Chapter Seventeen
Three days since she’d asked Cage to leave her alone, and he’d kept his distance. He was still at the house across the street. She couldn’t miss his truck—and she’d had to check. Oddly, every time she did she felt better. The fever didn’t bother her as much, and since her temperature seemed to be sticking right around 100 to 101, she had to guess wolves ran hotter.
Cage was certainly hot. Very hot.
Groaning, she rubbed her face. Nothing she did got him out of her mind, and maybe that was okay. Maybe doing this on her own wasn’t a good idea. Or maybe she just missed him so much that she didn’t want to do it on her own.
When her doorbell rang, she’d talked herself into and out of walking across the street on the pretense of talking to his father just so she could see him. Abandoning her nest on the sofa, she checked the peephole before unlocking the door. Whoever was there—it wasn’t Cage.
Not recognizing the woman, she braced a hand against the door. “Yes?”
“Miss Devlin? Hello, my name is Kaitlyn Amador, I’m a friend of Sergeant Castillo’s. He asked me if I could come by and talk to you.”
Bianca checked the peephole again. “If you’re such a good friend, why are you calling him Sergeant?”
The woman raised her eyebrows. Tall with an athletic build, Kaitlyn Amador was enviably well put together with her smooth, dark brown hair and buttoned-down appearance. Bianca felt positively frumpy by comparison. Cage sent a woman to talk to her? Was she someone special?
Instant dislike unfolded within her.
“Well, I call him Sergeant because that’s his rank, and I was hoping a more formal address might at least win me a chance for a face-to-face.”
Well, that was direct.
“Let me start again, Bianca. I’m Kat, I serve with Cage, and he asked me to come over to talk to you.”
Kat? Really? Now she had to open the door. If she served with Cage, that made her a wolf, right? A wolf named Kat. It was too funny. Aware of her own disheveled condition, Bianca raked her fingers through her hair before she unlocked the door and disengaged the alarm.
The woman on her doorstep grinned. Though her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she wore slacks and a light silk shirt. She looked like a woman on her way to the office, not someone who served in the same unit as Cage…the smell was wrong.
I really need to get used to that.
“You’re not like Cage,” Bianca said, choosing her words carefully. Though Kat hadn’t lied to her, it didn’t mean she knew Cage’s secret.
“No, I’m a girl, for one,” Kat said with an easy grin. “And I’m not a wolf. Yet.”
Still studying her, Bianca held up a finger. “Just one moment, okay?”
“Sure.”
Bianca shut the door and turned the lock before pulling her phone out of her pocket. She texted Cage a simple question.
Do you know a Cat?
It’s Kat. He replied immediately. Yes, she’s a friend.
Relief and jealousy collided in the pit of her stomach and it created a most unsettling heartburn. Shoving aside the baggage, she reached for the door again and her phone buzzed once more.
Thank you for checking with me—I miss you.
Swiping away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, she opened the door again to find Kat waiting patiently. “Sorry about that,” Bianca apologized. “I had to check.”
“No, I totally get it. Trust but verify. Good motto to have.” The easy acceptance buoyed her.
“Come in.” She let the other woman into her house and then walked with her toward the living room. The deck doors were open, but the light had been almost too bright for her today. Each day it was something—the colors were too vivid, the noises too loud, the scents too overwhelming. It made her crazy. Apparently, nothing about changing would be easy.
At least her head didn’t hurt.
“Nice place,” Kat said, glancing toward the living room.
“Thank you, sorry about the mess,” Bianca responded, hurrying to clean up the sofa. It wasn’t terrible, but she’d transferred a blanket downstairs because while she hadn’t wanted to sleep in the bed where she was surrounded by Cage’s scent; she hadn’t wanted to sleep without something of his nearby. As aggravated with the situation as she’d been, she still cared. The conflict was tearing her apart.
She was becoming a certifiable loon.
“A little mess never hurt anyone.” Perching on one of the chairs, she seemed more at ease than Bianca felt.
With a sigh, Bianca sat. “I’m afraid I’m not very good company at the moment.”
“I’m pretty stellar, so I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Kat clasped her hands together and leaned forward. “Let’s cut to the chase. You have no idea why I’m here, and you’re not sure you even want me in your place. Totally fine, I get it. Not even offended by it. I’m here for three reasons, the first being Cage asked me, which I already told you.”
