Forever's Fight (26 page)

“My angel, I’d never want to stifle your spirit. It would change who you are, and that’s never my desire. My beast wants you all to himself. I don’t even want another man looking at you the wrong way. Dressed like that, how can someone not look? It makes me want to throw you over my shoulder, take you to our suite, and have my way with you.”

“I’m going to hold you to that once you’ve finished with Austin.”

“Oh, angel, you have no idea how much I want you.” He closed the distance she had put between them as she slipped on his shirt. His hands slid under the thin material of the shirt and caressed the curve of her hip. “I’m going to rush this with Austin, and then I’m going to have my way with you right here. I’ll make you scream my name until your throat is raw. You’ll forget all about our missed swim time.”

“I was thinking…”

“I’m about to ravish you, and you’ve got something more serious on your mind?” He shook his head. “I should have known from the look in your eyes I didn’t have your complete attention.”

“You’ll have my complete attention soon.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, angel. So, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Maybe things won’t be as bad as you fear.” Her voice held a touch of innocence and hope that he was missing. “President Ashworth came into office after this all started. Those two months between the elections, and the time he took office, everything changed. Maybe he would have done things differently if it had happened just a few months later.”

She had a point there, and although he had considered it, he hadn’t given it much thought. President Ashworth had been in office for over a year, and during that time nothing had changed. It was possible he wouldn’t have done things the same way, but Patrick couldn’t hold out hope for that. He had to be prepared to convince the president there was another way.

“Everything we know, all the government work on the labs and camps, have been dealt with by the person the former president put in charge. Ashworth might not know the full extent of what is being requested, demanded, or even done.”

“I’m not delusional enough to think shifters are top priority for him, and now that you’ve mentioned it, I don’t believe he’s come out on his stance on shifters. So, it’s possible you’re right, but he’s had enough time to make changes if he wanted to.”

“I think she’s right. He probably would have handled things differently.” Austin strolled toward them.

“What?” Patrick turned to his brother, not at all surprised he’d heard them.

“There’s a rumor that someone close to the president is a shifter.” Austin took a seat across from the desk and watched them. “I’ve researched it but haven’t been able to find a thing. Whoever it is, it’s buried. No pride or clan backing.”

“How did you hear this?”

“Military personnel talk.” He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s a rumor, but if he’s willing to discuss your proposal, I’d have to think it’s not just a rumor. So, you’ve heard from him?”

“Yes.” Patrick brought him up to speed, wondering the entire time if the rumor was true. If there were a shifter close to the president, it could change everything. As long as the shifter hadn’t gone rogue, of course.

“Waiting. That was always the worst part of the military. Hurry up and wait.” He joked. “Too many military families have said that over the years, but until now I didn’t realize what it was like to be on the other side. I always knew what I was waiting for…orders or deployments. Spouses and families were always waiting for us to come back home. Now, here I am again, sitting here waiting.”

“Well, maybe this will be something to take your mind off of it.” Patrick leaned against the corner of his desk, his arm around Clarissa’s waist. “I…we’d…like you to be our Lieutenant. You’ve been unofficially acting as one since I took over the pride, but I want to make it official.”

“Because of this proposal with the government?” Austin’s expression gave no hint as to what he was thinking.

“No. I’ve been thinking about it for some time. When it was just the family, it didn’t seem to matter as much since they had already accepted your role within the pride, but adding more members and mates makes it more important.”

“What do you think about this, Clarissa?”

“I think there’s no one better for the position.
”
She fingered one of the shirt buttons. “I’m just getting used to the pride structure, but from the way things have happened, I’ve always had the impression you were second in command.”

“If there’s to be negotiation with the president, then I want you as my Lieutenant. It would give you a reason to be informed of what’s happening, attend any meetings that might take place.”

She spun toward him, her eyes wide with fear. “Meetings? You mean you’d leave here to go meet with him?”

“My angel.”

“No, what if it’s a trap? What if it’s his way of eliminating you before you could start any problems?”

“We’ve got to take that risk,” Austin spoke up.

