PS02 - Without Regret (55 page)

He swallowed hard as he looked back and saw the same anguish on her face that he must of had on his while he watched

Elizabeth die. As much as he wanted to look away from her he couldn’t. The way she watched her mate with tears in her eyes

told him how much she loved him. His eyes dropped to her round stomach and he cursed.

She could have the life that he was robbed of, the family he longed for and all he had to do was shove aside his revenge, but he

wasn’t sure that he could do it. He waited so long to give Elizabeth the type of justice that she deserved. His eyes shot to the

opening that was now clear and would lead them to safety and freedom and back to the small woman gasping for air as she

watched her mate get knocked to the ground by two shifters.

Hell.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her to face him. “If I do this for you, you have to promise to help me when the time

comes.”

“What?” she asked, trying to watch her mate.

He gave her a little shake, forcing her to look at him.

“Promise that when I ask for your help that you’ll give it.”

“Anything,” she promised.

“Then stay right here,” he said, placing her behind a pile of heavy debris. “Don’t move,” he said, giving her a stern look of

warning.

He grabbed an iron pipe, shoved a demon aside and ran the pole through the shifter going for her mate’s throat.

As he pulled the stick back he swore if she went back on her word he’d kill every last one of them.

*********

three different places, a rib was cracked, he was cut and bleeding heavily in several places, but he couldn’t stop.

As the vampire and shifter did their best to dispose of the dozen or so that remained, he went after the more difficult ones,

knowing that if he took them out his Munchkin would have a better chance to make a run for it. She damn well better make a run

for it, he thought as he impaled a pole through a large demon with razor sharp teeth.

He chanced a look over at his Munchkin and felt his heart drop. She wasn’t there. He scanned the large room, looking for her.

Did she already make a run for it? God, he hoped so, because the alternative scared the shit out of him.

“She’s over there hiding,” the vampire said as shoved another vampire to the ground and slammed the pipe into his chest. “And

you owe her life,” he said, jaw clenching as he moved onto the next vampire.

“I owe her more than that,” he said to no one in particular as he focused his attention on the demon charging for him. As he

prepared himself for the attack he was grabbed from behind.

The demon smiled as he pulled out a large knife. Chris struggled against the hold, but his left arm was useless, the damn

muscles wouldn’t fucking listen. He tried to bend over and toss the man over his shoulders, but there was no give. When he

shifted to the side so the man would take the blow didn’t work he sent up a silent prayer that his mate got out of here and

prepared himself.

The blow never came. One minute he was restrained tightly and the next he was free. He didn’t waste a second on wondering

how it happened. As the knife came down at him, he dropped to his knee, shifted to the side and slammed the blood coated pole

through the demon’s stomach.

“I thought I told you to remain in hiding!” the vampire bellowed, causing him to frown as he looked over his shoulder.

He felt his eyebrows arch as he took in his very pregnant mate standing on the back of an obviously dead demon. Holy

shit…….

She definitely was coming along rather nicely, he thought even as he made plans to tie her to their room and never allow her to

come out again. When another demon came at her she backhanded him, sending the demon flying and impressing the shit out of

him. It might have taken a few months for it to happen, but it appeared her abilities were definitely here to stay.

Unfortunately, so was the next contraption. She dropped the lead pipe she’d been holding to grab her stomach and scream.

That’s when a shifter went after her, but he was already there to protect her. He rammed the knife he’d taken off the dead

demon into his throat and dropped him to the ground.

“Hands up!” a familiar voice commanded.

He looked over his shoulder and damn near sagged with relief as he watched Eric storm into the room with a group of

Sentinels. They made quick work out of dealing with the rest of the demons and shifters. When he didn’t see his father he

frowned. He would have thought his father would have been the first person here.

The man hated to miss a good fight after all.

When two Sentinels went after Kale and the vampire, he found himself stepping in to block their path.

“They’re prisoners,” he said. “Secure them and bring them to the compound.”

With a careless shrug, Kale held out his wrists. He’d heard stories about the man and suspected it wouldn’t be a week before

the man broke out. The vampire was another story. He fought, but a group of ten Sentinels armed with holy weapons managed

to finally restrain him.

As the vampire was walked past them, he looked at Izzy and said, “Don’t forget your promise.”

“I won’t,” she said softly.

He was about to ask her what her promise was when she let out a bloodcurdling scream that had the hair on the back of his

neck rising. He put his good arm around her and held her up when her body tried to drop to the ground.

“Eric!”

In seconds the man was there picking Izzy up into his arms.

“What have we here?” Eric asked as he made his way quickly to the tunnel.

“She’s about to pop,” Chris said, following closely behind.

“Well, I’ve thought that for weeks now. She is rather large,” Eric said, chuckling.

“I hate you both,” Izzy muttered as she buried her face against Eric’s shoulder and let out a scream that had them hauling ass.

**********

Several Sentinels took off to get them.

“What happened?” one of the doctors from the clinic asked as Chris carefully stepped out of the van, holding the most precious

thing in the world.

His left arm still hung uselessly by his side, but his right arm was more than capable of holding his tiny daughter. She was

wrapped up in the clean black tee shirt that he found in the van and she was the cutest little thing he’d ever seen.

“Our fearless leader passed out and hit his head when the baby crowned,” he laughed, gesturing to Eric, who was holding his

head and glaring daggers at him.

“Here, let me take the baby for you,” a nurse said, reaching out to take the baby from him.

He glared down at woman, who dared to come next to his precious baby girl. “Get your own.”

