by Kasey Belle
Ella turned her head to look at him. “Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”
Koda grinned refusing to take the bait. A first for him. “Ready to hit the road, hellcat?”
“Yes.” She straightened in her seat and stared out the windshield. “Thank you for this,” she muttered.
Koda nodded once and tried not to make a big deal of her reluctant gratitude. “You’re welcome. I was thinking about running by for takeout on the way. Sound good?”
Ella nodded. He reached over and turned the radio on keeping the volume low. They didn’t say anything as he pulled out of the hospital lot and turned away from town. He glanced at her. “We have a lot to talk about.” She nodded. “Will you come home with me, Ella?”
She worried her lower lip as she considered his request. Koda let out the breath he’d been holding when Ella finally said, “Yes.”
Forty-five minutes later they pulled through The Sanctuary’s gate. He parked in front of his cabin moments later. Knowing his mate had an independent streak a mile wide, Koda spoke before she even had a chance to release her seatbelt. “Wait here. I’ll help you out.”
Elle opened her mouth then just as quickly pressed her lips together and jerked a nod. Good. Her protests would’ve fallen on deaf ears, anyway.
He ran around the truck to the other side and opened her door. She had her seatbelt off already. He handed her the bag of takeout then he gathered her against his chest. She didn’t protest this time as he carried her. He set her on her feet when he got to the door. He pushed it open and went to pick her up again. She stopped him.
“I got it from here. Thank you.”
“All right.” He placed an arm around her waist to steady her in case she became dizzy or weak. He didn’t want her to fall and injure herself further. “What do you prefer? The sofa or the bed.”
“Sofa for now. Eating Chinese in bed is a lot messier than you’d think.”
“Speaking from experience?” he teased.
“Maybe.” She smirked.
Koda made sure Ella was comfortable and warm before carrying their lunch to the kitchen. He dished up a couple of plates. They ate in companionable silence. It was nice and domestic. Something Dakoda hadn’t realized had been missing in his life. Ella placed her plate on the coffee table and leaned back rubbing her slightly distended belly.
“That was so good.” She moaned. The sound made his cock throb. He’d just barely gotten himself under control and now she was making satisfied yummy noises?
He reminded himself she needed to heal. “One day should do it, don’t you think, Wolf?”
“I’ll be lucky to make it that long.”
“What happened to Mr. Reasonable and Patient?” Dakoda asked in a smug tone. He had to admit, he liked the view from this end of the spectrum.
“I was thinking of Ella, thank you very much. Once we claim her she’ll heal faster.”
“Uh huh. Sure.”
“Koda?” Ella nudged his leg with her foot.
Shit she was talking to him. “Hm? I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I asked if you wanted to talk now.”
Koda studied his love. She looked content and ready to fall into a food coma. She shifted, and he barely caught the flinch of pain in her expression it happened so fast. She was hurting again. As much as he wanted to clear the air, now wasn’t the time. “How about you take a pain pill and a nap? We can talk after you’ve rested. And before you argue with me. I can tell you’re hurting.”
Ella shrugged a shoulder. “I am kind of tired. Fried rice and General Tso will do that to a person.”
He shook his head not bothering to hide his grin. That was okay if she didn’t want to admit the truth. “Wait here. I’ll go grab your meds.” He patted her thigh.
Grabbing her empty glass, he went to the kitchen and filled it with filtered water from the fridge. Koda snagged the pill bottle off the counter on his way back to the den. Ella’s head was tilted back against the back of the sofa and her eyes were closed. He took a moment to admire the graceful curve of her neck. His canines dropped. He itched to sink his teeth into her flesh. He hated to disturb her because she looked so damn peaceful. “Love. Here take this.”
She turned her head and opened her luminescent green eyes. She offered him a little smile and sat forward taking the glass from him. He dropped the pill into her palm.
Koda waited for her take her pill and set her glass down before he plucked her from the sofa. She squeaked in surprise and threw her arms around his shoulders.
