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“Don’t you die on me,” Diego whispered. “Use that stubborn nature of yours to stay alive.” His heart pounded and he tasted fear. Real fear. He hadn’t known fear since he was a child. When a man didn’t care if he lived or not, he didn’t fear death. But now…now there was Leila.

He examined her quickly, right there on the trail with night falling and the fog thickening. She had torn loose three of the repairs and was bleeding internally. He had to make a quick choice—treat her there and stop the bleeding or take her back to the cabin and hope she didn’t lose too much blood before he could work on her.

Diego was a decisive man. He always had been. Performing surgery psychically would take a huge toll on him. He wouldn’t be able to get them back to the cabin. And she needed blood, a transfusion. He couldn’t give that to her without setting everything up for him to crash afterward. They needed the safety of a shelter.

“Damn it, woman.” He lifted her and began to run up the trail toward his cabin. Each step jarred her. He knew he could be hurting her worse, but he had to sacrifice smoothness for speed.

She made no sound. He wasn’t even certain if she was fully aware of everything around her. The evening was wet and gloomy after a beautiful day. That boded ill, an ominous warning that everything could go wrong in a single heartbeat. Diego knew all about wrong. All about having anything worthwhile ripped away from him.

Not you, sweetheart. Fuckin’ universe doesn’t get to take you away from me. He picked up his pace. Don’t leave me, woman. You’re strong. Fight for us.

Diego figured he should have told her to fight for her baby. Her daughter. Little Grace. That was more likely a bigger incentive. But he wanted to be the reason she chose to stay.

There was a faint stirring in his mind. She poured in, but slowly, filling his mind with her. It was an astonishing feat when she wasn’t naturally telepathic.

Not going anywhere. Just super tired.

She sounded tired. She felt tired to him. The strength of how worn she was terrified him. She was bleeding internally, and that so easily could be the death of her. He increased his speed, staying to the wider trail he rarely used when he traveled up the mountain. He had always preferred the game trails to the rough road where he might encounter others. There were times when hikers or neighbors were on the road, forcing him to interact with them. He always did so in a cultivated, easy manner when he didn’t feel any of those things.

You have a right to be tired after hunting the enemy the way you did. He wanted to keep her alert. Tied to him. The more they spoke intimately, mind to mind, the closer they became. It was impossible to be in someone’s mind and not see the heart of them. Not know what they were truly like as a human being. Or what enhancement did to them.

Reading Leila simply caused him to want to be with her more than ever. He doubted if that closeness would have the same effect on her once she could see into him.

Amusement burst through his mind. He found himself, despite the circumstances, reacting to her sense of humor. The Leila effect , he told her. Lightening the load.

Well, you are rather silly sometimes, Diego. You always want to think the worst of yourself. You crack me up. You’re running up the mountain, carrying me on your shoulder, intending to save my life for the second time, and you want me to think the worst of you.

Put like that, it did sound a little whacked. Selfish reasons, woman. I want you for myself. Think of it as the big bad mountain man claiming the sweet little innocent woman and carrying her off to his lair.

Just as he knew it would, her soft laughter poured into his mind again. He loved the way she viewed life. She could have been bitter and resentful, but instead, she looked for good. She found humor in things others wouldn’t. She made him see the humor in situations he would never have found amusing.

Sweet? Innocent? I just hunted and dispatched five strangers. In anyone else’s book, I wouldn’t be referred to as sweet and innocent.

Let’s remember they were assholes.

The cabin came into sight, and relief flooded him instantly. He had the door to his house open and took her straight through to the bedroom to put her on the bed in record time. Shrugging out of the various packs and weapons he carried, he hurried through the cabin, gathering everything they would need once he crashed. And he was going to crash big-time.

“Okay, babe, I’m going to set us up for the transfusion. Don’t expend any energy until I’ve had a chance to assess the situation with you and then repair any damage. Once I do that, I’ll transfuse you, but again, remember, I’m going to go down hard.”

Her long lashes fluttered and then lifted. He found himself looking into her vivid green eyes. There was censure there. Apprehension. There was also a nameless emotion he wasn’t used to seeing when anyone looked at him.

“I don’t like you doing this, Diego.” Her voice was a low murmur.

He peeled off his jacket and began to insert needles into the arm that would be closest to him. “Babe, really? You’re bleeding internally.”

