Fatal Call (New Breed Novels Book 4) (14 page)

Pax picked up and tested different pieces of the steel piping that lined the floor. As he held up pipes of different weight in his hand, he searched for one that was just right. All at once, he remembered what it felt like when he had taken James’s hand on the stairs the night before. Their hands had fit together so perfectly, as though they’d been made that way—like two pieces of a puzzle.

He had to get home.

This wasn’t just your run of the mill survival instinct working its magic, although he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He needed to make it home to James. Not making it wasn’t an option. A moment later, Pax found the perfect section of pipe. He closed the door to the room behind him and quietly made his way back down the hall in case Batiste was still on the third floor somewhere. He hit the stairs at a good clip and by the time he hit the second floor landing he was in a dead run. No sneaking around this time. This wasn’t spy shit. It was warrior business. As he hit the last set of stairs, he leapt over the banister and landed two feet from a set of rogue guards deep in conversation.

Without hesitation, he slammed the pipe into the back of one of their heads. “Sorry to interrupt. I have really shitty social skills.”

Pax face-palmed the second rogue before slamming the pipe into his rib cage and bashing him in the skull. Two down, but this was nowhere near over. His senses picked up on upwards of twenty guards headed toward him. Things were about to get interesting.

No fear.

With the pipe in one hand and his Beretta in the other, Pax turned and ran straight at the enemy with a roar that shook the glass in the huge blackened windows.

Helen was staining the samples she had obtained from Rose’s biopsy when Diesel appeared in the lab’s doorway.

Her mate came in and kissed her temple. “I thought maybe you could use some coffee right about now.”

“You thought right, my male. Perfect timing. Thank you.”

He leaned his shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms. “The biopsy went very smoothly.”

“Yes, it did. It wasn’t Rose’s first, but even so. Thanks again for assisting. I know it meant a lot to X.”

“How are they holding up?”

“So far, so good. Rose is resting in the ward for now. I am worried about X, though. To lose a parent is one thing, but to have this happen to his female? And within just days of mating?”

“I know. It’s every mate’s worst nightmare. But he’s strong and so is Rose, evidently.”

She nodded. “You know, I was thinking the same thing today while we were prepping for her procedure. I can’t even imagine everything she’s been through in her life, but then to accomplish all that she has in spite of it all? It just amazes me. And it makes it seem all the more unfair.”

“I’m with you there, Doc.”

She turned to him. “What if he loses her, Dies? I mean, based on what we know so far, Rose isn’t simply out of remission. The CML has become aggressive. The only question is to what degree. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. She just had a check-up less than four weeks ago.”

“Son of a bitch.”

She sighed. “Pretty much. Hey, any word on Pax?”

He did a quick sweep for his partner’s energy and shook his head. “Same as it’s been. I can’t sense him anywhere. It’s like he just vanished.”

“He’ll make it back, my male.” But even as she said it, she knew statistically the more time that passed, the less of a chance he had.

“Yeah, I’m sure he will. I was just about to head upstairs now and see if there’s any word. You must be starving, Doc. I’ll bring you something when I come back down.”

“Just something light, my male. It’s going to be a long night.”

Diesel hit the button for the elevator and stepped inside. He leaned against its back wall and rubbed his eyes. Son of a bitch. If Pax made it out of there alive, he was gonna kill him. Straight up. As he came through the hidden entrance in the pool room, he tried once again to pick up on his partner’s energy.
Nothing. Damn it.

The scene he walked in on wasn’t a comforting one. Reyn and SE were talking to Ana in front of the fireplace, in hushed voices, and Richard was pacing back and forth. He didn’t even realize James was in the room until the lights flickered on and off a few times. He looked over at the male leaning against the far doorway, with one hand in his pocket while the other was getting chowed on like the young brother was gnawing his way out of a trap. Something was different. The male raised his eyes. Holy fuck. They were glowing yellow enough to guide planes in at Logan. He had a feeling he and his partner had some catching up to do.
Pax,
where the hell are you?

Dimitri and Viktor arrived to check in and Troy and Evy shortly after. Maybe a little of Troy’s de-stressing action was in order while James still had a hand and the mansion was still in one piece.

Just then, his partner finally materialized at the far end of the room.

“Pax!” James flew across the room and literally threw himself into the brother’s arms.