“Stop doing that,” she groused. “I can walk you know?”
“I am well aware.” He dropped a quick kiss on her pursed lips feeling pretty damn smug when she gasped and a little shiver ran through her body. He set Ella on her feet beside the bed and pulled back the covers. “In you go, hellcat.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She climbed on the bed. Her face held a pinched expression as she tried to find a comfortable position.
Koda tucked her in. “If you need me just yell. I’ll hear you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sweet dreams, Ella. We’ll talk when you wake.”
“Okay,” she murmured.
He’d made it to the door when he heard her whisper, “Thank you, Koda.”
Koda glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. “You’re welcome, baby.”
Ella slept through the night. She didn’t even stir when he joined her in his bed. She was either exhausted or felt completely safe in his home. Either way, Koda was happy that she rested so peacefully. Their talk didn’t happen until mid-morning the next day.
Chapter 11
Koda ears perked up when he heard a noise come from the bedroom. He muted the television and listened. The bathroom door closed, and he smiled. His mate was up. Anticipation lit his veins in a way he hadn’t felt since right before he first shift. He rushed to the kitchen and warmed her breakfast in the microwave. Koda kept one ear on the bedroom as he fixed Ella a cup of coffee just the way she liked it. The toilet flushed then the bathroom faucet came on. He placed everything on a tray and made his way to his room. Hopefully, it would be their room soon.
Koda stepped over the threshold just as Ella came out of the bathroom.
Ella jumped and let out a little screech. “Holy shit. You scared me.”
Damn, he loved when she became emotional. The lilt in her voice became a full blown sexy as hell accent. “Sorry, baby.”
She eyed the tray. “Is that for me?”
“It is.” Koda nodded at the bed. “Hop in.”
“I feel much better. I can eat at the table.”
He couldn’t stop his exasperated sigh. Ella glared at him. He knew how much she hated it, but damn it, he was trying to be romantic and her hardheadedness was impeding his gesture. “It’s called breakfast in bed. If you aren’t in bed, it’s just breakfast and not nearly as romantic. Get in the freaking bed.”
A blush crept up her neck and didn’t stop until it hit her hairline. “Oh. Sorry.” Ella dropped her head and peered up at him through her lashes. “Nobody has ever served me breakfast in bed before. I’m not unappreciative, Koda. Just not used to it.” She climbed on the bed and sat with her back against the headboard.
“You’ve been hanging around with the wrong men then, spitfire.” His Ella with other men was not a happy thought. He couldn’t help but growl. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore though. You have me.” Koda laid the tray across her lap.
“Wow. This looks wonderful.”
He may have puffed his chest out a bit over the compliment. Which was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if he’d slaved over the stove for hours. He’d made Ella a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and fruit.
“Thank you for remembering I don’t eat meat.”
“Like a natural carnivore would forget his mate is a vegetarian.” He said the “V” word with a scowl.
Ella blinked innocently. “Is that deal breaker? Should I leave?”
“Eat your food, brat.”
Ella snickered then took a bite of toast. After washing a mouthful of food down with coffee, she asked, “You were a Green Beret?”
He was taken aback by the non sequitur. “How did you know?”
“I googled your tattoo.” Pink slashed her cheeks. “I was curious and you aren’t exactly Mr. Share.”
He was now. “Weapons Sergeant Dakoda Stone, ODA 1212, Alpha Company, Second Battalion, First SFG, at your service ma’am.” He gave a bow of his head.
“I did not understand a single thing you said after Stone. Mind explaining the rest of that mumbo-jumbo?”
“Right. Sorry. A Special Forces company normally consists of six ODA’s―Operational Detachments-A or A-Teams. An ODA is identified by its group, battalion, company, and the team itself. For example, I was in ODA 1212. Starting at the end and moving to the left, I was in the second team in the first company of the second battalion of 1st Special Forces Group.”
