They clung to one another, taking their time, discovering all the little things about each other. What touch elicited what response. What brought the most pleasure. Ticklish spots and erogenous zones. They whispered endearments and made promises that would last a lifetime. Deep into the night, he held her, wrapping her in his strength. She tried to give some of hers back to him.
“Are we staying here?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“In Oklahoma. Here.”
“I didn’t plan to leave Tah or the pride. This is where Murphy is. Is there…did you want to leave?”
“No,” she assured him. “I just found my brother again. I’d like to get to know him and his mate. Then there’s Gabriel and Daniel. They’re like brothers to me, and I think Daniel’s going to need a friend.”
Finn nodded. “So you’ve forgiven Logan?”
“Gabriel said something that really hit home. He asked me if, when I shoved everything else away, I was happy to see Logan. I realized I was. Listening to all of you talk about how he wrote to me, how he searched. He’s no more to blame for things than I am.”
“I’m glad you realized that. We need family.”
“What about your sister?”
“Murphy and I have people watching over her. If the chance arises for them to get her out, they will. Until then, all we can do is watch and wait.”
“Is she married? Children?”
“No. She’s refused every offer, and for some reason, our father has allowed it.”
They lay in silence for a long while after that, and she wondered if he’d fallen asleep.”
“What are you holding back?” he whispered, his breath blowing across the top of her head where she rested it on his chest. “I feel it, but I have no idea what it is. It’s hurting you. I want you to know you can tell me when you’re ready.”
“I thought you were dead,” she rasped. “Nothing mattered to me anymore, and I took risks that were stupid. Gabriel pulled my ass out of the kettle more than he should have. He’d yell and order me to stay put here then he’d leave and I’d be off again. I’m the reason he left Kenzie behind. I’d gotten myself in trouble so deep, I wasn’t sure even he’d be able to save me. I almost died.” She turned her head to look up at him. “I wanted to. Now, I’m glad I survived.”
“Where were you?”
“I was intercepted by a group of hunters on my way back from a rescue. I was careless, or maybe, I just didn’t care anymore. In my mind, you were gone, and life didn’t really hold much happiness for me.”
“Laura,” Finn said and hugged her tighter. “Promise me you won’t do that again. If something were to happen to me, I need to know you’ll hang on. Murphy will need you. Logan will need you. What if we have children?”
She bit her lip. “They did something to me while I was in that lab.”
“What?”
“They opened me up. I’m not sure exactly what they did, but they taunted me, saying they’d managed to sterilize this one. That’s what I was to them.
This one
.” She lifted her gaze, blurry with tears, and met his. “I might not be able to have children, Finn, and I have no one to blame for that but myself.”
“Shh,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. As long as I have you, it doesn’t matter. You do have someone to blame. We both do. The ones who did this to you. Have you been checked since you’ve been back? To see exactly what was done?”
“There was no reason before. It didn’t matter.”
“It does matter. I want to make sure you’re okay, baby. They could have done anything to you if they had you opened up. We need to find out.”
“I’ll see Dr. Jensen in the morning.”
“I’d like Gideon involved, as well.”
“Any particular reason why?” she asked.
“He’s been held captive in the labs run by hunters. He might have a better idea what they’re capable of.”
“I didn’t realize that,” she said.
“It all came out in Colorado when he brought Ariel and Griffin to us.”
“Griffin? He’s the shifter who practically lives in the labs?”
Finn nodded. “Gideon’s plan was to leave them with us, get them settled and move on. Then he met Vic and everything changed.”
“Mates have a way of doing that,” she admitted with a smile.
“They do,” he agreed. “Gideon told us about the things he and Clara’s Uncle Thomas did. Her father, Michael, did, too, before he died. They spent time in several labs. Thomas had a plan to get captured and somehow manage recon while they were inside. They’d find out how the labs work, what drugs they were testing and escape with as much information as they could get.”
“How could he know they’d be able to escape? Have you ever been in one of those labs, Finn? They’re highly guarded. There’s no easy route out.”
“How did Gabriel manage to get you out?”
“He had…” She stopped and sat up. “Oh, my God! He had a connection. A plant inside the lab who was willing to get information out to him and help him get in to get me. Thomas must have had the same.”
