Chapter Eleven

Eve nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the hand on her shoulder. Her heart slammed in her chest as she searched wildly. Her clothes were damp with sweat. A firm grip planted her back into her seat as her gaze met Meg’s.

“It’s done,” Meg announced.

“And?” Eve asked, her voice barely a squeak.

“So far, so good.”

Eve blew out a long breath.

“Can we see him?” Caleb questioned.

“They’re taking him to a room. But yes, baby. You can.”

Caleb flew to his feet. “But people will see him. The exposure could kill him. It could get us all killed.”

“One of Noah’s tests was to force the change. He’s human, but he’s having a hard time holding it. We need to hurry. Noah needs to sedate him soon.”

They followed her through the corridors to a room isolated from the others. There were quarantine signs posted all over. Caleb held the door open and ushered them in. Micah was propped up in the bed. He was shaking violently and moaning loudly. His head was wrapped in a bandage. A small blossom of blood seeped through it. Noah stood by his bed with a syringe in his hand. He jabbed the tip into the port of his IV.

Eve took his hand and held it tight. “Hi, baby.”

He smiled weakly at her. “I love you.”

Tears burned her eyes. Caleb came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. He patted Micah’s arm. “Get some sleep. Get better.”

Micah groaned as he nodded. Noah pressed the plunger down. Moments later, Micah was asleep. Caleb plopped down on the couch and reached out to Meg.

Meg cocked her head to the side. “It’s not daylight yet. I could drive you to the woods. You can alleviate some of the pain from holding back the change.”

Caleb shook his head. “No. I told Mike I wasn’t leaving until he goes home. I’ll keep that promise.”

Noah reached and handed him a small clear plastic cup. “Take that.”

“What is it?” Caleb questioned.

“A tranquilizer. You’ll be uncomfortable in the morning, but it’ll lessen the agony you’re feeling now. I’ll get you one each night.”

“No. I need to be cognizant in case something happens.”

Eve sat in the recliner beside Micah’s bed. “I’m not going to sleep. I can’t. If something goes wrong, I’ll wake you. Just make things easier, Cay. Take the pill.”

She watched Caleb glance at each person in the room. He popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed. He barely gathered Meg in his arms before he was out cold.

Noah looked at Eve. “Do you need anything? I can get it for you.”

“I’m good.” She bit her lower lip. “How bad was whatever you found?”

Noah sighed. “He had a couple months at most. He’d be dead by summer. So it’s great we did this.”

Eve smiled. “Thank you for caring for him.”

He smiled and nodded before slipping out of the room. Eve turned to find Meg already asleep on her husband’s chest. Eve settled back in the chair and then took Micah’s hand. It was going to be a long night.

»»•««

Morning took too long to arrive. Eve never left Micah’s side, and she never stopped watching him. Her eyelids grew heavy as the night stretched on. Noah brought her a coffee and a muffin. Neither sounded appetizing. She just wanted her mate well and at home.

Meg woke when the new nurse came in to check on Micah. Both she and Meg frowned at her. “I think Doctor Littlefoot has a specific nurse assigned to him,” Eve protested.

The nurse smiled as she checked the IV bag dangling over Micah’s bed. “I know. Me. Noah is my brother. My uncle has told us all about the Hallows and what they really are. Noah wants to give Micah a little more sedative. The more he sleeps, the quicker he’ll heal. Before the full moon ends, we’ll let him change for the night. He should recover rapidly then.”

Eve nodded. “All right. My name is Eve. I’m Micah’s…” Her voice trailed off. How should she introduce herself? His girlfriend? His wife?

“Mate. Yeah, my uncle told me. I’m Suzanna. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Eve motioned to Meg and Caleb, who was just starting to stir. “That’s Caleb and Meg.”

Suzanna waved a little to the couple. “Hi. I’m going to go get another bag of saline and his next round of sedative. I’ll be right back.” The nurse smiled as she opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

Caleb rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Meg growled as he nudged her up with him. “Did you sleep?”

Eve shrugged. “I can’t. I’m exhausted, but I can’t fall asleep.”

