Heart of a Rocky (16 page)

With that, Lykil took Ronan and Trent to the Rocky compound, leaving Tyson and the others to escort the victims back to his cabin where they’d debrief and go their separate ways to begin the healing process.

LYKIL RETURNED
as they
ushered the last of the surviving victims into the SUVs. Of the twelve they’d found, three were so unstable, so damaged, that Lykil had to take them away. His intent, though unspoken, was to usher them into death, to give them the only kindness they’d been denied in their young lives.

They deserved better than death, but in their suffering, death was the best that anyone could do to end their undeserved misery.

“May they ever find peace,” Linda said, tears brimming her eyes.

Two of the irreparably scarred Lycans had been her people. The last had been a Shiriki. Luke appeared likewise broken by the impending death of one of his people.

Tyson led them in a short prayer before he motioned to the vehicles.

Lykil destroyed the compound just as it became a blot on the horizon of Tyson’s rearview mirror.

When they arrived at the cabin, everyone quickly agreed to come together to decide on some protocols for the future before Torin made sure that everyone made it home safely with their people in tow.

Healing was something that would take longer for some than it would others.

When everyone was gone, Tyson stared at the three sedated females now stretched across his bed. The idea of them remaining too long began grating on him.

“We’ll be gone when the sedatives wear off.”

He turned around to find Harmony staring at her sisters.

If she felt compassionate at all for the plight of her sisters, the emotion was buried behind a mask of detachment. In some ways, she seemed to regard them with the same burdensome reproach that he had.

“I have someone coming tomorrow for them.”

“For us and we don’t need your help, Asim. I already told you that.” She started to turn and leave, but paused. “Thank you for getting them out alive. I heard not everyone was able to be saved.”

“Yes, we had casualties. Lycans who couldn’t be saved.”

“May Gardas be kinder to them in their eternity than their lives here.”

He nodded and followed her into the living room. “You’re staying until a friend of mine arrives. She should be here in the morning.”

“We don’t need your help.”

“I’m not asking.”

“Why is it so hard for you to step aside? We don’t need your help now. When it counted, you weren’t there to be counted on, so leave us alone. We can protect ourselves. At least we now know how to fight.”

“You think things are going back to normal? Not happening. I’m reconvening with the others to configure a new structure to keep this from happening in the future.”

“Congrats. That doesn’t mean I want or need you interfering in my life.”

“It’s not about you or what you want anymore.”

He gawked at his hand as it made the involuntary trip to her midsection and rubbed at Harmony’s still flat stomach.

* * *

“What in the ever-living hell are you doing?” She jerked away. “When I say
we
don’t need you, I am including the burden you don’t want a part of as well. The last thing this kid needs is two dysfunctional parents. She has less need of a father who hates kids.” She jumped up from the sofa. “Don’t touch me like that again.”

Harmony almost felt bad for her reaction to him touching her stomach. She’d caught the baffled look on his face as he did it. He didn’t know what he was doing or why he’d done it any more than she did.

“The point is the same. This isn’t just about your safety. And regardless of what type of interaction I have with our kid, I won’t allow something of mine out in the world without making some effort to protect it.”

“Ugh. So this is what it takes for you to embrace your role? Aren’t I the lucky one? Fuck my life.”

“Dramatic much?” He motioned to the sofa. “Sit.”

“Why?”

“Because civilized people can sit and have a conversation.”

“Since when are you civilized?”

“Wasn’t talking about me.”

She laughed and sat at the other end of the sofa where he couldn’t touch her. “Better, Asim?”

“Marginally. Tomorrow I’m expecting a female. She’s Alpha and a Rocky. Her name is Tiana. She can’t stand most males and is one of the few I’m looking to take over a region.”

“Why would she listen to you?”

“Meaning?”

“She hates most males. I’m assuming she can take you in a fight; why would she listen to you?”

Tyson laughed. “I didn’t shift until I was twenty-four. She shifted when she was twenty. If she does ‘take me,’ it will be when she catches me off-guard. Besides, she hates whining, so she wouldn’t bother leading the Hafiz. Convincing her to take over a region is going to be a hard sell.”

“So she’s worse than you in the give a shit category?”

“Yes and no.”

“Fucking great. Save me from my betters.”

He snorted and motioned back to his bedroom. “You should get some rest.”

“I told you I’m not going to sleep until I can trust my safety.”

“You doubt my ability to keep you safe?”

“I doubt that you give a damn enough to try.”

He nodded. “Fine. I’m going to sleep. Keep watch.”

She gaped at him as he reclined on the sofa as if to sleep. “Are you fucking serious?”

He arched a brow but didn’t open his eyes. “What?”

