The two males were doing a sweep of the nearby streets to search for any signs of Benson’s soldiers.
“Cowboys don’t charge,” he corrected his companion. “They gallop to the rescue.”
“Yeah, well…shit.” Hiss’s words echoed behind Blade as he vaulted over the fence and headed directly to the nearby door.
With a speed that would make him all but invisible to the casual observer, Blade was across the parking lot and shoving open the back door. He paused long enough to sniff the air, then he was jogging down the hall to enter a large office that was stuffed with shelves, filing cabinets, and stacks of X-rays on a lighted table.
At the entrance, a man shoved himself to his feet, rounding the desk with an impatient scowl.
“Can I help you?”
His last word came out in a painful grunt as Blade grabbed him by the lapels of his white lab coat and lifted him off the ground before he slammed him against a nearby bookshelf.
“Where is she?” he growled.
The man struggled to suck air back into his lungs, his face flushing with outrage.
“What are you doing?” he rasped, futilely struggling. “Let me go.”
Blade leaned forward, allowing his cat to glow in his eyes. “Where. Is. She.”
The doctor coughed, his eyes darkening with fear as he seemed to understand just who he was dealing with and why he was there.
“You’re a beast.”
Blade curled back his lips, the air sizzling and popping around him. Not even the most oblivious human could fail to sense his power. “You have no idea.”
With a visible effort, the doctor tried to hide his fear behind a brittle pretense of defiance.
“You might be able to act like a savage in your swamps, but in civilized society we have laws,” he blustered. “Leave Bonne or I’ll call the cops and have you arrested.”
“I’m not asking again.” Blade tightened his grip. He couldn’t sense any other humans, but that didn’t mean they weren’t hiding near enough that they could ambush him while he was distracted. “Give me Valli.”
The man’s face paled to a sickly white, but he gamely continued to struggle.
“No.” His voice was hoarse. “She just escaped from you. I’m not handing her back to her kidnapper.”
Blade hissed, his eyes narrowing with rage. “You’re the one who’s holding her captive.”
The man blinked, acting like he was offended by Blade’s accusation.
“Me?” He flailed his legs, as if he could actually hurt Blade with a kick to his shin. “I saved her when she escaped from the Wildlands. She was frantic to come home.”
The kick didn’t hurt, but his words hit Blade with the force of a sledgehammer.
He sucked in a sharp breath, even as his heart whispered that Valli would never leave him. Not willingly.
“Liar,” he growled. “You’re working with Benson.”
More blinking. The fucker looked like a drunk owl.
“Who?”
Blade gave him another slam against the bookcase. “Don’t act stupid.”
A fine layer of sweat covered the doctor’s face. No doubt he was starting to realize that Blade didn’t play by his rules. He was ready, willing, and fully capable of killing him.
“I don’t know any Benson.”
Blade released a low snarl. Did he really think he could lie his way out of this? Or was he just stalling for time? Maybe hoping his friends would arrive and save him from the crazed Pantera.
“Valli told me that you were the one who sent her to the clinic.”
“Oh. You mean Benson Clinic?” He didn’t wait for Blade to respond. “She was ill. I couldn’t cure her, so of course I sent her to doctors who might be capable of discovering what was wrong with her,” he said in defensive tones.
Blade’s nose flared, the memories of the clinic pounding through him.
The darkness. The pain. The drugged horror on Valli’s face as they’d violated her…
“You sent her to become a lab rat for a megalomaniac billionaire who uses vulnerable women to create his vision of super-soldiers,” he accused.
He abruptly released his hold on the man, dropping him to the ground. It was that or pounding him against the shelf until he was a bloody corpse.
For now, he needed the bastard alive.
The doctor awkwardly stumbled before he managed to regain his balance. Lifting his hand, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
“What?” He shook his head. “No. That’s not possible.”
Blade slammed his fist into the wall, punching a hole through the drywall.
“Don’t try to act innocent. The clinic is a front for human and Pantera experimentation. I was held as a prisoner there.”
The doctor squeaked and pressed himself against the bookshelf.
“I was told it was a cutting-edge research facility that specialized in rare illnesses. I would never have... I care about Valli. I’d hoped...”
Blade clenched his jaw. The man might be able to pretend to be confused, but there was no way he could create his panicky scent that made Blade’s nose wrinkle.
Dammit. Had Dr. Richards been another puppet who’d been used by Benson to further his own goals?
If so, then who’d been pulling his strings?
“Who told you that?” he demanded.
“Fran Meyer,” the doctor confessed without hesitation. “She had a family member who went there when no one else could help him.” He waved a trembling hand toward his cluttered desk. “I have a pamphlet and everything.”
“Fran.” The name teased at the edge of his memory. “The woman who invited Valli to Bonne?” He at last managed to recall the story that Valli had told him about her time of roaming around the country and how she’d finally settled down after meeting a woman who’d offered her a home and steady employment.
