by Lisa Kessler
“Hear what?”
Then it came again, followed by laughter that warmed me from head to toe. It was Kilani. She was howling. My pulse raced, but nothing could wipe the smile from my face.
“Are you okay? Are we finished?”
“Better than okay.” I winked at my surgical assistant. “Just about done.” I tied off the final outer stitches. “Scissors.”
She took the needle and handed me the scissors. I clipped the ends of the knot and gave them back. “So how do I wake her?”
Chloe set the tools down and raised a brow. “Any way you’d like.”
“What about Gareth?”
“He’ll walk back to himself after she leaves the dream world.”
I stroked Kilani’s hair back from her face. Her color was already improving. Good sign. I bent closer, my lips brushing hers. At first nothing happened. I started to pull back when her dark eyelashes fluttered and her beautiful eyes met mine.
“You did it.”
I laughed and whispered, “We did it.”
Nani came up beside me while Chloe slipped out the door. She kissed Kilani’s forehead. “Welcome back, mynah bird.”
“I saw our honu.”
“Good.” Nani patted her hand. “I asked our ancestors to help you find the dream walker.”
I sent everyone out while Kilani dozed in and out of consciousness. Her pulse and respiration were strong and steady. I cleaned up the exam room, bagging all the towels, surgical tools, and any other evidence that I’d performed a minor surgery.
Satisfied that her blood would never be discovered, I tied off the bag and sat down beside her bed. I took her hand, watching her chest rise and fall, and my vision blurred with tears. She was going to be fine.
Kilani opened her eyes and smiled. “Did I fall asleep?”
I started to smile. “You were shot a couple of hours ago. I think you’ve earned a nap.”
She lifted her head. “Get a mirror. I want to see your handiwork.”
“Don’t get excited. I did the best I could with what I had to work with in here, but you’re going to have a scar.” I grabbed the mirror out of the drawer and tilted it so she could see the stiches.
She inspected the joined skin, running her finger around the edges. Finally she relaxed and smiled up at me. “I’m impressed.” Kilani cocked her finger at me. “Come here.”
I bent down, and she kissed me, her tongue brushing my lips. I opened to her, tasting her, drinking her in. My mate was alive, strong, and mine. When she rested her head back, her gaze roamed over my face.
“I love you.”
I wanted to pull her into my arms and never let her go, but I also didn’t want to hurt her, and her stitches would be tender.
“I love you, too.” I caressed her cheek. “You probably saved my life today, but it was too risky.”
“I think the right answer is ‘thank you.’” She raised a brow. “And you can’t be upset with me for doing the exact same thing you were ready to do for me. I’m never going to be a shrinking violet hiding behind my man.” Her eyes sparkled. “I’m too much wolf for that.”
I rolled my eyes, kissing and loving her more than I ever realized I could. “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
“Did you hear me howl?”
“I did.” I chuckled. “How is that even possible?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think Gareth even knows, but wherever we were, he built a fire and kept me talking. I got scared once and gave him a message to tell you if I didn’t make it back, but he told me to stay with him and stay strong.” She grinned. “And we howled.”
“You didn’t feel any pain while I was digging around in your hip?”
“Nope. I was someplace else.”
“That’s amazing.” I straightened and inspected her wound one more time. “I’m going to write a prescription for antibiotics. Do you need a pain killer too?”
Kilani shifted and slowly sat up. She winced but shook her head. “Nah. I think I’ll be fine with some Advil.”
“Okay.” I rolled the table to the side and turned to find her standing. Her hands were still holding onto the exam table on either side, but she was upright. “How’s your hip feel?”
“Sore, but I’m not as light-headed as I thought I’d be.”
“We do heal a little faster than humans.” I moved in front of her, cupping her cheek. “Thank you for saving me. I’m not talking about the shooter.” I searched her questioning eyes. “I was lost when you came into my life. You reminded me who I really am. You brought me home.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “And you gave me one.”
