Page 3

Chapter Three

Edee entered Gram’s hospital room, her long dark red hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her gaze swept over him and she frowned. “Want to tell me why I got a call from the physical therapist telling me you were a no-show again ? He’s pissed. Can’t blame him.”

Gram shrugged. He didn’t really want to get into a discussion of his therapy with her again but knew she wouldn’t let it go. “Aye, because I’m nae there.”

She scowled, her disapproving looks something for the record books. “Oh really? I came up with that on my own. But thanks for clearing it up for me.”

“Then why ask?” He returned to staring out the window. The sun was now gone from view, replaced by the moon’s soft glow. The wolf in him unfurled slightly, a sense of longing for the night coming over it.

When he’d gone through his first shift, when he was an adolescent, he’d thought his wolf to be unstable. After centuries, he’d grown to trust it, and it him. Now the man and the wolf were at odds and too broken to want to bother pursuing anything more. They both wanted to curl into a ball and sleep. That or be sent out on a mission to take their minds from their troubles.

Edee approached and sat on the edge of the bed. She wore a long blue dress with a pair of flats. Gram noticed years ago that the woman tended to gravitate toward dresses. The white lab coat she wore over the dress was something Gram was getting used to seeing her in, and it was nice. It meant she was getting out there and living life again, not hiding away, always on the run, as life had been for her for years.

It also meant that she was always around, since she worked at PSI Division B Headquarters. She wasn’t inclined to take any of his bullshit: that was an issue. He could bluster and grumble all he wanted with everyone else on staff. Edee would throw something at him and tell him to get bent all while wheeling him directly to the physical therapist herself.

She had that kind of temperament.

Edee knew him well and had been a close friend for five years. She was like family to him, and she saw him in the same light. Their late-night conversations over the years had revealed as much. She possessed Fae magik, similar to his, though her control over it was nearly nonexistent as trauma had been what had triggered her gifts. Not birth.

His control wasn’t winning any prizes lately either, so he didn’t really have a lot of room to judge.

Truth be told, Edee probably had more control over her magik at the moment than Gram had over his. That was a scary thought. He’d once seen her blow up a microwave by accident all because, in a fit of anger, she’d let her magik loose near the appliance. Edee had effectively microwaved the microwave.

Edee and Gram had gone through a lot together. She was best friends with Gram’s ex-fiancé—Brooke. She was the last person who would allow him to wither away in a hospital room, swimming in self-pity.

“I know you miss Brooke and Bethany,” said Edee softly, compassion in her voice.

“They were in to see me again this morning,” he returned, doing his best to school his expression. Talking about Brooke and Bethany hurt. He’d thought he had a future with Brooke. That he’d adopt Bethany, her daughter, as his own and they’d be as happy as they could considering they weren’t true mates. That hadn’t been meant to be. She’d reconnected with her true mate…and he just happened to be a man who got on Gram’s last damn nerve.

Malik Nasser.

An ancient Egyptian lion-shifter who fancied himself the gods’ gift to women. Or he had before mating. His bed hopping had been legendary until Brooke. Now Brooke had him by the shorties. The woman had effectively neutered the bastard.

Good.

Gram got a bit of satisfaction from that knowledge.

Edee stared at him. “Brooke is worried about you. So am I.”

“I’m fine,” he said, his words clipped. He wanted off the subject. “Getting better every day.”

“Bullshit,” she snipped. “Can the crap and try that on someone else. Someone who doesn’t know you like I do. You’re about as far from fine as you can get.”

“You know your bedside manner is somewhat lacking,” said Gram with a slight grin.

“That has been mentioned before.” Edee smiled wide, the action lighting up her face. She was a very attractive woman. One who was slowly finding her way back to being self-assured and strong-willed.

He glanced at the door. “Did you come in here to check on me or hide from Striker?”

Dougal “Striker” McCracken never seemed too far behind Edee. He’d become an oversized giant shadow who hovered in the vicinity wherever Edee went. Gram wasn’t sure she noticed even though Striker was hard to miss.

