Chapter Thirteen
For the next few hours, Grant kept his head down, mind focused. Because he’d been planning for years, he’d always known the day would come when he took over the pack. It was time to put everything in motion.
His core team, which included Ryan and those wolves that had helped secure Kryder with the net, had a dozen strategies in place as well as hidden stores of food and weapons.
Besides the usual stockpile of pistols, assault rifles, and a mountain of ammunition, he also had a rocket launcher in case Kryder produced an armored vehicle. The crew in charge of this piece of weaponry had watched a dozen training videos and practiced non-firing runs at least a hundred times.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to use the rocket launcher. At this point, however, he wouldn’t put anything past Kryder and had structured his training with the man’s psychopathic character in mind.
Several pack females, not involved in the military end of things, kept stopping by the conference room. They brought buckets of coffee, kept the team members well-fed and offered a dozen ‘thank you’s’ for taking Kryder down and for having prepared the pack for this day.
Grant expressed his appreciation for their efforts as well. But he had no illusions about the difficulties in front of him. Kryder had always nurtured a network of spies within the pack whose efforts had frequently ended in the torture and death of a wolf who had been caught in any kind of opposition to Kryder.
Over the years, Grant and had learned how to keep his mouth shut no matter what happened, to train his wolves to a form of intense discretion, and to take his beatings any time it could divert Kryder’s cruel nature away from the pack members and onto himself.
The latter had earned him a level of devotion and loyalty that had kept his wolves out of trouble. In recent years, Kryder’s killing rate had gone down significantly.
Now Grant’s goal was to keep his people alive.
With the weapons distributed along with a hefty amount of ammo, Grant could only wait.
He sat in the conference room, eating a ham sandwich and guzzling another cup of coffee. He had a dull headache at the front of his forehead. Too much adrenaline. Waiting was the hardest.
It was nearly midnight and Natalie had been gone for several hours. He missed her, and he wished she was here.
Yet, part of him was glad she was gone. He’d spoken truthfully when he’d said he didn’t want to have to worry about her safety. But his relief carried more weight than he’d thought. As he pondered it now, he realized he had been dreading her staying.
He had a job to do that didn’t allow for the complications of a woman in his life. He’d never wanted to get this involved with Natalie. Not for a moment had he thought his term as pack alpha would begin with a passionate love affair with a fae female.
“You’re in a funk.”
Ryan’s words snapped him away from his thoughts. He shifted his attention to his second-in-command. “Yeah.”
Ryan lowered his voice. “Natalie?”
Grant huffed a sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. But now that she’s gone, I can focus on what’s important?”
“Huh.” Ryan took a bite of his sandwich, then shoved a couple of potato chips into his mouth.
“What does that mean?”
Ryan shook his head. “I don’t know. Because she’s great or at least I think so.” Grant was grateful Ryan had kept his voice to a murmur, especially when he added, “Want my honest opinion?”
Grant almost snapped an ungenerous, ‘no’. Instead, he nodded curtly then ate more of his sandwich. Maybe his body language would dissuade Ryan.
Apparently not.
Ryan turned to face away from the others eating at the table, all of whom were chatting, then said quietly, “You don’t know what you have in her. She’s one in a million. Hell, one in a billion and you know it. So, don’t be an ass and dump her the way you have the women you’ve bedded over the past six years.”
Grant was ready with his reply, But Ryan lifted his hand. “Don’t want to hear your excuses, my friend. This is Five Bridges. Take the gift when it’s offered or be alone for another six years, or a hundred. But I’ll tell you this, you’re going to be miserable if you fuck this up and she leaves you for good.”
Ryan turned back to the table and accepted a refill on his coffee. He then hunkered down and set to work on his second sandwich.
Grant didn’t want to think about Natalie right now. He felt guilty as hell that he’d basically taken her into his bed then sent her on her way. Nothing new there except damn if Ryan wasn’t right. She was exceptional and had been instrumental in helping him to take over the Meldorin Pack.
Something inside him grew hard as steel, however. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about love and marriage. He had to focus on his wolves. Period.
The alarm sounded just as he finished his coffee. The external security force leader tapped on Grant’s telepathy.
Give, Grant responded.
We’ve got incoming from all directions.
Grant shot to his feet. To the room, he said, “This is it. Get to your stations.”
