by Becca Van
“Wait until you have a baby to care for and then you’ll know what tired is,” Michelle said around another yawn.
“Go, and don’t worry if you don’t have the energy to come back down. Stefan’s safe with me.”
“I know he is, Sam. Thank you. Just hand him over to one of my mates when they get back.”
Sam didn’t watch the women leave the room. She only had eyes for the precious bundle in her arms. Rubbing his small back, she was surprised when he let out a belch loud enough to rival a full-grown male, and she laughed.
“I’ll bet that feels a lot better.” Placing a kiss on his head, she inhaled the sweet scent of baby and talcum powder. What she wouldn’t give to hold her own child like this. If she was blessed, maybe one day soon she would conceive again.
She caught movement from the corner of her eye and turned her head. She froze and gasped for air as she felt the blood in her head drain away. Willing the lightheadedness away, she took a deep breath and then another as she stared in horror at the man who had been her nemesis for nearly six months.
Gerard Long stood in the doorway of the living room, smiling at her evilly with a long-bladed knife in his hand. He moved toward her, and she quickly gained her feet, backing away and searching for someone to help her. Of course, everyone was either upstairs or outside battling a fire. She could hear Cindy and Angie in the kitchen but didn’t want to call out and put them in danger.
“I’ve waited a long time for this moment, bitch. You and I are going to have so much fun.”
Sam’s heart pounded fearfully in her chest, but she didn’t let that fear control her. She needed to keep a clear head so she could protect Stefan. She would give her own life before she would let Gerard harm the baby. Slowly working her way around the sectional sofa, she kept her eyes on him. He followed her every move but didn’t stop coming toward her. When she had worked her way around to the back of the couch and he stood away from the exit, she took the only chance she had.
Wrapping her arms around Stefan and hunching over him to protect his small body, she spun and took off. She ran as she had never run before, but she could hear Gerard close behind her. She reached the door to the carport, but as she flung it open, searing pain stabbed through her back. Stumbling in agony, she pushed the discomfort away and concentrated on getting Stefan to safety.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw Gerard laughing insanely as he leaned against the doorjamb. Then he moved back inside and out of sight. Her knees gave out, and she sobbed with anger because she couldn’t push her body to keep going.
Roan seemed to materialize out of nowhere. “Roan,” she screamed, “take the baby and keep him safe.”
Roan enveloped her and Stefan in his arms. Sighing with relief that Michelle’s baby was safe, she let the darkness take her
* * * *
Roan took the lead back toward the den. Just as he reached the beginning of the landscaped gardens, Sam burst out through the door with Michelle’s baby in her arms. She was covered in blood. He roared with fear and fury and leaped the last few yards toward her.
He reached her just in time to catch her as she stumbled toward the ground. Scooping her and the baby into his arms, he cradled her in close to his chest.
“Sam, you’re covered in blood. Where are you hurt?” he yelled with terror.
When she didn’t answer him he gently kneeled on the ground, careful not to jostle her and hurt her further. He handed the baby to Brock as he came up beside him and began to look for Sam’s injury. Turning her on her side in case she got sick, he examined his woman, panic stricken when he found blood seeping from what looked like a knife wound on her back.
“The other women are safe and unharmed. They didn’t see what happened, but the scent of human male is prevalent throughout the house. Pack members are searching for the fucker,” Mikhail said in a deep, harsh voice as he hurried toward them. “Sam was watching the baby so Michelle could take a shower. The other women were in the kitchen, and as you already know, Keira was out with us.”
“Fuck! We left the women unprotected and fell for the oldest trick in the book,” Jonah said angrily.
“Blayk, get your bag. Samantha has been stabbed,” Mikhail called through the common pack link.
Roan was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him. He was too busy trying to stem the blood flow from the knife injury in Sam’s back. He growled when anyone other than his brothers got too close to his mate. He and his wolf were furious that his woman had been hurt.
