Tempestuous Miracles (10 page)

"I was only trying to protect you," his father said, taking a step forward and extending his hand.

The words outraged Mirian so much that he physically recoiled. His immediate instinct was to put more distance between them, and he did so by moving several steps back.

His father opened his mouth, but Mirian never did get to hear what the older man had to say. He had enough time to realize that while trying to escape his father, he'd ended up in the middle of the street before there was a loud noise, a burst of pain—and then nothing.

****

Frey knew there was something wrong. He sensed his mate's distress and realized how much his father's possible betrayal had hurt Mirian. Frey had expected it, but that didn't mean he didn't feel like a total failure for being unable to comfort his mate.

For a while, he remained in the office, knowing Mirian needed some time to process and think about what he was going to do. His wolf paced angrily inside him, prodding him to go search for his lover, but Frey told himself to respect Mirian's desires and give Mirian some space.

The problem was that this had all happened incredibly fast. The two of them had grown more accustomed to one another in the past few days, but they still had a long way to go before Mirian was truly comfortable with their possible mating. Frey had hoped that this visit would help them. While speaking to Julian seemed to have indeed been useful, the rest of the news had ruined the potential benefits.

He was still lost in thought when the feeling of wrongness became even sharper, like a dagger piercing his chest. In instants, Frey was on his feet and out of the room, cursing himself for his previous hesitance. He should have never left Mirian on his own. Where could his beautiful mate possibly be?

Since they hadn't mated, Frey didn't have a clear way to pinpoint Mirian's location, or even a clear view of what was going on. Every impression was very vague, somewhat stronger than the feeling that had first made him jump in the water, but still nowhere near as helpful as he'd have liked.

He was forced to stop and ask the members of Roman's pack if they'd seen Mirian, and was dismayed to hear that his mate had left the mansion quite a while ago.

Damn it. He should have been able to tell. He'd been so distracted by his own self-pity that he had missed the obvious.

Too late now. There was only one place Mirian could have gone to—the hotel where his father was staying. Mirian was clever and not exceedingly rash, but he couldn't have possibly deemed such a trip a danger. Frey himself would have thought the same if not for the increasingly ominous feeling plaguing him.

Roman and Julian appeared just as he was about to leave the mansion. "What is it?" Roman asked. "What's wrong?"

"I spoke to Mirian and I think he went to confront his father. Something's not right."

Roman didn't ask any further questions. "I'll drive you. It'll be faster."

Later, Frey would not be able to tell how long the trip lasted. It seemed to stretch into eternity, even if Roman was an excellent driver and knew the best route to the hotel. They were only a few blocks away when pain exploded over Roman, a sickening lurch that nudged the half-formed connection between him and Mirian.

Frey couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He roared, his world suddenly narrowing to the knowledge that someone had hurt his mate.

The wolf no longer cared about practicalities or reason. It burst out of Frey, the anger and the fear melting everything else except the need to be with Mirian.

He jumped out of the car, ignoring his companion's cursing. Despite the vehicle's speed, his instincts to avenge and protect were so powerful that he would still be faster.

It barely took him a minute to get to the hotel, but by then, it was already too late. There was a crowd gathered in front of the building, surrounding a prone body. Hysterical voices sounded all around, and the scent of fear was thick in the air.

But it was the blood, the blood that drew Frey's attention. The wolf howled in angry denial at the knowledge of his mate's injury. His approach startled the gathering humans, and they fled like frightened rabbits—which was just as well because he didn't know what he'd have done if they'd gotten in his way.

Two men were still kneeling next to Mirian's fallen figure. Frey snarled at them, ready to eviscerate anyone who might try to harm his mate. They were a threat. They were touching his beloved human. It was their fault. They needed to die.

The men froze when they saw him approach. One of them lifted his hands, and at some level, the small part of Frey that remained rational recognized this was a way to convey harmlessness. "Frey... Mr. King, Mirian is hurt. We've called an ambulance, but we're trying to give him first aid. Gonzalo is a doctor. He can help. Do you understand me? He is helping."

