by Maia Dylan
Beep. “Dude, it’s Dane, hit me back when you get this message.”
Beep. “Honestly, Diego, we need to speak, and I mean now. We are sitting at DEFCON 4.”
Beep. “Diego, where the fuck are you and Tomas? Neither of you assholes are answering your damn phones. Call me back.”
Beep. “Diego, seriously, it’s been fucking hours, and neither of you have called me back. We have some serious shit going down, and we are on our way to you.”
Beep. “Now I’m getting pissed. You fuckers will be pulling every shitty shift and job I can fucking think of from now on. You’re lucky Hunter is an anal son of a bitch who won’t let me drive his truck. Otherwise you would be copping it in the ear from him, and I’m telling you he is not a happy kitty. I’m not lion to you—see what I did there? Even in the face of imminent shit hitting the proverbial fan, I am funny as fuck!”
That last message had been from an hour ago. Diego frowned as he disconnected his voice mail service and opened his phone to call Dane back. He and Tomas had turned off their phones yesterday so that they could concentrate on their mate. Now, it seemed like that might not have been as good an idea as it seemed then. As he was about to connect the call to Dane, his phone vibrated in his hand.
“DEFCON one! DEFCON one! We have skipped all the other numbers and jumped straight to the FUBAR portion of your day.” Diego took the phone from his ear for a moment to ensure he didn’t sustain a burst ear drum. The screen still said Dane Smith, so he figured he was definitely talking to the man he called friend and boss.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Diego asked with a frown. Tomas must have caught Dane’s rambling yell down the phone because he was looking over from where he stood in the kitchen with their mate. “Honestly, Dane, you have got to stop smoking that shit.”
“Dude, it’s not me who’s going to want to lose themselves in the psychedelic bliss of narcotic ignorance.” Diego could tell Diego was in a vehicle and traveling somewhere, and from the sound of the engine, he was getting there in a hurry. “Why the fuck have you and Tomas not been answering your damn phones? We have been trying to get a hold of you since last night.”
Diego moved toward the kitchen, figuring that if there was something so urgent his boss had been trying to get a hold of him so badly, it would be better if he, Tomas, and Pepper were all in the same room. “We wanted to make sure there were no distractions. Why? What the hell is going on that is so damn important?”
“Parris, Melaina, and our beautiful but meddling mate are coming for you and Tomas, and they are loaded for wolf,” Dane advised, and Diego saw Pepper pale. “We left shortly after them, so they are only about an hour from you.”
Diego frowned. “How the hell do they even know where we are?”
“Cassadee Shaw,” was all he had to say.
Cassadee was a lioness shifter who had a psychic power second to none. She could talk with anyone she set her mind to, and Diego wouldn’t put it past her ability to be able to enter someone’s mind without them noticing. Hell, he and Tomas had been so emotionally distracted these past few days, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was either of them that she was able to get that information from.
“Did you and Hunter talk to them about what it was we were trying to do here?” Diego asked.
“No, Diego, we thought it would be best to leave them with the impression that you both kidnapped their little sister and were up there in butt-fuck nowhere planning her fucking downfall!” Hunter’s sarcastic tone was legendary among the other Enforcers on their team. “Now, there are two ways this can go. You can stay there and hope for the best, and maybe lose a limb or two, and depending on the state and health of your mate, the appendage may or may not be necessary. Or you can run. Cassadee is firmly in Melaina’s camp, so I do not like your chances of remaining on the run for long, but if that’s your choice, then you only have an hour to get your shit together and leave. Personally, I am more of the face the shit that’s about to hit the fan and see how far it flies, but I will leave that choice up to you.”
Diego looked up and caught Pepper’s eye. He saw her nervousness and wanted to whisk her away then and there, but there was another emotion that flittered across her beautiful face that gave him pause. She missed her sisters. Diego flicked his gaze to his brother and knew Tomas saw the same damn thing.