Pax put his arms around James and pulled him in close. God, he felt good. The male was right on what he suspected was a dislocated shoulder, but he couldn’t give a flying fuck at the moment. This was why he’d made it home. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Everyone gathered around him, welcoming him back as though they were totally surprised he was alive.

“Fashionably late again, partner?” Diesel grinned and gave him a bro hug.

Pax smiled. “You know me.”

Ana kissed his cheek. “You look like shit, Valentino.”

“Thanks, sis.”

Reyn nodded. “Ana’s right. Why don’t you head down to the compound and get that shit taken care of. Get some sleep. We’ll debrief in the morning.”

“You got it, boss.”

He took James’s hand and together they walked down to the medical ward where he sat up on the table and surrendered himself into the loving care of Nurse Diesel.

“That shoulder must be biting like a bastard. Let’s take care of that first. James, if you could just brace him from that side. Okay, good. On three now.”

There was a loud crack as Diesel pulled his arm and his shoulder went back into place.

“Ow, you dick. What happened to counting? I want a do-over.”

Diesel picked up the antiseptic. “What are you, six?”

James snickered.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

Evidently, his face was a mess, because James winced whenever his partner touched it.

Diesel shook his head. “Jesus. Look at you. What’d you fight your way out of Batiste’s with your face?”

“More or less. My mojo ran out right before I was about to leave.”

“Son of a bitch. You could’ve been so screwed, dude.” Diesel put a couple of bitch stickers above his right eyebrow. “Well, at least you don’t need any stitches.”

Dies cleaned up his knuckles before disappearing into a supply closet. He came back with a sling.

“Aw, come on. Are you serious?”

“That shoulder’s gonna heal in the next twelve hours or so. You want your joint fucked up?”

Pax rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

He tried to sit patiently while his partner fiddled with the sling, but all he wanted to do was crawl into bed with James and pass the fuck out.

“Okay, you’re good to go. Take it easy on that shoulder for the next few hours.”

He hopped off the table and clapped the male’s shoulder. “Will do. Thanks, partner.”

He and James walked out of the ward and headed down the main corridor. Jesus, he couldn’t ever remember being so tired. When they were about to pass the elevator, Pax put his good arm around James’s lower back in case there was any confusion as to what he wanted—about ten hours of epic spooning.

After hours of preparing samples of Rose’s bone marrow, Helen finally looked at the first slide under the microscope sometime after midnight. What she saw there chilled her to her souls. Both of them.
This can’t be right.
There was obviously some kind of mistake. She thought she’d been so careful when she put the samples together. She picked up another slide and looked at it.
Oh, Goddess.
She had hoped Rose was in the accelerated phase. At least then she had a shot at bringing her back to a more manageable chronic stage. But the female was in blast crisis. And not just blast phase, but its end stages. How could she possibly have gone from remission to end stage in barely four weeks?

She sent a text to X and asked him to come down. She probably waited no more than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. These conversations were never easy, but she’d had so few of them with shifters. As a race, their health was far superior. She had no idea how a mated male might react, especially newly mated and with Xavier’s history with the disease.

X came through the door. “Hey, Helen. How’s the testing going?”

“It’s pretty much done.”

“Do you want me to get Rose? She’s asleep, but she wanted me to wake her if there was any news.”

She shook her head. “No, not just yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”

The male nodded. “Okay.”

“X, Rose is in blast crisis.”

His face got a bit gray and she watched as he swallowed hard. “Okay. So not what we were hoping for, but I’m sure you have a strategy. What are you considering other than the new medications? A bone marrow transplant?”

She gave a nod toward the front table. “Take a look at the sample that’s in the scope.”

She waited quietly while he studied the slide.

“So the large cells, those are normal white blood cells?”

She shook her head.

“Those are…they’re all blast cells?”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry, Xavier.”

“I…excuse me.”

The male was out the door like a shot.

“X,” she called after him.

Damn.

Helen hurried down the main corridor and opened the door to her room. Once inside, she went straight for the closet to get her coat.

“Dies,” she called.

Her mate came into the front room. “What’s wrong?”

“I need you to find X’s location and get me to him. Please. I’ll fill you in later.”

Gleaming was so not her favorite, but she sensed X was in trouble. So, she wrapped her arms around Diesel’s waist and put her head against his chest. Moments later, they were surrounded by the lights of downtown Boston. She looked around and realized they were in Charlestown, on Paul Revere Park’s grassy knoll. Her mate nodded down toward the water. Xavier was standing alongside the Charles; the white and electric blue lights of the Zakim Bridge made everything around him look somehow surreal.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Diesel asked.

