“Oui,” Dr. Marceau said, “just around the corner on the next street over.”
“That’s perfect,” replied Carson, “here’s my phone number…please call me when Henri wakes up.”
“Certainement,” the doctor said, as he wrote Carson’s number down on Henri’s chart.
Turning to Hunter and Fionn, Carson said, “C’mon guys. Let’s go get a couple of rooms for the night.”
~/~/~/~/~
Remy pulled his face out of the light sphere, reflecting on everything he’d heard and seen. While relieved that Henri would recover, he was shocked to find out he had a mate. A mate he was never supposed to have according to the research he did as a teenager when he was horny and his cock had a mind of its own. Even years later, the words he’d read still mocked him. “Fated Mates are reserved for the witches and warlocks whose magic qualifies them for the top three rankings.” Heartbroken when he found out he was doomed to spend the rest of his life alone, he focused instead on making a life for himself outside the world of magic. But, now, years later, he found out he’d based his decision on a lie; an urge welled up within him to throttle the sonofabitch who wrote those words.
Staring off into space, Remy pictured a life with a mate—no longer alone, loving and being loved, someone standing by his side, contentedly growing old together.Fuck! What about my brothers?Remy’s dreams of a happily ever after came crashing down.Regardless of what it costs me personally, my brothers come first!
How could he forget the vow he made to himself that day at the graveyard, when he watched his parents’ coffins being lowered into the ground? He would take care of his brothers—no matter what. The loss of his parents had affected them all, especially Galen, and Remy swore never to cause his brothers more pain if he could prevent it. As much as he’d love a mate, it just wasn’t going to happen—his brothers were his top priority.
Waving his hand, the light sphere disappeared. Sighing, Remy’s thoughts wandered back to the man who was his mate, Carson Blackwood—the one he planned to approach about staying on during the transition. Now, why bother, since once Carson learned Remy was goingto reject him, he was sure a job offer would be off the table.
Fuck!His life was suddenly one big mess and he had no one to blame but himself. As soon as he learned Artur’s businesses were being sold, he should have busted his ass to find another job—someplace far away from here.Maybe it’s better to resign now before I’m fired…at least that way, it’ll be easier to find another job without having to explain what happened.
Contemplating the risks of quitting versus staying, Remy sorted through the possible consequences, inwardly groaning at his conclusion—staying was theonlyoption if there was any hope of eventually finding a well-paying job. A good letter of recommendation would go a long way in helping him have his pick of workplaces in the human world and that would only happen if he worked with Carson Blackwood on the sale of Artur’s businesses.
Two weeks tops…I can do it for two weeks. All I have to do is make sure he doesn’t find out I’m his mate.Frowning, Remy tried to remember everything he read about mating back then, hoping for a clue that would help him conceal what he was. It was fruitless. Whatever he once knew was forgotten after he found he’d never have a mate.
Burying his face in his hands, Remy concentrated on organizing his mind, side-lining everything extraneous to his current problem. Once finished with that, he divided his thoughts into two different categories—those requiring more information to be useful and those that were complete. Finally, he could see a path forward. Lowering his hands, he reached for his computer, turning it on. Smiling to himself, Remy opened up a search window, typing in ‘Carson Blackwood.’ Then he clickedon the search icon. Finding out more about his mate was where he needed to begin.
~/~/~/~/~
Coming out of her drug-induced sleep, Willow Thatcher used the power of her animal to remain motionless. Letting her senses flow around her, she picked up voices, low and muffled, belonging to two men somewhere near her. Her eyelashes opened a fraction, revealing glowing, golden eyes cautiously exploring the place she was in. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips when she discovered she wasn’t chained up or in a cage.This I can work with.
Slowly stretching her cramped limbs, Willow wondered if the men who kidnapped her knew the danger they were in—leaving her unrestrained would end up being a deadly mistake. Rising slowly from the bare mattress and standing motionless, her animal located the exact location of her attackers. Stealthily moving over to the door, she tried the doorknob, finding it locked. Undressing quietly, she folded her clothes neatly on the bed. Then, she shifted.
Extending a claw, Willow inserted it into the lock, twisting it until she heard a click. Slowly turning the knob with her teeth until the door opened a crack, Willow looked out. The two men she’d heard were sitting side by side at a table, their backs to her, watching the flat screen TV on the wall.Absolutely perfect!Stepping back, she pawed the door wide open…and pounced. Both kidnappers were dead before they could utter a sound.
~/~/~/~/~
Pushing open the kitchen door, Quin stuck his head in, grinning when he saw Theo and Steel preparing lunch for the pack. “Hi Theo,” he grinned.
Standing in front of the counter next to the stove, Theo glanced over his shoulder and gave Quin a big smile. “Hey Q, what’s up?”
Joining Theo, Quin peered over his friend’s shoulder. “Whatcha doing?”
“I have to spread shredded cheese on top of this casserole before popping it into the oven,” Theo answered.
“Will it take long?”
“Nope…why? Do you need me?”
“Yeah, I got something to show you,” Quin said, beaming at his friend.
Wiping down the island, Steel paused, studying Quin who was radiating excitement. Smirking, he said, “Yo, I can do that, Theo. I think your friend might explode if he has to wait much longer.”
“Are you sure?” Theo asked.
“Yeah. Now scoot.”
“Thanks,” Theo said, giving Steel a grateful smile as he handed over the cheese. “Don’t put too much on or it won’t melt like it’s supposed to.”
“Promise,” Steel chuckled.
