by Terry Spear
She withheld it. “I was waiting for you to be in a better mood. Appeared that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.”
Darien seized the letter from her.
“You might want to sit down when you read it.”
Larissa already told me what it said.” He yanked the letter out of the envelope; barely aware Jake stood breathing down his neck to get a glimpse of it.
“Then you already know your mate had a living husband.”
Darien jerked his head up and stared at Silva, not believing her words.
Silva folded her arms and looked smug.
Hell, he knew it. His worse nightmare realized. Lupus garous dldn’t divorce. They mated for a lifetime and only mated again if they lost their lifemate, if they found someone else they couldn’t live without. That meant a female was a virgin when first mated unless she was widowed, or in rare cases had been with a human. Lelandi hadn’t been a virgin. Too hung up on her to learn anything he didn’t want to know, he hadn’t questioned her.
He sat down hard on the chair next to Larissa’s bed, hating that Silva knew how horrible the news hit him. So was it a red blackmailing Lelandi for mating a gray when she was already mated to a red? Or a gray who’d learned the truth, blackmailing her so that he wouldn’t tell Darien? But why kill her?
Staring at the letter, he couldn’t make himself open it. Now he wondered If the man who had accosted Larissa had been Lelandi‘s mate.
Her nightmares were now becoming his own.
Jake stood next to the chair, waiting.
Pack leaders had to keep their packs together. No matter what. Darien had to get through whatever life dealt him. Clenching his teeth, he opened the letter and began to read.
Dear Lelandi,
He glanced up at Jake.
“So the letter’s from her,” Jake said, jerking his thumb at Larissa. “It’s not from her sister.”
If you’re reading this, I’m dead. Might as well say it like it is. You know me, that’s the way I always could be with you. No one else. Just you, sis.
“Hell, no, it can’t be from her,” Darien said, waving his hand at the hospital bed. “Not if the letter is supposed to be from the dead twin.”
“Then Lelandi was Larissa and Larissa was Lelandi? I’ll never get it straight.”
Darien felt a colossal pool of tension collecting in his temple. The more he found out about his mate, the more he realized she wasn’t who he thought she was. “Seems that way.”
“That’s why she kept saying she was Lelandi when we called her Larissa. I thought her confusion was a direct result of her wounds, and then later from the medication.”
So what else had his mate lied about? Having a family, a pack, a husband, her name. Part of him wanted to know, but part of him ranted the secrets kept buried. What difference did it make to know all the sordid details now?
I could never be what you thought I should, the good daughter, the perfect wife, but you always forgave me as a sister. You tried to steer me right a million times, but I finally had to find my own way. Who would have ever thought little ol’ me would end up with two husbands living at the same time, eh? Sorry, L. Just like the rest of our family. we don’t exactly go along with pack rules. In our blood, I guess.
If I could do it all over again. I wouldn’t have been born. Honest.
I wanted to be just like you. Hope you don‘t mind too terribly. Didn’t try to cause you any trouble. Don’t ever get hooked up with the wrong wolf and then find the right one.
But if Darien was the right one, why was she so unhappy? None of it made any sense.
One of the lupus found out. He’s been blackmailing me. Been getting death threats, too. If Darien learns about my other mate, he’ll be wishing I’d died the first time around.
The fear she’d be found out—that’s what made her so inconsolable.
I’ve made a real mess of things. Like I usually do with my life.
Give Mom and Papa my love. I know they’re white-haired by now over all of my shenanigans. Love you, sis. Find the happiness I was never meant to have. Larissa
He looked at—Lelandi, still sleeping soundly, wondering how the hell Larissa had sent her the letter after she had died.
“Maybe we ought to let him have some private time?” Silva said to Jake.
“You need anything, Darien?” Jake asked.
He shook his head, feeling like his whole body had sifted through a grinder. Leaning back in the chair, he closed his eyes. He’d wanted his mate to tell him what upset her so.
Now he almost wished he didn’t know.
Later that afternoon, Jake poked his head in the room while Lelandi slept soundly and said to Darien. “We’ve got problems with one of the leather tanning machines, and I really need help on this one.”
