“Speaking of which, where is the baby?” Kerry asked expectantly.
“Steven reached out to Richard and asked him to bring the boy to Salinda. He figured that since she and Samantha were still nursing, there would be no shortage of milk. Besides, based on everything that’s happened, it’s safer if he stays there, at least for now.”
Layla came out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her.
“How’s she doing?” Dante asked.
“Courtney is hanging tough,” Layla said. “We moved her into the recovery room next door, and Steven is right there with her.”
“I bet,” Dante said. “He’s not gonna move from that spot until she’s in the clear.”
“I gotta tell ya, sis. That was pretty incredible.” Layla rested her chin on Tatiana’s shoulder and gave her a hug from behind. “You did a great job in there and managed to keep Steven calm through the whole procedure. I just wish I was a more skilled assistant.” She looked at Dominic. “Anyone find Matt yet?”
“Not exactly,” Dominic said sharply. He looked at Tatiana, but she avoided his gaze. “He left.”
“No way.” Tatiana looked at him briefly and then to the others. “I know Matt was upset and freaked out, but I can’t believe he’d leave without saying something.”
“Your rental car is gone and so are his things.” Dominic slipped the note from his pocket and handed it to her. “Richard found this on the porch after all the dust settled.”
“What does it say?” Layla asked.
“Dear Tatiana,” she read as the paper quivered in her delicate fingers. “I’m sorry, but I can’t handle this. I’m leaving, and will try to forget I ever saw or heard any of this crazy shit. Please don’t try and find me—Matt.”
Dominic stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes on Tatiana as she read the note. The tears fell silently as she let out a shuddering breath and nodded. He was torn between wanting to beat the shit out of that little jerk for hurting her or sweeping her into his arms and comforting her. “Well,” Tatiana said with a sigh as she lifted one shoulder, “I guess I can’t really blame him.” She sniffed back her tears and cleared her throat. “However, we have bigger issues to deal with. I’m worried about Courtney’s condition. To be honest, I’m surprised she survived the delivery, and her Amoveo healing process doesn’t seem to be kicking in. I mean, the physical healing has begun, but she’s not waking up. It’s like she’s… giving up or something.”
Tatiana’s lashes fluttered, and she pushed her bangs off her forehead as her small form wavered from exhaustion. Dominic caught her before she fell over and swept her into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
Tatiana let out a sound of surprise and looked at him through wide dark eyes.
“What are you doing?” She folded her arms over her breasts and sliced an embarrassed look to the others before locking eyes with him. Her voice dropped to above a whisper. “I am perfectly capable of standing on my own. I just delivered a baby for heaven’s sake, and I have an unconscious patient in the other room. Now, put me down. I’m concerned about Courtney,” she said as she tried to suppress a yawn.
“And I’m concerned about you,” Dominic insisted. “You need sleep. You’re not going to be any good to Courtney, Steven, or anyone else, if you pass out. So quit being a stubborn, hardheaded woman, and let me take care of you.”
Tatiana opened her mouth to say something but must have thought better of it and snapped it shut. Her contrite look almost made him laugh out loud, but he had a sinking suspicion that would do nothing to help his cause.
“Thank you.” Dominic looked at the others, who all did their best not to smile—except for Layla, who gave him two thumbs up. “I’m sure the four of them can handle things here, and if anything major changes with Courtney’s condition, Layla will alert us immediately.”
“No doubt.” Layla winked. “Be a good girl, Tatiana. There are worse things you could be doing right now. We’ll keep an eye on things here.”
“Fine,” Tatiana said on an exasperated sigh.
“We will be in my cabin,” Dominic said firmly.
As he uttered the ancient language, they vanished in a rush of static. Kerry’s voice touched his mind. Keep hanging on to her, Dominic. Everything will work out as long as you’re there to catch her.
Chapter 9
The smell of bacon cooking filled Tatiana’s head as she emerged from the deepest sleep of her life. Rolling onto her back, she peeled her eyes open while struggling to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was that odd sense of displacement as Dominic used the visualization skills to transport them here.
Tatiana shuddered at the memory of the bizarre sensation. It reminded her of being on a roller coaster, that nauseating moment when your stomach drops to your feet. It would be just fine with her if she never used that particular ability again. The mere thought made her queasy.
Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she looked around the unfamiliar room. When she saw the pile of men’s clothing discarded in the corner she realized where she was—Dominic’s bedroom. The room was typically male. Sparsely furnished with only the essentials and no sign of a laundry basket anywhere.
The space next to her on the bed looked as though no one had slept there. Interesting. Mr.-I’ll-say-the-mating-rite-without-asking didn’t sleep with her in his own bed. Memories of their tryst in the barn came flooding back, but she shoved them aside. Toe-curling sex aside, he had no right to say those words without her consent, but in all honesty, given the dire, life-threatening situation they all went through, there wasn’t any room in her heart for anger.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, and she wondered how long she’d been asleep. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was just after midnight, and since Dominic wasn’t next to her in bed, it was a pretty good bet he was responsible for the fantastic aroma filling the cabin. Her stomach growled loudly, and it dawned on her that she hadn’t eaten anything but that apple yesterday morning.
Tatiana sat up and pushed the sheets aside to discover that she was wearing nothing but one of Dominic’s black T-shirts. Her first instinct was to be annoyed that he’d undressed her, but under the circumstances, she figured it was the least of their problems. Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her body before. She sat quietly on the edge of the bed and ran her fingertips along her lower lip as she recalled his kisses and the erotic feel of his mouth.
A shiver ran up her back, but she shook it off.
“Get a grip,” she whispered to herself.
Tatiana opened the bedroom door and was hit by another wave of deliciousness. She padded silently across the wooden floor and tiptoed down the steps, doing her best to be quiet, but as her toes hit the first floor landing, Dominic’s deep baritone tumbled around her.
“I was wondering when you were gonna wake up,” he called from the kitchen. “Better get your cute butt in here, or I’m going to eat this midnight snack all by myself.”
Tatiana smiled in spite of the fact that she wanted to be annoyed. Funny. The only other person who could get her to smile when she was pissed was her twin brother, Raife. The sound of Cass’s whine caught her attention, and she entered the kitchen in time to see Dominic about to feed bacon to the puppy.
Standing at the island in the middle of the kitchen wearing only a pair of red gym shorts, Dominic gave Tatiana an eyeful of his incredible torso and long, well-toned legs. He was holding a piece of bacon out as a bribe to get Cass to sit—and it was working. The little beagle sat motionless but kept his keen eyes on the crispy bit of goodness.