“Okay, let me get this straight. This woman is in a relationship with you? Why the hell wouldn’t she just tell me that? Why didn’t she just ask for help if she’d run out of food? There is something extremely fishy about this, and my bullshit meter is beeping like a motherfucker.”
Hunter sighed. “She’s different, Duncan. She’s been alone most of her life. She doesn’t trust anyone. She hasn’t had much contact with other people. She doesn’t understand the rules.”
Duncan’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t take advantage of that, did you, Hunter?”
Hunter stiffened. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that. All you need to know is that that is my woman in there, and she is pregnant with my child. If you aren’t pressing charges, I’m taking her home with me right now.”
“Hell no, I’m not pressing charges,” Duncan said in disgust.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Fine. But buy her some damn shoes, for God’s sake.”
Hunter walked back into Duncan’s office and carefully approached Kaya. She stared up at him, uncertainty written on her face. His heart ached at the loss of trust. Before she’d given herself and her trust with no reservation. Now he and Jericho were going to have to work damn hard to get it back.
He knelt on the floor in front of her and took her cold hands in his. “Are you ready to go home, honey?”
“Where is Jericho?”
There was a fearful look in her eyes, as if she was afraid that Jericho hadn’t come back for her.
He cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing tenderly. “He’s at the cabin. We’ll explain everything when we get there. I swear.”
Slowly she nodded.
“But first we’re going to go buy you some decent clothes and shoes.”
She glanced down at her bare feet. “Okay.”
He took her hand in his and carefully helped her to her feet. “Come on, honey. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The drive back up the mountain was silent and tense. Hunter had a thousand questions burning his brain, but he owed it to Jericho to wait so he could hear it all as well. He was impatient to get Kaya back to the cabin. Jericho had been out of his mind with worry, and he was still badly in need of recovery time.
As they neared the cabin, Hunter reached over and took Kaya’s hand in his. The touch was more to reassure him than her. How close they had come to losing her. If Duncan hadn’t stashed her in the jail, no matter how terrifying for her, they likely wouldn’t have ever seen her again.
The back of the truck was filled with food and clothing. He hadn’t taken much time with the shopping. He’d grabbed what they needed immediately and left an order to be filled with Margaret. He’d go back to get the rest. From there, he’d gone to the small clothing store and grabbed everything off the rack he thought would fit Kaya. And shoes. He’d sized her small feet and bought tennis shoes, slip-ons and a pair of boots.
As they pulled up to the cabin, Jericho stepped onto the porch, leaning against the railing for support. Kaya stiffened, her hand going to her mouth as a gasp escaped.
Jericho strained to see the inside of the truck, hoping against hope. When Hunter stepped out, his heart sank. He closed his eyes as despair swept over him. Where was she? Was she alone? Afraid? Hurt or in trouble?
Hunter walked around the front of the truck and to the passenger side. Jericho’s breath caught and held, swelling in his chest, when Hunter opened the door and reached inside.
Seconds later, Kaya stepped from the truck, tucked into Hunter’s protective hold. The two figures went blurry in his vision, and he quickly scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his sleeve.
Then he noticed the small swell of her stomach and how she palmed it protectively. Her nervous gaze sought his, and he could read fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
Pregnant.
Indescribable joy swelled in his soul until he thought he’d burst. He had to grab at the railing again as he swayed like a sapling in the breeze.
She was here. She was pregnant. They had a child.
Hunter slowly walked her forward until they stood a few feet away. She stared hard at Jericho, her lips turned down into a frown.
“What is wrong, Jericho?” she asked.
He held open his arms and she hurried forward, burying herself against his chest.
“Nothing,” he said in a choked voice. “Now that you’re here, nothing in the world is the matter.”
She held him for a long moment before finally pulling away to stare up at him, concern etched into her eyes.
“What happened to you? You’re in pain, and you don’t look well.”
Jericho found Hunter’s gaze. “You didn’t tell her?”
“We have a lot to talk about,” Hunter said wearily. “I waited until we got here. She was down in Duncan’s jail.”
“What?” Jericho exploded.
Kaya jumped against him, and he gentled his touch, soothing her with his hands.
“Let’s go inside,” Hunter suggested. “We all need to sit down.”
Unable to let her go even for a moment, Jericho held her tightly against his side as he started for the living room. He stumbled when his leg didn’t cooperate, and Hunter grabbed him to steady him.
“Thanks,” Jericho muttered.
“Jericho, what happened?” Kaya asked.
Her anxious eyes found his, and all he could do was kiss her. He lowered his head to find her lips, closing his eyes as her sweetness enveloped him. Finally. Finally he was home.
With Hunter’s help, he got to the couch and sat, pulling Kaya down beside him. He kept her anchored against his side, afraid to let her go even for a moment.
“What happened, Kaya?” Hunter asked gently. “I need you to tell us everything.”
She withdrew and twined her fingers in her lap, twisting nervously.
“I stayed as long as I could. I ran out of food, and since I couldn’t shift, I had to go to the town to try and get something to eat. I thought…I thought you weren’t coming back.”