She grumbled. “That man gets on my last nerve.”

Gram snorted. “He does not. I know yer tells, woman. You like him. You just do nae want him to catch on to as much.”

“Can you imagine if he found out I consider him a friend?” She put the back of her hand to her forehead in a dramatic fashion and did a partial fake swoon. “I’d have to go into witness protection or something to get away from him and his help .”

Gram had heard all about Striker’s version of helping Edee the day before. “I do nae think he meant to knock you down the stairs at Malik’s house. Sounds to me like he was trying to make sure you dinnae fall down them in yer heels.”

“Oh yeah. I know. Thank God he has fast reflexes. He at least caught me before I tumbled all the way down them,” she said with a half laugh. “You should have seen his face.”

“I heard all about it.”

“Brooke told you?” she asked.

Gram shook his head. “Bethany. She told me all about her uncle Striker helping her aunt Edee. She was quite animated when she told me. I especially enjoyed seeing her flail her arms about, with wide eyes, shouting half-done sentences in a fit of anger. She really does mimic you well.”

Edee snickered. “I bet. Did she mimic Striker’s brogue when she got to his portion? She’s got it down pat, between you and him.”

It was impossible to hold in his pride over that fact. He’d worked with Bethany from an early age to teach her Gaelic. She knew a fair amount and could sound like she was Scottish when she wanted. It was adorable.

So was she.

All of it drove home how much he missed the idea of a family. Of something more in life.

“I thought I’d found happiness,” he confessed.

She sighed and then stood, putting an arm around him and squeezing him gently. Neither said a word as they looked out the window together. They stayed that way for several minutes before she patted his chest lightly. “There is someone special out there for you, Gram. I know it.”

“That is a pretty notion, but it’s nae the reality of it,” he said. It was true. Mates were rare. Not all supernaturals were gifted with one. He’d been alive for centuries and not a single whisper of his mate had found its way to him. Granted, a number of men who were even older than him were only just now finding their mates, but still. The odds were stacked against him.

Holding out hope for such a thing was too much. Especially when Gram felt as if everything in his life had turned on its head as of late.

He glanced at Edee. “Has seeing Brooke mated to Malik made you think about one day mating yerself?”

Edee paled. “God no. I don’t want to be tied to one man all my life. You’re all so moody and needy.”

His lips curved upward. “Thanks.”

“Hey. I call it like I see it.”

“That you do, lass,” he said.

“Have you showered today?” she asked, never one to beat around the bush. She wrinkled her nose.

“Aye,” he said before thinking harder on it. “Maybe. I do nae recall, nor do I care.”

“Yeah, well I care. You smell horrible. Either you shower or I’m going to bring a hose in here and have at you,” she threatened.

She’d do it, and she’d smile the entire time.

“I do nae smell that bad, do I?” he asked, sniffing himself. He had to admit he didn’t smell the best. “I think I showered yesterday.”

“Nope. Try the day before that.”

“Yer keeping track of when I bathe?” he asked, giving her a sideways stare.

She shrugged. “Someone has to. You’re clearly not worried about it. Which is really weird because you normally shower twice a day when given the chance. You make the rest of us smell bad. This new you is less anal but also less hygienic. I’d rather have anal you back.”

“Thanks. I think.”

She nudged him lightly. “I overheard some of the guys talking. They think you need to get laid. They think getting you in bed with a woman is what will do the trick to help you heal your mind and body.”

Gram did his best to avoid flinching at the idea of touching or being touched by any woman. That was the last thing he wanted.

“But I don’t think you’re ready to jump back into dating,” said Edee, watching him closely. “Are you?”

“No.” He wasn’t. He needed time to lick his proverbial wounds. Time for his heart to heal.

“Brooke is happy with Malik. And while I know that has to kill you inside, I think you’re also happy for her, which has to be really frigging confusing.” She took a seat on the end of the bed once more. “She has a lot of guilt over it all. She never intended to hurt you, and the fact you were injured saving Bethany weighs on her heavy too. I tried to explain you’d have it no other way, that you’d do it all over again. She doesn’t listen well.”

