Slade's Desire (White River Wolves Series, #2) (14 page)

Jade shook her head as she looked back.  “There is only one person alive in this house, Slade, and it isn’t Titus.”

“What?”

Ignoring him, Jade entered the house and ran swiftly across what looked like the living room.  “All clear!” Slade yelled as he followed.  He made his way down a long hallway, gun drawn and ready. 

“She’s this way,” Jade said quietly, as they entered the kitchen.  “There!”  The doorway to the basement was by the back porch, and soon he and Jade were both through it and running down the stairs.  Before his eyes could adjust to the dark, someone up above flipped on the light switch, and Slade looked around in horror. 

Titus lay dead on one side of the basement, staring sightlessly at them, and appearing as if he had been fried from the inside out.  There were burn marks on the walls, and the ceiling was scorched.  Slade realized that Titus had been what he had smelled outside.  The stench of burnt flesh was overwhelming in the basement.   

Gypsy was on the other side of the room, just inside a crudely made jail cell.  She lay broken and bloody on the ground, appearing as if she too, were dead. 

She could not be gone.  He would know if she was.  He would know!  “No,” he moaned, crossing the floor to her and dropping to his knees.  “Noooo!”  Slade gathered Gypsy in his arms and rocked her back and forth, burying his face in her neck as screams of denial tore from his throat. 

“Fuck me,” Aiden whispered from the bottom of the stairs where he stood in shock.

Everyone watched in silence as Slade held his mate, praying she was alive, but wondering how anyone could live through something like that.  It looked like a battle that no one had won. 

“Slade,” Jade said, gently touching his shoulder.  He shrugged her off and clutched Gypsy tighter to him.  “Slade, stop.  You’re going to hurt her.”

That got his attention.  Hurt her?  She was dead, wasn’t she?  She lay limp in his arms, not moving.  Pulling back, he looked at Jade in desperation.  “She’s alive?” he asked, daring to hope.

“Yes,” Jade promised with a small smile.  “Your mate lives, but we must get her back to Doc Josie quickly.”

With shaky hands, Slade rested two fingers on the side of Gypsy’s neck, relief hitting him when he felt a faint pulse.  She was alive, but Jade was right.  They needed to get her to Doc Josie.  Holding her close, Slade stood, lifting her in his arms.     

“Let’s take her home,” Chase said, clasping a hand on Slade’s shoulder.  Glancing over at Titus, he growled, “Make sure the bastard is dead, and then burn this place to the ground, with him in it.”

T
wenty-four hours later, Slade sat by Gypsy’s bedside, her hand clasped tightly in his.  The doctor had taped up her badly bruised ribs and reset her broken arm.  She said Gypsy also suffered from a mild concussion, and that she would be very uncomfortable for days to come, but she would make a full recovery. 

Sari sat curled up in a chair in the corner, sound asleep.  She had refused to leave her sister’s side since they had been back.  Slade understood, because he had not left either.  He needed to be there when she woke up.  He wanted to be the first thing she saw, so she would know she was safe.

Slade reached out and lightly traced a finger down the side of her badly bruised and battered face.  Gypsy had been through so much in the past year.  She had gone through the unimaginable and survived.  She was strong and courageous, and he was so proud to call her his.  Leaning forward, he whispered softly, “Come back to me, baby.  I need you.”  Resting his head on their hands, he closed his eyes.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat like that before he felt the slight movement against his fingertips.  Raising his head, he whispered Gypsy’s name just as her eyes fluttered open.  Slowly, she looked around the room and then back at him in confusion.  “Slade?”

“I’m here,” he rasped, fighting tears.  “I’m right here, and you’re safe, Gypsy.”  Cupping her cheek in his palm, he bent down to kiss her gently on the lips.  “We’re back at the compound.” 

“Titus?” she asked softly.

“He’s gone, Gypsy.  You never have to worry about him again.”  He expected to see relief in her eyes, but instead saw horror and self-condemnation.  “Gypsy...”