“If he did, Gideon wasn’t aware of it,” Finn said. “Otherwise, he would have told us.”
“I find Thomas more and more fascinating the more I learn about him,” Laura admitted. Her mind spun, going back to when she was in that last lab. She’d been drugged most of the time and didn’t recall much of what had happened during the time she’d been held. She remembered the pain she’d been in when Gabriel had gotten her out. The wound on her stomach where they’d kept her open so they could continually go in and do whatever they’d done.
“Whatever they did, we’ll deal with it. Together,” Finn swore.
“Something about that lab keeps nagging at my mind,” she told him. “I can’t put my finger on it. It’s there, but I can’t access it.”
“Just relax,” Finn urged. “When the time’s right, you’ll remember. Any other huge revelations you haven’t shared with me?”
“No. You know about my parents, my brother, how Gabriel found me, and now this. That hits all the major points. What about you? Anything more I should know about you?”
“My connection to Murphy. A twin sister very few people know about. There was the whole ‘taken by a group of hunters’ thing, but you were there for the end of that. I acted out a lot when Murph and I were first sent here, and I almost went to jail a few times. Minor things. Fights mostly. I had a bit of chip on my shoulder; felt like it was my brother and me against the world.”
“Now?”
Finn nodded. “There are times I still feel like I’m against the world, but I have a whole pride at my side this time.”
“You have a mate at your side now,” she reminded him.
“As do you,” he told her.
“I prefer you a different way,” she murmured as she sat up, slipping her legs so she was astride his hips. One slide of her palm and his cock went from half-mast to fully engorged.
He groaned and thrust up against her. “How’s that?”
She lifted onto her knees, positioned him at her opening then slid down his length.
“Inside me,” she said with a moan. “Deep, deep inside me.”
Chapter Twelve
Finn stayed at Laura’s side while they walked toward the lab. While she’d dressed this morning, he’d called Gideon to tell him what was going on. Gideon had said he’d meet them there, and Finn felt Laura’s anxiety growing the closer they got.
“It’ll be okay,” he tried to assure her.
She nodded. “I know it will. I’m just nervous. Imagining what they might have done is one thing. Knowing is something entirely different. What did you do?” Laura asked as the building came into view. Gabriel, Daniel and Logan stood in front of it.
“I might have given Gideon a head’s up,” Finn said. “This,” he pointed at the three men who turned and started toward them, “I’d blame this on my brother. Three-way channel, remember?”
“No, I didn’t remember,” she admitted with a groan. “I’m going to murder Murphy. Where the hell is he?”
Conveniently shutting Finn out at the moment. Before Finn could say anything to his mate, the others had joined them.
“Why didn’t you tell me what they did?”Gabriel demanded when they reached them.
Finn put his arm around Laura. “She isn’t sure what they did. That’s why we’re here.”
“Jesus!” Gabriel said. “I dragged you around with me instead of getting you to help.”
“You had a mate to get to,” Laura reminded him. “You’d waited long enough to go to her, and that was my fault. Besides, there was nothing that could have been done at that point. Whatever they did was already done.”
“Laura, I’m so sorry,” Daniel said. “I should have gone with you or followed you.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” she said. “And you really need to stop saying your sorry all the time. Really.”
Daniel gave Laura a confused look.
“We’ll talk later,” Finn said to Daniel as she moved forward toward Logan.
“Are you okay?” her brother asked her.
“That should be my question,” she replied.
“Clara’s inside with Gideon. I came out here as soon as I found out you were heading here and why.”
“Is he going to give her blood to you?” Finn asked.
“That’s the idea,” Logan said. “I’ll be placed in a controlled environment with Clara close by. In fact, I believe it’s the room you were in.”
Finn snorted. “Appropriate.”
“I hope it works,” Laura said.
“My mate’s looking forward to running with me if my beast manages to emerge. I have to admit I’m curious to meet my animal.”
“You’re a leopard,” Laura said. “Snow leopard to be more precise.”
“I bet you’re beautiful in your fur. Better than my memory of the first time I saw you,” Finn said. “I haven’t had the chance to see the animal in you since we mated.”