With an annoyed sigh she focused her attention on helping Izzy out of the back of the van and onto the gurney. She was

exhausted, her hair was a mess, she was covered in sweat and he couldn’t for the life of him remember her ever looking more

beautiful.

“Can I hold her again?” she asked, reaching out for the baby.

When he only pressed baby kisses to the top of his daughter’s fuzzy head she rolled her eyes and dropped her arms. “You’re

going to have to learn how to share,”

she said, sounding tired, but looking very pleased.

“No, I don’t. If you want to hold one then we’ll just have to get you knocked up again so you can have one. This one’s mine,”

he said, earning a soft chuckle as if he was kidding.

He wasn’t.

This was his precious baby girl. He couldn’t help, but smile when she opened her eyes and flashed those brilliant green eyes in

his direction. She was so beautiful, so perfect. He couldn’t wait to have more, and he might share those with Izzy, but he wasn’t

sure yet.

He walked alongside of Izzy as she was rolled into the compound. When he still didn’t see anyone from his family he frowned.

Where the hell was everyone? he wondered as they stepped into the clinic.

That’s when he got his answer.

Praying that he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was seeing, he moved forward, holding his baby girl in his arm as he broke

through the circle surrounding the first bed and felt his heart drop.

Oh god……

“He’s going to be fine,” Madison said through tears as she pushed Joshua’s soaked hair out of his face. He turned his head and

snarled at Madison, baring his long fangs and flashing his silver eyes in warning to anyone that came too close. He tried to

lunge at them, but the thick heavy chains that secured him to the bed and floor kept him from doing just that.

“I-I didn’t know he’d received shifter blood when I tried to change him,” Ephraim said hollowly from his side.

“What the fuck have I done?”

Epilogue

“I should have known I’d find you in here,” Chris said from the door, not sounding very pleased, she noted.

She finished taking a sip of her Coke to blink innocently up at him. “What? I was just taking a break,” she said, giving him a

hurt little smile that usually worked, but apparently not today.

“Why do you have to take your break down here with him?” Chris demanded, propping one hand on his hip while his poor arm

in the pink cast that she may have tricked the nurse into using, hung by his side. Two surgeries so far and it looked like he might

have to have another one. She felt so bad, not for the pink cast that amused her, but for everything else.

“What the hell did I do?” Eric demanded as he lounged back on the recliner and continued to try and beat her high score. After

three weeks it was just sad that he hadn’t accepted defeat yet.

“Not you! Him,” he said in disgust as he pointed to Kale who was too busy blowing raspberries with Jessica to care. “And

why is he holding my precious baby girl?”

She had to bite back her smile as Kale shot Chris an innocent look. “Why wouldn’t I be holding my goddaughter?”

“She’s my goddaughter, asshole,” Eric muttered as he of course lost.

Kale let out a snort of disbelief at that. “She’s mine.”

“No, she’s not,” Chris said, walking into the room and with one arm scooped Jessica out of Kale’s arms.

“It’s just so sad that you don’t think so,” Kale said, tsking as he stole her Coke and finished it off in one gulp.

“I told you both that you have to share,” she said, wondering how many times they were going to have this argument.

“I don’t want him to be Jessica’s godfather,” Chris muttered as he leaned down to press baby kisses all over Jessica’s little

face.

“Now that’s just ridiculous. Who would make a better godfather than a mercenary shifter?” Kale demanded as he grabbed an

unopened box of Twinkies and dug in.

It really was nice to have someone around who shared her love for junk food, she thought when he grudgingly handed her over

a Twinkie.

“How about the Sentinel Captain of this area? I can protect her better than you can,” Eric muttered back, pouting. She knew it

had nothing to do with sharing the title with Kale and everything to do with losing the game. For such a serious man he sure

was a big baby when it came to losing.

“The lady said we’re sharing so get over it,” Kale said around a mouthful of Twinkie.

“Fine,” Eric said, catching the Twinkie Kale tossed to him.

She looked between the two men and had to shake her head in disbelief. She couldn’t believe how two men who were

supposed to be enemies could become fast friends.

Granted, Eric still called Kale his prisoner and Kale simply flipped him off and did whatever he wanted, but it was nice. She

liked them both a lot. They were both good men. Heck, she even liked Logan. It took a week to get over his ice cold attitude

and discover that he wasn’t half bad. She’d always be grateful for what he did for them.

“Why the hell are you still here?” Chris demanded.

Kale shrugged. “I need a break.”

“So go take a vacation,” Chris snapped.

Kale frowned as he grabbed another box of snack cakes.

“I am taking a vacation.”

“At a Sentinel compound?” Chris asked in disbelief.

“It has all the comforts of home,” Kale said, making a grand sweeping gesture around the lockup’s break room.

Chris turned a glare on Eric. “I thought he was supposed to be transported to the Council.”

Eric and Kale let out identical snorts of disbelief.

“Yeah, because I’m going to let that happen,” Kale said, shaking his head like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard

and she kind of had to agree. Not once since he’d been brought down here had she actually found him in his cell. He walked

around like he owned the place and everyone seemed to be doing a damn fine job of keeping out of his way.

It wasn’t because they were afraid of him, which they seemed to be for the most part, but because Eric was trying a different

approach with him. The Council still wanted him to join, but he didn’t so Eric decided he’d rather make the man an ally than an

enemy.

She didn’t for a second believe that Kale was sticking around for a vacation. She knew the man was eager to get back to work.

It was more than obvious that he was keeping an eye on Marc and wanted to be around to make sure that he hadn’t made a

mistake by letting the little boy live. He was also sticking around to keep an eye on Joshua.