware of who she was clinging too, just relieved to the point of exhaustion. He could hardly blame her if she needed a break. She'd had a hell of a day.

  She was not the only one, Eli thought grimly, taking in the sight of Cleo being picked up by Shawn when her own legs gave out. Her face was buried so deep in her mates neck she was practically welded there. Her arms tight around his neck. He just pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair.

  Ian had his hands on his knees, his head down as he came to grips with everything that had happened. Liam’s hand on his back. Every member of Lionsgate he saw in the hall was dealing with it. How close they had come. How bad it could have been. The Hale pack was not much better.

  The release of tension throughout that room was so obvious it was like a storm front had rolled through, leaving relief and giddiness in its wake. The wolf, Jax, was the first one to whoop causing spurts of relieved laughter and more tears throughout the hall. After that, Marcus started in again with his orders, dispersing most of the wolves to other duties since it was unlikely there would be any sign of the alphas for a while.

  The relieved laughter and talking after the monumental silence that had gripped them for so long was welcome.

  Eli caught the eyes of most of his pack and they all shared a moment. Liam and Ian were back to normal pretty fast. Ian making eyes at more than one of the Hale wolf pack females as they passed. Liam looking embarrassed by his antics.

  "Ladies," Ian yelled after them. "Anyone needs to have life affirming sex after facing the specter of death I am at your service."

  Eli snorted in humor, but Cleo raised her head to glare at her brother. "Really, you halfwit?" she asked with a near growl. "That's the best you can do?" But her brother was ignoring her in favor of following the wolves to the elevator. Liam following as he usually did. Of course, he was looking balefully at the wolf males that were giving Ian hard looks. Eli just shook his head, wondering if and when Ian's mouth would get him into more trouble than he could handle. But he doubted it would be today, not when more
than one of the females thought his words were funny.

  And all of them knew exactly who Ian was, and some of what he and his pack were capable of. Not to mention their alpha female had just been saved at the hands of Lionsgate's healer. Again. Nope. Eli doubted Ian would be in any real danger, but he noticed Demon was also headed for the elevator with Clytie, so he didn't worry too much. No one would make a move on Ian with Demon standing there. No matter what came out of his mouth. His focus moved back to the woman in his arms and stayed there.

  Margaret came to the realization that she was crying in a man’s arms gradually. She could not remember ever having done so before, not even as a child. So, she was not sure what to make of the sensation of comfort and closeness it garnered. All she knew, as soon as she was thinking again, was that it would not be a good idea to get used to the feeling, because being held tight in strong arms, a large warm hand rubbing her back while you cried was something that could be addicting. And becoming addicted to anything as dangerous as Eli Ramsey would break her more thoroughly then her parents and ex-husband combined had managed.

  Because, this feeling? This, she would miss when it was gone. She started to pull away in self-preservation, but he used the hand on her back to bring her right back where she had been against him. Her breasts pressed firmly to that granite hard chest.

  "It won't hurt you to take a few more minutes." He said the words softly and directly into her ear, sending an unexpected zip of heat to all her hidden places.

  Maggie cleared her throat and pushed back again. Her eyes met his as she pulled away from him as much as she could against his grip. Which was not much. "I'll be the judge of that," she muttered low, and watched the spark ignite in his eyes. He did not leave her wondering why.

  "What has you suddenly so worried duchess, the fact that you allowed yourself to need someone else?" He leaned down until they were almost nose to nose and spoke low, his words almost a growl. "Or the fact that you liked it?"

  She felt another zing of heat, only this one found and ignited every hidden nerve in her body. She stifled the gasp that her body’s unexpected reaction caused her to nearly make and cleared her throat instead. She really wanted to lick her dry lips but knew that would be a mistake she might not come back from, not with the way his eyes kept straying to her lips. Good lord, when did the man switch to seductive mode and how the hell did she get him to turn it back off?

  She told herself it was just the vulnerability of her emotions that was making him particularly sexy to her senses, but even she did not believe that. She cleared her throat a second time and realized she had been staring up at her bodyguard like a moon calf.

  "I don't think this is appropriate," she hurried on when he started to smile a satisfied half smile that reminded her of nothing so much as a cat up to mischief. "Even if you weren't my bodyguard, this is not the time." She made her voice as firm as she could and tried her best to resurrect her shields, which she was still too raw to manage, but appearance in this case would hopefully achieve what she needed.

  The problem was, she was not sure whether she was hoping it would work and he would back off, or it wouldn't.

  Eli finally let her go and she took a hasty two steps away, hoping a little distance would make all the difference. Telling herself that the feeling coursing through her body was acute relief, and not well, loss. This time she did lick her lips, raising her chin and meeting those eyes that now looked more jungle cat than man. That damn naughty smile of his was back on his face. The combination both disconcerting and seriously sexy. As was his parting shot.

  "Later then duchess, I can wait." And why did that sound so ominous to her ears when he did her the favor of finally walking away? Maybe because he made the statement sound like a threat, and a promise?