At Kat’s pause, Bianca nodded. “Yes.”
“The second is that I’m—mated—to the captain of Bravo Team WOLF. I can offer you a little perspective on the wolves from an outsider’s point of view. The guys tend to assume everything is just a wolf thing and ‘normal’ even when it’s just way not. I can actually share with you the difference.”
Mated?
“Third, while I’m still human, I’m planning to take the bite and I’ve had a lot of my questions answered, so maybe I can help you with yours.”
Relief surged through her. “That would be really helpful.”
“I’m here to serve,” Kat told her, then glanced at her watch. “Tell you what, why don’t you shower and change, and I’ll make something for us to eat if you don’t mind me nuking some stuff in your kitchen. Then we can talk while we eat.”
Tucking her chin toward herself, Bianca tried to check her own scent surreptitiously. Did she smell?
“Sorry, if I was overstepping. I subscribe to the 2-percent rule. I always feel 2 percent better after a shower. Is that popcorn in your hair?”
Grimacing, Bianca fled. Fifteen minutes later, showered, refreshed, and in clean clothes, she returned downstairs to find Kat waiting for her in a spotless kitchen with a bowl of soup waiting on the bar.
“I may not have owned that many places, but I think it goes above and beyond for a guest to clean up my depression-populated kitchen.”
“I like order and I had a few minutes,” Kat said by way of an apology. “The soup is hot, and you look like you feel better after the shower.”
“I do,” she admitted. “It’s been a strange few days.”
“I bet. So, let’s see what blanks I can fill in for you while you eat.” Kat held up her fingers and began to tick off items on her fingertips. “Turning is a matter that begins with transforming your DNA. They have a lot of terms for it, but their bite transmits a virus, and that virus works its way through your system. One bite isn’t always enough, but they are far more potent in their wolf form.”
Bianca started spooning the soup into her mouth, glued to Kat’s information.
“The reason you’re sore and feverish is the human body’s natural reaction to what it is perceiving as a foreign invader. It does get better; you just have to keep eating. Eating is apparently the secret to all things wolf. They eat a lot. Which is great, because they have amazing physiques. The more you eat, the easier and sometimes the swifter the transformation.”
Freezing with the spoon halfway to her mouth, Bianca hesitated.
“It’s going to happen anyway, so you might want to go ahead and just eat.” Sympathy reflected in Kat’s eyes. “Jax has an entire plan in place for when I tell him I’m ready.”
“You’re not yet?” What would it be like to have such a choice? Would Bianca have said yes?
“No, but more because I would have to spend about six months training in Jax’s pack after I successfully turn.” Only six months? “Long enough to master shifting at will and controlling the urges.”
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to leave for years possibly.”
“Well, six months might be ambitious, but I’m an overachiever. I like goals.” The rapid-fire manner of the other woman took some getting used to, but Bianca liked her. “Just set the goal and go for it. So, what else? Shifting hurts every time, but it also apparently feels amazing. Jax told me he used to think it was better than sex, then he met me.” Her snicker was contagious.
Soup finished, Bianca shook her head as she locked gazes with the other woman. “Men.” In that moment they were in perfect synergy.
“Exactly. There’s a lot of fine motor and body language things you’ll learn. You might have learned some already. They respond to social cues but also to scent markers and body language. The woman I spoke to said turns are about fifty-fifty; some pick up on it like they were born that way, while others need to learn. Either way, it happens for everyone.”
“You’ve done your research.” Impressed, Bianca wished she’d had that kind of lead time. Then again, if someone had asked her if she wanted this she might have said no.
“It’s what I do.” Kat tapped the counter. “Feeling better?”
“I am—but do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
“Shoot.”
“Mate?” Like alpha, wolf, and pack—mate seemed a provocative term.
“Oh, that’s a fun one. It’s like husband, lover, best friend, and soul mate rolled into one large, aggressive male wolf package.” Kat spread her hands. “They’re very possessive, but they’re intensely loyal. They play as hard as they fight. I’ve never trusted eight men at my back the way I trust these guys, and I wouldn’t trade what I have with Jax for anything else. It’s…unique.”
Biting her lip, Bianca nodded slowly. “I have one other question.”
“Hit me.”
“How long does it take to actually—turn?” Did she want to rush it or was she hoping for some type of reprieve, however brief?