“He’s right.” He ran his hand down her arm. “We’ll do our best to make sure we know what side they’re on before we agree to meet. We’ll take precautions.”

“Then at such time, I demand to go with you.”

“What?” He pushed off the desk to stand.

“If it’s safe enough for you, then it’s safe enough for me. I want to go with you.”

“Depending on the situation, it could be good to have her at your side,” Austin added. “Having a human on our side, especially one who knows what’s been happening in the labs, might not be such a bad thing.”

“This is my mate we’re talking about.”

“What about our talk earlier?” she snapped. “The one where you mentioned not crushing my spirit. I’m not a possession. I’m a woman, with my own mind, and I want to go. If I’m supposed to help lead this pride, then I should be there.”

“You already said it yourself, it could be dangerous,” Patrick started, but she only cut him off.

“If so, then there’s
still
nowhere else I’d rather be. I’d rather die by your side than have you hundreds of miles away being killed.”

“No one is going to get killed.” Austin rose from the chair. “If it comes down to meeting them, we’ll meet on neutral ground and we’ll take precautions. Remember, they’re taking as big of a risk as we are. So, how about until the time it comes, we don’t argue about who’s going to attend the meeting and who isn’t. Clarissa, I agree with you on coming along, but as a shifter I can also agree with Patrick. He’s only trying to protect you, not lock you away here. Let’s just wait and see how things progress with them, and take things one day at a time.”

“And you wonder why we think you’ll make an excellent Lieutenant.” She smiled at him. “I agree to wait until the time comes, but don’t think I’ll give up.”

“I’d never expect anything less from you.” He pulled her back against him. “One thing I love about you is your fighting spirit. You’ll always keep me on my toes.”

Three weeks had passed since the negotiations had begun, and Patrick was beginning to question if they’d ever come to a mutual agreement. For each topic they managed to iron out, two more issues popped up to replace it. He’d spent more time in front of the computer than with his pride, or even with his mate. Work had begun to consume him until he wasn’t sure there was life outside of his office.

President Ashworth had begun to push for a face-to-face meeting, but Patrick wanted more before they got to that step. He had wanted the meeting to be the final piece. They’d meet, work out some final details, shake hands, and things would change. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but he could hope.

Even through his desperation, he knew that each day was bringing them closer to their goal. One day soon, they wouldn’t have to live in constant fear. Then all the work and hours he’d put in would be worth it.

Through the process, he had only shared most of the details with Clarissa and Austin. Updates from Austin kept him informed of what was happening with everyone else, but it wasn’t the same. He missed the family time they had together.

With Nolan gone, rescuing a friend in need, MaKayla had begun to come out of her shell. She had started speaking to them. She and Clarissa had bonded over their memories of Andrew. Despite this, she was still a very scared young girl. He had hoped she’d commit to his pride before the changes, therefore ensuring her safety, but so far that hadn’t happened.

“I’ve brought you a sandwich.” Clarissa strolled toward him with a plate in one hand and a glass of what appeared to be iced tea in the other. “You’re working too hard and stressing too much.”

“That’s what it takes to be Alpha.”

“Well, I’m also bringing the message that Luke found something. He said he needed ten minutes, and then he’d be over to tell you.” She placed the food in front of him. “Turkey and cheddar with spicy mustard, just how you like.”

“Thank you.” He picked up half the sandwich, but his hunger wasn’t for food. “Unless whatever Luke found changes things, I’ll be done in an hour. I thought maybe we could go for that swim we never had time for.”

“I think I could squeeze it in. I might even be able to find that bikini.”

“Not that it will be on long.” Images of her in the bikini filled his thoughts, but more to the point, images of stripping her of those small pieces of material.

“Patrick…” Luke’s voice died off as Patrick ran his hand up Clarissa’s thigh. “Sorry, I’ll come back.”

“It’s okay, Luke.” She told him without turning around to see him.

“She told me you found something.” Patrick tossed the piece of sandwich that was in his hand back onto the plate. “It better be good news.”

“Actually, it is.” Luke stepped forward and held out a disk to Patrick. “I have confirmation that Mallory’s daughter is alive.”

