by Lisa Kessler
Chapter Eleven
JASON
I sprang from the sofa, racing for the back room. The remote for the television crashed to the floor, exploding batteries behind me. I hardly noticed.
Kilani looked up with tears in her eyes and a tender smile. “He needs more time.”
“More time?” I sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t understand.”
She patted my thigh with her free hand, the simple touch soothing the adrenaline pumping through my body. “I can’t explain it exactly, but he’s in there. I think there’s some damage from the lack of oxygen, but he’s trying to find new pathways. He wanted me to tell you he’s still here.”
Relief, hope, and joy swelled inside me like a tidal wave. A tsunami of relief. Without thinking, I bent down and scooped her up into my arms, embracing her and laughing. She squeaked at first, but she didn’t wriggle free. A tear slid down my cheek as I buried my face in her hair, breathing her into my lungs. My mate was a freaking miracle. A gift I would never deserve.
“Thank you isn’t big enough for what you just gave me.”
“Your dad is a tough guy.” She held me tight, her breath warming my ear. “I have no idea how long he’ll be like this.”
“Knowing he’s still alive…really alive. That’s enough.”
I kissed her, hard and needy. I didn’t have words for the feelings roiling inside of me like a tempest. Her lips parted, and I growled at the sweet taste of her mouth. Her fingers slid through my hair as she tilted her head and our kiss deepened. I never wanted to let her go. This amazing woman, my mate.
Her soft lips met mine over and over, scorching my soul as she gradually pulled back. “If I had known werewolves were such great kissers, I would’ve found one much sooner.”
Just the thought of her lips touching another man had my inner wolf snarling. “I want to do more than kiss.” I placed her feet back on the ground. “But first we’ve got to get Nero out of Reno.”
She straightened her shirt and nodded. “When are you going to tell me the crazier thing?”
“Crazier thing?”
“Yeah. You wanted me to get used to the werewolf idea first.”
Mates. Shit, I wanted her to love me before I dropped that bomb. She didn’t hate me right now, and she seemed to want me physically, but we’d barely scratched the surface of her heart. I practically had to force her to admit she was psychic. If I told her she was my mate…
All of this was insane. There was no scientific explanation. No way a single touch could determine who I would love. Did I love her? I hardly knew her.
But the instinctive connection through my wolf grew stronger by the second. As impossible as it seemed, I had no doubt I’d die to keep this woman safe. Give up my life in a heartbeat.
Was that love? Maybe. Probably.
She stared at me. “Well?”
My brother’s truck pulled up the driveway. “They’re back.”
“They are?” She frowned. “How do you know that?”
“Some of my senses, like my hearing, are enhanced even while I’m not in wolf form.”
“To go with your fast healing.”
I shrugged. “We might heal a little faster than you, but not much. Hearing and our sense of smell are definitely the most noticeable. We’re stronger than humans, too.”
Her smile warmed her features, shining in her eyes. “Okay, it’s really weird to hear you call me a mere human.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She had me grinning now, too. “Werewolves have a different genetic makeup, that’s all.”
“Honey, we’re home,” Jared called as he opened the front door.
I turned toward the hallway. “We’re back here with Dad.”
Mom brushed past me to sit in the chair by my dad’s head. She kissed his forehead and took his hand. “Missed you, Wyatt. I had an extra piece of bacon for you.”
She gasped and smiled up at me. “He squeezed my hand. Did you see that?”
“I think he missed you, too.” Kilani walked around and turned off the music.
I hadn’t even noticed it was on. How was I going to keep her safe when anytime I was near her she became all that mattered?
My mom beamed. “I’ll be right here when you’re ready to open your eyes.”
“Thanks for kicking Mom out for a little while.” Jared came behind our mother and rubbed her shoulders. “She needed a little break.”
“No problem.” Kilani returned to my side. “I’m happy to come by and sit with him whenever I can.”
