Outcast (Supernaturals Book 2) (26 page)

I wrapped her in my arms and could tell her body was trembling. “I’m all right,” I said into her hair.

“Danielle said you were, but I wanted to see you for myself. I don’t like all of this. I don’t want you going near that place again. I know all of this is my fault and that those people have the right to leave. I just don’t want you getting hurt while getting them out.”

“Martin is too smart to do anything to us outside of pack territory. Besides, I don’t think we will be going back there any time soon.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you when we get home. I’m tired.”

“Okay, we’ll take a nap, but then you have to tell me what happened.”

Chapter 28 ~ A Surprise Event

~~~Leigh~~~

I was always tired in those days when we stayed with the Sullivans, so I was all for going home and sleeping that morning after the group returned with Dave’s cousin. I scanned the room we had gathered to make sure everyone was in one piece before letting Ryan lead me out of the main hall and over to our cabin. He secured the small building more tightly than he had ever done before, then fell into bed.

He grumbled a bit while I disrobed him. The semi-erection he sported called to me, but I refrained from molesting him and crawled into bed with him after changing back into my sleep clothes.

We slept for four hours and probably would have slept longer if his mother hadn’t brought us brunch. She meant well, and I appreciated the food, but if we ever settled back into the real world, I was going to have to put a stop to her coming over five or ten times a day, calling or texting nearly every hour on the hour, and talking to Ryan and me as if we were children. I knew how to take care of my unborn child, my future husband, and myself, but I could tell that she was going to be one of those mother-in-laws who was going to treat me as if I couldn’t take care of us or who thought that she could train me to treat her son the way she did. That was so not going to happen.

I groaned then shifted to get out of bed at her knock, but Ryan put out his hand to stop me. “I’ll get it. I’m going to have to have another talk with her,” he mumbled and rolled out of bed. Another talk. If he already had one talk with her and she was still doing this, we were in for a long life. I sighed and buried my head in my pillow to get a few more seconds of sleep.

He cracked the door open just wide enough to stick his head out and said, “We were napping.”

“In the middle of the day?” she asked, sounding shocked at our audacity.

“In the middle of the day,” he confirmed. “Now go away. I’m still tired.”

He moved to shut the door, but she said, “I brought you lunch. She didn’t come get you any lunch. I hope you and the baby aren’t starving.”

“We aren’t starving. We would have come down when we got hungry. We are grown people and know how to take care of ourselves.”

“But she’s pregnant,” his mother protested.

“We are both very aware of that fact as we are the ones who created the child.”

“She shouldn’t go so long without…”

“Mother,” he snapped. “Stop. We just had this conversation. We aren’t going to have it again. I know I’m your only child. I know that I’m your baby. I know this is your first grandchild, and you love it dearly. I love you for loving us so much, but I didn’t allow you to be this overbearing when I was a teenager or when I moved out of the house, and I’m definitely not going to allow you to be so now. If we need help, we’ll ask for it. If we have questions, we’ll ask them. Leigh has three siblings. She isn’t clueless when it comes to babies. We aren’t trying to leave you out of anything, but we have to have our own lives. We thank you for the food, but in the future, unless we ask you for something, let us be. I had a long night. All I want to do is rest and relax with my fiancée. We’ll see everyone tonight at dinner, all right?”

I didn’t hear her say anything else as Ryan took the tray from her and shut the door. “Do you want to eat now or sleep,” he asked me as he walked across the room to the table.

“Let’s eat, then nap some more,” I said, reluctantly getting out of bed. “What did she bring?”

“Looks like chicken salad and fruit.”

“Sounds good. I’ll make the sandwiches, you tell me about last night…or, well, this morning.”

“There isn’t that much to tell. Emanuel and Josey’s neighbor saw them leave and followed them. The guards caught her scent and tracked the three of them out of town. Martin was there. Dave showed up and threatened to take over the town. And he thinks there’s something suspicious going on with Rebecca—she’s the neighbor.”