“Oh, yes, you have,” she purred, making Finn flush, and both Daniel and Gabriel clear their throats. Finn was pretty sure Logan was trying to hide a laugh behind his sudden bout of coughing. Laura didn’t even try to hide her snicker.
“TMI?” she asked with an unrepentant grin.
“We should head in,” Finn said instead of answering, pressing his hand against the small of her back.
“Wait, you’re not all going with me,” she said when Gabriel, Daniel and Logan moved to do just that.
“I have to go in anyway,” Logan said, moving ahead of them and grabbing the door.
“I’m not leaving,” Gabriel said. “Not until I know you’re okay.”
“Same,” Daniel agreed.
“I appreciate the gesture, but I’m okay. Whatever was done is done. And as soon as I know what that is, I’ll let you both know. Promise.”
“Find Murphy,” Finn suggested. “I think he’s looking for you, Daniel. Something he wants to talk to you about.”
“He’s inside,” Logan offered. “He was talking to Ariel.”
Finn saw Daniel flinch, saw the haunted look in the other man’s eyes. He hadn’t noticed before, but Daniel was hurting. The man had the control of steel if he could hold back his beast from pushing the mating with Ariel. Finn wasn’t sure how Daniel managed it, but his respect for the man grew by leaps and bounds.
“Tell him I’ll be at the house,” Daniel said. “I’ll check in with Tah on a few things while I wait to hear what you find out.” He tugged Laura into his arms and hugged her.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Finn said. “We’ll meet you in Tah’s office when we’re done here.”
“We’ll see you there,” Gabriel said, dropping a kiss on Laura’s head.
“Ready?” Finn asked, and Laura nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it.
“When are they going to try the blood therapy on you?” she asked Logan.
“Blood therapy?” Logan said.
“Isn’t that basically what it is?”
“She’s right,” Finn agreed.
“I told him to wait until they found out about you,” Logan said. “Clara and I want to be with you. I… I’d like to be with you this time.”
Finn understood how Logan felt. There was so much he’d missed out on where his sister was concerned. Moments he’d never get back. Moments he wished he’d been there for. It was the same for Murphy. They understood all too well just how Logan felt.
Let him be there for you,
Finn encouraged her through the link they shared.
He needs this.
She nodded and held her other hand out to Logan. “I’d like for you to be there.”
Logan took it, and the three of them went inside together. Murphy stood with Ariel and Gideon but turned as soon as they entered.
“Well, I think I’ll head out now,” Murphy said. “Sure you don’t want to go on that walk with me, Ariel?”
The other woman shook her head. “I’ll pass, but thank you.”
“I’ll see you later then. I need someone to run into town with me. I’ve got a million things I’ve been putting off.”
“I don’t think—”
“Please, lass. You’ll be helping me out. You can’t mean to send me all by myself.”
Ariel laughed as Finn knew his brother had meant for her to. “Fine, I’ll go with you. I could use a few things myself.”
“It’s a date then. We’ll grab some dinner while we’re there.” Murph made a production of planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek that had them all laughing while she groaned and wiped at it.
“I’ll see you both later,” Murphy said as he headed out of the room.
“I’ll go find Diane,” Ariel said and headed in the other direction.
“Diane?” Laura questioned.
“Dr. Jensen left last night,” Gideon said. “He said he needed to start rounds and check on a few patients while there was still time. Diane is getting close to full term. We sent Griffin with him. To help.”
Finn knew better. They’d sent Griffin to keep an eye on the doctor and find out the places he went.
“I’ll go ahead and get started if you’re ready,” Gideon said, indicating a table.
“What are you planning to do?” Finn asked, feeling a tremble run through Laura.
“Ultrasound first.” Gideon turned his attention to Laura. “I’ll take a look at your ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes. Make sure everything is intact. We’ll go from there.”
“Okay,” Laura said. “What do you need me to do?”
“Have a seat on the table, and we’ll lift your shirt up and pull your pants down just enough that I can get to your abdomen.”
“He’s become an expert at it,” Diane said as she entered the room with Clara and Ariel. Her belly was huge, making her look as if she were ready to give birth at any minute. “He’s been sworn to secrecy, but he’s given me a few ultrasounds to make sure everything is good with me.” She placed both her palms on her belly and rubbed slow circles.