The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three) (10 page)

Chapter 8

Nila laid Jack in the play pen in the master
bedroom at Malachi’s house. He hadn’t woken up when they’d taken
him from Acksel’s house, or when she’d changed him into his footy
pajamas and put him to bed. She looked down at him, and then around
the room, sighing. The room was very masculine and smelled spicy
and dark like Malachi. The furniture was dark wood, the navy
carpeting plush under her bare feet. Her emotions were all over the
place, her mind a riot of all the things that had happened
recently.

Malachi had one of the omegas pack another
bag for her and Jack, because when the protectors had gone to
Diane’s house to check on things, they’d found the bag she packed
for herself and Jack destroyed, the clothes and personal items
ruined. Two protectors were stationed at her house to make sure
nothing else happened. She probably could have argued to go home.
The windows had been replaced, the entire house cleaned, and
everything that had been damaged had been thrown away. But she
didn’t want to go home. She didn’t want to be in a place where
Damien could get to her and Jack again.

Malachi whispered from the doorway, “It’s
late and I’m going to turn in. I’ll be sleeping on the couch in the
family room. Call if you need me.”

She turned and looked at him. He smiled
briefly and moved to leave, and she said, “Wait.”

“Yeah?”

She blinked, glancing down as Jack slept
soundly in the play pen that had been brought from her house, and
then letting her gaze roam to the big bed. “Will you stay with
me?”

“I’m not leaving the house,” he said, his
head tilting in confusion.

She grimaced. “No, I mean in here. With
me.”

The silence between them made her fidget and
kind of wish she hadn’t said anything. Wasn’t it enough that he was
in the house with them? Shouldn’t she just be grateful for all
Malachi had done?

He moved so quickly and silently that she
gasped in surprise when he was suddenly in front of her. “You have
a very expressive face.”

“Um, thanks?”

He chuckled. “I wasn’t saying no to the
request, I was just arguing with my wolf a bit.”

“You talk about him like he’s another person
inside you.”

“He is, in a way, but not a person. I have
normal human thoughts, but then sometimes the more wild part of me
makes itself known. The wolf can be very vocal about certain
things.”

“What things?” Her voice came out
breathy.

“You, mostly. Being around you makes him
antsy.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant by that,
because she could see the answer in his eyes. Before she could say
anything else, he said, “I’ll sleep in the bed with you, Nila, but
you have to promise to keep your hands to yourself.”

She rolled her eyes. “I think I can control
myself.”

He grinned, that adorable dimple showing, and
walked into the adjoining bathroom. She heard the water running in
the sink and took the opportunity to change into the sleep shirt
that was tucked into her bag. She was staring into the bag when
Malachi came into the room.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“Who packed my stuff?”

“Jeremiah, why?”

“He touched my things.”

He looked confused. “And? Since your other
bag was trashed, I asked him to pack you a new bag with a few days
of clothes. Did he forget something you need?”

“No, it’s just weird that a stranger went
through my drawers.” She lifted up a black lace thong. “He only
grabbed my sexy undies.”

Malachi chuckled. “He might be a
non
but he’s still a man.”

“What’s a
non
?”

“A full wolf who can’t shift. Do you want me
to beat him up for touching your sexy things? I really don’t mind
that he packed that kind of stuff.”

She snorted. “I bet you don’t.”

After cleaning up in the bathroom, she joined
Malachi on the big bed. She didn’t even have time to wonder if he
wanted to cuddle with her, because as soon as she climbed onto the
bed he hauled her up next to him and covered them with a blanket. A
click sounded and the table lamp next to the bed was turned
off.

The room was bathed in darkness, but a sliver
of light from the hallway was showing through the cracked door.
Malachi curved himself around her back, letting her use his bicep
as a pillow. He was naked save for a pair of boxer briefs, and she
felt the ridge of his arousal against her back.

She moved to turn onto her back to see him,
but he prevented it. “If you turn around, sweetheart, then things
are going to get sexy really quickly. It’s better if we just sleep,
especially since we’re not alone in the room at the moment.”

Her cheeks heated. “Fine,” she said, finding
the humor of the situation, “be all noble and keep your hands to
yourself.”

