Enforcers Embrace [Southern Supernatural Alphas] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Sara Anderson

  Logan frowned at Yerel. “I’m glad you made it home safely, healer.”

  “Yes, I came home as soon as I got Marcus’s message about your newest pack member. I am glad we arrived when we did.”

  Logan smiled at her. “Yerel’s mate helped to find you.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said with a tentative smile.

  “I am happy to have found you, child. Now, let me have a look at this newest pack member.”

  Ash walked over and took Jackson and wiped the milk dribble from his chin. Jackson smiled at Ash.

  “That’s my pup.” Ash kissed Jackson before leading the way to the room Yerel and Garret walked into.

  Ash handed Jackson to Yerel, and he smiled. “What a fine pup you have. The universe has truly blessed you.”

  “What is he doing with Jackson?” Emily asked Logan in a whisper.

  “Yerel is a healer. He can see things we can’t, like cells.”

  Emily frowned. “Cells, as in our cells?”

  “Yes,” Logan said, nodding. “He can see what a body needs to heal, and his abilities allow him to heal some things, but it drains him. Unlike a witch, a sorcerer gets his energy from within.”

  This was all strange to Emily. He was talking fantasy stuff. “Abilities, such as powers?”

  “Yes!” Logan smiled at her. “A witch uses spells and brews potions to work her magic, but sorcerers use their own energy, but it’s very draining on them.”

  Yerel stripped the layers of blankets and the sleeper Jackson wore. Jackson started to frown now that he was out of the warm cocoon of his blankets.

  “Don’t cry, little one. I will be fast, and you will be warm once again.” He placed his hands on Jackson, who stared back at Yerel. After a few long moments, Yerel smiled. “He is perfect. A little on the small side for a lycan, but he was a little early. He’ll catch up soon enough and be as big as the other lycan younglings.”

  Emily nodded. “He’s very smart, too. He seems more advanced than other babies.”

  “Yes, lycan infants to develop a bit faster, and most are extremely intelligent. He may have you running in circles by the time he’s six months. You’ve done a good job taking care of him, Emily.”

  “But he’s okay?” Ash asked with a worried frown.

  Emily smiled to see Ash act every bit of a worried father as Logan did. There was no doubt that Ash had bonded with Jackson as much as Logan had.

  “Yes, Ash. He got everything he needed from Emily.” Yerel turned his attention back to Jackson. “You are a big strong shifter like your papa.”

  “Thank you.” Emily beamed at Logan and Ash. It was wonderful to hear her baby boy was in good condition after everything they’d been through in the last couple of weeks.

  Yerel handed Jackson to Ash and then turned to Emily. “Now, let’s take care of you.” Yerel paused and gave Logan an apprehensive look. “I need skin contact.”

  Logan nodded. “You’re safe, healer, My wolf knows you’re a healer.”

  “Skin contact?” Emily asked seconds before a black claw extended from Logan’s finger, and he sliced through her heavy sweatshirt like it was paper. “Just like he did with Jackson, he needs to feel your skin to sense things.”

  “To what? This doesn’t make any sense. Why does he need to touch my skin?”

  “Shhh, pet. Yerel needs to concentrate and skin contact. Your clothes are ruined anyways,” Logan said as Ash chuckled.

  Emily tensed as Logan sliced her clothing from her. She thought this guy was some sort of magician. She stared up at the ceiling. It’s just like the OB. He had me strip and wear that flimsy paper gown. Then Yerel’s hands were on her, and she nearly slapped them away. Ash took one hand and Logan held the other and shook their heads.

  The hands on her weren’t just warm, but hot, like touching a hot pad after it was used to pull a dish out of the oven. It didn’t burn her, but it was a bit uncomfortable. Emily glanced up at Yerel, and his eyes were black as he stared down at his hands. They moved over her body and she looked at Logan.

  Logan leaned in. “He knows you just had a lycan pup without proper care, so he’s paying extra attention to things that can go wrong.”

  Emily frowned at Logan. She had too had care. She’d not missed a single doctor’s appointment and had been in the hospital for weeks.

  “I saw my doctor, and I was even in the hospital for a while.”