“Maybe you need the fucking sedative.”

Eve laughed. “Maybe.”

Suzanna stepped back into the room with a small metal tray. She slid the needle into the tube and slowly injected the clear liquid into it. She left with a nod.

Caleb shifted in his seat. “I wonder how long it will be before…”

The door to the room was flung open. Momma stood in the doorway, an old wicker basket hanging from her arm. She was shaking as she glared at everyone in the room. Sharky stood behind her, panting like a dog in the summer sun.

Meg smirked. “There’s your answer, baby.”

“What happened?” Momma demanded. “Is my Micah okay?”

Eve stood. “The surgery was a huge success. He would have died before the summer. Noah, Littlefoot’s nephew who performed the surgery, wants to keep him sedated for a while so he can heal. Here. Take my seat so you can be near him.”

Momma stared at her. Then she pointed at the coach next to Meg. “Sit. I brought oatmeal and fruit for all of you. I’ll sit with you all then go home and make you three a big batch of chili and cornbread. All right?”

Momma handed the basket to Eve, who smiled and nodded with Caleb and Meg. “That sounds fantastic. Thank you.”

Sharky slumped against the wall as he dabbed his forehead. “Miss Eve, how’d ye get ‘ere?”

Eve handed the first container and a spoon to Caleb. She reached into the basket for another. “My motorcycle.”

Sharky’s brow creased in confusion. “Yer bike ain’t out here.”

Eve set the container in Meg’s hand. “It’s at the end of the second row closest to the building.”

“That be where me park.”

She dropped the basket on the floor as she jumped to her feet and sprinted out of the room. She heard footsteps pound hard against the tile, but she didn’t stop. Her motorcycle was her baby. She’d slaved to pay for it. If anything happened to it…

She slid to a halt in the parking lot. Sharky was right. Where her bike was, his sedan now sat.

“What the fuck?” she demanded.

“You’re going to have to file a police report,” Caleb advised. “Who the fuck would steal your bike?”

Eve’s heart plummeted into her belly as she thought of Deacon and their meeting. She wouldn't put it past him to follow her onto the reservation. “I have a good idea.”

The strobe of blue and red lights tore her attention from Sharky’s car. Two squad cars blocked off a dumpster nestled against the edge of the parking lot. The receptacle was wrapped in crime tape. Eve slowly approached the officers studying the pavement outside and the contents inside.

“Excuse me?” she called.

One officer, a short, stocky guy about her age, held his hand out to stop her. “This is a crime scene, miss. You’ll have to leave.”

“My motorcycle was stolen. Where is your station so I can report it?”

Another perched on the edge of the dumpster poked his head up. He glared at Eve. “It’s you. The girl on the surveillance video.”

Eve shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

His partner shoved the tape to the ground and motioned her inside. She glanced back at Caleb and Sharky who had followed her this far. Both men nodded for her to go on but were rigid as a board. Something unsettled them.

She took the hand that the officer offered her and stepped up on a wooden crate shoved up to the dumpster. Her stomach churned as she peered inside. The scattered pieces of her motorcycle couldn’t be reassembled. It was totaled. But that wasn’t what sickened her. The once shining chrome was smeared with blood, as was the leather. A lifeless hand laid across the exhaust pipe. She started to shake as she stepped down off the box. When her foot hit the pavement, her knees buckled. Caleb had a hold of her before she hit the ground.

“The video showed a man dressed in black driving a sports car destroying your motorcycle. Dave here confronted him. We suspect he killed him, dismembered him, rubbed his blood all over what was left of the bike and left. Do you know who that was?”

Eve shook her head. “No. He must have thought my bike was someone else’s. I’m just here with my boyfriend.”

The officer wiggled a finger at her. “Don’t go far if we have questions.”

“Of course.”

The men took each side of her and helped her inside. As the automatic door swept closed behind them, Sharky tugged on her. “What was in there?”

“What was left of my bike. A lot of blood. And a few body parts,” Eve answered.

Her attention was torn to Caleb. His growled his words. “Do you know who did it?”