“You’re an angel.” My mom’s gaze shifted between us and finally landed square on me. “She’s your… That’s why you told her about…”
Oh shit. I shook my head, interrupting her realization. “Kilani is a friend in trouble, Mom. I’m helping her out.”
Kilani’s posture stiffened beside me. Damn it. But there was nothing I could do right now. There was no way to fix whatever I’d just broken if my mom started planning a wedding. I’d just gotten Kilani past thinking werewolves were fictional and that I was nuts. I couldn’t have my mom babbling about mates for life.
“She’s got a shift at the hospital, so we’d better get going. Keep me posted on Dad’s condition, okay?”
My mom nodded and went back to talking to my dad. With that bullet dodged, I gave my brother’s shoulder a squeeze. “Talk to you soon, bro.”
He smiled at Kilani. “Be careful out there.”
“We will. Thanks.” She walked out without a second look in my direction.
“You’ve got your hands full with that one.” Jared tipped his head toward the door. “I like her.”
“Me, too.” I grinned like an idiot in spite of the current situation. Couldn’t help it.
Kilani waited at the front door. Silent. At least she remembered there was danger out there looking for her and stayed inside.
I opened the door a little, taking in a slow breath. One more while scanning the trees. Nothing unusual. Satisfied there were no scents I didn’t recognize, I reached back for her hand. She walked around me and out to the car.
Damn it. Biting back a growl, I closed the door and followed.
Inside the car, I started the engine but didn’t take it out of park. “Want to tell me what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine.”
“Oh, please.” I shifted my attention out the front window, hoping to stop myself from saying something I might regret later. “We may not have known each other long, but I can see you’re not happy.”
“I know better.” She rolled her eyes and glared at the trees. “This shouldn’t bother me. I’ve been through it more than once. When your mom greeted me with a hug earlier, it threw me off. I lost sight of where I stand. I’m just pissed I let it surprise me.”
A humorless chuckle escaped me before I could stop myself. “Where you stand?” My grip tightened at the bottom of the steering wheel, that all-too-familiar frustration simmering in my gut. “What are you talking about?”
She groaned and shifted in her seat. “Your mom thought I might be your girlfriend, and the horror that her son, the doctor, might be sleeping with a little island girl nurse was too much for her. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen that face. You saw it, too, and back-pedaled me into the friend zone like a champ.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but for a second I was speechless. “Whoa.” Turning off the ignition, I ground my teeth, gathering my thoughts. “You think my mom and I give a rat’s ass that you’re Polynesian? Give me a break. I wouldn’t care of your skin was green.”
“Easy to say that when we’re alone in a car.” She pointed toward the house. “But in that room, your mom put two and two together, and the shock on her face said it all. She was already picturing her grandchildren looking nothing like her son, and you covered it so she wouldn’t worry.” She gulped a breath, the anger dissipating just enough for me to glimpse the pain hiding underneath.
Shit. I never meant to hurt her, but how would I explain about
mates without her getting a restraining order?
I stared at her profile as she gazed into the distance. Who had ever made her feel like she was anything less than a beautiful miracle? I’d kill the bastard, or maybe hurt him bad enough he’d wish I’d kill him.
Usually I didn’t fantasize about getting even, but my protective wolf was closer to the surface right now than I’d ever experienced. Instincts to keep her safe colored every thought and decision.
I ran the back of my fingers down her soft cheek until she met my eyes. “Kilani, I would never be ashamed to tell the world you were mine, if that were true. You’re smart, tough, intelligent, and so beautiful.”
She blinked back tears as she rolled her eyes. “Again, easy to say that while we’re alone in the car.”
“Wouldn’t you have been equally pissed if I had told my mom you were my girlfriend when I hadn’t even bridged that with you yet?”
Sighing, she shrugged with a nod. “Probably.”
“I opted for the easiest out for everyone.”
“It doesn’t change that even if I was your girlfriend, your mother would never accept me into your family. Her expression made that perfectly clear.”