“Well, that one is the bitch of the matter. My understanding is that it’s completely individual. They haven’t kept specific records on how long it took, only as short as a few days and as long as a month.”
“Blegh.” Bianca grimaced, and Kat laughed.
“Yeah, not my favorite part, either. Questions answered?”
A little wary, Bianca nodded.
“Fantastic, what do you say we get out of here?”
“Why?” Bianca rubbed a hand over her face. That came out far blunter than she intended.
“Because I also think fresh air does a body good, and I get the feeling you’ve been cooped up in here too long. We can get some iced coffees, go for a drive—just get away from it all.”
When she phrased it that way…
“Let me guess, this is a 3-percent rule?”
Kat raised her eyebrows. “Never thought of it that way, but that could work. Look, I spend a lot of time analyzing data. I turned it upside down and inside out. Sometimes the answer is right there and other times, I can’t see the forest for the trees. When I get stuck, a change can help.”
“It certainly can’t hurt.” Resigned more than anything else, Bianca got her things together and followed Kat out. Though she half expected it to be a ruse to get her to go across the street, she was pleasantly surprised when Kat guided her to an SUV parked in her driveway. Kat didn’t clue her in.
To her further surprise, Kat headed south and west away from the city. They didn’t stick to wide highways, cutting off onto gradually smaller and smaller roads until they were down to a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere.
“You’re not taking me somewhere to kill me, right?” She only meant it half as a joke.
“Nah,” Kat replied in a perfectly calm voice. “I save that for girls’ night out.”
Ninety minutes after they left her place, Bianca began to understand why Kat nudged her to shower, and why she’d fed her. This was no short trip. If Kat hadn’t been checking the GPS on her dash, she might have been more worried, but she seemed to know where she was going.
Finally, they pulled onto a stretch of rock and gravel road. Two men waited to open the gates, and they waved cheerfully.
“What are you two doing out here?” Kat called as she pulled forward. “Shouldn’t you be working?”
“Aww, be nice Kat. We’re on sentry duty.” The pale-haired male with cool blue eyes leaned in the window to grin at her. “Hey there, ma’am!”
Bianca blinked. He looked familiar. “You were there…in Costa Rica.”
“Yeah, I was.” He laughed, then curled his fingers at Kat. “Pay up. I told you, no one forgets this face. I’m stunning.”
“And insufferable.” The other woman laughed, before digging out a five-dollar bill and dropping it in his hand. “Bianca Devlin, this is Stephen Lance, but we call him Silver, ’cause he’s pretty.”
The charmer’s smile faltered at the description, then he scowled. “You do not call me Silver ’cause I’m pretty.”
“And we don’t call him that because he didn’t win the gold,” the second male said from behind him. Rich grass, loamy earth, and hints of the mountains seemed to surround Silver. The second man was maybe half an inch shorter, but he had darker blond hair with gray eyes. Bianca couldn’t identify the scents around him, only that they were cool and almost mint-like. “Butler Garrison, ma’am. I was in Costa Rica, too.”
“You didn’t give her a chance to identify you.” Silver thumped the other man. “What’s wrong with you?”
Bianca had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. They were adorable. Sibling adorable. Like Cage, they all had high and tight haircuts and regal bearings. She would have easily identified them as Marines.
That they were also wolves was kind of cool.
“Anyway, they’re waiting for you. We’ll lock up the gate and be along.” Silver waved, then he and Butler retreated.
“Told you, they play as hard as they fight,” Kat told her as she continued along what proved to be a winding gravel track leading deep into the ranch land. They must have gone nearly a mile into the interior when she spotted a structure.
“Is that a barn?”
“Sort of,” Kat said, peering as she leaned forward. “First time here, so I’m probably going to gawk as much as you.”
Curiosity flooded her, but she had no idea what to ask if anything. The area was beautiful. Grass and fields stretching out to the occasional copse of trees. Rocks, huge rocks all piled together as though portions of the land had been cut by water at once point. Rivers moved, but where they’d traveled was usually evidence.
Kat parked next to the structure then glanced over. “Here you go.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Losing her companion left her feeling bereft.
“I did my part, and you’re feeling better. Now, go be Bianca Devlin, badass savior of the world.”
“You say that like you know me,” Bianca murmured, as she stepped out of the SUV.
“I might have done a full background check after the rescue mission,” Kat said without an ounce of remorse. “Really liked what I learned.”