Darien figured he didn’t, but wanted to get his mind off his troubles. As it turned out, it took more than an hour to fix it and Darien was thankful for the diversion.
Returning to the hospital, Jake opened the back door. “I can’t believe anyone could screw up the leather tanning machine that badly.”
“At least no one was injured.” Darien said, “like the last time.”
Ritka sleeping at the nurse’s station caught his attention. She could be a real bitch, but she always worked hard, never slacking off.
“What the hell.”
Jake gave her arm a rough shake. “She’s out cold.”
Darien’s stomach clenched, and he glanced down the hall. A janitor was passed out next to a bucket of mop water, and Deputy Peter lay sprawled on the floor next to his chair in front of Lelandi’s room.
Shit.” Darien bolted down the hall and slammed Lelandi’s door open, the force banging it against the wall. Lelandi was gasping for air, a black plastic bag covering her face, suffocating her.
“Odin’s teeth!” In a couple of bounds, he was beside her bed, digging his fingers into the bag, trying to rip it open, his heart thundering.
Before Lelandi was fully conscious, she felt she was suffocating, the room pitch black, yet with her wolf vision, she should see clearly. She tried to move her hands, but her wrists were bound again. She could barely breathe as something pressed against her face. Something clinging and black. No oxygen. Blacking out. Where were her guards? Inside room? Outside...
Holes began to appear in the plastic as someone frantically tore at it and finally ripped it away. She gasped for air. Darien’s anxious face and the blinding lights of the hospital room appeared before her, while he continued to tear at the bag.
Filling her lungs. she tried to reach out to him. He paused while ripping the tape off around her neck, and took her hand and squeezed tight. “Jesus. Lelandi.” He didn’t say anything more, just held onto her hand and gazed into her eyes.
Jake rushed into the room. “What the hell.” He grabbed her wrist. “Her pulse is frantic.”
“Find out who all was at the hospital, who had access to the coffeepot in the common area, whose fingerprints are on it. I want to know how many were drugged and if everyone’s all right.” Darien finished removing the tape and bag from her neck and head.
Still holding her wrist, Jake remained beside her. “Pulse is more normal.”
Darien seized the leather strap tying her right wrist, and Jake grasped the other and yanked it off.
“I want her home with us until we get somewhere with this investigation.”
Lelandi breathed deeply, unable to comprehend what had happened.
“Did you see who did this to you?” Darien brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, holding her hand again with a firm but tender touch.
The nightmare she was living was getting worse. “I must have been sleeping. I was pretty groggy. What happened?”
“It appears somebody laced the coffee that the staff and visitors drink with heavy-duty sleep medicine.”
Even Sam was sound asleep in the chair next to the wall. “Just to get to me?”
Darien ran his hand over hers. Lo
oks that way,”
“Doc said she could be released?” Jake asked.
“Yeah. Check on the others, will you?”
“Sure thing.” Jake rushed out of the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were Lelandi?”
She frowned. “I told... you. No one would listen.”
“Tell me who she was mated to.”
Lelandi looked away.
He wasn’t used to being disobeyed and her actions thoroughly compounded his irritation concerning what her sister had done. But it wasn’t Lelandi’s fault, and he attempted to curb his temper. “I have to know who’s got it in for you. Maybe knowing who she was mated to doesn’t matter at this point, but I can’t help but wonder if he had contracted someone to shoot you. Was that who accosted you behind Hastings?”
“No.”
Lelandi—”
“It wasn’t!”
Taking a deep breath, he nodded. Her eyes held his hostage, and he couldn’t believe how much he yearned to have her, like he’d wanted her sister. He looked down at his sweaty hands. She made him feel like a pup vying for a female’s attention the first time around. She wasn’t even in a wolf’s heat, yet he desired her like he had no business wanting her.
He took another deep breath and looked at her. “Until I find some answers, you are staying with my brothers and me.”
Her lips parted, but she promptly closed them.
