Tameka's Smile

Chapter Six

Tameka couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she dressed for work. Chad had taken it upon himself to demonstrate the benefits of waking up with a horny man—namely him—each morning. An hour later, sated and pleasantly tired, she had to chase him out the door in order to make it to work on time.

Today was Thursday, the beginning of the weekend rush.

The shop would be busy today though the rest of the week, and if she intended to build her clientele, she needed to be there to get a good start. She had her things waiting by the door and was headed into the kitchen to grab her lunch when the phone rang.

She snatched the receiver off of the cradle and kept moving.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Jones?”

“Yes, it is. Who’s calling?” She stuck her head in the open door of the fridge, grabbed the chicken salad she made yesterday and a carton of peach yogurt. As an afterthought, she also snagged a bottle of water.

“Ms. Jones, I represent the Markham Group. You haven’t responded to any of our queries through the mail, so I decided to try the direct approach.”

Tameka pushed the door closed with her hip and placed the food in her insulated lunch bag. “Look, if this is about my property, I’m sure my lawyer told you I’m not interested in selling.”

“We’re prepared to make you a very attractive offer. How does two hundred and fifty thousand dollars sound?” Like a rip off, she thought, rolling her eyes. “For twelve acres of land and a nice sized house? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“All right. Three hundred thousand.”

“No.” She looked around to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything.

“Ms. Jones, you drive a hard bargain. Four hundred thousand. That’s as high as we’re willing to go.”

“Look, I’m neither negotiating with you nor holding out for more money. I told you, this land’s not for sale—for any price.

That’s final. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for work.” Tameka disconnected the call. Now she had to hurry or she’d be late. She wished she had time to take something for her head.

Dealing with those people had given her a headache.

She drove into town with the AC on full blast, all the vents pointed at her. As early as it was, it was hot as Hades out there.

They were in for a scorcher of a summer if the last few days were an indication. When she arrived at the shop, there were quite a few guys waiting for haircuts. Tameka greeted everyone as she went to her station and got busy.

After about the sixth client, she paused while sweeping her area and told Lulu, “I’m going to have to get me a fan. I don’t know how you stand this heat.”

Betty spoke up. “It’s actually kind of cool in here, even with the dryers going. Lulu’s got the air cranked down really low. Are you feeling all right? You look a little flushed.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I’m so hot, I’m sweating and that’s not something I normally do,” Tameka told her while fanning her face.

Lulu gazed at her with a concerned expression on her face.

“You don’t think you’re coming down with anything, do you?” Tameka wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she cleaned her supplies, preparing for the next customer. “I felt fine when I got up this morning. I had a slight headache when I left the house, but that’s because that annoying developer called, trying to get me to sell Momma E’s property again, despite the fact that I’ve told them I’m not interested.” Lulu’s gaze sharpened. “Someone made an offer on the property?”

Tameka nodded as she motioned for the next guy to come over. “And being downright aggravating about it, too. Won’t take no for an answer. She actually thought I was trying to drive the price higher. I finally hung up on her.” She placed the cape around the man, ignoring the way he stared at her and picked up the spray water bottle, after finding out how he wanted his hair cut.

Lulu waited until she finished cutting to ask, “Do you remember the name of the person who called?” Tameka paused. “Now that I think about it, she never did give me her name. Just identified herself with the Markham Group.”

“What about the letters?” Lulu questioned.

“I couldn’t tell you. Momma E’s probate attorney handled them after the first one. He just passed the message along.”

“How much they offering?” Rosa asked.

“Four hundred thousand was the last offer.” She turned her attention to her next client, running her fingers through his shoulder length hair, checking the ends. “What can I do for you today?”

“Just a trim.”

Tameka grabbed her spray bottle and got to work once she verified how much he wanted trimmed off the ends.

Betty picked up the conversation. “The land alone is worth that much, and that’s not including the house. That’s a prime piece of real estate you have there, with plenty of trees and if I remember correctly, a small lake as well.” Tameka frowned. “I didn’t know about the lake, but it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t sell even if I wanted to. Momma E

made it a condition in the will.”

“Why not?” Rosa wanted to know. “If they offered me enough, I’d take the money and run.”

“Because the land belongs to the Raven pack. Tameka’s just the trustee.” Lulu supplied the surprising answer.