“But you take on those same injuries when you’re healing me, don’t you?” Her gaze remained steady on him. “You’re risking too much.”

“I’d risk anything to save your life, Leila.” He was absolute. Firm. Decisive. “You just relax and let me see what we’re facing.”

He had the needles in his arm and hers. He removed his boots and sat on the bed, facing her. “I’ve put everything you need, including weapons, on your side of the bed, just like last time. You have lights and anything else you might need while I’m out.”

Diego placed his palms just above her abdomen and reached for the well of healing energy inside him. The moment his hands were in place, he felt the shifting, the heating inside him. The heat imaging mapped out the bleeding and the areas where the jarring of her body had damaged those sites all over again.

There was no use wasting time on cursing. Leila had done what she had to do to stay alive. He had to do whatever was necessary to keep her alive. For him, there was no alternative.

“It’s going to get hot, to the point of being uncomfortable, sweetheart,” he warned. He despised hurting her when he knew she was already in pain. “If you pass out, it’s all to the good. Just saying I’m sorry before it gets too bad.”

Again, her eyelashes fluttered and rose, and he was looking at all that vivid green. “I’m sorry for putting you in this position. And if anything goes wrong for either of us, just know I wouldn’t trade my time with you for anything.”

Clever little demon one-upped him. He wasn’t good at the hearts-and-flowers thing. She needed him to kill a man for her, he was all over that. He could show his love for her that way, but finding the right poetic words wasn’t going to happen.

He didn’t reply, turning his focus inward, mapping out every torn and bleeding wound. He had one fleeting thought that his brother could have done a much better job, but he pushed the moment of doubt away and began to work. He was all she had, and that meant he had to be enough.

For the next two hours, he was lost in a world of blood and damaged organs, operating with skills he didn’t believe he had until he had no choice. He was meticulous about every touch of heat he applied, welding over the rips and tears until her veins and arteries were smooth and holding. Until every organ was once again functioning properly. Only then did he come back to himself, swaying, his body in agony. His insides felt as if he’d taken a blowtorch to them.

Careful not to move around too much—he feared he was now bleeding internally—he stretched out beside Leila, took a long drink of water and began the transfusion between the two of them. He closed his eyes and breathed through the pain.

How had Rubin done this over and over? Diego had watched his brother do surgery on some of the worst wounds possible, and yet he’d survived. A few times it had been close, but never once had Rubin complained. Jonquille, his wife, had once saved Rubin’s life by taking on the terrible wounds he’d suffered. He’d seen this scenario play out multiple times over the years, but he hadn’t felt what Rubin had. He’d set himself up as Rubin’s protector, not his aide, when it came to healing.

He wished he’d learned from his brother. Rubin was an incredible psychic surgeon, risking his life without hesitation to save others. Diego guarded him carefully and ensured that those around him wanted to do the same. Rubin detested that he was surrounded by a unit of men willing to take a bullet for him. He would have been furious had he known Diego had added to the men’s need to protect him. He used his voice to influence subtly whenever possible. He felt he could have used Rubin’s help right at that moment. He was going down and was fairly desperate for someone to watch over Leila for him.

Rubin drove the four-wheel-drive pickup up the mountain as fast as the vehicle would allow him to travel. Using four-wheel drive slowed everything down going up the rugged terrain. He did push it to the maximum speed on any of the straighter stretches, but those were few and far between.

First, he’d gone over everything Diego had said before he left, and Rubin had gotten a bad feeling. He found Diego’s parked truck in the space below Luther’s home, where they often left a vehicle. He’d gone to check with Luther, knowing the old man would have a finger on Diego’s mental state. Instead of Luther, he found dead bodies strewn all over the vast acreage.

Going up the mountain, he stuck to the road until he saw vultures circling near the gorge. He found more dead bodies. Alarmed, he continued. There was another problem area with more bodies. It looked as if his mountain was a war zone.

Pulling the truck up to the cabin, he was instantly aware it was occupied. He’d seen the tracks of his brother running up the road. He was carrying someone. Ordinarily, his tracks were light or nonexistent. He hadn’t even tried to hide them. Instead, he ran fast, uncaring that someone might be able to track him. That was out-of-character behavior and meant someone was in need of medical assistance.

