Sanctuary Found_Pelican Bay [Book 2]

by Sloane Kennedy

  It was Maddox’s voice.

  And he sounded scared.

  Oh God, Newt.

  I tore around the corner of the livestock fencing and ran down the path leading to the cat building. The snow made it feel like I was going so slow I may as well have been walking backward.

  “Newt!” I screamed as Loki flew past me and raced down the trail.

  “Here!” Maddox called. “He’s here!”

  I almost fell as I turned onto the smaller path that led to the building, and my heart nearly stopped in my chest at the sight that was waiting for me.

  Chapter Eleven

  Maddox

  It’d been a shitty morning, but that was only fitting since it’d been a shitty night the evening before.

  Well, except the kissing Isaac part.

  That had been unbelievable.

  Like life-altering kind of unbelievable. He had the sweetest mouth, and the way he’d clung to me as I’d plundered it and made it mine…

  I shook my head as my dick responded to the memory. Sadly, I knew the cold wouldn’t do much to calm my raging libido, since it hadn’t the night before when I’d walked home. The only thing that had managed to make me forget Isaac’s delectable mouth and the red-hot jealousy I was still feeling about him and Sawyer this morning had been the alcohol I’d consumed.

  And it had taken quite a bit of it.

  Enough that I was nursing the mother of all hangovers this morning. It was the first day in the better part of a few weeks that I’d actually wished I didn’t have an obligation to the sanctuary. Normally, I welcomed both the walk to and from the center and the work that kept my mind occupied throughout the day, but today was different.

  Today, Isaac was in my head more than ever and he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Besides Isaac, the fact that I’d kissed a guy and loved it was pretty much leaving me questioning a lot of things. Was I gay and I’d just been in denial this whole time, or was I straight and something about Isaac just called to me? Maybe I was bisexual because I had, in fact, been attracted to women in the past, and maybe I’d also been attracted to guys and just not recognized it for what it was?

  But how was that even possible? I was thirty-two years old, for God’s sake. Shouldn’t I have known all this shit about myself?

  As I made my way from the aviary where I’d been doing some repairs, I let my thoughts drift to Jett and the time he’d kissed me. I couldn’t say I’d particularly enjoyed it, but maybe that was because Jett was my best friend. I hadn’t hated it, either. If anything, I’d just been caught off guard by the kiss.

  I’d briefly debated calling Jett to talk to him about the whole thing but had decided against it. I still didn’t know what that kiss had meant to him so many years ago. If he’d been crushing on me, he’d never acted on it. That one night had been the only time I’d even had a hint that he saw me as anything besides a friend. He’d come out to me almost as soon as we’d met and I’d never gotten the sense he was disappointed I was straight.

  Fuck, I hated labels.

  My parents had been fond of labels.

  I sighed and realized there was only person I really wanted to talk to about the whole thing, but he and I weren’t on sure enough footing for that yet. If I was going to talk to Dallas about anything, it probably needed to be to figure out exactly where we were at in terms of our relationship. I hadn’t thought he’d give me a second chance, but Nolan’s words the day before at Thanksgiving dinner had given me an odd sense of hope.

  Hell, what I needed was just to focus on work. My next task was to start ripping down one of the dilapidated sheds on the property to make way for the new habitats Dallas wanted to build. Dallas had indicated we could wait until spring, but I wanted him to be able to break ground as soon as the snow was gone. And the location wouldn’t be easy to get any excavating equipment to, so the building would need to be taken down by hand and the debris trucked out at some point.

  As I rounded the corner to follow the trail that led to the office, I heard a muffled thump and a whining sound. I was just walking toward the narrow path that cut through to the cat building when I saw a streak of white flash by me. Loki changed direction when he saw me and began whining in earnest as he darted back toward the cat building, then came back to me. I dropped my tools and began running, because I had no doubt what was bothering the animal.

  My heart was in my throat when I saw the familiar bright-blue parka covered in cartoon cars and the red knit cap. But the cap was currently lying in the snow next to Newt’s little thrashing body.

  “Newt!” I screamed as I ran to him and fell to my knees next to him. His eyes were open and his face was contorted into an expression of confusion and fear. His mouth was wide open and there was some spit forming at the side of his mouth. His arms and legs were jerking in the snow.

