Chapter 46
Nessa couldn’t stop shaking as Murphy carried her through the woods. Adrenaline. Shock. Relief. Each caused a torrent of emotion to course through her entire body, her mind struggling to believe that it was all finally over.
She was safe. Tony was dead. She was finally free. But it all felt so unreal.
Murphy’s arms were wrapped tightly around her as he moved, his hold so snug it was difficult to breathe. Every so often, a slight tremor ran through his frame, and he’d hug her more fiercely to him, as if he were afraid she’d slip through his fingers and disappear.
She hugged him back just as hard, keeping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and her face buried in his neck. Each inhale filled her nose with his cologne, and it helped ease the riot of sensations in her body.
“I’ve got you, little mate,” Murphy crooned, one hand moving from her upper back to sift through her hair.
Nessa nodded, her lips settling over the mating mark she’d given him a few days before.
Tony was really dead.
Jasper was perfectly fine. And Murphy … He’d found her. Protected her, even when she’d thought she wouldn’t make it out of that damned barn alive.
When she thought her situation was hopeless, her mate had been her light in the dark.
He’s always been my light.
Nessa blinked away the waterfall of tears waiting to be unleashed. She’d cry later, when she and Murphy were alone. When she could be vulnerable, and he could be there to pick up the pieces after she broke down.
Aside from the bruise on her face, the ache in her neck, and the tenderness around her wrists and ankles from the rope, she felt fine. Physically.
Emotionally, Nessa was a mess.
How could she not be after everything that had happened? She’d lived in fear for years, and when she’d finally felt free of her strife, when she’d finally tried to move on with her life, the monster from her nightmares had come barreling into her teahouse, hellbent on making her suffer.
Tony’s dead. He’ll never touch you again. Murphy made sure of that.
He definitely had.
Even when Murphy had killed Jason all those months ago, Nessa hadn’t seen him display such savagery. Not like today.
She’d barely recognized Tony when she’d caught a brief glance at his bloodied corpse. The sight of him had made her nauseous, so she’d looked away, instead choosing to focus on how satisfied she’d felt by his death.
“Am I a bad person for being happy he’s gone?” Nessa asked, her lips brushing over Murphy’s bare skin. “Tony was an evil man, but I feel like I should have some sort of empathy for his demise.”
But she didn’t. She was glad the world was rid of Tony.
She was glad he’d died so brutally, too, even though she knew that was wrong.
Murphy growled, the sound vibrating menacingly between them. “You’re the best person I know, Nes. And no, you shouldn’t feel empathy for someone like that. It’s a waste of your energy.”
She nodded, running a hand through his short hair. “I love you,” she whispered.
If it was possible, her mate squeezed her to him even more vehemently than before. “I love you too. Let’s get you home.”
“Your place?” she asked hopefully.
Just knowing that Tony had stalked her business, and probably her house … She didn’t want to go back there. Not tonight.
Murphy kissed the side of her head tenderly. “It’s your place too, Nes.”
Despite the severity of the last several hours, Nessa smiled, feeling lighter than only moments before. “Good. I’ve been dying to change the entire layout. Maybe put in a tea/meditation room. And I want to paint over all that oak. Maybe a lavender or a blush pink. Doesn’t that sound good?”
Her cheek throbbed as she spoke, but she ignored the pain. Hopefully, in a few days, she’d hardly notice it.
He tensed and then blew out a small laugh. “You’re teasing me.”
“Just a little,” she conceded, the wind blowing her hair over her shoulder.
They stopped abruptly. Lifting her head from Murphy’s body, Nessa kept her gaze averted from the other men.
She’d already accosted Jasper while he’d been naked, too happy to see him alive to even register he’d been sans clothing.
She didn’t want to accidentally ogle anyone now that she was very aware of how little they each had on.
Her mate reluctantly set her on her feet, keeping one arm securely around her while he opened the driver’s side door to his SUV.
Haphazardly, Murphy pulled a pile of clothes from the front seat, tossing garments to each naked man. He grabbed his own clothes next, letting go of Nessa only to dress himself. It was then she realized he’d been without clothing this entire time, too; his scars fully exposed to everyone.
Pride warmed her from the inside out. He’d been so confident and so concerned for her, Nessa hadn’t even noticed him acting uncomfortable around the other men. Did that mean he was learning to accept his body?
She hoped so. She loved all of Murphy.
When Murphy finished changing, he scooped her back up into his arms.
Tossing his car keys to Zeke, Murphy opened the back driver’s side door, hopping into a seat and pulling Nessa in with him and onto his lap. He paused, a frown crossing his features, and then sighed.
Gently, he deposited her into the seat beside him, buckling her in. “It’s not safe for you to sit on my lap,” he explained before buckling up his own seatbelt.
The hatch of the SUV opened. Nessa looked over her shoulder in time to see Colter dump Angelo unceremoniously into the back of the vehicle, her brother’s wrists and ankles tied with the same rope that had kept her bound just minutes before. A piece of cloth was shoved into his mouth.
He glared angrily at Colter as the bear scooted into the back with him. Dante followed suit, closing the hatch once he’d settled in.
Nessa blinked at Marcus’s twin in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed he’d come along with the others.
What was he doing here?
She turned back to Murphy, sending him a questioning look.
“Dante offered to help find you. He was familiar enough with the town that he could pinpoint your location.” Murphy placed his hand over Nessa’s thigh, his palm spreading a comforting warmth through her.
Jasper climbed into the back seat, dropping into the spot on Nessa’s other side. “He came through when we needed it.” He patted Nessa’s knee affectionately.
The touch was unexpected, but even more unexpected was Nessa’s lack of reaction. She didn’t flinch, her pulse didn’t spike, and she didn’t feel anxious by the small, innocent gesture. Just like when she’d hugged him back in the barn, all she felt was comfort. Safe.