Along with the others, he left the conference room on a run and headed to the command station they’d finished setting up an hour ago. With a collection of screens, he had visual around the entire property and could see Kryder and his force advancing. They wore black tanks with blue trim, carried AR-15s, and moved on a trot toward the front of the compound. Grant had been right. He recognized the uniform of The Sapphire Club’s security force.
Checking out the Meldorin response, Grant smiled as he watched his men and women take up their positions. All the secret work he’d done for years now became evident. Small portions of walls slid away to reveal well-fortified firing positions. The rocket launcher team moved to their station which was protected by a thick layer of cement. Support personnel was ready to run ammunition as needed.
Using a top-of-the-line com system, he spoke to his team leaders. “This is it. You know what to do. Once the firing starts, continue until Kryder and his force retreats.”
All twelve responded in the affirmative. Each was positioned with ten trained men and women. There wasn’t a single blind spot around the compound.
Each monitor reflected a portion of the exterior. Grant kept his gaze fixed on the one that showed a heavily armored Jeep. Kryder was no doubt within the vehicle.
He rose through the top aperture and started shouting orders. His men immediately started firing as they continued to advance.
Kryder then disappeared back inside the vehicle.
Grant watched as his people responded. The firing could no doubt be heard throughout Savage. It was war and the cacophony almost busted his eardrums. He removed his headset and listened through the room’s speakers.
Ryan and his staff sat at various desks and keyboards. He stood at the back of the room, itching to be on the front lines. Adrenaline spiked in his veins.
Everything about their set-up was working.
He kept looking for a way to improve their situation, but his admin team had created all the right precautions. Their line held.
Suddenly, he felt a hand clap over his mouth and a sharp blade enter his back, not deep but enough to make him freeze in pain.
Kryder’s voice shot into his head. Hold steady, asshole, or you’ll die in a puddle right here without your people even remotely aware of it.
The pain was all but unbearable as Kryder withdrew the blade. Kryder had his arm around his neck, the blade now pressing against the skin of his lower back. He saw the room through a soft glow. Shit. Kryder had pulled him inside an invisibility spell.
Now, look to your right.
Slowly grant shifted and saw that the spell included a team of five men each armed with assault rifles. They stood in a row against the wall.
Come quietly and I’ll let them live. Make the smallest fuss and this room will be a broken-up place of blood and monitors. Your fucking choice.
Grant had planned for a dozen scenarios, but he hadn’t considered this one. If Natalie had been here, either her wolf or with a quick dip into the future, she could have shown Grant the trap he’d just fallen into.
He took one final glance at the monitors and saw that Kryder still appeared to be in the Jeep.
I see what you’re wondering. I have a double. He does quite well at a distance. But I also have a terrific fae that I keep chained up. She showed me what to do. BTW, too bad your fae deserted you. She could have told you all about your weak spots. But then you were always too much of a lone-wolf. So, what’s it going to be, Grant? Do we leave quietly? Or do I shoot up your friends then drag your ass out of here? Either way, you’re coming with me.
Why take me at all?
Haven’t you guessed? I need your woman. She’s got the gift I require for all my future plans. The fae I’ve got just isn’t sharp enough.
For a moment, Grant considered what he should do. If he left with Kryder without disrupting the kidnapping, he’d be putting Natalie in danger. But the reality of losing so many of his pack within the next few seconds, made his decision for him.
Let’s go.
Kryder had trained his own men equally as well. Two of them pivoted to take the lead, two fell in beside Grant on either side and the rest took up the rear.
Kryder chose the route that led back through the sandpit and the underground tunnel. Grant wondered what he’d find, as in dead bodies on the ground, although it was unlikely. The monitors would have shown an attack.
Instead, the small team of warriors at the exit stood facing outward and watching the empty pine forest opposite the road.
Once past the compound’s team, Kryder’s group lifted into levitation and rose steadily into the air. Almost at the same time, Kryder’s force on the ground began to retreat.
Grant heard his wolves raise a shout of triumph, unaware that the enemy had just kidnapped their alpha.
~ ~ ~
After having settled into the cottage Agnes assigned her, Natalie had gone to the chapel to think things through. She’d spent the past couple of hours, sitting in the front pew, her thoughts turned inward.
Her iridescent wolf lay on the carpet a few feet in front of her, but stretched out on her belly toward her, muzzle on paws. Every once in a while, she’d lift her head as though listening to the sounds outside the building but would soon revert to her head-down position. Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Natalie.
