“I’d hope not,” Beck said, rubbing his chin against the top of her head. “It’s his job to help protect you.”
“Well…I’ve always loved that boy, but I have to admit, he exceeded my expectations.”
Ken grinned. “So can I ask a favor?”
“I suppose.”
“Please don’t kill or castrate Joaquin.”
She snorted. “I shoulda known.” She glanced around. “I’m not really gonna kill him. I promise. I just wanna put the fear of me into his soul right from the start so he understands who he’ll have to answer to if he hurts her.”
Badger had gotten Duncan caught up on the most recent highlights as they walked. Duncan turned to study Ken. “How did you break a Prime order not to pick up a gun?”
Heat filled his face. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “Everyone asks me that, I still can’t tell you why it happened.” It didn’t matter anymore, because Dewi had lifted that restriction after the events of that day.
Duncan studied him. “Interesting.”
Dewi could once again focus on this topic now that she knew Ken and Nami were safe. “Maybe my Prime powers are slipping.”
Duncan tipped his head. “No, I don’t remember ever hearing of that happening.”
“Well, no one’s ever heard of a wolf like me before, either.”
“True.” He went silent for a long moment. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I am worried about it. There’s a guy doing life in Starke who I Primed. He breaks that, it can cause a lot of problems.”
“Starke?”
“It’s the Florida State Prison,” Ken explained.
“Oh.” Duncan shrugged. “Does he deserve life in prison?”
“He deserves death,” Nami grumbled.
Duncan looked at Ken. “Another overreaction?”
“No, not this time. I’ll be the first to agree the asshole shouldn’t be breathing.”
“I have a lot to learn, don’t I?”
Badger snorted. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, brother.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Within two hours, they were back in town. Ken never thought he’d ever see the town again and thought it was the second most beautiful place in the world, after their house in Florida.
Trent and Peyton stayed with them, as did Joaquin. They took Nami to the clinic, where after X-rays they proclaimed her ankle severely sprained, but not broken. While waiting, she and Ken both chowed down on their first meals in over twenty-four hours. Joaquin had run out and brought back food for them, Nami a cheeseburger and Ken a cheese pizza.
After Nami was discharged from the clinic—with crutches Beck wasn’t happy with but Nami wanted, a wheelchair that Nami wasn’t happy with but Beck demanded, and with Nami’s ankle encased in a splint to help stabilize it—they all headed back to Peyton’s. The doctor, also of the pack, estimated Nami would probably be okay in a couple of weeks, if not sooner.
Gillian and Asia, already updated over the phone by Peyton, had prepared a celebratory feast. Nami’s family was told Ken and Nami had a car accident and got lost in the wilderness, run off the road by the “escaped prisoners.”
Close enough. And with a little gentle nudging from Peyton’s Prime, they believed it.
Duncan…
They went with the simple explanation that he’d gone camping over a month ago and got lost and they thought he’d died, but they found him during the search for Ken and Nami.
A little Prime went a long way in helping.
Duncan was busy being fussed over by Gillian, Asia, and meeting the great-grandkids he didn’t even know he had. Gillian had already put her foot down and said that he’d be staying with them, in the main house.
Last Ken saw Duncan, Gillian and Asia had him sitting in Gillian’s kitchen with a towel draped around him, and they were going after him with a comb and a pair of barber’s shears.
All Ken wanted to do was go to sleep. While Dewi joined everyone at the house to eat, he headed for their guest house for a shower. He could barely keep his eyes open, and the pizza they’d brought him in town had perfectly hit the spot.
In fact, he was leaning against the shower wall, his eyes closed as the warm water soothed his aching muscles, when he heard the bathroom door open a few minutes later.
“Is there room in there for me?” Dewi asked.
“Of course. Did you actually eat?”
“Enough.” In seconds, she’d stripped and stepped into the shower with him, her arms encircling him.
He let out a sigh as his soul felt complete. “Sorry we scared you.”
“No, you have nothing to apologize for,” she mumbled against his chest. “I’m just so damn happy you guys are okay, you have no idea. And you found…” She choked up and couldn’t continue.
He nuzzled the top of her head. “When we get home…I think I need some more lessons. Serious lessons.”
She looked up. “Like what?”
“Guns. Knives. Weapons. Making and using improvised weapons. How to use a tire iron without getting my ass kicked. How to start a fire with a cell phone and some wishful thinking.” He managed a smile, which she returned.
“You did good.”
“Not good enough.” His smile faded. “Seriously, if it hadn’t been for Duncan, we wouldn’t have made it and probably would have died from exposure last night. It was damn cold.”
She tightened her grip on him. “But you did make it. That’s all that matters.”
“I want to bring him to Florida with us,” he said. “I want him to live with us.”
She looked up. “Really?”
“Uh, yeah. He’s family. Gillian’s going to need to build him a whole new identity anyway. Maybe it’d be better for him to get him away from here. Change in scenery. Give him something to do. Make him part of the expanded pack council.”
“I’ll talk to Peyton about it.”
“I’d rather you talk directly to Duncan about it. I know he’ll listen to you.”