“You can’t sleep and protect us.”

“You don’t need me. You told me that more than once.”

She huffed and relaxed on the sofa, watching as his features smoothed out and sleep claimed him.

Harmony wondered if she could smother him, if he was even aware of his surroundings to know what was happening. She grabbed one of his throw pillows and rose slowly from the sofa. A soft click sounded near her leg as she leaned over him.

“Try it and I shoot you.”

“You’d kill a pregnant female?”

“Leg wound won’t kill you.”

He hadn’t opened his eyes to look at her, and his face was still appeared as if he was asleep.

Harmony tossed the pillow onto the sofa and stepped away from him. He lowered the weapon, reengaging the safety before he returned his sleek .45 to the holster at his waist.

“Are you done?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Then sit the fuck down. Watch a movie, read a book, or go to sleep. Today has been long enough as it is.”

She grimaced at his bookcase. Lackluster was the only word to describe his selection. The movies he had were even worse. One variation of an action movie after another. Sleep was her last option, and she wasn’t going to take the chance despite Tyson’s level of competency at keeping himself aware.

She sat silently at the far end of the sofa, thinking about nothing in particular when he let out a heavy sigh and rose from the sofa.

“What?”

He looked down at her and cocked his head toward his room. “One of your sisters is awake.”

“No, they aren’t.”

A scream sliced through the silence and was quickly followed by a crash.

“Stay here.” He pulled a syringe from a bag on the end table. “Don’t get cute.”

She frowned. “What?”

“I know what you’re thinking, Harm. Don’t try and drug me. It won’t work, but it will piss me the fuck off.”

He stalked off to the room and opened the door. Harmony stayed where she was as she heard a soft yelp of pain.

“I offer you no harm, female. I am Asim Tyson. My hands are only on you now to keep you from causing yourself pain. Okay?”

A whimper of ascent drifted from the room.

“I’m going to sedate you. You need rest to fully utilize Ire’s blessing.”

Harmony missed her sister’s whispered response, but Tyson’s response carried clearly out to her.

“Being selfish, little one. Go ahead and get back in bed. No one will attack you here.”

“Really?” her sister replied.

“If they do, they have to go through me. I will not stand aside as anyone storms my house.”

Her sister seemed content with that answer, because Harmony heard the soft rustle of sheets and the gentle sound of the mattress adjusting to her sister’s weight. Tyson’s heavy footsteps moved around the room, stopping briefly before he made his way out of the room and back into the front room, closing the door after him.

“Is she okay?”

“No. She’ll never be okay. None of you will.”

He replied bluntly without any signs of guilt, which would have made him marginally more likable on her part. That would have been asking too much of Tyson. She should know that, but some sick part of her kept hoping he would change into something less abrasive.

“Come on. I’m sure you have some inane questions to ask that will keep me awake for the next four hours.”

She huffed and stomped back to her place on the sofa. “I don’t have anything to ask you.”

“Okay.”

He sat, folding his muscular frame onto the sofa right next to her. He said nothing, as if he knew she’d cave.

“Geez, could you get any closer?

He let his eyes trail her over, a glimmer of lewd intent evident in his eyes as they came to a rest at the juncture of her thighs. “See. Inane question. Worse. You know the answer to it already.”

Her cheeks flushed, but she returned to silence.

“Your sister seems gentle now, but it won’t last.”

Harmony looked up at him, but his gaze was far off, as if remembering something less than pleasant.

“Once she’s no longer drugged, the nightmares will start. She may become violent or she can grow depressed. Pretty much all of you are likely to have PTSD.”

“That sounds like a human thing.”

“True, but you haven’t been under the normal Lycan stresses. We are used to be hunted by the Hunters to the point we’ve gone numb to the idea of being killed merely for existing. What you’ve endured isn’t normal, and you’ll find out soon enough just how things are different.”

“Aren’t you the pessimistic one?” She tried to make a joke out of it, but it fell flat judging by the glare he flicked in her direction. “You don’t have to be so bleak about our future. I get it. I’m in for a shit time with my sisters. What else is new? We weren’t exactly close before my brother vanished.”

Tyson’s brow furrowed. “Do you have any idea what happened to him?”

She shrugged. “I told you what I know. He went missing shortly before we were kidnapped.”

Tyson shifted away from her, but only nodded.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit,” she said turning to fully face him. “I may not be a Rocky but something just occurred to you. What?”

“I was multi-tasking in my thoughts. I have a lot of stuff to do.” He rose from the sofa and disappeared only to return with a notebook and pen. “I have to reorganize the Hafiz, and I was playing with some ideas.”

