by Khloe Wren
A few minutes later she returned with about a dozen rings. There was every color stone imaginable, and he didn't know where to start until he saw the perfect ring amongst the others. He reached forward and picked up the white and black ring.
"Ah, a fine choice, Sir. The ring you have is fourteen carat white gold. As you can see, it has a main round cut diamond surrounded by a circle of genuine natural black onyx and on either side are smaller round cut diamonds with a black onyx tear shaped surround. Then smaller diamonds are inlaid in the band. This ring also comes with a matching wedding band that nestles beautifully in against it."
Dominic only half heard the grand description and sales pitch...he was quite certain this sales lady could sell ice to Eskimos, if she had a mind to. He held it out for Kit to see up close.
"You're right, Dominic. That's it for sure. Adele's going to love it."
~ * ~
Twenty minutes later Dominic and Kit were back in his car, heading away from the shopping center.
"Where are we going, Dominic? Hospital's the other way, just in case you forgot."
Damn, Kit could be a smart ass when she wanted to be. "I haven't forgotten, Kit. We're picking up a present for Kelly." He had spoken with Natalie earlier, and she had told him the surviving puppy was doing well and could be adopted at any time. If anything was going to get Kelly to snap out of it, that little puppy would. As he pulled into the veterinary clinic's car park, Kit let out a curse.
"You are kidding? Why the hell did you bring me along for this? You know I don't do dogs. I'm strictly a cat person--in more ways than one."
"Give it a rest, you baby. We have to get Kelly to snap out of her trance. I'm hoping having the little puppy to look after will give her something to focus on other than all the shit that's running around her head. We have to at least give it a try. And it's not like I'm going to make you nurse him on your lap or anything. He'll sit in the back, in his seat belt. You won't even have to pat him if you don't want to."
They got out and headed up to the entry, Dominic listening to Kit grumble under her breath the whole way about the lengths she went to for friendship.
~ * ~
Adele had been waiting for Dominic to visit. He'd said he had a couple of errands he needed to attend to that couldn't wait. Then he was going to help Adele into a wheel chair and they were heading off to see Kelly. Adele had been awake for two days now, so that meant she hadn't seen Kelly for seven days. She was desperate to get to her, to see if she could get her to open up. As she thought about Dominic, she felt a little giddy. She was going to marry him; she was going to be a 'wife.' A pang of sadness gripped her as she thought about how much her maman would have loved to see her daughter get married. She closed her eyes as a tear slipped down her cheek; she still grieved for her mother like she had only died yesterday, not over four years ago. She felt the familiar tingle up her spine that told her Dominic was near. Before she could wipe the tear away and compose herself, he was at her bedside.
"Adele, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" His voice was filled with concern for her. Oh, she so loved this man. She shook her head a little before opening her eyes to look into his ice blue gaze.
"I'm fine, Dominic. I was just thinking how much maman would have loved to see me get married and be happy."
Dominic wiped his thumb under her eye, cleaning away another tear. "But she is watching, beautiful. She will always be with you, in your heart and in your soul. She always will."
Adele still couldn't really move her arms, so she couldn't wrap them around his neck like she wanted to. She settled for nuzzling her face into his neck and leaving little kisses in her wake. Dominic wrapped his arms around her the best he could and simply held her, comforting her until she heard a strange sniffling noise. She lifted her head out of Dominic's neck and felt her cheeks heat as she realized they weren't alone. Dominic chuckled as he obviously saw her blush.
"Don't be embarrassed, beautiful. It's only Kit. Why don't you see what she's holding." He whispered right in her ear so only she heard him.
Adele lifted her head away from Dominic and glanced over toward the door...and saw the last thing she'd ever expected to see. Kit stood there cuddling a little Dalmatian puppy.
"I'm not sure what is more shocking. Kit actually cuddling a puppy or the puppy itself," she said on a chuckle. Kit had always proclaimed to not have time for any canine. Dominic barked out a laugh before he added his thoughts.