“We’ll wait here for them,” Diego said, holding Pepper’s stare when it flew to his. “The three of them will be worried sick. Pepper is stronger and well on the road to recovery, and they deserve the chance to be a part of that journey.”
“Are you sure, D?” Dane asked, but if he was not mistaken, Diego thought he heard a thread of pride in his boss’s tone. “If you left now, you could be on your way to Little Rock or wherever by the time they get to you. Hunter and I can deal with Xanthe, and I am sure the same could be said for Melaina’s and Parris’s men.”
“No. We left Grey River to save our mate and bring her back. We’ve done that. The best place now for her to heal is back with the people who love her, and they are all back in Grey River. Tomas and I will have to face the Alphas and take the punishment we know is coming for our actions.”
Tomas winced at Diego’s words. “And that’s a fucking conversation and experience I would rather have my fingernails pulled out than have to endure.”
Pepper gasped, reaching out to place her hand against his chest, and Diego’s wolf rolled over onto his back in pleasure within him. “Punishment? These Alphas would hurt you for saving me?”
Diego lifted his free hand and gripped the back of Pepper’s, marveling not for the first time at just how damn soft her skin was. “Not for saving you, cariño, never that.”
Tomas stepped closer and placed a hand on her hip. “We pledged to Ty and Trent when it became clear to us that you were ours and that you belonged in Grey River with your sisters. We swore to uphold their values and laws, but we deliberately left Grey River so that we could break one of their pack laws.”
Pepper looked up at Tomas, and Diego’s heart swelled when she leaned into his brother. “Surely they will see reason and realize that what you did was not to flaunt their rules, but to save your mate?”
“Ha! Yeah, Ty is the damn picture of reasonableness. He’s never one to react based purely on emotion, not that wolf,” Dane snarked over the phone, loud enough for Pepper to hear, and there was no missing the sarcasm in his tone.
Pepper frowned. “Then perhaps I should speak to him.”
Diego wanted to kiss her for wanting to take care of him and Tomas. Not that they would ever allow her to face the Alpha’s on her own, but to know that she would have willingly done so was enough. Just as he was about to step forward, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and his wolf alerted on a change in the room.
With a growl, he dropped the phone and spun to face the threat he knew was behind him, pulling Pepper close to his back. Tomas shifted into his wolf in an explosion of energy and fabric, almost at the same time. He then stepped to stand in front of Diego and their mate, growling constantly, the room filing with his dominance and his displeasure.
“You honestly think that growling at me is going to work?” a soft feminine voice asked, and Diego felt Pepper stiffen behind him. “I don’t scare that easily, Tomas Reyes.” Melaina Christakos stepped into the room, her brilliant blue eyes glowing eerily. “You should know that about me by now.”
Parris Church and Xanthe White moved in behind her, and the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder. At first glance, they were three petite women who almost appeared nonthreatening, but Diego knew the truth. They were all skilled when it came to hand-to-hand combat, and their psychic abilities were pretty off the charts, too. From the way he was finding it more difficult to move by the second, almost as if the air in the room were thickening, he knew that they had already started on incapacitating them both.
Diego growled when he went to talk, but couldn’t. He was certain that his mouth had opened,
but he couldn’t seem to form any words.
“You don’t get to say another word, Diego Reyes,” Parris said, staring at him intently. “The only person we want to hear from is our little sister. And if we find out that you have scared her in any way, we will have a problem.” Diego was at least thankful that they knew he and Tomas would never hurt their mate.
“You all need to stop what you’re doing,” Pepper said from behind him, and his system flooded with surprise. His mate did not sound at all scared. Hell, she didn’t even sound nervous like he had suspected she might have been before. Nope, their mate sounded pissed off.
Parris frowned, perhaps having interpreted Pepper’s tone in the same manner. “Pepper, we’re here to take you home with us. We want to help you get better and look after you, just like we always planned to do.”
Pepper stepped out from behind him, and Diego strained against whatever the fuck it was holding him in place. From the increased growling, he knew that Tomas was also being held captive.