He opened the cabin door and found himself looking down the barrel of a gun. The woman aiming the weapon at him was pale, weak and slumped in the bed beside Diego. She also wore an expression that told him she would pull the trigger if he presented a threat to them. Diego was transfusing her, but he looked out of it.

As a rule, if someone were to enter their cabin, it would be Diego guarding everyone. The fact that he’d barely stirred was more alarming than ever. Ignoring the gun aimed at him, he crossed the room to his brother’s side.

“What’s happening here, Diego?” Rubin asked, removing the needle from his brother’s arm. “There are dead bodies strewn all over the mountain. I called for cleanup, but it’s going to take a miracle.”

Diego barely opened his eyes to acknowledge he knew who was beside him. Alarm spread. There were no visible injuries on Diego, but something was really wrong.

Rubin helped Diego lie back against the pillows. “I need to look you over. Are you wounded?”

“Help Leila first.” Diego didn’t open his eyes. He knew he was in a precarious position. He’d never once indicated to Rubin that he was capable of psychic surgery. When Rubin examined Leila, he would know. “She was shot. Lost her spleen. Had to try to repair several organs, veins and an artery. She was running around today, fighting off soldiers. Ripped things open. Did the best I could for her, but she needs an expert.”

Diego didn’t want anyone else helping Leila. He wanted her to view him as the one man who would sacrifice anything for her, but the truth was, Rubin was unbelievable as a surgeon. Whether hands-on or psychic, Diego didn’t know anyone better. He had instincts that never seemed to fail. Sure hands. That well of healing in him was unbelievably strong. Diego wanted what was best for Leila, and sadly, it wasn’t him.

“I take it Leila is the name of the woman aiming a gun at me.” There was a low note of amusement in Rubin’s voice despite the situation.

“Rubin is my brother, Leila. He’s an amazing doctor. His skills as a surgeon are legendary. He’s going to examine you and fix anything I may have missed.”

Fingers stroked featherlight caresses over his hand. Tentatively. Barely there. He managed to turn his head, although it took tremendous effort. Leila lay beside him, eyes closed, breathing a little labored, but her fingers were moving over the back of his hand. He turned his hand to capture hers, threading them together, needing her touch as much as he needed Rubin to fix everything that could possibly be wrong.

You didn’t miss anything. I don’t want anyone else. You saved me the first time, and I know you did just as well this time.

They were connected so closely that it didn’t shock him that despite the fact that she wasn’t telepathic, she had found the pathway without his aid. The only problem was that pathway included Rubin.

“You performed surgery on this woman, Diego?”

Diego deliberately kept his eyes closed. He knew Rubin thought he had cut her open and performed surgery in the accepted sense of the word.

“She was going to die if I didn’t,” Diego explained. “And stop calling her ‘this woman.’ Her name is Leila, and she’s my woman.”

A long silence ensued, but Diego didn’t take the bait. He didn’t open his eyes. He was too exhausted. He simply shifted just a little closer to Leila until the heat of his body seeped into the coolness of hers. He wanted to put his arm around her, but his body felt like lead. After the run up the mountain, a difficult healing session and giving blood, he had crashed.

“Diego.” Rubin’s tone was cautionary. “You’re certain you aren’t wounded? This is unlike you.”

“Just tired, Rubin,” he assured.

Again, there was a silence. He heard Rubin moving around the room, shifting positions so he was kneeling on the other side of Leila.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you crashed after using a psychic talent.”

That tone was one Rubin used when he wanted to throw his opponent off the track and make it seem as if he had no real interest in the subject. What it really meant was that his extremely intelligent brain was computing information at a rapid rate, and he would puzzle out exactly what was truth and what wasn’t.

“You’re going to find out as soon as you examine her. I did my best, but I’m not you.” He made the admission because he truly had no choice.

Again, there was silence. Diego pried his eyes open just enough to see his brother bending over Leila, his palms inches from her body as he examined her. Rubin was thorough, moving carefully from the top of her head to her toes, and then his hands moved back to her middle. His palms remained over her abdomen for so long Diego couldn’t keep his eyes open.

I don’t think I can do this. Leila sounded shaky.

All his body wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn’t leave Leila alone with Rubin while he allowed himself to drift off. She’d gone through hell and was nervous having another man show up when she was so vulnerable.