I held her in my arms, resting my head on hers, when someone knocked on the door. I sighed, loosening my hold on her. “Guess we can’t hide out in here any longer.”
She nodded and put her hand back on the exam table for balance while I went to the door.
Adam filled the doorway. “We need to talk.”
“Give me a second first.” I walked around him, straight to Gareth. Without bothering with the Pack greeting, I hugged the hell out of him.
He was stiff at first, but his hands finally gripped me in return. When I stepped back, he looked a little shell-shocked.
“Thanks for keeping Kilani safe while she was unconscious.”
“Glad I could help.” His gaze shifted to the door and back to me. “Is she going to be all right?”
“She’ll have a scar, but she should be fine.” I cleared my throat, struggling to keep my voice even. “She told me she got scared that she…wouldn’t make it back. But you got her to stay.” I shook my head. “I heard her howl.”
Gareth pulled me into a tight embrace, surprising the shit out of me. Against my ear, he whispered, “She loves you. She wasn’t going anywhere.”
We separated, nodding, and I went back to the exam room.
Adam and Sasha were inside with Kilani.
“Close the door.”
I frowned but did as Adam asked. “What’s up?”
“Sorry to pull you right back into this, but Aren and Sasha went up to the top of the parking structure to grab Damian and…”
“He was gone?”
Adam nodded, glancing at Kilani. “I think you’re safe for now.” He met my eyes again. “But we should probably keep her grandmother with us until we’re sure Nero has the message that Kilani is Pack now.”
“How exactly are you going to do that?” I crossed my arms. “Damian is obviously not dead. What other message are they going to hear?”
“I’m meeting with Sebastian tonight.”
“Aw hell, Adam.” I dropped my hands in frustration. “He’s probably the one who led us into that death trap today. He told us Damian would be waiting in Honolulu so we’d have our guard down in Reno. You can’t trust that guy.”
Sasha came a little closer. “I’d be the first to agree with you, Jason, but I only fired one shot. Damian was hit by two.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Adam wanted him alive, so I took out Damian’s leg.” She paused. “Someone else hit him in the hand right before I squeezed the trigger.”
“You think Sebastian shot his own brother? That’s a little more than just being sure his mission wasn’t a success.”
“When I lived inside Nero, rumors floated around about Damian being jealous of Sebastian. Their father made no secret that Sebastian was his heir and his right hand. I’d say Damian took the assignment to impress their father. Since Sebastian failed to bring Lana in, he’s no longer Severino’s golden child.”
I tilted my head, cracking some of the tension out of my neck. “So maybe he didn’t know that Damian changed his plan.”
“That’s my best guess.” She shrugged. “And by the time he found out, he decided it was worth the risk to keep Damian from making a second shot and killing his target.”
“You should meet him at my place. Keep Lana and the twins at the ranch. Have the meeting at my house.”
Kilani too
k my hand, her fingers lacing with mine. “He’s right, Adam.”
My Alpha stared at Kilani. We all waited, and finally he nodded. “Okay. If your hunch is right that my kids are related to Severino, then we should keep them far away from Sebastian. I’ll have the others stay at the ranch to protect Lana and the twins.”
Adam stepped back, giving me a little breathing room, but his intensity didn’t falter. “Sasha, tell Sebastian we’re meeting tonight, seven p.m., at Jason’s place.”
Kilani insisted on resting on the couch instead of the bed. She wanted to see Sebastian. I suspected she might be hoping for a vision to make it clear whether he double-crossed us or not, but I didn’t ask. Even if Sasha was right, and Sebastian shot his brother, he did it to save himself, not us. I had no illusions that he had any loyalty toward us.
I could have lost my mate today. And I wanted retribution. It was tough to think about anything else. It’d be easier if I could beat the crap out of someone, but I’d promised Kilani and myself that my nights in that boxing ring were over.
Staring out the window, I clenched my fists tight. Why weren’t they here yet?
“Watching the driveway isn’t going to make Adam get here any faster.”
