‘Lives or dies...dies...dies.’ He shook his head, trying to dislodge the heart-stopping thought as a wave of icy fear encased him.
Chapter 40
Kane threw the phone onto his desk in disgust.
“What’s wrong? That was Ryne, wasn’t it?” Helen’s face was pale and there was a noticeable tremor in her hands as she pushed her hair back from her face. Like all the remaining pack members, her nerves were strung as taut as a fiddle string. She sat in a wing-back chair near the window, having chosen to spend her final hours with her Alpha.
“Yeah, that was Ryne.”
“He didn’t say—” She obviously couldn’t finish the question, but Kane knew exactly what she meant. It was the question on everyone’s mind. Was today the day they died?
“No. He said to hold off.”
“Thank goodness.” Her shoulders slumped and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes.
“He didn’t say it was over, Helen. He just said to hold off.”
“No explanation why?” Helen straightened, her expression curious.
“No. And then he hung up on me!” Kane stood up and began to prowl around the room. “I don’t know what it means. Is the crisis over? Has he eliminated the threat or is there still a chance—?” He compressed his lips and ran his hands through his hair. “Dammit. I’m tired of sitting here on edge waiting for news. I have men and women all over our territory waiting for my orders. I can feel their fear, their mental pain...and I don’t know what to say.”
“But at least it wasn’t bad news...” Helen clasped her hands tightly. “If he said to hold off then there’s still a chance that everything will work out. It’s a positive thing.”
Kane growled, but conceded the point. “You’re right. Sorry. My nerves are shot.”
“And I’m sure Ryne’s are too. This hasn’t been easy for him, Kane, knowing that it was his picture that caused all this. He must feel horribly guilty. And if that girl—Melody—is possibly his mate, then he’s been fighting every instinct he has—”
“Yeah. I know.” Kane sighed heavily and sat down again. “Patience isn’t always my strong suit.”
“Consider this training for when you’re a father. Then you’ll need all the patience in the world.”
Kane gave the briefest of chuckles, before picking up a picture of Elise that he had taken just days ago. She was wearing a loose white dress and her arms cradled the slight swell of her belly. He gently ran his finger over the picture, then set it aside. Picking up the vial of deadly poison that all the remaining pack had been issued, he twirled the blood coloured liquid within, watching as it flowed and shifted. “Yeah. Someday when I’m a father...”
*****
The shopping mall loomed ahead and Ryne forced himself to slow down, entering the driveway at a reasonable pace. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he waited in a long line of cars. Finally it was his turn at the gate. He collected his ticket from the attendant, and headed for the basement level. As the cool darkness of the cement structure closed around them, he listened intently for any change in Melody’s breathing. Was it deeper? More natural? He hoped so.
It was a multi-storey garage with a steep, winding ramp leading from level to level. Ryne concentrated on manoeuvring the twisting incline with as much speed as possible. The air grew progressively cooler as they descended and artificial lighting glowed overhead.
Finally reaching the lowest level, he drove to a poorly lit corner and parked behind a pillar, thankful that Aldrich’s black car would be relatively unnoticed in the gloom. He didn’t want anyone coming by to see what was going on.
Turning off the engine, he twisted in his seat and checked Melody. Her eyes were shut, her dark lashes fanned out over the pale shadowed skin below. She seemed more stable and when he touched her hand there was certain solidity or constancy of form; no shimmers distorted the air around her. Her muscles weren’t spasming. Slowly he unclenched his jaw. His plan seemed to be working.
Brushing his hand over her cheek, he noted that her skin was cool to the touch and her breathing was deep and even. No doubt exhausted from the strain, she had fallen asleep. He pressed a tender kiss on her forehead and then took a moment to lean his head back and thank the Lord that she’d managed to hold on.
It had been touch and go, but tonight was probably the worst. By tomorrow the moon would already be waning. With Melody one day farther into her change and the lunar effects ebbing, it should be easier for her to withstand the transformation.
Closing his eyes, he ran through all the things he still needed to do. Calling Kane, of course, was paramount. The whole pack was waiting his report. He wished he could give them a definitive answer, but the truth was he still needed to check that Melody didn’t have another copy of that report stashed away. Then he had to retrieve her laptop from the public locker where he’d stashed it. And of course, there was Aldrich. The man had been near death when he’d scooped up Melody and left. Surely no one would have arrived in time to save the bastard.