He expected her to object, or say something. But she seemed so withdrawn, he wondered if the attempted murderer had drugged her also. “All right?”
She nodded.
“Silva cleaned your jacket and jeans, but I’m afraid your shirt and...” He glanced down at her breasts covered in the thin hospital gown, her nipples pressed against the fabric. He raised his brows. “She picked up a couple of items for you to wear.”
She gave a tentative nod.
“Did one of the nurses give you more medicine?”
“I... I don’t remember.”
Before Darien responded, Silva pushed a wheelchair into the room. “Jake’s really uptight about something, but he wouldn’t say what. He told me to hurry this down here. What’s going on?” She glanced at Sam. “Boy, I’ve never seen him sleep on guard duty before.” She lifted the ripped-up black plastic sack off the table next to the bed. “What’s this?”
Lelandi shuddered.
“A death mask,” Darien said. “Get her dressed. She’s going to my place, ASAP.”
Darien shook Sam’s arm and woke him. Blurry-eyed, he glowered at Darien.
“Come on. Let’s get some caffeine into you.”
“What... what the bloody hell happened?” Sam growled, rubbing his head, his eyes squinting. “I feel like I’ve pulled an all-nighter and have a Iupus-sized hangover.”
“You’ve been drugged.” Darien helped Sam out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
“Who did this?” Sam bellowed. “I’ll kill ‘em.”
“What in the world happened?” Silva carefully helped Lelandi to the edge of the bed.
Someone put something in the coffee and knocked everyone out. Guy tried to suffocate me.”
“Ohmigod, it’s a good thing I don’t drink coffee. I ran home to get another book to read, thinking you’d be here a while longer. But when I returned, I found Jake trying to wake Ritka and a janitor. Jake yelled at me to get a wheelchair for you and wouldn’t say what was wrong. Was the person who tried to hurt you a guy or a woman?”
“I... I don’t know.”
“Darien’s got to catch the bastard.”
Although Lelandi was healing well, considering shed been shot the night before last, she was sore and weak. Silva took her arm and helped her down from the bed, but Lelandi‘s head began to swirl into darkness, and Silva pushed her back onto the mattress.
Silva’s hands trembled. “Sit. Uhm, I’ll get Nurse Grey to help. You’re less stable on your feet than I thought.”
She hurried out of the room, but Lelandi didn’t need half of the people at the hospital dressing her. She meant to climb off the bed, steady herself for a minute, then get dressed. But as soon as her feet touched the floor, her mind and stomach began floating out to sea and the table started to tilt. Except the table wasn’t tilting, and she grabbed for It when she started to black out, pulling it crashing down on top of her.
Where the edge of the table landed, dull pain hit her thighs. So much for dressing herself. New bruises for sure, but at least she didn’t hit her tender wounds. If she wasn’t so groggy she would have screamed bloody murder for her ineptness.
Darien and Jake rushed into the room, their expressions horrified. Crap.
“Odin’s knees,” Darien said, and Jake echoed his sentiment.
He and his brother hurried to pull the table off her.
“We should leave her in the bed, restrained.” Jake offered her a wry smile.
Lelandi managed a low, feeble growl.
Jake raised a brow and Darien had the gall to smile, although she didn’t know what he thought was so damned funny. If his arm wasn’t so far away from her teeth, she’d bite him.
“Oh no... oh no,” Silva said, hurrying into the room. “I shouldn’t have left you alone for a second. Nurse Grey’s coming in a minute. She was trying to revive Doc, who’s passed out in his office.”
“Is he all right?” Darien lifted Lelandi off the floor, but one of his hands slipped inside the gown opening at the back. His heated fingers pressing against her naked skin sent her temperature soaring, and the look he gave her made her sure it unsettled him as much as it did her. He set her on the bed and adjusted her hospital gown to draw the skimpy fabric lower, past her knees. “Leave. Jake.”
“What?”
“We’re getting her dressed and out of here.”
“I’m staying at your place.” Silva pulled clothes out of a pink bag from Lacy Garments & Accessories. “She’ll need me to help her dress and shower. So, plan on a slumber party, boys.”