  It took Margaret entirely too long to shake off the effect he had on her, but she finally did, and headed back to the birthing room. She did not care if it was bad manners to barge in. The danger was past, but she needed to see Rebecca and the baby for herself. And if she was honest with herself, she also needed something else to think about besides how good it had felt to be held in strong arms while she cried. Yes, she needed to see her friend, but even Maggie could not say if it was that or the desire to go right back in those warm protective arms that had her acting.

  Whatever her jumbled thoughts and emotions, everything but Rebecca was forgotten when she walked into that room and saw how pale and wan her friend looked even in her sleep. Maggie felt the clutch to her heart and had to reassure herself that her friend was fine, just sleeping. She turned to the others in the room and caught Linc's eyes from where he stood standing beside Rebecca in the process of covering up her friend, while Jacob handled the baby like it was made of glass. Griffin still sat at his place behind Rebecca, cradling her close, his eyes moving constantly between her sleeping face and the baby.

  "What can I do?" she asked. And really hoped he had a long list of things she could help with. Otherwise she might just go mad and end up back in Eli's arms. This time without the emotional distance her crying jag had created to buffer her.

  ***

  On the other bed Lucas Gibb sat beside his mate while she recovered from healing, again, and wanted to roar his frustration to the sky. Again, he had almost lost her.

  It was getting to the point where he had nightmares about this. Her healing someone and losing her because of it. The fuck of it was, he had no grounds to complain. As she had been quick to point out the last time he ranted and raved that never again would she put herself in danger in such a way. He was a warrior to his core, and more than once she had to watch him put himself in dangerous situations to save others. How could he expect her to do less?

  She had a good solid argument to toss at him whenever he tried to protect her too far; He just didn't fucking care. He needed her to be safe. What the hell was all the rest of it for if he could not keep this one fragile nearly full human safe? But how the hell did he protect her from herself?

  Somehow sensing his roiling emotions, he watched his mates face scrunch in almost pain before her eyes opened long before they should have been able to. Her hand brushed over his cheek while she tried to keep her eyes open. "I'm fine," she forced out, her hand falling from his face back to the sheet covered bed.

  "Shh," he leaned over and whispered in her ear. Forcing away fear and rage with an effort to reassure her. "I'm just waiting patiently to spank your ass for scaring the fuck out of me. Again. Sleep, you're going to need it."

  She smiled, her eyes firmly closed at his words and she drifted off the lilt of teasing in her voice. "Something to look forward to."

  They could have carried her to another room. He had wanted to, but he knew her well enough to know she would wake up needing to see Rebecca and he would just have to carry her back in when she did. So, they were across the room from the new mother and baby. The former asleep, as Miley would be, if his careening emotions had not forced her awake. And the baby was being swaddled by Jacob, but all three were sitting on the bed, hovering over their mate as if afraid she or the babe would disappear. Hale only looked away from his sleeping mate long enough to take in the rest of his family before going right back to his vigil.

  Lucas could relate. He too was afraid to take his eyes off his woman. Not so soon after almost losing her. Not when his life lay in that bed, so fragile of body and strong of will. It was that combination of fierce spirit and softness that drew him to his mate in the first place. It was also the very thing that scared the fucking hell out of him. He understood why she did what she did, saving someone she cared about even at the cost of her own life if necessary. He understood it. Hell, he lived it. He gnashed his teeth and tried to push back the need to roar at her to never again put herself in this position, no matter that it wasn't fair to ask that of her when he could not promise the same thing. And if he kept thinking about this he was going to wake her up with his frustrated rage again. He cursed a blue streak in his own head and tried to tame
the lion part of him that was demanding he wake her up and make her listen to his dictates. The lion did not care anymore than he did about fair, he just wanted his mate safe. Lucas rubbed his face and fought the desire he had to bury his face in Miley’s hair and wallow in her scent with other predators in the room, but...fuck it. They had their own concerns now. And the scent of her, the feel of her hair against his face, and the warmth of her cheek, the flow of blood under that so fragile skin soothed him as nothing else could have. He found what he always found in the scent and feel of his mate close enough to touch. Peace.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Margaret could not shake the feeling that something had changed irrevocably between her and Eli. It might have worried her, the new way he treated her, as if they knew each other well. He had even started calling her Maggie, as opposed to Margaret, and with an ease that spoke of familiarity their limited time on the island had not really engendered. She might have even worried about it if the rest of Lionsgate did not make the same transformation. It was as if her knowing their secret, or their shared experience in that hallway changed the way they saw her. When she had the time to dwell on it Maggie decided she liked it. No one besides Eli was overly familiar and the way they acted as if she truly belonged among them was not unwelcome.

  In fact, since Griffin, Linc and Jacob were basically unreachable for the staff since they had moved their mate and baby to their beach house on the other side of the island and had rarely made an appearance in the last week, somehow it had fallen on her shoulders to run things at 'A Bene Placito'. Even though it would be another six months before the hotel was again open to guests they were already getting reservations for the grand reopening. And as she was presently representing the job of all the management from guest relations to CEO she had quite a bit of work to keep her busy.