“What was that? You are sending security detail to spy on Cruz again?”
“It is not your concern, Ara,” he replied shortly.
“He is my son also, Jett. Why have you sent Hasan and Kalim to follow him this time?”
Jett watched her beautiful face carefully. She loved her children as any mother would, but she did not see the cunning of which Cruz was capable.
“He is hiding something from me,” Jett said matter-of-factly. Ara’s eyes narrowed.
“How can you be sure?” she demanded. “Because he asked to stay in Paris?”
Jett chuckled mirthlessly. “No, my dear wife, because I know our son. He believes he is a master in deception, but he is a terrible liar.”
“He was worried you would fight him on his decision!” Ara protested. “You mustn’t have him followed like a criminal, Jett. If he discovers you are doing that and he has done nothing wrong, it will only further put stress on your relationship.” Jett’s smiled faded.
“And if he is plotting something behind my back like he did in Madrid? Our family cannot afford another 200 million euro hit! I would rather put a strain on our relationship than have the business suffer.” Jett stalked away, leaving Ara to watch after him.
He does not care about his son, she thought. He cares only about his business.
Ara wrung her hands nervously. She prayed that Cruz was not double-crossing his father, or there would be a steep price to pay this time.
* * *
When Cruz returned from his business in Berlin, he and Sage spent every moment together. He took her to doctors’ appointments, and they had dinner at the most expensive restaurants in the city. They made love under the stars in the Nouvelle Garden and visited the Eiffel Tower like tourists.
“I have been here at least twelve times,” Sage told Cruz, making him laugh.
“Yes, but Bean has never been here. We must expose Bean to culture and art early.” Sage laughed, amused that Cruz was also referring to their unborn child as ‘Bean’.
“Have you spoken to your father about us?” she asked one day, two weeks after they had reconnected. Cruz sighed heavily and shook his head.
“No, Sage, I have not. This is not something I can just spring on him.”
“What is the worst he can do if you tell him?” she demanded. Cruz did not have an answer for her. Why did she care so much? She had everything she wanted; she had the guy, and she had security for her baby. That was all she needed.
But a small voice inside Sage wondered if there would be marriage in their future, if that was even a possibility. She pushed it out of her mind. There was plenty of time to worry about that later. Sage refused to let the shadow of Jett Reyes’ judgment ruin the moments she and Cruz finally had.
Cruz maintained his Paris apartment, but he spent his nights at Sage’s flat, holding her close, stroking her stomach, and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Sage felt found for the first time in her life. She had never been happier.
* * *
As she entered her seventh month, furniture began to arrive at the apartment.
“What is all this!” she exclaimed to Cruz, who shrugged sheepishly.
“I could not resist. I hope you do not mind terribly. I saw these items online, and I had to purchase them.” How could Sage argue? She admitted that her mate had good taste.
“How do you know that it will be a boy?” she asked as soccer jerseys arrived in a box with a pair of tiny cleats and a ball.
“Girls do not play football in your country?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye. Sage was instantly embarrassed.
“Of course,” she muttered, and Cruz laughed.
“Between you and me, I hope Bean will be a girl.” Sage was surprised by the confession.
“Really? Why?” she asked. Cruz’s smile faded.
“Because boys are born with an unhealthy expectation,” he answered solemnly, and Sage knew he was thinking of his father and the long line of bears before him.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” she told him softly, turning to face him. He smiled tightly and nodded.
“I know. It does not matter. Of course, I will love our child regardless of the gender. Do you have any names selected?”
Sage approached him and cupped her slender hands around his face. “Yes. I believe that Matin is a beautiful name for a boy or a girl, don’t you?”
Cruz looked at her, his eyes shiny with tears, which he blinked away immediately. “Surely you have another name you would like to call our baby. You need not name the child after my brother.”
“Why not? It means ‘morning’ in French, and that is what this child will be—a new dawn. A beginning for us, right?” Cruz swallowed quickly and pulled Sage close, kissing her gently on the lips.
“You are incredible,” he whispered. “I will never let you go.”
“You better not,” she answered.
* * *
Jett Reyes hung up the phone and sat back laboriously in his chair.
He has defied me again, and to what an extent! He has impregnated an American flight attendant. The scandal will be insurmountable. His intel had not dictated whether or not the woman was a shifter, but it didn’t matter. Cruz had betrayed him and their family, and Jett was furious.
“Jett, you summoned me?” Ara stood in the grand library, staring at her husband expectantly.
“Yes, Ara. Come in.” She slid across the floor, dressed in a stylish pantsuit, and sat primly across from her husband by the fireplace. “We are moving up the date of the wedding,” he informed his wife, and she blinked.
“Cruz’s wedding?” she asked dumbly.
“Yes. You must inform Kalyn’s family and the guests.”
“But Jett, it is only two weeks away! Why must we upset the order of things now?”
“Because your son has done the unthinkable.” Ara’s back went stiff, and she waited. “He has impregnated a woman in Paris. He has set her up like a concubine in her own apartment and is living with her in sin.”
Ara’s face went ashen.
“Are you certain the child is his?” she whispered, making Jett scoff.