  Jesus, he was having a seizure.

  I automatically began searching for my phone but remembered I’d left it in the office to charge.

  I ripped off my gloves and put my hands on Newt’s face.

  “Newt, buddy, I’m here,” I said. I wasn’t sure if he could hear me or not, but I desperately wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. His expression didn’t change–it was like he was seeing right through me.

  “Dallas! Sawyer!” I yelled. I knew Isaac had left to go to town earlier because I’d crossed paths with him in the office as he’d been saying his goodbyes to Newt, Dallas, and Nolan. He hadn’t spoken to me, but I’d overheard Newt begging him not to forget the snow pants.

  I had no clue what to do for Newt, though my gut was telling me not to restrain him. I checked the area around him to make sure there was nothing his body would come into contact with, like a tree limb or large rock sticking out of the snow. The evening’s previous snowfall had left a soft layer of snow on top of the iced-over layer, so my hope was he hadn’t hurt himself when he’d fallen. I didn’t see any kind of bleeding or marks on his head, but there could very well be an injury on the back of his head.

  I fought the urge to gather the thrashing little boy in my arms and instead continued to talk to him so he would know he wasn’t alone. I was about to yell for Dallas and Sawyer again when I heard Isaac calling Newt’s name. It was then that I noticed Loki had taken off.

  God, I fucking loved that wolf.

  “Here! He’s here!” I shouted.

  Less than ten seconds later, Loki, then Isaac came barreling around the corner.

  “Newt,” Isaac cried out, and then he was falling to his knees on the other side of Newt’s body. Loki began licking Newt’s face and whining frantically.

  “I think he’s having a seizure,” I said. “Where’s your phone?”

  Surprisingly, Isaac was calmer than I would have expected him to be when he said, “He is.” He put his hands on Newt’s upper body and said to me, “Help me get him on his side. We need to keep his airway clear and ride it out.”

  I did as he said. As I held Newt in position, Isaac got down next to his face and checked his mouth, then began quietly talking to him.

  “I’m here, Newt. It’s okay, buddy. It’ll be over soon, okay? I’m not going anywhere. Just listen to the sound of my voice.”

  He kept talking to Newt even as Sawyer suddenly appeared. Within seconds, he was kneeling next to us. “What happened?” he asked.

  “He’s epileptic,” Isaac responded.

  Sawyer nodded and then began running his fingers gently over the back of Newt’s head. Dallas and Nolan appeared, and Nolan quickly pulled Loki back as the animal continued to try and lick Newt’s face.

  “I’m not finding any head wounds,” Sawyer said. “This snow is soft enough that it would have cushioned his fall.”

  “Do we need to call someone?” Nolan asked. We were all on our knees in the snow. Dallas yanked his coat off and draped it over Newt’s still-jerking body.

  “No, it’ll be over soon,” Isaac said. His voice was still calm, but I could hear a line of fear in it. Even if he
’d witnessed an episode like this before, it had to have been scary as hell each time.

  I knew I was scared shitless.

  And felt so fucking helpless. Newt’s little body felt so frail beneath my hands, but his limbs just kept jerking. He was making grunting sounds too.

  It was a good minute before his moves began to slow. It was only when his body began to tick rather than jerk that Isaac lifted Newt onto his lap and cuddled him against his chest. I grabbed Dallas’s coat and tucked it against Newt’s body as best I could. Then I stripped my own parka off and draped it over Isaac’s shoulders.

  “Newt,” Isaac said softly just after Newt’s eyes rolled shut. I saw Newt’s fisted hands relax and then lift so they were pressed close to his chest. He let out a soft little cry and tucked his head under Isaac’s chin.

  “It’s okay, buddy,” Isaac said. “It’s over.”

  “Is he in pain?” Nolan asked.

  Isaac shook his head. “No, he’s just confused. He doesn’t remember the actual episode, but when he comes out of it, he doesn’t know where he is or what’s happened. He just needs a minute.”

  “Here,” I said as I reached for Isaac’s elbow. “Let’s get you up.”

