Pursuing Paige (17 page)

Paige considered that. Maybe it was true.
Maybe she just hadn’t been able to admit it to herself. “It’s so
selfish.”

Jarek lifted her chin. “Put yourself in
Caroline’s spot. What if Caroline had found the two men in the
entire universe meant for her? What if Caroline found a
relationship in which she could live in perfect love and respect?
Wouldn’t you want her to stay?”

“Of course, but she doesn’t know where I
went. She has no idea that I’m okay. How can I let her spend her
whole life wondering about me and Kaitlyn?”

“You knew Kaitlyn was okay, right?”

“Yes, but it was still awful. It still
hurt.”

“Of course, but you would never have wanted
Kaitlyn to return to earth and leave her mates behind, right?”

“No.” The thought of Kaitlyn living out her
life without her mates actually physically hurt her, especially
when imagining that Kaitlyn would have returned for her and
Caroline. She let out a slow breath. “Okay, point taken.”

“Still hurts, though, right?”

She dipped her head and pressed her cheek to
Jarek’s shoulder. “Incredibly so.”

“I’m sorry, my love.”

* * * * *

The next day the cold, hard rain stopped and
the sun came out. Paige stepped out of the house and tipped her
face to the sky, letting welcome heat bathe her cheeks. The light
gray gown she wore shifted around her body like feathered kisses.
Her sister had brought it for her yesterday in a large white dress
box tied with a big red bow. It was a more beautiful wedding dress
than she could have ever imagined for herself.

Today she planned to complete the joining
ceremony. It was largely symbolic, as, apparently, she’d already
completed it in her heart.

Normally threesomes joined in the cathedral
in town and then had a huge party, not unlike the wedding
ceremonies where she was from. However, with the capture of Torrent
and the heartbreak of leaving her sister behind, they’d opted for a
small, private affair in the woods near the house. Only Kaitlyn,
Lucas and Rafian were invited.

“Paige! Paige!”

She looked in the direction of the voice and
saw Kaitlyn running across the lawn toward her. Kaitlyn reached her
and threw her arms around her. Paige laughed. “I’m happy to see you
too!”

“No!” Kaitlyn jumped up and down for a
moment, smiling. “I mean, yes, I’m happy to see you, but that’s not
why I’m so excited.”

Paige sucked in a breath. “Did Torrent
escape? Is he back? Is he—”

“No.” She shook her head, her smile
faltering, then lighting back up. “Caroline is here.”

“What!” She looked around the lawn, her heart
suddenly lighter by twenty pounds. “Where is she?”

“I mean, she’s over here somewhere. I don’t
know exactly where.”

Her spirits sank. “How can you know that,
Kaitlyn?”

“
I can feel it. I
know
she’s here.” She squeezed Paige’s upper arms.
“Believe me, Kaitlyn. She’s on this side of the veil and we’ll find
her. I know we will.”

Paige inhaled, her breath hitching. After a
moment, she smiled. “I’m choosing to trust your instincts today,
Kaitlyn. I believe you.” Her smile widened. “Caroline is here and
we’ll find her. All of us will be together and we will each of us
find our true loves.”

“Yes. We need to have faith.”

She nodded. “Yes.” Sometimes that’s all you
had in life. Faith.

Kaitlyn launched herself into her arms once
more and Paige hugged her tight.

“What’s with all the hugs? Can I have one?”
asked Rafian, coming up to them with Lucas at his side.

“Of course!” said Paige, sniffing back tears,
then embraced each of her brothers-in-law.

Together they walked into the woods
neighboring the house and found the small oak grove where her men
were waiting for her. Both of them were dressed in white suits, yet
their feet were bare and nestled into the carpet of soft
leaves.

Kaitlyn and her husbands took places at the
rear of the grove and Paige crossed the space separating her from
the men she loved. Kaiden and Jarek both watched her approach with
pure adoration in their eyes that warmed her from the top of her
head to the tip of her bare toes.

Jarek took her hand. “You look—”

“Beautiful,” finished Kaiden.