“If it’s not your land, how did your grandmother leave it to you in her will? Doesn’t that make it yours,” Rosa asked Tameka.

“It’s mine to live on and use, but there are restrictions. I’m on what they call a Conservation Land Trust, basically the land’s caretaker. I make sure the land stays as it is—undeveloped—but the deed lists me as trustee, not owner.” She’d thought the land belong to a non-profit, conservation group. Thanks to Lulu, she now knew better.

She turned her client to the mirror, fanning out his brown hair before letting it drop to its new length, just above his shoulders. “Is that enough, or do you want more?”

“That’s fine.”

Tameka didn’t know how he could tell. He was looking at her reflection instead of his own. “That will be fifteen dollars.

Pay at the register.”

Tameka placed her hand on her stomach while she waited for him to exit the chair. Her stomach was cramping like she’d eating something rancid, and her headache was getting worse.

She swayed and closed her eyes as a wave of heat washed over her, leaving dizziness in its wake.

“Are you all right? You’re pale as a ghost.” Lulu’s voice came to her, sounding like it was a great distance away. She wanted to answer, but was afraid if she opened her mouth her stomach would erupt.

“Meka!”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t feel so good.” She swayed again and grabbed a hold of the chair to steady herself.

Lulu left her client, came and placed her hand on Tameka’s forehead. “Child, you’re burning up. No wonder you’re hot.

Rosa, go into the office, get the Tylenol and bring a bottle of water.”

A wave of pain radiated out from her stomach to encompass her entire body, knocking Tameka to the floor. She felt her eyes roll up in her head as her body began convulsing.

Someone shouted, “She’s having a seizure!”

“Call Alex. Tell him to get somebody over here,” was the last thing she heard before darkness claimed her.

How dare that bitch hang up on me! She doesn’t deserve

that land. It should be mine. It should always have been mine

along with everything else denied me. Let’s see how she likes my

next little surprise. Bet she won’t be so cocky then.

Chad parked the truck haphazardly, shoved the gear into park, and jumped out of the vehicle while it was still rocking. He left the keys in the ignition and the door open as he ran toward the entrance of the Mountain View Emergency Clinic, the private medical facility owned by the pack and operated by Alex.

Damn it! They’d called hours ago and he was just getting here. If only he hadn’t gone for a run. He’d felt so good, he decided today was a good day to let his wolf out to play. Tameka wasn’t scheduled to be off until later this evening and he was off from work. Why not? It had been too long since he’d gone wolf and just had fun.

He burst through the doors of the small, state of the art facility, glancing around wildly before rushing to the reception window. “Where is she? Where’s Tameka?”

“Chad, over here.” Carol Johnson, head nurse and the Raven pack’s second-in-command, waved him over to a door that read Authorized Personnel Only.

He was on her heels as she strode rapidly down the hall.

“What the hell happened? She was fine with I left her this morning. Where is she? I want to see her!” Carol paused by the nurse’s station. “You can see her in a minute. Let me go and get Alex. He wants to talk with you first.” She turned and walked off.

Forget that. He wanted his mate. Needed to see her now. He looked around and noticed that most of the examining areas were empty. Of the six, there were only three with the curtains closed.

He went to the first one and pushed the curtain open. A man lay on the bed in traction, a cast covering his right leg from foot to mid-thigh. He looked up at the interruption.

“Sorry,” he muttered and moved to the second one.

Chad shoved the curtain aside. Another wrong room. The part of him that wasn’t focused on finding his mate felt sorry for that patient’s family. Whoever was in that bed was at death’s door. There were tubes and wires everywhere, hooked to machines that alternately beeped and hissed. No need apologizing. This one wasn’t even breathing; the machine was doing it for them.

He turned to continue his search when he got a whiff of Tameka’s scent above the strong, antiseptic, hospital smell. It was coming from the room behind him. No, it can’t be. He stiffened and turned back. This time he looked past the tubes and wires to the person to whom they were attached.

Tameka! God, no!

Chad took a stumbling step forward, and then fell to his knees. A mournful howl rose out of his throat. He lost it. Simply lost it. “Nooooooo!” He couldn’t lose her. He’d just found her.

Damn it! He had to do…something…anything. He couldn’t just…

He lurched forward, intent on doing he didn’t know what.

Hands grabbed at him, preventing him from getting to his mate.