  Sawyer supported Isaac’s other arm while we helped Isaac climb to his feet.

  “Isaac?” Newt whispered, his voice thick and hoarse with tears.

  “I’m here, Newt,” Isaac said as he gave Newt a gentle squeeze. “Everything’s okay. You’re safe.”

  Newt nodded but didn’t say anything else.

  “Let’s get him inside,” Nolan said. “Can you carry him?”

  Isaac nodded. We all ended up making a little cocoon around Isaac as he walked. I kept my arm around him to make sure if he stumbled, he wouldn’t fall. Nolan and Dallas were leading the way to the house, Loki was practically glued to Isaac’s other side, and Sawyer was right behind us.

  “I need to get him warm,” Isaac said as we reached the house. He looked at Nolan. “Can you get a bath ready, but make sure the water isn’t too hot?”

  “Of course,” Nolan said as he hurried to do Isaac’s bidding.

  “I’m going to go run and get my medical bag,” Sawyer said. “I just want to take a listen to his lungs.”

  “Is there something to be worried about?” I asked.

  “No,” Sawyer quickly said. “Just a precaution.”

  “Thanks,” Isaac nodded. To Dallas he said, “There’s a thermometer and some children’s aspirin in my bag in our room. Would you get that for me? Also his pajamas? He’s going to need to rest once I get him warmed up.”

  Dallas nodded and hurried upstairs. Isaac and I followed.

  “Do you want me to carry him up the stairs?” I asked.

  “No, I’m okay,” Isaac said. He sounded much more tired than he had a moment earlier, likely because his adrenaline was starting to crash. “Just, um, can you keep your arm around me?” he asked. “So I don’t fall.”

  I didn’t bother to tell him that had been my plan all along. Isaac felt so slight against my body that I found myself tucking him up against my side in the hopes of offering him even more support. When we got to the bathroom, Nolan had the bathtub already filled. It wasn’t a big space, so he stepped out of the way. Dallas appeared and handed me the items Isaac had asked for.

  “Do you need anything else?” Nolan asked. “How about we heat up some soup?”

  “He won’t eat for a bit,” Isaac said.

  “Okay, how about some hot chocolate?”

  Nolan clearly was rattled because his voice was shaking, and I guessed that Isaac responded with, “Sure, that would be great” more to give Nolan something to do than anything else.

  After Nolan and Dallas left the bathroom, Isaac said to me, “We’re okay. You can go too.”

  I heard one thing but saw another. And even if I hadn’t, I wasn’t going anywhere. As calm as Isaac was, I could see his hands were shaking and there was a tremor running through his body. This might not have been the first time he’d had to deal with this kind of episode, but fuck if he was going to deal with it alone.

  “Tell me what you need me to do,” was all I said.

  Fortunately, he didn’t argue with me. He hesitated, then nodded. “Can you hold him while I get him undressed?”

  I carefully took Newt from Isaac. The little boy didn’t even seem to notice the transfer because he was practically asleep. My eyes fell on a couple of abrasions on Isaac’s cheek and temple, but I didn’t ask him about it.

  Now wasn’t the time.

  I held Newt as Isaac quickly worked his clothes off him. It was a little awkward maneuvering him around, but Newt slept through it. Sawyer appeared.

  “Can I take a listen?” Sawyer asked Isaac.

  Isaac nodded and stepped back, leaving me to hold Newt while Sawyer listened to his lungs. I held my own breath for the handful of seconds it took for Sawyer to say, “Everything sounds clear.”

  “Thanks,” Isaac said.

  “From what I’ve read, you just need to monitor him for fever or more seizures, right?”

  Isaac nodded. “He’s usually fine after a couple of hours of sleep. But I’ll take him to the doctor if he’s showing any abnormal signs.”

  Sawyer nodded and patted Isaac on the upper arm. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything, okay?”

  “Thanks,” Isaac murmured.

  Sawyer left, and Isaac and I carefully got Newt settled in the tub. The little boy stirred awake as he was surrounded by the warm water. I kept my arm around him to keep him from slipping beneath it.

  “How you doing, buddy?” Isaac asked as he got the thermometer.

  “Sleepy,” Newt whispered.