“I just met him today.”
“Yeah, but you’re his miracle granddaughter. You already have a special place in his heart.”
“Okay. If you think he will.”
“I hope he will.” He kissed her, his cock stiffening despite his exhaustion.
She draped her arms around his neck, wiggling her hips against him. “You’re in the mood?”
“Just enough.” He turned them so her back was against the wall. Dipping his knees, he easily slid into her as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around him.
She crushed her lips onto his as he held on tight, fucking her hard and fast. It wasn’t long before she was coming and he let his own release free, moaning with relief, the sounds muffled by her lips.
Dewi was still breathing hard as she lowered her legs and held on tightly to him.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I was so scared we weren’t going to find you both. I think it would have killed me.”
“I love you, too.” He stroked her wet hair, holding her, his eyes closed as he deeply inhaled her scent. “I’m tougher than I look, apparently,” he said.
“You certainly are.”
By the time they got out and dried off, he was nearly asleep. Dewi stretched out next to him in bed, draped across him, and he barely had time to give her one last kiss before collapsing into an exhausted sleep.
* * * *
Beck helped Nami get a shower before carrying her into their bedroom and going to sleep with her securely tucked in his arms. She had managed nearly six hours of sleep before she awoke and realized she wasn’t getting any more than that.
Beck tried to keep her in bed with him, but she gently pushed his hands away and sat up. “I have things to do.”
He pulled her back. “No, you do not. Now don’t make me pull mate rank, baby. I’m not above grabbing Peyton or Dewi or Badger to Prime you into staying in bed and resting.”
“I need coffee.”
“I’ll go make it.�
��
“I can’t sit here in bed all day.”
“You have a TV with a couple of hundred channels to watch, and yes, you can. Don’t worry, you’ll have all the help you want tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow’s Wednesday. We’re going on three days behind now, and I still need to go to Spokane and shop.”
“Then I will drive you, along with an armed contingent.” He narrowed his blue gaze and frowned. “Babe, seriously. Please. I need you to rest and stay off that ankle.”
She reached up and palmed his cheek. “I’m sorry we scared you.”
“All I care about is that you two are alive and safe. The wedding…no offense, what we just went through kind of eclipsed that.”
“I know.” She laced fingers with him. “How about you make me coffee? Then I’ll sit here in bed, but you get me Malyah, Lu’ana, Gillian, and Asia so I can talk to them.”
He smiled, warming her heart…and places lower. “Deal.”
“And where’s Bebe?”
“With Lu’ana, I think.”
“I guess I ruined Da’von’s horseback riding plans.”
“Badger rescheduled it for Thursday.”
“Do they all really believe we were just in a car wreck and Duncan was a missing person?”
Beck smiled. “Yep. All hail the power of the Prime.”
“What about Malyah getting her memories back?”
His smile faded. “We don’t know yet. They’re working on trying to figure that out.”
After the coffee, Beck went to fetch everyone for her. Lu’ana had Bebe, who let out a joyful little howl when Luana set her on the bed with Nami.
“That’s adorable,” Nami said, still a little rattled by her niece’s new habit.
“Isn’t it?” Lu’ana said. “Who knows? Maybe she’ll become a wildlife biologist or something when she’s older.”
“Yeah,” Nami said.
After going over everything with the women, Gillian and Asia volunteered to take up the slack, including going with Lu’ana, Malyah and Joaquin that afternoon to Spokane to start the search for Malyah’s wedding dress.
Besides, Joaquin wanted to go buy Malyah an engagement ring and wedding bands.
Beck stood in the corner, arms crossed over his chest and a dark look on his face when Nami tried to say she’d go.
Nami sighed. “Okay, y’all go. But text me pictures. Beck and I will watch Bebe for you.”
He arched an eyebrow at her but smirked, indicating his acceptance.
“We will,” Malyah said. “I promise.”
Before the women started to go, Lu’ana taking Bebe with her to get her changed and to bring Nami a diaper bag with supplies, Nami said, “Malyah, hold up a sec. I want to talk with you.”
The others left.
Beck still stood in the corner.
“Honey, please go with Lu’ana. You can get Bebe and her diaper bag and stuff and bring her back.”
He didn’t look happy about it, but he walked over and kissed her. “Do not get out of that bed.”
“I won’t. But I need a minute alone with her.”
He finally left them alone.
Malyah sank onto the edge of the bed.
Nami knew she couldn’t fight their mating, but she still wasn’t happy with it. “Is this what you really want? He didn’t force you?”
“Yes, it’s what I really want. Sis, I want to be with him. No, he didn’t force me. Why can’t you understand that?”
“Because I wanted you to do better, girl.” Nami plucked at the sheets. “I was so proud of you for graduating from college. I wanted you to make your way in the world.”
“Wouldn’t you say Beck coming into your life has been the best thing in a long time?”
“Don’t you go changing the subject.”
“I’m not. It’s the same thing. I love Joaquin.” She laced her fingers together, hands in her lap. “You know how when you go somewhere you’ve never been before, how the place feels strange? Then you go back again, and it’s not so strange? And if you go there a lot, spend a lot of time there, then it feels like home? That’s how I feel with Joaquin. From the first moment I met him, I felt like I was home. He was never a stranger to me.”