Several times, she had the sense that Grant reached out to her but fell short of telepathy. Of course, she wondered if she was imagining it.
She sighed. Renee had challenged her to examine her fears, so she’d taken the time to do just that. She’d been looking hard at what she feared most.
It didn’t take her long to understand that what she’d really feared was losing Grant. Though, given the way he’d so easily dismissed her, what she feared might have already happened. Worse, she hadn’t put up the smallest fight to hold her ground at the compound.
When had she become the kind of person that didn’t live full-out? When had she started holding back so fiercely, as though her life depended on it?
She almost chuckled at the thought, since quite often her life literally depended on being wary and cautious. Staying at Agnes’s compound instead of returning to her canal home was a perfect example.
Yet somehow, her new, wolfish instincts told her that by not fighting Grant on the issue and insisting on a place at Meldorin, she’d made a serious mistake. Just how serious, she wasn’t sure.
She wasn’t finished, though. She would make an effort to reach out to him, even to challenge him if she had to, in the same way Renee had spoken sternly to her.
As she sat watching the wood sculpture shaped into waves of water, she forced herself to grow very relaxed. There was a truth she needed to face, something she’d been avoiding from the time she’d left the Meldorin Compound.
She pressed a hand to her chest. She realized her heart hurt. No, it ached as though the physical separation from Grant was causing her real pain.
Drawing a deep breath, she let it out slowly. From the beginning, she’d known her relationship with the wolf wouldn’t be simple. But she hadn’t expected this, to feel as though her heart was being torn from her chest just because she wasn’t near him.
A gasp followed.
Oh, no. Was it possible?
There was only one answer. Despite all her best intentions, Natalie could finally admit to herself she’d fallen hard for the wolf, really hard, smack-down-on-cement hard.
For all the angels in heaven, she loved him. Not just wanting to jump his bones, though that was part of it. She loved him with a deep, searing love that spoke to the breadth of her soul and his.
It was love.
Love. And Grant.
She knew something else as well, she was already bound to him. Not in an alter wolf sense or because he’d marked her, but as a woman to a man. Her heart was given and had been for some time.
As she looked back, she couldn’t quite pinpoint when it had happened, when perhaps she’d said to herself, Here’s the man for me. Nothing specific came to mind.
Instead, her connection to Grant and her desire for him had come in pieces. It had begun the moment she’d seen Grant in the Graveyard defending a near-dead fae against three powerful wolves. Despite getting shot, his focus had been pure: To get the woman, even though she was fae, to Kiara’s refuge in Revel.
Each subsequent hour with him, in his company as together they worked out the invisibility spell with the wizard, had added more pieces. Later, while rescuing the young wolf, Alanna, at The Sapphire Club, her heart had gone the distance and she hadn’t even known it.
Grant was the man for her and like hell she was going to let him go without a fight.
She stood up before she’d made the conscious decision to move. In kind, her wolf rose to sit on her haunches as though waiting for orders. Natalie glanced at her. “Did you know?”
Her wolf yipped and appeared to smile.
“Well, you’re wiser than I am.” She narrowed her gaze at this external expression of all that she was. “Then why did you approve our leaving the Meldorin Compound?”
But her wolf didn’t respond. She thought she understood. She’d needed to figure this one out herself.
Renee had told her to address her deepest fear and it was that if she loved Grant, she’d lose him. But something told her that in leaving him as she had, she’d put him in jeopardy.
Her wolf rose to all fours.
“So, I’m on the right track?”
Her wolf yipped once more.
She could feel it now, the call from a distance. Would Renee finally come to her and explain everything to her?
Natalie thought not. This was on her, to figure things out, and to make her next move.
She’d adamantly opposed searching out her own future. But right now, she needed information.
Everything about her alter life coalesced in this moment as though events had been building for six years precisely to this pinnacle. She revered what was happening and gave it a place of importance she’d been unwilling to before.
She was part of great events now. She’d risen out of her simple life of making a living by showing others the future to one of binding herself to the alpha of the Meldorin Pack.
She closed her eyes and in the sanctity of the chapel opened her heart and her mind to the near future, to her place in the Meldorin Pack, to her bond with Grant. She had a job to do, a critical one, that meant as it had from the beginning to help her man stay alive in a world dominated by unworthy creatures like Kryder.
