She shook her head. “No, not just yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”
The male nodded. “Okay.”
“X, Rose is in blast crisis.”
His face got a bit gray and she watched as he swallowed hard. “Okay. So not what we were hoping for, but I’m sure you have a strategy. What are you considering other than the new medications? A bone marrow transplant?”
She gave a nod toward the front table. “Take a look at the sample that’s in the scope.”
She waited quietly while he studied the slide.
“So the large cells, those are normal white blood cells?”
She shook her head.
“Those are…they’re all blast cells?”
She nodded. “I’m so sorry, Xavier.”
“I…excuse me.”
The male was out the door like a shot.
“X,” she called after him.
Damn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Helen hurried down the main corridor and opened the door to her room. Once inside, she went straight for the closet to get her coat.
“Dies,” she called.
Her mate came into the front room. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you to find X’s location and get me to him. Please. I’ll fill you in later.”
Gleaming was so not her favorite, but she sensed X was in trouble. So, she wrapped her arms around Diesel’s waist and put her head against his chest. Moments later, they were surrounded by the lights of downtown Boston. She looked around and realized they were in Charlestown, on Paul Revere Park’s grassy knoll. Her mate nodded down toward the water. Xavier was standing alongside the Charles; the white and electric blue lights of the Zakim Bridge made everything around him look somehow surreal.
“Do you want me to wait for you?” Diesel asked.
“No. I’ll be alright.”
The look on her mate’s face told her he was less than pleased with the arrangement, but he wasn’t the kind of male who would ever interfere with her work. Or a friendship.
“Let me know if you need me.” He kissed her forehead and vanished.
Helen took a deep breath and walked down the grass toward the water. X was standing by the black metal fencing that framed the river’s edge, gazing out at the city with his hands in the pockets of his trench.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said.
He nodded.
Neither of them said anything for a long time. She was just beginning to wonder if she should text her mate when he spoke.
“Am I being punished, Helen?”
She turned to face him. “No. Why would you think that?”
“Because I had to see to believe. Because I couldn’t just accept. Because I questioned.”
Goddess, she understood that so well. When Diesel had first mentioned seeing the Goddess, she’d thought he was kidding. “Of course not.”
“Then why? Why is this happening again?”
“I don’t know. I wish I had the answer. But I know it’s not because of you.”
“I can’t do this. I can’t lose her, too. I can’t…”
Helen reached up and put her arms around the male’s neck. He took ahold of her shoulders, buried his face in her neck, and wept.
Then, without warning, her pager went off. “It’s Rose. Another bleed.”
X slipped his arm around Helen’s waist and in seconds they were in the medical ward. Rose was sitting on one of the beds as Diesel applied pressure to her nose.
“How long has it been since it started, my male?” Helen asked as she started taking vitals.
Diesel glanced at the wall clock. “About fifteen minutes. It was just starting to slow right before you got here.”
“Well, now. That’s not so bad.” Helen placed her hand on Rose’s forehead, then took Xavier aside. “This will go quickly now. You need to be prepared. You need to be strong for her.”
For a moment X stood stalk still. It was like someone had hit pause.
“X?”
Suddenly, he was all action. “I’ve got her, my brother. Switch off on three. One, two, now.”
Then she was in his arms where she belonged and instead of leading with his gray matter, for a change, he led with his heart. He was going to make every second they had together count. And when she was gone, he would spend every day of the rest of his life making her proud until they were reunited in the Otherworld.
James went through the channels with the remote and finally settled on Bill Maher. Pax was still out cold with his head in his lap. The male was still dressed and totally filthy, but still looked ridiculously hot. James rolled his eyes and stretched his legs as much as he could without waking Sleeping Beauty. He needed to take a wicked piss, but he wasn’t ruining this. No way. His bladder could fuck off.
Pax coughed and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Not too long. A couple of hours.”
Pax reached up and smoothed the front of James’s hair. “I thought of you, you know.”
“When? While you were ganking rogues?”
Pax sat up. “Yep.”
“That’s hot.”
“Right?”
He leaned in and James met him part way, their mouths fusing. Jesus, Pax could kiss. He tried to forget that kind of thing came from practice. It was much more likely to be because the male was five years older. Or maybe because he was Latino. Riiight.
“God, you feel good,” Pax said against his mouth right before leaning on the wrong arm. “Fuck.”
His camzah moved so that his back was up against the headboard.
“Here.” James grabbed some pillows and used them to support the male’s arm.
“Thanks. Listen, there’s something I need to tell you. It has to do with my past, but it affects us, too.”
Did the brother just say us? James was starting to think he was hallucinating.
“There’s no easy way to say this. There’s a chance I might be an HIV carrier.”
James’s brain tried to put New Breed and HIV together with zero success. “Okay. You can’t give me HIV.”
“No, but I could make you a carrier. And I would never do that to you.”
“You haven’t been tested?”
The male looked down at his lap. “No. Not yet.”
