Chapter 32
Nico silently slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. Phoenix had packed him a couple of bags, knowing there was no way Nico was leaving his family again. “Where are you going?” his mate whispered softly. “Just going to talk to Phoenix for a bit,” he said. “Check on the kids, will you?” she asked. Hunter was staying the night with them, too. He was sleeping on a small twin bed that had been moved into the spare bedroom Phoenix was using. They were going to have to talk to the council about what to do with him eventually, but for now he would stay with them and Phoenix. “I will, sweet mate,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her.
He checked on Lily first. She was sound asleep in bed, snuggling with Shadow and her blanket, snoring softly. He walked over and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
Next he checked on Hunter. Hunter must have changed in his sleep. He had started out sleeping as a little boy, but now his clothes were shredded and he was curled up in a ball at the end of the bed, once again in his bear cub form. Nico silently shut the door and moved on.
He found Phoenix out on the back porch lost in thought. There was one beer sitting beside him empty. Another sat on the other side of the steps, just over halfway full. Nico sat down beside him and raised an eyebrow. “Did ya have company tonight?” he asked. “Yeah,” Phoenix said roughly and left it at that. Nico inhaled and then grinned. “Storm come to see ya, did she?”
Phoenix looked at him, and the smile left Nico’s face. “Hey man, what’s wrong?” Phoenix looked away, rubbed his head, and then looked back. “What happened today, brother? At the picnic? Talk to me.”
Now it was Nico’s turn to look away. “Shit, Phoenix, you don’t want to know.” Phoenix just waited, watching him. “I had a vision. A really fucked up vision. We were in the jungle fighting some of the General’s army. That’s what they were, too, man, a fucking army. We were fighting them, and then I took a bullet in the chest. The bastards got me and threw me in a helicopter and took off. None of you could get to me in time. You were too far away. They said the General would be happy. That I would make a good addition to his program. His fucking program. First of all, I have a mate. I can’t have sex with anyone else but my mate. It just won’t happen. I doubt it physically could, but I would never do that to Jenna. They would have to kill me first.”
As Phoenix watched Nico look out across the lawn, he understood what Storm had meant now. He had to be there to take that bullet. It would kill Nico if he did, not because the bullet would kill him, but because if he got put into that program and would not or could not perform, eventually the General would have him killed. He took a deep breath. He could do this. For his brother, for his brother’s family, he would do this.
“Tell me everything you remember about the vision,” he told Nico. “Describe where we were, where you were standing when you took the bullet, everything.” As Nico talked, Phoenix mentally stored all of the information in his mind to take out and go over later. He would go over it all again and again until he was sure he knew exactly what had happened and exactly where he needed to be at the right time to make sure that he was the one that took that bullet and was taken by the General’s men instead of Nico. He didn’t give a shit about what happened to him after that. All he cared about was keeping Nico safe and with his family.
Chapter 33
The next day Jenna decided she needed to go back to work. She worked for Chase as his personal assistant, but with everything that had happened with Lily, she had not been in for days. Chase had been working late into the night trying to keep up with everything. And even though he never complained, she could tell he was exhausted. She was going to take Lily with her, but Nico said he would keep her until he had his meeting with Angel and the team that afternoon.
As Jenna was getting ready to leave, there was a knock on the door. When she opened it, she saw Angel and the rest of the team standing there beside a brand new bright pink Barbie bike with training wheels. “We weren’t sure if Lily knew how to ride a bike, or even if she had one, but the team wanted to get her a welcome to the family present,” Angel said.
Jenna’s eyes filled up with tears as she looked at the bike. “No, she doesn’t have one,” she whispered. “Thank you so much, she’s going to love it.” She felt an arm go around her waist and turned to Nico with a warm smile. He leaned down and kissed her softly.
Phoenix moved into the doorway with the bear cub on his hip and Lily’s hand in his. Lily squealed as she saw the bike. “It’s mine?” she asked jumping up and down, her pigtails bobbing all over the place. Pig tails? Who had done Lily’s hair in pig tails?