For the first time, the future parted before her without a single twinge of pain. All the muscles down her back were relaxed.
But as she focused on Grant, a wave of dread rolled over her long before the images arrived. She could have retreated, but the time for backing away had passed.
She ordered the future to come to her now.
What arrived was the reason for the dread. She saw Grant bound and bloody, hanging from chains.
She could have shut it down, but she wanted more information.
She rolled the future back, closer to the present.
Within the vision, Kryder shouted. “Where is she? Natalie is mine. Find her. Summon her. Bring her to me or I swear to God you’ll both die before the night is out.”
Grant lifted his face to Kryder and met the monster’s gaze stare for stare. “The real question is why can’t you see her for yourself? But I believe I know why? You’ve lost the power the pack gave you.”
“Much good that same power is doing you.” Kryder lifted his fist and punched Grant with a hard left.
Blood flew in an arc as Grant’s head snapped back and to the side.
Natalie forced herself to keep going. She needed to see where he was. Within the vision, she panned back. The location was unfamiliar, but several of the guards in the room had blue flames climbing their necks and cheeks. She also recognized the blue trimmed black tanks from The Sapphire Club.
The problem was she had no idea where this room was located within the club’s multi-level, underground building.
A simple idea came to her.
~ ~ ~
Grant’s joints were on fire from hanging suspended for hours. Every few minutes, two of Kryder’s guards would pull on his legs until he was howling in agony. Sweat poured down his body in rivers. Blood oozed from a dozen stab wounds and an equal number of bites. Kryder liked to shift and tear chunks of flesh from his body.
“I’ll leave you for now to think about saving your ass. I need Natalie. Even if you die here tonight, Grant, I’ll find her.”
He heard the door shut and breathed a sigh. He was losing blood, a lot of it. He wasn’t sure how much longer he had.
His thoughts turned to Natalie.
He felt like a fool on all fronts. The profound euphoria he’d experienced during the process of becoming alpha to the Meldorin Pack, had blinded him to a host of realities.
Earlier, some time while he’d been showering, his sense of duty toward his wolves had settled within him in a profound way. The problem was, he’d acted as though Natalie had never entered his life, as though she had no value to him. Despite that her assertive nature had given him a clear path plus any number of enhanced abilities, he’d easily shunted her aside in the name of responsibility.
When Kryder had made it clear his goal now was to take possession of Natalie, to make use of her giftedness in commandeering the future, the awful scales had fallen from his eyes. He’d needed Natalie. She’d been instrumental from the beginning. Why had he suddenly behaved as though she had no value on any front?
He considered himself a rational man. But in this situation, he’d behaved irrationally. If for no other reason than the safety of his own hide, he should have kept her close. The question was why he’d reacted as he had? Why had he let her go without a second thought, without even once considering that the loss of her presence and her unique abilities could jeopardize the entire pack?
As blood dripped onto the stone floor beneath him, the truth became a glowing fire within his chest. His damn throat grew tight. Everything became clear in a sudden blaze of light. When he’d left the bed and moved away from the comfort and warmth of her body, he’d been afraid to acknowledge how he felt about her. She’d become the sun in his sunless world and he was as bound to her as though he’d completed the wolf-bond.
For so long, he’d lived without a woman in his life. He’d told himself the pack must come first. But the reality was simpler: He feared loving and losing another woman the way he’d loved and lost Renee.
With all his heart and in such a short space of time, he’d fallen in love with Natalie, deeply and irrevocably.
He also didn’t think he could have picked a worse time to have figured it out. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to Natalie and draw her back into his world. But the moment he did, he would put her in serious jeopardy. So, he remained silent though he was filled with a longing so profound he could hardly breathe.
Now it was too late. He was hanging in chains in the dungeon of The Sapphire Club. He couldn’t risk contacting Ryan, either. If he did, the pack would come after him and many if not all would die in the attempt to extract him from Kryder’s hidden place of business.
The question was, what could he do? How did he need to change his view of things if he hoped to survive?
Grant?
A lightning bolt of adrenaline flashed through his veins. Natalie. She’d reached out to him, but he couldn’t answer. He didn’t dare. He wouldn’t risk her life.
