Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld) (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Nadya

We pulled into Adam’s ranch just before noon. Lana was out of the house before we had Malcolm and Madeleine freed from their car seats. Adam followed her out and clasped Gareth’s forearms. “How’d it go? Were the little monsters well behaved?”

“No monsters, Daddy!” Madeleine pointed at Adam from her perch on her mom’s hip.

Adam put his hands up in mock surrender.

“They were angels.” I handed Malcolm to his dad.

Adam tossed him in the air, eliciting joyful squeals from his son and narrowed eyes from his wife. “Adam!”

He boosted Malcolm up on top of his shoulders, holding his ankles. “What?”

Gareth came around and took my hand. “Any sign of Nero last night?”

Adam shook his head. “Not yet. The only jaguars out were ours.” He bumped his hip against Lana’s.

Lana kissed Madeleine’s forehead, making eye contact with me. “How are you feeling?”

I shrugged. “I’m fine for now.”

Gareth squeezed my hand and glanced at Adam. “Any word from Jason?”

Our Alpha sobered. “Wyatt’s still not responsive. Jason brought all the home health equipment to Sarah and Jared is helping with his care, too.”

I didn’t push the plunger on the potassium chloride, but I was painfully aware that Dr. Granger had only been in Reno to get to me. I couldn’t help but feel completely responsible for Wyatt’s condition. And if Nero still wanted me, I was putting the rest of the Pack in danger, too.

“Does the rest of the Pack know what Sebastian told us? Nero is probably sending another team to Reno to try to take me back there.”

Adam nodded. “Everyone is in the loop. They understand the threat, and we’re all being cautious.”

A note of censure colored Adam’s voice, but I deserved it. In hindsight, Jason and I never should have convinced Gareth and Wyatt to stay quiet about Dr. Granger. Wyatt had tried to warn us about the doctor after my first visit, but Jason had been confident he had the situation under control, and I’d been too desperate for a cure to question it.

“I’m really sorry…about everything.”

Lana nudged him and Adam sighed. “You’re not the first one to think you could handle Nero on your own. I hope we’ve all learned that we’re stronger as a Pack than as lone wolves.”

Gareth tugged my hand. “Let’s grab some lunch.”

I almost smiled. Small talk and changing the subject were still not Gareth’s strong suit. I embraced Lana and Madeleine. “See you soon.”

Lana and Madeleine waved good-bye. “Soon for sure.”

Adam and Gareth got in a quick man-hug before Adam turned my way and held me tight. Against my ear he whispered, “I’ve never seen Gareth so human. You’re magic.”

“I can hear every word.” Gareth crossed his arms over his chest, but his gruff tone didn’t match the light in his eyes.

Adam pulled back, chuckling as he turned to face Gareth. “Good. She is magic, isn’t she?”

Gareth nodded, his gaze locked on mine. “She sure is.”

My cheeks heated up. I nudged Adam with my shoulder. “Okay enough.”

Gareth grinned and my body tingled with warmth. He definitely needed to smile more.

He took my hand. “See you guys soon.”

I waved to them as we headed for the Harley. On our way back from Lake Tahoe, we’d called Jason and planned to visit Wyatt. Now that we were putting on our helmets and getting on the bike, the sadness seeped into my skin.

Gareth patted my thigh with his gloved hand. “Ready?”

I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to see Wyatt Ayers in a coma. I slid my arms around Gareth’s waist, my body pressed tight against his. “Yeah.”

The engine started. No turning back now.

…

We stopped for sandwiches on the way. Since I’d been bitten and converted into a werewolf, my appetite had multiplied until I was pretty sure I could out-eat a lumberjack. But I didn’t seem to be gaining any weight, so there was a little perk.

I’d never been to Wyatt and Sarah’s house before. The few times we’d met it had been at Adam’s horse ranch. They lived on the edge of Lake Stanley, their sprawling home nestled within the shade of mature pine and oak trees. We rolled up their brick driveway and I did my best not to get slack jawed.

“I thought Wyatt was an animal vet.”

Gareth turned off the Harley and nodded as he pulled off his helmet. “He still is, but Sarah owns a commercial real estate firm. She makes the big bucks.”

I got off the bike and laid my helmet on the seat. “They have a beautiful home.”

He nodded. “Wait until you see the inside.”

I hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” He frowned, coming closer.