The doctor nodded. “I think they met on the bus and got to talking. Fran is a good woman. She couldn’t have done anything. Not to Valli.”
Shit. They needed to track down Fran before she could flee. But first he wanted to hold his mate in his arms.
“Where’s Valli?” he demanded. He could catch her scent, but it seemed distant.
“This way. I was just trying to help her. I thought she’d been kidnapped.”
Careful to keep his movements slow, as if smart enough to realize that it wouldn’t take much for Blade to consider him a threat, he headed toward the door. Blade followed close behind, a sudden heat brushing through the air as he heard the front door being pushed open.
Raphael and Jean-Baptiste were in the building.
Seemingly unaware that he was surrounded, the doctor hurried down the hallway, pushing open the last door.
He came to a sharp halt, and Blade barely stopped in time to keep from ramming into him.
“What are you doing?” Blade snapped.
The doctor stepped to the side, revealing the empty room. “She’s gone.”
Chapter 13
With every shred of energy and focus she could muster, Valli squeezed the woman’s neck. It wasn’t so much an attempt to kill her but to make her pass out. Of course, if Fran happened to die in the process, Valli wouldn’t shed a tear.
Hell, she might throw a party.
After she got the hell out of Bonne, that is.
“I think...you of all people—” Fran gasped, her face starting to turn purple. “—would understand, Valli.”
“Understand what?” Valli clenched her teeth, battling back the massive dizziness and the encroaching darkness. She suspected she’d already be unconscious if it wasn’t for the Pantera blood she’d been given in the clinic. Or maybe it was her Pantera child. Granted, neither had turned her into Wonder Woman, but it did give her a few perks. “That you’re willing to sell the girls who trust you?”
Fran bent backward over the counter in an attempt to break Valli’s grim grip.
“It’s a cruel world,” she grunted, straining. “Especially for
a woman on her own. I had to do...” She gasped again. “I had to do whatever was necessary to survive.”
“Does that bullshit excuse allow you to sleep at night?” Valli demanded in disgusted tones.
Without warning, the woman suddenly jerked to the side, her hand reaching out to grasp a small steak knife that was on the countertop.
How had she missed seeing that? Valli cursed and jumped backward, but not before the razor-sharp blade sliced through the skin of her upper arm.
“I sleep just fine,” Fran assured her with a smirking smile. “And I’ll sleep even better once I have my condo on the beach.”
Gritting her teeth, Valli tried unsuccessfully to ignore the wound. It wasn’t deep, but it was crazy painful. And the blood dripping down her arm wasn’t helping. She was already weak.
Fran was holding the knife like a pro, like someone who cut meat for a living. Valli backed away, looking for an opening. It was now more vital than ever that she disable the woman so she could get out of the diner.
“If something happens to me you can forget the money and condo,” she warned the woman. “Blade will hunt you down and rip out your heart.”
“I’m not afraid of those animals,” the woman spat out.
“Then you’re even more stupid than I thought.”
Not giving herself time to think of the danger, Valli leaped forward, a strange growl rumbling in her throat. Apparently she had more Pantera blood in her veins than she’d realized.
Thank you, my cub.
No longer young and spry, Fran lost her balance and fell on her ass, her feet churning as she scuttled into the corner. Just like a cockroach.
“Don’t be foolish, Valli.” She waved the knife. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Valli continued forward, no fear, just feral anger. “Of course not. I’m your cash cow, aren’t I?”
Fran drew back deeper into the corner, her fist tight around the blade. “Stay back.”
“I’ll die before I let anyone take my child or use it as a weapon.” Valli took another step, judging the distance. She didn’t intend to get cut again.
Genuine fear flared over Fran’s pale face. She was beginning to realize she was trapped with a woman who was not only willing to fight back, but kill to protect herself and her baby.
“No!” she cried out. “Just go. Please…go!”
But it was too late. Valli lunged forward, feinting to the left. As she’d hoped, Fran tried slashing the knife in a wild motion. Adrenaline running high, Valli jumped to the side, curling her hand into a fist. Then, begging everything within her to grant her that last ounce of strength, she swung her arm to land a direct punch to Fran’s chin.
A shock of pain instantly ran up her arm. Such a violent impact. But Valli barely noticed. Because pleasure was there too. She watched in utter satisfaction as the woman’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped to the side.
Knocked out cold.
Knife rolling from her limp fist to the floor.
Breathing a little labored, flies still buzzing in her head, Valli grinned. Fuck yeah! Blade was right. She did have one hell of a right hook.
Unable to take the time to properly gloat, Valli turned toward the back door. The movement was enough to make her stumble as her knees threatened to buckle.
Adrenaline gone.
Gritting her teeth, she reached out to lay her hand against the wall. It was the only thing keeping her upright as she took one cautious step after another. She was fading fast. She’d used up everything.
After what seemed to be an eternity, she finally reached the exit. But even then she struggled to grab the knob with enough strength to turn it and push the door open.
Go. You’ve got to go.
They’re still coming...for you, for the cub...
