The Purrfect Plan (13 page)

"I will look into the matter, doctor, thank you. Is there anything else?"

"Just make sure she gets plenty of rest, lots of fluids, and no vigorous activities for a week or two."

"I'll make sure of it."

River mentally swore to take better care of his mate. Twice he'd almost lost her. Never again would he let her out of his sight, no matter what it took. He'd hand over his Alpha duties and give up his job. There was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

"Very good, very good, try and get some rest, Mr. Black. I'll be back in a few hours to check on her."

The doctor gave a nod, set down Storm's chart and walked out of the room.

River leaned over, kissing Storm's forehead. "It's going to be fine my love. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again." His scrubbed a hand over his face and yawned, his body dropped heavily into the chair by her bed. She was safe by his side. He would make certain of it for the rest of their lives.

~ * ~

Hawk inhaled the fresh damp scents of bush around the house. Last night's rain had been a gift of the gods, extinguishing the remaining fires and washing everything anew. Now the morning sun shone again brightly, giving the air a humid feel. Reports of only native animals injured in the blazes was a relief. It seemed River's mate was the only victim of the fires, in more ways than one. It was too early for any reports to discover how the fires had started.

There were times when Hawk resented doing his brother's bidding. But of late, he hadn't minded in the slightest. Being twins, they could often feel the shadow of each other's emotions. River had been on a hell of a roller coaster ride over the past few weeks. Hawk caught the echoes of emotions rolling off River; the passion of the despair, the joy and even the gut wrenching fear.

Having a true mate was not for the fainthearted, despite his panther often pining for his special someone. Hawk craved and yet dreaded finding his. More than likely it would never happen, only a small percentage of shifters were fortunate enough to find true mates.

The townspeople had long ago packed up the lakeside camp and were back in their homes while he was stuck on 'fetch-for-me' duty for River.

He liked his little sister-in-law and was madder than hell someone had obviously tried to kill her. Hawk was on his way to relieve Hamish and Andy Brown of guard duty. His identical twin cousins were quite fond of Storm and offered to stay and help protect her during her stay in the hospital. She would have around the clock protection until they found the one who had attempted to murder her.

Balancing the bags in one hand, he yanked open the boot of his SUV, tossing in Storm's bag before walking around to set down the sealed containers of steaming food and coffee. His mother had been in a cooking frenzy since early morning, declaring hospital food unfit for consumption. Hawk knew she was worried about River and Storm.

He sniffed at the air, catching her scent before he caught sight of Gia, strolling along the path towards the house. He stopped by the back of his SUV, watching her approach with a smug smile on her haughty face. Some would consider her beautiful, but her slim athletic build never appealed to him, nor did her eagerness to fuck any shifter which crossed her path. Not to mention her nasty attitude towards the humans living in Black Town.

"Hawk, what a lovely surprise. Are you going somewhere?"

"What are you doing here, Gia? I thought we told you to stay off the property."

"Oh, just taking a stroll. I am so relieved Black Town is no longer in danger from the fires. Is River home? I never did congratulate him on finding his mate."

The hairs on the back of Hawk's neck pricked up. The way she smiled at him was odd; something was definitely off with Gia. It occurred to him that she may have had something to do with Storm's abduction.

"You might want to hold off your congratulations for a while, Gia. River's at the hospital, with Storm."

Gia's brows shot up in sudden surprise but were quickly masked. "Oh, she got hurt? Humans, you know, they're so breakable."

"She got badly hurt caught out in the fires. She's at the district hospital."

"Oh, well then, do send my regards. I'm sure she'll be just fine." Gia turned away, seemingly in a hurry all of a sudden. "I'll let you get on your way then."

He watched her disappear back down the path.

Even more certain of his suspicion of Gia than before, Hawk climbed in behind the wheel of his car. He needed to get to the hospital quickly and have a quiet chat with River.

~ * ~

River's stomach growled, scenting his mother's delicious cooking. His nose twitched. There was an aching in his lower back as he roused from his sleep. Blinking, he sat back, realizing he'd fallen asleep by the side of Storm's bed; his head resting near her arm. He glanced up at her--she still slept on peacefully--before turning his attention towards the lovely smells.

"Morning, bro, looks like you finally got some sleep," Hawk quipped.

River glanced up at his bright-eyed brother greeting him with a lopsided grin, pulling containers out of a bag and placing them on the table. "Mum sent these. She thought you'd be hungry."

River stood up and stretched his back, trying to relieve the ache of sleeping awkwardly.

He gratefully took the offered travel mug of coffee, twisting the lid and swallowing down the warm creamy liquid.

River owed his brother a lot. He and his mother had been there for him every step of the way over the last few weeks. Hawk set down Storm's bags by the bottom of the bed. He tugged out a little box from his pocket, tossing it over the bed. River caught it and tucked it into his own pocket before re-taking his seat.

"Thank you."

"How's she doing?" Hawk studied Storm's sleeping face.

"The doctor said she'll be fine and is very lucky to have escaped so unscathed. I still want to know who did this."

"As a matter of fact, I may know who."

River jackknifed to his feet. "Who!"

"I had a little visit from Gia just before I left this morning, once again looking for you, and enquiring after Storm."

"Gia!" He stared at Hawk in anger and confusion. "I know she likes to fuck around, but would she stoop this low?"

He looked back at Storm.

