Chapter 48
Chapter
Forty-Eight
REID
At first, I thought the newcomers were mercenaries hired by Hephaestes, but as the warlocks spun around and took up defensive poses, I realized they were as surprised by this interruption as we were.
“PBI!” a voice called above the roar of the chopper blades. “Lay down your weapons.”
A little of the tension eased from Zander’s massive body. “Unless you want to be questioned about how you treat your own, you’d better back off,” he muttered to Hephaestes.
Hephaestes glared and I stiffened, wishing I had access to my magic so I could defend Zander from him. Shifters were strong, but Hephaestes was powerful and sneaky.
“This isn’t over,” Hephaestes shot back, then shouted, “Disperse!”
The members of the coven melted into the shadows as if they’d never been there.
“Stop!” The PBI agent’s voice rose, as if perhaps we hadn’t heard him and that’s why people were vanishing into the ether. “No one is to leave the site until we have your statements.”
Yeah, that didn’t stop the coven.
They were gone and I doubted there would be any way the PBI could trace them.
I tilted my face up to peer at Zander. The underside of his chin was heavily shadowed but his features were illuminated by whatever light source the traffickers had set up.
Blood flecked his cheeks and forehead, and there was a trace of it at the corner of his mouth, as if he’d either bitten something or had his lip split.
The pink of healing cuts laced his torso and he had a puckered wound in one shoulder. Had someone shot him?
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. “I feel like this is my fault for insisting that you guys break the PBI’s rules and come for the omegas. I put everyone at risk.”
“Hey, now. None of that.” Zander kissed my forehead. “We all wanted to save them.”
I tilted my face up, pleased when he brushed a kiss over my lips. I lingered, relishing the contact. He was warm, comforting, and most importantly, alive.
“You’re bleeding.” He bent to check my neck and his eyes glinted gold. “I don’t think it’s bad, but we need to get you seen to.”
I swayed, suddenly exhausted. “Hawk’s injury is more urgent.”
“Yes, but Dr. Black isn’t the only healer here.” He scanned the area and waved a slim Asian man over. “Reid, this is Li. He’s a witch and a healer.”
Li dropped to his knees beside us and pulled an alcohol wipe out of his first aid kit. He stood and reached toward me. “Sorry, this will sting.”
I gritted my teeth as he cleaned the cut on my throat and then spread some kind of poultice over it before adding a bandage to hold everything in place.
“Can you tell if my baby is okay?” I asked, my stomach plummeting to my shoes when he shook his head.
Zander knelt in front of me. “I can smell them.” He pressed his ear to my abdomen and a slow smile spread across his face. “And I can hear a heartbeat.”
My breath caught. “You can?”
He rose and pulled me into his arms. “It’s incredible.”
Relief swamped me and I allowed myself to draw strength from Zander and revel in how safe I felt when I was surrounded by him.
I trusted him, completely and utterly, but that wasn’t all I felt for him. There was so much more.
The truth was terrifying and astonishing and wonderful all at once. It made my heart beat fast and slow, made it swell until it felt ten times its size, and cut through the barbed wire I’d fenced the organ off with as if it was made of tissue paper.
I was too scared to voice the words, but I would soon.
“I was so scared when I saw those men surrounding you,” I whispered “I didn’t want to leave you there even though I knew that’s what you’d asked me to do. I tried to be sensible, for you and my baby. But the thought of you in danger… it wrecks me.”
Zander gazed down at me as if I’d offered him the moon. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then brushed his lips softly—ever so softly—over my temple.
“I feel the same way about you.” His eyelashes fluttered open and his eyes flashed the most beautiful shade of gold I’d ever seen—like burnished antique jewelry. “I know you might not be ready, and I’ll wait for as long as you need, but I love you too, Reid. More than you could ever imagine.”
Our gazes locked and I wondered if he might kiss me again. My lips parted and I leaned closer, going onto my tiptoes. His cheeks were lightly stubbled, his lips plush, and his naked chest was firm beneath my palms.
My head spun and it had nothing to do with any injury.
“Sheriff Blackwood?”
Zander dropped his head back and groaned. “What?” he snapped at the black-clad man who’d approached us.
I tucked my face into Zander’s chest and breathed in his scent—sweaty alpha, pine, and bergamot.
“I’m SSA Rainier,” the man said, and from Zander’s response, that meant something to him. “Please tell me I didn’t interrupt you in the progress of carrying out vigilante justice.”
Zander’s arms encircled me more fully and he rested his chin on the top of my head. “There’s nothing vigilante about a local police department searching a site of interest for a local investigation.”
SSA Rainier snorted. “You aren’t the sheriff here, Blackwood.
You’re lucky that I understand why you did it.
I appreciate you notifying us before you moved in.
We finished with our other operation early so we hustled over.
It’s just a shame that we’ve been left with loose ends like Ace Amato. I assume he’s not here?”
I cocked my head. Zander hadn’t said anything about notifying the PBI. My poor mate hated to break the rules. I’d bet guilt had eaten away at him until he’d sent the message.
“Not as far as I can tell,” Zander replied, his voice rumbling from deep within him, perfectly delicious.
Rainier grunted. “Hopefully the prisoners will have useful information to share.”
My gut churned. There were so many things they weren’t saying. Using phrases such as “loose ends” when the truth was that there could be dozens of omegas out there who’d been trafficked by these bastards or their colleagues.
Omegas just like me, who’d made a foolish mistake or trusted the wrong person and paid the ultimate price.
“We’ll find them, won’t we?” I asked against Zander’s skin. “We won’t give up on them?”
“We won’t,” he agreed.
“On that subject.” A third man had joined us.
Aaron, I thought, but I wasn’t ready to stop hugging Zander to check.
“Nathaniel has gotten the truck open. The omegas are inside but they’re huddled in the back corner, scared out of their minds, except for one that’s hissing threats like an angry cat.
Reid, will you come and speak to them for us?
They might react more favorably to another omega. ”
My fingers instinctively tightened on Zander.
“You don’t have to,” he murmured, as if sensing my nerves. “Momma can do it, but if they sense she’s a predatory shifter, she might still unnerve them.”
I pulled a face. I understood. As a warlock—and currently one without any magic—I was the least intimidating person present.
“We usually have omegas on staff who are trained for this type of situation, but they’re all busy elsewhere tonight,” SSA Rainier added.
Summoning strength I didn’t know I had, I pulled away from Zander and nodded. “Okay. I’ll help.”
Zander gave my hand a quick squeeze “You’ve got this, little warlock.”
“Thank you, son,” Aaron said, and the word settled somewhere deep in my soul.
Son.
He’d called me son. Not because I was valuable to him but because he cared for his family. My throat tightened. Was I actually ready to become part of Zander’s family?
“We’ll need statements from everyone present, so be sure you’ve all spoken to one of my agents before you leave,” SSA Rainier said. “Good luck, Reid.”
As Zander and I began to follow Aaron, he paused and called over his shoulder, “You might want to investigate the Havlock Coven. They were here tonight, and we’ve got reason to believe they mistreat children in their care.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I added, “I can tell you everything. But not yet.”