As the team laughed, Angel said, “Yes, it’s yours. And we thought if it was ok with your mommy, we would all hang out here with you this morning while she went to work and we could teach you how to ride it.”
Jenna’s eyes widened, but then she caught on quickly. They weren’t just here to give Lily the bike. They were here to support Nico and Jenna, and to protect Lily. The whole team had shown up, all of them, to protect Lily. For the longest time it had been just Chase, Jenna and Lily. Granted, they had the pack, but when it came to personal things, they only relied on each other. After what had happened with Walker, Jenna had closed herself off from all of her friends. She spent time with Chase and Lily, but that was pretty much it. She didn’t even talk to Toni anymore. She had been so lonely before Nico had come into her life. Now she not only had Chase, Lily and Nico, but she had Angel and her team, too. Their little family had more than just doubled. “Please, stay as long as you can,” Jenna said, a tremulous smile on her face. “We can grill out for dinner. I have some steak in the freezer.”
“That would be great,” Angel grinned. “We also have something for you, Jenna.” She reached into her pocket and took out a bright red cell phone. Handing it to Jenna she said, “This phone has all of our numbers programmed into it. If you need anything, anything at all, day or night, you call one of us. We will be there. Welcome to the family, Jenna.” Jenna stared at the phone and then looked back up at Angel. She slowly reached out and took the phone and put it in her purse.
“Chase, too?” She asked quietly. “Chase?” Angel asked confused. “Is Chase welcome, too,” Jenna asked. Angel smiled warmly at Jenna. “Chase is a part of your family, Jenna. That makes him a part of ours. Of course, Chase, too.” Jenna threw her arms around Angel and whispered, “Thank you. You don’t know how much all of this means to me.”
Angel hugged her back for a moment and then told her, “You better get to work before you get fired. I hear your boss is a real tyrant.” Chuckling, Jenna pulled back. She turned and gave Nico a kiss and then walked away toward the building she and Chase worked out of. Turning back to Angel and her team, Jenna smiled and waved, and then turned back around and hurried to work.
As he watched her go, Nico thanked Angel. He was thanking her not only for the gifts she had brought Jenna and Lily, but for openly accepting them all into their family. They had never had anyone on the “outside” in their little group before. It meant more people to care about, more people to protect, more people to give their lives for if the time came. And they would do it, because to them, that was what family did.
Chapter 34
The team spent all morning playing. It had been way too long since they had done anything like that. They helped Lily and Hunter take turns riding Lily’s new bike. They played in the back yard on the swing set. It was a larger swing set, so Angel and Rikki were able to swing and go down the slide with the kids. And they all played kickball. They even debated on taking the kids over to the park, but decided it might bring back too many memories for Lily. She seemed to be doing better, and they didn’t want to trigger anything.
At noon they had lunch, and then Angel decided it was time that she went and checked in at the hospital. She wanted to see how Flame, Janie and the two wolf pups were doing. And, yes, she could admit it to herself only, she wanted to see Chase. She was hoping she would get
a glimpse of him while she was out and about. The mate pull was strong and hard to ignore. She was hoping that maybe a few minutes spent with him would calm her wolf. Her wolf on the other hand wanted to find him and jump his bones, the horny bitch.
As she neared the hospital, she saw Janie sitting outside on a bench by some flowers. She was rubbing her belly and singing softly. Angel glanced around and saw two enforcers standing by the hospital building, casually leaning up against it. Good, Janie had guards.
As Angel went over and sat down by her, Janie stopped singing, but her hand never left her belly. They sat there in silence for a while and then Janie slowly reached out her other hand and grabbed hold of one of Angel’s.
“Is there anyone I can call for you, Janie?” Angel asked. Janie just shook her head. “You must have family somewhere looking for you,” Angel said. Once again, Janie shook her head. “There is no one,” Janie said quietly. She sat there for a few minutes in silence and then looked up at Angel, her eyes full of sadness. “I’m a latent wolf shifter. I was kicked out of my pack because I can’t shift. I made it for a full year on my own before the General and his men found me. They had me for two years before you rescued me. I don’t even know why they took me. I can’t shift. I don’t know if my baby will be able to shift. But he would not let me go.”
