Sophie's Seduction (7 page)

"Will she be able to function with one kidney?" Cade asked concerned.

Dr. Clemmons nodded.  "She would be able to get along fine with one kidney, but we are working hard to make sure she doesn't have to.  It's going to be touch and go for the next twenty-four hours."

"Can we see her?" Jackson asked.

"The nurses are getting her settled, then I will let you in to see her.  I am keeping her in a comatose state with a ventilator until the morning to give her body time to heal." The doctor looked at both men.  "I cleared out all the debris brought in by the stick, but infection is still our worst enemy here.  We will know more in the morning."

Jackson and Cade shook the doctor's hand and thanked him for everything
.  They waited until the nurse came for them to go and see Sophie.  They sat by her bedside all night, one on each side, they each kept their hand on her thighs.  They were the only place on her that didn't have wires coming out.  They had called Phoenix at the ranch and filled him in on what they had found.  Phoenix was sending some of the guys out to help them since they had obviously found a nest of Hunters.  Jasmine had gotten on the phone and asked them hundreds of questions about Sophie.  They had answered them all and then Jasmine had started crying on the phone. 

They heard Gabe talking softly to her as Phoenix came back on
.  "She will be okay.  Just keep us update with Sophie's condition.  I know Jasmine wants to come out there, but I don't think it's safe."

"
Agreed," Jackson said.  "It isn't safe.  As soon as Sophie is ready to travel, we will be bringing her back to the ranch."

"Stay alert
.  The guys should be there by morning.  I will have Dominik contact you as soon as they land," Phoenix informed him.

"Okay
.  Thanks, Phoenix," Jackson said on a sigh of exhaustion.

Phoenix heard it and said, "Take shifts
.  Try to rest some, you are going to need it."

They hung up and Jackson looked at Cade
.  He saw the anguish in his eyes that mirrored his own.  Waiting was not something either of them did well, but it was something they would have to do.  Their mate's life was in a limbo state while her body tried to heal itself.  They could only pray she would make a full recovery and not lose her kidney or get an infection.  The nurses had tried to get them to go back to the hotel, but both men had told them they would be staying. 

Jackson
had spoken to the doctor and had gotten permission for them to stay with her for the duration.  Through the night they sat by Sophie and watched her in her induced sleep, both keeping watch.  Around five in the morning, one of the nurses commented that Sophie was doing surprisingly better.  The doctor came in and he too was surprised at how well she was recovering.  She seemed to be healing faster than what they had thought she would.  Jackson and Cade exchanged looks of confusion, wondering what was going on.

Jackson received a call from Dominik at
six in the morning, telling him they had arrived and were heading to the hospital.  When the men arrived, Cade opted to stay with Sophie while Jackson met the men outside in the courtyard of the hospital.  He saw Dominik, Marco, Trent, and Christian, four of the top enforcers for Otherkin, waiting on him.  He approached them and shook hands with them all.

"How is she?" Dominik asked as they shook hands in greeting.

"She is holding her own.  They are surprised at how well she is doing.  She is healing almost like Otherkin," Jackson said thoughtfully.

Dominik frowned and Marco asked, "You have not yet mated her?"

Jackson shook his head, the regret showing in his eyes.  "We were trying to go slow with her.  She needed this time to find out what she could about her and Jasmine's past."

"What have you found out?" Trent asked
.  He always seemed laid back but now he seemed serious, almost as serious as Dominik always was.

"Not much
.  She had been shopping on Bourbon and then she vanished.  We were searching for her and then she called us to say someone had taken her, but she had escaped," Jackson said as he filled them in.

"Go on
," Dominik said, eager to begin working, he didn't do well sitting idle.