At the words “take over the town,” I nearly dropped Ryan’s sandwich. I just stared at the man in bewilderment. We’d talked about the idea. I knew that it would probably come down to that—or at the very least, it would come down to Dave starting his own pack—but we didn’t think Dave understood any of that yet. He and Daniel got along beautifully, but everyone could see that Dave was an alpha and that our people went to him for guidance, not Daniel, but I was shocked that Dave had said the words aloud and to the Council no less.

“Do you think Dave is willing to do that?” I finally asked. “I have no doubt he’s ready, despite what he thinks, but will he do it?”

“I think he’s come to terms with the fact that there is a real possibility that he will have to. We could eliminate the old Council and eventually start a new one, but for now, I think it is best if we have a single alpha. He’s been spending an awful lot of time with Daniel, seeing how he runs his pack, and Daniel’s been making him deal with any issues that arise with the people from Pine Hollow, not that there have been any actual issues. He is learning from one of the best alphas I’ve heard about. I see him taking charge more and more under Daniel’s guidance. I think he’s ready, and I think he needs to do it soon. The people of Pine Hollow are terrified, if Rebecca’s emotions are true.”

“How will he do it, do you think?”

“I don’t have a clue. We are hoping the Regent will step in and help. Also, he keeps hinting that I’ll be his second in command until his children are old enough to take the position, if he does. How do you feel about that?”

“I’m okay with it as long as we don’t go to war with anyone else once this is done. I’m not one of those women who can handle their husbands going off to war,” I said, not looking at him.

“I think you’re strong enough. Besides, depending on the age of our children, if and when something like that happens, you’ll be going to war with me. We aren’t a sexist pack.”

“I’m well aware of that and would be happy to fight by my husband’s side, you know, if I ever get married.” I took a big bite of my sandwich and tried not to look at him after I said that. I said it as a reminder and as a way of changing the subject. I didn’t want to talk about potential wars.

“Is that a hint, Miss Alexander, that you would like to get married soon?”

“Yes, Mr. Hart, I would. I would love for what is between us to be official sooner rather than later, especially if Dave takes over Pine Hollow and we move there. I don’t want a single woman there to think I’m just a fling or a mistress. I believe in this mating thing. I believe that we are bonded for life, but I want the entire world to know that you are my husband.”

“Then we’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Are you sure?”

“Yep. We’ll get all of the human paperwork in order in the morning and have the ceremony tomorrow afternoon.”

“Don’t you think we should consult the leaders of this pack and our parents first?”

“Nope. You want a small, quick wedding, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then to keep it that way, we can’t give anyone time to plan anything more than that.”

“I see. Do you want to get married so soon?” I hadn’t known I was worried about his answer until I asked the question. We were mated, but that didn’t mean he wanted to rush things. I know he said he wanted to get married as soon as we got here, but he could have only said that in the heat of the moment or to convince me to come here for my safety, not that I needed convincing.

“I would have married you that first night at the hotel before we had ever slept together if I had understood that what I was feeling was our mating and if you had believed me had I explained things to you. You’ve been mine since that night and will be mine forever. We do this when you say we do it. If tomorrow is too soon for you…”

“Tomorrow is perfect,” I said, setting down my sandwich and leaning over to kiss him deeply. When he slipped his hand under my shirt to cup my breast, I pulled away. His frown was pitiful. “Eat now, sex later,” I said, popping the last bite into my mouth before starting to make a second sandwich.

“Is my little girl hungry?” he asked, rubbing my belly.

“I don’t know if she is, but her mommy sure is. I could kiss your mother for bringing this, but if I do, she’ll take that as an okay to continue doing it. I can’t have that.”

He laughed and made himself another sandwich. We ate and talked about the wedding. He assured me that we could follow Dave and Danielle wherever they went. Just because we got married while a part of one pack didn’t mean we were stuck with the pack, which I kind of already knew, but it felt good to have it confirmed.

