Chapter 40
Chapter
Forty
REID
When Danny and Milo returned, I met them at the door and motioned for them to be quiet until we were in my bedroom. Danny’s expression was tense and Milo was jittery, as if he’d had a couple of energy drinks and hadn’t burned off the buzz yet.
“Did you manage to get something?” I asked as soon as I closed the door behind us.
Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin leather wallet. “I’m pretty sure this belonged to the dead guy. Obviously, I couldn’t ask anyone to make sure, but given where I found it, I think it’s the right one.”
I took it. “Thank you.” Hopefully he was right or else I’d involved them for nothing. “Honestly, thank you so much for your help. You guys should go now. If you hurry home, they might never know you were part of this.”
Danny crossed his arms over his chest. “Like we said earlier, we’re staying with you.”
“But I don’t want you to get in trouble,” I protested.
Milo smiled softly. “And we want to save those omegas and to… to make sure nothing happens to you. You’re our friend.”
I pressed my lips together, not entirely sure that last part was true, but deep down, a part of me wanted to believe him, so I didn’t question it. “The spell shouldn’t be dangerous. I’ve done it a few times now and I’ve never had any problems.”
“Great, then there’s no reason to leave,” Danny said. “Are we doing the spell in here?”
I shook my head. “Outside would be best. There’s less potential interference. You can wait inside though, if you’d prefer.”
He just grinned. “Not a chance. It’s a good thing I kept my jacket on.”
I tucked the wallet up my sleeve to hide it from sight. “Come on then.”
I wandered through the house, feigning nonchalance, and slipped through the door that led to the garden. I spotted Jessie in a room we passed, but she was too engrossed in her book to notice us. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter Hamish.
Once we were outside, I slid the wallet into my palm, closed my eyes, and searched for the thread that would trace its movements through the world.
Since the wallet had been handled often, its thread was strong.
I traced it back to the police station in my mind’s eye and then continued farther, to the park, and then out of town.
I was vaguely aware of cold seeping through the fabric of my jeans. I must have sat down.
I followed it to the town of Moonlight Cove, where Trent’s pack had last resided. The trail lingered there for a while before venturing first to a truck depot at the nearby city of Grayton and then to a series of sprawling buildings in a rural area perhaps twenty miles outside of Grayton.
I tried to search for details that would allow me to identify the location. When I spotted a truck, I focused on its license plate and committed the number to memory.
My energy was rapidly waning, the vision in my mind’s eye blurring at the edges. It was strange. That had never happened before.
I dug my fingernails into my palms to ground myself and pulled back until I reached the roadside. I checked the number on the mailbox as everything flickered and went dark.
When I opened my eyes, the light seared my retinas like I’d looked straight at the sun and I squeezed them shut, my head pounding.
“Reid!”
An arm slid under me and propped me up. Nausea rolled through me and I retched but fortunately didn’t throw up.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I squinted, relieved to find it was slightly darker than before. Something soft was behind me—a cushion, perhaps—and whatever I was sitting on was soft too.
Definitely not the cold, damp grass outside.
“M’okay,” I mumbled, trying to focus on the owner of the deep, concerned voice. I could somehow tell it was Zander even though I hadn’t seen him and could hardly bring myself to concentrate on anything.
“You damned well are not,” he snapped, but someone shushed him and he didn’t say more.
Gentle hands rested on my thighs and warmth suffused me, spreading from my legs to my core and out to my fingertips, ridding me of the chill I hadn’t even noticed until it was gone.
“He actually is all right.” This time, the voice was Nathaniel’s. “Exhausted, yes, but unharmed.”
“Thank fuck.” Zander again. “Danny. Milo. What the hell were you two thinking?”
“We had to help those omegas,” Danny replied tremulously. Whatever had happened, it had clearly shaken him. “We thought it would be fine.”
“There’s no way anyone could know how much energy a spell like that might require.” Nathaniel was the calmest of the bunch. “It depends on a lot of different factors. In this case, it would seem that Reid underestimated. Given these consequences, I’m sure he won’t do it again.”
“Did you find them?” Milo asked. “They must be so scared. Maybe even hurt.”
“I… might have.” I couldn’t be certain.
“You have to be more careful!” Zander exclaimed. “All of you. We can’t lose you. You’re too precious. When I saw Reid on the ground like that, I… Fuck.”
My heart squeezed. He almost sounded scared. As if he was as shaken as Danny and Milo.
Perhaps he really was.
I forced my eyes open and blinked as my vision adjusted. Zander was hovering in front of me, on his knees, the lines of his face deeper than ever and his eyes seething with emotion.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I just… I had to try.”
He took my small hand between his larger ones.
“I understand, but you need to remember that people care about you too. Not to mention your little one. What if the spell had used up too much energy and tried to siphon some from the baby as well? Or what if you’d fallen and hurt your abdomen?
So many things could have gone horribly wrong. ”
My breath hitched and an icy sensation trickled down my spine.
He was right.
“I didn’t think. I’d done the spell with Nathaniel, and it seemed fine then, so I thought it would be the same.”
But it wasn’t. My thoughtlessness could have cost me my baby.
I buried my face in my hands. I didn’t deserve to be a father.
“Hey, now.” Zander edged closer, the heat radiating from his big body bringing me comfort. “Don’t spiral. You got lucky this once. Let’s just not push our luck again, okay?”
I nodded numbly. “Will you call Dr. Black please? I’d like him to check that my baby is safe.”
“He’s already on his way,” he assured me.
“Did you find anything?” This question came from Nathaniel. When Zander glared at him, he scowled right back. “What? You’re right that it was a foolish thing to do, but if he discovered something useful then we should know about it.”
“I, uh, found a couple of places.” Ignoring the heat of Zander’s gaze burning into me, I explained the locations I’d seen to Nathaniel, pausing while he made notes on his phone.
“Thank you.” He smiled warmly. “We’ll do recon for those sites and decide whether they’re worth pursuing.” He paused, glanced at Zander, and then continued, “You may have misjudged the energy expenditure, but I’m impressed by what you were able to achieve.”
“Let’s just not do it again soon,” Zander added, a growl in his voice. “I’ve got enough gray hairs as it is.”
I studied him. Sure, he had flecks of gray at his temples and a few silvers sprinkled throughout, but I thought they suited him. Made him look distinguished. I kind of wanted to take off his shirt and find out if there were any silvers in his chest hair, too. Or if he had chest hair at all.
“I like them,” I murmured shyly.
Zander’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared, but then he schooled his features. “I like you, so how about you don’t frighten me again?”
I wanted to protest. I didn’t like being treated like either a child or a prisoner, but I could see he was genuinely scared on my behalf and that was a balm to my ego, so instead, I kissed his cheek.
He inhaled sharply, his eyes flashing amber, and then something seemed to settle inside him and he gave me a look so tender I thought I might cry.