“Deacon Ravens. He’s my dealer.”

“Why the fuck was he here at the reservation?”

Eve did her best to shrug. “I called him to get more heroin.”

“While my brother was having surgery?”

“I never met him. And what I had I flushed down the toilet. I’m going clean.”

Eve nearly fell again when Caleb stopped short. He stared at her, his eyes wide. “No shit.”

“No shit.”

“If you need anything. Shit, you got a battle ahead of you.”

“Well, I can’t sleep. My bones and muscles ache almost all the time. I want to cry. I want to throw up. And I’m starting to sweat.”

Caleb tugged his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a twenty. He handed it to Sharky. “Would you go to the gift shop and get as much chocolate as that will buy?”

“Course, Cay.” Sharky crumpled the bill in his hand and shuffled away. Caleb wrapped his arm around Eve’s and escorted her back to Micah’s room.

Eve could barely stomach her bowl of oatmeal when they got back to the room. She exchanged it for chocolate when Sharky returned, a bulging plastic gift shop bag hanging from his frail arm. She ate a piece every once in a while. She tried to share. She passed the bag around twice. Everyone else in the room politely refused. She still had a nearly full bag when Momma returned with the chili and cornbread.

Noah let up on the sedative enough to allow Micah to be awake for an hour or so. Seeing his smile made the agony from the withdrawal worth it. Before the sun had the chance to set he was out again. Before twilight washed across the sky, Caleb was given his pill, and he was out too.

Eve couldn’t sleep no matter how hard she tried. Meg made small talk with her but drifted off to sleep shortly after her mate. Eve eyed her jealously. She was pregnant with a man who worshiped her. Losing her baby was something Eve could never let go of. The fact she would never conceive killed her. And the loving man? Eve did just about everything to sabotage things with Micah. The mysterious pull had to be the only reason he still wanted her. She buried her face in her hands and sighed miserably.

The mysterious pull. Right now, dealing with it was a certifiable bitch. The constant primal urge for raw sex nearly got the better of her. She could have sworn she saw Micah’s sheet tent up a couple times a day. And Caleb and Meg disappeared at least three or four times a day for half an hour at a shot. It got so bad that Noah finally had maintenance shut down the closest broom closet for them to fuck each other senseless.

Eve did her best to keep her emotions in check for the next few days while Micah recuperated in the hospital. He was healing at an astounding rate. It had to be the werewolf in him. She did everything she could to make him comfortable.

The lack of sleep, the nausea, the deep ache in her arms and legs got the better of her. She bit back most of her outbursts, but a few escaped. She expected the family to throw her out. Her behavior certainly wasn’t helping Micah heal. Instead, Sharky brought her a big bag of chocolate every morning. Momma added in a dessert with the meals she brought. Caleb and Meg wrapped her in surprise hugs and told her they were proud of her. She couldn’t understand their generosity.

Meg would only smile and tell her, “You’re our family.” Family? Family was a foreign concept to Eve. But it was something she wanted to hold on to for dear life.

On the final night of the full moon, Noah pulled the IV needle from Micah’s arm. Caleb paced in the corner. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“He needs this,” Noah reminded.

“So you’re going to let an injured werewolf loose in your hospital?”

“I’m quarantining this hallway off. And there’s a way to keep him in line, you know.”

Caleb gaped at him. “The change. Things get hazy. It takes over.”

“You stopped your baby brother from attacking Eve as the beast. I trust you’ll keep him in check.”

Caleb frowned. “How the fuck did you know about that?”

“My uncle told me. Are you going to help me?”

Caleb was quiet for a long moment. “I’m in.”

“Good.” Noah looked at each of them. “Are you ladies going to be all right?”

Meg smiled. “Nothing we haven’t seen before.”

“Okay then. See you in the morning.” Noah closed the door, leaving them alone.

Eve curled up with Meg on the couch. The blonde wrapped her arms around her but then pulled away. “You’re wet.”

Eve shrugged. “Sorry. Sweat. Withdrawal.”

