And we are safe.
For now.
“How long before he wakes up?” I ask, glancing at my happily snoring brother.
“He will sleep deeply for twenty-four hours, and then he’ll be back to normal.”
I smirk. “Even before you turned him, Jax wasn’t normal.”
Traggar’s lips twitch. “We are fully aware of that.”
Another worry strikes me. “Will he pass out every time he shifts?”
“No, next time will be much easier. He’ll have more control over the process. This first shift took place in such stressful circumstances it was a huge shock to his nervous system. With you being in such grave danger, his wolf broke out too quickly, and the shock made him pass out. Now, please excuse me, I must go and replenish my own energy. I will make sure food is brought to you both,” he says, and strides out.
I turn to Otis, my eyes full of love and gratitude.
“You risked so much coming up to the Periphery, Otis, for yourself, for the monsters here.”
“There was no choice, Clem. I wasn’t going to let them take you,” he says gently. “We got away, you and Jax are safe. We’ll just have to work out what we do from here, step by step.”
We sit on the big comfy couch opposite Jax, clasping hands. Despite the terrible events, I feel a sudden surge of hope—for us, for the future, for the monsters of the Labyrinth.
I look up into Otis’s eyes. I sense he feels it too. “It sounds crazy, but I think there might be something bigger than us, something that is on our side,” I say. “Didn’t you think Traggar was hinting at that?”
Otis nods. “Yeah. I got that feeling too. The fact that we are together, that Arlo and Sammy are expecting a youngling, and that Jax is a werewolf. I sense there’s a bigger picture than we know right now.” He gazes down at our joined hands. “But what I do know for certain, is that I love you with all my heart and soul, Clem Summers.”
I gaze deep into his red eyes. “And I love you, Otis Cane. Whatever happens to any of us, I feel so blessed that we found each other.”
And then we kiss, long and deep. So deeply in fact, we don’t notice someone enter the room until we’re interrupted by a little cough. We pull apart as a familiar voice says, “Well, just look at you two lovebirds.”
There is Sammy in the doorway, holding a tray of food.
I disentangle myself from Otis and run to her, and we hug and squeal. Quite loudly, in fact, several times. And jump up and down. It’s a habit we have. Not so easy with her baby belly now getting in the way, I realize.
“You look so well,” I say when we finally draw breath. And she does, her skin glows and her eyes shine. “I am. We are. The Trojan pack are treating us like royalty. But, shit, I just heard what happened, it sounds awful! Traggar says Jax is okay.” Her eyes twinkle. “And it seems I’ve just found out something else of import.”
I grin and I glance at Otis who’s smile stretches from ear to ear, and I know it’s okay to fess up to my bestie.
Because she’ll totally get why I’ve fallen for a monster.
I go over and take Otis’s hand. I press it to my heart, take a deep breath and say, “Otis and I are… in love.”
OTIS.
When Sammy leads Clem off to her and Arlo’s den, I head off toward Traggar’s den in the complex.
His den is near the central hall where the pack all congregate to eat and commune. I remember this from last time I was here, to investigate Dad’s death. The memory is not pleasant.
I knock on the door and Traggar calls, “Enter.”
I walk in and plonk my butt down on the chair he waves me to.
Traggar leans forward, his eyes appraising. “I need to know exactly what happened up there, Otis.”
I explain the events of the day.
“The guy who abducted Clem was not a peripheral, then,” Traggar says when I get to Clem’s abduction.