“Yeah, I know.” I crossed to her and sat in the chair. “Need any more Advil? How are you feeling?”
“I’m sore but not bad enough for a painkiller.”
“You took the antibiotic?”
“Yes, Doctor.” She smiled, and some of the agitation left my shoulders. She glanced at the door. “I think they’re coming up the street.”
Adam’s Jeep. Aren and Sasha should’ve been right behind them, but it was impossible to hear Aren’s Lotus engine over Cheney’s roar. Back in high school when Adam restored his Jeep and named it, I never dreamed he’d keep it all these years.
I opened the front door. Adam, Aren, and Sasha came in and pulled up a couple more chairs. Adam sat next to Kilani. “How are you doing?”
“Much better than I was a few hours ago.”
I patted Adam’s shoulder. “Want something to drink?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Suddenly the room went silent. I never heard a car, but I smelled a jaguar. Adam stood, and I maneuvered myself in front of him to answer the door. Pack instincts to protect the Alpha were impossible to ignore.
I took a breath and turned the knob. Sebastian lowered his hand, no longer needing to knock.
“May I come in?”
I fought the urge to punch first and ask questions later, and stepped back to allow him in. Adam and Aren approached and I fell in on Adam’s other side.
Sebastian raised a brow. “Perhaps someone can tell me the purpose of our meeting?”
Adam glanced at Kilani and back to the jaguar. “Kilani is Pack now. We need you to take the message back to Nero. Unless your father wants to deal with the entire Wolf Pack, he needs to call off the order to eliminate her.”
“I am glad to see she survived.”
“Why is that exactly?” Everyone turned my way. “Sasha hit Damian’s leg, but someone fired a bullet into his hand. She thinks it was you. Why was it so important that Damian failed on his mission?”
Sebastian crossed his arms with a smug smirk. “It’s none of your concern.”
“Oh, but I think it is. I think Damian is Lana’s fraternal twin. That would make you her half brother. Am I getting close?” His nostrils flared but he kept his expression blank. “And if you’re Lana’s brother, that makes your father, the head of goddamned Nero, related to my Alpha’s twins.”
Adam crossed his arms over his chest. “That makes it very much my concern.”
Sebastian glared at me. “You idiot. You have no idea what you’ve done.” He crossed the room into my personal space. “I never knew I had a sister. Until I dug into those breeding experiment records, I didn’t know my father participated in his own breeding research. I thought Damian was a bastard son from a side relationship.”
He ground his teeth. “I still haven’t discovered why he’s hiding that information, so I am allowing him to believe that his secret is still safe. If he discovers that we know, there will be nothing to stop him from collecting his grandchildren and experimenting on them like he did my brother.”
All the air sucked from the room. Adam walked away, raking his hair back from his forehead. “My blood, Pack blood, is mixed with Nero.” His cold gaze locked onto Sebastian. “Madeleine may be a jaguar, but she is still Pack. I will tear Severino limb from limb if he comes anywhere near my family.”
Sebastian’s voice lowered to a feral growl. “She is my family, too.”
Adam rushed forward, but Aren caught him before he got to Sebastian. “You stay away from my family, you cold-blooded son of a bitch!”
Sebastian rolled his shoulders back, unfazed. “Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague! See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate, That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!”
“Spare me your poetic bullshit.” Adam ripped free of Aren’s grasp, but he didn’t attack again.
“It’s Romeo and Juliet, Wolf.” He shook his head and glanced at me. “I realize I have many sins, but know this. All of you. Nothing is stronger than blood. And blood is what I protect.”
“What happens when your ‘blood’ orders you to take Adam’s children?”
Sebastian took a step in my direction. “That’s why it was so important that my brother didn’t complete this mission. After I failed to bring in Lana and Sasha, my father suspects my loyalties are in question. He killed Grace…”
He paused and cleared his throat. “To punish me. And when he gave the order to eliminate Grace’s roommate, he called on Damian. Not me. If my brother had succeeded, I have no doubt my father would groom Damian for my position.”
