Aline Hunter - Enemy Mine

“You heard her.” He hugged Mary tighter, wishing he could keep her that close forever. Lifting his head, he looked at Trey.

Once they’d been at each other’s throats, the need to dominate and control running through their veins. Emory had never believed he could reside under his brother’s authority. It was too difficult to restrain his nature, to keep his wolf under control. But not now. His anger had been tempered by love, his beast was finally content with the hand it had been dealt. From this moment forward he could live the life he wanted. He could get to know Trey in the same way he had as a child. He was strong enough not to show his emotion but he knew Mary felt it since she pressed against him.

“We’re not going anywhere,” he finally said, cementing her decision before the pack. “This is our home. We’re not leaving.”

Mary could hear the pride in Emory’s voice. The arms he’d wrapped around her loosened, allowing her to breathe without gasping for air. She remained in a state of shock. When she’d woken alone and gone in search of Emory, she’d been taken aback by all the shifters in the residence. Since she’d told her relatives about the map before the pack could put it to good use, she hadn’t been sure if they were there for her blood or Emory’s. Speaking out before they could harm the man she’d fallen in love with had seemed like a good idea at the time.

She’d never thought her actions would lead to this.

“Mary,” Emory breathed against her ear.

He felt so warm and smelled so wonderful. “Hmm?”

“You need to go back to our room and let me get Doc. Your shoulder’s bleeding.”

It was then that she felt stickiness against her shirt. She pulled away and looked down. Sure enough, the T-shirt had a small, bright red stain. Strangely, her shoulder didn’t hurt as much as she imagined it should. When she shifted, there was a dull ache. No sharp bite, no agonizing burn.

“What about Dara?” She’d been so excited to see the young woman and know she’d played a part in saving her life. Surely they’d have a chance to talk. “She’s come all this way to see me.”

“The pride will need to rest before they leave, and I’m sure they’ll want to visit any relatives who live nearby,” Emory said. “I’ll make sure you see her before she goes.”

Ava appeared and held out her hand. “I’ll go with you. We need to talk.”

While she didn’t want to leave Emory, she didn’t want to stand in front of everyone and bleed all over the place. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in Ava’s. The tiny woman pulled her through the crowd and back to the basement. A conversation resumed upstairs. Mary frowned as voices drifted to her ears. She could make out some of what was said when she focused, able to hear more clearly than she should. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t noticed before.

When they were inside the bedroom downstairs, Ava released Mary’s hand and closed the door.

“You don’t need Doc to heal that, you know,” Ava said, looking Mary in the eye. “If you finalize the bloodbond with Emory, you’ll be as good as new in a few hours.”

“Is that what you wanted to talk about? My bloodbond with Emory?”

“Partially,” Ava confessed. “But mostly I wanted to tell you that what happened isn’t your fault.”

Mary sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ve been reading my mind again, haven’t you?”

“No, but I’ve been in your head. I have a good idea of what you’re thinking. The truth is Diskant fucked up, not you. If anyone should take the blame, it’s him.” When Mary lifted her head, surprised at the declaration, Ava laughed. “He’s not perfect. His pride gets the best of him sometimes. But when he makes a mistake he owns up to it.”

Ava walked to the bed and took up the space beside Mary. “Your family got to you because Diskant honestly believed he could keep his home safe. Kinsley’s been warning him that it’s too dangerous to live inside the city but Diskant wouldn’t listen. Now the hard-ass is all ears. He knows we can’t stay here anymore. He’s accepted it. I just hope you can forgive him for putting you in danger. That wasn’t his intention.”

“You want me to forgive him? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I’m the one who brought my uncle here. This is my fault. Elijah came after me.”

“Don’t forget he came after me and Trey,” Ava quipped. “Your uncle would have come after any of us if given a chance. You can’t take the blame for what other people do. You are not your family.”

Mary’s eyes drifted to Ava’s belly. There was no sign of her condition, but that probably wouldn’t last long. Soon her stomach would swell as the life inside of her grew by leaps and bounds. A lump formed in Mary’s throat. Ava’s pregnancy wouldn’t matter to Shepherds. They’d probably force her to deliver and do all sorts of horrible things to her child if they got a chance.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Mary murmured. “Maybe I shouldn’t stay. It’s not safe for you.” She lifted her head and looked at Ava. “It’s not safe for your baby.”

Another shock—Ava smiled. “Now that is a load of crap.”

Ava rose from the bed, walked to the dresser on the wall and removed something. It wasn’t until she turned that Mary saw the small jewelry box in her hand. It was sturdy, made of a metal of some kind. Ava sat down again and held it out.

“Here, take a look.”

Mary took the box and studied it. The bottom identified the metal as stainless steel. Opening the rounded top with a filigree design, she looked inside. The box was empty, the inside covered with a satiny red material.

“Give it a squeeze,” Ava said. “Feel how solid it is.”

Mary did, unable to do more than compress her fingers around the cool metal. “It’s heavy duty,” she agreed, unsure of what Ava was trying to accomplish.

Ava reached out to take the box and Mary handed it over. As soon as Ava had it in her hand, she flexed her fingers. The metal started shrinking, breaking under the strain of Ava’s tightening fist. Mary’s eyes bulged and her lips parted. She wouldn’t have believed what Ava was doing if she wasn’t seeing it with her own eyes. Ava was demolishing the steel as though it were a marshmallow, taking it from beautiful and shiny to a handful of garbage. When she finished, she tossed the crushed object to the bed.

“I’m not as weak as I look and neither are you. If you bloodbond with Emory, you’d be shocked at what you’re capable of, and it goes beyond strength and longevity.” Ava exhaled softly and said, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m a part of the pack but I’m not one of them. I never will be. There is only one other I know of who’s bloodbonded, but as soon as the pack was attacked she moved away with her mate for safety.”

Ava’s eyes were full of hope when she peered up at Mary. “I know it’s not fair of me to ask but I’m going to because I want the best for the child I’m carrying. I need to know that no matter what happens she’ll be taken care of. That’s why I declared you as her godmother in front of the pack. If you bloodbond with Emory and agree to move with us outside of the city, we’ll have a safe place to call home. We can watch out for her together. She can understand both of the worlds she comes from.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Mary’s mouth. “She?”

“Just a hunch.” Ava touched her abdomen. “I’d like to have a little girl.”

“Have you told Diskant?” God, Mary hoped not. Diskant was possessive and protective enough. The enormous man wouldn’t let a daughter out of his sight.

“Of course not,” Ava huffed in indignation. “I’m saving that bit of information for the right time. Besides, I’d hate to guess early on and change my mind down the road. So keep that between us.”