Gram let out a long breath as he looked down at the floor. “She has nothing to feel guilty about. She found out her mate was alive, and they made a life together. They put their family back together. And yer right. I would do it all again in a heartbeat, even knowing what the final result would be.”

Even talking about it made his chest tight and his eyes moisten. Edee was right: he was happy for Brooke and for her mate—even though he personally thought Malik was an asshole. But none of that took from the fact he hurt. Everything he’d thought he’d built for himself had been ripped away. On top of it all, he still wasn’t healed fully, and he itched to get back out into the field and go on missions again. Being cooped up in the infirmary sucked.

Killing bad guys was just what he needed to take his mind off things. He just needed to get back on the horse and off his ass.

He tried to stand, but his right leg was so stiff that he nearly fell. Glancing nervously in Edee’s direction, he waited for her to make a smart remark. It was sort of her thing.

“You’re doing a hell of a lot better than you have any right to be, considering what you went through,” she offered, calming his fears a bit.

Reaching out, he put his hand to the wall, to the right of the window, to help steady himself. “I should have healed all of this by now.”

“Correction,” she said sternly. “You should have died in that explosion. Let’s be honest here. That isn’t something any supernatural should have lived through. I’ve read the medical reports. I’ve talked to James and Auberi, not to mention any other medical personnel I could get my hands on. You’re a damn miracle. Start acting like one.”

“Dragon-shifters would have been fine,” he returned.

She groaned. “Well, since we’re just overrun with them, I stand corrected.”

He grinned. “I get yer point.”

“Do you, Gram? Because it seems to me you’re wallowing in self-pity. This isn’t like you. Where is the fire in your eyes? Where is the stubborn Scottish iron will that I wanted to throttle you over for years? I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I miss that side of you.”

“Lent all my stubborn Scottish-ness to Striker,” said Gram, knowing the mere mention of the other Scot in the building at the moment would get Edee going again.

From the word go, Striker and Edee had a strange tension between them. Gram had to wonder if it was sexual. Knowing Striker, it was. The man lived and breathed sex.

Not that too many red-blooded males didn’t.

Edee, from what Gram had learned of her before life had brought them together, used to be very free with her sexuality. Incredibly open with it all. He understood why that side of her was hidden from others now. She’d lived through horrors he didn’t even want to think upon. She’d bounced back and seemed to grow stronger emotionally every day.

And here he was doing exactly what she accused him of—wallowing in self-pity.

“Shite,” he whispered.

“You finally seeing the light or am I going to need to track down that stubborn Scot you mentioned?” she asked, leaning forward on the edge of the bed. “You should know, I heard him on the phone yesterday, right after he tried to kill me on the stairs at Malik’s. He’s up to something.”

Gram stared at Edee. “Do I even want to know what?”

“Probably not since I’m positive it involves you.” She stood and stretched her arms above her head. “He mentioned a couple of names. I’ve never heard of them before. He also said something about family and Colorado.”

Gram tensed, already having a fairly good idea who Striker would reach out to in regard to Gram. “Were the names he mentioned Mac and Car?”

Her eyes widened. “Yes.”

“Double shite.” Gram stepped back from the window, mindful of his stiff leg. “I should shower. If the twins show, they really will hose me down.”

“Twins?” asked Edee, eyeing him closely.

“Two of Striker’s cousins.”

Edee gasped. “Oh dear gods above, tell me they have more manners than that beast.”

“Edee, they make Striker look tame. Like a teddy bear even,” answered Gram, meaning every word of it. He’d known the McCracken clan for centuries. They were a rowdy bunch. They drank too much. Fucked too much. Got in too many fights. Everything with them was done to excess.

“I didn’t think anyone could out-Striker Striker,” she replied.

“Och, I heard that.” The Scot in question appeared in the doorway. He had on his tartan, a pair of biker boots, and a T-shirt that read “Vamps Suck.”

The Crimson Ops Division of vampires at PSI had to just love the shirt. Which was more than likely why Striker was wearing it—to get a rise out of them.