He waited as Ella sorted the information in her head. He loved watching her mind work. She offered a single. “Got it. If there’s an A, does that mean, there’s a B team?
“Yep and a C-Team. A-team typically conducts direct operations; the purpose of the B-Team is to support the A-Teams.”
“Backup.”
“For the most part.” It wasn’t that simple, but she got the gist.
“What do the C-Teams do?”
“You sure you want to know all this?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” She narrowed her eyes.
Koda held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, just asking. It’s kind of boring. The SFODC or C-Team handles the operations, training, signals and logistic support responsibilities.”
“You were a Weapons Sergeant? I assume that means you were good with guns and stuff?”
Guns and stuff. She was adorable. How did he answer without giving her nightmares? “Special operations weapons sergeants are trained swimmers, paratroopers and survival experts, as well as trained in many forms of combat. My enhanced shifter abilities made the physical demands of the job easy. Good eyesight, night vision and physical conditioning, including endurance running, are required, as well as, excellent hand-eye coordination.” He wasn’t about tell her that he also handled and detonated explosives as well as deactivated and disposed of them. She didn’t need to know that shit. It no longer mattered.
“Will you tell me what happened to you?”
Koda knew the question was coming, but for some reason he still wasn’t prepared for it. He willed his body to relax when tension made his body rigid. He reminded himself Ella was his mate. She accepted him as he was, missing lower leg and all. “A victim operated improvised explosive device happened.”
“I’m sorry, a what now?”
“Victim-operated IED. The victim triggers the IED.”
“Like a trip wire?”
He nodded. “Only in this case my convoy rolled over a pressure plate IED. A favorite among insurgents five years ago used to target military personnel or equipment even though the pressure-plate IED violated the Taliban’s own landmine ban that the group set in place in 1998. They branded the weapons anti-Islamic and anti-human.” Koda motioned with his hand like he was jacking off an imaginary dick. “Propaganda bullshit. Anyway. The insurgents used them because they knew there was a strong chance that we were using electronic counter measures to interfere with signals to devices that were detonated electronically.”
“Like with cell phones?”
“Or garage door openers. I was in Kandahar, which unfortunately was experiencing an upswing in IED usage, the Humvee in front of us rolled over the pressure plate. The roadside bomb killed everyone inside. The blowback damaged the vehicle I was in. I was thrown. Next thing I know I’m looking up at the cloudless desert sky in serious pain and missing my left foot. I should have been my right, but I had my boot propped up on the seat to retie the laces.” He glanced down at his left leg then at the boot hiding his prosthetic. “It’s weird. I hadn’t even realized I lost part of my leg until I looked.”
“Shock,” she whispered.
Ella sniffed. He glanced over at her and stared in horror as tears leaked from her eyes. “Baby, don’t cry.” He wiped her tears away with his thumbs. “I’m okay.”
“You must have been in so much pain and so scared. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He held while she cried. Warmth settled around his heart, because she was upset for him, not because she pitied him.
He rubbed a hand up and down her back. “It could have been worse. I didn’t think so at the time, but I know it now.” She leaned back to look at him.
Koda brushed away the few strands of hair that clung to her wet cheeks. “Some guys didn’t make it home. We were working a joint operation with a SEAL team. Sixteen men total. Two were killed in the initial blast. Harper and Cole died instantly. Marx died in the helo after they med-evaced us. Four of us had serious injuries. Me, Hart, Cabot, and Martin, but they were a hell of a lot worse off than I was. Cabot lost both his legs and suffered a severe spinal injury. Hart was burned pretty bad on the right side of his upper body, including his face, second- and third-degree burns. He lost the fingers on his right hand. His face suffered significant scarring as well. Before the blast the guy looked like a male model. He didn’t handle it well as you can imagine. Martin was blown from the Humvee. He lost his helmet and his head slammed against the road. He suffered significant burns and a traumatic brain injury.” Koda paused giving himself a moment before he continued. Ella wrapped her both her hands around one of his. He gave her a grateful smile.