"Yeah, you should have heard her grumbling the whole way into the vet's, then as soon as the little guy came out and went straight up to her, sniffed her shoes and whined to be picked up, she was done for. She wouldn't even let me put him in his seat belt. She insisted on nursing him on the way over. I wanted you to give him to Kelly, but I'm not sure Kit will give him up."
Kit paused in her patting long enough to flip them off.
"What can I say? He's cute and soft. And Kelly won't be able to look after him until she leaves the hospital; he can stay with me until she does. Can't you little fella?" She finished off in the squeaky high voice people used for pets and babies. It was so out of place coming out of Kit, Adele couldn't help but laugh again.
Ten minutes later, Adele was in her wheel chair with Dominic pushing her down the hall to Kelly's room. Kit was walking beside them, making a fuss over the puppy. As they entered Kelly's room, Adele's heart ached in her chest. Her petit fille was staring at nothing. Not blinking, not moving, barely breathing. She looked so pale and rather frail. Even her curls were looking flat. Dominic wheeled her up to the side of the bed as Kit hung back in the hallway for a few minutes.
"Hey, Kelly, I'm so sorry I couldn't come see you sooner, but they wouldn't let me. I was too sick." She watched Kelly's chest rise and fall a bit deeper than before.
"Please, cherie, look at me. Come back to us. You're free now. He's gone. Dead. He can never hurt you again." She saw the twitch of her fingers then turned to Dominic as an idea formed.
"We need to show her she's free. She went into shock when he put the collar on her. So maybe if you place her hands on her neck, so she can feel for herself that her neck is bare and free it might help." Adele watched Kelly closely as Dominic very gently picked her hands up in his and placed them, palm down, over her neck. Kelly's eyes closed and her hands moved all over her neck in slow jerky movements. Oh thank heavens, it was working. She was coming back to them.
"You are free, Kelly, and we are all here for you. Please look at me, cherie." She watched as Kelly slowly turned her head and her dull grey eyes flicked over Adele's body, taking in her cast and bandages before they settled on hers.
"He hurt you. It's my fault." Tears began to run down her face as she re-closed her eyes. Adele looked up to Dominic in desperation.
"Please, Dominic, lift me onto the bed with her, she needs me."
Dominic nodded his head once then gently lifted her and placed her on the bed so she lay next to Kelly in a way which wouldn't cause her arms further pain. Kelly slowly curled into her body like a little kitten and cried into her embrace. She used all her strength to drag her left arm over so it rested on Kelly's side--as close to a hug as she could manage. She lowered her head so her cheek rested on her hair.
"Kelly, what happened was no ones fault but Cole's. He chose to do all he did. No one forced his hand. Please don't blame yourself, none of this was your fault, cherie." She started to hum just like she did that first time until Kelly calmed.
"We brought you a present, Kelly. Would you like to see it?"
Kelly pulled her head back a little to look over her side toward the door. She didn't pull away from Adele's body, so she couldn't see her face but she heard the hitch in her breathing.
"Hey, kiddo, look who wanted to come say hi. This is the little puppy you rescued; he's all healed up now. Would you like a cuddle?" Kit brought him over as she spoke. Kelly shuffled a little away from Adele as Kit lay the puppy down between them. The puppy went straight for Kelly, licking her neck and face.
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Kelly laughed.
Adele cried.
Her petit fille was back, and she was going to be just fine. Relief poured through her as she watched the light come back into her beautiful grey eyes and a smile appear on her face. She felt Dominic come up behind her and lay his hand on her upper arm as he bent down to kiss her head. Kit stood close on the other side. All three of them watched with tears in their eyes as Kelly joyously played with the little puppy.
"I think you should name him," Dominic said softly. Kelly looked up in confusion.
"But he's not mine." She looked from Dominic to Adele.
"If you want him, he's yours, cherie. Kit is going to look after him until we're both out of here, then he'll be coming home with us." Kelly cuddled the puppy in close and closed her eyes as she nuzzled him.