Edee put her hands to her cheeks and pulled lightly, annoyance showing brightly. “Were your ears ringing?”

“No, but my dick was hard. Figured you were talking about me,” said Striker with a wink.

Edee glanced at Gram. “Feeling up to killing him? Could get you back in the game.”

Striker ran a hand over his wild, deep red beard. It matched his hair, which was also long now but currently pulled back from his face at the nape of his neck. “Och, lass, Campbell willnae kill me. We go way back.”

“Then he totally will kill you. I’ve known you less than a month and I want to strangle you most of the time,” said Edee, easing closer to Striker despite her words.

Striker grinned. “I’ve that effect on the ladies.”

Gram laughed. “Aye. It’s true. He does.”

“Great. You’re a character witness for him now?” asked Edee, sounding anything but annoyed. She looked to be fighting a smile.

“Character witnesses for him are few and far between. Seems the least I could do,” said Gram, heading in the direction of the bathroom that was attached to his hospital room. “I’m going to shower. Unless you two want a show, I’d suggest you step out.”

“Och, Campbell, I’ve seen you naked more times than I can count. You’ve nothing I have nae seen before,” said Striker, earning him a sideways glance and a snicker from Edee. Striker’s face reddened. “I dinnae mean it the way yer taking it, lass.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

Edee glided past the man, leaving Striker’s head turning as he watched her leave the room.

“Bonnie lass.”

“So you’ve mentioned,” said Gram. “Do you really want to bed her or are you just in it for the chase?”

Striker looked at Gram. “I do nae know what I want with her.”

Gram was quiet a moment. “Striker, how many women have you had that you’d label a friend? Someone you talk with, confide in, care about, but who yer nae bedding. Women who aren’t mated to yer friends.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it, a pensive look coming over his face. He started to say something and stopped, frustration evident. He lifted a hand but lowered it.

Gram snorted. “I’m going out on a limb here, but is Edee yer first?”

The big man nodded. “Aye. She confuses me.”

“And you think Mac and Car will help clear it up?”

Striker grinned. “The lass ratted me out, did she?”

“She did. Though she did nae believe me when I told her that yer cousins make you look like a tame teddy bear.”

Tossing his head back, Striker laughed loud and long. “She’s in for a surprise then.”

“That or you’re in for a run for your money because I know the twins. They’ll think Edee is hot and be trying to get in her pants about two seconds after they meet her,” said Gram in all seriousness. “She’ll castrate them…or maybe she’ll think they’re good-looking and decide she wants to have a threesome.”

Striker’s face reddened more but Gram knew it was from anger this time, not embarrassment. “She’ll nae be having any way with them let alone a three-way!”

“Dougal!” yelled Edee from down the hall.

Striker cringed. “Aye?”

Gram snorted. “I thought no one was allowed to call you that.”

“I told her I dinnae like it,” said Striker before he looked tired. “Only made her call me it more.”

“She sounds pissed.” Gram didn’t bother to hide his laugh. “What did you do this time?”

“Is this your half-eaten sub sandwich on my research samples?” Edee asked, coming around the corner, holding a partially eaten sub. It was dripping with mustard and mayo.

“Nae if it ruined any samples,” said Striker. “If it ruined anything it was Boomer’s lunch. Nae mine. Kill the cat-shifter, nae me.”

Edee narrowed her gaze on the tall man. “I wonder how long it will take James to dislodge this sub from your ass?”

Striker eyed the sub. “An hour, give or take a few minutes.”

Gram lost it, laughing so hard he needed to bend. “How the hell do you know that?”

“Well, there was this one time I thought it would be funny to try…och…never mind,” said Striker, snapping his mouth shut quickly.

Gram wasn’t sure the man’s face could get any redder. He looked like a tomato.

Edee raked her gaze over Striker. “I’m going to check the Asshole of the Week wall to see what it is you got stuck up your butt.”

She hurried off.

Striker ran after her. “Fine. It’s nae Boomer’s sub! Let’s nae talk about my arse anymore.”