  “That’s one of the reasons Yerel is concerned. Your pregnancy was very hard on you, which is why you were so sick. He can see your cells in a way a human doctor can’t. He can even speed the healing along.”

  “Really, how can he do that?”

  Logan kissed her forehead when Emily gasped at the strange dizzy feeling she got when Yerel placed his hands on her forehead and closed his eyes. “Yerel is a sorcerer. He can see and manipulate many things, but the energy comes from his body, unlike a witch that uses energy from the earth.”

  Emily opened her mouth to ask another question, but Logan covered her mouth. “We need to be quiet for Yerel.” Her thoughts vanished though when it burned. Emily tried to move away, but her mates held her in place. “Don’t move.”

  Emily held still, but Yerel’s hands were hot and uncomfortable. After what seemed like hours, Yerel opened his eyes and nearly fell into a chair.

  “Healer?” Garrett said and approached him with a concerned frown.

  “I am fine, Garrett.” Yerel rubbed his forehead with a wince of pain. “I just need a moment. It’s like running a long marathon, and I need to catch my breath.”

  True to his word, within moments, Yerel was up and returned to Emily.

  “Cover her please. I want her warm.” He was staring down at her with a frown.

  “What?”

  “You, young female, are extremely lucky, or the universe thinks it cannot survive without you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. Your nutrition stores are completely depleted, and you’re anemic. I don’t see a lot of healing from your pregnancy. How are you even up and walking around? You should have been under a healer’s care from the moment you conceived. I would have had you keeping your stores up before they could get this run down.”

  “I…” Emily didn’t know what to say. Yeah, she’d been tired. Exhausted actually, but weren’t all mothers? Didn’t all mothers fall asleep all the time and feel like they were dragging? Although she’d begun to wonder what was wrong when Jackson had started sleeping through the night and she still felt like she didn’t sleep at all.

  “Will she be all right, Yerel?” Ash asked as he stroked Emily’s arm.

  Yerel nodded. “Yes, but I have some medicine that will help her heal.” He turned and started to dig through his bags while muttering to himself. Yerel turned around and looked her over again, and then his gaze moved to Logan. “Why haven’t you bonded with the mating bite yet?”

  “I was waiting for her to be ready.”

  Yerel snorted and shook his head. “Your waiting is what caused this mess, Logan. Get it done. Her safety depends on having a bond with you two. I will make sure she has the energy.”

  “Yes, healer,” Logan and Ash both agreed as Yerel turned back around and added a powered substance to his herbs.

  “What is he doing?” Emily asked Logan as Ash covered her with a thick fleece blanket.

  Logan stroked her hair, and she could see the worry in his eyes. “He is cooking up one of his potions, no doubt. Having a lycan child is very draining. If you’d been here, you’d have been pampered and waited on as well as fed constantly.”

  “And forced to drink Yerel’s vile potions,” Ash added.

  “I couldn’t hold anything down most of my pregnancy. I was so sick, and it was a good thing I worked from home. Still, there were days I had to sign out early.”

  “Well, I have herbs and medications that help to counteract that, young one,” Yerel said as he ground up something in a ceramic bowl. “Your hormones reacted to the lycan genes, and the normal pr
egnancy ailments are intensified.” Yerel glared at Logan. “Go and boil me some water.”

  “Yes, healer,” Logan said before walking out of the room as Yerel continued to grind the herbs in a bowl.

  “Now, I want you to rest as much as you can for the next week. No work, no cooking, no up and around. You are to be reclined in bed, couch, or chair and relaxing.”

  “A week?” Emily asked, aghast. “I can’t take a week off!”

  Yerel gave her a look that she was sure shriveled rocks if he directed it at the stone, and Emily’s resolve evaporated.

  “Yes, healer,” she said in the same tone Logan and Ash had used.

  Yerel beamed her a smile. “Smart child. I knew I liked you.”

  Logan walked back in followed by Marcus with a tea kettle of steaming water.

