My Mate's Embrace (6 page)

“Let me see her, Anton,” Laurel said. “Put me down. I’m not a baby.”

“
Detka
, Baby, you are bleeding all down your arms and from your right calf as well,” Anton said. He took careful stock of her injuries.

“It’s nothing,” Laurel said. “Let me help your sister before she loses your nephew.”

“A boy? Oh, please save him. Anton please let her try,” Alena begged.

“Of course, Alena. If Laurel can help, she will,” Anton said as he knelt and set Laurel next to his sister. “Laurel, you must stay here and be very quiet. Kolya, can you leave Alena in Laurel’s care? I think we should go see what is salvageable of the truck.”
And see if those men are still here,
he sent to Kolya.
There could still be danger.

Kolya looked at Alena, and Anton could feel his indecision. Alena patted Kolya on the arm, trying to comfort him. He finally turned to Anton, fury in his eyes. These men had injured his mate and his unborn child. If they were waiting up above on the road, they wouldn’t walk away alive.

Anton and Kolya made their way back to the truck. Anton reached in for Laurel’s backpack and a small emergency bag behind the seat. Thank goodness, Violet had insisted they prepare a bag with extra clothes and a few rubles in case of emergency. There was even a small first aid kit, another safety measure Violet insisted upon. Most lycans could shift if they needed to heal an injury. But small children were not always able to shift on command, and pregnant women didn’t chance shifting with a child growing inside them.

Kolya removed his clothes and handed them to Anton. “I’m going to see if those men stayed to see their handiwork,” he said, menace in his tone.

“I’m right behind you,” Anton agreed. He placed the two bags behind a large rock and shifted, letting his wolf come out to hunt.

Kolya was working his way straight up the mountain, using the cover of bushes and boulders to hide. Anton circled to the left, hoping to come up in front of the vehicle if it was still there. As they neared the top, Anton could clearly smell the men’s unwashed bodies and hear as they argued.

“You weren’t supposed to kill them, you idiot. What good are they dead? We were supposed to bring the women in to sell, remember? Gleb is going to take their price out of your hide.”

“Maybe they aren’t dead. We should go down and check the wreckage. Maybe one of them survived. We might still bring him a fine piece of flesh.”

“If they are alive, you’d hear them crying. Women always cry when they are afraid and hurt. Do you hear anything?”

“No, but I’m going to check. It’s not your hide in trouble. Maybe they’re knocked out.”

“Fool, suit yourself. I’ll wait here. If one of them is alive, call me. I’m not going down there and waste my time.”

Anton let the rage he felt at the men’s words fill him until he saw red. These men were after the women? They would die for their audacity. No one hurt a woman of the Volkov Pack and lived to tell of it.

The first man headed down the hill and right into Kolya’s path. Anton felt his wolf’s approval at the small shout and sound of breaking bones, followed by the smell of blood. One down and one to go.

Anton crept up the hill and rose up in front of the Lada-Niva. The second man was sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The door facing the side of the hill was still open. The radio was on, masking the sounds of Kolya taking care of the criminal’s friend.

Anton crept closer, moving from the front of the vehicle to the side. His wolf was ready for the kill. This man was after his mate. He deserved to die. Anton felt his humanity start to question his aims, but buried it deep, letting the primitive instincts of his wolf side surge to the surface. He leapt into the vehicle, his teeth grabbing and crushing the neck of his prey. He shook his head, hearing bones break as blood gushed into his mouth and down his fur. He listened as the gurgle of the man’s last breath left his body.

Anton pulled the carcass from the car and spit it out of his jaws, letting the body lie slumped in the dirt. A small thought started to niggle his brain. Someone needed him. There was someone he needed to protect. His mate . . . Laurel.

The wolf receded, and Anton the man was back in control. He let the change come over him, and he was squatting next to the dead body, panting. He spit the last of the blood from his mouth. These men were evil, he reminded himself. They preyed on the weak. Killing them was a service not only to the pack, but to mankind as well. Shaking his head, Anton searched the body for identification. He found several hundred rubles and the man’s registration card in his pocket.

Anton
?
Kolya? Something is wrong with Laurel. She collapsed after healing me,
Alena sent to them.