“Roan, you have to let Blayk take a look at our mate,” Justin stated calmly. “We need him to attend her so she doesn’t lose too much blood. Pick her up and bring her to the infirmary.”
Roan could see Justin’s relief when he gently picked Sam up off the ground, being careful not to jostle her and hurt her any more than she already was. He walked quickly to the doctor’s office which had been set up only in the last twelve months and thanked God his Alphas had had the foresight to do so. The last thing he wanted was to have to call for an ambulance or to rush Sam to the hospital. He didn’t want her off the property or out of his sight or strangers attending to his mate.
Carefully placing Sam on the bed on her side, he stepped back as Blayk moved toward her. The sight of his cousin and the pack doctor cutting away his woman’s shirt was one of the hardest things he had to watch. Justin and Chet came to stand beside him, and he knew neither of them would be leaving this room anytime soon, just like he wasn’t.
Blayk prepared a syringe full of painkillers and shot it into Sam’s arm. She groaned and was about to turn over onto her stomach, but Roan stepped forward, took ahold of her shoulder, and knelt at her side.
“Shh, sweetness, you’re going to be all right. Don’t move, and let Blayk fix you up.”
“Shit, where’s the baby?” Sam asked, panicked.
“He’s back with his mother, honey,” Justin replied. “Now be a good girl and stay still for Blayk.”
“Samantha, I’ve given you a shot of pain meds, but I have to give you another so I can disinfect the wound and stitch you up. I’m sorry, honey, but it’s going to hurt,” Blayk explained.
“S’okay,” Sam slurred.
Roan was thankful that her pain medication was kicking in. He could tell by her glazed-over eyes, dilated pupils, and slurred speech that she wasn’t used to taking medication or just had a low tolerance for the stuff. He held her shoulder in a firm grip and placed his other hand at her waist. Justin placed a hand on her hip and Chet placed a hand on her thigh to hold her still. He nodded at Blayk to let his cousin know they would keep her steady.
Sam squeaked when Blayk began to inject the local anesthetic and tried to lift her arm, but Roan stopped her by clasping her hand. She dug her nails into the back of his hand and punctured his skin, but he didn’t flinch. Even though he wasn’t responsible for her wound, he felt as if they had failed their mate. If they hadn’t pulled everyone to the site of the fire they could have fought the human and kept Sam safe. He wondered if Long had been the one to wreck their security system so he could gain entry to their land. If they had been on hand, Sam would probably now be tucked up in bed with them or on the sofa in the living room talking to the other women.
“Fucking hell! I hate this,” Justin spat through their link.
“We should have known it wasn’t a coincidence that this happened when the security system was down,” Chet added angrily.
“S’not your fault,” Sam muttered as Blayk began to stitch her skin back together. “You couldn’t have known the fire was set to distract you all.”
“We should have known it was a setup, sweetness. We never leave the women unattended, and we should have been even more vigilant with the alarm system down,” Roan said vehemently.
Blayk finally finished suturing Sam’s flesh, and as he tied off the thread, her hand went lax in Roan’s. He glanced down and sighed with relief. Their little mate was fast asleep. She hadn’t been able to fight the
effects of the pain medication any longer.
“Keep this waterproof bandage on, but keep an eye out for blood seepage,” Blayk said. “That could mean she’s pulled her stitches. Call me if your mate experiences too much pain and I’ll give her another shot. No strenuous activities or heavy lifting, and make sure she gets plenty of rest. You can take her up to your rooms.”
“Have they found who attacked her yet?” Roan asked.
“No,” Jonah growled. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this bastard. He can’t have gone far, and when we find him, he’s a dead man. Just concentrate on looking after your mate.”
Roan turned back to Blayk. “How long before the threads come out?”
“It depends on how fast Samantha heals. Now that you’ve all claimed her it should be around three days.”
“Thanks, Blayk.” Justin watched as Roan gently lifted Sam into his arms. Chet moved in and covered her with a blanket, and Roan left the clinic.