“I killed him,” she whispered raggedly, trying to tug her hand from his.  “I’m a murderer.”

“No,” Slade growled, “you are a
survivor,
Gypsy Layne. A fucking
survivor
, and I am so proud of you.”

Gypsy’s lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears.  “I told myself I would do whatever I had to do to get back to you and Sari.  But, Slade, I took a life!”

Sliding onto the bed beside Gypsy, Slade wrapped her in his arms carefully, holding her close.  He didn’t know what to say to make her feel better.  He would have killed the bastard himself in a heartbeat and saved her the guilt if he could have.  Nuzzling the top of her head with his chin, he rasped, “I was so scared when I found out Titus had taken you.”  When she didn’t respond, he whispered, “I was afraid I would never see you again, never get to hold you and tell you how much you mean to me.”

Gypsy stilled, pulling back slightly to look up at him.  “Me, too.  Did Jade tell you what I told her to?” she asked quietly.

Cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand, he looked her in the eyes as he said, “I wish I could tell you that I would have done things differently over a hundred years ago if I had known you were coming to me someday, Gypsy.  But, I honestly can’t say that.  I loved Sarah, and I was happy with her.  I am grateful for the time we got together.  Losing her and my child was devastating.”

“Oh my God, Slade,” Gypsy gasped, covering his hands with hers.  “I didn’t know you lost a child too.  I am so sorry!”

“I lost them both in childbirth,” he told her roughly.  Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, “I want to tell you I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you, Gypsy, but I will never lie to you.  What I will tell you, though, is that you are the light to my darkness.  You have brightened my world since you came into my life, and you make me feel things that I haven’t felt in a century.  I want to be your mate, in every sense of the word, if you will have me.  I will spend the rest of our lives doing everything in my power to keep you safe and make you happy.”

A tremulous smile crossed Gypsy’s lips, her eyes shining with emotion.  “I want that too, Slade.”

“Good.”  Kissing her softly, he said, “I want to do this right.  I want to have a mating ceremony soon, so that we can pledge our lives together in front of the pack.”

“Okay,” Gypsy agreed softly, “When?”

“Not for a couple of weeks at least,” Doc Josie said from the doorway.  “You need to be stronger to handle the shift.” 

Slade didn’t want to wait, but he knew the doctor was right.  After everything Gypsy had gone through, she needed time to heal.  Then her words sank in.  Why hadn’t he thought about the fact that Gypsy was human?  Going through the change would be hell on her small body. 

“Shift?” Gypsy asked, lying back against the pillow to look at Doc Josie.  “What do you mean?”

“After the mating ceremony takes place, you and Slade will need to consummate the mating and exchange bites.  That’s what will bind you together for all eternity.”  Walking in to stand by the bed, the doctor smiled down at Gypsy.  “Mates are not meant to live apart.  When Slade bites you, you will become like us.  You will have the power to shift into a wolf, and you may live hundreds of years.”

Gypsy’s eyes widened, “Hundreds of years?” she croaked.

Josie laughed, “I think the longest I have ever heard a shifter living was just over five hundred years.  He passed on when his last child was killed around fifty years ago.”  Opening up the chart in her hand, she said, “I’m glad you are awake, Gypsy.  I have some questions that I am hoping you can answer for me.”

Slade felt Gypsy stiffen as she watched the doctor closely, but she nodded, clutching tightly to his hand.  “I think I know what you are going to ask me.”

Raising an eyebrow, Doc Josie questioned mildly, “And your answer is?”

“Magic,” Gypsy said simply.  “I think that is something you can understand.”

After a moment of silence, the doctor shut her chart and nodded thoughtfully.  “Yes, it most definitely is.”  Tapping her finger to her chin, she continued, “With the rapid rate you are healing at right now, I would say a mating ceremony would be fine on the next full moon, which is two and a half weeks from today.  If you want to set the date with the Alpha, Slade, I will let him know that Gypsy will be fine by then.”

Slade looked worriedly at Gypsy, so tiny and fragile in the hospital bed.  “Are you sure she will be strong enough by then?”

