Page 60

Stacy

I struggle as Jase holds me back.

Of course it’s sheer stupidity that has me struggling in Jase’s grasp like there’s anything I can do about Grey being in that building, but it’s on fire! Grey and Soleil are in there and the structure is falling down just like the office did for Silver Hills Salvage when he was so furious.

I go limp in Jase’s grasp and bawl, clenching my hair in my hands at both sides of my head as I will the man I love to come out here and be okay. Because the feeling in my chest in Grey’s spot doesn’t feel okay. At all.

I’m here with Sherry, Aphra, and Halla as well as the blonde witch Soleil called Sheena, but everyone is moving further away from the door as more smoke billows out and the awful sounds of the building crumbling assault our ears.

The other women aren’t in sight and there’s one less vehicle here than when I got here, so they must have taken off. Jase yanks the electrical cord out of the back of Jared’s Airstream and hits a button making it quickly snap into place on the back. He tugs my hand to take me to the pickup truck, telling me to get in so he can pull it away from the building. He puts me into the back seat beside Halla who just climbed in.

Sherry gets in the front passenger seat.

Aphra stares at me.

“C’mon, Momma. Quick so we can get away from the fire!”

“Quick, yeah?” Jase tells her.

“I… I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Jase gets into the driver’s seat, saying, “Come with us. We’ll figure it out.”

Aphra and I exchange a loaded look before my eyes bounce back to the building, looking for my mate. She gets in and shuts the door, buckling her daughter’s seatbelt as Jase turns the truck on.

Suddenly I see Grey! The man I love emerges from the burning building, bare-chested, eyes glowing silver as his chest rapidly rises and falls. He’s looking for me, zeroing in. He spots me and I’m trying to get out of the truck, but the child locks are still engaged so the door won’t open!

“Argh!” I cry out and pound on the window in frustration.

Grey pulls the door open and now I’m in his arms. He’s squeezing me tight, kissing the side of my face as I sob, wrapping my limbs around him.

It feels so, so good to be embraced by him, to smell him underneath the scent of smoke. I put my hands to his jaw and kiss his face over and over.

There’s a loud boom from inside the warehouse and Jase says, “Gotta get this moved!”

Grey sets me on my feet and shuts the truck door.

“Hurry,” he says, tugging my hand so we can rush but changes his mind and lifts me again, running across the street impossibly fast with me in his arms.

Just as he sets me into the passenger seat of his car, there’s another explosion sound inside the warehouse, but Jase is already pulling the truck onto the road in front of us. I see Sheena in the truck with the camper bed on the back. She drives one way. Jase drives the other way and we follow.

A minute or two later, we’re on a highway, still following Jase.

“Your mom?” I ask.

“Okay now.”

“Your…mother…”

“Dead.”

“You?” I ask.

He takes his eyes off the road for a split second to look at me and I see immense pain there. Also relief.

“You?” he answers my question with a question.

I grab his thigh. “I’m okay now. Now that I’m within reaching distance of you.”

He lets out a stuttered exhale. “Meadows is unconscious and I suspect tied up in the back of Jared’s camper since Jase went to take care of that before he came inside. Don’t know how long till he’ll wake. That redheaded witch blew something in his face that made him drop.”

“That’s Aphra. Sherry also dosed his whisky with the rest of that herb that was in my suitcase. If he wakes up, he won’t be able to shift for a while.”

Grey barks out a laugh. He barks it out loud enough it startles me.

“That’s poetry right there, Blossom.”

I feel a smile tug at my mouth. “Isn’t it?”

His expression darkens as he drives and there’s a moment of silence where I can see and feel how devastated he is at what he just went through.

“I… um, so… apparently we’re gonna have a baby,” I say.

The trouble leaves his face immediately as he corrects, “Babies, Blossom.” He reaches with his right hand to caress my belly as he holds the steering wheel with his left. “I smelled you were pregnant when your scent was masked. The scent of our kids led me to you. It’s early but maybe I was smelling them that strong from a distance because there are two of them. Didn’t know it wasn’t just one until I got close.”

“Good job, little beans,” I say, caressing my belly with tears in my eyes, with joy welling up inside me. “I love you, Grey,” I say.

“Twin boys, Blossom. Both alphas, I think. That there are two of them might also be why you were able to take that chain off her neck.”

Joy wells up inside me. Me , growing alphas inside my womb. Little versions of Grey and me.

“Wow.”

I sober. “I had to take it off her. She told me she’d shove something down my throat that’d make me miscarry. Or use a coat hanger.”

His expression hardens and he grips the steering wheel so tight I see the whites of his knuckles.

“She wouldn’t have. She would’ve let them be born and then try to siphon their magic. But… you did the right thing,” he assures.

“There was no other choice,” I say. And I’m not just talking about for me. I’m also talking about for him. I don’t know exactly what went on in there but I do know my mate would’ve saved her if he could.

“She siphoned magic from me as a newborn. Almost killed me. This is why he severed the bond. She wouldn’t stop. She’s an addict. She would’ve eventually come after them.”

“You did the right thing, too, Greyson.”

He swallows and flexes his fingers before tightening his grip on the steering wheel again.

