Sworn to the Wolf (24 page)

Chapter Eleven

Rain came to with a terrible headache. She opened her eyes slowly and the memory of what happened rushed back.

“She’s awake,” a voice said.

“Good, get out,” another voice answered. One she recognized, and fear slithered down her spine. Anthony Vargas.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest. She saw spots in her vision as she was hauled into an upright position.

“So the little whore is awake now. That’s good, I want you to be awake when I take back what’s mine,” he spat out.

She recognized the signs. He sweated profusely, his eyes were glossy and red-rimmed. He was high, and by the looks of him had been for days. He’d be very dangerous at that point and she had to think carefully on her next steps to keep herself and the baby alive.

“Did you think I’d just let you do whatever you wanted? Did you think I’d just let you humiliate me in front of my family?” He shook her then, so hard her teeth chattered.

She kept quiet. She knew from past experience that when he’d been doing meth he was irrational and easily angered. She had no desire to have any more bones fractured. More importantly, she had her baby to protect. She had to stay calm so she could change and escape. But the other man had a gun and she wanted to be sure she could take Anthony down first before the other man could get off a shot.

“I see he’s knocked you up,” Anthony said through gritted teeth. “You should be carrying
my
kid!” he shouted and slapped her face hard. She thanked her new physiology, it hurt but not nearly as much as it would have if she had been human. Still she tasted blood.

Before he could strike her again the other man came back into the room. “Pietro’s looking for you. He’s been calling your cell and has his guys out on the streets. I just got a call from Paulie and he says Margoles has a do-not-kill order on you. Maybe he’ll spare your life if you let her go.”

Anthony stood, hauling Rain up with him. “She’s coming back with me! There’s no letting her go. She’s my property,” he screamed and punched her hard in the stomach.

The air rushed out of her as she crumpled to the ground and he kicked her over and over, right in the stomach. Through the haze of pain she knew she didn’t have the luxury of waiting. She changed and leaped up, knocking the second man over and ripping out his throat, silencing his screams for mercy.

Rain spun around and yelped as a bullet slammed into her shoulder but she charged Anthony anyway, knocking him down and tearing into his flesh. She didn’t stop, she just kept ripping into him, making sure he’d never terrorize her again.

Finally, after she didn’t know how many minutes, she stopped, collapsing and changing back. Her stomach cramped and she crawled out to the main room. Taking in her surroundings, she realized they were in a hotel room and she continued her crawl to the phone. Pulling it down to the floor, she noted the information panel as she dialed Laurent’s cell.

“Laurent,” she gasped out, the cramps becoming more and more consistent.

“Rain, where are you? Are you all right?”

“No. I don’t think so, no. I’m at the Embassy Suites, room four fifteen. On the water. Oh god, the baby. I’m bleeding,” she cried out when she looked down and saw the blood, the same color as the dress she’d been wearing earlier, on her thighs. “I’ve been shot too.”

“Shot?” Panic tinged his voice. “Baby, hold on. I’m running to get into the car now, Emma is coming with me. Can you call the police?”

“There are two bodies here, I don’t know if I could explain,” she moaned out, holding her stomach and rocking back and forth.

Laurent was losing it. He had to put his head against the dashboard for a few moments to get back in control. Sean looked at him as they took off. “Why don’t I keep on the line with her?”

“No! I’ll do it. I’ve failed her enough.”

Andreas drove hell-bent for leather through the streets of downtown Seattle.

“We’re almost there, baby, another five minutes. Hold on, all right? Keep on the line with me. Rain?”
Silence.
“Rain? Baby?”

Laurent continued to call her name until Andreas pulled into the circular drive at the hotel and skidded to a halt. Emma and Laurent jumped out, followed by Sean and Skye. Andreas went to park and would meet them.

Laurent ran up the stairs three at a time up to the fourth floor. He pounded on the door of room four fifteen. “Rain?” he called into the phone and at the door. “Baby, I’m here, I need to you open the door. Come on, baby, wake up and get to the door.”

He was just about to kick the door down when the lock clicked open and he slowly pushed inside. And nearly lost his mind when he saw what lay there. Rain was lying on the floor at the door, naked, covered head-to-toe in blood. There was a trail of blood on the carpet from the bedroom to the phone table and from the phone table to the door. An inarticulate sound of grief came from deep inside him.