Hunter swore, and Jericho closed his eyes.
“Why couldn’t you shift?” Hunter asked.
“Because of the baby,” she said softly. “It’s too dangerous. I didn’t know at first. One day the cougar wouldn’t respond to my call to shift. I was so frightened. I thought she had deserted me too.”
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry,” Jericho whispered against her hair. “We didn’t desert you. We’d never voluntarily leave you. I know how it must have looked, but we wouldn’t have left you for the world.”
She swallowed. “Then I had a vision from the Maker bestowing his gift on my daughter, and I understood. I realized I was pregnant.”
“Gift?”
“Daughter?”
Both men voiced their questions at the same time.
She nodded and framed her hands around her belly. “She will be a great silver wolf. I saw it in my vision. She will be free and beautiful.”
The men stared at each other in disbelief. A wolf. Jericho couldn’t wrap his brain around it. How the hell did a cougar-shifting woman give birth to a wolf-shifting daughter?
She looked up at them, her anxiety a living, breathing thing hovering in the air. “Are you upset about the baby?”
Hunter’s mouth fell open, and Jericho squeezed her against him, his heart beating double-time.
“Upset?” Hunter asked.
“Hell no.” Jericho’s hand covered hers, cupping the swell. “I’m only upset that we left you here to fend for yourself, alone and pregnant.”
“Honey, how do you know she’ll be a wolf? And how is that possible when Jericho and I…we aren’t shifters.”
She offered a shaky smile. “It was the Maker’s choice to gift our daughter with the wolf. She will grow to be strong and beautiful.”
“Like her mother,” Hunter said softly.
“What happened after you found out?” Jericho asked.
She stiffened a
gain at his side. Her small fingers curled and uncurled. She seemed to be grappling with her emotions.
Sliding away from him, she rose to pace in front of them her eyes glowing, her face creased in consternation.
Kaya sucked in her breath, praying for wisdom, but her anger was quickly building. It surprised her, this rush of rage, her feeling of betrayal. She’d held so much in for so long because she’d been so afraid, but now with the two men in front of her, she seethed like a cauldron.
She turned to face them both. “Why?”
Jericho looked tortured, his face a mask of pain, both physical and mental. Hunter looked away, his body tense.
“You said you’d return. You led me to believe you would only be away a few weeks. You left me.”
She palmed her belly again and rubbed in agitation.
“I had no way to feed myself. I had no money to live in the human world, and when I tried to feed myself and my child, I was taken and locked in a…in a…cage,” she choked out.
She covered her face in her hands as sobs spilled out. Her shoulders shook violently as she tried to keep the raw noise from escaping.
In an instant she was enfolded and surrounded by both men. They held on to her while months of fear and grief erupted. She clutched at them, simultaneously furious and overjoyed that they were here, holding her.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Jericho murmured. “When I realized how long we’d been gone, I went crazy.”
She went still and then pushed away so she could look up at him. “What do you mean?” She took in his haggard appearance, the weight he’d lost, the pallor of his face and the unmistakable evidence of pain. All the things she’d seen when he’d appeared on the porch, looking weak. “Jericho, what happened to you? Why wouldn’t you know how long you were gone?” She clutched frantically at his chest. “Tell me what happened!”
Hunter gently pried her away from Jericho and led her back to the couch. Jericho came with her and collapsed beside her on the cushions, looking for the world like the last of his strength had been sapped.
“Come here,” Jericho said, holding his arms out to her.
She went willingly, her earlier anger evaporating as the sweetness of his embrace surrounded her.
“We were set up. When we arrived in the encampment to rescue the medical workers, no one was there. There was an explosion. Hunter and I didn’t get out in time.”
She gasped. “No!” She touched his face frantically then ran her hands down his chest, searching for evidence of his injuries, wanting to know how bad they were.
Then she turned to Hunter as Jericho’s words sank in. “You too? You were both hurt?”
Hunter gave a short nod.
“I’m so sorry. I had no right to be angry, no right to yell at you.”
Hunter thrust his hand in her hair, smoothing the strands with his fingers. “No, honey, we understand. You were alone and afraid. For all you knew, we’d abandoned you like your family did.”
“But it was you who were alone,” she whispered. “How bad was it, and don’t lie to me.”
Both men sighed.
“Jericho nearly died,” Hunter said.
“Goddamn it, Hunter.”
Kaya’s stomach fell to her feet. She swallowed the rising nausea. If he had died, she would’ve never known.
“And you?” she whispered to Hunter.
“For a while I couldn’t walk. I was paralyzed when a piece of shrapnel lodged in my spine. I’m just lucky they were able to remove it. We were both beat up pretty bad, but we made it, Kaya. We came back to you.”
She threw herself into Hunter’s arms, burying her face in his neck. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no right to feel as I did. I didn’t know you were hurt.”
He stroked her hair and held her close. “No, honey. You had every right. But we’re home now, and we’re never going to leave you again. Do you understand that?”
