Xander knew Gage had set up contingency plans over the years for almost everything imaginable, but this was amazing. How the hell had he found a human doctor willing to cover for a pack of werewolves?
“Two nights ago?” he asked.
Khaki nodded. “You were in surgery for five hours and you’ve been out of it ever since.”
He was still processing that when tears brimmed in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Sergeant Dixon knows about us,” she said. “He figured it out the moment he walked into the hospital and saw me in the waiting area. He hasn’t said it yet, but I know he’s going to move me to Mike’s squad.”
Tears overflowed her beautiful eyes and ran down her cheeks. Xander was torn between the overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms and kiss the tears away, and finding whoever had made his woman cry and tearing that person to pieces.
He took her hand and tugged Khaki to his chest. She snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He squeezed her tightly, kissing the top of her head and wishing he could comfort her. But he didn’t know how to comfort a woman. He was an idiot when it came to things like that. But he had to try. He’d rather get shot a hundred times than hear Khaki cry.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “It’s going to be okay. We’re not going to let Gage split us up.”
Khaki pushed away from his chest, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “And how do we stop him from doing that, kidnap him?”
He chuckled, partly because Khaki could still joke at a time like this, and because the answer to their problem was so simple it was funny.
“No,” he said. “We tell him the truth, that we’ll both quit the team before we let him split us up.”
Khaki’s face softened like she was looking at a really cute puppy. But then she frowned. “Xander, that’s absolutely the sweetest thing any man has ever said to me, but I can’t let you do that. You wouldn’t just be quitting the team; you’d be leaving your pack, a pack you’ve been part of for a long time. I’ll put in for a transfer to somewhere else in the DPD.”
He reached up and traced the outline of her jaw with his fingers. She was so beautiful. And he never wanted to be without her.
“Yes, they’re my pack, but you’re my mate,” he said. “Being with you is more important to me. Either we both stay in the Pack, or neither of us does.”
She looked at him as if she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to smack him or kiss him. She chose the latter, leaning over to cup his face in her hand and kiss him in a way no other woman ever had.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” Xander grinned. “I’d go back to working patrol if I could come home to you every night. Besides, it’s not exactly like I’m making a big sacrifice. If it comes down to being with the woman I love or a bunch of sweaty, testosterone-laden werewolves who get in fights all the time, the decision is easy.”
Khaki’s mouth curved. “The woman you love, huh? That’s not just the bullet wounds talking, is it?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry I made you wait until now to hear me say it, but I really do love you more than anything else in my life, including the Pack.”
“I love you too,” she whispered. “So much.”
Tears formed again in her eyes, one glistening drop rolling down her perfect cheek and falling gently to his lips. The feel of it was shockingly powerful, like an earthquake he could only feel in his soul. He swore that he’d do anything to make sure he was worthy of Khaki’s tears.
Xander opened his mouth to tell her that, but she silenced him with another kiss. “Not another word,” she whispered. “You’ve said everything that needs to be said.”
They sat there in silence, holding each other for a long time. Xander was content to stay just like that for the rest of the night, and probably would have if Khaki hadn’t let out the cutest yawn he’d ever heard. He’d been so relieved to see that she was okay, he hadn’t thought about how exhausting the past couple days must have been on her.
“How long has it been since you’ve slept?” he asked softly.
She shrugged. “I’ve napped a little here and there.”
He tilted her chin up so he could see her face. “Define a little.”
“Three nights ago, when we were together at your place.”
No wonder she looked so tired. “I understand why you stayed, because I wouldn’t have been able to leave your side either. But now that you know I’m going to be okay, I think you should go home and get some sleep.”
She opened her mouth to complain, but he put a finger on her lips to shush her. “You’ll need to be fresh when we face Gage, and now that I’m awake, that’s probably going to be sooner than later.”
“Okay,” she said. “But only because I know you’re going to be okay. And because your bed will remind me of you.”