Meg hugged her tight again. Caleb stood sentry in front of the door as Micah crawled out of the bed. They waited in silence as the golden light of sunset disappeared. Both men dropped to the floor, their bodies shaking and writhing. Nails curved into claws. Skin was replaced by coarse fur. Fangs jutted out around their snouts. Two monsters replaced the men they loved. The massive beasts took up at least half the space of the room.

Eve cringed as she prepared for the worst. They were bloodthirsty. And they were trapped in a tiny room. She couldn’t see any good coming of this.

Micah lumbered a couple of steps and then laid down on the floor. It wasn’t long before Caleb did the same. The two werewolves faced each other in a stareoff for at least an hour. Then Caleb inched his way to Micah. They lay, nose to nose, for the rest of the night. At least that’s what Eve thought happened. It was the first good night’s sleep she had gotten in days.

In the morning she woke to two gloriously naked men instead of monsters. Noah was right. It was like the surgery never happened. Once he was released, they jumped into the car to go home.

Eve hugged him tight to her in the back of Sharky’s sedan. Micah held her close to him.

“I’m surprised your mom wasn’t here for your discharge,” she commented.

“Littlefoot is picking her up from my aunts’ house,” Micah answered. “Littlefoot and Momma have a thing for each other. The whole mating thing fucks up them being together.”

“It binds after death?”

Micah shrugged. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You’re the only man I ever loved. I don’t want anyone else.”

He softly kissed her lips. “I love you too, baby.”

Eve was barely aware of the rest of the trip back to the camp. She was grateful for every heartbeat coming from Micah’s chest. She was thankful for every breath. She sighed. “I want to be like this forever.”

Micah chuckled. “Sharky might want his back seat back. And I have bad news. We’re mated. You’re stuck with me for eternity.”

“I’m not stuck. I want this. I want you.”

“I want you, too.”

Eve bit her lower lip. “I want to be more than your mate.”

“Like what?”

“Like your wife.”

“Be still my beating heart. Are you proposing to me?”

Eve felt her cheeks burn. “Micah.”

“You know you just said you loved me.”

“I know. And I can’t give you a child. I know that’s a really tough pill to swallow…”

Micah shut down her words with a kiss. As he broke away from her, he smiled. “Can I at least get past this fight before we plan our wedding?”

Eve beamed. “Of course.”

“And if anyone asks, I proposed to you.”

“Absolutely.”

“Then yes, let’s get married.”

Eve squeezed him tight. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would find someone to love, much less marry. She couldn’t have been happier.

Her joy came crashing down when they reached the camp. Micah climbed out and then offered Eve a hand. She scooted across the back seat and wrapped her hand in his. She looked up to find Littlefoot helping Momma out of the car and through the newly fallen snow. He escorted her to the porch of her cabin and then turned to the growing crowd of Hallows gathering around bundled in thick winter coats. “Evelyn, why don’t you go inside? I need to talk to the boys. I will be in to make you a cup of tea in just a bit.”

“All right.” Momma cast one last glance across them before she stepped inside and closed the door.

“Can we hurry up, Littlefoot?” Ezekiel protested. “I’m freezing my balls off.”

“You look good, Micah,” Joshua commented.

“I’ve never felt better,” Micah replied.

“Gentleman, we need to talk,” Littlefoot addressed. “We wouldn’t want Ezekiel’s balls to freeze off like he’s afraid of. There’s been two more attacks.”

Abraham shook his head viciously. “No. I was with Josiah. It wasn’t me.”

Samuel motioned between himself, Ezekiel, and Joshua. “We were together. We were never apart.”

“Where were these?” Josiah questioned.

“One was a farmhouse near the previous attack. The other…” Littlefoot fell quiet as he stared at Eve.

“Where?” Eve demanded.

Littlefoot pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. On the display was a photo of the strip club. The broken windows, shredded posters, and blood-spattered exterior made Eve shudder.

“Shit,” Micah muttered under his breath. “Shit.”

Eve looked up at him. “We need to go there.”

“Now. Let’s go.” He took her hand as they spun and stormed to the Jeep.