“I guarantee it,” Josie said with a wink, laughing as she left the room.

“Slade?” He turned back to Gypsy, his frown still in place.  He knew she was strong, she had proven herself over and over again, but she had been through so much.  He didn’t want to cause her more pain.  “Slade,” she whispered again.  “Please, stop worrying.  I will be fine.  I want to do this.”

Leaning in to give her another soft, sweet kiss, he responded, “I know, sweetheart.  I just...”

Gypsy silenced him with another kiss.  “I am going through with that ceremony.  Besides, you forget one thing.” 

“What?”

“I have magic on my side.”  He could not help returning her smile.  She was so beautiful, even with the bruises marring her delicate skin, and she was his.

Gypsy grasped the blanket covering her, pulling it aside.  Slipping her legs over the side of the bed, she started to rise. 

“What are you doing?”

Her eyes warmed as she reached up to run a hand over his dark hair.  “Going home.”

T
he next couple of weeks flew by for Gypsy.  The days were spent at the hospital with her sister, the nights in Slade’s arms.  However, even though he held her close through the night, he refused to take it any further than kisses and light touching.  He said it was hard enough to wait to claim her, and he was afraid he would not be able to control his wolf once he was deep inside of her.  Slade wanted everything to be perfect, and to him, that meant waiting for the mating ceremony.  So, instead, they spent their nights talking and sharing bits and pieces of their lives with one another.  She told him about her life before her kidnapping, and he told her about Sarah and his struggle after her death.  Each day, Gypsy felt herself falling more and more in love with Slade, but she was still waiting for him to say those three little words to her.  She would wait forever if she had to.  Her love was strong enough for both of them.

Gypsy also spent time with Jade, talking not only about her time in The Dungeon, but also about Titus and the suffering he put her through.  She was finally coming to terms with his death, and her part in it.  She would never forget what she had done, but she was beginning to accept it and move on.

Sari had elected to stay at the hospital for now, even though Slade had offered her the spare bedroom in his apartment.  She said she felt safer in the building surrounded by people she was now getting to know, and she wanted to have Doc Josie and Jade near.

The night of the ceremony was beautiful, the sky full of stars.  The moon was slowly peeking around the clouds, and would be in full view soon.  The White River wolf pack had gathered outside their alpha’s home to witness Slade and Gypsy’s mating.  The only thing missing right now was Slade’s mate.

Clutching the long, silky white gown in her hands, Gypsy ran swiftly up the hospital steps, through the front doors, and down the hall.  Skidding to a stop in front of her sister’s room, she gasped when Sari turned to her, a vision in light blue.  Holding her arms out, Sari asked, “How do I look?”

Smiling, Gypsy crossed the room and hugged her sister to her.  “Like a princess,” she whispered.

Sari giggled, a sound Gypsy had been afraid she would never hear from the girl again.  “You are the princess, Gypsy!  And you need to go marry your prince!”

Stepping back, Gypsy laced her fingers with Sari’s.  “Let’s go.” 

They left the room together, but Gypsy stopped when she heard a noise down at the very end of the hall.  Turning, she saw Jade slip into a room, shutting the door quietly behind her.  Curious, she let go of Sari’s hand and made her way down the hall.  She knew there was a patient in that room, but had never asked who it was. 

Grasping the handle, Gypsy slowly opened the door and looked inside.  A beautiful woman with long, black hair and toffee colored skin lay in the bed, a serene expression on her face.  Jade sat by her side, head bowed.  Not wanting to disturb them, but feeling as if she might somehow be able to help, Gypsy hesitated before stepping inside and letting the door shut behind her.  “Jade?”

A shudder ran through Jade before she responded, “This is Rikki.  She is my mentor, my friend.”  Wiping tears from her eyes, she whispered, “I think she’s dying, Gypsy.  She’s been like this for weeks now, showing no sign of life.  I can’t reach her.  I don’t know what to do.” 

Gypsy’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the woman on the bed.  “What happened to her?”