The Kategan men walked towards them. They’d finally gotten back after hours of searching.
Vane held a small bundle in his arms. Sarina stood from the crowd with a soul-wrenching cry and ran to him. He stopped with a pained expression on his face when he saw her. Her steps slowed as she neared him and even Dmetri’s gut tightened.
She looked from the baby to Vane’s face again and again, and when he finally held out the bundle, she took it with shaking arms. A harsh sob, tears streaming down her face she looked at the baby’s face.
A heavy silence settled over the pack.
Then she turned and flashed the whole pack a brilliant smile. “He’s alive!” For the first time since the violence started the pack let out cheers and smiles.
She turned back to Vane and cupped his neck, pulling him down for a long, passionate kiss. Dmetri’s chest tightened as if something was trying to burst from it. They held each other close, the baby between them protectively, and just stayed that way. The rest of the Kategan men followed suit with their mates.
Brayden came up beside him, a dark look on his face. “Where’s Vanessa?” Dmetri shot him a look. Shit. He’d forgotten about the young Kategan.
Dmetri and Brayden made their way to Vane. When Vane spotted them, he slowly released his mate, but kept his arm around her shoulder.
“What happened to Vanessa?” Dmetri asked.
Vane looked torn, his eyes raw with pain and anger. “We finally caught up to them. They were in two groups. They split when they saw us. We went after the one with Vince first, got him back. We searched for her scent for hours but we couldn’t pick it up again.” Rome stepped forward after kissing his mate. “Don’t worry, we’ll get her back. They’ll be taking her back to Claude’s clan. Or some place in between. We won’t stop searching for her.
We just needed to get Vince back.”
“I’ll bring her back.” Brayden leveled his gaze on Vane.
Vane blinked. “Why?”
“Because I’ll find her.”
Chapter 14
Christine finished the last stitch on eight-year old Garrick’s leg.
“You’re a champ, Garrick.”
The boy had been brave this whole time. No tears or whimpers as she stitched closed the nasty gash on his leg so it wouldn’t scar.
He tilted his chin up. “I’m a man.”
She chuckled softly. “Yes, you are. Think you’ll be as big as your dad some day?” His chest poofed up. “Even bigger.”
Christine put away her kit and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “All right, get out of here.
You’re all done.”
The boy sat up and limped back to his mother. Christine sighed, rolling her neck to ease the stiff muscles in her shoulders. It worked, but the second she stopped rolling the pain shot back through her neck feeling ten times worse.
The night air was damp and thick with the smell of fire. The fires had long been put out but the humidity in the air refused to let all of the smoke dissipate, shrouding the town in a foggy cloud.
Her leg muscles were tight and when she stood sharp prickles like needles stabbed her.
The feeling in both of her legs wasn’t quite there so she teetered and waited as a burning rush of blood filled her legs. Her head pounded with an angry headache, her hands hurt, and even her arms felt heavy and limp.
A big hand wrapped around her shoulder. The relief she felt at seeing Dmetri was so great she could have fainted.
“Hey,” she said, attempting to smile. Her lips wobbled though and she didn’t quite manage it.
His lips were pulled into a hard line as he looked at her. “Come on.” She let out a surprised squeak as he picked her up into his arms and started carrying her.
It was on the tip of her tongue to protest but hell, it felt too good, so she kept her mouth shut and enjoyed the ride.
Her head fit perfectly against his shoulder. A perfect cushion. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting his strength carry her exhausted body. At the sound of a door opening, she popped her eyes open to see them at his cabin.
“Why didn’t you take me home?” God she just wanted her bed, her warm blanket, and at least ten hours of sleep.
“It’s too smoky there from the explosion.”
Oh, right. Her neighbor’s house exploded. Two people died.
He took her into the bedroom and tightened his hold around her as he pulled back the covers and set her on the bed. She was ready to curl up but he stopped her, then started taking off her shoes.
“Oh yeah,” she said softly. She hadn’t even thought about her muddy shoes.
He pulled off her wet socks too, and then pushed her back under the covers. She sighed as soon as her head hit the pillows. She closed her eyes and let her sore muscles relax into the mattress.
“Goodnight, Dmetri.”
“Night, millaya moya. ”
My sweet. She liked hearing him call her that. She smiled and passed out in an instant.
A ferocious growl dragged Christine to the realm of consciousness. She blinked at her surroundings, first noting the dulled sunlight that came in through the window and then the man wrapped around her. That growl came again and she petted her belly. Damn thing was a beast when it was hungry.
She’d slept in his arms for the second time. She sighed at the whole situation. She liked Dmetri, she did. He took himself so seriously that she couldn’t help but get a lot of entertainment being around him. It also didn’t take much to see that he kept his emotions locked up tight inside.
He said mating wasn’t in the cards for him when what that really meant was that he was afraid to fall in love. The notion was so ridiculous to her that she started laughing. The arm around her waist tightened, pulling her more fully against him.
He nuzzled her neck and in a slumberous voice said, “What are you laughing at?” Her throat constricted and she swallowed hard to ease it. Waking up next to him with his body wrapped around hers created a stir of feelings inside her—feelings that she liked. What would he do if she told him that? If she told him that if she let herself, she might be able to care for him. The picture came easily to her. He’d stiffen then curtly tell her the arrangement was off before shoving her out of the cabin.
“At my stomach. I’m hungry.”
His heavy sigh across her neck shot goose bumps down her arms making her shiver. His arm tightened around her and then he pushed her onto her back. She stared up into his eyes, heavy-lidded from sleep. But what made her breath catch was the look in his eyes. Soft, gentle, dare she say, caring. They traced over her face as a painter might before he dabbed into his paints and began.
“Suppose I need to feed you then.”
His words were dark, erotic. All she could picture was his beautiful cock sliding between her lips, feeding her. Quickly, she pulled away. He tried to grab her but she stood and started pulling her muddy shoes back on.
“What?” Impatience and his thick accent made the simple word sound incredibly sexy.
She couldn’t do this with him. Well, hell, she could, but it wasn’t right. She still planned on going on that date with Alpha Jason. It was for the best and she knew it. It all came down to a matter of wants and needs. Did she want Dmetri—terribly. But she didn’t need him. She needed an Alpha to finally put her and her mother’s conscious at ease.
He sat up in a move so fast she barely registered movement and then he snagged her wrist and pulled her on top of him.
“Dmetri.” She struggled against him while trying to keep her dirty shoes off the bed.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Say my name again. I enjoy hearing it from your lips. Course, I love your lips.”