“Thank you.”

Kaiden took a ring box from his
pocket.
“Are you ready?”

She smiled. “I
couldn’t be readier.”

Jarek took a
ring box from his pocket as well and the men opened them together.
In each was a ring band, both intertwined silver and gold and set
with small diamonds. She gasped. “They’re incredible.”

They slid the
wedding bands onto her ring fingers—Jarek on her right and Kaiden
on the left. “Not as incredible as the woman who wears them,”
answered Kaiden.

The men spoke
in unison “Paige Ellen
Gannet, do you consent to
join your life to ours in matehood?”

She smiled. “I
do.”

“Universe, hear
our words and make it so:

We give you
our breath, blood and bone.

We pledge to
you our everlasting protection.

We merge our
souls with yours.

Forever, we
will shield you from harm

Foresworn, we
will cherish you.

Eternally, we
will honor you.

United, we
forge this bond.

We are
mated.

We are
yours.”

As they spoke,
a warm, strange tingling made its way over her skin. Euphoria
filled her. She knew immediately—it was the magick of soul
binding.

“It is done,”
said Jarek.

A curious
strength poured through her, the bond between them making her more
powerful in every way. She hugged them both. “I’m the luckiest
woman in the world,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “Both
of them.”

“Come on, let’s
go home,” said Jarek, taking her by the hand.

But by the time
they’d reached where Kaitlyn and her men stood, the desire to shift
was unbearable. In a flash of an eye all three of them were dire
wolves running through the woods, wild, free...and together
forever.

“Let me go, you
dickhead!” Caroline struggled against the grip of the guard who
held her.

He pushed her
into a cell that reminded her of a medieval dungeon. “Such strange
words,” the man muttered to his companion as he locked the door and
turned away.

Caroline stared
at the bars and fought a wave of hopelessness. She hugged herself
and shivered. She’d not gotten a warm welcome when she’d reached
the city she’d seen in the distance after her arrival. This was the
second cell she’d been pushed into by a people who were obviously
not human, at least not completely human. She was cold, tired,
hungry, and completely terrified.

“Hello?” came a
deep voice from the depths of a pitch black cell next to hers.

She turned,
examining the cot and chamber pot, the only two items in her
prison. “Hello?” she called back.

“Are you all
right?”

Those simple
words, spoken in a voice that seemed to genuinely care were almost
her undoing. She swallowed back a flood of emotion and sat down on
the cot. “Physically, yes.”

“Good.” The man
sounded relieved. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

She snorted.
“No. What gave it away?”

“I know women a
lot like you back where I’m from.” Now his voice sounded defeated,
bereft of all hope.

Paige felt an
odd, immediate connection to this man, whoever he was. She shook it
off. It was likely due to her circumstances. One little bit of
kindness from someone and she was ready to marry him. “Where are
you from?” her voice broke on the words.

A hand appeared
on the bars separating their cells. Broad, big fingers curled
around the metal. Blood streaked his skin. It was impossible to
make out his face or any other part of him. “I’m from far from
here. Very different place.”

“Are you
hurt?”

“That is not of
concern. Only your welfare is important.”

“What? You
don’t even know me, buddy.”

Silence.
After a few moments the man spoke again. “I do. Your name is
Caroline.”

She gasped.
“How do you know that?” She hadn’t told anyone here her name. Not
one person.

“I was hoping
you wouldn’t come.”

Her mind
tripped over his words. What was he talking about? “Well, I’m
pretty unhappy I came, too.” She paused and drew a shaky breath.
“I’d go back if I could.”

Silence.

Finally, he
spoke. “If I can, I’ll see you get out this unharmed,
Caroline.”

“That’s a nice
thought, but seeing how we’re both locked in separate prison cells
it’s unlikely.”

She moved to
the bars and sank down on the floor near him. She still couldn’t
make out his face in the black. Touching his fingers on the bars
made him flinch at first, but then he curled his hand around hers
in a warm and loving way. It made her heart break and she didn’t
understand why.

“What’s your
name?” she asked him finally.