Janie was trembling, but she was talking. That was a huge step. As far as Angel knew, Janie hadn’t said a word since they had gotten to the compound. Angel wanted to kill the bastards that had hurt this gentle, frightened woman. “Do you think they will make me leave, Angel?” she asked with tears in her eyes. “I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have anywhere safe to take my baby.”
“You have a place in my pack now if you want one,” a deep voice said. “You and your pup will always be safe and protected here.” Janie’s head snapped around and she watched Chase through lowered eyes. “Alpha,” she whispered, the terror evident in her voice. “You will never be hurt here, Janie. Never be made to do anything you do not want to do. There is no need to be afraid. You are safe now.” The truth was in his voice, in his vow to her. He would not let anyone hurt her ever again. She was one of his now, and he protected what was his. Chase let loose some of his power. He let it roll over Janie and comfort her.
Janie looked at Angel with both hope and fear in her eyes. Angel nodded reassuringly, smiling warmly. Janie turned back towards Chase with grateful eyes. “Thank you, Alpha. I accept your offer. I would like to join your pack.”
Chase just nodded, a soft, gentle smile on his lips. “Your apartment is ready for you, Janie. We are giving you a two bedroom so that you will have a nursery for the baby.” She looked at him in shock. “You mean I get my own place?” she asked. “Of course,” he responded. “Unless you don’t want to be alone? If not, then there are several single female wolves that can stay with you. We can put the baby in your room, or we can upgrade to a 3 bedroom so you would both have your own room and the baby would still have a nursery. I think there is one still available. I would need to ask Jenna.”
“No, no,” Janie said quickly. “A two bedroom is fine. But, maybe Flame could stay with me? If she wants to, that is. I would feel safe with her.”
“We can ask her,” Chase agreed. Angel’s heart jumped in her chest when he finally looked in her direction. “Would you like to come with me to talk to Flame?” he asked her. Angel nodded and got to her feet letting go of Janie’s hand. “We are going to grill out tonight at Nico and Jenna’s if you would like to come over, Janie,” Angel told her. Janie nodded slowly, “Ok, if you are sure you want me there.” Angel leaned over and gave her a quick hug, nuzzling her softly on the cheek. “See you there,” she said.
“Sable and Charlotte will come with you, Janie,” Chase said gesturing over to where the enforcers stood. “They are your guards for now until we know for sure that you are safe.” Janie looked at him in surprise. Then her gaze went quickly back to the enforcers. Her fear was a bitter, acrid smell. Sable and Charlotte stayed where they were, but Charlotte said softly, “Ma’am, we are here to watch out for you, nothing more. We will not come near you unless you need us.” Janie’s fear subsided somewhat and she whispered, “Ok.”
Chase and Angel turned and went up the stairs and into the hospital. As they made their way toward Flame’s room they heard her yell, “I don’t care what you want, I refuse to stay in this bed any longer. Now get the hell out of my way!” Angel chuckled softly, “There’s my Flame!” When Chase raised his eyebrows at her, she told him, “She’s as feisty as they come. Doesn’t take shit from anyone. But I was afraid they would break her before I could get her out of there. The things that woman went through, Chase. Bran is going to have to have a lot of patience. Hell, I don’t know if she will ever be ready for a relationship. I know I’m not.”
As Chase’s head snapped around to her she realized what she had just let slip. He growled low in his throat, “Who hurt you?” Angel just shook her head and continued down the hall. Chase reached out and grabbed her wrist pulling her into an empty room and pushing her back up against the door so no one could come in. “Who…hurt…you?” He growled out slowly.