“So you didn’t hear what I said about my brother?”

“He’s AWOL. I’ll look for him.”

His tone lacked all inflection, but she could tell something was up. Mainly because of Tyson’s sudden interest in organizing the Hafiz. She was a lot of things, but a fucking idiot wasn’t one of them.

TYSON KNELT DOWN
and
tied his boot, catching the silvery glint of a button on the area rug beneath his kitchen table. He paused, thinking back to the day Harmony left with her sisters to live Talia.

The sisters had departed without pause. It had only been Harmony who seemed to linger a little longer—though not by much—behind her sisters. She seemed hesitant to move on, as if they needed to discuss anything beyond his command to send him notice and a picture when their child was born.

That had been more than eight months ago, and he knew that she was due any day, but he still had lot of work to do when it came to reorganizing the Hafiz Nation.

Though he had yet to face his cowardly challenger, Tyson had made the effort to reorganize the Hafiz into something resembling the power structure of the Alesers.

In order to allow his people the freedom that they were accustomed to, but also create a system of accountability, he doubled the setup the Alesers used. In total, more than thirty people reported to him directly. Those in the position of Admeri—admiral—were responsible for all of those within a hundred miles of each other.

Tyson had been the one to personally vet each Hafiz for their position, choosing the best alpha male and females within the nation. To be sure they could hold their own in a fight, he’d pitted them against himself as well as other Rockys. He hadn’t expected any of them to win, but in order to be granted the position, they needed to at least get close to pinning their opponent.

“Asim,” one of the many females currently invading his cabin called. “Can you come here for a minute?”

He stalked to the kitchen, stopping short when he spotted Tiana among those gathered.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“We have a problem.”

He growled a dismissal to the rest of the women. They could have their inane discussion about the improvements they wanted to make once he left for good.

“What?”

“The oldest sister, Carol, is volatile and she’s only gotten worse the longer she’s been there.”

“You left them unguarded to tell me that in person?”

“First, they aren’t unguarded. Trent and Stacy are with them. Second, I came because I need to show you this.”

She handed him a stack of pictures and postcards, careful to keep them face down as if she didn’t want to see them. Tyson frowned when she stripped out of her shirt revealing a pink jagged line that ran mere inches away from her spine before it curved sharply to the left.

“I’ve had to keep Harmony under strict protection orders. Her sister seems to take particular pride in going after the Asim’s bitch and bastard.” She held up her hands. “Her words, not mine. I had to knock her out and put her in a makeshift cell until Trent arrived with one he’d been taking to someone else. I needed it more. I’m lucky he was in the area.”

“And Stacy?”

She rolled her eyes. “Trent’s backup and a general pain in my ass. Anyway, I know you are headed to New York, but if you could swing by afterwards, that would be awesome. I think the baby will be here by then.”

He made a face, which she laughed at. “Think you can handle it for three days?”

“Yeah. The cage will piss her off more and trigger memories, but I had Torin get me some meds to sedate her. Lykil won’t kill her. Claims it isn’t his job to put down the crazies.”

Tyson held back his rising irritation at the god’s lack of tact. “I’ll do it. I have to settle a fucking dispute, and then I’ll be there.”

“Better you than me,” she said as she slipped her head back in the hole. “Alright, I’m headed back. I’m sure the women aren’t too fond of the males in their presence.”

Tyson nodded and turned his attention to the photos. He hadn’t bothered looking at them, but his blood ran cold when he started sifting through them.

“Who the fuck sent these?”

“I don’t know, Asim. I found them in the mailbox. My mail-person is a human woman. I don’t let the females open their own mail for their protection.”

“Go. I’m leaving for New York now.”

He stuck the photos and the postcards in his duffel bag, making his way outside past the chirping females discussing the benefits of a greenhouse over a regular garden.

“The keys are on the table. Burn it down and start from scratch for all I care. The deed will be in the mail next week.”

He climbed in his truck and sped away, his mind wrapped around gruesome pictures of Harmony’s blue-gray eyes as she stared directly into the camera. Her soulless eyes were much like her malnourished body, lacking of everything that mattered. His thoughts grew darker as he sped to the airport. She’d been treated worse than the pets of sociopaths, and he planned to rectify that to the best of his abilities.

* * *

Tiana had promised she’d only be gone a day, but as the sun set and the stars twinkled in the sky, Harmony started losing more hope that their personal guard would make it back before she was forced to leave the relative safety of the compound. At the moment, it was the least safe place for her in the universe. The male who had haunted her dreams and stalked her reality in the past was currently invading her space again.

“There you are.”