“So like I said, this had nothing to do with saving Kilani and everything to do with saving your own ass.”
“Of course.” The corner of Sebastian’s mouth curved into a half smile. “Would you expect anything different?” He went to the door and stopped, turning back to Adam. “If my brother gains access to the higher security documents, he will discover the breeding experiment. I’m trying to keep that knowledge from him because I protect my blood, which includes your mate and your children, but make no mistake, Wolf…I am not your friend or your ally.”
He slammed the door behind him.
We stared at one another for a second. Adam shook his head. “This is all kinds of fucked up. This means we’ll never be rid of Nero, we’ll never be safe until Severino is dead.” He sighed and met my eyes. “Thanks for pinning Sebastian down, Jason. We’re safer knowing than not.”
“How did Lana take it?”
“As well as could be expected. I think she was hoping it wouldn’t be true.”
“Remind her that she didn’t get to pick her family.” I clasped my hands together, resting my elbows on my knees. “Being related to Antonio Severino doesn’t change who she is or who her children are.”
When the others left, I shook my head. “This is going to be tough on Lana. She grew up in foster care. No one wants to finally find their parents and discover their dad is a sick, twisted, evil bastard.”
“She deserves to know. If he comes calling, she needs to be ready.”
I sent up a prayer that that day would never come.
Chapter Thirty-Two
KILANI
“Well, I lost my job.” I tossed my cell into my purse. “They filled my position while we were gone.”
Jason placed two plates piled high with eggs and bacon on the bar and came around to take the stool next to me. “I have some news. too.”
“Oh yeah?” I popped a forkful of fluffy scrambled eggs in my mouth.
“My nurse, Becky, is pregnant.”
“Okay.”
Even the bacon was perfect. How did I get so lucky to fall in love with a handsome, smart werewolf who could cook?
“She’s a few months along now, carrying twins. S
he just got put on bed rest.” He grinned at me.
I placed my fork on the edge of my plate and raised a brow. “So you might need a nurse?”
“Exactly.” He took a drink of orange juice. “But she’d have to be a forward thinker, you know, someone who can get what I need before I ask for it.”
I smiled. “Hmmm.”
“And she needs to be short…possibly Hawaiian… Her name should probably start with a K…”
I laughed and slid off the stool without a hint of pain. The antibiotics ran out a couple of days before, and other than some bruising and a little scar, no one would’ve guessed I’d been shot two weeks ago.
“Well, I’ll keep my ear to the ground while I’m job hunting. Maybe I’ll find your perfect nurse.” I walked toward the bedroom, swaying my hips in my baggy sweatpants.
He raced up behind me and swept me off my feet, carrying me to the bed. I laughed, screaming as we wrestled on the mattress. Finally, I let him pin me underneath him. “So are you trying to ask me to work for you?”
“With me.” He kissed my lips. “Will you come work with me?”
I pretended to give it some thought. “Well, I am available…Yes.”
He kissed me in earnest then and let me roll him over. Straddling his waist, I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and tossed it across the room. He ran his hand up my legs as he stared at me with hungry eyes. “I love you.”
I laid over him, taking his lower lip in my teeth. “You better.”
He laughed and rolled me under him again. “If we didn’t have the twins’ birthday party today, I’d be sure you never left this room.”
Since my injury healed, we had lots of catching up to do. Noisy catching up. I glanced at the digital clock by the bed. “Maybe if we’re fast.”
Jason got up, taking me with him. “I have a better idea.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Oh yeah?”
He carried me into the bathroom and turned on the shower. “Plus, we’ll be conserving water.”
We were only fifteen minutes late to Malcolm and Madeleine’s party at the ranch. These twins were like no other one-year-olds I’d ever seen. Not only were they running, but they spoke in sentences. Jason told me it had something to do with the shorter gestational period. Apparently women in the Pack gave birth to full-term babies after four months, instead of nine, and the babies matured at a rapid rate until they leveled out just before kindergarten.