The other man wasn't moving, but he did indeed carry the sharp scent of what Frey recognized as medicine. He nodded, although he set himself down next to Mirian and kept his eyes fixed on the two men. If they tried anything, he'd know—and then, he would kill them.

For the moment, his mate was more important than his revenge, but after that... All bets were off.

What followed was perhaps the most hellish experience in Frey's life. His beast was fighting his rational side, and his thoughts were scattering like smoke in the wind. The more time he spent next to his injured mate, the harder it became to understand why he was allowing others to touch Mirian. He struggled to maintain his grasp on the basic concepts—of the ideas of medicine, first aid and doctor—but it was incredibly difficult.

Roman's arrival anchored him somewhat. The wolf recognized him as a friend, and while he would have preferred to not have anyone at all next to his wounded mate, Roman's steadiness kept Frey's mind from completely succumbing to the dark red haze. It made him focus on what needed to be done.

Shortly after that, the ambulance arrived. When the strangers reached for his mate, Frey snarled again. The humans froze, obviously terrified and unprepared for the situation.

Roman's hand landed in Frey's fur. "It's okay. They're trained for this, and we're going with them. No one is taking him away. No one will try to keep you from him."

"Yes, of course," one of the humans said tremulously. "You and your companion can join us in the ambulance."

With Roman by his side, Frey climbed into the back of the vehicle. His gaze never strayed from his mate. He was trembling with the effort to stay out of the way. His rational self knew that if he tried to approach he would just interfere with the doctor's work, but his wolf ached to touch, to tend to his mate's injuries, help him, protect him.

Roman hugged his neck, petting him, trying to comfort him, and it worked up to a point. Even so, by the time they reached the hospital, Frey was practically clawing at the ambulance floor, shredding metal under the sharp tips.

Given that he was almost feral with fear, he didn't react well when a stern-looking woman attempted to block his entry into the hospital. "This facility does not allow the entry of shape-shifters," she said. "Please—"

She didn't get to finish the phrase, because Frey was already lunging at her, jaws snapping. Roman caught him before he could take out his fury on the woman, and in his anger, Frey clawed at the other werewolf's chest. Roman hissed but didn't let go. "Frey, settle down. She can't keep you from him, but you need to be calm. For him. For Mirian."

His mate's name made Frey's anger vanish like it had never been. He went limp, acknowledging the fact that while he was behaving like this, his mate was being taken further away from him.

Roman set him down, his hand still steady in Roman's fur. "I don't think you understand the situation," he told the woman tightly. "The man they're bringing in is my friend's mate. Keeping them apart would be extremely inadvisable."

The woman eyed them with obvious wariness. She was afraid of him, but she still held her ground. "With all due respect, your friend seems more like a dangerous animal than a person. There are patients here. We can't risk anyone being hurt by an out of control shifter."

"And I understand your concern, but you are taking that risk by getting in the way. Stand aside. It is Frey's right, by law, to be with his mate."

The woman had nothing to say to that, and they entered the hospital without being questioned again. Unfortunately, at this point Frey could do nothing more than wait. His mate had already been rushed into emergency care, and Frey could not go to him.

Frey paced through the waiting room, occasionally snarling under his breath, vibrating with tension. When Mirian's family arrived, he almost attacked them, but he held onto Mirian's name and his image and contained his urge for violence.

A while later, Julian joined them, carrying a bag with clothing for Frey and a scent of panic, determination and concern. He was very pale, and Roman tried to convince him to head home, but it didn't work. Under different circumstances, his genuine interest in Mirian's well-being would have been calming.

In the end, it was not Julian or any of those present that made Frey able to think again. It was just a feeling, one born out of his innermost instincts. At the back of his mind, he sensed the glow of his half-formed connection with his mate, and while it wasn't anything clear, that hazy impression still told him that Mirian was out of danger.

Frey still felt horrible, but that knowledge returned his ability to shift. He summoned his human form, drawing startled gasps from several of those present as he changed shapes.