“I get that, and we’ll talk more about that in a moment,” Pepper said, sounding stronger than she had since she’d woken. “But I can see what you are planning, and I will not allow it. Tomas and Diego will face Ty and Trent Jamieson on their own. They had already agreed to do that sooner rather than later. But they will do it on their terms. Not yours.”
Diego wondered what the hell that meant, but since he couldn’t ask, he simply watched his beautifully strong mate challenge the two women she cared for most in the world, for him and his brother.
“Oh really, little sister?” Melaina asked quietly, and Diego would have been concerned had it not been for the love and respect he could see in her expression. “And how do you propose to stop us?”
No sooner had she finished asking her question than the three women were yanked sideways, yelping in surprise, until they were pinned against the far wall. At the same time, the force that had held him and Tomas against their will disappeared.
Pepper tipped her head to the side. “Because I have always been stronger than any of you.”
Chapter Eight
“Well, damn, girl! I knew that, but I never thought I’d hear you admit it, Pepper,” Melaina said in a voice tinged with tears, and from the smile on her face, Pepper knew they were tears of happiness.
“I will not allow you to harm Tomas and Diego,” Pepper said, her gaze leveling on Melaina. “I sense that the punishment and pain you were planning on was a lie, but either way, it will not happen.”
Melaina’s eyes narrowed at her. “Why? They kidnapped you, Pepper. They took you from the people who love you and the medical care you needed, and they ran off with you in the night like a couple of damn thieves.”
“That’s true, but if they hadn’t done that, then I would still be locked in my own mind or worse. At the time, I did not think there was anything worse than that because even death looked like a way out.” Melaina whispered Pepper’s name in a tortured tone. “It’s true. Both of them sensed that I was slipping away, and I guess that I was. If they hadn’t taken me and completed the claiming the way they did, I don’t think I would have survived much longer.
“They claimed you?” Xanthe asked in a serious tone. “Against your will?”
“No!” Pepper denied and then winced. “And well, yes. But that is behind us, and I know now that had I been able to give my consent at that time, then I would have.”
“They claimed you without your consent,” Melaina all but snarled. “What the fuck does that mean? Did they rape you?” Pepper felt the tendril of Melaina’s ability reach out toward her as both men growled denials from behind her.
Pepper shot them both a quelling look before turning back to her sisters and slapping Melaina’s power back with a shot of her own. “No, they didn’t. They did what had to be done, and it means that I am alive and standing here arguing with you. Don’t try to hurt them again, Melaina. Like I said, I won’t allow it.”
Melaina’s expression turned calculating. “I have to ask why, Pepper? Do you care about them?”
Pepper saw the trap too late and knew her answer was clear on her own face. “What I do or do not feel for Tomas and Diego is between the three of us. Just know that they are under my protection, and I will see to it that they are not harmed.”
“Fuck, cariño,” Diego whispered from behind her, “I love it when you get all protective like that.” Tomas growled a sound that had little to do with anger from what Pepper could feel from down their bond. “Tomas said it was hot as fuck as well.”
Melaina nodded. “And that, too, is good to hear, little sister.”
Parris rolled her eyes. “Melaina, what happened to the ‘let’s not get Pepper riled up and angry’ plan? That was all we talked about in that ridiculously fast trip from Grey River.”
Melaina shrugged. “It went out the window as soon as I got close enough to sense her. Baby girl’s got power.”
Pepper frowned. “I have always had power, Laina.”
“I know, baby girl, you have. But what you had then pales in comparison to what I see in you now. Whenever I scanned you when we were in that compound, your abilities always seemed like they were behind a veil or screen. Now I seem them in all their technicolored brilliance. It used to be painful for you to use some of your abilities. Is it still?” Tomas snarled as he stepped forward. “Oh, calm down, possessive puppy. I wasn’t asking her to try them out and see if they still hurt her. Telekinesis was one of those that caused her pain, so I am just wondering if it still does, as I am still currently stuck to the wall like a goddamn painting and can’t move shit.”