While my mate had gotten better about controlling his emotions around me so my empathic abilities didn’t have me climbing the walls, Sarah and Jared had not.

“Just give me a second to collect myself. I’ve gotta keep a clear head or I won’t be able to shield myself from their emotions. They’re already hitting me and we’re still outside.”

Gareth glanced at the front door and back to me. “If this is too much, I can tell Jason you aren’t feeling well.”

“No. I owe it to Jason to see how his father is doing and apologize to his family.”

“This wasn’t your fault.”

“Maybe not directly. But still…”

The door opened. We both turned. Jason jogged down the steps toward us. Being a doctor by profession, his feelings were buried under a blanket of calm. He walked past Gareth and pulled me into his arms. My wolf stirred, but I wrapped my arms around him anyway, reminding my wolf that he was a member of our Pack.

A brother. Nothing more.

He stepped back, searching my eyes. “How are you feeling? Gareth told me you had a nosebleed this last time. Any headaches?”

“Not really.” I shook my head. “But there was more going on than just the nosebleed. When I snapped at you, if you hadn’t backed off, I think I would’ve attacked you.”

“Aggression is one of the side effects, too. It’s safe to surmise that the last shift was triggered by fear. Your wolf recognized doctors as a threat, especially when Gareth fought with Dr. Granger.”

I nodded slowly. “I started shifting in Virginia City after I found Gareth and Sebastian fighting. You could be on to something.”

“This makes sense.” He glanced at Gareth and back to me. “The small dose of natural adrenaline that your body secretes when you’re upset ends up being all it takes to send your wolf forward.”

Gareth came to stand beside me, sliding his hand up my back slowly in support. “So we need to keep you happy and calm.”

I looked up at him, a smile creeping up on me. “Happy works for me.”

He bent to kiss my forehead. “I’ll do my best.”

Jason glanced over his shoulder at the open front door. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I walked past both of them, having no clue if I was really ready or not.

Jason and Gareth followed. With my acute wolf hearing, I overheard Jason murmuring more details to Gareth about the link between my shifting and my emotional state. He was probably on to something, but the fact remained that my empathic abilities made it impossible for me to live in a bubble. Even if
I
wasn’t the one upset, my strongest mental shields couldn’t protect me from the emotions of others.

Jared met me inside the door. I didn’t know him very well, but the pain and sadness coming off of him in waves hurt my heart.

“I’m so sorry, Jared.”

“Thanks.” He stepped back to let me pass. “Dad’s in the downstairs guest room. I’ll show you the way.”

I wanted to hug him, but I’d learned over the years that just because I sensed someone’s emotions, many times it was an intrusion for me to console them. If he needed my comfort, he’d make the first move.

The interior of the house was rustic, like the Sloan Consulting cabin in Lake Tahoe, but on a grander scale. After growing up in New York and New Jersey, the southwestern feel of the room should have been foreign to me, but something about the joining of the outdoor climate with the interior worked for me. Maybe it was the wolf inside of me, but the more time I spent in Reno, the more I wanted to settle in.

The living room had a vaulted ceiling going two stories up with a large stone fireplace on the far wall. Hardwood floor covered the lower level with Navajo throw rugs adding some color, and the staircase had a custom banister, natural rugged Manzanita wood buffed until it shone a deep brick red. I caught myself wishing we were heading upstairs so I could run my fingertips along the gnarled banister.

Instead of being cavernous and opulent, as the exterior suggested, Wyatt and Sarah’s home seemed warm and spacious. I followed Jared down a hallway lined with artwork depicting wild animals.

Jared stopped and called through the door. “Mom, Nadya and Gareth are here.”

“Come on in,” Sarah murmured from inside.

I nodded to Jared and moved past him into the room. Wyatt lay motionless on the bed, a couple of IV stands near his head. At least he was breathing on his own.

“Have a seat, Nadya.” She patted the chair next to her. Her other hand clasped Wyatt’s.

Sarah had hazel eyes that radiated life. She’d passed them on to her twin sons as well. They both had Wyatt’s bone structure, but their mother got all the credit for their stunning eyes.

I sat down beside her. “How is he doing?”

“He’s resting. Go ahead and talk to him.”

“Can he hear me?”