The air outside was warm, filled with a profusion of scents, and she had to pause to take a long breath of them all. They swirled around her—trees, flowers, birds, hay—too many to name. It held her captive, then she caught it, a hint—a taste—Cage.
He was there.
Excitement warring with dread threaded through her. She’d asked for time and he did this? A part of her was tempted to walk away, but the rest of her? Curiosity welled within her, curiosity and a bit of longing. She hurried for the building.
There was a note on the door, and she paused.
Bianca Devlin, the woman who dared.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she opened the door and stepped into a kind of antechamber. There were a couple of chairs and a laptop sitting in the middle of the table. A sticky note on the space bar said: Hit me.
Traces of Cage’s elusive scent clung to the table near the computer. Sliding into a seat, she hit button. A video began playing, and the blur resolved into the face of one earnest, little nine-year-old boy.
“My name is Collin Valenzuela, and I love Bianca Devlin ’cause she’s awesome and saved my life.” He glanced away from the camera a moment, then grinned again. “Bianca was my very own superhero, and when bad men kidnapped me, Bianca fought them.”
Tears welled in her eyes at his brave voice, right down to the hint of a quaver, but he didn’t give into his fear.
“We didn’t do so good in the fighting department, and we had to go with them. But Bianca stayed with me, she made me laugh, and she made me feel safe. She also taught me how to make a fire, how to boil water, and told the best stories. Thank you, Bianca. Will you come see me soon?”
Hand pressed against her mouth, she fought to keep the sob from escaping. He looked so good.
At the end of the video a flashcard popped up. Go through the next door, beautiful.
Rising, she swiped at the tears and headed for the door. A sticky note on it said: Don’t jump.
“Thanks for the warning,” she said to the air, then opened the door into a much wider room. This looked like some large meeting hall, and the moment she came inside a video began to play against the wall—old projector style.
News reels—snippets of stories—all featuring her.
“Born to Doctors June and Harry Devlin of Doctors Beyond Borders while the physicians were working Kuala Lumpur, Bianca Devlin is a woman of honor, bravery, and sacrifice,” Kat’s voice echoed through the room, and Bianca jumped despite the warning. “Growing up in arguably some of the most dangerous and abandoned areas of the world, Bianca thrived under the tutelage of her parents. Tested in some of the worst global disasters of the last two decades, Bianca dedicated herself to improving the lives of everyone.”
As Kat spoke, images of some of the humanitarian efforts Bianca participated in appeared. Some videos she hadn’t even realized existed. Shock and awe held her riveted.
“In this rare footage, our favorite humanitarian is shown wading into the flood waters to rescue a small dog. Little did those around her realize that a small child held on to the animal.”
Bianca had almost forgotten that. It never occurred to her not to go into the waters.
Peter was suddenly on the screen. “That was a difficult rescue effort; we were on our own. Our supplies had been stopped for customs inspections, our support had been scattered to two other disasters, and it was Bianca, me, and a couple of others with shovels and what we could do on our own. She never stopped working, and she always had a smile. There’s something magical about Bianca when she decides to help you—she doesn’t stop until she’s done it.”
The video ended and left an arrow pointing to the next door. Weeping openly, Bianca made her way to the door and pulled it open.
Cage stood alone inside the shadowy room, and his amber eyes seemed to glow in the low light. Spreading his hands wide, he said, “I want you to know, I know how valuable you are, and how important what you do is. I also want you to know how important you are to me. I lied to you. I manufactured a reason to be close to you. I did it all because I bit you.”
She bit her lip.
“That’s why I came.” He pressed a hand over his heart. “That’s not why I stayed. I told myself it was a mission, it was to protect the team, to protect the packs—but that wasn’t the whole of it all. From the first moment I saw you, you fascinated me. You were strong, determined, fierce, and funny. Getting to spend time with you was a gift. I fell for you, Bianca. The whole time I prayed the bite wouldn’t take, that I wouldn’t be the one who took your choice from you.”
A part of her wanted to say something, but all she could do was drink him in. Agony echoed in his voice, and every syllable rang with truth. Maybe the wolf thing wasn’t so bad if it came with a lie detector. Sucking on the inside of her lip, she swallowed back the inappropriate laughter.
“I can’t undo what I did. I can’t take back my bite. I can only be here for you, every step of the way, and every step after that.”
