Chapter 33 Awoken
Awoken
Liora
Something woke me, but when I opened my eyes, the room was still dimly lit by twinkle lights and both Finn and Geo were asleep on either side me. I lay for a moment, trying to figure out what had jerked me out of a dream where all four men had been doting on me.
A faint crunch, like a footstep on glass, sounded from what seemed to be the living room. I sat up and slid out from between the men. Maybe Mace or Aiden had dropped a glass or plate. I would go help them.
I pulled on a silky robe that the men had bought for me at Swan's Nest and left the room.
There were no lights on in the rest of the house and I paused. Why would the guys be walking around in the dark? Answer, they wouldn't be.
I spun to run back to the room just as a shadow stepped out of the darkness. A hand clamped over my mouth, blocking the scream that was trying to escape.
Kicking hard at my captor, I twisted violently in his grasp.
"Thought you could run from us?" The familiar voice in my ear made me freeze, panic flooding my whole body. Mark. He was here, in my house, my safe haven.
And none of the alphas had woken up.
I let myself go limp, like I'd fainted and he lost his grip on me. I fell to the floor and screamed. "GEO! HELP!"
A heavy boot caught me in the ribs, knocking the air out of my lungs and Josh appeared, grabbing me and throwing me over his shoulder as he and Mark headed for the front door.
We crunched over broken glass and I realized they'd knocked one of the glass door panels out to reach the lock.
The door was still open and Josh carried me out of the house, breaking into a run with Mark close behind.
"Stop!" Mace's voice echoed across the open land. "Let her go." It was an alpha bark, but it didn't affect the alphas stealing me.
I lifted my head in time to see Mace jump out of his second story bedroom window, landing heavily on the grass below. Then he was sprinting for us.
Mace spent time in the gym daily, but I'd never seen him run. And he was running so fast now that he overtook us in seconds, tackling Josh to the ground.
I went flying through the air and for the second time in just a few minutes, the wind was knocked out of me.
"Liora, are you okay?" Finn dropped to his knees beside me. "Breathe, sweetheart, breathe."
"I'm . . . okay." I sucked in air and rolled over to see where Mace was.
He had Josh on the ground and was landing punches to the man's face, fury powering his fists. I scrambled up and Finn helped me.
"Where's . . . Mark?"
"Geo went after him," Finn said, looking in the direction of the driveway.
There was a distant gunshot. Ice slid down my spine.
"Geo!" I took off running in the direction of the sound, ignoring the other alphas calling for me to wait. Geo was hurt or even dead, I couldn't wait.
The dim moonlight illuminated the driveway where a figure lay sprawled on the ground, not moving. My heart seized as I scanned for Mark. He must have run off as soon as he shot Geo.
"Geo, no, no, no." I dropped down beside him in the dirt and laid a hand on his back, feeling the shaky breathing. He was still alive.
"Finn! Help me!" I screamed, pulling on Geo's shoulder to roll him over. He felt heavier like this.
Then I realized that it wasn't Geo on the ground in front of me, it was Mark.
Those cruel eyes stared at the sky unseeing.
"I'm right here, baby." Geo stumbled toward me. "He had a knife. Got me in the leg."
"Shit!" I rushed toward him, realizing suddenly that he was buck naked, with only a gun in his hand.
"What happened?" Finn asked, turning on his phone flashlight and shining it on Geo's leg. "Ouch."
"It's fine. He didn't get me too deeply." Geo jerked his chin at Mark, who was lying on the gravel, his side dark with blood. "But he might not be okay if an ambulance doesn't get here soon."
"I'm calling the cops first," Finn muttered, putting his phone to his ear.
Fifteen minutes later, there were flashing lights all around the place.
Geo was bandaged at the scene, with promises to have Dr. Nova take a look as soon as possible.
Finn had brought out robes for both of them, since they'd run out of the house without anything on when they'd heard me scream for help.
Mark was still alive when the ambulance showed up, so he was escorted by cops to the hospital and another cop team arrestsd Josh.
With the main characters taken care of, we needed to give statements as the police walked around taking photos.
They took Geo's gun, but he had a license for it, so they assured him he'd get it back.
"When did you bring a gun into the house?" I asked, shivering a little in the cool morning. The sun was starting to rise and the birds were chirping as we sat on the porch. Mace brought me a blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, his bleeding knuckles smudging it with blood.
"I've always had it. Part of the job," Geo responded. "I wasn't going to look after you without some kind of protective weapon."
"I want to know about things like that from now on," I told him.
"Of course."
"I think that's all the questions we have for now. If we need anything else, we'll notify you," one of the cops told us. "And if you think of anything else we need to know, please contact us."
When all the cars and flashing lights were gone, it was daylight out. We all trailed back inside, with Finn picking me up and carrying me over the cardboard they'd laid over the broken glass. "We'll get solid panels in the new door," he said.
"Ready to go back to bed?" Geo asked me. "I think we can all agree that today is a day off from work. I just need to call in."
"I don't think I can sleep." I pulled the blanket tighter around myself. "My adrenaline is still too high."
"I'll make some tea," Aiden volunteered. He headed to the kitchen while the rest of us settled down on sofas and armchairs in the living room.
"I'm sorry we didn't protect you against those assholes," Mace growled. "They never should have gotten past the gate."
"It's not your fault." I looked at him carefully. "You jumped out a window for me."
"I'd do it again, dozens of times if I had to, just to keep you safe," he told me. "When I heard your scream, my entire body went into action from a dead sleep."
"Thank you, Mace. You didn't just take Mark down, you made him pay for some of what he did to me."
"I love you, Liora. I will never not protect you again."
"You definitely proved that tonight." I tucked my legs up under me and patted the cushion. "Come sit with me."
Mace immediately jumped up and moved to sit as close as he dared. I
Leaning against him, I listened to his heart beating in his chest at a steady rhythm. "Both you and Aiden came to my rescue tonight, even though I took Finn back first."
"We told you, we'll be there for you, even if you never choose us," Aiden said, coming back with the teas. He handed me my favorite blue mug with Earl Gray tea. "It might never be enough to prove ourselves, but we'll try."
"Thank you."
I sipped me tea and listened to the birds waking up outside. It was peaceful after all the chaos of the breakin.
Geo's phone rang and he wandered off into the kitchen to talk to his bosses. A minute later, he returned.
"So, the agency has all four Pack Parker members in custody and they're moving up the trial. They'll go before a judge in two weeks," he said with a smile. "Looks like we have a very good case against them now, because they came after you."
"We need to make the new pack bonds formal," Finn spoke up. "Otherwise, they can put you back in the ORC."
"I'd rather die," I spat out.
"We won't ever let you go back there," Mace promised and I believed him.
"I'll file the paperwork today," Geo promised.
"Wait. When you file it, can you add Aiden and Mace, too?"
"You don't have to do that," Mace told me, patting my knee.
"That's why I'm doing it. I think you proved yourselves worthy of a second chance tonight. Besides, since I'm your boss now, I'll have to see you all every day. Might as well make it official."
Mace pulled my face up gently so he could kiss me, then pushed me toward Aiden who held my face between his warm hands. "Do you really mean it?"
"I wouldn't say it otherwise. But remember, I'm my own woman. I'll leave if any of you think you can manipulate or control me."
"Understood." Aiden kissed me deeply, his tongue sweeping the inside of my mouth, tasting my essence. "I love you, Li."