Rubin is my brother, sweetheart. He’s the best man I know. You’re safe with him.

He’s married. You said he was married. If something goes wrong, just with him healing me, he could be in trouble. I’m worried enough about you. I don’t want him on my conscience.

She was telling him the truth, and yet there was more to it than that. She didn’t trust Rubin. She had reason not to trust men, and she was in a very vulnerable position. What he couldn’t understand was why she didn’t feel Rubin’s true character. His absolute goodness.

I’m right here, sweetheart , he soothed. I won’t pass out. You’re safe, I give you my word on that. And there truly isn’t anyone better at this.

He felt her clinging to him, her mind solidly in his. This was a woman who single-handedly destroyed her enemies when she was injured. The fact that she turned to him, trusted him, sent him soaring when he wasn’t a man who soared. She’d introduced quite a few firsts in his life. Just the fact that she was counting on him gave him the added strength to stay alert.

What can he do that you didn’t do?

Diego recognized that she was distracting herself, still clinging to him, needing him to talk to her so she didn’t think about a stranger invading her privacy. She would be humiliated when she realized Rubin could hear her. Rubin was a strong telepath, every bit as strong as Diego. The two had been using telepathy since they were children. The more they’d talked to each other mind to mind, the more their abilities grew in strength. Now they did so without thought.

I don’t have his expertise, Leila. The repairs he makes will hold up far better than what I did.

He felt her instant protest, and again, there was a visceral reaction of joy. He hadn’t experienced joy in his life. Not ever that he could remember. She’d given that to him. She believed in him. He knew, because she was in his mind, that she could see who he truly was—not the white knight she persisted in calling him but the predator stalking enemies. She had to know that when he hunted, he was more animal than man, yet she accepted those traits in him.

Rubin lifted his hands away from Leila and sank back, his face pale. It was the first time Diego wasn’t able to help him, although he tried to force his leaden body to work. Rubin needed care.

“Don’t move,” Rubin ordered. “She was in good shape. You did an extraordinary job, Diego. We’ll be talking about that later when I’m not so tired.”

Diego wasn’t looking forward to that talk. He sent his brother a half grin. “Thanks for taking care of her for me.”

“Didn’t want a major lawsuit on our hands,” Rubin said, giving him that same grin.

It was a relief to know they were in sync. Rubin might have a few hard questions for him, but he was Rubin. He rarely lost his temper.

“You take a bullet or knife?” The question was asked casually.

Leila gasped and turned her head toward Diego. “Did you? You’ve been hauling me around, doing surgery, taking care of me, protecting me, and you didn’t say anything. How could I not know?”

“Babe, he was just asking the question. He intends to examine me next and is seeking information. That’s all.”

I notice you didn’t answer the question. This time, Rubin was careful to send his statement only to Diego.

I don’t want her agitated. She’s in very fragile health, as you well know.

Who is she to you?

Diego made the effort to turn his head and look his brother directly in the eyes. She’s my Jonquille. By stating Leila was to him what Jonquille was to Rubin, he knew his brother would understand exactly what she meant to him.

If she’s yours, Diego, take it from someone who has made a million mistakes already: Don’t keep anything from her. Not anything. It isn’t worth the misunderstandings that can occur.

Diego had never witnessed any discord between Jonquille and Rubin, but Rubin was sincerely imparting advice. Diego had nothing to base relationship behavior on other than the few observations he’d made with his fellow GhostWalkers and their wives.

“Had a couple of close calls earlier,” he admitted reluctantly. “During the fight at Luther’s place. Burned my shoulder and biceps. Took some flesh wounds, nothing to write home about.”

“Diego.” Leila just said his name. Whispered it.

It was the way she said his name that got to him. As if she could barely breathe at the thought that he might have gotten hurt. His heart clenched painfully in his chest. In all the years he’d been alive, he had never heard that particular tone. Not once. Not even when he was a child.

“Told you, sweetheart, I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’re not,” she protested. “You can’t move. Your brother just performed surgery, and yet he’s more alert than you are.”

“Diego performed the surgery first and took on the damages,” Rubin explained. “I reinforced what he did, but there wasn’t damage for me to take on. Using this particular gift takes a toll, mostly because we expend a tremendous amount of energy. I suspect Diego was running on empty even before he used his healing abilities.”