His warm lips found her neck and he nipped
her gently before kissing the mark. “It’s only because I don’t want
to wake Jack when I make you scream in pleasure, okay? Don’t think
I don’t want you, because I do. I want to make you come a hundred
times, taste you, touch you, make love to you.”

A shiver raced down her spine and her nipples
beaded. “Malachi,” she whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. We’ll
pick this up another time, when we’re not in the same room with
your son.”

She closed her eyes and tried to quell the
desire that rushed through her. It wasn’t hard when he pointed out
that Jack was right there, sleeping soundly in the play pen. Thank
goodness Malachi was thinking clearly enough for the both of
them.

“Goodnight, Mal.”

He kissed her neck again and murmured
goodnight. It didn’t take long for her to drift off to sleep. In
her last bit of wakefulness, she wondered at her feelings for the
protective male. She’d been so intent on keeping him away from her
and Jack, but here she was just a few weeks after meeting him,
letting him hold her while they slept and taking refuge in his
home. She didn’t know what the dawn would bring, but she wasn’t as
worried about it as she would have been if she were alone. Malachi
was taking care of her, and she had no doubt that he would continue
to do so. There was something very honest and real about him. He
wasn’t trying to charm her or lull her into complacency. He was
just a good guy, right down to the very center of his being.

She wanted to tell him that she was sorry for
being such a bitch, but when she opened her mouth she yawned
instead and decided to tell him in the morning. Relaxing in his
arms, she absorbed the warmth and comfort of him and slipped away
into sleep.

* * * * *

Monday morning, Kammie opened the front door
and smiled at Malachi as he wheeled an older human woman up the
makeshift ramp to Kammie’s front porch. “Good morning, I’m Kammie,”
she said, smiling at the woman.

The woman’s face was black and blue from a
severe beating, and her left arm and right ankle were in casts.

“I’m Diane. Thanks for taking me in.” The
woman smiled in spite of the bruises and cuts on her face, and
Kammie smiled back. Kammie knew what it felt like to be beaten by a
wolf, and according to Malachi, Diane had been attacked by several
of them because she’d harbored Nila, Malachi’s human mate, who had
a crazy wolf ex.

Malachi introduced Nila to Kammie as Jeremiah
took over, pushing Diane into the front room. Earlier that day,
Jeremiah and Adam, both omegas, had brought over a hospital bed and
a suitcase of Diane’s things, and oversaw a human male from
Malachi’s security company as he installed a system in her home to
make sure they were well protected. Kammie’s home was going to be
watched over by the protectors to make sure that Nila’s ex didn’t
try to harm either of them. Kammie had suffered enough at the hands
of her uncle during her teen years to know that she wanted to help
keep Diane safe. At least Kammie had the ability to heal faster
because of her wolf nature, and she was stronger than a human and
could shift and escape if she needed to.

Nila came up the ramp swiftly and hugged
Kammie. “Thank you so much. Diane is the only family I have left
outside of my son.”

Malachi cleared his throat noisily and Nila
looked at him with a raised brow. “We’re not official yet, I
haven’t said yes.”

He hummed in his throat and Kammie had the
distinct feeling that if she hadn’t been there, Malachi would have
enjoyed making Nila say ‘yes’ to whatever question she was
referring to. Probably to mate with him. Kammie smiled at Nila and
said, “I’ll take good care of her. Come by anytime. Malachi has my
cell and house phone numbers, and I’ll report to him if anything is
up.”

“She’ll be safe here with the patrols, Nila,”
Malachi said. “Go say goodbye so I can take you to work. We can
stop by after dinner and you can spend time with her if you’d
like.” Nila smiled again and left Kammie on the porch.

Kammie wrapped her thick sweater tightly
around herself as Malachi turned to her. “There are three
protectors patrolling your home. They’ll be in six-hour shifts, but
there will always be three guys here. If anything looks off at all
to you, call me immediately. I don’t care what time it is. It’s
important to me that you and Diane are safe.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome. Thank
you
.”