She kept talking. I can sense you’re there but you’re not responding, so I’m going to share a couple of things. I made a mistake not challenging you after you left your rooms earlier tonight. I knew you’d shut a door. Truth? I wasn’t much different. I’ve been scared out of my mind to know love again, because the pain of losing Aaron and Grace had torn my heart to shreds.
But I don’t want to live that way anymore. I don’t think you do either. We need each other in this Godforsaken world. I need you, Grant, and those are the hardest words I’ve ever said in my life. I need you. I need to sleep beside you during the day and work beside you at night. I don’t want to live my empty, work-driven life anymore. I want you, a life with you, whatever that needs to look like. So, what do you say?
Salty tears burned Grant’s eyes then ran down his cheeks. Every word spoke to the deepest place of his heart, the place he’d shut down for six long years. His chest rose and fell. Still, he couldn’t respond. He wouldn’t risk it.
Grant, I know Kryder has you and that you’re chained up. Please let me help. Together, we can do this. Without each other, isn’t it possible we both die?
Her words disrupted his thinking like a poker to a burned-down fire. Flames of new thought erupted. If he didn’t make it out of this dungeon, what would happen to Natalie?
The answer was simple: Kryder would find some way to get to her, even if she never left Agnes’s compound. He’d wanted her from the beginning. He’d already stated his purpose of one day, no matter what it took, possessing her.
A nearby scream intruded. A woman was being hurt in the next room. He heard the woman say, “I’ve lost him. I can’t see him. You have to believe me, Alpha Kryder.”
“You need another boost of sapphire flame.” Muffled orders followed.
“No, please don’t. I’ll try without it. I will. I’ll try hard.”
“Too late.”
A moan followed. Grant suspected the woman in the next room was the fae Kryder used to keep tabs on him and on Natalie in the future.
If Natalie was here, he knew exactly what she’d say. She’d move heaven and earth to get the woman out of Kryder’s hellhole.
Though his lips were torn and bleeding, a smile began to form. He didn’t give a shit about the pain. Joy had started flooding his heart and sending streams of feel-good everywhere.
His woman was game, courageous and big-hearted. She would never say die, never give up, never stop until her fae sister was safe in Kiara’s refuge. She shared his mind, how he viewed his role in their world, what he believed should be done to set things right in Five Bridges.
She was the woman for him.
Grant reached out to Natalie and felt a rush of relief flowing toward him. Hey, beautiful. I’m here. I was a fool to let you go as I did. I pretended I was worried for your safety. But the truth was I was scared out of my mind of loving you with the strong possibility I could lose you.
But I do love you, with all my heart, with every ripped up, torn up, uneven part of my being. Will you have me, my beautiful fae? Will you marry me?
He heard a telepathic gasp, then a chuckle. Hell, yeah, I will. Now how about you build a dreamglide and get your ass over to my studio.
He glanced down at the cuts, bruises and seeping wounds. I look like hell.
Just come because I’ve got a plan.
Of course, you do. His smile broadened.
Just get over here and don’t worry how you look because I suspect I’ll need to get used to it.
As Grant continued to smile, he tasted a whole lot of blood but didn’t give a damn. He closed his eyes and focused on putting a dreamglide together.
Given what he felt for Natalie, it took less than ten seconds. The only problem was, he was still strung up in chains in both places. He’d wondered if it would be different in the dreamglide. Apparently not, when it came to a whole lot of iron links slung over a fat hook.
Despite that he was bound, he made a mental picture of Natalie’s Revel studio and put the dreamglide in motion. He found her seated in her winged chair, very relaxed, and hovered several feet above her.
I can sense you’ve arrived, she said.
I am, he said. Brace yourself because I’m still bound.
I’m ready.
With his mind, he focused on her and an instant later, she was in front of him.
“Hey,” she said. Her eyes shone with a warm light that pierced his heart. He saw her love for him and it ignited his own.
“I want to hold you.”
She drew close but didn’t embrace him. “I don’t want to hurt you otherwise I’d sling my arms around your neck and never let go. But let me see what I can do.” She saw the cuts on his lips, the bruises on his face, the gash on his jaw.
She put her finger next to his nose. “Does that hurt?”
“Not a bit.”
“Good.” She leaned up and gently placed her lips on the uninjured spot and kissed him.
Nothing had ever felt so good in his entire life.
When she drew back, she smiled, but it was mischievous. “I have one word for you. Sand.”
“Sand?”
“Yes. Take me back to that beach because I think I now how to get you out of Kryder’s dungeon.”