Then it hit James like a ton of bricks. And maybe a cartoon anvil just for fun. “It’s Luis, isn’t it?”
Pax still avoided eye contact. “The thing is…”
“The thing is, you lose either way. If you test positive, then you likely infected him. If you don’t, then he got it from someone else.”
Pax shook his head. Jesus, the way that male could read people’s hearts was downright spooky sometimes. But James was right. Something happened while he was fighting his way out of that warehouse. He’d fought upwards of thirty rogues and by the end, he was so tired he could barely stand. Yet he’d made it. Now he was too big a pussy to let Helen prick his finger? This had to stop. He needed to move forward, because living in the shadows was slowly killing him. He had to take the test so he could face the results and start healing. So he could be whole for James. And himself.
Pax bit his bottom lip. “Do you want to go with me?”
“Of course.” He put his hand on the side of Pax’s neck and kissed him softly.
Pax put his forehead to his and James realized he was seeing something he’d never seen before in his camzah’s eyes.
Fear.
Rose opened her eyes and immediately looked for her mate. She relaxed a little when she saw him sitting in a chair at her bedside. Wait. Something wasn’t right. She was still in the medical ward and had her nightgown on. Xavier hadn’t moved her back to their room. She looked at his face for a moment. His eyes were a little bloodshot, as though he’d been crying. And her male didn’t cry.
He took her hand. “I’m right here, Rose.”
She gave him a
little smile. “Hi.”
“How do you feel?”
“A little tired. Other than that, I feel alright.”
He stroked the inside of her wrist lightly with his thumb. “I spoke with Helen earlier and had a look at your test results. We talked about what could be done to slow the CML down.”
She looked her male directly in the eye and when he tried to avoid her gaze, she took him lightly by the chin. “There isn’t anything she can do, is there, my male?”
He paused for a moment before answering. “No, there isn’t.”
She had sensed as much. Her body hadn’t felt right since the first nosebleed. It was as though it was tired right down to the bone. Sometimes just lifting an arm seemed like an effort.
She looked into his face and saw the tension lodged in his perfect features. “How long?”
“She couldn’t say for sure. A few days. Maybe a week.”
She nodded and tried to hide the sadness washing over and through her. She only just found him. She didn’t want to leave him.
Without warning, Xavier stood up and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Let’s get mated, Rosie. Officially.”
She must have misheard him. “What?”
“I’m serious. Reyn can officiate, and I’m sure Adriana or Pax can find a dress.” He looked into her face and his lovely chocolate brown eyes lit up like emeralds. “Will you?”
“Oh, Xavier, yes. Yes a thousand times.”
He leaned down and kissed her before gently pulling her into his arms. Rose held onto him for as long as she could, wanting to remember that moment. He was her miracle, even if she’d only had him for a little while. He’d given her enough love for a lifetime.
James walked down the back stairs to the compound and knocked on Pax’s door.
“It’s open.”
He went in and closed the door behind him. Pax was sitting on the edge of the bed trying unsuccessfully to fasten the last couple of buttons on his shirt. James bent down and gave him a quick kiss before popping them into place.
“Thanks.”
“Nervous?”
“No, not at all. But I wouldn’t go near that trash can if I were you.” Pax put his hands to his face and let himself fall back on the bed. “Fuck.”
James took him by his wrists and pulled him back up again. “It’s going to be okay. You know that, right?”
Pax wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face in his shirt. “You’re telling me that if I gave HIV to my partner you’d still want to be with me?”
He knelt down in front of the male and put his hand on his freshly shaven cheek. “I’m telling you that I love you.”
The male sucked in his breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
There was a knock on the door jam and Reyn looked up from his usual pile of crap. Man, he needed an assistant. “Morning, X.”
The brother cleared his throat. “I have some news.”
“Come in. What’s up?”
“Rose has leukemia.”
Reyn was stunned. Cancer in shifters was incredibly rare. And they were newly mated. “My God. I’m so sorry, my brother.”
“Thanks. It’s, ah, end stage, so I’d like permission for her to convalesce here.”
Dear Goddess. “Of course. Anything you need.”
“I’m going to head up to tell Troy and Evy now, so give me a few minutes. After that, it’s okay to let people know.”
“What can I do, X? Is there anything you need?”
“Actually, we’re getting officially mated and we wondered if you would do the ceremony?”
Reyn grinned. “Yes, of course. I’d be honored. When do you want to do it?”
“As soon as possible. It’s supposed to be unseasonably warm this afternoon. I thought we could do it in the garden.”
“Perfect. I’ll make sure everyone is aware. I’ll speak to Mary about having the reception outside, too.”
X smiled briefly. “Thanks, boss.”
Reyn watched the brother tap the top of the doorway on his way out before he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Damn if this didn’t remind him that his own female was in the Otherworld somewhere. Or at least he hoped, because if she wasn’t, then there was a good chance she was in danger. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her judgment. It was the dicks in the Otherworld he was worried about. He just couldn’t figure out why the hell they were so interested in her. They’d already killed her once. What, they wanted to finish the job? He pegged a stapler at a shelf full of books. If they touched her, so help him, they would beg for death by the time he was finished.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rose sat on the edge of the bed in the medical ward while Adriana did her make-up.