“Justin, did you find out what happened from your mate?” Jonah asked as they stepped inside.
“No, we’ll have to wait until she wakes. Sorry, Alpha, but I don’t think our mate deals well with pain medication,” Justin replied.
“I want a full account as soon as she’s conscious. Call me and we’ll come to her. The last thing she is going to want to do is move around too much, and I don’t want to cause her any unnecessary discomfort,” Jonah said.
“Thanks, Jonah, I’ll call as soon as she wakes.”
Roan continued carrying Sam up the stairs to their room on the third floor. Chet had gone on ahead to get the bed ready for their mate.
Striding toward the bed, he gently lowered her and cursed when she moaned. Being careful of her wound, he and his brothers removed her clothes and tucked her into bed. He undressed, climbed in beside her, and pulled her until she was lying half on top of him, her cheek resting on his chest, her breasts against his belly and her legs entangled with his. Roan didn’t want her inadvertently rolling onto her back and hurting herself. He had every intention of keeping her in his arms all night long.
Justin and Chet stripped off and climbed into bed, too. She was surrounded by them, and he vowed no one would ever get to her and hurt her again.
Chapter Eleven
Sam woke with her back driving her crazy. If she could have reached it, she would have torn at her itchy skin to relieve the irritation. Sitting up suddenly, she looked about the room. Sighing with relief she realized she was back in her room in the pack house. Then the events of the previous night came rushing back.
She gingerly arose from the bed and carefully pulled on some clothes and left the suite. She was down the stairs and in the dining room before she knew where she had been heading. All the people looked up at her with concern as she scanned the room frantically. Her knees began to buckle when she spied baby Stefan sitting on Michelle’s lap.
“Thank God,” she whispered and reached out to steady her weak body.
Justin was at her side a moment later and lifted her up into his arms. “What’s wrong, honey? Are you in pain?”
“No. I just had to make sure Stefan was safe,” she replied and hid her face against his chest.
“Bring your mate over to the table, Justin. I’d like to have a word with her,” Jonah commanded.
Justin carried her over to the seat Mikhail vacated and sat down with Sam on his lap. He held her gently but securely, and she was appreciative because she was shaking like a leaf.
“Here, have some coffee, honey. That will help warm you up again.” Angie shoved a mug of coffee into her hands.
Sam clutched it gratefully and let the warmth penetrate her cold palms and fingers. “Thanks, Angie.”
“Sam, I want you to tell me what happened last night,” Jonah commanded in a gentle voice.
“I−I was sitting in the living room on the sofa, holding Stefan until he fell asleep, so Michelle could take a shower. I heard about the fire, but I knew you would all have it under control, and I so love cuddling with Stefan, so I just stayed where I was. Talia had also taken the chance to bathe, and Keira was outside with you all,” she explained then took a deep, steadying breath. “He came after me. I’m so sorry. I should never have come here. I’ve put you all in danger. I’ll leave as soon as I can pack my stuff.”
“You aren’t going anywhere, mate!” Justin commanded in a gentle voice. “Who was it, Samantha?”
“Gerard Long. He came inside when everyone was gone, and he was holding a knife in his hand. I had to try and get away. I couldn’t let him hurt Stefan. Oh, God,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”
Hiding her face against Justin’s chest, she gave in to her sobs of fear, anxiety, and guilt. The last thing she had wanted to do was put any of these people in jeopardy. She had been so selfish, mating these three men when she wasn’t safe. Now she had put them all in danger, too. She couldn’t live with that. If Gerard had hurt Stefan, she would never be able to live with her conscience.
“Samantha, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Jonah said quietly. “If anyone is to blame for what happened, it is us and the bastard who attacked you. It was our duty to protect you. I knew he could come after you, and then I fell for the oldest trick in the book. A diversion. Please, don’t leave. Stay here with your mates. We promise you will be safe here. The new security system will be installed today, and there is no way in hell anyone else will ever be able to get in here without one of us knowing about it. The only reason we didn’t smell that bastard was because of all the smoke from the fire. I want to thank you for protecting my child. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened. Stefan could be dead right now.”