Leila turned her head to meet Rubin’s eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It just means he’s extremely tired. I’m going to take a look at him to ensure that physically he’s fine. I may want to strangle him with my bare hands every now and then, but he’s my brother, so he’s safe.”

“From you,” she muttered and turned back to Diego. Her fingers tightened in his.

Rubin laughed. “She’s got your number, Diego. A smart woman. He will make you crazy,” he cautioned.

“You’re supposed to be on my side, Rubin,” Diego said. He closed his eyes and leaned his head all the way back. Now that his warrior woman was settling, he felt he could rest. “Tell her all the good things about me so she doesn’t want to run off.”

All the teasing went out of Rubin’s voice. “You’ll never find a better man than Diego, Leila, and that’s the truth. He’s loyal and protective, and he’ll stand with you no matter what. You’ll always be able to count on him. But he will drive you absolutely insane.”

Leila’s soft laughter played along Diego’s nerve endings.

“You could have left that last part out, Rubin.” Diego brought Leila’s hand to his chest, right over his heart.

“Didn’t want her to think I was lying about you.”

His brother. Diego felt a smile well up. Leila had given him that gift. He loved Rubin but never acknowledged to himself what that emotion really was. He’d always called it protective. Loyalty, just as Rubin had described him. He wouldn’t have said he was genuinely capable of love. Maybe he shied away from that emotion because once acknowledged, his heart could be ripped out.

“He was, baby,” Diego said. “Not about me driving you insane. I’ll be doing that. Can’t help it.”

“I know you will because you’re a teensy bit bossy, and so am I.” There was that sweet note of humor, almost a little girlish giggle. Everything about Leila was unexpected.

“Got a daughter to protect,” Diego informed Rubin as his brother made his way around the bed to Diego’s side. “You’re going to be an uncle as soon as we make things official.”

He felt Rubin’s shock. Leila had to as well. Her fingers tightened in his again, and he pressed her palm against his heart.

“A daughter?”

“Name’s Grace,” Diego continued. “Leila is Luther’s niece. Technically great-niece. I prefer ‘great’ because that makes Luther great, Rubin. He always wanted that title.”

Leila laughed softly. “I can’t wait to tell Luther your theory. I wasn’t certain how he was going to take finding out he had two great-nieces, and we were bringing a war to his doorstep.” The laughter faded, and there was guilt in her mind. “He didn’t hesitate. Not for one second. He didn’t even question the relationship. Bridget looks like his sister, apparently. He took one look at her and immediately took us in.”

“Luther’s a good man,” Rubin said. “Let me take care of Diego, Leila, and then I’d like to hear about your daughter and this war you brought to Luther.”

“She didn’t bring it,” Diego corrected. “That was the choice of Commander Chariot. He sent his soldiers after her. They were seriously fucked-up, Rubin. Willing to rape her when she was shot all to hell. Chariot is having the same problems Whitney has. Too many enhancements shoved into the men, and they can’t handle the aggression.”

His voice was a low whip of sound. He couldn’t help the sudden animosity welling up. He could be every bit as aggressive as or more so than the soldiers who had come after Leila. The difference was he had Rubin and the code of honor they lived by. It didn’t matter how many predatory animals vied for supremacy in him. A part of him always clung to his humanity.

“Is Chariot aware you put his soldiers in the ground?” Rubin used his casual tone, the one that always alerted Diego to trouble. Rubin knew him, knew he would send a hard message to the commander and mean every word.

Rubin knelt beside Diego, his palms moving over him, starting at the top of his head. Diego took the opportunity to catalogue everything his brother did. He needed to learn as much as possible from him while he could. He had no intentions of having a career as a psychic surgeon, but he was going to be a family man. As such, he wanted to be able to supply his family with whatever they needed—including medical care.

“The sisters were taken by the government before Luther was ever aware of their existence,” Diego said.

Leila nodded. “They took Bridget and gave her to Whitney. I would hear things, mostly through Marcy Chariot, the commander’s wife. She knew I needed to know Bridget was alive, and she kept track of her as best she could.”

“When Chariot sent his soldiers after Leila, he must have made a deal with Whitney to return Bridget to him, because those taking Leila were bringing her up the mountain to a helicopter that would take her back to the compound in Maryland.”