Once we’d demolished everything on the tray, he turned to look at me with a devilish grin.

“What?” I asked, looking from him, then down at the long t-shirt I wore, thinking I had spilled something on it.

“What do you mean, ‘what?’ You know what.”

“No, I don’t. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What was it you said a few minutes ago?”

“I don’t know. I said a number of things in the last half hour. Help me out a bit. Give me a hint.” Okay, so I knew what he was talking about, but I wanted him to say it. I sat back in the chair, propped my hands on my belly, and looked at him. My look was supposed to be questioning, but I knew my eyes twinkled with playfulness.

“You said, ‘Eat now. Sex later.’ We’ve eaten, so…”

“So you want sex?” I asked in a teasing tone.

“I do, but I think I want a little dessert first,” he said, slipping from his chair. Quickly, he piled our leftovers onto the tray. Turning to me with a big grin plastered on his face once he was done, he gently lifted me out of my chair while simultaneously lifting my sleep shirt up to my hips. He sat me on the edge of the table, then kissed me deeply before moving down my body to settle between my legs. As he parted my legs to open my sex up for him to get a perfect view of it, I gripped the table with all my strength.

“This is my favorite dessert,” he said before leaning in and sliding his tongue between my folds.

I gasped loudly, and he moaned his appreciation for both my reaction and the taste of me. After a few licks, he nibbled playfully at my clit, causing me to look down at him, which is what he wanted. Between already being on the plus side of things and the growing baby, I couldn’t see all of what he was doing, but I could see him looking up at me while he swirled his tongue.

His eyes were no longer human. They glowed a devastatingly bright blue. I didn’t break from his gaze as he devoured me until I came. The onslaught of emotions had me bowing and bucking, my head thrown back to allow a satisfied scream to rock the cabin.

Ryan’s tongue didn’t stop circling me, but I felt him moving and shifting under me, indicating that he was disrobing. Before I could come down from the euphoric state I was floating in, he jerked to his feet and entered me swiftly. The impalement sent another small orgasm rushing through me. As he rocked into me, he leaned down and kissed me.

Gradually, we moved to other places in the cabin, then the bed. We napped again after that until it was time for dinner.

Ryan’s mother started talking quickly the moment the words, “We’re getting married,” spilled from Ryan’s mouth. She had my entire wedding planned before he could shut her up long enough for him to say the rest. My mother looked sad at the news that we wouldn’t be having a large wedding and that the event would be the next afternoon, but she didn’t throw the fit Ryan’s mother threw.

The woman got so upset that she nearly turned into a leopard right there at the dinner table. Ryan’s dad leaned over and whispered something in her ear that didn’t necessarily calm her, but it did stop her transformation. She pouted the rest of the night. I felt a little bad for her and my mother, and I almost changed my mind and the date and size of the wedding. Ryan told me not to. He said that his mother did stuff like that all of the time in an attempt to get her way, which made me harden my resolve. Even so, I felt guilty.

The next day was a bit of a blur. Ryan took care of the paperwork we needed for the wedding and got our rings while I helped decorate the main hall for the festivities and tried on dresses that women from all over the pack brought over for me to look at. The only time most of those women were my size was while pregnant. That was evident in the types of dresses they brought me. I ended up settling for a classic V-neck dress of Abby’s that had flowing gap sleeves and an empire waist. The dress was a little on the plain side, but between my mother, Ryan’s mother, Danielle, Maddie, Abby, and Katelyn, they had it and me all dolled up and looking wonderful by the time the ceremony started.

Ryan and I requested that the wedding vows be simple, so he floored me when he went down on one knee after he said his vows to me to say similar vows to our unborn child and all of our future children. The action turned me on so much that I could have jumped him in front of everyone, but I settled for kissing him repeatedly while Daniel tried to finish the ceremony.

People were crying and laughing, and Sam looked shocked when I threw my small bouquet directly to her as Ryan and I walked back down the aisle hand-in-hand. My mother and what appeared to be half the pack had a huge meal waiting for us when we were done.