  “Very good,” Yerel said and poured the powdered herbs in a cup and poured water over them. Then he turned to Ash and Jackson and he made some faces at him as Jackson smiled at him, and then he turned his attention back to Emily. “Sip this. Be careful, it’s hot, but it works better when it’s good and hot,” Yerel said as he handed her a steaming mug.

  Emily gave the dark green broth a dubious look. “What is it?”

  “It will help you to heal and regain your strength. It is a mixture of herbs and vitamins that will start replacing what you’ve lost over the last year. I added something in there to help you sleep.”

  “I’m nursing Jackson,” Emily said as Logan helped her up and sat behind her.

  “Good. I assure you it is safe for the youngling as well. I will need to give you more though. It’s important that you have some go into you as well. Now drink.” Yerel gently pushed the cup to Emily’s lips. “It is very important that you drink all of this, child. Your body is worn out, and any little infection could easily take over right now, and then you’d really be in a state.”

  Emily smelled the mug, and thought it smelled like the weeds in late summer. “I don’t get it. How is this supposed to help? It’s tea.”

  Yerel took a breath and let it out. “You are new to our world child, so I will indulge you in an explanation.”

  “Okay.” Emily held the mug out and waited. She didn’t think her questions were at all unreasonable. Her doctor always answered them.

  “When a human female carries a supernatural child, it takes a lot more of her cell’s reserves. Most times the female is bonded to the male.” Yerel glared at Logan. “Most aren’t idiots that leave their mates.”

  “I didn’t leave her!” Logan said, defending himself.

  “Mhm,” Yerel said, unconvinced. “So, like I was saying. Most times, we healers get ahold of the female early, and we watch her and give her supplements as needed. She rests and gets the good kind of exercise, and we monitor everything. You didn’t have that. I am betting you got sick.”

  Emily nodded. “I was, from early on. I could never sleep enough, or hold anything down. I was so miserable, and eventually I ended up in the hospital.”

  Yerel nodded with a grim look on his face. “That does not surprise me in the least bit. Females that carry supernatural children without the care of a healer often have a very hard pregnancy. I am grateful you had a good doctor that saw you both through it.”

  Logan’s arms tightened around her. “Em,” he said with a voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know how I will ever earn your forgiveness. This was all my fault.”

  Emily patted his arm. “You had no way of knowing. You weren’t even here when I found out I was pregnant.”

  Yerel placed his hand on Emily’s forearm. “Logan, what’s done is done. Stop dwelling on it now. Let’s move forward and fix it. Drink up and do as I say, and you will be fit as a fiddle.”

  Emily took a sip and it was vile. She made a gagging noise and turned away. There was no way she’d be able to get that bitter stuff down. It was like ground up aspirin and prednisone mixed together.

  “That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.” Emily looked at Logan, and he looked to be holding back a laugh. “What? It’s disgusting.” Despite the foul taste, Emily felt herself ready to laugh at Logan’s expression.

  “Emily,” Yerel said, sounding frustrated.

  She turned to him and her smile faded. “Yes?”

  “Drink it. I will not allow you to leave this room until you’ve taken your medicine.”

  Not sure if she could get it down, Emily closed her eyes and drank. She tried her best to keep the stuff off her tongue, since she had a feeling Yerel would force it down her throat one way or the other. It was awful, but it went down quickly.

  Yerel was beaming at her when Emily opened her eyes. “Now this is what I call a good patient. Do you two enforcers see how you should follow my directions?”

  “Yes, Yerel, but the next time we get some rogues or vampires attacking, we will be sure to stay where it’s safe instead of protecting the women and pups of this pack.”

  Yerel glared at them. “I have ways to deal with smart-ass enforcers.”

  Emily giggled, but she could barely hold her head up. She felt more relaxed than she had in a long time and wanted to snuggle into Logan and go to sleep. From far away, she heard Yerel speak.

  “I will come in a few hours and give her more. Does Jackson have milk?”

  “Yes,” Ash replied. “She has both pumped milk and some canned formula.

  “Good,” Yerel said while rummaging around. “Tomorrow, she’ll adapt a bit more and won’t be so sleepy. I want her to sleep as much as possible for the next day or so.”