He fought, trying to break free. They held him fast. A growl rose out of his throat as his wolf rose to the surface. “Mate!”

“Chad! Chad!”

The smell of pack surrounded him. He didn’t want the pack.

He wanted his mate. He struggled harder.

A stinging blow rocked him back, and then glowing, gold eyes that swirled with power filled his vision. “Chad! Leash the wolf! She’s not going to die.”

Chad barely heard Alex. He gazed past him at Tameka, muscles tensing to launch himself forward again.

Alex grabbed him by the face and forced him to look at him.

“Chad, she’s in a medically induced coma. She’s not dying. I won’t let her. I promise.”

Alex’s voice finally penetrated the fog of grief he was in.

Chad latched onto the only two words that made sense. “Not dying?”

“No,” Alex confirmed.

Chad slumped in their arms and did something he hadn’t done in public since early childhood—cried.

Alex caught him in a bear hug. He could hear Carol whispering in his ear as she hugged him from behind, “It’s alright. She’s okay. You’ll both be fine.” Other voices chimed in. “We got you, Chad.” He was enfolded and surrounded by pack—his pack. For once, the words meant something.

When he finally managed to pull himself together, he pulled back, embarrassed at his emotional display. Carol handed him something to clean his face, and with one last gentle stroke of his head, left. Others did the same until only he and Alex remained, kneeling on the floor by Tameka’s bed.

“You with me now? Ready to listen?” Alex asked him.

He heaved a deep sigh. “Yeah.”

Alex stood and held out a hand. Chad took it, allowing him to help him to his feet. He leaned against the side of Tameka’s bed, as close to her as possible. She had an IV in one arm. Taped wires stuck to her chest and temples, and tubes down her nose and more that disappeared under the covers. There was even one of those blood pressure monitor things on the finger of her opposite hand.

He reached out to touch her, needing to connect with her in some minor way, but stopped short.

“Touch her. It’s okay. You won’t hurt her.” He glanced at Alex for reassurance, then reached out and held her hand, the one that didn’t have anything attached to it.

His beast immediately calmed. “Why is she like this? What happened?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. Lulu said she complained of being hot. There was some dizziness, and a complaint about her stomach cramping right before she dropped to the floor in a grand mal seizure. They brought her in when she lost consciousness. Once here, she had three more despite our attempts to stop them. As a final resort, to prevent brain damage we induced a coma. What I need to know is what triggered it.

Did Tameka ever mentioned being epileptic? Was she on any medication that you know of?”

Chad shook his head. “No, no medications that I noticed, and she didn’t smell sick.” Shifters could sense when something wasn’t quite right about humans. Tameka never smelt “off” to him at all.

Alex sighed. “That’s what Lulu said, but something happened. Something made her body go haywire. We just need to find out what that something was.”

Chad stiffened, feeling dread grow in the pit of his stomach.

God, if this was his fault…

“You’ve thought of something?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I hope not. If I’m responsible…”

“If you think you did something, I need to know what it was. I doubt, whatever it was, that it caused this,” Alex assured him.

“I did what you told me to do,” Chad haltingly confessed.

Alex arched one brow. “What I told you?”

“Well, yeah, not exactly told me to do it, but you said the more of me she had in her, the quicker she’d accept me as mate.” Chad never took his eyes off of Tameka’s chest; the steady up and down movement was the only thing that assured him she was still breathing.

“What—exactly—did you do?”

He shot a quick glance at Alex. The way Alex was looking at him made him hunch his shoulders. Chad felt his face flush and knew he was turning red.

“I know you didn’t hurt her on purpose.” Chad’s shoulders relaxed. “But if something you did caused her immune system to go crazy, I need to know what it was.”

He looked at one of the monitors so he wouldn’t have to see Alex’s face as he admitted, “I bit her—all over—and packed the bites with saliva.”

“You flooded her system with your DNA?” Alex sounded like he was trying not to roar.

Chad finally gave Alex his full attention. “I wanted her to accept me. I didn’t know it would cause problems.”

“You didn’t know…” Alex broke off, rubbed his face with his hands before reaching back and pulling on his hair. Then he pinned Chad with a look that said “You just screwed up big time but don’t understand so I can’t yell at you like I want to.”

“The problem here is that you gave her too much too fast.