What?
“I love you, Bianca. I fell in love with you in the jungle. I fell in love with you on the ship. I fell in love with you on the deck of your house. Hell—” He laughed, and there were tears in his voice. “I fell in love with you when you dropped my ass on the street with that little taser of yours. You’re everything.”
God, her waterworks were going to start again.
“I want you, Bianca Devlin—the woman who saves the world. I want to be the guy who saves you, who makes coffee with you, who takes a shower with you—and I want you to be the one who chases dreams with me. You’re my mate. My wolf knows it. I know it. We’ll wait for as long as you want, we’ll take whatever you want us to, we’ll never abandon you.”
Licking her lips, she whispered, “Mating is forever, isn’t it?”
“Forever.”
Her heart squeezed. It was everything she’d never realized she wanted to hear. “I…I don’t know if I can do the wolf thing.” It hurt to admit it. “I’m terrified.”
“I know, but I know you, too. You can do this. You can do anything.” His faith in her was so absolute. “You save people, missions, and you saved a little boy. You know how to bring tremendous resources to bear to make things happen. Turn all that energy on yourself, babe. You are magnificent.”
Sniffing once, she shook her head. “You make everything sound so easy.”
“Not easy, just not impossible. But I have one question that I really need you to answer.”
More than mating?
“What do you want?”
The question threw her. “I…” What did she want? Only one answer surfaced. “My job is important,” she began. He’d brought it up, and it was. The thought she’d never be able to help anyone again? That had crushed her. Becoming a wolf? Still scary. But losing Cage? Losing her friend? Her lover? “I love you, Cage.”
His smile softened the worry in his eyes. “I love you, too. More than I can ever tell you.”
When he held out his hand, she knew he was giving her back her choice. He’d laid his heart out there, bared his soul, and opened himself to her rejection. Not easy for a proud man.
No way in hell she could leave him standing there waiting, except… “Cage, Kat told me I could die.”
His throat worked, a taut swallow.
“I don’t want you to be alone—if you mate me and I don’t make it.”
Curling his fingers in a beckoning motion, he said, “I’m not going to let you die. Five minutes, five days, five years, a century…it’ll never be enough time with you, and I wouldn’t be able to bear a minute without you.”
Crossing the short distance between them, she took his hand and then she was in his arms. “Yours is the last face I want to see before I go to sleep at night, and I want to wake up to your smile every morning. I want you.” It was like something unlocked within her. She was still scared but she wasn’t alone.
“Babe…” He exhaled the word, and then his mouth closed over hers, and it was like kissing him for the first time all over again. Her whole body went electric and the longing within her swelled, only to be met with his hunger and tenderness in equal measures. It soothed all the ragged places and kindled fresh heat.
“I love you,” she murmured between kisses. “But I still want a cat.”
When he growled this time, she laughed. Then he lifted her and spun her in a circle.
Hand in hand, he guided her out of the barn, and her heart nearly burst.
Outside stood a line of wolves—seven of them. They stood, regal and tall, heads raised. Behind them and in the distance stood Cage’s father—her new alpha. That would take some getting used to. Standing next to one of the wolves was Kat. She met Bianca’s gaze with a wink.
“Bianca is now one of us,” Cage announced. “This wonderful woman is being claimed by me with her permission, and more by the Guadalupe Pack.” Turning away from the wolves, Cage gazed down at her. The light shone in his eyes, and they were the deepest amber. Intelligence, playful humor, and wild strength combined. He took her breath away.
“I couldn’t be happier. All the pack asks is that you allow us to assist you in your efforts, to help you grow stronger, to control your wolf, so that you can return to your missions, and you will never be alone again—for your pack will be with you. So will I.”
The wolves weren’t the Guadalupe Pack, though. Reuben gave her a real smile as he inclined his head. These were Cage’s teammates—the Bravo Team. One by one, they paced forward and rubbed a head against her. They were all so huge, four feet in height, big broad backs, thick legs, and heavy chests, but they were also warm and welcoming. She didn’t know if it was Cage holding her hand or her newly enhanced senses, but she could practical feel the welcome from all of them.
Maybe she was going to howl at the moon.
Then Cage gave her another kiss, and the wolves threw back their heads and howled.
Laughter bubbled out of her. She could do this. She could be a wolf.
She had Cage.
She could do anything.