  Chapter Seven

  Two days later, Emily sat up in bed and she felt more refreshed than she could remember every being. Her body nearly vibrated with energy as she stretched and her stomach gave a loud rumble.

  “You’re up!” Ash said with a bright smile.

  “Yes, and I am so hungry.”

  “It’s no wonder. Yerel’s kept you asleep except to drink his bone broth and nasty potions he conjures up. Let me go and make you some breakfast. Don’t move.”

  “Where’s Jackson?”

  “Logan’s grandma Erma is playing with him out in the living room. Her and Rachel helped take care of him while you were sleeping.”

  Emily tossed the soft comforter aside and sat up. “Grandma is here?” She knew she’d been at the cabin, but she had been so wrapped up in stress and anxiety, she’d not thought about how much she’d missed Logan’s grandma Erma.

  “Yeah, and she is reveling in being a grandma again.” Ash helped her to stand up and kept his arms around her. “Be careful, you’ve been in bed for a bit.”

  “I’m feeling okay.” Emily smiled up at Ash before she frowned. If she’d been here sleeping for days, that meant Gram didn’t know how she was.

  “What’s the matter, Em?” Ash asked with a worried frown.

  “I just thought about Gram. Neither her or my brother have heard from me. They’re probably worried.”

  “Oh, Logan’s kept them up-to-date. Erma and Myra have also taken to hanging out together. Erma’s strong for her age, so she can handle it if Myra falls. Logan’s also taken Jackson out to see Myra a few times. Matt has taken up a construction job in Nashville, so he left last night. He came by to check on you and Jackson before he left though.”

  “Oh okay.” Her brother often traveled for his job as a heavy equipment operator. Mostly to bigger cities that used cranes and such for building tall buildings.

  “Matt and Logan had an interesting conversation about some things that went on.” Ash gave Emily a pointed look.

  Emily made it to the couch and sat down. Logan’s grandma bounced Jackson as she played with him. It was a relief to know that Jackson hadn’t lain around crying for her while she’d been knocked out. She was so engrossed in watching them play she didn’t notice Logan until he sat down next to her.

  “I think you left some details out, pet.” Logan’s voice was gravely as if he was struggling to hold on to his skin.

  Emily t
ried to think about what Logan could be talking about. “Details?”

  “Yes, I had a nice talk with Matt earlier today before he left. Someone sent you a text telling you Gram was near death to lure you here.”

  Emily heard Logan’s grandma Erma gasp and Ash grew still beside her. “Goodness. Why would anyone do such a thing?” Erma asked.

  Emily’s eyes widened and she nodded. “I nearly forgot with all the stress.” She remembered the similarities between the animals in the woods and those in California. She began to shake as her fear spiked, and she reached out for Logan’s hand.

  “What is it, pet?” Logan asked. His eyes had grown dark, and his claws were growing out.

  “I got so caught up in everything I forgot.” Emily shook her head to try and clear her thoughts, and Ash curled his arm around her. She could feel hair growing out on Ash’s arm. Did that mean he was changing into a dog again? Lycan, he wants me to call him a lycan.

  Logan and Ash both enveloped her in their warm embrace. “Shhh, remember, you’re safe now, pet. They can’t hurt you.”

  Marcus and Derek both walked in, followed by a few of the other guys she was starting to recognize as pack enforcers. She smiled to see Dylan, the one who had attacked the coyotes at the store parking lot to protect her.

  “What’s up, Logan?” Derek asked as he took a seat on the empty chair.

  “I spoke with Emily’s brother, Matt, on the phone today. It seems Emily had some run-ins back in California as well. One she barely escaped from because a neighbor came out and helped her.”

  Yeah, Ash was definitely growing hair. Logan had some as well, and he was shaking slightly. Emily stroked their arms to try and calm them down.

  “I’m fine. It’s all okay now.”

  “Why don’t you start from the beginning? Do not leave anything out,” Marcus suggested. “No matter how silly or wild it sounds to your own ears.”

  Emily nodded. “I really thought I was imagining things or it was kids.”

  Logan rubbed her arms as goose bumps rose on her flesh. The memories that they’d triggered were making her cold. Ash pressed himself closer to her as if he could sense her fear.