"Thank you, all of you." She moved the puppy away a little and stared into his face.
"Hmm, a name...I remember once I saw this show on TV about Indian culture and stuff. It said 'Raksha' meant protection and the moon. I think I want to call him 'Raksha'."
"That sounds beautiful, Kelly. Raksha, our little protector." Kelly rubbed his ear as Adele spoke.
Chapter Fifteen
It was ten to six, Tuesday morning, and Jake, fresh from the shower, sat down in front of his computer and fired the thing up. He sipped his coffee while waiting for it to boot up then shook his head; people kept claiming technology was saving people time. The amount of time he spent waiting for technology to do what it was meant to gave him serious doubts he actually saved any time. Once it was up and running, he activated his web cam and loaded up Skype, ready for the monthly Alpha meeting.
Choden Sangye was already on and waiting. Choden was the very first snow leopard shifter created. Unlike the others after him, he was immortal. For a two hundred sixty-eight year old he was surprisingly attuned to the modern world and all its technology. He was up bright and early and his clock would currently read one forty-five am, Tuesday.
Over the next ten minutes, all the others joined them. Dishi Wee, Tristian Laprise, Maddix Torres, Obi Traore, Fernando Molina and Joe Fairley, the last to join them as usual.
With everyone now online, Choden started things off with a welcome in Tibetan. They then went through the usual stuff: deaths, births and matings in each of the Leaps. Then they moved onto the Lost Ones lists they each had been compiling. They compared and updated their lists then discussed what each Leap was doing in order to seek out their Lost Ones. Once that discussion was done, they moved onto general business.
"Jake, tell me, how is your eldest, Dominic, recovering?" The fact Choden knew something had happened didn't surprise Jake. Choden seemed to have some super powers, one of which enabled him to somehow know what was going on within all the Leaps around the globe.
"Dominic and his future-mate are both healing from their ordeal. The child, Kelly, has also thankfully snapped out of her shock and is recovering. The doctor is confident all three will make a full recovery." He then spent a few minutes answering questions about what had happened before Obi spoke up.
"So, your son has found his mate. This is good. The next generation's Alpha is now secure for your Leap, Jake. You must be pleased."
"That's the thing I don't get, Obi. I always assumed Dominic would be next Alpha, but his mate is wholly human. So, now I must start observing the other young males in our Leap for signs of the next alpha. I'm not sure how I'm going to get everything done I need to do or tell Dominic he is not going to be Alpha when I've been grooming him for it for so long."
Choden spoke loud and clear "Jake, my brother, I have two pieces of wisdom from Buddha for you. One: 'There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills'. Two: 'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.'"
While Jake was still trying to process what Choden had meant with his "pieces of wisdom," the meeting finished and everyone signed off. Choden knew something. He knew what was going to happen and obviously he wasn't going to share it...yet. He had a nasty habit of being fond of free-will and wouldn't tell anyone anything unless he deemed it necessary in order to maintain balance. Jake jotted down the quotes while they were still fresh in his mind. He would have to think over them later. For now, he needed to get down to the station. He was back being captain while Dominic's injury healed and while Adele and Kelly needed him. He drank the last mouthful of his cold coffee, winced, and left his office.
He stopped on his way down the hall when he caught sight of a movement in the spare room. He stepped into the room and was stunned. Someone had set off a pink bomb in there.
"Honey, what are you doing?" he asked Sophie as his eyes attempted to adjust to all the pink in the room.
"I'm making up a room for Kelly. She'll need somewhere to stay until Adele gets released, and I thought we could keep it set up so she can stay here whenever Dominic and Adele want some private time. She's never had much of anything, so I wanted to make it special." He walked up behind his wife and wrapped her in his arms. He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. After over thirty years of marriage, her sweet scent was still his favorite smell.
