Chapter 14
Exiting the elevator on the sixth floor, Dylon’s wolf reacted to the strong scent of blood. Holding his arm out to stop Cody and Zane, he said, “She’s on this floor. There’s tiger under the smell of blood.”
Sniffing, Zane asked, “How do you know it’s tiger? Maybe there are other shifters living here.”
“It’s tiger…I know. When my father was stationed in India, my mother became friends with a female tiger shifter and invited her family to stay with us for a month.
She thought it would be good for me to spend time with tiger cubs,” Dylon said.
“We used to play shifter hide and seek in the jungle…I got quite good at sniffing them out.”
“Do all tigers smell alike?” asked Zane.
“No,” Dylon replied, “but it’s the same as sniffing out someone who’s a wolf shifter…you recognize the wolf scent, but just not what kind of wolf they are.”
“We should move,” Cody said, “my wolf is getting antsy…way too much blood.”
“Right,” Dylon said, before heading down the hall, following the scent as it grew stronger.
Finally, reaching the end, he stood at a door—his wolf pushing him to shift in response to the overwhelming smell of blood in the air.
Trying the knob, he was surprised to find the door unlocked.
Slowly pushing it open, he whispered, “Stay behind me until I make sure it’s safe. ”
Cautiously entering the apartment, Dylon’s eyes immediately zeroed in on two men slumped over a table, pools of blood surrounding their heads.
Holding up his hand as a signal for Cody and Zane to freeze, he crept forward, checking all the rooms to make sure no one was hiding.
When he rejoined them in the living room, he said, “Willow was here…her scent is in the bedroom but there isn’t any sign of her now. ”
Staring down at the two dead shifters, Zane said, “That’s a hell of a lot of blood.”
“Yeah, it is,” Dylon said, walking over to the dead bodies. Grabbing one by his hair, he lifted his head, looking under his chin where his throat used to be.
“Holy crap!” Zane exclaimed.
“Willow killed them,” Dylon said, as he let go of the shifter’s hair allowing his head to fall back onto the bloody table. “Those are tiger claw marks…she came up from behind, slashing their throats with her paws, killing them instantly.”
“That explains why there’s no blood anywhere else,” Cody said.
“Wait, are you saying Willow escaped?” Zane asked. “The Collector doesn’t have her?”
“Yeah,” Dylon replied. “Other than her scent and these two, I can’t pick up any others.”
“Fuck…she’s one bad-ass lady,” Zane said.
“Yup, I have to agree,” Cody said. “Obviously, these two didn’t think she was.”
“All they did was drug her,” Dylon said, “before locking her in the bedroom. They didn’t even bother to tie her up.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Zane exclaimed. “Holy shit…she’s a goddamn tiger…far stronger than their wolves.”
“A high IQ is not a job requirement for kidnappers,” Cody chuckled .
“You got that right, babe,” Dylon said, checking their pockets. “No IDs…not that it matters since we know who hired them.”
“So, it’s back to square one,” Zane said.
“Unfortunately,” Cody said. “Any ideas where to start?”
“A couple,” Zane said, “but I’ll need my computer and access to the Internet.”
After going over the apartment again more carefully, but finding nothing that would help them, Dylon said, “Time to check into the hotel and let you get to work.”
“Sounds good to me…along with something to eat,” Zane said, following his brother and Dylon out of the apartment before closing the door.
~/~/~/~/~
Yawning, Mac set up everything for Ian’s ultrasound before plopping down on the stool and leaning his head against the wall.
Closing his eyes, he fought against the exhaustion caused by his overnight shifts, trying to remember how he survived his residency where long hours were the norm.
Oh yeah , coffee…lots and lots of coffee.
Hearing Colton’s voice in the hallway, Mac sat up, rubbing his hands over his face in an effort to bring some color to his cheeks to look more alert.
“Hey, Mac,” Colton said, holding the door open for Ian. “All ready for us?”
“Sure.”
Helping Ian up on the exam table, Colton noticed his mate winced as he swung his legs up. “Babe, what hurts?”
“Where’s your pain, Ian?” asked Mac, standing up next to him. Placing his hand over his patient’s very round belly, he moved it around, feeling the pups moving. “Are you having any cramps?”
“I’m fine,” growled Ian.
“Babe, I saw your face when you lifted your legs,” Colton said, “it was painful.”
Rolling his eyes, Ian replied, “You try lifting your legs with this belly and see how it feels.” Looking at Mac and Colton, he said, “In answer to your questions…no cramps and no pain.”
