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“We did it,” she sputtered.
They embraced a bit longer. They had nothing left but time.
TWENTY-SEVEN
HUDSON
Nora was determined to see Hannah. Hudson assured her that Logan had her taken care of, but she was stubborn, shaking her head and rising to her feet.
“I have to make sure she’s okay,” Nora said, sniffling.
“Nora…”
Upon trying to rise after being held in Hudson's arms for a good five minutes, Nora’s legs shook, eventually giving way to a stumble. Hudson was there and pulled her close when she began to teeter. He caught her, as always, starting to chuckle and revel in the sensation of her skin on his.
“Wait a minute, love,” he said, holding her close. “Let’s take it slow. You were just a massive badass. Give yourself a break." He waited for a snarky response, but Nora only chuckled.
She breathed in deeply, nodding against his chest with approval. “Okay, okay. I’ll go slow, I promise.”
Out in the hallway, Logan brought a blanket and clothing for Hudson to wear when having to explain the situation to the police. The sirens in the distance were weak but growing louder.
“We got the rest of the assholes in the back labs,” Logan said, wrapping the blanket around Nora. “Someone in the clan called the police before they got here. Those fuckers are all going to jail for what they did.”
Hudson smiled, feeling the spike of adrenaline and fear seeping out of his pores like steam. He and Nora were going to need a few days of rest after the torment of losing Hannah. He found himself looking forward to helping her relax by running her a bath and massaging her muscles until she fell into a deep slumber.
But as the alpha of the clan, there were also other matters to deal with. He thanked his beta and instructed him to let the police in and tell them as much as he could about the kidnapping.
“I will fill in the gaps about the labs and the testings,” he said.
Logan left the hall where everyone had shifted back to their human forms and were heading to the elevator exit.
Nora looked dazed, her eyes glazing over.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked sweetly, pulling a shirt over his head.
He strained a little, having been grazed by a couple of bullets, but nothing major. His shifter side would take care of it.
“I think the better question is to ask whether or notyouare okay."
Hudson smiled. Despite his need for recovery, he could ravish her right then and there. Everything she had done for him, for the clan, for Hannah, made his love swell like a balloon about to burst. Her muscles were sleek with sweat, her eyes round and bright with thoughts of lovemaking near a glistening bayside…
Then the man who assaulted Nora stumbled through the door and bounced against the wall, then crumpled. Hudson grunted, his romantic rumination thwarted. He stomped toward the man and pulled him up by the shirt collar, causing him to emit a high-pitched wail.
“Shut the fuck up,” Hudson said. “You are in for a world of hurt, my friend. If I were you, I would pipe down or start speaking actual human words.”
Nora reached out, her hand aiming for the man’s crotch. His face paled with pathetic fear. A pitiful voice emerged, simultaneously annoying and satisfying. “Yes, yes, I’ll talk! I swear! Get her away from me.”
Hudson rolled his eyes, then threw the man over his shoulder. It was like carrying a small bale of hay.
He held his hand out to Nora, swathed in the blanket Logan had given her. He grinned ear to ear. Despite the way his body ached, there was light at the end of their harrowing tunnel.
And the light was Nora and his daughter.
“Shall we?” he said.
Her smile shined like the sun. It was all he would ever need to keep going.
“Of course, sir,” she remarked, lacing her fingers through his.