"How about you add some white? I think you've gotten just slightly carried away with the pink. She is nearly a teenager, honey. I'm not sure she's going to be quite so into pink as this room needs her to be." He spoke softly with an edge of humor. He didn't want to hurt his wife's feelings, but he didn't want to hurt Kelly's eyes either.
He waited as Sophie scanned the room then let out a sigh.
"I guess you have a point. Only having had boys in the house, I got excited at being able to do a girls room. But now that I've stood back and looked at it, it is a bit much, isn't it?"
"I'm excited too, honey. We're getting a daughter and a grand-daughter all at once. And making a room for Kelly to have as her own is a wonderful idea." He turned her around, held her face in both his hands and proceeded to kiss the daylights out of his beautiful mate and wife.
~ * ~
Adele was excited. After two weeks in the hospital she was more than ready to leave, and Clint had finally said she could. She was sitting up in her bed waiting for Dominic to come and take her home. Sophie had already been in with Kelly. Kelly was released a few days ago and was staying with Jake and Sophie, apparently Sophie had done up one of the spare rooms for her and Kelly was ecstatic about having a whole room that was hers alone at their house. She was going to stay with Jake and Sophie for another few days while Adele got settled back in at home. She suspected Dominic might have requested to have a few days of just the two of them. She smiled wide as she thought about being able to spend whole days and nights alone with Dominic.
As if he'd heard her thoughts, she felt the familiar tingle that meant he was near. Moments later, he appeared in the doorway. She sat mesmerized by his powerful stride as he strode to her. He had completely healed from the bullet wound and wasn't even limping any more. He had told her shifters recovered at a faster rate than humans. He bent down over her, stroked her face and gave her a breath-stealing kiss before whispering against her lips.
"Good morning, love. You ready to run away with me?" He kissed her again before she could respond. A cough from the doorway broke them apart. Blushing, she looked up at Clint who was grinning at them.
"Got your paperwork all here, Adele. I just need to check that left wrist. I think we should be able to take the splint off. You'll still have to wear a soft brace for a while, but it will be easier to get dressed and move around than with the splint."
After a thorough examination, Adele now had a soft bandage brace on her left wrist, which meant she now had use of her hand.
"You'll need to be careful with that right wrist and hand. You might want to have it in a sling for a while so you don't accidentally bump it. You have two fractured knuckl
es and a few broken bones in your wrist. It's going to take time for it to heal enough to stop hurting."
"It's okay, Doc, I'll make sure she doesn't do anything too strenuous." Dominic gave her his cheeky lopsided grin and a wink which sent the butterflies dancing in her belly, like it did every time.
"Well, okay then. I'll just get Dominic to sign your release, Adele. I think it'll be a while before your right hand is up to writing. Although, you should get pretty good at writing left handed."
~ * ~
Dominic felt a wave of relief as he helped Adele out of his car and into her house. His mate was healing and out of the hospital. His leopard felt much better knowing she would be in his arms where he could protect her. He settled her on the couch before he went back out to collect her bags and lock up the car. While he was in her room putting her bags down, he retrieved the ring out of his pocket and held it enclosed in his hand as he returned to Adele. He just about jumped for joy when Clint had removed Adele's sprint, leaving her left hand unencumbered. She could wear his ring now.
He came through the door to see Adele staring up at him with absolute adoration shining from her eyes.
"Is it because you're a shifter or because we're mates that whenever you're close, I feel a tingle up my spine?" He smiled like a fool at her question as he approached her. He knelt in front of her before he offered her an answer.
"It's because we're mates, love. I feel it too." He leaned in and gave her a slow gentle kiss.
"I know you already said yes, but I didn't do it properly before." He rearranged his legs so he was kneeling on one knee then captured her left hand in his and as he slipped his ring on her finger, he asked...
"Adele, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Be mine forever?"
He watched with his heart in his throat as her eyes misted over and a tear leaked from the corner of her right eye. He began to worry--for about two seconds--before her face broke out into a huge smile and she finally responded.