“Micah, it isn’t a good idea,” Josiah called after.

Neither of them responded. Micah dug the keys from his pocket, flipped on the ignition, and sped down the lane into the forest. They grasped other’s hands tightly as they drove silently to Duluth. Eve’s heart thundered in her chest as she remembered the picture. The outside looked pretty terrifying. She hoped the inside didn’t look worse.

Micah pulled to a stop outside the seedy motel where they’d mated. It was the closest they could get to the strip club. The parking lot outside the building was filled with squad cars, ambulances, and media vehicles. A crowd gathered in the street trying to sneak a peek at what was happening. Eve jumped out of the Jeep and ran across the street before Micah could help her out. She shoved her way through the crowd to get to the front.

Micah laughed behind her. “With those elbows you’re throwing, you might have a career in the cage.”

Eve huffed as she broke through the front of the crowd and ducked under the barrier. A hand grabbed her roughly and shoved her back behind it. She knew it wasn’t Micah.

“Get your fucking hand off my fiancée,” Micah ordered, his growl dangerous.

“Your fucking fiancée belongs behind the sawhorse, asshole,” a male voice responded. Eve looked up at the officer who still had a tight grip on her jacket.

“Bart, let the girl go.” Another officer, a slender woman with olive skin and short black hair, strode up quickly.

“You know her, Tanya?”

“I’ve arrested her a time or two for possession. So yes. Let her go.”

Bart grumbled as he released Eve and stalked off. Seconds later she was smothered in a hug.

“I’ll be honest, Romero,” Tanya started with a sniffle. “I was terrified I was going to find you in there. I arrested every girl in there at least once. You? You didn’t belong.”

Eve hugged her back tightly. “Thanks.” She nodded to the building. “Is it bad in there?”

Tanya shook her head. “It’s horrible. I’ve never seen anything this bad. Bodies torn apart. Blood everywhere. Horror movies have nothing on this. I’m going to have nightmares from this for the rest of my life.”

“Oh.” Eve shot a glance over her shoulder at Micah. “It’s just that I left the club so quick that I left some things in my locker. They’re not evidence. I would like to get them before they get confiscated.”

Tanya shook her head. “I can’t let you go back there alone.”

“Then come with me.”

The officer stared at her for a long moment before she sighed. “Fine. Stay close.”

Eve clasped Micah’s hand in hers. “Can my fiancé come with us too?”

Tanya looked at him. “Fiancé, huh? It might be best. With how horrific the scene is in there, you might need someone to lean on. Come on.”

Eve and Micah wedged their way through the break in the barrier and then hurried to catch up with the officer.

She felt his breath in her ear. “Romero?”

“Yeah. My last name. Eve Romero. I mean, I suppose you should know it since we’re going to get married.”

“What is your big deal about going in here?”

“Don’t you want to know what’s going on here? If it is werewolves, doesn’t that expose you and your brothers? And what about your mother’s necklace?”

She heard him curse under his breath. “Fucking forgot. Yeah. We have to find it.”

They both fell silent as Tanya stared at them and then stepped inside the club. Eve grasped a hold of Micah’s hand again and followed. She gasped. Her head swam as her stomach churned. The profanity he uttered outside was nothing compared to what was coming from him now.

There was blood everywhere. It was smeared across the cold, ebony tile floor. It splattered the brass poles and mirrors. It dripped off the ceiling. Bodies laid strewn along the floor, the stage, the tables. The bartender’s lifeless body was draped across the bar. Nearly all of them were shredded apart. Eve had never seen the inside of a human being before. After today, she never wanted to again.

And among all the violence were crimson paw prints leading everywhere. She frowned. They were huge. They didn’t seem to fit what she remembered seeing that night she rode her bike back to camp.

Tanya tugged at her arm. “Come on, Romero. The quicker you get your stuff, the quicker you can get away from here. Hopefully, they burn this place to the ground.”