She shrugged, tilting her head slightly. “Jason says some patients report being able to hear everything people say.” Cautious hope emanated from her, tingling against my skin. “For now, I talk to him as much as possible. He could wake up and run screaming from this room at any moment.” She winked at me and then focused on her husband again. “And you’ll have me to thank for it, right Wy?”

She squeezed his hand and I noticed a scar on the outside edge of hers. It had to be from Wyatt converting her years ago. Did the Pack usually bite the hand of their mate? Like a werewolf version of a wedding ring? My scar was jagged and unwanted, marring my shoulder. A constant reminder of being attacked instead of loved. I pulled in a controlled breath, boxing up the anger that swelled inside me. If my emotions were the key to these shifts, wallowing in the unfairness of my situation wasn’t going to help.

I couldn’t ask my sister about the Pack converting their mates. Lana and Sasha were jaguars already, so Jason cautioned both Adam and Aren against it. Humans became werewolves. No one could be sure what would happen to a jaguar if they were bitten.

But Sarah had been human…

I shut down my curiosity. This was not the place for a bunch of personal questions. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

“We all are, but if anyone can recover, it’s my Wyatt. He’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever known.”

“I don’t know what Jason told you, but I was the one—”

“No, honey.” She shook her head, glancing my way. “Neither you nor Jason could have guessed this was going to happen. And if it had to happen to someone, I’m sure Wyatt would’ve wanted it to be him. He and Nick are the only Pack elders left who were studied by that Granger character, so hopefully that giant chip on Wyatt’s shoulder will pull him back to us. Bottom line, he wouldn’t blame you, and I won’t either.”

Gareth settled his hands heavy on my shoulders. I tipped my head back to look at him. “I wondered if we lost you.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Just talking to Jason.”

He bent over to brush a kiss on Sarah’s cheek. “Sorry about Wyatt.”

She nodded, watching her husband’s face. “Thanks for coming by, Gareth. I know he’d appreciate the visit.”

“He’s a good man. He deserves better.” Gareth rubbed my shoulders, gently easing the tension bunching there. “We’ll make Nero pay for this.”

Sarah shot him a disapproving glare. “Hasn’t this Pack sparred with them enough? Nothing will make this right, Gareth. It’s not worth putting any of you in danger.”

Sarah was a smart woman. Before I could agree, Gareth tightened his grip on my shoulders. “If we let them get away with this, they’ll never leave us alone. Nadya was their target. And they’ll keep coming until they have her.”

Sarah sighed and stared at her husband’s sleeping face. “The casualties of this war have already been too high. We lost Gabe and Malcolm, now Wyatt is fighting for his life. This Pack is my family. I can’t bear to lose anyone else.”

“We’re on alert, and we’ll be ready.”

“You’d better be.” She released Wyatt’s hand and patted my leg. “You’re in good hands.”

I rested back against Gareth’s firm abdomen. “I’m very lucky.”

We chatted with Sarah until Jason finally came in to add a bag of fluid to the IV stand.

“We’ll get out of your hair.” I stood up and moved beside Gareth. “I’m keeping Wyatt in my thoughts. If you need anything…”

“…Jason and Jared are taking good care of us. I’m sure Wyatt will wake up soon.”

Gareth led me toward the door. “See you soon, Sarah.”

Jared passed us to go back inside, carrying a bottle of water and a sandwich in for his mother.

“Take care, Jared,” Gareth said.

Jared nodded, briefly making eye contact with us. “You, too. Thanks for coming by.”

With the Ayers family busy caring for Wyatt, we let ourselves out and walked back to the Harley in silence. Gareth got on the bike and shook his head. “This isn’t right.”

I slid onto the seat behind him. “Jason thinks he’ll wake up and be okay eventually, though.”

“He’s not sure of anything.” Gareth pulled on his gloves. “Apparently there’s no way to tell if he has permanent brain damage from the lack of oxygen to his brain until he wakes up. He said Wyatt could be like this for a few days or a few months, and even if he regains consciousness, he might not be the Wyatt we all knew.”

I rubbed at the dull ache in my chest and cleared my throat to find my voice. “I wish there was something we could do.”

“Me, too.” Gareth started the Harley and I grabbed his waist as he rolled forward. I didn’t know where we were going.

And I didn’t really care.

Seeing Wyatt lifeless in bed made it tough to keep hiding from the reality of what was happening to me. Gareth was my mate. I needed him to know my wishes.