Jackson sighed, frustrated and tired beyond reason
.  He was also filled with anger at whoever took Sophie and chased her into the woods where she was injured.  "She said a woman had helped her hide and would help her get to us.  We set up to meet on the highway away from the Hunters’ area." Jackson showed them the map they had gotten from their contact and picture of the tattoo.  "This is definitely their mark, they have it between their thumb and forefinger on their left hand.  This area here is where we know them to be located and this is where we met up with Sophie."

Dominik, being the leader, nodded and then said, "We are going to go scout out the area
.  We will be back in a couple of hours.  Phoenix made arrangements for the entire floor you are on at the hotel to be ours so it is secured."

Jackson acknowledged with a nod
.  "You also need to be cautious in their territory.  Cade mentioned to me last night there seemed to be some sort of invisible line he couldn't cross while he was flying out there.  He said it felt like a wall and he couldn't get past it."

"You concentrate on Sophie and we will go take a look
.  Back in touch in two hours," Dominik told him.

"We do have a friendly out there
.  Her name is Rochelle.  Sophie said she is their cousin.  I don't have any more details than that, but she helped Sophie escape.  She's tall and trim, long blonde hair down to her ass.  She also has the mark.  I don't know what it all means yet, but I know Sophie would want her safe." Jackson pulled out the map.  "Her house has to be somewhere around here.  Keep her safe if it's warranted.  Here's her contact info."

The men agreed then left in another SUV while Jackson headed back inside the hospital
.  When he entered Sophie's room, he immediately placed his hand on her thigh.  He needed the contact with her.  He knew there had been no change or Cade would have contacted him through their link. 

'
They are all still baffled by how well she is doing
,' Cade informed him after a moment.

'
Have they said any more than that
?' Jackson asked.

Cade shook his head and ran a hand through his
hair, which was normally disheveled, but looked ragged and shaggy.  He looked once more at Jackson and knew he was feeling the same feelings.  They were both concerned for Sophie and worried over her 'faster than normal' recovery.  What did it all mean? They needed answers, but they would have to wait until she woke.

A little while later, Dr
. Clemmons came in and said, "We think she is okay to take off the ventilator and wake her up.  She has no infection whatsoever and her kidney seems to be healing itself."

"How long until she will be conscious?" Cade asked
. 

"It shouldn't be too long
, but we want to bring her awake slowly.  No matter how fast she seems to be healing, her body has still been through a trauma," the doctor answered. 

"Thank you
, doctor, for all you have done for her," Jackson said.

"We do what we can
, but this little lady is special.  It is amazing how fast she is recovering." The doctor shook both their hands and then left to give instructions to the nurses. 

The nurse came in with the doctor a few minutes later and they removed the breathing tube from Sophie
.  The doctor checked her vitals and then seemed satisfied, nodded at the men and left again.  Cade and Jackson resumed their vigilance, hoping for some sign that Sophie would wake soon. 

****

Sophie came awake slowly, hearing the machines beep and she frowned a little as she thought she heard light snoring.  She slowly lifted her eyelids and then squinted at the harsh light on above her head.  She turned her head to her right and saw Cade asleep with his head on her thigh, he was obviously the one snoring.  When she turned her head to the left, her eyes collided with the ice blue of Jackson's and she felt her breath seize in her lungs at the emotion she saw in them. 

She smiled at him to let him know she was okay and he leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips
.  His large hand came up to cup her cheek as he said quietly, "How do you feel?"

She swallowed and realized her throat was so dry
.  He must have seen something in her face because the next thing she knew, he was threading a straw into her mouth.  She took a few sips and then he took the water away.

"I'm okay
.  Sore but okay," Sophie said, her voice sounding scratchy. 

The moment she spoke, Cade woke and moved up beside her in a flash
.  "Baby, you are awake.  How do you feel?" He smoothed her hair back from her forehead and kissed it.

"I'm okay
," she said again.  "You guys are the ones that look rough."

Jackson and Cade chuckled as they took in their disheveled state
.  "Neither one of us wanted to leave you.  We were worried, baby," Cade told her.