“You don’t have to tell me anymore, Koda.”
“I want to finish it. I need to tell someone. It should be you.”
“You’ve never shared this with your family?”
Koda shook his head. “Cabot’s wife left him after he returned home. She took one look at him decided she didn’t want a double-amputee who was paralyzed from the waist down for a husband. Guess she cared more about having a working dick than she did Cabot.” He winced at his word choice as old anger surfaced. “Sorry.”
She waved his apology away. “She sounds like a cunt.”
“Cabot lasted about two days after he was released from the hospital before he ate a bullet.” Ella sucked in a breath. “Hart was hospitalized twice for prescription drug overdoses, he finally succeeded on his third try. Martin lives in a nursing home. He is incapable of living independently.”
“Oh, Koda, I’m so sorry. I’m glad you made it home,” she said with a watery smile.
“Yeah, me too.” He gathered his resolve and admitted the one thing nobody knew but his wolf. Something he was truly ashamed of. “I knew my injuries doomed me to a mateless life. My limited abilities would leave my mate and cubs vulnerable because I couldn’t defend against a challenge or an attack.”
“You mentioned that before. Are wolf wars or whatever an actual concern?”
Her horrified expression would have been amusing in a different situation. “No. That’s just where my head was at.” Koda cleared his throat and prayed she would still look at him the same way when he finished. If the love and trust in her eyes changed to pity and judgment, he wasn’t sure he’d survive. “I wished I died over there. I was angry. I left my pack and bought my land. I thought my life was over and I wanted to die, but my wolf wouldn’t let me give up. I never understood why, no matter how many times I tried to end it, he stopped me.”
“Oh, Koda.” She let out a broken sigh.
“I get it now, spitfire.” He shot her cheeky grin. “Wolf was waiting for you. That furry bastard still had faith we would have a mate. He was right and believe me, he’s extremely smug about it.” Her giggle lightened his heart. “I’m happy you invaded my space, Ella Quinn. I’m happy you’re my mate.”
“That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Not the wanting to die part
―” She snickered. “―but that you’re happy I’m your mate.”
“I knew what you meant. I’m sorry I pushed you away. I didn’t believe a world existed where I was worthy of you. I couldn’t be around you and not make you mine, so―”
“You acted like an ass.” She flashed a toothy grin then shrugged.
He knew she’d forgiven him. Koda wondered again what he ever did to deserve her compassion let alone her heart.
“You’re here now. That’s all that matters. However, I feel in the name of fairness I should disclose that when you piss me off in the future―something we both know will happen because you can’t help yourself―I will lord your stupidity over you for my own gain.”
“Of course, you will. That goes without saying. However, I appreciate your honesty and the heads-up.” He didn’t bother fighting his smile.
Ella sobered her expression thoughtful. “May I see your leg?”
“Um.”
“Unless you plan on spending the rest of our lives fully clothed from the waist down. Which will certainly make showers and sex awkward.” She flashed him a grin.
Koda’s body heated and cock went hard at the mention of them having sex. He’d imagined the scenario at least a thousand times, but never thought he’d be in the position where it was a sure thing.
“You’re thinking about sex aren’t you?” she taunted.
“Maybe.” He gave her body a long leering perusal.
She smacked his arm. “Stop it.” Pink tinged her pale freckled cheeks. Koda loved knowing he could make this particular spitfire blush. “We aren’t there yet and won’t be until you are comfortable with me seeing all of you.”
Koda climbed off the bed. He didn’t give himself time to think and quickly unsnapped and unzipped his jeans. He pushed his jeans off his hips. He sat in the chair and pulled them off the rest of the way tossing them to the side. He removed his prosthetic and the protective liner over from his stump. Bracing himself on the arm of the chair, he stood and waited for her reaction.