Her body didn’t have time to adjust, so it treated your DNA like a foreign invader and tried to attack it. This explains the high levels of antigen in her system. That’s what shocking her system.” Alex spoke slowly, like to someone hard of understanding. “You could have killed her trying to force a conversion.”

“I wasn’t trying to turn her into one of us. I just wanted her to mark me, to recognize me as her mate.” Alex muttered some succinct curse words under his breath.

“This is my fault. I didn’t get a chance to fully explain what true mates were before we were interrupted. It’s not the exchange of fluids that causes the mate bond to kick into place. When she accepts you for who you are and acknowledges your position in her life—that’s when the bond kicks in. It’s not a physical thing, but a mental and emotional one on her part.”

“So when she marked me last night, it had nothing to do with what I did?” He wasn’t a stupid man by any means, but this whole true mate stuff was confusing.

“I’m not saying it didn’t help, but unless she was willing, it wouldn’t matter what you’d done.”

“I see.” And he did. A goofy grin rose up on the inside.

Tameka really did want him.

“There’s really nothing I can do but give her fluids and keep her under until her body finished transitioning,” Alex was saying.

“Does that mean she’ll be a shifter when she comes out of it?” Chad wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He liked Tameka just fine the way she was.

Alex picked up her chart and made a notation on it. “I really don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like this before. I didn’t even know this could happen. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Three days later, Chad was firmly ensconced in a chair by her side, holding her hand when his phone rang for the fourth time that day. They had moved Tameka to one of the few private rooms that the clinic possessed. Pack members had been dropping by and calling his cell phone, checking on him and his mate. Plants with cards and balloons filled every available corner.

“Yeah, Bull. What’s up?” Bull, especially, had been keeping in close contact, running by his place to pick up items and generally keeping an eye on things for him.

“I drove your mate’s car home like you requested. There’s something here you need to see. I’ve already called Rome.” Since crime in Refuge was almost non-existent, Chad wasn’t overly concerned. “What is it?” Whatever it was, he doubted it was serious enough to require his leaving. He hadn’t moved from her side since he’d arrived and didn’t plan to now.

“I know you don’t want to leave your mate, but this is important; not something to discuss over the phone.” Bull disconnected the call.

Chad cursed. If Bull says it’s important, then it was. He wasn’t one to exaggerate.

He leaned over and kissed Tameka. “I have to go to your house to check out a few things. I’ll be back as soon as possible.

You concentrate on getting better.” He didn’t know if she could hear him, but talking to her made him feel better. As a result, he’d talked so much his voice was getting hoarse.

Chad stopped by the nurses’ station on the way out to let them know he was leaving, but that he’d be back as soon as possible and to call him immediately if there was any change in Tameka’s condition.

It was twilight when he pulled into Tameka’s yard. He’d made a quick stop at his house to pick up some more clothing and personal items. The clothes Bull brought him needed washing. Bull, Rome, and the Crime Scene Technician van were there, parked off to the side near one of the trees in the yard.

Rome met him as he exited the truck. “How’s Tameka?”

“Still heavily sedated. What’s going on?” His wolf was crawling under his skin, demanding he get back.

“Someone left a little present for your mate. Bull, bring that letter over here.”

Bull took something from Chuck, the nightshift’s Evidence Technician, and came jogging over. He handed a sheet of paper, already encased in a gallon-sized plastic Ziploc bag to Chad.

“This was pinned to the tree.”

BEAST LOVER. GO BACK WHERE YOU BELONG.

It was spelled out in letters cut from a newspaper and glued onto the paper.

Chad handed it back to him. “Any prints, or recognizable scent?”

Bull shook his head.

“Whoever did this knew what they were doing, or what they were dealing with,” Rome informed him.

“I don’t like what this note implies, but I don’t see why you couldn’t just tell me about this over the phone.” He was impatient to get back to his mate; felt like his presence was somehow needed.

“If it were just this, I wouldn’t have called. I’d have taken care of it and told you about it later. It’s the other that has me concerned,” Bull assured him.

“What other?” He wished they would just get on with it. He wasn’t in the mood for a long, drawn-out game of Find the Clues.

Bull and Rome gave each other a look. “You don’t smell it?

It’s over here. We left it up so you could see.” They led him over to where the others were working.