Wyatt is secured in the back of the Airstream. I’m carrying two babies. Brody is going to lead the Silver Hills pack into a brighter future. Happiness and gratitude floods me.

“We made it,” I breathe and then I pull in more air and blow it out slowly. “And somehow, even though I didn’t know if I could, I made it through all this.”

“Yeah, you did,” he says.

“Because of you.”

I squeal with happiness, grab his thigh, and jiggle it again. “I’m so, so happy. Two babies! And we have Wyatt. I’m sorry about your mother, I’m sorry about what you had to do in there, but Greyson… I’m also so, so happy! It’s the beginning of our happily ever after.”

He swallows, then fiercely says, “I love you, wife. Your happiness is my priority, so good . I’m glad.”

“I’m really sorry it had to go that way with Soleil.”

His mouth tightens, but he says nothing.

“Is all the bad stuff over for us?” I ask.

“I fuckin’ hope so, sweetheart. I saw the future, saw a future with her was gonna make life very fuckin’ complicated. This happened now or it happened later with a bunch of bullshit in between.”

“You did the right thing. That’s who you are,” I tell him.

He sighs and focuses on the road ahead.

“Aphra… she’s coming with us,” I keep talking. “Jase opened the truck door and Halla just climbed in the back seat. Aphra looked sort of lost for a second, eyes bouncing to me. I think she did some bad including helping Soleil with potions but I think Soleil tricked her into it. She had to do what she had to do to get her daughter back. I don’t think she knew it would come at that cost.”

“I suspect she’s hiding from her coven for a reason. We’ll get to the bottom of all of it. Later.”

“Yeah,” I say, squeezing his leg.

“Three or four hours to get back?” I ask based on a guess of how long Wyatt drove last night and how long we drove today.

“About an hour and a half. We aren’t goin’ back to Silver Hills. We’re going home. The Silver Hills people are probably already there by this point.”

“There?” I ask.

“Safer, cleaner. Smells a fuckuva lot better, too.”

I breathe out an exhale of relief. “I can’t wait to get into a hot shower and into our bed.”

“Just sayin’… though I haven’t slept in two days, when I get you into that bed? Be ready.”

“Ready?”

He flashes me a look of promise. “Been too long. Also might need to punish you for heading out into the dark by yourself last night.”

“Punish me?” I frown. He’s joking, right? He has to be joking.

“Can’t decide if I’m gonna deny you and make you beg to come or if I’m gonna make you come so many times you beg me to stop.”

Oh, my stars…

“Gotta say this, Blossom… Jase said Linc told him you went off in the dark on your own while they were dealing with the sewage problem. Linc is ticked. I’m a little ticked too. He’s carrying guilt. He left you safe in the mess hall while he was digging trenches and building outhouses. Someone told him you were sleeping on Cat’s airbed. That wasn’t you. Boyd’s feeling guilt too because he passed you outside on your way to get your bag. You should not have left that mess hall. All that matters is that you’re okay, clearly all this was meant to go the way it went, but Stace…” He lets that hang.

“I know. Believe me, I’ve thought about it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s over,” he says simply.

I eyeball his phone in the cup holder. “I’ll call to tell them we’re okay?”

He places his hand on mine on top of his thigh and blows out another breath. “Send a text, yeah? Not ready to talk to anybody.”

“Okay,” I say, reaching for his phone and tapping out a text to Linc.

It’s Stacy. On our way back. I’m very very sorry for worrying you last night. Jase can give you a more detailed update unless you can wait until we get back but I really did think it would take me just 1 minute to get my bag and had no idea it would go so wrong. Hope you can forgive me.

I see he’s instantly typing a reply. While I watch the bouncing dots, I think about being in bed with Grey, wondering what would be better – if Grey teased me until I begged or gave me too many orgasms to count.

And I know it’s wonky to be thinking about sex right now after what we’ve just gone through, but I can’t help it. I want to connect with my mate, celebrate getting through all that as well as celebrate our future, our growing family.

“Is that a smirk on your face?” my mate asks.

I can’t hide it. I let it come out completely. “I’m not making light of any of this, honey. I just… I’m ready to be naked with you. It’s been too long.”

It’s only been a couple days, but it’s still been way too long.

He gives me a loaded look and is about to respond verbally when the phone dings with Linc’s reply.

“What’s that?” he asks.

I read the text.

Linc: You’re forgiven. Though some of your big cookies would not go unappreciated as an apology gesture.

I write back.

Consider it on my to-do list.

I smile.

“Linc?” he asks.

“Yeah. He forgives me. But wants me to bake him cookies.”

“The fuck you are,” Grey grumbles.

“I already said I would.”

His eyes flare with annoyance.

“I don’t mind.”

Grey licks his teeth behind his closed mouth, exuding irritation.

“I’ll let you try them first,” I offer.

“You’d better.”

I caress his face and his expression softens.

“I love you,” I say.

“I know, mate. I love you, too.”

I smile, leaning back in my seat. I watch the scenery go by as Grey takes us toward Arcana Falls.

A car in front of us pulls off and I’ve now got a view of the back of Jared’s Airstream and my face falls as I consider that Wyatt’s in there. Unconscious and tied up. And unable to shift.

Will they call for the SCC to pick him up?