“Special delivery,” she heard her mate say from the other side of the swinging door.
“You can’t come in, X,” Evy said.
“Wouldn’t dream of it. But someone out here is missing her mama.”
Rose heard a familiar cry as her mate let Cool into the room. Ana scooped her up and brought her over.
“Thank you, my male.”
“You’re welcome. See you soon. I’ll be the guy in the tux. Remember him?” He chuckled.
Oh, she remembered alright. She’d never seen anyone so handsome before that night. Thinking about it still gave her goose bumps.
“Do you want your hair up or down?” Adriana asked.
“Oh, I don’t care, but Xavier likes it down.”
“Why don’t we decide when we see the dress,” Evy said. “Where are Ana and Pax anyway?”
Adriana started to brush Rose’s hair. “They’ll be here. Pax is the fastest stylist on the planet. We still have forty-five minutes.”
As if on cue, Pax and Ana materialized carrying a white garment bag and a shoe box.
“Oh, you’re back. What did you find?” Adriana asked.
Pax took the dress out of the garment bag and grinned. “A white tea length strapless Chantilly lace gown with a matching capelet. The two layers are so lightweight. Just a whisper of material.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Evy said. “What do you think, Rose?”
Rose was pretty sure there were tears in her eyes threatening to ruin Adriana’s make-up job. Even more concerning was the sob threatening to escape her throat. “It’s so beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll try the shoes on right now, because I’m stressing about the fit,” Pax said.
Ana smiled. “It was our pleasure. Aw, crap. Pax, we forgot her flowers. I’ll run up to the mansion and see what I can find.”
“We were just discussing whether her hair should be up or down,” Helen said.
“See, Xavier likes it down,” Rose said.
Pax shook his head. “With your long neck and that gorgeous mark it needs to be up. Believe me. He wants it up. He just doesn’t know it. You can always take it down for the reception.”
A short while later, Rose looked at herself in a mirror Ana had brought down from the mansion. She couldn’t believe it was her. The dress was so pretty and she just loved the capelet. And Adriana’s subtle but strategic make-up job made her look almost healthy again.
“I swear she’s channeling Audrey Hepburn,” Pax mused.
“Are you nervous?” Evy asked.
“No, not really. Well, maybe a little.” She went after a newly polished nail and Adriana caught her hand. “Yeah, definitely.”
They all cracked up as they gathered around her for a final pre-ceremony group hug.
X stood by the gazebo in the garden. He turned to Troy who was by his side. “Did you remember the ring, bro?”
“X, how many times are you gonna ask me that?”
“Sorry. Nerves, dig?”
Moments later, the whole of the Order and their females began to file in on either side of the path. Then Rose came through the French doors at the back of the house with Helen and Diesel on either side of her just in case. His female was
breathtaking. She was wearing the most incredible white dress and carried one long stem rose. He gazed at the flower for a moment. What were the chances? Maybe it was a sign that his mother was watching over them.
“Hi,” she said in that lovely voice as she came to stand in front of him.
He took her hands in his. “Hi.”
Reyn placed his fist over his heart. “In lak’ech.”
“Ala k’in,” they all answered in chorus.
“This feels good,” Reyn began. “All of us here in the garden celebrating together. Mind you, I never would have guessed X would be the reason.”
Everyone laughed.
“Our Xavier is truly the Alpha male. He surpasses anyone I’ve ever known in intelligence, speed, strength, and quite possibly stubbornness. But for all those gifts, one in particular was lacking. Love. The kind of love that only a mate can bring. Rose, you have made that possible. You have touched Xavier’s heart. And in touching him you have touched us all. Thank you for that.” He turned to X. “You’re up, my brother.”
Troy handed Xavier a ring and he took his mate’s left hand. “When it came to preparing for the ceremony, my boy Troy had the toughest job by far. I told him I wanted to give you a Japanese ring. So, true to who he is, he told me in some unclean language that I had clearly lost my mind and then promptly gleamed off to find one. I figured he’d head downtown. Turns out he went to Tokyo.”
Rose looked at the ring as Xavier placed it on her finger. It was a yellow gold band with a gathering of cherry blossoms at the top. At each of their centers was a diamond.
“It’s so beautiful, Xavier. Thank you.” She didn’t even get a chance to cry because her male swept her up into a long, tender kiss.
“It’s engraved on the inside of the band,” he said into her ear, as everyone whistled and clapped.
Rose didn’t look at the inscription until they were well into the reception. She lay on the white wicker couch covered with her quilt as she listened to the music Diesel had set up outside. She looked down and slid it off. She looked for words, but instead found Japanese characters.
Fatal Call (New Breed Novels Book 4) Page 17