As they rounded the van, what he saw was shocking enough to bring him to a complete stop. How on earth had he missed this? The smell of death was strong in the air. An Alaskan Husky, amazingly wolf-like in its appearance, hung from a tree in the yard with a noose around its neck where she’d be sure to see it. The thing had been maliciously gutted with a butcher knife, still embedded in its belly. Entrails were hanging from various spots. “Shit, the animal cruelty people would have a field day with this.”

The words “beast lover” suddenly took on a new and ominous significance.

“Has your mate been having any problems that you know of? Any enemies she told you about? This can’t be an isolated incident,” Rome stated.

Chad couldn’t pull his eyes away from the gruesome sight, while deep inside anger burned and began to grow. “Monday someone left a box of dead roses on her porch. No note. It’s in the evidence room at the station. A couple of mornings later, she had two flat tires, both rear. I took her to work and got them fixed. After everything that’s happened, I forgot about it, but Tucker said it looked like someone drove a small nail through the tire so the air would slowly leak out.” He could kick himself for forgetting.

“Sounds like someone’s taken a nasty interest in your mate,” Rome commented.

“When I stopped in to get her keys, Ms. Lulu mentioned that someone was trying to get Tameka to sell this property. Said Tameka was smokin’ hot because they wouldn’t take no for an answer. You think this is somehow related?” Bull questioned.

“She tell you about this?” Rome asked Chad.

“She mentioned that she received an offer and her parents were upset that she didn’t sell. But that was when Ms. Emma first died, months ago. There’s been nothing recent, that I can remember.” Of course, they’d had other things on their minds than talking.

“She got a call that morning. Was offered four hundred thousand. Turned them down flat,” Bull informed them.

Both he and Rome turned to him with questioning looks.

“Me and Mona hang out some times. She told me about the conversation,” Bull said with a shrug.

“You think someone’s trying to run her off, thinking if they harass her enough they might be able to get their hands on the property,” Chad asked Rome.

“If so, it’s not anyone associated with the pack. The shifters around here all know this is Raven pack land,” Rome informed him.

“But it’s obviously someone that knows about us.” Bull pointed toward the tree. “That was targeted directly at you.”

“Then it could be anyone. Everyone in the county knows what we are,” Chad said in disgust.

“Not everyone,” Rome corrected. “Just those who grew up here in Refuge and have reason to know. We don’t reveal ourselves to just anyone.”

“So we know we’re looking for a non-shifter who knows about you, and doesn’t like the idea of you and Tameka together,” Bull stated.

“That could just be because if Tameka’s involved with someone, she’s less likely to want to leave. It may not have anything to do with Chad being a shape-shifter,” Rome speculated.

Chad could feel his wolf stirring. “Someone’s targeting my mate, and the threat is escalating. I’m going to find out who it is and when I do…” He broke off as his cell phone rang.

“Wilson.”

“Chad, you need to get back here pronto. It’s Tameka.”

“I’m on my way.” He stuck the phone back in his pocket, pulled out his keys and headed for the truck. “I’ve got to go.

That was the clinic.”

Rome called to his retreating back, “I’ll investigate and see what I can discover. I’ll also inform Alex about what’s going on.

This is a pack matter, especially if someone thinks Tameka’s the only thing standing in the way of their claiming this land. You go take care of your mate.”

“Whoever’s doing this better hope you find them before I do.” Chad tossed out the warning as he started the truck, then slammed the door closed, his mind already on what he’d find waiting for him.

Minutes later he was running through the clinic doors, bag in hand. He hung a left and slowed to a jog as he neared Tameka’s room door.

Alex caught him at the door. “Hold up a minute, Chad.” Oh, damn. Not again. “She needs me.” His hand braced for entry through the door.

“I want to explain what’s happening before you go rushing in there.”

Chad slowly pulled his hand from the knob and turned to face Alex. “What’s going on?”

“She’s coming out of it and she shouldn’t be, as heavily as I have her sedated. Not too long after you left, the monitors went crazy. The EKG is showing brain activity, and shouldn’t. I have two options here: increase her medication to put her back under, or start the reversal process to bring her out. Both procedures involve risk. If we bring her out of it too soon, it may trigger another seizure, causing damage to her brain. If we put her back under, there’s the risk she may develop blood clots or pneumonia from lack of movement.”