“No. I’ll be alright.”

The look on her mate’s face told her he was less than pleased with the arrangement, but he wasn’t the kind of male who would ever interfere with her work. Or a friendship.

“Let me know if you need me.” He kissed her forehead and vanished.

Helen took a deep breath and walked down the grass toward the water. X was standing by the black metal fencing that framed the river’s edge, gazing out at the city with his hands in the pockets of his trench.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said.

He nodded.

Neither of them said anything for a long time. She was just beginning to wonder if she should text her mate when he spoke.

“Am I being punished, Helen?”

She turned to face him. “No. Why would you think that?”

“Because I had to see to believe. Because I couldn’t just accept. Because I questioned.”

Goddess, she understood that so well. When Diesel had first mentioned seeing the Goddess, she’d thought he was kidding. “Of course not.”

“Then why? Why is this happening again?”

“I don’t know. I wish I had the answer. But I know it’s not because of you.”

“I can’t do this. I can’t lose her, too. I can’t…”

Helen reached up and put her arms around the male’s neck. He took ahold of her shoulders, buried his face in her neck, and wept.

Then, without warning, her pager went off. “It’s Rose. Another bleed.”

X slipped his arm around Helen’s waist and in seconds they were in the medical ward. Rose was sitting on one of the beds as Diesel applied pressure to her nose.

“How long has it been since it started, my male?” Helen asked as she started taking vitals.

Diesel glanced at the wall clock. “About fifteen minutes. It was just starting to slow right before you got here.”

“Well, now. That’s not so bad.” Helen placed her hand on Rose’s forehead, then took Xavier aside. “This will go quickly now. You need to be prepared. You need to be strong for her.”

For a moment X stood stalk still. It was like someone had hit pause.

“X?”

Suddenly, he was all action. “I’ve got her, my brother. Switch off on three. One, two, now.”

Then she was in his arms where she belonged and instead of leading with his gray matter, for a change, he led with his heart. He was going to make every second they had together count. And when she was gone, he would spend every day of the rest of his life making her proud until they were reunited in the Otherworld.

James went through the channels with the remote and finally settled on Bill Maher. Pax was still out cold with his head in his lap. The male was still dressed and totally filthy, but still looked ridiculously hot. James rolled his eyes and stretched his legs as much as he could without waking Sleeping Beauty. He needed to take a wicked piss, but he wasn’t ruining this. No way. His bladder could fuck off.

Pax coughed and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Not too long. A couple of hours.”

Pax reached up and smoothed the front of James’s hair. “I thought of you, you know.”

“When? While you were ganking rogues?”

Pax sat up. “Yep.”

“That’s hot.”

“Right?”

He leaned in and James met him part way, their mouths fusing. Jesus, Pax could kiss. He tried to forget that kind of thing came from practice. It was much more likely to be because the male was five years older. Or maybe because he was Latino. Riiight.

“God, you feel good,” Pax said against his mouth right before leaning on the wrong arm. “Fuck.”

His
camzah
moved so that his back was up against the headboard.

“Here.” James grabbed some pillows and used them to support the male’s arm.

“Thanks. Listen, there’s something I need to tell you. It has to do with my past, but it affects us, too.”

Did the brother just say
us?
James was starting to think he was hallucinating.

“There’s no easy way to say this. There’s a chance I might be an HIV carrier.”

James’s brain tried to put New Breed and HIV together with zero success. “Okay. You can’t give me HIV.”

“No, but I could make you a carrier. And I would never do that to you.”

“You haven’t been tested?”

The male looked down at his lap. “No. Not yet.”

Then it hit James like a ton of bricks. And maybe a cartoon anvil just for fun. “It’s Luis, isn’t it?”

Pax still avoided eye contact. “The thing is…”

“The thing is, you lose either way. If you test positive, then you likely infected him. If you don’t, then he got it from someone else.”

Pax shook his head. Jesus, the way that male could read people’s hearts was downright spooky sometimes. But James was right. Something happened while he was fighting his way out of that warehouse. He’d fought upwards of thirty rogues and by the end, he was so tired he could barely stand. Yet he’d made it. Now he was too big a pussy to let Helen prick his finger? This had to stop. He needed to move forward, because living in the shadows was slowly killing him. He had to take the test so he could face the results and start healing. So he could be whole for James. And himself.