“Then you’ve narrowed down her location?” Patrick took hold of the disk, and new hope shot through him.

“No, but it shouldn’t be long. I’ve got a location that she left three weeks ago, so I’m on her trail. That’s how I know she has the child with her. Video stills from the security camera at the grocery store are on the disk.” Luke shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans. “The little girl is so young. Maybe a year. All I know for sure is she’s small enough for Mallory to carry her.”

“A year?” He thought back to Songborn’s files. The tests on other subjects had shown an infant who would have never survived the injection with shifter blood. He would have expected the child to be at least two.

“It’s impossible for her to be much older than that. You can see for yourself.”

“Could…” She paused and looked at Patrick. “I’m going to say what we’re both thinking but neither of us wants to voice our concerns.”

“What?” Luke asked, completely in the dark.

“Could it have happened during her pregnancy?”

“Shit!” Luke’s statement summed up what everyone was thinking. “What does that mean for Mallory?”

“We don’t know that’s the case,” Patrick started, but then stopped and shook his head. “It’s the most logical conclusion, especially since Songborn’s file on the Barrows goes back longer than a year. As for Mallory, I don’t know, only testing will determine the results on her. Do I believe she can now shift? No, it’s too much like being bitten.”

“Is it possible that her daughter could have gotten it that way?” Luke pressed.

“If introduced at the right time, yes. It would have the same reaction as if the father was a shifter. The blood would have produced the changes within the fetus, but depending on how much blood was introduced, it could speed up the initial transformation that each shifter goes through.”

“I just had a horrible thought,” Clarissa said. “What if Songborn used a shifter’s sperm to impregnate Mallory? Maybe there are more out there like Mallory’s daughter.”

“Couldn’t happen.” Luke’s voice held a touch of relief.

“Why not?”

“Shifters can only impregnate their mates. We wouldn’t be able to get anyone else pregnant no matter how hard we tried,” he explained. “The blood, however, could act as the trigger, producing some or all of a shifter’s characteristics.”

“At least that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about, and if we can keep a lid on the blood triggering a transition, maybe we can stop this from happening to someone else.”

“Have you told President Ashworth about Mallory and her daughter yet? Are you going to?” Luke questioned.

“Not yet, and not until we have her here or things have finalized with him. Right now, we’re still negotiating.” He glanced back at the computer screen, but there was nothing new waiting for him.

“Right.” Luke tipped his head toward the door. “I’ll get back to it, then.”

“Thanks, Luke, and don’t mention anything about what we’ve discussed to anyone yet. I’m going to go back over the files this evening and see if there’s anything that hints to the pregnancy theory. So much of it is in shorthand that even I can’t make heads or tails of it yet.”

As Luke left, she ran her hand up the inside of his thigh. “I guess our swim will have to wait.”

“Not a chance,angel. I’m going to take you to the pool and have my way with you.
”
He needed a little time away from it all to get his thoughts around everything, but more importantly he needed time with his mate. His beast was demanding it. There was nothing he could do until Luke found the Barrows, but he’d make sure Austin was on standby. He’d send Austin to find the Barrows, because he was the one that could be the most convincing. Even if he might scare Mallory at first, he’d be the one who could protect her and her daughter. Patrick would focus on the negotiations, and Austin could worry about bringing Mallory and her daughter back safely. They’d work together, and in the end they’d get more done.

“What about this new development?”

“The only thing that’s new is we know for sure she’s alive, and we know her age now. There’s nothing we can do about how she became infected with our blood, and even if I found something in the files, we can’t do anything for her until she’s here.” He stood and placed his hands on either side of her waist. “With you, there’s a lot of things I can do.”

“I’m going to keep you occupied for every minute you’ll stay away from this office. We deserve it.”

“Then let’s get started, love. I’ve got a few hours to burn and there’s no one else I’d rather spend it with. My beautiful angel, I love you.”

He leaned down, closing the distance between them, and pressed his lips to hers. Desire and need coursed through him. Since she had come into his life, she had given him a reason to fight for what was right. The Forever Creek pride would always fight for what was most important— love and family—until they could fight no more.