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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Luther had no clan, and therefore no sacred space or lair of his own. That meant wherever he had a bed, that became his lair. And now both his fated mate and his child were in his lair together. He knew he couldn’t enjoy it for long, since Espie would want to go look in on her human friend at the hospital, but at least he could enjoy it until morning, if nothing else.
When he woke the next morning, he felt like he’d been rolled over by a tank – twice. His limbs were stiff, and he had a headache brewing somewhere inside his skull. He had a black eye that would make just about any boxer nervous. He hadn’t felt this beaten up in -- well, ever. But he was happy as he stepped into the living room and found his fated mate dozing peacefully on his couch while Violet slept curled up in her toddler bed in the master bedroom.
Espie had spent half the night nursing Luther’s injuries, even though it was slightly unnecessary. His shifter body would heal at an accelerated rate regardless of her ministrations. At one point he wondered if guilt had prompted her to do it, since it was her brother who had beaten him, but he hoped she didn’t feel that way. He could never blame her for someone else’s behavior.
He didn’t even know what had sparked a fight between him and Miguel, other than the fact that he’d entered the cave without permission. More likely, it was an older brother sensing a threat to his sister and reacting without thinking first. If Miguel still harbored doubts about Luther’s character, he would naturally want to protect Espie from being hurt. Time healed all things, but Luther doubted he would be welcomed into the clan with open arms, no matter how hard Espie pleaded his case.
She stirred softly, drawing in a deep inhale just before her eyes fluttered open—her beautiful, dark, intoxicating eyes. His mate blinked sleepily up at him, then rolled onto her side, smiling.
“Have you been watching me sleep?”
“I can’t help it,” he murmured, easing off the chair and prowling toward her. “You’re just so exquisite when you sleep…”
“Slow down,” she scolded. “You’re still healing, and I need to call the hospital and find out what’s happening with Maida.”
“You ought to go see her,” Luther pointed out. “But if you do, I’d love for you to come back here after. Don’t forget, we’ve still got this whole trouble with the cougars to solve.”
Espie snorted derisively. “How could I forget that when I’m about to visit my friend who they mauled? You know they must have targeted her just to push my buttons. Well, it worked. I’m good and pissed off at those fuckers now. Don’t worry, Luther, I’ll only be gone a few hours. But I might also need to find my brother and shove all this evidence down his throat before I return.”
When Espie arrived at the hospital, she found that Maida had been moved into a recovery room and the ventilator she’d apparently been attached to had recently been removed, leaving a few red marks on her cheeks and nose where the tubing had pressed against them. She perked up when she saw Espie come in, but only her eyes moved. The rest of her body was just too sore to respond.
“Girl, since when do you go wandering around up on a mountain trail?” Espie chided.
“I didn’t,” she explained. “I was sitting at the library when a few of Vesper’s boys showed up, flinging their flyers at people, but then I guess one of them must have clubbed me over the head. Next thing I knew I woke up here, and they told me I got attacked by cougars that seemed to have left me for dead. Espie, what’s really going on around here? I’m sure you must know more about this than you’ve been letting on.”
“I don’t know anything for a fact, but I know that I’ve been neglecting you all week if you don’t already realize my suspicions,” Espie said, casting her a guilty smile.
“You’ve had a lot on your mind,” said Maida. “You still do.”
“Luther’s got a daughter,” she told her. “I just found out. And she’s completely adorable.”
Maida squealed. “Espie, that makes you a mama!”
“Don’t excite yourself,” Espie scolded her.
“Pardon me, Miss Ruiz,” said Clive as he stepped into the room.
“Officer,” Espie responded in a respectful tone. “Have you come to ask Maida some questions? I’d sort of like to sit in, if that’s all right with you. There are a few details of my own I’d hoped to share with my brother, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood.”
Clive rolled his eyes. “I know. Didn’t you see me there?”
“No, sorry, I believe my attention was somewhere else.”
“So, Maida, do you feel up to telling me what happened to you?” Clive asked the injured redhead, looking at her with a sympathetic smile.
“I was just telling Espie there’s not much I can remember,” Maida explained with a sigh. “Just that I think Willard Vesper’s flyer boys must have somehow knocked me out and brought me up to the mountains from the library.”
Clive blushed slightly. “Uh, you’re not feeling…less than fresh, right? We could get you a rape kit if you’d like.”
“Ew, thanks for the thought,” she said, shuddering.
“We can have a nurse drop one by.”
“Clive, I need to ask you,” said Espie. “Have you been getting other complaints that might just link the Vesper group to these cougar assaults? Because Luther and I have had more than one run-in, and it seems glaringly obvious to us.”
Clive frowned. “Last I heard from your brother’s mouth, he thought maybe your boy was the ringleader, but with all this new evidence that’s been pointing another finger at someone else, now I’m not so sure. What exactly makes you think this has anything to do with Vesper?”
