~~~Jackson~~~
“What?” I demanded of Caiden, one of my guards who was supposed to be hunting down the people who had set the fire and not in the clinic taking away my time from Valerie.
Caiden stood in the hall wearing only a pair of sweats. He held out another pair to me while trying not to smirk.
Damn.
He’d heard her command. By tomorrow, the entire pack would know that my mate, and she was my mate and everyone who’d seen us together outside her store knew it, had ordered me to put on clothes in front of a room full of people. The thought was embarrassing, but it would tell them that she was a strong-willed woman who could stand by me and keep me in line.
Grudgingly, I took the pants and put them on. I didn’t ask again what Caiden wanted, only raised an eyebrow and made sure my expression said that if he didn’t start speaking soon, he’d be in trouble.
“We think we caught them all. They’re all kids from the orphanage. Four of the newer ones and three of ours. We have them locked up, waiting for you to question them.”
“Kids, huh? That explains how you found them so quickly,” I said. The fact that kids had been the ones to attack my mate shocked me. The extent of the damage was so thorough that I just knew it had been professionals.
“Most of them haven’t learned how to mask their scent, so yeah, they were easy to track. The kids are all in the basement holding cells, awaiting your interrogation.”
“Good. Is the bookstore salvageable?”
“I don’t know yet. Morgan said that he didn’t want anyone inspecting the building until tomorrow. He wants to make sure he knows what the kids used to set the blaze, though I’m sure it’s witch fire. Pixie fire wouldn’t be strong enough, and we spell our gas to keep it from being flammable.”
Morgan was a highly intelligent wizard with amazing investigative skills.
“The water fae have put out the fire.” Caiden continued. “So Morgan will do his thing bright and early, and when he’s done, I’ll put some guys to work on seeing if we can rebuild. Are you sure you want to rebuild?”
“Yes, owning a bookstore is Valerie’s dream, so I want it up as soon as you can get it up.”
“You want it just like it was before?”
“Yes…no. Salvage what you can, then clear the lot. We’ll let her design her building.”
“All right. Do you want to talk to the kids tonight or wait until tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure. Give me a minute.”
I went back into the room to check on Valerie and Azure. Azure had a broken leg, shoulder, and a few cracked ribs. The healers had the breaks set and ready for her to shift once her lungs were clear and she had enough strength to make the change. She was sleeping at the moment.
Valerie lay naked under a thin sheet. She had a few minor burns and scratches on the leg that had gone through the step that the healers were able to heal. Her head injury was what worried me.
When I approached her bed, I saw her closed eyes, so I asked the healer in a soft voice, “How is she?”
Valerie’s eyes opened at the sound of my voice. “I’m going to be okay. They’ve healed a few of my minor burns and the bump on the back of my head, but this one…” she said, raising her hand and eyes up to where both healers, looking exhausted, hovered over her head, chanting.
“I’ve told them to rest,” she said, turning her gaze to me, “but they won’t listen. I don’t know how their particular brand of magic works, but I can tell they are about to drop from exhaustion. I feel better than I did. The rest can heal on its own.”
Neither woman turned to me, but they stopped when I agreed with Valerie. The healers informed me that she needed to stay awake as much as possible for the next few hours. I could tell by their drained expressions that they weren’t up to watching her.
“I need to find someone to stay with you for a while. I want to interrogate the kids who did this while they are still terrified, but I’ll come back to you as soon as possible,” I told her as the healers left the room.
“Can I go with you?”
“You aren’t in any condition to move.”
“I’m fine. I want to hear what the kids have to say.”
Knowing I would regret the decision, I nodded. I stepped back to the door where Caiden waited and asked him to find Valerie some clothes.
“And Jackson a shirt,” she said loud enough for Caiden to hear, but not so loud that she would wake Azure.
Caiden smirked at me. I growled at him. He chuckled and left the building. I turned back to Valerie, shaking my head.
“What?” she asked, sounding all innocent.
“Nothing.”
“That head shake isn’t nothing. Why are you shaking your head at me?”
“I find your obsession with clothing me amusing. Most people around here don’t think twice about the naked form. We are born seeing each other in the nude.”
“Well, I’m not comfortable with other women seeing you that way,” she said. The flush that colored her skin suggested that she hadn’t meant to say that.
“I promise, being naked isn’t a big deal.”
“Really,” she said before throwing off her blanket. “When your guard comes back, invite him in so that I can meet him.”
For a full minute, my mind didn’t register what she had suggested. I couldn’t take my eyes off her body. She was pale, smooth, and full. Her nipples had hardened either from excitement at having me look at them or from the cold air of the room. Fearing the latter, I grabbed the sheet off the floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to cover her.
I reached out and tracked the light pink mark of the burn between her breasts that I had seen earlier. I heard her gasp at my touch, and I wanted to hear the sound again. I reached out to touch the mark on her forehead, and our eyes met. Everything in me froze, lost in her. Of its own accord, my body was leaning down, sending orders to my lips to kiss her—then Caiden knocked on the door and turned the knob as if to come in.
In a blink, I threw the sheet over Valerie and rushed to stop him from opening the door all the way. Yanking the clothes from his hands, I told him to wait for us outside.
“Okay with seeing each other naked, huh, then why didn’t you let him in while I lay here naked?”
“Point taken,” I said and moved to help her sit up. It took everything I had in me not to fondle her while I helped her dress. Never in my life had watching someone put on clothes been such an erotic sight.
Once we were both dressed, Valerie went over to Azure’s bed, leaned over, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered that she loved her and would be back to check on her in a bit.
I knew then that I made the best choice I could for Azure when I agreed to let her live with Valerie. When she reached the open door where I waited, I took her hand. She gave me a shocked look but didn’t pull away.
At the front door, I informed the guards who were waiting there that the two healers and Azure were resting, and that I didn’t want anyone disturbing them. The two, a man and a woman, both wolves, looked from me to Valerie and back again. I thought for an instant that I saw relief in their eyes before both nodded and took their positions.
The holding cells were only a few blocks up, but I worried that Valerie wouldn’t have the energy to walk the distance after all that had happened to her, but she kept pace beside me, not that I was walking at my normal stride, but I did see her flinch a time or two.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Valerie,” Caiden said, causing her to stop and look back at him. “I didn’t think. We don’t require shoes. I should have grabbed you a pair. Wait right here. I’ll…”
“It’s okay,” she said, stopping him.
“No, it’s not. You’re limping,” Caiden said, looking down at Valerie’s feet.
“You’re what?” I demanded, bending down to examine her feet.
“It’s nothing. I’m just not used to walking on concrete barefooted. It isn’t bad, but I’ve stepped on a rock or two. It’s dark and I can’t…”
I cut her off by scooping her into my arms. “Caiden, go find her shoes. We’ll wait in my office for you.”
“Yes, Sir,” he said, turned, and ran in the direction of one of the clothing stores. Everyone in town was downtown. Surely, he would be able to get inside one and get Valerie some shoes.
“You should have said something,” I said, not hiding my snarl.
“I didn’t think about it until I got a pebble in my heel.”
I shook my head at my ignorance and headed for my office building. The holding cells were in the basement, but we would wait in the front office for Caiden and the others I planned to summon before talking to the kids. I was afraid that in the state I was in, I might harm them if I confronted them alone.