“You cannot make excuses for him this time. What he has done will bring shame and dishonor to this family, and we must circumvent any further disaster. I will leave it to you to inform him, but you must not tell him why. He cannot know that I know of this woman.”
“Jett, what are you going to do about her?” Her husband smiled cruelly.
“She is on her way here now. I do not think we will have to worry about her again after today.” He waved a hand in dismissal, and Ara rose from her chair, her heart hammering dangerously. “Three days, Ara. I want the wedding in three days.”
“Yes, my love.” She hurried from the study and upstairs to her chambers. As she collapsed inside, she ran to her nightstand and retrieved a cell phone from under a mound of books and turned it on. There was only one number in the contacts.
He answered after the first ring.
“It is me. We have a big problem,” she whispered quickly. “It is time for Cruz to join you, before it’s too late.”
16
Sage did not know how long she had been in the air, but she forced herself to be calm. You cannot panic. That is what they expect of you. She stared balefully at the two giants sitting across from her in the private jet, who continued to thumb through magazines, both with headphones in their ears.
Sage had been at the Marché Bastille, poring over a bouquet of orchids, and suddenly, the world had gone black. Cruz was in Chicago, and she had not expected him home for another two days. When she had awoken, they were already in the air.
I guess his father knows about us now, Sage thought bitterly, her heart racing, willing herself to be still. She wanted to scream profanities at men who had no qualms about drugging a pregnant woman in broad daylight, but she quickly reasoned that men who would do something so daring and with so little regard for an unborn baby would likely do much wors
e to a hysterical female. The desire to shift and overtake them was overwhelming, but she had no doubt that they, too, were shifters, and given her state, she would be taken down in seconds.
She ran her tongue over the throbbing skin of her gums and spread her hands protectively over her stomach.
“How much longer?” she finally asked, unable to keep silent any longer. The bigger man heard her and smiled humorlessly.
“We will be landing shortly,” he told her. “But I would not be in such a rush if I were you.”
The words sent chills down Sage’s spine, and she clamped her lips together. True to his word, the plane began its descent, and Sage found herself glancing about for a weapon.
What are you going to do? Stab them and run? You have no idea what country you’re in! Although you might be able to find someone to help you anywhere in the world, your chances of getting to safety alive are slim. Just wait and see how this plays out. Maybe the sheik just wants to welcome you to his family.
The thought made Sage laugh out loud as the jet touched down, and the goons eyed her warily, possibly imagining that she was losing her mind. Sage looked out the window and gasped. She was at the Palace of Ara in the Red Sea. She had seen pictures of the remote location online, especially after Cruz had told her of its splendor. The pictures didn’t do it a bit of justice.
“Come along,” the smaller ogre told her. “We do not want to keep the sheik waiting.”
If there was any doubt, it’s been dispelled. The sheik knows about me. Sage rose clumsily to her feet and followed the two men. They disembarked down the stairs, and she stared at the lush greenery within the palace walls.
It was everything Sage would have expected of a palace, with its columns of gold and pillars of white. There were at least half a dozen rotunda rooms extending from the vast base of the structure toward the sky, all lined with terraces to overlook the thrashing of the sea. The roofs were spectacularly glimmering in bronze and gold, all blinding beneath the bright sunlight. The humidity in the air told Sage that there was a cluster of trees nearby, but she could not see anything from the plush runway on which she stood.
Suddenly, the sheik appeared.
“Hello, my dear,” he called jovially, hurrying toward them. He clasped Sage’s hand tightly. “You are more beautiful than these brutes informed me,” Jett Reyes told her, smiling happily. Instantly, Sage felt herself tense, her sixth sense honing sharply. His voice was warm, but his hazel eyes were colder than anything she had ever seen. She realized that she’d been followed a lot longer than she’d been aware.
Nothing good can come from this, she thought. There will be no “Welcome to the family” party happening here.
“Come and join me on the patio, where we will have something cold to drink,” Jett said. “Beautiful as it is here, it can get devastatingly hot.”
Slowly, Sage walked after him, each step causing her more anxiety. They stopped around the side of the house, where a sweating pitcher waited with two glasses.
“Please sit down,” Jett told her, extending a heavily jeweled hand toward a chair. Sage knew she was in no position to argue, and she lowered her trembling legs to perch on the edge of the wicker chair. “Forgive the theatrics of bringing you here, but I could not allow Cruz to know you were coming. I hope you understand,” the sheik told her. Sage chewed on her lower lip to hold back a scathing retort.
“Of course,” she murmured. A house servant scurried toward them, but Jett waved him away.
“Sage? Is that right?”
“Yes, sir. Sage Aubin. I was looking forward to meeting you, Sheik, though I must confess, not like this.”
“Oh, you must call me Jett. After all, I am going to be a great help to you in the future. We should be friends.”
For the first time, Sage felt a spark of hope.
That doesn’t sound like a death threat, she thought optimistically. So that’s something. She peered at him through guarded eyes. Perhaps I misjudged him. Maybe Cruz was wrong about him, too. Maybe he will give us his blessing. After all, I am carrying his grandchild. Every man wants his grandchild, right? And I’m a shifter, not just some random mortal. The bloodline would be pure.