“You shouldn’t be thanking me. It’s my fault that Gerard was here,” she sobbed. Then she turned to her mates. “I can’t believe you told them. How could you?”
Trying to push off Justin’s lap, she gave up when he wouldn’t release her. She let her forehead bump onto his chest.
“We only told the others what they needed to know to help keep you safe. And it’s not your fault, honey. You didn’t ask him to follow you or come after you, so get that thought out of your head, right now. You can’t control what other people think or do, now can you?” Justin asked.
“No.”
“That’s right. So don’t you dare go running to try and protect all of us. It’s you we should be protecting. I’m sorry we failed in our job to keep you safe, but there is no fucking way it will ever happen again,” Justin affirmed.
“Okay,” she sighed and then sniffed.
“Thanks for keeping my baby safe, Sam.” Michelle sobbed emotively.
“Sure.” Sam brushed aside the praise, still not comfortable since she was to blame.
“Why don’t you have some breakfast, darlin’? Then you can go and take a shower,” Chet suggested.
“Hmm, sounds good, cause I’m starting to get hungry.” Sam’s stomach took that opportune moment to growl loudly. Everyone around the table burst into laughter, which helped to lighten the mood, but she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable until the threat of Gerard Long was no more.
After breakfast Justin helped her to stand. Roan and Chet rose to their feet as well.
“Make sure you don’t get those stitches wet, Samantha,” Blayk reminded her with a smile. She waved at him and smiled back to let him know she would abide his dictates. She let her men lead her out of the room.
Justin pulled her into the bathroom after him, turned the shower on, and began to undress her. Sam slapped at his hand.
“I can undress myself. Please, just leave me be. I need some time alone.”
“We aren’t going to let you hide from us, Samantha. I know you still feel guilty about what happened, but you shouldn’t. You had nothing to do with this.”
“How the fuck can you say that? If I hadn’t come here, baby Stefan would never have been put into any danger,” she said angrily, her breath panting from between her lips.
“I don’t want to hear
you speak like that again, Sam. If you do, I will put you over my knee and spank your ass.” Justin glared at her through narrowed eyes.
“You just fucking try it, bu…Put me down! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she screeched from her upside-down position over his shoulder. His hands held her firmly so she couldn’t wiggle around and pull her stitches.
“I warned you, honey, and you decided to see how far you can push me. Well, I’m up for the challenge. Are you, Sam?”
Sam beat against his back, but she might as well have been banging on a brick wall. Her world spun, and the next thing she knew, she was on the bed flat on her stomach. But the whole time he maneuvered her not once did she feel any pain from her wound site.
“Don’t fight me, Sam, I don’t want you to pull your stitches,” Justin demanded in a firm voice.
“Ugh! I’ve had it with you! Let me go.”
She would never have admitted it in a million years, but she liked fighting back against him. She liked the feel of his big hands pinning her down. From the glitter in Justin’s eyes, she thought he enjoyed it just as much.
“Hold her down and make sure she doesn’t hurt herself,” Justin commanded his brothers.
Now three sets of hands pinned her to the mattress, and nothing she did made them let her go. She tried to buck and twist but could hardly move as their gentle hands held her firmly. Excited arousal shot through her stomach as she dug her nails into Roan’s hand.
“Stop fighting, you little hellcat.” Justin pulled her sweats and panties down her legs.
Her pussy pulsed at the sudden exposure. She got as far as saying, “I’ll show you a hell—oh God.”
The first smack to her ass froze her squirming body with shock. It hadn’t been hard enough to cause her pain, but it was forceful enough to heat her skin. The heat travelled around from her ass cheek into her pussy, making her sheath clench and release a gush of cream.
“Mmm, I think our little darlin’ likes getting her ass smacked. I can smell your cream from here, Sam,” Chet stated in a low, rumbling voice.