~ ~ ~
Natalie watched Grant raise his brows. She could see he was in pain, but just like that, the dreamglide began to move and swept in a large arc to head in a northwesterly direction. It moved faster and faster until she was sure they were approaching light speed.
She laughed when he overshot the beach by at least ten miles and had to swing back to the place where they’d made love.
He was still hanging in manacles and chains when they arrived. But as they touched down, she quickly took her shoes off to the feel the sand between her toes.
“So, what do you have in mind?”
He was frowning but at least most of his wounds had stopped oozing.
“Feel the sand?” He wore only his leathers, and these were torn to shreds.
“Yes. I can.”
“Grant, I know this may sound crazy, but I think you can bring us here, our corporeal bodies. We are real in both places.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “You mean, I would no longer be hanging on a hook in Kryder’s basement.”
“And I wouldn’t be in my studio. We would be here. In the sand.”
“Illegally.” He looked around. “As alters, if we’re caught…”
“Really? That bothers you? Right now?”
He chuckled then moaned and turned his head to the side. “That hurt. Don’t make me laugh.”
“I won’t make any such promise. Just give it a shot. Bring us both here. Now.”
“Do you know how much I like you?”
“Yeah, yeah. Get on with it before Kryder comes back and we lose our dreamglide.”
He shifted his gaze away from her and began to focus. She remained standing in front of him in case she was needed, though for what or in what way, she couldn’t imagine. Dreamglides were his specialty.
For a moment, as he concentrated, she felt an interesting vibration, then nothing.
When he met her gaze again, he said, “I have no idea if I can do this. Or how.” He jerked his head suddenly. “Kryder’s coming back. The fae is sobbing.”
“What fae?”
“I’ll tell you later. Does your wolf have any ideas? We’re running out of time.”
Right. Her wolf.
She released her wolf quickly and it began racing in circles around them both. She could feel the wolf’s panic which caused Natalie’s heartrate to shoot through the top of her head. “My wolf’s saying, ‘hurry up’.”
“Fuck.” He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Her own thoughts went heavenward as the seconds ticked along. Renee, if you can help, I’d sure appreciate it. But there was no response.
She had no heart to reach into the future.
Grant’s voice broke into her mind. Grab my waist. I think we have to do this together.
She didn’t hesitate as she gripped the sides of his waist avoiding the deep gashes where Kryder’s fangs had torn into him. Tell me what to do.
Just hold on.
I can do that.
The vibration she’d felt before began to rumble. A new wound appeared on Grant’s shoulder. Kryder was hurting him. Hold on, Grant. You can do this. Hold on. Bring us here. Do it now.
He gritted his teeth and suddenly it was as though a wind blew them hard from the east. She fell over and he landed on top of her.
He pushed up with his hands at his sides then rolled onto his back. “Jesus. I’m too late.”
She didn’t understand what he meant at first, until she saw the nature of his wound. It was deep in his shoulder and pulsing hard.
She took off her shirt and shifted to kneel beside him. She planted the shirt against the wound putting pressure on with both hands.
“Grant, look at me.” He was very pale and sweating.
He shifted his head. “Too late. I love you.”
She growled at him. “Like hell you’re leaving me now. Build another damn dreamglide and get us the hell back to the Revel refuge. Now, dammit!”
He jerked his head and within seconds they were rising into the air.
“You’re doing great. Keep this thing moving. I’ve got your shoulder. I’ve stopped the bleeding.” The last bit was a lie, but she’d staunched it just enough. “I’m contacting the refuge to let them know we’re coming.”
He nodded. He was breathing hard. “I’ll get you there. I will.”
The dreamglide sped through the night, not nearly as fast as the trip out.
Natalie kept tapping on telepathic frequencies at the refuge until she found one powerful enough to talk mind-to-mind. She let them know the danger Grant was in and that they would need to be waiting by the doors if he was to have a chance.
The doctor will be outside. We’ll have a gurney ready.
Thank you.
When the dreamglide began to falter, she shouted, “Come back here and fly this thing right!”
“Shit.” Grant jerked his head around and the dreamglide began to soar again.
She spoke in a loud voice. “Look at me. Let’s talk. What do you think Kryder’s doing right now?”
Sweat poured down his pale face. His lips moved but he couldn’t talk. She said, “I’ll bet he’s shitting his leathers trying to figure out where you went.”