  “I know. You can sleep in a few minutes, okay? Just need to take your temperature.”

  Newt nodded and accepted the thermometer. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief when the temperature read normal.

  “Did I get the shakes?” Newt murmured as he tried to curl into my arm. Isaac was using his cupped palm to scoop some water onto Newt’s head to try and clear some of the lingering chunks of snow from it.

  “Yeah, Newt, you did,” Isaac said.

  “Do I gotta wear the hat?” he asked.

  Isaac hesitated and said, “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”

  “Don’t wanna,” Newt said as he began to cry. “People will laugh at me.”

  Isaac quickly lifted Newt and pulled him out of the tub, not caring that the little boy was getting him wet. I snagged a towel and wrapped it around Newt’s body. Isaac tucked the ends between his and Newt’s body, then settled Newt on his lap as the little boy cried. He kissed the top of his head and said, “No one will laugh at you, Newt. Promise.”

  My heart broke for the little boy as he shook his head and cried. I suspected what Newt might be talking about. A kid I’d gone to grade school with had suffered from severe epilepsy. He’d had to wear some kind of soft-padded helmet to protect his head if he fell. The kids had teased the boy mercilessly.

  Newt was inconsolable as he sobbed, and I could see that every second that passed was breaking Isaac down further and further. Although he was being strong for his brother, I could see it was taking every ounce of strength he had not to lose it himself.

  “Hey Newt, do you remember when you helped save Loki that night? When you told all the people how nice he really was?” I asked.

  Newt nodded.

  “Do you remember afterwards when your brother had to help me leave the room?”

  “’Cause you were scared?” Newt asked.

  I nodded. “That’s right.” I felt Isaac’s gaze on me, but I didn’t allow myself to look at him. “I got scared when the man was banging the gavel and all those people kept bumping into me.”

  “You don’t gotta be scared of that,” Newt said.

  “I know I don’t need to, but I am just the same.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it reminds me of some scary stuff that happened. But you want to
know what’s scarier?”

  “What?”

  I began drying his hair but made sure not to cover his face with the towel while I was doing it so he could still see me.

  “I’m afraid people will laugh at me when they find out I’m scared of those things.”

  “It’s not funny,” Newt said softly.

  I let my eyes hold his as I said, “No, it’s not. Just like it’s not funny that you have to wear a hat sometimes to keep you safe.”

  He nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “So I’ll make you a deal,” I said. “I promise that if anyone laughs at you because you’re wearing your special hat, I’ll let them know it isn’t funny if you promise to do the same for me if someone laughs because I’m scared of loud noises and being around too many people.”

  He only thought about it for about two seconds before he said, “’Kay.”

  “Okay,” I declared, then I spit into my hand and held it out to him. His tired eyes went wide. “What, you’ve never spit on it before?” I asked.

  His eyes remained wide as he shook his head. He looked both horrified and fascinated at the same time.

  “A spit handshake is like a promise you can’t ever break. Ever,” I declared. “You only spit on it when you really, really mean it.”

  Newt glanced at Isaac who said, “You gotta really mean it, Newt.” He ran his hand over Newt’s damp hair.

  The little boy seemed to think long and hard on it, then he spit into his hand and shook mine. I nearly laughed at the big gob of spit that met my palm.

  “It’s done,” I said solemnly as I gave him a firm nod of my head.

  Newt nodded. “Done,” he repeated as he laid his head on Isaac’s chest. His eyes began to slide shut, so I quickly dried off the rest of him, then helped Isaac to his feet while he was still holding Newt. When I went to open the door, Loki pushed into the bathroom.

  “Loki,” Newt murmured as he let his arm hang so Loki could lick his fingers. The wolf hybrid followed us to the bedroom Newt and Isaac were sharing. I’d remembered to snag Newt’s pajamas from the bathroom, so Isaac stood Newt on the bed and told him to stay standing as he quickly got the PJs worked onto his little body. Then he was settling Newt into the bed. The moment he covered Newt with the blanket, Loki jumped up onto the other side of the bed and lay down next to Newt. The child buried his fingers into Loki’s fur, then his eyes drifted shut and I knew he was out by the time Isaac leaned down to kiss his forehead.