A brisk breeze tugged at her hair as she stumbled out of the diner. She reached up to push it out of her face, belatedly noticing the two men who were crawling out of a black SUV.
Oh…shit…
Benson’s men.
A cry broke from her lips. She was too late.
But the defeatist thought in her head had barely enough time to form, because coming around the side of the building was the wonderful, terrifying sound of a Pantera’s roar.
Her heart leapt.
Benson’s goons turned in shock, both of them reaching for the handguns they had strapped to their hips.
Feeling as if she was in a dream, Valli watched as Blade zoomed forward. He moved so fast he was almost a blur, reaching the men before they could squeeze off a shot.
He grabbed the first one by the head, jerking it to the side. Valli heard the snap, crackle, pop of the man’s neck breaking, followed by a dull thud as Blade dropped him to the ground, then magically whirled back around to grab the gun out of the second man’s hand.
He was magnificent.
After witnessing that, the second man gaped at him in horror, not even trying to escape as Blade lifted his arm and used the butt of the gun to smash in the side of the man’s head. It squashed like a pumpkin, and he slowly tumbled on top of his dead companion.
Only then did Blade turn to glance toward Valli.
She managed a weak smile. He was fierce and formidable and would always have her back.
Her man.
Her warrior.
Her beloved mate.
The father of her cub.
And then she gave in to both the exhaustion and the drugs, and the world went dark.
Chapter 14
Valli came awake slowly.
Her eyes opening first, then her mind processing second.
White walls, closet, pale blue blanket, soft sheets, and the bayou-scented breeze coming in through the open window.
Her heart warmed and her pulsed slowed.
She was home.
Everything rushed back to her: leaving the Wildlands, the doctor, Fran, Benson’s goons…and Blade. Her hero.
Something moved on the floor; something was coming to its feet...
No fears rushed over her. That part of her life was gone now. She’d seen and faced betrayal—and in doing so she’d been given the gift of trust. In herself, and in another.
Blade’s puma, with its anxious black eyes and massive gold head, padded over to the bedside. Instantly Valli reached for it, her hand stroking its face. Soft fur over hard bone and muscle. Glorious.
With a soft snarl, the beast dropped its head, resting its chin on the mattress near her side.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered to it, threading her fingers in its thick fur. “So has the cub.”
The puma’s nostrils flared as it inhaled, and when it caught a scent, its eyes closed and it started to purr.
For Valli, she didn’t hesitate or question the beauty of the moment. It just was now. Her life, her reality. And she deserved it. That amazing truth was what she’d finally come to realize.
The Wildlands was pure magic, and as she stroked the beast under her hand, the fur receded and the male emerged.
Clearly, he’d shifted naked and gloriously powerful, because that was how he materialized before her.
“Valli...” He crawled into bed and gathered her in his arms. His eyes raked over her, checking…
“I’m okay,” she assured him. “Are you okay?”
He released a weighty breath, but held her close, their heads a few inches apart, eyes locked. “Don’t leave me again, ma chère.”
“Never.”
“I wouldn’t be able to continue existing without you.”
“And the cub,” she added.
“Of course.” His brows furrowed as he studied her. “Wait… You don’t think... This, you and me, you don’t think it’s just about the cub?”
She hated herself for the thought, for the moment of emotional weakness, but she couldn’t stop herself from expressing it. “I would understand, and it doesn’t change anything—”
He had her on her back in seconds, tossing away the blanket. With
slow, deliberate hands he removed her clothing. Then he moved down toward her feet.
His eyes on her, he started with her ankles. Soft kisses, gentle bites. “Oh, my beautiful, intelligent, fierce Valli with the killer right hook...”
Her breath caught as he scraped his teeth against the inside of her knee.
“I don’t think you fully understand,” he whispered, moving up, up until his head was poised between her thighs. “But you must. I love you.”
He didn’t touch her, didn’t lick her, as she was about to beg him to do. His eyes were still clinging to hers.
“And I want you, Valli. Every part of you, but especially your heart.” His eyes glistened with happiness. “I’m thrilled and grateful for our cub, you have no idea how much, because it brought us together.”
If the heart and body could suddenly become one organ, beating with life and exquisite love, that was what Valli experienced in that moment.
“You’re my world,” he uttered with deep emotion. “My mate, and my family.”
It was a strange thing, family. It wasn’t found only in blood—sometimes it wasn’t there at all. Sometimes it was found in the hearts and souls of those who were lucky enough to love.
A soft sigh threatened to steal her last thought as Blade lowered his head and spread her wide before him.
But she pulled it back. Because it was important. It was everything.
And be loved in return.
“Oh, my sweet mate,” Blade uttered as he lapped at her, circling her sensitive bud with his tongue. “Welcome home.”
Home, Valli thought wondrously, as she fisted the sheets and let her male, her mate, take her once again over the edge of reason and into a world of blissful magic.
Finally, home.
* * * *
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright, discover Rage/Killian and Kayden/Simon.
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