Pax bit his bottom lip. “Do you want to go with me?”

“Of course.” He put his hand on the side of Pax’s neck and kissed him softly.

Pax put his forehead to his and James realized he was seeing something he’d never seen before in his
camzah’s
eyes.

Fear.

Rose opened her eyes and immediately looked for her mate. She relaxed a little when she saw him sitting in a chair at her bedside. Wait. Something wasn’t right. She was still in the medical ward and had her nightgown on. Xavier hadn’t moved her back to their room. She looked at his face for a moment. His eyes were a little bloodshot, as though he’d been crying. And her male didn’t cry.

He took her hand. “I’m right here, Rose.”

She gave him a little smile. “Hi.”

“How do you feel?”

“A little tired. Other than that, I feel alright.”

He stroked the inside of her wrist lightly with his thumb. “I spoke with Helen earlier and had a look at your test results. We talked about what could be done to slow the CML down.”

She looked her male directly in the eye and when he tried to avoid her gaze, she took him lightly by the chin. “There isn’t anything she can do, is there, my male?”

He paused for a moment before answering. “No, there isn’t.”

She had sensed as much. Her body hadn’t felt right since the first nosebleed. It was as though it was tired right down to the bone. Sometimes just lifting an arm seemed like an effort.

She looked into his face and saw the tension lodged in his perfect features. “How long?”

“She couldn’t say for sure. A few days. Maybe a week.”

She nodded and tried to hide the sadness washing over and through her. She only just found him. She didn’t want to leave him.

Without warning, Xavier stood up and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Let’s get mated, Rosie. Officially.”

She must have misheard him. “What?”

“I’m serious. Reyn can officiate, and I’m sure Adriana or Pax can find a dress.” He looked into her face and his lovely chocolate brown eyes lit up like emeralds. “Will you?”

“Oh, Xavier, yes. Yes a thousand times.”

He leaned down and kissed her before gently pulling her into his arms. Rose held onto him for as long as she could, wanting to remember that moment. He was her miracle, even if she’d only had him for a little while. He’d given her enough love for a lifetime.

James walked down the back stairs to the compound and knocked on Pax’s door.

“It’s open.”

He went in and closed the door behind him. Pax was sitting on the edge of the bed trying unsuccessfully to fasten the last couple of buttons on his shirt. James bent down and gave him a quick kiss before popping them into place.

“Thanks.”

“Nervous?”

“No, not at all. But I wouldn’t go near that trash can if I were you.” Pax put his hands to his face and let himself fall back on the bed. “Fuck.”

James took him by his wrists and pulled him back up again. “It’s going to be okay. You know that, right?”

Pax wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face in his shirt. “You’re telling me that if I gave HIV to my partner you’d still want to be with me?”

He knelt down in front of the male and put his hand on his freshly shaven cheek. “I’m telling you that I love you.”

The male sucked in his breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

There was a knock on the door jam and Reyn looked up from his usual pile of crap. Man, he needed an assistant. “Morning, X.”

The brother cleared his throat. “I have some news.”

“Come in. What’s up?”

“Rose has leukemia.”

Reyn was stunned. Cancer in shifters was incredibly rare. And they were newly mated. “My God. I’m so sorry, my brother.”

“Thanks. It’s, ah, end stage, so I’d like permission for her to convalesce here.”

Dear Goddess.
“Of course. Anything you need.”

“I’m going to head up to tell Troy and Evy now, so give me a few minutes. After that, it’s okay to let people know.”

“What can I do, X? Is there anything you need?”

“Actually, we’re getting officially mated and we wondered if you would do the ceremony?”

Reyn grinned. “Yes, of course. I’d be honored. When do you want to do it?”

“As soon as possible. It’s supposed to be unseasonably warm this afternoon. I thought we could do it in the garden.”

“Perfect. I’ll make sure everyone is aware. I’ll speak to Mary about having the reception outside, too.”

X smiled briefly. “Thanks, boss.”

Reyn watched the brother tap the top of the doorway on his way out before he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Damn if this didn’t remind him that his own female was in the Otherworld somewhere. Or at least he hoped, because if she wasn’t, then there was a good chance she was in danger. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her judgment. It was the dicks in the Otherworld he was worried about. He just couldn’t figure out why the hell they were so interested in her. They’d already killed her once. What, they wanted to finish the job? He pegged a stapler at a shelf full of books. If they touched her, so help him, they would beg for death by the time he was finished.