Nami stared at her little sister. Yes, she knew how she felt about Beck. Exactly like that.
And how she couldn’t get him out of her mind when he’d kissed her and then bounced off her bus.
And how she felt equal parts thrilled and terrified when he tracked her down, but never afraid. Not really. She put up a good act of it, but something deep within her had told her Beck was meant for her.
That she was meant for him.
“I’m scared for you,” Nami said.
Malyah smirked. “So says the woman who drove off a mountain and spent a night out in the cold on the run from killers.”
“I didn’t do the driving,” Nami said. “I still can’t believe Ken didn’t get us killed.” She stared at Malyah for a moment. “So what’s the plan? I mean, immediately. After Saturday.”
“I already called my boss this afternoon and put in for vacation time. Two weeks paid, that I had coming, and a week unpaid. Said I had a family emergency.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“The truth. My sister was in a car accident the week before her wedding.” She smiled. “I left out the part about driving off a mountain and getting rescued by a wolfman.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Peyton and Gillian said we can stay here. Joaquin wants to show me around. I never got my horseback ride.” She slyly smiled. “I’m going to work for a while when we get back to Florida, then I’ll probably put in my notice and quit.”
“Then what? Pop out babies and be stuck with him?”
“Sis. He’s a good man. And no. I’m going to go back to college.”
Nami frowned. “What?”
“Yeah. See? You’re so bent on hatin’ him that you’re not trying to like him. At least try.”
“You have a degree.”
“I know. I want to go for a creative writing degree. Joaquin said the pack can afford it. I always thought it’d be fun to be a writer, but I never could do it before. I needed to study and work, do something to earn money. This is really going to make me happy. That’s all he wants to do is make me happy, sis. Isn’t that worth trying to like him?”
No, Nami couldn’t hate the guy for that. “Where you gonna live?”
“With Dewi, at first. Gillian gave Joaquin a budget that the pack will pay for, and he’s got money saved up on top of that. We’re going to go look at houses and see if we can find something either near you, or Martin, or Dewi. He wants us to be close to at least one of the Enforcers.”
“That’s gonna leave Da’von alone.”
“He’s an adult, sis. He needs this. He’s not going to suddenly start screwing around and goof off. He’s been working really hard, even after you moved out. Please give him credit for that.”
Yes, letting go was difficult. The hardest thing she’d ever tried to do, even harder than raising her siblings in the first place.
“I promise that I will try to get along with Joaquin,” Nami finally said. “Saying I’m going to accept how wolves do things, and actually accepting them, are two different things.”
“That’s all I ask, sis. You don’t think Dewi or Beck would have killed Joaquin over this if they didn’t think he was a good man?”
“I know. I’m still probably going to give him a hard time for a while.”
Malyah smiled. “I know. All huff and puff and no bite.”
She shook a finger at Malyah. “You’re still doing Sunday dinners.”
Malyah held a hand up. “I swear.”
“What about Lu’ana, Reggie, and Da’von? They tell them about this yet?”
“Peyton handled it. Joaquin and I met at a friend’s house when he was in Tampa to visit. Then he had to leave again and we kept up via Facebook and texting and stuff and fell in love.” She smiled.
“I kept it hidden so you wouldn’t go ballistic, and that’s why when I went out with that guy, I never got serious about him. It was a cover.”
“Dewi’s going to handle him, I guess?”
“Yeah.”
Nami opened her arms. “Come here and give me a hug, girl.”
Malyah did. “I love you, sis. I love you so much, and I was so scared when Jack and Moraine said they were looking for you guys. I was so scared something might happen to you before I could tell you how much I love you and to thank you.” She sat back, wiping at her eyes.
“Thank me? For what?”
“For your years of sacrifice. For loving us. For being our mom and our sister. We couldn’t have made it without you.”
“Just keep making me proud,” Nami said. “I wish you’d told me you wanted a creative writing degree.”
“You were working so hard, sis. I didn’t want to waste it. It’s okay. I didn’t mind what I was doing, but it was just a job.”
Nami felt a little guilty about that. “Is Da’von doing what he really wants to do, or just doing it to make me happy?”
“No, he really likes computers. He is happy. That’s what he told me.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay. Don’t forget to text me pictures while you’re in Spokane.”
“I promise I’ll text and call.”
“Good. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Malyah headed out, a smile on her face.
Nami couldn’t ever remember her sister looking so…joyful.
Beck returned a few minutes later with Bebe and her things. “Don’t worry,” he said as he settled Bebe on the bed with Nami. “Peyton has Trent and several heavily armed shifters accompanying them to Spokane.”
“Thank you.” She kissed Bebe on the top of the head. “Listen to me, little girl. I forbid you from falling for a wolf.”
Bebe giggled and threw her head back, letting loose with a howl.
Beck’s eyes widened. “Holy cra-ud,” he muttered.
Chapter Thirty-Six
A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) Page 32