“Torrent. My
name is Torrent.”

The man had
a body made for battle, all strong bones, long lines, and powerful
muscle. His axe swung over his head and came down with a
thwack
on a huge chunk of wood. Every movement showed the powerful flex
of his back and upper arms. Birds twittered in nearby trees but she
barely heard them. The scenery was far too distracting. He paused
for a moment to push his dusky blond hair away from his face,
perspiration glistening on his skin.

She wondered
what it would be like to be with a man like that, to have the
freedom to touch him as much she liked, to have those arms around
her, his bare skin brushing against her body, that magnificent
chest pressed against her breasts…

Kaitlyn had
never dreamed watching someone chop wood could be so compelling.
She could stay here all—

“Kaitlyn
Isabella Gannet.”

Kaitlyn jerked
her head up to stare into her sister’s eyes. Immediately the sounds
of the coffee shop filled her consciousness like air into a vacuum.
Voices murmuring. Cups clinking. Espresso machine whirring. She
grimaced. “Ugh. Don’t do that. You sounded like Susan.”

And just like
that, she was in a thronged downtown Chicago coffee shop, the scent
of espresso replacing the fresh smell of forest. She was back and
he was gone. How depressing.

Paige’s lips
parted in a mischievous smile “I know.
Gotcha.
Where were
you just then? I’ve been saying your name for the last two minutes.
I feel like I’m having coffee by myself.”

So she’d pulled
the old
sound-like-Susan
. Kaitlyn shuddered. Even the memory
of their stepmother could give her the shivers. She shrugged and
shot a smile at Paige. “Just distracted, I guess. Daydreaming.”

“About
what?”

“Uh.” She
ducked her head and took a sip of coffee. Nearly cold. “Work.”

It was a lie.
It was a
lame
lie. Daydreaming about work?

Guilt filled
her for fibbing, but no way was she going to tell Paige the truth.
Her sister would take her to the emergency room right away and,
while Kaitlyn wasn’t sure she actually shouldn’t go to the
emergency room, she didn’t want that. The doctors might admit her
to the psych ward and make her two fantasy men go away.

She knew she
was probably going insane. The problem was that insane was a nice
place to be. Nice enough Kaitlyn was considering relocating
forever.

“Daydreaming
about work, huh? Wow.” Paige tipped her cup back, draining her café
mocha.

Your daydreams
are boring, sis. You need a vacation. Some sand, a piña colada. We
could take off for the Bahamas for a few days or something. You
could start writing that book you’re always talking about.”

Her sister had
been nagging her to take a vacation for a while now. After her
divorce, Kaitlyn had thrown herself into her career headfirst. “Are
you kidding? I have three projects due within the next month.” She
glanced at her watch and jerked with surprise. “Speaking of, I need
to get back.”

Scooping up her
paper to-go cup, she made for the door.

“Caroline
invited us for dinner on Sunday,” Paige called after her.

Kaitlyn waved a
hand at her, clutching her tote under one arm as she opened the
door. “I’m in…as long as Susan isn’t there.” She shot one last
smile at her sister and burst into the bright sunlight, hurrying
across the square to the office building where she worked.

Paige’s office
was just a couple blocks over. When Kaitlyn could grab the time,
they went for lunch or coffee at noon. Caroline, their other
sister, worked clear on the other side of town, but they saw her
often. They were close, the three sisters. Only a year apart, they
were all very different in personality, but surviving their
childhood had made them best of friends.

She wished she
could tell her sisters about the strange forays from reality she’d
been taking lately. She’d called it a daydream, but that was far
too mild. It was a little more like being sucked, mind, body, and
soul into a dream for a few minutes. Every time it happened, it was
too short. They were a little like blackouts, except with sound and
pictures. Lovely, wonderful moving pictures of two incredible
men…

Shivering at
the memory of the wood chopping daydream in the coffee house, she
pushed open the door of her building.

Entering the
elevator, she found herself shoulder to shoulder with Evan, who
worked in accounting at the software development company she worked
at.