Pepper’s confusion deepened. She felt nothing. In fact, prolonging something like this usually took a toll on her, but right now, she couldn’t feel a drain on her at all. She shook her head, and Melaina nodded.
“That’s what I thought. Whatever the fuck your puppies did to bring you back to us, it cleared whatever the blockage was to your abilities. You don’t have a lot of range, baby girl, but as soon as someone is near, then you have the power to do some serious damage.”
“How do you know she doesn’t have any range?” Diego asked.
“Because if she did, she would have felt the three of us before we arrived and I got the chance to block her,” Melaina answered and then sent Pepper a pointed look. “Do you think you could let us down now? I would really like to give you a hug. The last time we spoke you were saving my life and sacrificing your own.” Melaina’s voice broke on the last two words, and Pepper felt an ache settle in her chest. “You succeeded where I failed, Pep. You took that son of a bitch down, and you lived to tell the tale.”
Pepper allowed her psychic grip on the three women to drop away, but she did it in a controlled manner to ensure she didn’t hurt them. As soon as their feet touched the ground, they moved toward each other. It was a few hesitant steps at first, and then Pepper heard the heartbreaking sound of a woman’s sob fill the room. She was amazed to discover it came from her. She lifted her arms in the direction of the women who had saved her in more ways than she cared to remember, and they moved swiftly to wrap her in their embrace.
Pepper gripped onto them as the tears flowed freely. All of them cried for the girls they had once been, the warriors they had become, and the future they had all longed for, but never had the strength to hope to achieve. They were free. Out from beneath the iron fist of a madman. The four of them collapsed to the ground and cried, and Pepper couldn’t remember a time she had ever been happier.
* * * *
Tomas pulled the shirt down over his head as he finished getting dressed before sharing a worried look with his brother. It was one thing to try to comfort their mate, but what the hell were they supposed to do with four crying females? He had no idea, so he stood with his back to the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. This was just one of those situations a man like him was simply not equipped to deal with.
His gaze shot to the window at the sound of an approaching car, and when he sc
ented the air, he knew it was his bosses. A few minutes later, Hunter and Dane strode into the room.
“What the fuck happened here?” Hunter whispered as he stepped over to Tomas, and they clasped hands and drew each other in for a one-armed hug that came with a thump on the back. The age-old greetings ritual between two guys that hadn’t seen each other in a while.
“Pepper, Melaina, Xanthe, and Parris are just, well, um…” Tomas shrugged and turned to look at Diego, who had just said hello to Dane.
“Saying hello, and celebrating the fact that the four of them are together again after all this time,” Diego finished and Tomas nodded. Yep, that sounded about right.
“Well, it’s damn good to see you both still breathing,” Dane said with a grin.
“Surprising,” Hunter added, “but good none the less.”
The four of them stood for a few more awkward moments. “You guys wanna beer?” Tomas asked, and the other three leaped at the chance. They wondered into the kitchen and left the women to their reunion.
“So,” Diego asked when the four of them were seated at the kitchen table. “On a scale of one to nuclear, how pissed off is Ty?”
Dane opened his mouth to speak, his eyes twinkling, but Hunter reached across and slapped a hand over his mouth.
“He’s pissed, but he understands,” Hunter said as Dane groaned, theatrically wrenching his face away from Hunter’s hand. “He would have done the same damn thing. Hell, I would break any law to save Dane or Xanthe. I think it would have been worse if you guys had simply accepted the situation as it stood.”
Tomas nodded, but the relief he felt was immediate. He respected the hell out of Ty Jamieson and his twin brother, Trent. The two of them not only managed one of the largest packs in the country, but they also stood at the head of the shifter council that governed their laws. Not an easy job, but one they approached pragmatically.
“Damn it, Hunter,” Dane complained. “It was going to be fun as hell winding these assholes up. I had planned to string them along the entire trip back to Grey River.”