Mac’s eyes quickly flicked over to Colton’s before he said, “That’s good. Ready to see what you’re having?”
“Boys,” Colton said, smiling, “all boys. They run in my family.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Ian said, grinning, “you just assumed they were all boys because one was. The other two were shy during the previous ultrasounds.”
Lifting up Ian’s shirt, Mac squirted gel on his baby bump. “Well, whatever they are, they’re growing fast.” Rolling a stool to the table, Mac sat and turned on the machine, lowering the wand to Ian’s belly, slowly moving it until, three loud thumping sounds filled the room.
Leaning down, Colton kissed Ian’s temple, murmuring, “I love the sound of our pups’ heartbeats.”
“Me, too,” Ian mouthed.
Continuing to move the wand, Mac studied the screen intently before he exclaimed, “Oh, wow, look, you guys are having a girl and a boy!”
“What?” Surprised, Colton looked intently at the image Mac was pointing to. “A girl? Are you sure?”
Grinning, Mac said, “Yeah, pretty sure. ”
“What about the other one?” Ian asked.
“Let’s see,” Mac murmured, moving the wand to the other side of Ian’s belly. “This one…still hiding…no wait…it’s another girl!”
“Two girls?” Colton stared incredulously at the new image, unable to believe what he was seeing.
“Two girls and a boy!” Mac announced, as he printed out some copies of the images before clicking off the machine.
“Wait till Angus hears this,” Ian said, gleefully. “Two princesses and a prince.”
“Princesses?” Colton said, obviously flustered. “But we can’t have girls…we’ve already picked out names for boys…three of them…for the three princes we’re supposed to be having.”
“I guess you could still use ‘em,” Mac smirked, “but somehow I don’t think the princesses will appreciate that once they get older.”
“I agree with Mac, babe,” Ian said chuckling. “We’ll just have to pick some new names for the girls.”
“Maybe we should keep this to ourselves,” Colton said, “you know, just for a little while.”
“Babe, I promised your mother and mine I would tell them as soon as we found out,” Ian said. “And once they know, trust me, the word will spread like wildfire. Why don’t you want…wait…you lost your bet, didn’t you?”
Colton shrugged, turning to Mac.
“Why would you make a bet?” Mac asked. “It’s not fair if you knew the outcome ahead of time. ”
“Hey,” Colton finally said. “I told Kieran I thought they were all boys, but he talked to Zane and before I knew it, I was betting on something I figured was a sure bet.”
“You’ve been set up, cousin,” Mac laughed, as he wiped off the gel. “Kieran knew their sexes through his spirit and told Zane, who couldn’t resist playing you.”
Realizing his cousin was right on the mark, Colton’s eyes narrowed as he growled. “Fucking assholes.”
Chuckling, Ian said, “Help me up, babe. I can’t wait to tell our mothers.”
“Whoa,” Mac said, handing copies of the ultrasound pictures to Colton. “Let me finish checking you over before you spread the good news.”
Ian could hardly contain his excitement as his vitals were checked and measurements taken of his baby bump. Then, with Colton’s help he sat up. “How’s everything?” he asked.
“Good,” Mac assured him, “but I want you to nap with your feet elevated several times a day. Your body is beginning to retain more water and it will only increase as they grow. Also, the sleep will do you and them a lot of good. Any more nausea?”
“No, thank goodness, I’m passed that stage. I don’t think I’d be able to get to my feet after throwing up with my belly this big,” Ian replied. “I can honestly say I’ve gained a whole new understanding of the many complaints I’ve heard from my pregnant patients.”
“Experience is always the best teacher…or so I’ve been told,” Mac smiled, scribbling notes on Ian’s chart before looking up. “Same time next week…okay?”
“We’ll be here,” Colton said, helping Ian down from the exam table .
“Oh, and one other thing,” Mac said, as he stood up.
“This is your last week as the pack’s doctor.
I’ve already cleared it with Jackson.” Holding up his hand to forestall any objections, he added, “Ian, this is a high-risk pregnancy. I don’t have to tell you everything that can go wrong, because you already know.
But you can’t deny you’re getting tired more often…
and I can see how hard it is for you to do simple tasks.
The goal is to keep those pups in you as long as possible, so the focus right now is to take steps to prevent early labor.
That way, your pups will have the best chance of being born without complications. ”
Colton saw his mate stiffen briefly before the tension eased.
He understood exactly how Ian felt; he was the same way when it came to practicing medicine.
But he also knew his mate would never risk the lives of their unborn pups.
Knowing what he had to do, Colton tugged Ian close to him, whispering, “How about we go tell our mothers the good news?”