Page 137

Then, slowly, Ben's fangs retracted. He released Christopher, who crumpled to the ground like a broken puppet. Matthew and Rhys immediately crashed into Ben, wrapping him in their arms as he swayed on his feet.

"I've got you," Matthew murmured, supporting Ben's weight. "We've got you, son."

Bayer shot past them, and gathered me up.

I was very, very happy to be gathered.

Two more figures appeared at the top of the stairs—Dimitri, who I recognized as one of the coven leaders, and Ivan, looking pale and shaken. Phoenix bent down and grabbed Christopher's unconscious form, hauling him up the stairs with surprising ease. He deposited the limp body at Dimitri's feet.

Dimitri looked down at Christopher with an expression of cold disgust. "Thank you, Alpha Colton. We will handle this appropriately." His eyes flicked to Ivan, who flinched.

"Make sure he's disposed of properly this time," Phoenix said, his voice hard. "I don't want any more surprises."

"You have my word," Dimitri replied. He gestured to two other silver-skins I hadn't noticed, and they efficiently collected Christopher. "The coven takes responsibility for this failure. We will ensure it doesn't happen again."

As they disappeared up the stairs with their prisoner, I cuddled into Bayer. The broken, defeated alpha was gone completely, replaced by the man I knew—strong, protective, and very much alive.

"Danny," he breathed. His hands cupped my face gently, thumbs wiping away tears I hadn't realized I was crying. "I'm so sorry. I had to make him believe—"

"I know," I interrupted, my voice shaking. "I figured it out. Eventually." I laughed, the sound bordering on hysterical. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I scared myself," he admitted, pulling me into his arms as carefully as if I were made of glass. "When I got that call, when he said he'd cut our cubs out one by one—" His voice broke, and I felt him shudder against me.

"Bayer," Rhys called from across the room, and we both looked over to where he and Matthew were surrounding Ben. "We need to get them to the packhouse to be checked out.”

“I’m taking Ben home,” Matthew said firmly, and I saw Rhys nod. I remembered seeing Ben’s transformation and I supposed I should’ve been scared, but I wasn’t.

"Ben!" I called out, my voice hoarse but determined. I opened my arms despite the exhaustion pulling at every muscle. "Come here."

Ben looked at me nervously, his silver eyes—now even more luminous than before—the blood still staining his lips. He hesitated, like he expected me to recoil in horror.

"What, you think a little baby vampire is going to scare me off?" I managed a weak smile. "Dude, I'm pregnant with triplets by a guy who turns into a bear. My normal meter is permanently broken."

A startled laugh escaped him, and some of the tension left his shoulders.

"Besides," I added, my voice softening, "you just saved my babies. That makes you officially my favorite person right now. Don't tell Emery."

That did it. Ben stumbled forward, and I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could manage in my weakened state. He was shaking, and I felt wetness against my shoulder that told me he was crying.

"Thank you," I whispered into his hair. "Thank you for being brave when I couldn't be. Thank you for offering yourself. Thank you for saving us."

"I was so scared," he choked out, his voice muffled against my shoulder. "I thought I'd gotten us all killed."

"You saved us," I corrected firmly. "You and Bayer. You both saved us."

Bayer's hand came to rest on Ben's back, and I felt Ben relax slightly between us. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it, please ask."

Ben pulled back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I need to call Estrelle," he said suddenly, the words tumbling out.

Bayer smiled. “It was Estrelle who told us. She’s sorry she didn’t remember sooner.” We both knew Estrelle had been trying to forget her nightmare.

"You can call her from home," Matthew interrupted gently, his hand on Ben's shoulder. "But first, we need to get you checked out."

Matthew looked at me. “Your mom and brother are fine. The gammas weren’t expecting someone with Alessandro’s gifts, and because he arrived with Shane, and they had to stay hidden, they didn’t notice the lack of scent.”

I blew out a relieved breath, and as Bayer swung me up gently into his big strong arms, I decided independence was overrated and I definitely needed to learn to be a better princess.

Chapter thirty-three