CHAPTER 45

Enzo stayed with her on the ride to the hospital. He said he didn't need help and refused to take any medication. He was fine, she knew it.

Audrey felt... good. She wasn't injured, didn't feel pain, and the heat she was exposed to did not seem to hurt her.

Enzo had healed her body.

She wanted to refuse the help but Enzo didn't allow it. He asked her to please comply, he wanted to make sure she was truly all right.

He never let go of her hand. She saw worry, and love, and regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry you went through all this," he said, "it's my fault."

She squeezed his hand, the roughness of it something that she had grown very fond of.

"I'm glad I did."

That caught him off guard. The paramedic riding back to the hospital with them didn't say a word. He knew not to interfere.

"Why?"

"Because it brought you to me."

He smiled.

"I promise this will never happen again. Not ever."

She didn't reply. She trusted him, and he would never let her down. She just closed her eyes and waited for his kiss.

His lips and hers fused and it felt like home. Nothing else in the world mattered.

***

The door opened softly, the air rippled throughout the room, waking Enzo up.

He could feel everything now, his channeling sense was much stronger... perfectly attuned to the world, synced with nature.

His bear paced inside, grouchy as always, but he kept it in check. For the first time in years, it was willing to obey without putting up a fight. It wasn't a pain in the ass. Not anymore. It knew not to mess with its master.

Damien was the first to come into the room. He locked eyes with Enzo and smiled. There was this... aura of power around him.

As the alpha of the clan, the Primal Bear himself, he radiated strength, the room filled with his energy, something Enzo hadn't sensed before.

"Can we come in?" Damien whispered.

"Doctor?" Audrey replied before Enzo could say a word. She was fully awake, one hand entwined with his, a magazine in her other.

Damien was whispering because he was asleep, not because of her.

"Come in, man," Enzo said, "Audrey, this is Damien, alpha of the White Paws."

***

Audrey gasped, embarrassed. She tried to fix her hair but Damien stopped her.

"Don't worry, don't worry," he said, and a host of people came into the room.

Big guys with their wives and children, all in all, more than fifteen people came flooding in.

"Whoa!" Enzo said half laughing, "you brought everyone?"

"We wanted to come," said a curvy, beautiful woman next to a tall, white haired guy who carried a child in each arm.

"Hi there!" A teenage girl said to her, waving her hand, and before Audrey could reply she turned to Enzo. "you were in a fight?"

"Deeandra..." the man carrying the children said, side pushing her with his hip.

Everyone laughed.

"That's Deedee, honey," said Enzo, then proceeded with the introductions.

It was a lot of people, the younger kids tried to be quiet but they obviously couldn't, which made her laugh.

"How did you know I was here?" Enzo asked.

"Dude, we're a crew," said Maverick, "we know when stuff like this happens."

"That, and we felt you fighting... You're stronger than I thought," said Damien.

"I called Thomas," Franklin said, "and told them about the incursion down here. Everything's taken care of."

"You woke that fucker up at this hour?" Enzo asked.

"He's a bureaucrat, he needs to work from time to time."

Thomas, the White Paws contact in the government. He helped with the PR regarding all this mess. No one would know what really happened.

"Do you need anything?" said Sophie, Franklin's wife.

"No, we're good—" Enzo began saying.

"We brought you food," Deedee said and pulled up chips, chocolate bars, and all kinds of junk food from her little purse.

"Real food too," said Damien, "the bags are outside, we weren't sure you wanted them."

Audrey's stomach rumbled so loud she went from relaxed to complete embarrassment in a second.

The kids laughed, their moms reprimanded them and they all had a good time. Deedee brought the bags. Not surprisingly, it was enough to feed everyone twice.

The kids sat at the floor, their moms either with them or on the small sofa in the room.

Audrey had lost everything but she felt better than ever. She felt happy. Truly happy. Material things could be replaced, but the way the man you love looks at you and you know in your heart that you're the most important thing in his life is irreplaceable. She was happy he was alive.

"So, are you gonna come live with us?" Deedee asked while munching a burger.

Everyone stopped.

"Oh," Dee said, "what did I do now?"

Audrey's heart pounded heavily in her chest.

"I don't think—"

"If she wants to, she knows I'll gladly have her," Enzo told Deedee.

Audrey looked at him. Was he being honest? Live together so soon?

He looked back at her.

"It'll be a while until you get everything up and running again," he said, "you can stay there until you figure what to do."

"Thanks," she replied.

They didn't touch the subject again. The crew stayed with them for about an hour. She was starting to get tired right at the moment they said their good-byes and left.

"Nice people," she told Enzo when the calm returned.

"The best," he said with a smile.

"You should go home, I'm fine, really."

"Hey," Enzo said, suddenly serious, "I meant what I said about going to my place. I'd love to have you there, but I won't take offense if you don't want to do it so soon. I'll make preparations and get you a place here in Rosenberg, or wherever you want."

"No, Enzo, I don't want you to spend any of your money—"

"Don't worry about that. I'm good."

"But still—"

"Audrey," he said, " The government needs my crew, you saw why. They pay us handsomely for our work. I have money. Lots of it. Let me spend it, I want you to feel comfortable."

"Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll come with you for a day or two while I find a place to stay."

He smiled, "I'm fine with that."