Jackson rang for the nurse and Cade helped her sit up a little in the bed
.  When the nurse came in and saw she was awake, she went to call for Dr. Clemmons.  He arrived shortly after and was amazed at how well Sophie was doing.  He even commented on how coherent she was considering the medication she was given.  After giving her the onceover, he pronounced her on the mend and left with the promise that if she kept up her recovery, she would be able to go in a couple of days.

When the doctor left, both men looked at her
.  They were as confused as her doctor over her amazing recovery but she had an idea.  "I think I know why I am doing so well," she said so softly that both men had to lean in to hear her.

"Why is that, honey?" Jackson asked her.

Sophie looked nervous as she looked between the two of them.  "Maybe it's because I am half Otherkin," she said, chewing on her lower lip.

Both men sat down beside her, stunned
.  "What? How do you know that, Soph?" Cade asked her.

"Rochelle told me
," Sophie told them almost all that Rochelle had known about her family and then she started to cry.

Cade took her in his arms and rocked her
.  "Why are you crying, baby?"

Sophie sniffled
.  "Because, if it's all true then I can't be your mate, can I?"

Jackson frowned
.  "Why not, honey?"

"I may be half Otherkin, but I'm half Hunter too."

Dominik stepped from the SUV and surveyed the map again
.  The others gathered around him and he said, "This looks like the best point of entry.  We need to go in stealth and I want us to check on this cousin.  She helped Sophie at great danger to herself and it is our duty to make sure she is okay."

The others nodded and they spread out, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious
.  Dominik took the form of a buzzard, although his favorite form was an eagle.  An eagle would be noticed in the area so he stuck to what was more common.  He began a grid pattern search from the air and immediately spotted the ranch house from afar where he was sure the cousin lived.  He sent the coordinates to Marco who was on the ground in wolf form and saw him begin to head in the direction.

As Dominik made a turn to head that way also, the air began to feel thicker and he felt like he couldn't breathe
.  He pulled back from that area and realized it was a barrier, like the one Cade had found. 

'
Marco, you feeling anything from where you are
?' Dominik sent.

'
I just hit like a wall.  Had to change to human again to get through it.  What is it
?' Marco said.

'
Don't know yet.  It has to be the same thing Cade encountered.  Be careful,
' Dominik warned.

'
Who me?'

'
Yeah,
' Marco sent back, chuckling.

Dominik
then communicated with Trent and Christian, warning them of the barrier.  They sent back that they hadn't encountered it yet and would go forward with caution.  Dominik then headed to where he knew Marco was and changed back to human form.  He caught up to him quickly and they began to head in to where they knew the cousin was supposed to be located. 

As they approached the homestead, they heard men's angry voices yelling and then they heard a woman scream
.  They came up behind a barn-like structure and peered around to see what was going on.  They saw five men spread out throughout the backyard, two of them were holding a woman between them.  One man, who seemed to be the ringleader, had an older man kneeling on the ground with a gun pointed at his head. 

"Where is she, Rochelle?
This is the last time I'm gonna ask," the leader yelled at the woman.

"I don't know
.  If she was here, I didn't see her." Rochelle sobbed.  "Please, Bo, don't hurt my dad."

"It's okay
, baby, don't worry.  You are going to be fine.  Mother Eileen said so," the older man on his knees, obviously her father, said to her.

The leader, known as Bo, spit on the ground and said, "Mother Eileen
.  She don't know shit.  I'm gonna count to three, Rochelle, then he dies."

"NO!"
Rochelle tried to get away from her captors, but they were too strong, pulling her back away from her father.

"One..." Bo started counting.

Dominik looked around for anything they could use to help them since they couldn't change forms.  They didn't bring weapons with them as they couldn't carry them in animal form.  He saw Marco was doing the same thing.  Although both men were well trained in hand to hand combat, the men in the yard had weapons and it was a foregone conclusion they would die trying to get to them.

"Two..."