She’d thought it was impossible for anyone to make her feel like that, until Murphy. But Jasper had put himself in jeopardy for her sake, multiple times. All the men in this SUV had.
How could she not trust them?
Dante cleared his throat, breaking Nessa’s train of thought. “I was happy to help,” he answered hesitantly.
Marcus settled quietly into the passenger seat, and Zeke twisted the key in the ignition, starting the vehicle.
They’d just pulled onto the dirt road when Nessa suddenly asked, “What are we going to do about the bodies? We can’t just leave them there.”
The barn had looked worn down and long forgotten, but who knew if it really was?
“Hand me the phone in the glove compartment,” Murphy instructed, holding out his hand over the center console.
A second later, Marcus dropped an older looking cell phone into Murphy’s hand. Her mate turned it on. The screen lit up. Quickly, he scrolled through the contacts, finding what he needed and pressing a button.
The phone rang twice, and then the call connected as he held it to his ear. Nessa heard a woman’s voice, but her tone was too low for her to catch any words.
“This is Alpha Murphy of the Granite Peak Bear Clan. I need a discreet cleanup crew.”
A cleanup crew? Like crime scene cleaners?
“Witches,” Jasper whispered into Nessa’s ear, startling her. “They’ll take care of everything. Costs a fortune, though.”
Witches? Nessa perked up, immediately intrigued.
“Blood. Around ten dead bodies. Maybe a few more. Bullet holes are likely the only structural damage.” Murphy squeezed Nessa’s thigh, going silent for a moment. “Yes, I can send the approximate coordinates via text. How soon can someone handle this? A rush fee is fine.”
“A rush fee?” Nessa asked.
“Told you. Pricey,” Jasper joked.
Murphy disconnected the call, grumbling under his breath as he looked through his contacts once more.
Who was he calling now?
He put the phone back to his ear as it rang again. “Constantine,” her mate greeted. “I need another favor.”
Nessa’s heart dropped. What would the vampire demand this time?
Marcus turned in his seat, watching Murphy curiously. Even Zeke glanced at him in the rearview mirror, looking as nosy as Nessa felt.
“Can you meet with me on my territory? I need you to compel someone. A human, yes. No,” he growled suddenly. “My mate is off-limits to your mind tricks.”
He wanted Constantine to compel Angelo?
As soon as her mate finished the call and turned off the phone, Nessa grabbed his arm.
“What was that about?” she asked, needing clarification.
Murphy lifted his hand from her thigh, running his fingers through her hair. He toyed with the strands as he answered, “I don’t think you want me to kill your brother.”
Her denial was instant. “No, I don’t.”
Even though Angelo had let her down before … He’d shown up today when she’d needed him. Had risked his life by trying to save hers. She didn’t know where they stood, or if they’d ever be on good terms, but she didn’t want him killed.
“I know,” Murphy confirmed tenderly.
Angelo spat out a string of garbled words from the back of the vehicle and then grunted in pain.
“Oops, my bad,” Colter said with a grin. “Bumpy ride. My elbow slipped.”
Murphy rolled his eyes before continuing, “Your brother can’t know that we’re shifters, Nes. Constantine can compel him to forget. Not everything; I’ll ask that he keep his memories of coming to rescue you. But anything supernatural related needs to be wiped from his memory. For everyone’s safety.”
“I understand.” Thank God, Murphy had thought that far ahead. There was still so much about his world, about her new life, that she didn’t know.
But you’ll have a lifetime to figure it out together, she reminded herself, a lightness settling in her soul that she hadn’t truly felt in years. She almost smiled, but a sudden thought intruded.
“Wait.” She cocked her head. “What if Angelo is resistant to compulsion, like I am? What do we do then?”
“You can’t be compelled?” Zeke looked at her in the rearview, eyes wide with surprise. “Hot damn, that’s a neat trick.”
“She is immune to dominant waves, too. My mate is a remarkable female,” Murphy praised.
“That’s great, but what do we do if this douche”—Jasper pointed at Angelo—“is immune too?”
Absentmindedly, Murphy twirled a strand of Nessa’s hair around his fingers. “We’d have to keep him in the dungeon until we determine whether it is safe to trust him. Given his past with Nessa, and us not knowing his intentions in coming here, I don’t know if that will ever be possible.”
Nessa stared at Murphy, bewildered. “You mean the dungeon is real?” She thought they’d been making some kind of horrible joke!
They’d really kept Dante trapped in a freaking dungeon?!
She looked over her shoulder, her eyes connecting with the back of Dante’s head. She felt sorry for him now more than ever.
“The dungeon is necessary,” Murphy stated. “If you’re worried about its location, you shouldn’t be.”
“It’s not in your basement, is it?” Nessa shuddered.
Murphy’s lips twitched. “No.”
“There isn’t some creepy, spiderweb-filled tunnel under your cabin that leads to the spooky dungeon?”
“The dungeon is not spooky,” Jasper cut in, nudging her side with his elbow.
“Yes, it is,” Dante and Marcus answered together. And just like that, the mood in the vehicle plummeted, a somberness setting in that she despised passionately. It was enough to seep the last of her adrenaline out of her, leaving her suddenly exhausted.
As silence filled the SUV, Zeke pulled out onto a main, familiar road that led toward Murphy’s home.
Her mate dropped his hand from her hair, sitting stiffly in his seat. Nessa took his hand in hers and leaned her head against his shoulder as Jasper and Colter began speaking about something unimportant in hushed voices.
“Rest, sweetheart,” Murphy told Nessa, brushing his lips over her forehead. “I’ll wake you when we’re home.”