Anton rushed down the side of the mountain. What could have happened? He couldn’t lose Laurel now. He had just found her. Without his mate, his life would be long and lonely. He wouldn’t want to live. When he arrived at the bottom of the hill, he reached for Laurel through the mating bond and found her spirit. The little ball of light was weak and growing weaker.

Laurel, Malyshka, don’t leave me,
he sent to her mind.

I’m so tired, Anton. Let me go,
came her weak reply.

“Never. You are my mate, always mine. I will not let you go, Laurel,” Anton said as he gathered her still body into his arms. “Please, Laurel. Come back. Give life with me a chance.”

Anton quickly searched Laurel’s body for a critical wound but could find none. Did she have internal injuries? Was she willing herself to die? This was something he could not allow. He searched her memories and discovered how she had decided that saving Alena’s baby would help her get into heaven. Now, she was trying to let go of her physical body.

“She saved the baby, Kolya,” Alena said, reaching for her mate. “I felt her mend the tear in my womb. The baby rests quietly now, happy and safe in our love.”

“Anton, let us join with you and Laurel,” Kolya suggested. “We will feed her our strength so she can recover hers. Healing must have taken a lot out of her.”

Anton held tight to Laurel’s spirit, surrounding it with his. She would not leave him. He felt Alena and Kolya join their strength to his as he pushed it into Laurel’s weak body. She was still bleeding from the many cuts she had received from the wreck. Anton felt it when she acquiesced and used the strength flooding her body to trigger her healing ability. The wave of pink opalescent light flowed over her, touching each cut and bruise, mending and healing. Finally, she stirred and opened her eyes.

“You should have let me go,” she said.

“Never, Laurel,” Anton replied. “Where you go, I go. Even if that means going into the next life. We are connected at the heart. I cannot live without you. I told you I would protect you from all harm. Must I protect you from yourself as well?”

Tears welled up in Laurel’s blue eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Anton felt her depression coming through the mating bond. He leaned down and kissed her eyes, capturing her tears on his tongue. When she didn’t answer, he made the decision for her. “So be it,” he sighed.

Anton kept a close eye on Laurel as Alena fussed over her. Laurel’s depression worried him. He feared she would once again try to slip away into the afterlife and leave him.

Anton joined Kolya in burying the bodies and cleaning up as best they could before getting dressed. Since the truck had been damaged beyond repair, they decided they would take the black Lada-Niva. The pack village remained a half-day’s drive away. Alena and Laurel would never make the journey comfortably on foot.

Alena seemed to be completely recovered thanks to Laurel’s healing abilities. She coaxed and teased Laurel into eating the half sandwich Anton had put aside for her. Laurel responded to the female companionship with a weak smile. Was that the answer?

Laurel had felt close to her mother, who had been like a best friend. If Alena could befriend Laurel and gain her trust, maybe Laurel would fight to live, instead of wishing to die. Anton remembered her childlike joy as she played in the stream. How could he bring her that same feeling?

Glancing around, Anton noticed wildflowers growing beside the road and picked a bunch. He walked up to the women where they sat in the shade of a tree, and with a flourish and bow, presented himself to them.

“A gift of beauty to a beautiful one, in exchange for a boon,” Anton said with a flourish.

“And what is it you desire, good sir?” Alena said, catching on to the game.

“Only a smile from the one who holds my heart.”

Alena laughed and turned to Laurel. “What say you fair maiden? Does this shabby excuse for a knight deserve a smile from your lips?”

Anton waited for Laurel’s answer with bated breath. Would she join in the fun? Could she find her way back from despair?

“He may appear shabby on the outside. But I have seen him slay dragons,” Laurel said at first weakly, but her voice grew stronger as she went on. “I fear my smile is not a good enough reward for his bravery.”

“Then, what do you think your knight deserves?” Alena said impishly. “Perhaps a kiss in exchange for the lovely flowers he has presented you with?”

“A kiss?” Laurel squeaked as she blushed and buried her face in the flowers.

Anton stood completely transfixed. He fell head over heels in love with Laurel in that moment. Before he had admired her and wanted her. But now she held his heart, and she didn’t even know it. He watched her as she gathered her resolve.

“I guess a kiss would be a good reward,” Laurel replied haughtily. “Here,” she said, holding out her hand to Anton, “you may kiss my hand.”