The three of them wove around coroners, stretchers, detectives, and vast pools of blood to the doorway that led to the back. The carnage found its way back there, too. The remains of strippers readying themselves for the customers nearly covered the floor. Eve bit back a scream. Literally. She could hear the squeaks escape from around her tongue. She turned and buried her face in Micah’s chest and then let it go. Her whole body quaked. He gently caressed her hair as he comforted her.

“Eve, what is it?” Tanya questioned.

Eve pointed to the blonde hanging through the black curtain. Half her body dangled into the hall from the stage. Her naked torso was torn apart and covered in blood. “My old roommate, Tabitha. We were close.”

“I’m sorry, doll. Let’s get you out of here. Take these.” Tanya handed her a pair of rubber gloves. “That way your fingerprints don’t show up.”

“Thanks.” She slipped them on. Finding her grip on the dial, she spun the lock at each number of her combination until the door popped open. She scooped the items out of the locker and into her arms.

Taking a deep breath to still her trembling nerves, she nodded toward the office. She wanted to run. She needed to get out of there. But Momma’s amulet… “Where did Deacon disappear to?”

“He’s here. He’s in his office.”

“Arrested? Restrained?”

“Dead. In his chair.”

Eve stared down the hallway as she bit back a sob. Her stomach churned violently. Deacon was gone. She had fucked him. He nearly killed her until Micah bartered for her life. She was free. Micah was free. She could walk away.

They all focused on the broken voice that cut through the static on the officer’s radio. Tanya picked it from her hip. “Romero, I need to get back out there. Finish up and come out. Got it?”

Eve nodded quietly. Tanya offered them a forced smile before she disappeared through the ripped curtain.

Eve pulled from Micah’s arms and then stormed to the end of the hall with Micah on her heels.

“Where the fuck are you going?” he demanded.

“We have to find your mother’s amulet.” She handed her things to Micah and stepped inside. She gagged when she saw Deacon. His head fell behind the chair. She wasn’t sure what held it still to his body, and she wasn’t about to look to find out. The decapitation wasn’t clean by any means. She shot a look at Micah. Without asking, he kept an eye out for Tanya. Eve hurried to examine the office.

The safe beside the desk was wide open. It was filled with piles of cash and bags of cocaine and heroin. A moment of weakness washed over her. Would they miss one bag? Maybe they could chalk it all up to a drug deal gone badly? She shook it off and kept looking.

Her gaze stopped at the computer screen dangling off the desk by its cord. The drawer of the desk was nearly pulled off its hinges and was resting in Deacon’s lap. Momma Hallow’s necklace was displayed majestically on a bed of midnight blue velvet on the blood-splattered computer screen. It must have been some auction website. She gaped at the current minimum bid.

Twenty-three million dollars.

A yellow lined legal pad in the center of the cluttered desk had a series of at least a dozen crossed off numbers on it written in pencil. The number at the top of the pad was twenty-four thousand. The only number not crossed off was at the bottom. Twenty-three million. She grabbed the mouse and closed out the website. Then she tore the power cord from the wall.

“Shit. It’s the necklace,” Eve muttered under her breath.

“What’d you say?” Micah asked.

“Nothing. Give me a moment more.” Eve took a deep breath. There was only one place more secure than the safe. She ran her finger along the drawer of the desk until she found the catch in the wood. She pressed it.

The ruby necklace tumbled to the ground, landing on Deacon’s shoe. Glancing one last time out to the hallway, she grabbed it and slipped it inside her bra. She grabbed the top sheet on the notepad and tore it free. She quickly retreated back to the hallway as she crumpled it and shoved it in her pocket.

“Hold up.” Tanya stepped back into the hallway. “I told you to move it.” She eyed Eve suspiciously and then stepped into the office. Eve’s heart thundered in her chest. She walked back out and pointed toward the back door.

“I know your background with heroin, Eve. I had to make sure nothing was missing. Everything is accounted for. Why don’t you slip out the back, so you don’t get mobbed?”

Eve smiled. “Thank you.”

“Stay out of trouble, kid.”

Eve nodded and then spun on her toe. Micah brushed her lower back with his fingertips as they hurried out the door into the frigid sunlight.