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“Go ahead, Ethan. Take her. Take what you want.”
Nathan’s screaming, his threats of violence, fade into the background. Sweeping my hair back from my face, I nod at Maya. Holding her gaze, trying to reassure her that I am indeed completely in control, Maya freezes. The haze lifts from her eyes for a split second as the meaning of my gesture sinks in. Her body goes tense. She’s waiting to see what I’ll do, her mind focusing as best it can in her current state.
Kim’s attention is on Maya instead of me, and she pulls the gun away from my body so she can see past me. It’s a costly mistake.
Spinning, I lunge for her, knocking her to the side so Maya is no longer in the firing line. I move fast enough to get a grip on her arm before she fires, but she still manages a shot; a shot that clips me in the abdomen. I grab her hand roughly and twist the weapon free, snapping her limb in the process.
Weak as she is, Nathan’s mate manages to knock the gun out of Kim’s reach before running to free Nathan. Kim’s not cut out to be a warrior, not well enough trained to be executing something like this; it’s all over quickly. My side burns as I push to my feet, tucking the gun into the waistband of my jeans, grumbling at the inconvenience of an injury like this. While I stare down at Kim, I touch my fingers to the wound through my t-shirt, and they come away bright red.
Rifling through Kim’s clothing as she wails, cradling her arm, I snatch the key to the handcuffs and stumble into the living area of the large suite. Nathan’s wolf is still unhappy about my presence and growls ungratefully as I approach to uncuff him.
“Okay, woah! I’m trying to help.” I’ll remind him of how rude he was when this is all over, but, for now, I’ll give him a pass on his lack of manners. Dropping the keys into Maya’s palm instead, I step back and give them some space. As soon as his hands are free, Nathan pulls Maya to him and, for a minute, I worry they’re going to reconnect right in front of me. Instead, Nathan manages to pull it together long enough to cover his mate with his t-shirt, and stash her in his bed while we figure out what to do with Kim. He’s not happy about it.
“Are you going to live?” The lack of empathy is staggering and I can’t blame him.
If it was Belle next door, in heat, and begging for me, I’d have tossed him out into the corridor long ago. The burning in my side intensifies rather than eases, and, judging from the steady stream of red trickling between my fingers, my enhanced healing hasn’t kicked in yet. A silver bullet? The lowest of the low among shifters, a species that generally takes pride in settling their differences with teeth and claws.
“Thank you.” Nathan concentrates on cleaning the wound, removing any remaining silver residue while I concentrate on not puking or passing out. The pain is intense and I’m sweating by the time he steps back and nods, leaving to wash his hands. With the silver gone, my wolf will be able to heal me quickly.
“Come home, Ethan. We need you. Whatever debt you think you have to repay, it’s more than done.” I can feel his frustration. He doesn’t understand that I’m trying to help them, not abandoning them.
“I can’t. Not yet. I have other things I need to do first.”
“You found her,” Nathan concludes.
I don’t confirm, but I don’t need to. He knows it’s the only explanation for how I managed to resist his mate in heat. My wolf only wants one female, and it’s not her.
“But you’re not marked.”
As if I need reminding. My wolf’s hackles go up, and he growls at what he feels is Nathan downplaying my connection to Belle.
“If you haven’t noticed, neither are you, dickhead.”
After making sure Maya’s missing bodyguard is still alive, I return to get Kim. Nathan and Maya need privacy, and if we’re going to get any answers from her, Kim needs medical attention, loathe as I am to help her.
“You kids have fun.” Jealousy cuts me up inside as I leave them alone. I wouldn’t wish what they went through on my worst enemy, but the mating, claiming, and marking? That’s what I want to be doing right now. Instead, I’m here, with a hole in my side, a pack who thinks I don’t care about them anymore, minding a traitor, while my mate is who knows where, hating my guts.
“He’s going to get you. All of you.” Kim mumbles in the back seat and I curse. Much as I’d love to end her right now, Kim may know something about what’s being planned. I need to find out everything I can. Thumping the steering wheel, I wince as the movement tugs on my wound, tearing at the rapidly healing flesh. The silver has sapped my energy, and I need to rest.
All of this is conspiring against my plans to go in search of Belle. I try to call her, just wanting to hear her voice. As predicted, her phone is still off and I smile as I listen to her greeting and her sweet voice.
Settling in for another long drive, I fire off a message to Lucia, telling her that Nathan was attacked by a jealous ex, but that she’s dead now. Somehow, it feels sensible to keep the fact that Kim is still alive a secret, if at all possible. She whimpers every time I hit a speed bump, her broken arm still not setting, given the unnatural angle of the break. I struggle to feel bad for her. She betrayed everyone who cared about her for Toby, a man she knew had already tried to hurt our pack, her friends.
Stopping to refuel, determined to keep going until I reach home, I call Rex and fill him in. I can feel his rage practically vibrating down the line. Kim helped the men who almost killed Leah. Keeping her alive long enough to question her is going to be a hard sell.
“Rex, you need to pull it together,” I warn. He growls at me but, eventually, his cursing and snarling end. “Get a cell ready. I’m bringing Kim to you.” I’m about to hang up, but add, “It might be a better idea to send Marcus or Natalie to meet me so I can bring her in.”
He grunts, not promising anything, and the call goes dead. Rex won’t be happy until he exacts revenge on anyone who played a part in hurting Leah, but, for now, he’ll have to keep his hands off Kim. Once we’ve rooted out the main culprit behind it all, then he can do what he wants with her.
The long drive gives me time to think, and along with the long-lasting effects of being exposed to Maya’s heat, all I can do is obsess over Belle. Her gleaming dark hair, those sparkling hazel eyes, and that playful attitude. I can picture us, clear as day, building a cabin in Grey Ridge, working side by side in the pack, raising a litter of pups, and being as happy as the day we met. It’s right there.
And no matter what happens, I have faith that we’ll get back to that.
24
BELLE
Marie’s eyes glaze over as someone mind-links her, and she excuses herself for a moment, a frown tugging at her elegant features.