I raked my hand through my hair. I wasn’t going to be able to get out of this without telling her about mates. If giving fate the finger were possible, I’d be flipping her two birds right about now.
“Remember that other thing I needed to tell you about?”
“The crazier-than-werewolves thing?”
“Potentially, yeah.”
She turned in her seat a little to face me. “It has something to do with your mother?”
“No. Not really.” My chest tightened. I cleared my throat but my voice still sounded raw. “Wolves mate for life. Werewolves are no different.” I showed her my hand. “At Adam’s house when you reached out to examine the bruises on my hand…I knew.”
A crease marred her brow. “Knew what?”
“When we touch our mate, skin to skin, the wolf recognizes her.” I waited while she put the pieces together.
“You think I’m your…”
“No, I don’t think. I know you are.”
She unbuckled her seat belt and bolted out of the car. I hustled around, putting myself between her and the woods. “I didn’t want to tell you yet. I’m sorry. I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t believe it either until you touched me.”
“This is beyond insane. How can I possibly be your mate? I’m not a werewolf. We hardly know each other. Does Nadya know her boyfriend is a werewolf? Is she his mate?”
I kissed her. I didn’t have all the answers, and I had no clue how to explain the fear that I might lose her, that she might reject me. Was this how she felt when she misread my mom’s reaction?
Her soft lips brushed mine as I wrapped her in my embrace. She fit in my arms perfectly, made for me. I rested my forehead against hers. “Can we go back inside so I can tell my mom the truth? Trust me, she already loves you. I only said what I did because I didn’t want her to blurt out that we were mates before I told you myself.”
Although her voice was barely a whisper, I had no trouble hearing her. “I don’t know how to handle any of this.”
“I don’t, either.”
The corners of her lips turned up, almost a smile. “Not often you hear a doctor admit something like that.”
I chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Not many doctors are werewolves.”
She rewarded me with a laugh. For a second, I worried my heart might leap out of my chest. “When did my life get so crazy?”
I took her hand, walking her back toward the house. “I’ve been asking myself that same question lately.”
Chapter Twelve
KILANI
Mates. Insanity. But if I could believe Jason and his family shifted into wolves one night a month, how much further around the bend was a mate? Pretty far. Destiny couldn’t possibly be determined with one touch.
Of course, most people would say no one could see into the future, either.
Jason opened the door, and I stepped into the house, my pulse pounding in my ears. What if I didn’t want to be Jason’s mate? Would he be destined to be alone? I glanced over at his tall, chiseled frame and he flashed me a smile that could give a nun weak knees.
No way he’d be alone. He probably hadn’t been alone since high school.
We walked down the hallway, my mind whizzing a million miles per hour. I barely knew this man. Besides being gorgeous and smart and making me laugh, I’d seen his artwork. He had the passion of an artist and more than a few pent-up anger issues to go with it.
But I didn’t know his favorite color, or his favorite flavor of ice cream, or music, or movies… Did any of that matter?
We came in the back bedroom and Sarah smiled up at us. “I heard you come in. Did you forget something?”
Jason gave my hand a squeeze. Her gaze shifted to our joined hands. A smile brightened her features as she got to her feet. “I was right. I knew it.”
She embraced me, and the warmth of her affection brought the tears flooding to my eyes all over again. She pulled back, smiling. “You’re the one. He found you.”
And in that moment, I wanted to be the one. I wanted a family who didn’t walk out when the road got rocky. I wanted a man who I could trust with my battered heart.
She released me and hugged Jason. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He chuckled. “You’ve forgotten how crazy it sounds to non-Pack members. I just barely got her to accept that we shift once a month.”
I sat down in the chair next to Wyatt’s bed to give Jason and his mom some room. Jared appeared in the doorway and grinned as he leaned against the doorframe.