Anton saw a flash of triumph in Laurel’s eyes. She assumed she had bested him in this game. It seemed important to give her these little conquests. So he took her hand gently.

“My lady is both kind and generous to offer this lowly knight such a prize as to touch his lips to her delicate hand.” Anton noticed a blush of color come into Laurel’s cheeks and knew she was thinking about their first kiss on the mountain this morning.

Anton took his time lowering his head. He kissed and licked each of Laurel’s knuckles, lightly stroking his lips over her skin. A punch of lust hit him. This game affected him, more than he thought possible, with his wolf and the mating bond calling to be completed. The scent of her skin caused him to get semi-hard, the taste of her skin made him fully engorged. Thankfully, his jeans hid the evidence of his desire. He pushed his feelings back and brought her hand to his cheek. Rubbing his face gently against her skin, he wanted his scent on her. Then, he turned her hand over and pressed a kiss to her palm.

“If you’re done playing, we should get back on the road,” Kolya said as he walked over and reached down to help Alena to her feet. “We still have a long drive and hike into the village.”

Anton looked into Laurel’s eyes and saw her glazed look and dilated pupils. She had definitely responded to him. He slowly released her hand. “Are you ready to go,
Malyshka
?”

“I once thought I would follow you anywhere, Anton.”

“And now . . . ”

“Yes, I’m ready to go,” Laurel answered.

Laurel let Anton help her up and guide her toward the path up the mountain. It seemed to make him happy to do little things for her, like he really cared for her. Alena was really nice to her, too. Could she put her trust in them? She wanted to believe they would be good to her. Laurel felt so confused. Before her mother died, she never believed her stepfather would beat her. Did she do something wrong to make him mad at her? What about Anton? Right now he seemed nice and fun. Would he turn into a monster if she did something to make him angry? Laurel didn’t know. She didn’t trust herself to make those judgment calls.

She didn’t want to die, not really. But confusion overwhelmed her. Was the truck wreck her fault? Did her father send those men after her? She saw blood on Anton’s chest. He and Kolya killed those men. But then again, if they hadn’t, they probably would have been killed. Her world had turned into a place of violence, and she probably caused all of it.

Anton led her to the passenger door and waited while she got in the back seat, before climbing in beside her. Alena would ride in the front seat, while Kolya drove.

“It’s not a bad vehicle,” Alena said.

“True, too bad we can’t keep it,” Kolya said. “As soon as we get to the garage and I drop you off, I’ll have to ditch it somewhere. It would be dangerous to keep it and let one of the mafia find out we have it.”

“I’ll suggest to Dmitry that we get a couple of these vehicles for the pack. They are much more comfortable than that old truck,” Alena said. “I think Violet will like them, especially with the babies and their car seats.”

Laurel leaned over and whispered to Anton. “Who is Violet, again?”

“Violet is our sister-in-law and mate to our Alpha, our older brother Dmitry,” Anton answered.

“She is our Alpha female and has earned that title,” Alena added. “Kolya and I are their Betas, or seconds. We help them run the pack. You’ll like her. She is an American like you.”

“How many people are in the pack?” Laurel asked.

“Our numbers are changing as males leave to look for their mates. But I would say we have around sixty or so in residence,” Kolya said.

“Don’t forget the children,” Alena reprimanded. “There are four little boys and our two nieces. But Illarion’s mother Fanya and Vasha’s mother Dasha are both pregnant again, and now so am I. When Dmitry found Violet, it gave the pack hope for a future.”

“Plus, we have a small pack in England now,” Kolya added. “Grigori found his mate while on a trip to London. He is the new Alpha of that pack and plans to settle down there. He discovered several lycans in the area, including some orphaned children. They all live together on his estate.”

Laurel tried to take in all these facts, but processing them seemed impossible. There were werewolves in London, as well as Siberia?

“Not werewolves, Laurel,” Anton chided her. “Lycanthropes or lycans, if you wish. We aren’t monsters or cursed. Our abilities are genetically linked. It is like having blue eyes or brown. Our kind developed alongside regular humans. Some say we are descended from a Goddess, others from a she-wolf who mated with a man. However it happened, we aren’t that different from you.”