Chad closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

This day just kept getting worse and worse. “What can I do to help?’

“Your presence seems to calm her. I find it more than a little coincidental that her agitation coincided with your departure.

When you go in, talk to her like you’ve been doing. Let her know you’re here. Hold her hand and try to connect. I’ll monitor her vitals. If I’m right and this works, I’ll start the reversal process.”

“All right. Anything else?” His hand was on the doorknob, his back already pressing against the door in preparation of entering.

“Just one last thing. I need for you to remain calm. I’m not sure how much she’s sensing. If your wolf’s upset, it may have an adverse effect on her condition,” Alex warned grimly.

Chad pushed open the door, dropped his bag and immediately crossed to Tameka’s side. Her eyelids were flickering wildly and her body seemed to jerk and spasm. “Baby, I’m back. Sorry that took so long. Missed me?” He took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

She stopped fidgeting and seemed to be listening, though her eyelids kept fluttering like she was trying to open them and couldn’t. Alex motioned for him to keep talking.

He reached back with his foot and hooked the chair, bringing it closer to the bed and sat down. “I asked Bull to go by the shop and take your car to the house. Lulu sent your things home with him and everything is waiting for you, including your purse. You need to hurry and get better, baby. I miss our nice, comfortable bed. This chair is murder on my back.” Alex made encouraging noises, adjusted a few of the machines, and then picked up Meka’s chart and wrote on it.

When he finished, he came and stood by her bedside, leaning over it until he was speaking directly into her ear. “Tameka, my name is Alex. I’m your doctor. I know you’re trying to wake up.

I have medicine in your IV. That’s why you’re having such a hard time of it. Just relax. You had a severe allergic reaction that caused a seizure. The medicine is to prevent you from having another one and possibly causing brain damage while we work on finding the source of the problem. I know you want to be with Chad. He knows it, too. The best thing you can do to speed up the healing process is to stop fighting and let the medicine put you to sleep. Chad will be here with you.” Amazingly enough, something Alex said must have gotten through to her. It wasn’t until he saw her body slump into the bed that he realized how tense she’d been.

“Her vitals are better. They started improving as soon as you spoke to her. She’s definitely aware of her surroundings on some level. I’m lowering her meds. We’ll see what happens.” Chad brought Tameka’s hand to his mouth, cupping his jaw with it. “Is it safe?”

“We’ll take it slow. She’ll be closely monitored at all times.

I don’t anticipate any problems. Have you eaten?” He had to think about it. “Breakfast.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll have the nurse bring you something.” He put his pen in his jacket pocket and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Chad leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “I’m so sorry, baby. This is all my fault.

You do what Alex tells you so you can get better and kick my butt. I need you.”

He could have sworn he felt her weakly squeeze his hand.

He closed his eyes and laid his head on the pillow next to hers, inhaling deeply of her scent.

Minutes later, the door quietly opened and the aroma of food filled the air.

“Awww! That’s so sweet,” she whispered. “You can lie next to her if you like.”

Chad raised his head. “How? There are wires and tubes everywhere.”

Gloria, the cute, petite blonde nurse’s aide who worked the night shift, gave him a smile. “I know, but she’s doing so much better than she was before. Let me see what I can do. You eat while I handle things here.”

Chad roused himself and went to see what she’d delivered.

He needed to eat. Shape-shifters burned a lot of calories due to their increased metabolism. Also, eating helped control the beast.

Right now, both he and his wolf were more interested in his mate’s welfare than satisfying his non-existing appetite.

The meal consisted of a large steak, bake potato and a side salad. He forced himself to eat while keeping an eagle eye on Gloria. The minute she was done, he pushed the plate aside and went back to the bed.

“There. If you want to lie along her right side, you should be fine. Just be extra careful. Try not to dislodge anything.” He wasted little time before toeing off his shoes and climbing up beside his mate. There wasn’t much room, but he didn’t care. He snuggled up as close as possible without actually touching her. Being near her was enough.

Gloria left the room after dimming the lights. Chad doubted he’d sleep. There was too much on his mind. Tameka’s uncertain diagnosis and the wacko targeting her topped the list. They’d come a long way in a short period of time. Frankly, he was scared that these latest developments would cost him his mate.

She was already skittish. He just prayed that the fragile bond they’d form would be strong enough.