Their mother chuckled. “Oh, I’m well aware of how crazy it sounds. Your father told me I was his mate before he admitted he wasn’t exactly human.”
Jason raised a brow. “And you believed him?”
She nudged him and turned to look at Wyatt. “No, I thought he was trying to get into my bed, but secretly, it was a romantic notion, like the old arranged marriages, only this one is arranged by fate instead of family.”
“Fate…smarter…than any of us.”
The raspy whisper silenced us, sucking the oxygen out of the room. All of our attention shifted to Wyatt. I held my breath as Sarah rushed to the other side of the bed, taking his hand. A tear spilled down her cheek. She kissed his forehead.
“Yes it is, Wy.”
We waited, but he didn’t move. And just when I started to doubt he had actually spoken, his hand gripped mine. “Fate…was good to my boy…the day…she chose…you.”
Jason came up beside me, giving his dad’s calf a squeeze. “Dad? Can you open your eyes?”
Again we waited. And I got a flash in my head of Wyatt standing and embracing Sarah. I struggled to find something to give me a hint to when or where they were, and I noticed a cake with two names. Then it was gone.
I tipped my head up. “Jason, is there a birthday coming up? There was a cake with more than one name.”
He nodded. “Adam’s twins are going to celebrate their first birthday.”
“When?”
“Next month.”
I looked over at Sarah. “Wyatt will be on his feet with you at that party.”
She wiped a tear, smiling. “How do you know?”
“It’s a hunch.” I glanced at Jason, appreciating that he still hadn’t outed my gift, not even to his family. Reaching across the bed, I put my hand over Sarah’s and Wyatt’s joined hands. “I used to go to Brightwood Academy with Nadya. I get visions, little video clips of the future. Just now, Wyatt was on his feet hugging you at a birthday party.”
A sob choked her as she rested her head on her husband’s chest. Her mate. I got up, letting go of Wyatt’s hand. Jason pulled me into his arms, kissing the top of my head, and I accepted the comfort, still unsure I would ever be able to wrap my head around all of this.
Jared cleared his throat, and
we stepped back. He tilted his head slightly and grinned. “I’m glad my brother finally told you. What you do with it now is up to you.”
“So I still get a choice in the matter?”
“That’s the kicker for us.” Jared glanced at Jason for a second before meeting my eyes again. “The wolf inside us recognizes you and we’re hooked, for life. You become the other half of our soul, but you’re human. You don’t have a wolf pushing his instinct on you. We know the minute we find you that you could walk away and reject us. I’d bet money Jason will do everything he can to keep that from happening, but you’re the one with the final say.”
I hadn’t considered that side of it.
Jared stepped up and clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Add to the mess, my brother didn’t believe in mates, so he got a double helping of reality and panic.”
I looked up at Jason. “And you believe it now?”
“Definitely.”
A clock somewhere in the house chimed, snapping me back into reality. Human reality. “I need to get to work.”
Jared moved out of our way, but his grin faded. “You think that’s safe?”
“No.” Jason took my hand. “But she’s dead set on going anyway.”
“Want some backup?”
Jason nodded. “I’d love some. Until Adam gets proof Kilani isn’t some sort of trap, he won’t get the Pack involved. Sebastian’s supposed to be in town later tonight…”
“’Til then, I’ll help keep an eye out for any Nero ops.”
“Thanks, man.” Jason hugged his brother and took my hand again. “See you soon, Mom.”
Sarah straightened with a gentle smile. “See that you do, and bring Kilani with you.” Her gaze moved onto me, her expression softening. “I remember what a confusing time this was for me, too. My best advice? Follow your heart. The rest will come.”
The awkward silence in the car was killing me. We were only about halfway to the medical center. But I couldn’t think of anything sane to talk about. What could I say? So, if I decide to walk out on you like I did my grandmother and cousins back in Hawaii, will it doom you to be alone forever? Or maybe something like, So when do I get fur and sharp teeth?