Jake shook his head and closed the door.
“You know, Silva, you can be a real pain in the ass.” Darien slipped on Lelandi’s sock, his back to her while Silva pulled off her gown.
“You love me anyway, boss.” Silva winked at Lelandi. “I couldn’t find a pretty lace bra to match your panties. This crummy place isn’t very style conscious, though Lacy Garments & Accessories has some nice see-through nighties. If we wore such a thing. But I thought this white lace bra was pretty and cut a little lower so it wouldn’t touch your wounds and irritate them.” She drew the bra up to cover her.
Darien paused before he put on her other sock, and she wondered if he wanted to look to see how low-cut the bra was. It was low. Nearly exposed her nipples, and it was a push-up.
“Looks nice, sugar, although you really didn’t need anything pushed up.”
Darien’s heart beat harder, and she could smell his sex again.
Silva was pushing the poor gray over the edge. “I bought you this nice, loose, button-down shirt so that it would be easy to dress.”
Darien growled low. Or moaned. Lelandi’s hearing wasn’t what it should be either because of the medication.
“Help me get her jeans on, boss, and she’ll be ready to go. She doesn’t need to put her boots on. We have to wheel her out to your SUV, and I’ll follow behind in my car.”
Darien focused on the shirt, and then his gaze shifted to Silva, who shrugged. “Ready to help with the jeans?”
His eyes strayed to Lelandi’s new panties, and she wished she could see what made them seem so appealing to him. He was having a time helping her into her jeans, although she imagined he’d be a whiz at taking them off. Why she was even thinking such a thing, she hadn’t a clue.
The jacket was last, and it was heavy and cumbersome because she felt so weak. Once she sat in the wheelchair, Darien pushed her out of the room where Jake waited beyond the door.
Walking beside Darien, Jake said. “Everyone’s slowly waking from the drugged cof
fee—Doc, Ritka, the new Janitor, parents of a patient, Peter, Sam, and Uncle Sheridan. But, man, was Uncle Sheridan hotter than a summer heat wave. Even in his half-groggy condition, he’s ordering Trevor about, taping off the break room. He warned us the attempted killer probably didn’t leave any fingerprints behind. Sam’s throwing a beer and pizza party at our place later.”
“What?”
“You missed the leader’s meeting because you were investigating the shootings. Figured now that you’re taking the lady to your house, you’ll want to have the meeting. And,” Jake said, “since his barmaid will be there, she can serve, like always.”
Silva gave him a disgruntled look, although the annoyance appeared faked. Lelandi figured she loved being the center of attention in a room full of men. Or at least tried to be, or was it that she secretly had a yearning for Sam?
Jake shoved his Stetson on his head and pushed the side door to the hospital open. “He said you’ve got to earn your keep somehow.”
“Like I don’t work lots of overtime so the guys can drink longer? Ahem, is Trevor going to be working guard duty?” Her voice sounded suspiciously hopeful.
Lelandi wanted to kick the deputy next time she saw him act disinterested in Silva when she wanted so much to please him. Why did women chase after men who showed them no affection in return?
“What are we going to do about the sleeping arrangements?” Jake asked.
Silva looked back at Darien. “Yeah, boss, who gets to sleep with whom?”
Lelandi held her breath, waiting for Darien’s word, feeling a mixture of hope he wanted her, and at the same time wishing he’d want to steer dear of her. She had a mission to accomplish. She didn’t need any more of his kisses. And she sure as hell didn’t want them.
Her tongue traced her lips, just thinking of the way he’d kissed her, and she closed her eyes and moaned. Could any other man make her feel like that? And if he could, she wanted to find him next. Forget about looking for her damned rogue brother.
She opened her eyes and found everyone watching her.
Darien’s brows lifted slightly. “Lelandi sleeps alone.”
She let out her breath, and he cast her a smile.
“I don’t want anyone bumping into her wounds in the middle of the night. Unless one of my brothers wants to give up his bed to you. Silva...” Darien tilted his head to the side as if to ask if she had any objections, yet finality censored his words.