“When is your child due to be born?” Jett asked, pouring her a glass of lemon water. Sage accepted it gratefully, taking a sip.
“The end of December,” she said, tracing her fingers against the beads of water on the tall glass.
“Oh, perhaps a Christmas baby!” Jett announced, and Sage stared at him, unsure if he was being genuine or mocking. She gave him a thin smile.
“Maybe. It is due on New Year’s Eve.”
“Is it a boy or a girl?” Jett wanted to know. She read genuine interest in his eyes. Why did he really want to know? So he could harm her? Or because he truly wanted to be a part of the child’s life?
“I don’t know,” she answered slowly, her mind a mass of confusion. “We decided to be surprised by it.” The mixed signals she was receiving were overwhelming.
He seems to want you to like him, she thought, and yet his animosity is almost palpable. He will get to the point eventually. You just have to be patient and not show any weakness. He’ll like you more if you don’t appear scared. This powerful man doesn’t want to see his son with a weakling.
“It will be a boy,” Jett told her confidentially. Sage immediately thought of what Cruz had told her about boys being born into unhealthy expectations.
“Cruz and I will be happy with whatever we are given, as long as it is healthy,” Sage muttered, her eyes trained on the sheik’s face for clues as to his desires. The mask of friendliness slipped completely off his face.
“No, my dear, Cruz will not be happy. But that is irrelevant right now.” The words sent ice chips through her body, and finally, she understood what was happening.
“Why won’t he be happy?” Sage demanded through clenched teeth.
“Because you are going to disappear.” Panic overcame her, and she went to rise but stumbled back, falling onto the cushioned seat. “You cannot be so foolish as to believe I would allow you to ensnare my son, would you? How do we even know the child is his?”
“He does not have any doubt,” Sage hissed back. The attack she had sensed was upon her, and she was prepared. She had lost Cruz once, and she would not do it again.
“You can’t keep us apart—unless you’re willing to do this by force.” It was a naked challenge, and one she knew better than to accept, but the safety of her child was on the line, and she would not go down whimpering.
“Ah, and that is likely very true, my dear,” Jett said. “That is why I am telling you to get away from him. I will offer you a very generous allowance, but you must leave Paris, never to return, and you must leave Cruz alone. You will not contact him, you will not sneak around to see him.”
“You can’t buy me off,” Sage snorted, jumping up again. A wave of dizziness flashed through her. “My child deserves a father. What you are proposing is cruel, not only to the baby, but to your own son!” Spots began to dance before her eyes, and a wooziness sickened her, causing her to fall backward.
Dammit, he drugged me again! she thought furiously, opening her mouth to scream. Nothing came out, and a set of strong hands pushed her gently onto the seat.
“I suspected you might say something like that,” Jett replied amicably. “So, I will offer you something to sweeten the deal. I am going to make you an offer you cannot refuse.”
A knife pressed firmly against Sage’s swollen stomach, and one of the bodyguards leered down at her with crooked teeth. Fear spilled through her body, and she struggled to wriggle away, but she was too weak. Sage gargled as she began to lose consciousness.
“You will leave Paris and never contact Cruz again,” Jett snarled, “or I will kill your bastard while you watch. Do you understand me?”
Although blackness closed in around Sage’s head, she found herself nodding.
“Do not think you can attempt to contact my son throu
gh any means, because I will know. I own Cruz, and I have eyes everywhere. Be smart, my dear, and think about what is more important. The life of your child, or a rendezvous with a man who is getting married in two days?”
Married? Sage thought in horror. He’s getting married? Why didn’t he tell me that?
“Oh!” Jett laughed. “I can tell by your face you didn’t know about his fiancée. Yes, she is a good girl from a good family. Her children will be true to the bloodline and ensure our pack continues strongly and without the taint of your genes.”
Sage succumbed to the sweeping darkness, tears slipping down her cheeks as she fell into unconsciousness. When she woke, she was back in New York City.
* * *
“Mama, I do not understand. Why am I required to return home tomorrow? I just got home from the United States.” Cruz sighed heavily into the phone, wishing his mother was not monopolizing his minimal time with Sage.
“I know, Cruz, but there are last-minute plans to be made for the wedding.”
Cruz cleared his throat, walking through Sage’s flat. She was not home, and he was bothered by that fact for some reason he could not quite understand. It wasn’t as though she answered to him, and she could certainly take care of herself. Still, Cruz couldn’t shake the unsettled sense he was feeling in his gut.
“Mama, I am not marrying Kalyn. I thought I made that very clear already.” There was a long silence. Guilt touched Cruz. He didn’t want to put his mother in the middle of it, but he couldn’t live the lie anymore. “Mama, I know you are disappointed, but I am in love with someone else. I… We are going to have a baby.”
“I know,” she told him quietly, and Cruz felt the hairs on his arms stand up.
“What?” he asked, laughing in disbelief.
“I know,” Ara said again, her voice flat.
“How did you know?” he whispered. If his mother knew, that meant that his father did, too. Terror flashed through him as he realized the implications of Jett having that knowledge.
Bear’s Desire: Revenge of the Bears Page 13