She nodded at the big male and turned and
headed into the house. Diane had been settled into the hospital bed
that was tucked into the corner of the family room. Nila was
sitting on the edge and holding Diane’s uninjured hand. Both of
them had tears on their faces. Kammie stepped into her bedroom and
brought out a box of tissues, handing it to Nila discreetly. Then
she went into the kitchen and busied herself with breakfast.

Nila stopped into the kitchen to say goodbye,
leaving with the omegas and Malachi. Kammie carried a lap tray to
Diane. “Your meds say you need to take them with food. I wasn’t
sure what you liked, so I stocked the kitchen with all sorts of
things.”

Diane looked at the tray, laden with
scrambled eggs, pancakes, apple juice, and bottled water.

“Oh, it’s perfect. I haven’t had anyone cook
for me in ages; I’m always the one cooking for everyone.” She
lifted the fork in her right hand and said, “Thank goodness those
assholes didn’t break my right arm, or I’d have to learn how to do
everything left-handed.”

“It’s good to find the humor in these
situations,” Kammie said.

Diane swallowed a bite of pancakes as Kammie
opened the water for her. “Sounds like you know something about
being knocked around.”

“Yeah. But he’s gone and won’t be back.”

“How do you know?”

“He was banished. If he shows up in town,
Acksel will kill him.”

Diane raised a brow. “I think I like your
alpha.”

Kammie brought out her own food and sat with
Diane, and then after the dishes were put away, she walked into the
family room to ask Diane if she’d like to watch TV and found her
trying to open a new package of cards.

“Can you shuffle? I’m out of commission but
I’d love to play some UNO, if you’re up for a few games.”

“I’d love to.”

Sitting on the bed, she made herself
comfortable and shuffled while Diane moved the lap tray until it
was between the two of them.

“I might be a bit of a card shark,” Diane
said with a wink.

“I’ll watch out for you, then,” Kammie said,
chuckling as she dealt out the cards. She could tell she was going
to enjoy Diane living with her. As a human, Diane wouldn’t pressure
Kammie like some of the she-wolves did, demanding that she make
herself available to work for them. Even though all females were
omegas, some of the females thought they were better than others,
as if service to the pack was beneath them. Those females, who
treated Kammie like a second-class citizen and saw her as too weak
to be of any real value, ordered Kammie to cook and clean for them,
threatening to tell the alphas she wasn’t performing her duties.
Kammie spent a lot of time hiding from the pack during the full
moon hunts because her body was scarred from her uncle’s abuse. She
liked letting her guard down with the sweet human. It was nice to
be appreciated without feeling obligated.

Kammie tried to focus on the cards, but she
found her mind wandering to something Jeremiah had said to her
earlier in the day.

“I’m thinking of going, you know?” he said,
after he’d brought in the hospital bed.

She had looked up at him in surprise.

“Leaving? What do you mean?”

He’d shrugged his broad shoulders and looked
away from her. “It’s hard to be on the bottom. At least you like
being an omega; I’m forced to it because of my genetics.”

“Where would you go?” She didn’t mind being
an omega. She liked to help, and that’s what omegas did.

“I don’t know. Somewhere. Anywhere but a
place where everyone looks down on me for not being able to
shift.”

“I don’t think less of you for not being able
to shift. You know how much flack I get for never shifting in the
yard with the others? They think I’m weak because of my scars and
my fears.”

Jeremiah shook his head, turning his brown
eyes to her. “I don’t think you’re weak.”

“I don’t think you are, either. Screw
genetics. Genetics gave me a rotten uncle and terrible father.”

He smiled half-heartedly and said, “Thanks
for listening to me bitch, but don’t say anything to anyone,
okay?”

She nodded at him and he’d left, but the
conversation had stuck with her. Maybe the right thing for her to
do was take off. She could walk away from the pack and find a new
life somewhere. Maybe get some land somewhere so she could hunt in
her own territory and not worry about who was looking at her scars
and thinking she was damaged. Now, playing cards with Diane, Kammie
was beginning to see the benefits of leaving the pack life behind.
It’s not like her mate was in Wilde Creek. If he was, she’d yet to
meet him. Maybe she’d run into him someday in the woods and he’d
sweep her off her feet.