Her former master’s voice crawled to her like the slow moving shadows of the setting sun. Her back stiffened, but she wouldn’t turn to face him. She didn’t need him to see the terror on her face before she could hide it.

“Nothing to say, Harmony? Shame.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. “Did you get my pictures?”

She frowned when she glanced over at him. He kept his voice low as if he were afraid of being overheard.

“I take your confusion as a no. How about my postcards?” He shook his head when she just stared at him. “Stupid bitch probably hid them from you.” He shrugged. “No worries. Here.” He held out his hand. A crisp, white envelope was in his grasp.

Harmony didn’t reach out to take it. Anything he had to offer her was more likely to cause harm than bring peace.

“Take it now,” he hissed.

She reached out, trying to calm her shaking hands, and took the envelope. She wanted to burn it without looking at it, but he pressed his chest against her back, wrapping his arms around her so that she couldn’t move. He opened the envelope a crack and let her see what it contained.

Harmony fought harder to get away, but her overly pregnant stomach hindered her.

“Remember these when you think you’ve escaped me, Harmony. I’ll be back soon for you and the baby. I think fatherhood will suit me.”

Bile rose in her throat. She didn’t get to calm her nerves enough to stop the rising current before he shoved her away and into the corner of Tiana’s desk.

Her stomach caught the bulk of the impact, and she cried out at the same time she vomited.

He stepped over her, grabbing the photos on his way from the office.

“I’ll just place these under your pillow. Sweet dreams, female. No one gets away from me. You’ll learn that soon enough.”

Harmony coughed up more of the food she’d managed to eat before the edges of her vision started darkening. Nothing good would come if she was unconscious, so she pushed back the darkness by breathing through the pain in her stomach. Her calming breaths eased the pain and helped her in her efforts to stay awake.

She rubbed at her stomach in an effort to illicit a reaction from her unborn. Nothing came.

“Come on, little one. We have a lot to do. Be strong for me, okay?”

Harmony still felt no movement from her child. She cursed and tried to roll over, but a cramp forced her to stop.

Footsteps came down the hallway in her direction. Three pair. She tried to scoot farther behind the desk, but couldn’t drag her weight.

“Harmony?” Tiana called. “Dammit, Harmony, what happened?”

Behind Tiana stood Trent, but behind him, giving her a daring glare was her former master.

“I tripped.” She glanced down at the long skirt she wore, one that could easily get tangled in her legs. “The skirt is too long.”

Tiana looked down at the skirt and nodded. “How bad does it hurt?”

“The baby hasn’t moved. I hit my stomach, and the baby hasn’t moved.”

“Trent, see if you can get Torin to get Ronan out here.” She huffed. “We really need more doctors.”

The boy nodded and went to contact their Battle Hermod. Her former master stood there unmoving until Tiana barked an order at him.

“I am not one of your subservients, Tiana. Do not—”

His answer was choked off by a dagger to his throat. Harmony stared open-mouthed at Tiana. She hadn’t even seen the female flinch, let alone throw the blade.

“I wasn’t asking. If you are in my house, you are under my command. If you can’t be bothered to help, get the fuck out.”

He was pulling the blade out when Ronan rounded the corner, Torin and Trent followed closely behind. Torin laughed as he watched her former master slowly pull the blade from his throat.

Trent regarded the situation with razor-sharp awareness, but said nothing.

“We’ve met before, but in case you forgot, my name is Ronan. I need to check you to see if you’ve started labor, okay?”

Harmony nodded and tried to relax as the Tala male donned a pair of gloves and lifted her skirt.

His exam was quick and respectful. For a Rocky, an Order known for their aggressive natures, he was surprisingly gentle with his hands.

He looked up at her as he removed his gloves and adjusted her skirt. “You aren’t in labor, but I want to take you to my pack’s infirmary. I think it would be better for the baby if we go ahead and take your little one out.”

She caught a faint smile out of the corner of her eye. Taking the baby early would require surgery. A clenching started in her stomach as she realized that she would be vulnerable while the epidural made her immobile.

Part of her knew that it was an irrational reaction. The only time she’d seen Ronan was when he came to assist in the rescue mission. Nothing about him said he could be a monster like her former master.

Ronan—having focused his attention to Torin—returned his scrutinizing eyes back to her.

“Nothing will happen to you, Harmony. My brother and I will perform the surgery. By the time we are done, Tyson will arrive to ensure you make it back here.”

She relaxed some, and he seemed satisfied enough as her heart rate calmed to pick up the phone and call his Mikko and ask to have the operating room prepped for surgery.

Harmony stopped focusing on the conversation. Her baby had started to move upon hearing Tyson’s name.

Just what she needed. A kid excited to see a father who didn’t want to be a father.