"I don't know where she is...please..." Rochelle begged. 

"It's okay
, baby, I love you," her father said just before there was a loud explosion from the gun. 

"Three...ah well
," Bo said as Rochelle's father fell to the ground dead.

Rochelle screamed and screamed, falling to the ground sobbing
.  The two men holding her let her go and she crumpled, crawling to her father's body.  She laid her body over it and sobbed.  Bo walked over to her and grabbed her by her hair, yanking her head back so hard she cried out as he made her look at him.

"
Where is she?" Bo growled in her face.

"Some men took her, down to the bayou
.  That's all I know." Rochelle sobbed as Bo let her go and she fell onto her father's body.

Bo turned to the other men
.  "Toby, you and Greg are coming with me.  Bobby and Jim, you stay here in case we discover she is lying." He turned to Rochelle.  "You better not be lying, Rochelle, or you will be lying beside your no good father."

Bo and two of his men headed toward a truck parked to the side of the house and tore off out of the driveway
.  The other two men that stayed behind grabbed Rochelle and jerked her into the house, leaving her father's body lying on the ground outside.

Dominik had contacted Trent and Christian to join him and Marco at Rochelle's house, they came up just as the men took Rochelle inside
.  Dominik knew they didn't have a lot of time before the others came back when they discovered Sophie wasn't where Rochelle said she would be.  He knew then that Rochelle's life would be forfeit just as her father's and he couldn't let that happen.  He turned to the other men with him and they began to make a plan.

****

Sophie jerked awake, her gaze searching the room she was in for her men.  She felt a squeeze on the hand that didn't have an IV in it and looked into Cade's warm eyes. 

"You okay, baby?" h
e asked, his voice sounding gravely.

"I am now
.  Just a bad dream." She looked around the room and frowned.  "Where is Jackson?"

"He went down to get us some coffee
.  He should be back in a few minutes." Cade stood and leaned over to kiss her forehead.  "Do you need anything? Are you in pain?"

Sophie did a quick internal check and realized she felt pretty good
.  As a child, she had never had any broken bones and if she got a scrape, it usually healed fairly quickly.  She knew now from Jackson and Cade that it was because of her Otherkin side.  They were known to heal faster than normal humans.  She felt really good considering all she had been through recently. 

"I feel pretty good
.  No pain." She smiled at Cade and then began to scoot over in her bed.

"What are you doing?
Are you uncomfortable?" Cade asked with worry in his voice. 

Sophie shook her head
.  "No, I want you to come lay down with me." When Cade opened his mouth with what she knew was a protest, she said, "Please."

Cade knew he couldn't resist her when she was giving him that look
.  He loved her eyes, they were so expressive.  He smiled at her and said, "Okay, but just for a little while."

He helped her scoot over and then climbed in beside her
.  He was grateful they had come in earlier and removed most of the machines so Sophie only had an IV line.  He gently tucked her into his side and sighed with relief at being able to hold his woman.  For the first time in his life, he had been truly scared.  Scared that he would lose the best thing in his life and scared he wouldn't be able to tell her how much he loved her.  She was his world.  His and Jackson's world and they would move heaven and earth to keep her safe from now on. 

Sophie laid her head on his chest and he began to lightly rub her back in small circles
.  Soon her breathing evened out and he knew she had fallen back asleep.  He was glad, the more she slept, the faster she would heal.  When she was healed, they would take her home and wrap her in bubble wrap.  He smiled at the vision that brought up and knew their little spitfire would never allow them to do that to her.  He closed his eyes and drifted off, thinking of juicy ways to keep her tied to their bed, where she would definitely be safe.

That was how Jackson found them a while later, cuddled together on the small hospital bed, asleep
.  He smiled knowing their little mate was obviously getting better and happy to know his friend was finally sleeping. 
At least one of them was
, he thought ruefully as he settled down in his chair to drink his coffee, relaxing for the first time in a long time.