“Back the fuck off, Chase,” Angel growled back as she twisted out of his grip and moved to stand behind a chair by the window. He didn’t move, just stood there watching her, hands clenched like he wanted to hit something. She turned back to him and sighed, “It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. It was a long time ago. And I killed the asshole. I made sure he could never come after me again. But you need to realize, Chase. A part of me wants you, my wolf definitely wants you, but there is another part of me that may never be able to commit to you. That part of me never wants a mate. She never wants to let anyone that close, close enough to hurt her, again.”
“You let your team in. They are your family now,” Chase said. “It’s not the same thing,” Angel argued. “I trust them with my life. They aren’t a threat to me.”
“And you will never trust me,” Chase ground out. “You consider me a threat. I’m your mate, Angel. I would care for you, I would honor and cherish you, I would do anything for you, and I would never hurt you.” Angel closed her eyes tightly, hands gripping the back of the chair she stood behind. She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes, Chase was gone. Well, that went great, she thought.
Chapter 35
Angel sat in the chair in the empty hospital room and waited a good 20 minutes before she finally got up and headed once again toward Flame’s room. She paused outside the door and watched as Flame gazed out the window. She was alone. That was surprising. She had thought Chase would either still be here or at least Bran would be.
“I made everyone leave,” Flame said turning towards her. “Stupid fucking idiots. Trying to tell me what I can and cannot do. Not gonna happen. Those bastards that held me for months did it and no one will ever do that to me again.”
“If it wasn’t for them, you might not be here now. They are just trying to help you. Should you even be out of bed yet, Flame?” Angel asked. “I’m not trying to push you or anything, but it has only been a day. You aren’t a shifter so you don’t heal like we do. You have to be in a lot of pain right now.”
Flame sighed deeply and slipped into the chair that was placed to face looking out the window. “No, probably not. It does hurt. Badly. But I just can’t sit here. God, Angel. It was horrible. Just horrible.” A shudder worked its way through her body.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Angel asked her. Flame looked up at her and shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry, I just can’t. Not yet. All I can tell you is that I finally accepted the baby inside of me, grew to love him after the first couple of months of hating him, and now he’s gone. And I swear, I am going to kill every last son of a bitch that had a part in hurting me and my son. I am going to tear them apart.”
“Revenge is a cold and lonely road, my friend,” Angel said. “Not from where I stand,” Flame responded. “It’s fiery hot, filled with flam
es. And they are all going to burn. Teach me, Angel, please. Teach me what I need to know to protect myself.”
“To protect yourself or to get your revenge?”
“They go hand in hand,” Flame replied. Angel eyed her for a moment, and then nodded. It was obvious that if Angel didn’t train her, Flame would either find someone that would or she would rush out halfcocked and get herself killed. “Fine, you stay in this bed until the doc says it’s alright, and the team and I will train you. But it isn’t going to be all cupcakes and pony rides, sister. It is going to be hard work. And one more thing…you have to tell Bran.”
“Tell Bran? Why would I have to tell him?” Flame argued. “Because he’s your mate, Flame, and no matter what, mates come first,” Angel said.
“Like you put your mate first?” Flame sneered. Angel stood up to her full height looking down at Flame in the chair. “Disrespect me like that again and find someone else to train you,” she growled. “And stay the fuck out of my head.” Angel turned and walked out of Flame’s room ignoring the other woman’s protests.
What sucked was that Flame was right. Chase was her mate. He should be first in every aspect to her. But she was scared to death to allow him that close. And that just pissed her off. Angel did not do fear anymore. She hadn’t allowed it to be a part of her life for years.
Angel made her way to the other end of the hall where the wolf pups were. They had changed back last night into beautiful twin little girls with long blond hair and big blue eyes. As Angel opened the door, she heard them whimpering. “Angel,” Doc Josie called. Angel stopped with the door half opened and turned towards her. “They haven’t let anyone get near them since last night. It was a fight to get them bathed and in pajamas, and today they are hiding in the closet. They won’t come out. We decided the best course of action was to just back off and leave them alone for a while.”
Nico's Heart (RARE Book 1) Page 8