His chest jerked like he was laughing.
She glanced down. “I see the Colorado River.” She met his gaze once more. “Keep us upright. We’re almost home.”
He nodded. Was there anything else she could do.
“Did you know I sing? I’m a great singer.” She started a rendition of America, the Beautiful and croaked her way through it.
He had an odd light in his eye as she sang, but she saw his ferocity of concentration, that quality he had in abundance.
“We’re crossing the White Tank Mountains. Almost home. About ten more seconds. Hold on, Grant.”
His chin shook. The shirt balled up beneath her hands was soaked through. “We’re almost there.”
She knew he had the picture of the refuge in his mind, since he was flat on his back. But his navigation was spot on.
She talked him through the last few hundred yards. “I can see the emergency room. Slow down. That’s it. Ease us down. You got it. That’s it. Straight down now.”
She felt his body touch the asphalt, but they were still in the dreamglide.
“Grant, release the dreamglide.”
The dreamglide disappeared, they became visible and the ER team rushed toward them, including Emma.
Grant had passed out and was white as Renee’s mist.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she followed the gurney and crew into the ER. One of the nurses brought her a fresh shirt, which she donned quickly.
“I haven’t got a pulse.”
“Let’s move it people.”
~ ~ ~
Grant floated toward the Milky Way. It was different this time. The stars remained fixed and his body was in a quiet place of nothingness. He’d never felt so peaceful.
I like your woman, Grant.
He turned his head and saw that his wife was with him. She had mist for a body, but she was in full color with her long blond hair and large, striking blue eyes.
He smiled at her. I remember now why I fell in love with you. You were beautiful, yes, but there was always this look in your eye like you could conquer the world.
She smiled. And I fell in love with you because you loved the stars.
He shifted his gaze back to the Milky Way. Is there anything more extraordinary in this world? We’re looking at the edge of the galaxy. Imagine that.
I know something more incredible.
He shifted once more to look at her. What? He would have chuckled, but his body didn’t seem to have that capacity.
The way you and Natalie work together. In three nights, you’ve become a well-oiled machine. Don’t you think you should go back to her?
When had he left her? He would have frowned if he could have. Why was he out here floating in space? Right.
I died.
You did, but they’re working on you at the ER. Looks like you have a choice to make.
Grant had never been faced with a decision like this before. He loved the sensation of peace he felt, like it was a deep call on his soul to return home, his spiritual home, his truest origin.
I don’t want to go back.
This time, Renee smiled. None of us do.
Wait, did you have a choice?
She shook her head and the mist moved oddly distorting her face, then reforming. No. I was too far gone. But you’re not.
No word from On High?
You mean as in direct orders for you to return?
Yes.
Once more she shook her head. Sorry, this one is completely on you. There’s no judgment either. Trust me in that. There’s no right or wrong answer here.
Grant shifted his gaze once more to the Milky Way. He thought about Natalie and about the Meldorin Pack. Had he done his job? Was he finished?
Maybe those weren’t the right questions. He thought of better ones. Why should he return to Savage? Would it be so that he could make a difference?
Grant if you can hear me, please come back. Natalie’s voice this time. To Renee, he said, Natalie just called to me.
Renee whistled, or pretended to. The mist swirled around her lips then settled back down. Your woman has power. But don’t worry, she’ll be fine if you leave her. She’s very strong. She’s changed, too. She’s going to be interesting to watch and I hope I get to. Her gaze shifted as though she was looking down. Well, would you look at that.
Grant shifted his position to match Renee’s so that he stood beside her. Now he was looking down at himself on the ER bed. Natalie was standing over him. You sonofabitch, get your ass back here. I’m not half-done making love with you and we still have Kryder to take care of. My guess is he’s beating the shit out of his fae-slave. We need to go get her then we need to fry Kryder’s ass and no messing around or playing nice this time.
Natalie had her hands on his face and was shouting at him telepathically.
His face was fully white, he had an IV in each arm, but no one was working on him. No CPR, no oxygen, nothing. Even Emma stood back. The witch had tears flowing down her cheeks.
Grant, this is a warning. If you don’t come back, the second I die, I’m coming for you with both barrels blazing. I need you here, dammit. All of you. I want a life with you for years and years. But I want it fully bonded with your damn teeth holding the back of my neck.