He rushed to her and Emma stepped around him. “Wait, Laurent. Don’t move her just yet. Let me see what’s going on.” She gave him eye contact. “I need you to go grab me some wet towels. Can you do that? I need to see if this is her blood or not.” Sean and Skye busily swept the suite to see if there were any threats and came back out to the living room. Sean laid out a blanket to put over Rain, who’d begun to shiver violently as she lapsed in and out of consciousness.

Andreas came into the room followed by Phillip, Ryan, Devon and Kari, who’d just pulled into the hotel as Andreas had raced inside. Kari fell to her knees and began to speak softly to Rain. She looked down at the blood on Rain’s thighs and held back tears as she caught sight of Laurent coming back with warm, wet towels.

He and Kari helped Emma by cleansing Rain’s body of the blood she had all over her. The bullet had gone straight through her shoulder and the resultant wound had already begun to heal.

The movement woke Rain up and she looked to Emma, panic in her eyes. “Anthony kicked me, he punched me. The baby, is it all right? I’m losing it, aren’t I? He killed my baby, didn’t he?” Rain whispered to Emma, who nodded solemnly. Rain began to cry. “I should have changed sooner. I thought to wait until the gun guy was out of the picture but I waited too long. It’s my fault. Oh Laurent, I killed our baby.”

Laurent pulled her into the shelter of his body, trying to feel absolutely nothing so he could be there for her right then. “Anthony killed our child and you killed him and his thug friend. I should have been watching you closer, had you next to me. It’s not your fault. I failed you,” he said with an anguished voice. Kari squeezed his hand and Phillip held his shoulders.

“We need to get her to the hospital. Let me call Elaine and set it up,” Emma said, sadness thick in her voice.

As she turned to make the call, Skye knelt at Rain’s side. “You killed them both, babe. You’re so strong.” He stroked her hand and looked into Laurent’s eyes. Andreas paced like a madman, barking instructions into his cell phone for others to come and take care of the scene.

Rain passed out again. Emma said, “She’s lost a lot of blood, Laurent. We need to take her to the hospital now, all right? Elaine will be waiting in the ER for us. We need to make sure Rain’s not hemorrhaging. It’s bad enough that the baby is gone, we don’t want to lose her too.”

Laurent stood and picked up Rain, holding her tight to him. He felt nothing. A great, white void in his chest. Nothing but Rain existed at that moment.

Sean tucked the blanket around her snugly. Kari opened the door for her and they all went out the back stairs and loaded into the SUV for the trip to the hospital.

Elaine was waiting for them and took Rain immediately in for an ultrasound. The baby was dead. Laurent was on autopilot, he had to get them both through this mess. He’d deal with the grief later.

“I’m going to do a D&C to be sure that her uterus is all clear. Archer and Emma will be in the room with me. We’ll take her into a room shortly. Why don’t you rest for a bit?” Elaine said gently.

Andreas nodded at her and helped Laurent sit down in between himself and Phillip. Sean paced and Ryan looked sullen and furious. Kari was silent except for the tears tracking down her cheeks as she sat on the floor between Laurent’s knees, resting her head on his calves.

“I failed her,” Laurent whispered.

“No you didn’t, Laurent. You did your best for her and she knows it. You two love each other, you’ll get through this. There’ll be other children, which means exactly nothing right now but later it will,” Phillip said quietly and Andreas nodded, squeezing Laurent’s shoulder.

By the time they wheeled Rain into her own room to recover the entire Pack had gathered in the waiting room, solemn and supportive.

Elaine came out to them. “She’ll be all right. Her gunshot wound is almost completely healed. The D&C will have cleaned out her uterus. It was a son. I’m sorry.” She paused for a moment, swallowing hard. “But Rain’s reproductive system is still healthy. If she’d been human she would have sustained major kidney and liver damage. From the bruises it appears she was kicked repeatedly. Her shoulder was out of joint and she’s got some torn tendons in her shoulder and neck. They’re already healing.”

“Can I see her?”

“Yes, she’ll be regaining consciousness shortly. We gave her some blood, she lost quite a bit,” Elaine said softly.

Laurent let her hug him and he walked past her and up the stairs to the room where they’d moved Rain. He went in and lay beside her on the narrow bed, where he enfolded her into his body, needing to know she was alive.