Diego once again caught up Leila’s hand to link their fingers. He needed the closeness with her but, more importantly, found he needed the intimacy between them. He felt protective of her and wanted her to feel his presence at all times, particularly when they were discussing difficult subjects like the kidnapping of her sister. She needed to feel that he was always on her side, that he would always have her back. She’d never had that, and he wanted to be the one to give her that confidence.

“Bridget was taken down the mountain to trucks waiting to transport her to Whitney.” Diego continued the explanation. “When the second wave of soldiers came to take Leila, it was Whitney’s soldiers attacking, not Chariot’s.”

Rubin frowned. “Chariot and Whitney conspired to take Leila and her sister?”

Diego nodded. “I wanted to make it very clear to Chariot that he would be dealing with me. That Leila isn’t going back, and we’re coming for Grace.”

Leila shook her head. “It will be an all-out war, Diego. You know I don’t want to be responsible for that. I can go back, bide my time, and when I’m ready, take Grace with me and run.”

“Not happening, Leila,” Diego said. “If Chariot is so brainless that he’d continue to pit his soldiers against GhostWalkers, that’s on him, not you. In any case, that doesn’t get us Bridget back. We have to find out what’s happening with her. Hopefully, Luther managed to get her back, but if he didn’t, we’ll have to track her to wherever Whitney has her.”

“There is another way, Diego,” Rubin said. Finished with the exam, he stretched out on the floor on top of his sleeping bag. “One that might avoid bloodshed.”

“Leila is staying with me, and we’re taking the baby back,” Diego said firmly.

“There’s no other outcome,” Rubin agreed. “The baby is family. She belongs with us. With the GhostWalkers, just as Leila does.”

“Did you see the number of soldiers they sent after me?” Leila asked. She poured into Diego’s mind. He doesn’t understand that they’ll do anything to keep Grace and me. Chariot made it clear through his men that I had to come back if I wanted to have Gracie in my life.

“Leila,” Rubin said, “I’ve been sharing space in my brother’s head since he was three. Maybe before that. I can hear every word you say.”

Leila’s green eyes blazed fire at Diego. “You could have said.”

“Babe, seriously? Rubin’s giving you the heads-up, but you would have figured it out soon enough. You weren’t paying attention.”

“That’s not an excuse or an explanation. I’m your partner. You don’t leave me hanging like that. It just makes me feel more vulnerable than I already do.”

He liked that she explained her emotions to him. He wasn’t a man to guess. He liked things clear and direct. He brought her knuckles to his mouth and brushed a kiss over them. “Understood. It won’t happen again.” He leaned over and brushed another kiss on the top of her head.

She flashed him a tentative smile. “I can see you’re never going to stay in trouble for long.”

“That will be a first,” Diego assured. He turned to Rubin. “You have a better idea to keep my family together?”

Rubin nodded. “I believe I do. Diplomacy sometimes works far better than violence, Diego. In this case, I think it would be best if we pursued that avenue first.”

“Diplomatic channels?” Diego echoed. “Seriously? When has that ever gotten us anywhere? The powers that be want to sweep our existence under the table.”

“True, they’d rather forget how we got the way we are. But they also know each team backs up the others. We stick together. If every general running a team, as well as our team leader, shows up and confronts Chariot and his people, do you think they’ll turn us down? They’ll see the underlying threat, and they won’t want any part of it.”

Diego turned the idea over and over in his mind. “My fear is they’ll stall before they’ll consent to see us, Rubin. We need to get Grace as soon as possible. For all we know, they could be enhancing her. I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“I think we can rely on Major General Tennessee Milton to ensure the meeting takes place immediately.”

“And Bridget, if Luther hasn’t been able to get her back from Whitney?”

“We cross one bridge at a time. Let’s secure little Grace and ensure no one can get to her. Once we know she’s safe, we can concentrate our efforts on finding Bridget. Leila is going to need a few days anyway to recover before she can safely go into action. We could try the diplomatic approach, at least set it in motion while she’s recovering,” Rubin suggested.

Diego turned his head to look straight into Leila’s eyes. He wasn’t making the decision for her. If she wanted to go after Grace the moment she was able, he would be right there with her. He wanted her to know that.