His teeth in her neck. Something inside him shuddered with intense longing.
He made the decision without one more thought and practically dove within his body.
~ ~ ~
Natalie heard the machine blip a heartbeat at the same time she felt Grant return to his body. His lungs filled with sudden air.
Murmurs flowed around the room and Emma resumed her healing magic with her hands on top of his head.
Because Natalie was still holding his face, she felt all of these things, including the waves of healing. Still, she didn’t let go. She wouldn’t, not until she saw the gold-green of his eyes.
A minute passed, then another.
Finally, his eyelids began to shift about.
Love surged. More tears scalded her cheeks.
When at last he opened his eyes, she saw that same otherworldly look he’d had just before they landed outside the emergency room. I saw the Milky Way. It was so beautiful. Peaceful. Then I saw Renee.
Natalie gasped. You did?
She told me I had a choice.
Guilt suddenly struck her hard. I called you back, but maybe I shouldn’t have. You could have stayed on the other side.
He blinked several times but didn’t respond right away. His wounds had begun closing up fast now.
Take my hand, he said.
She finally slid her palms from his face and shifted to take his hand in hers. I wanted you safe.
Slowly, and with what to her seemed like tremendous effort, he lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed each one.
He pressed their joined hands to his chest. “I love you, Natalie.” Several heartfelt sighs traveled the group. “In the end, there was no real decision. I would have moved heaven and earth to get back to you. It just took me a while to realize what was going on.”
Despite his words and that color was returning to his cheeks, she gripped his hand hard afraid that he would leave again. There was so much she wanted to say, but not right now, not in front of so many people.
The doctor called out. “Let’s give them some privacy. Emma, please stay and keep doing what you’re doing.”
Natalie hadn’t realized just how many of the staff had gathered in the small space. By now, everyone knew Kryder had abducted and tortured him.
When only the three of them remained in the bay, she spoke aloud, “Do you want me to contact Ryan and let him know what’s going on?”
“I can do that.” He squeezed her fingers. “Give me a minute.”
He closed his eyes but kept her hand in his.
The conversation lasted several minutes, during which time the pressure of his fingers on hers, sometimes taut, sometimes more relaxed no doubt reflected the flow of the conversation.
When he was done, he sighed then opened his eyes once more. “Ryan is in shock both by the fact Kryder had gotten into the compound unseen and by how you got me out of his dungeon.”
“You did the heavy-lifting.”
“I suppose I did. But Natalie, thank you for getting us back here and for once again saving my life. When I was talking to Renee, I know she wanted me to return to you, but made it clear it was my choice and there would be no judgment, whether I remained in the afterlife or returned. I’m meant to be here and to be with you. That’s what I know for sure.”
She leaned down and kissed him, though it was an odd sensation to feel Emma’s healing vibration travel through her lips.
She rose up chuckling and met Emma’s gaze. “That tickled.”
The witch’s eyes were damp with tears. “I’m reminded of those difficult days with Vaughn. It’s worth it, in case you’ve been wondering.”
“I’m not wondering any longer.”
“I can tell.”
Natalie disengaged her hand from Grant’s only long enough to bring a chair close, so she could sit beside him. He immediately took her hand once more, though this time he closed his eyes.
He had to be exhausted from his recent ordeal with Kryder, not to mention drifting into the afterlife only to be brought back.
She let him rest but couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was a gift that had been returned to her like something from a fairytale. He was a complete miracle in her life, this time truly on all fronts.
She was so grateful he was back, that he’d chosen to return.
For a moment, she pondered what her life would have been like if she’d had to bury him, instead of holding his hand in the hospital. But what came to her, surprised her.
She would have grieved, but not like before. When Aaron had died, along with her baby, and as she relocated to Revel as a newly formed alter, she’d been left in a profound state of despair. Yet, she no longer felt that way about Five Bridges, or her new status as a fae-wolf. The experiences of the past three nights had changed her completely. She understood now that even if Grant hadn’t come back, she would have been okay moving forward alone.
Her journey had given her a new, stronger spirit with which to face the future. She had a purpose now, something she hadn’t had before. She was meant to work hard and to rid Five Bridges of as much of the evil in their world as she could.
For the immediate future, that evil was still in the form of Kryder. This time, there would be no half-measures.
This time, Kryder must die.
But first, she and Grant needed to make some careful plans. Together.