* * *

The morning sun streamed through the slits in the blinds when Laurent awoke, Rain still in the curve of his body. Sitting up, he looked around and saw that Andreas, Kari, Alek and Phillip were in the room with them. Andreas met his eye.

Rain awoke then, inhaling in a panic and sitting bolt upright. Laurent cupped her cheeks in his hands. “It’s okay, baby, you’re all right. I’m here,” he whispered against her skin and she collapsed into him.

“The baby. Our baby. Gone?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“Oh god. How could this have happened? I was so happy. You were there, my paintings sold, I was dancing on air and then everything that was good ceased to exist.”

“Everything?”

“Well, not everything. You’re still here. Do you hate me?”

“Why would I hate you, Rain? My god, how is it that you don’t hate me? I failed to protect you.”

“He kept ranting about taking back what was his. I killed him, Laurent, and I don’t feel bad. God, I’m a killer. I should have changed earlier. If I had our baby would be alive. Kari would have known what to do.”

Sean walked over and put his forehead to hers. “No, don’t what-if yourself, Rain. You did what you had to to survive and you tried to save your baby. You said the other man had a gun and obviously, given the gunshot wound you sustained, Vargas had one too. You were right to think it out and hold back until you thought you were safer. You’re alive and you have no idea how happy that makes me, how happy it makes all of us.”

“Oh, honey, when this is all over we’re going to have a history lesson about all the mistakes I’ve made since I became a wolf.” Kari came forward to squeeze Rain’s hand, to comfort her and it worked. “Don’t waste guilt on Vargas or his accomplice. They got what they deserved. You were so strong, Rain. Vargas was the coward for kicking you like that. He’s the one who killed the baby. You saved yourself and I’m sorry we weren’t there in time to save your pregnancy but there will be other pregnancies. I promise you,” Kari said.

“I wish everyone would stop talking about it like the child I lost can be replaced like a light bulb!” Rain yelled out, fists balled up. Laurent pulled her to him tightly, tears streaming down his face at her anguish.

Kari reached out to caress Rain’s face. “I’m sorry. I can’t even begin to understand the pain you’re feeling. My babies are home, alive and well. It was insensitive of us to keep on telling you there would be more children. We didn’t mean to hurt you or to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, of course it is. I’m your friend and your Alpha, I love you like a sister and I’m here for you,” she said and kissed her cheek and Rain rubbed her face along Kari’s jawline and then allowed Kari to hug her.

“Am I going to prison?”

Andreas laughed, a rueful sound, and stepped forward, taking her hand. “No, love. The scene is cleaned up. No one will miss human trash like them. Carey handled the police and your father’s people dealt with the rest. He’s asked you to call your mother, at home, when you feel up to it. In the meantime you will come back home where you belong and let us, your family by choice, take care of you and Laurent. Let us love you, Rain.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and stood back.

“We’d like to be alone for a while please,” Laurent whispered, not taking his eyes from Rain’s.

“Of course. Elaine said Rain can go home today and Emma will take care of her until she’s better. I’m pretty good at grief counseling so please come to me when you’re ready,” Sean said and, together with the others, left the room.

Rain sank back down to the bed, lying within the shelter of Laurent’s arms, staring up at the ceiling tiles. Feeling dead. Laurent lay on his side, propped up on his arm, looking at her. She sighed. “I can’t believe it’s gone. Our baby. Do you know, was it a boy or a girl?”

“Elaine said he was a boy.”

“I was thinking of Sebastian, after your father, if it was a boy,” she said, feeling like she was wrapped in cotton.

“That would have been nice,” Laurent murmured. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’d never leave you without a fight. You’re stuck with me forever.”

“Oh thank god.” He chuckled and sat up. “Let’s go home, baby. We’ll get you back and in bed and I’ll pamper you until you’re better.”

“When will that be? Laurent, when will it feel better? Twenty-four hours ago I was full of life, last night I felt him moving inside of me and now I am so empty. When will I feel okay again?”

“I don’t know. Let’s help each other through this, okay?”

She licked her lips. “You don’t have to be Superman every moment of the day. You’re hurting too. I can see it. Let it go. Let me be strong for you for a change,” she whispered.