Slowly, she pulled away and reached for Jericho’s hand, wanting to touch him and gain reassurance that he was here and whole.
“You aren’t going away again?”
“Never,” Jericho vowed.
“But, it’s what you do,” she said. “It’s how you honor Rebeccah’s memory.”
“No, it’s what we did,” Hunter said quietly. “But not anymore. Rebeccah is gone. We loved her, but now we love you.”
She went completely still. “You love me?”
Jericho nudged her chin until she stared back at him. His eyes were alight with emotion. Love.
“You’re everything to us, Kaya. You’re what kept me alive. We fought to get back to you.”
She threw herself into his arms as she had done Hunter. “I love you too, Jericho.” And then thinking better of her actions, she jerked away, her hands running down his chest. “I’m sorry. Are you all right? Do you still hurt?”
To her surprise, he laughed and captured her hands with his. He brought both up to his mouth and kissed her palms. And then he looked down at her belly, his laughter dying as a look of intense longing filled his eyes. Love softened his entire face, and if she ever had doubts as to whether he welcomed the idea of a baby, she shed them now.
He lowered his hands to her belly, cupping it through the thin layer of her shirt.
“I want to see,” he said huskily. “Will you show me?”
She glanced over at Hunter to gauge his reaction, and his eyes went soft as he followed the direction of Jericho’s hands.
“Show us our child, Kaya,” Hunter said.
She wiggled from between them and turned on the couch until she was on her knees. Then she raised her shirt and pushed down her pants until she bared the curve of her belly.
Strong, blunt fingertips tentatively pressed into her sides.
“You won’t hurt her,” she said gently.
“You’re so sure it’s a girl?” Jericho asked.
She nodded solemnly. “She will have blue eyes.”
“We have to talk about her, your pregnancy, I mean,” Hunter said. “You need care, Kaya. You haven’t been eating properly. You need extra vitamins. Tests. Sonograms. A doctor.”
She stared curiously at him. “Sonograms? Tests?”
“He means you’ll need help when it comes time to have the baby,” Jericho said. “A hospital.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. You know I can’t do that.”
Hunter’s hand tightened on her belly. “We’ll figure something out. We’ll take care of you and our daughter. You have our word.”
“I’m so glad you’re both home,” she whispered. “I missed you so much.”
She went forward, snuggling into both of their bodies. To be happy now after living so many months in fear overwhelmed her. If she closed her eyes, would this all be a dream? Would she wake back in the cage?
Her heart pounded at the thought.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Hunter asked gently.
She didn’t respond at first.
He pulled her onto his lap and carefully framed her face in his hands until she looked him in the eye.
“You know we love you, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“And you also know we’ll never leave you again.”
She hesitated a fraction.
Hunter pulled her down to kiss her lovingly on the lips. “I don’t blame you for not accepting it right away. But we’ll prove it to you. We’re not going anywhere. You have our word.”
Tears trailed down her cheeks, and he wiped them away with his thumbs.
“I love you too. So much. I just want to be with you and Jericho.”
“Then we’ll take it one day at a time. Jericho and I both have some healing to do. Just like you do. We’ll do it together.”
She smiled through her tears and leaned in for another kiss.
“I’ll take very good care of you and Jericho,” she promised.
“And we’re going to love you for a very long time,” Jericho said.
“I’ll st
art by making dinner,” she said. “Hunter bought supplies in town, and I taught myself to cook while you were gone.”
Hunter smiled. “Let me go out and get the groceries, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Duncan drove toward his cabin after a long-ass day of work. He was tired, the day had been filled with bullshit calls, and what he really wanted was his wife. But she wasn’t due home until the next day.
He pulled up, cut the engine and sat there for a long moment, mustering the energy to get out and go inside.
He had one leg out the door when his cabin door flew open and Aliyah tore out of the house, her golden hair flying behind her.
Suddenly finding a hell of a lot more energy, he stumbled out of the truck about the time his wife hit him square in the chest. She leaped into his arms and wrapped her legs tight around him. Her lips crashed over his in a sweet, honeyed rush that left him breathless.
“God, I’m glad to see you,” he groaned as he cupped her ass in his hands.
She went completely still against him and inhaled deeply. She drew away and frowned and inhaled again, her nostrils flaring.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked in amusement.
“Your scent is different,” she said sharply.
Then she lowered her head, sniffing his neck and his shirt. When she pulled back again, her eyes glowed strangely, and her body quivered, signaling an impending shift.
“Aliyah, get it together. You can’t shift out here, for God’s sake. Anyone could be watching.”
She blinked several times before the feral light in her eyes subsided.
“Who have you been around?” she demanded. Her expression was utterly serious as she slid from his arms.
He frowned. Aliyah wasn’t usually the jealous type. Hell, she’d scented plenty of women on him before. Hazard of the job. But she’d never reacted this way.
“Honey, the only people I’ve been around are Nick and a bunch of crazy-ass hunters who decided to get drunk and go spotlighting.”
She shook her head vehemently. “A woman. Who is she?”