Roman understood—of course he did. He offered Frey a jacket and a pair of pants—thank God Julian had thought to bring them—and asked, "He's going to be all right, then?"

"Yes. I think so."

Julian let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad. This wasn't how I wanted the visit to go."

"It's not your fault," Frey said. That much he knew, even if he wasn't very sure what had actually happened. His mate's family had been involved somehow, and there was, of course, the driver of the vehicle that had hit Mirian. He had every intention of investigating, but it would have to wait until he was a little more in control.

Roman brushed a brief kiss over Julian's temple. "Love, please go home. Being here isn't good for you. You can drop by later to visit, and I'll keep you posted to any news."

Julian's lower lip trembled as he considered Roman's words. "All right. I'll trust you on this. But please, call me when you find out more."

Roman was visibly relieved when Julian left, at which point Frey finally recalled that when Roman and Julian had first mated, there had been some sort of incident at a pure-blood hospital. The information hadn't spread very far—the Rowes and the Montblancs had kept it from the press—so Frey didn't have any details. Still, he could only imagine that for Julian, coming here must have been like reliving the incident in question.

Since Julian was gone, Frey decided to show his gratitude to Roman. "Thank you. For everything. And I'm sorry for attacking you."

Roman waved off his apology. "It's fine. I understand completely. My mate was also involved in a violent incident, and I didn't react well. It's completely normal. Besides, the wounds are already gone."

Mirian's father interrupted their conversation. He looked tired, like he'd aged ten years in the past hour. "Excuse me, Mr. King. I heard you say... How do you know my son is going to be all right?"

"It's not something I can explain," Frey answered, struggling to keep his voice level. "I just do." He took a deep breath, and then let it out. "And speaking of which, I have some questions of my own. I'd very much like to know what happened at the hotel."

"You can't possibly blame Mr. Lamine for this," Gonzalo said, apparently encouraged by Frey's politeness. "It was an unfortunate accident."

Frey bared his teeth, and when the humans blanched, he knew his wolf canines were still present. "Oh, I'm sure there's more to it than that, and believe me, I'll get to the bottom of it."

Before he could ask anything more, a doctor entered the waiting room and made a beeline for Mirian's father. The human shot Frey a narrow-eyed look, but didn't address his presence or his earlier behavior. Instead, he said, "We have good news. Mr. Lamine is going to be all right. He was very lucky if I do say so myself. He seems to have instinctively protected his head from the blow, and the rest of his injuries are nowhere near as serious as we originally deemed them to be."

Even if he'd already known that, Frey almost collapsed at the weight of his relief. "Is he awake? Can I see him?"

"We're transferring him to a room now," the doctor replied. "For the moment, he is still under sedation, but you can join him later on." He shot Mirian's father a telling look. "Perhaps... His closest family member?"

Much to Frey's surprise, Proctor shook his head, lips twisting in a bitter excuse for a smile. "I don't think Mirian would be too happy to see me right now. Besides, someone has to handle the formalities involved in this whole mess. You go, Mr. King."

Frey didn't thank Proctor. The words were practically a confirmation to the fact that something had indeed happened that had led to the accident. Frey wouldn't let it slide, but for now, he was needed by Mirian's side. Until Mirian opened his eyes again, until Frey heard his voice and his laughter, the world itself could wait.

A little while later, a nurse led him to Mirian's room, as promised. Frey couldn't help but make a sound of distress at the sight of his beautiful mate. Mirian was usually so vibrant and full of life, but now, he looked small and frail, like any moment now, he would shatter and dissipate.

It didn't take a genius to realize that had Mirian been a regular human, this accident could have easily ended in tragedy. The knowledge of how close he'd come to losing Mirian had Frey shaking with anxiety. He sat on the chair next to the bed and took Mirian's hand, finding comfort in the sound of Mirian's breath, the soft cadence of his heartbeat.

When Mirian's lashes finally fluttered, Frey's wolf leaped in excitement. "Mirian? Can you hear me?"