"When a woman has her claws out for you, there's no telling how far she'll go to try and get you. Still, I have no proof, but I have a feeling, if given the opportunity she may try to strike again. All we need do is…"

"Set the trap and wait." River understood Hawk's train of thought.
Gia, damn.
It made more sense than any of the wild ideas of rival shifters wanting to be town Alpha. It wasn't a hit at him but a direct hit at Storm for standing in the way of a vicious, ambitious bitch. "You've got a plan, don't you? I can see it your eyes." He worried more for Storm's safety than anything else.

Hawk grinned. "Better believe it, bro; I know what you're thinking. At no point will she be in danger again. We'll be watching carefully."

"You think she'll try something soon?"

"That I can't say. Don't take this the wrong way, but as long as Storm's alive, I think we have a good chance at catching her if she tries anything. And if it's not her, then it may flush out the one who did do it."

River reached for the first of the plastic containers, ripping off the lid, the wafting smell of his mother's Spanish omelets making his mouth water.

"Here." Hawk tossed him a fork.

River caught it but paused before he dug, thinking over Hawk's words.

"It's a good idea, but I will not put Storm in harm's way again."

"We won't let it get that far. We just need to know who for sure. When Storm wakes up, no doubt she'll be able to name her abductor."

"I want to keep her out of this as much as possible. She's been through so much these past days. I've already failed in my job to protect her. I will not do so again."

"I respect that, but you also don't want to be glancing over your shoulder every moment, studying every face, wondering if they are the one who tried to kill her. We need to end this and quickly."

"I know, but I won't leave her side."

Hawk got to his feet. "We'll work something out. Let's just hope Storm can wake soon and confirm my theory. I brought you some clean clothes, and I'd advise you to ring Mum."

River gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, bro."

Hawk grinned. "Naah, don't worry. Anyway, I'm keeping tabs, if ever I find my mate..."

"I'm there for you." River gave a soft chuckle, knowing Hawk's mate would have to be one hell of a woman to tame that wild cat. He shoved his fork into the food, enjoying every burst of flavor rolling across his tongue.

"Come on, cookie, wake up. You're missing out on Mum's cooking."

Chapter Fourteen

River's deep voice resonated through her clouded brain. Slowly, she drifted up from the darkness, squinting against a brighter light. She sucked in a deep breath, only to feel her lungs ache. She coughed, wincing at the squeezing pain in her chest.

"Easy, cookie, slow shallow breaths for now." From the moment she'd first heard River's voice in the bar, she'd known his smooth as silk, deep baritone could no doubt coax nuns out of their habits. Easily, she could listen to him talk for hours.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes, blinking to clear them of sleep. She gazed up into River's clear green depths.

Why was he hovering over her like that? She glanced around the sterile white room.

"Where am I?" Storm croaked. Strangely, all she could remember was being evacuated to a lakeside campsite, talking to the ladies, and River's mother. River and half the town's men were out fighting the fires.

"You're in hospital, love." He turned, picking up a cup of water, setting it on a bedside table. He helped her to sit up before she took a sip; the cool water soothing her parched throat.

"Is everyone okay? Did you save the town?"

"Yes, everyone is fine, and the fires are out. How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?"

River's large warm hand felt good stroking over the side of her face. His gaze loving yet worried at the same time.

"I remember being at the lake, I…but after that, nothing." There was something there, in the back of her mind, but it was dark, hazy.
Why can't I remember?
Her throat tightened and her heart pounded in a sudden panic. Her babies. Her hands flew to her stomach.

"Oh, God, my babies." She pushed herself up, only to begin coughing, her throat raw.

River was swift to take her head between his palms, forcing her to look deeply into his green eyes. "They are fine, Storm. Our little ones are fine, I promise you. Now take slow even breaths."

Compelled to obey, she slowed her breathing. River let her go, again reaching for the water cup, holding it to her lips as she drained the liquid. It calmed her irritated throat.

He reached over and pressed the 'call nurse' button. "Stay calm, okay? You had a nasty blow to the head. It's maybe why your memory is a bit hazy." His tone was smooth and calming.

"I hit my head? How?" Her hand flew to her head, feeling around, wincing when her fingers brushed against the tender wound.

"We're not sure yet, but by the gods, cookie, I swear you aged me a hundred years. But one thing I do know, nothing that happened was your fault."

A middle-aged nurse in a pale blue uniform top and dark navy pants appeared at the door.

"Is everything alright?"

"Can you get Dr. Wilson, please? My wife is awake. I think the blow to her head may have affected her memory," River informed the nurse.

"I'll go call him then I'll be back to take your wife's vitals." The nurse disappeared from the doorway.

"Wife? Did I hit my head so hard I missed our wedding, or even your proposal?" she whispered when the nurse was out of earshot.

A ghost of a smile appeared on River's lips. "They would only let next of kin stay with you. You are my mate, in shifter fashion you're as good as my wife."

"As good as?"

"I haven't properly mated you yet." His voice lowered into a deeper, huskier tone. "Cookie, you've just been through a traumatic experience, and I don't want to add to your stress."

Storm felt her brow furrow in confusion. "Okay, I feel a little sore, my throat and head hurts, so something happened. But what the hell are you talking about adding to my stress. What else is wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Well, it is, but we're sorting it. I mean I was going to wait to ask you to marry me. A hospital bed is not the most romantic spot for a proposal, and you're not in the best condition. I wanted things to be perfect for you."

He tugged something out of his back pocket. "But by the gods, cookie, I was so scared of losing you. I don't want to waste another moment. I swear I'll make it up to you later, but will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

He opened the palm of his hand and in it was a little black box. Her heart seized in her chest. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as they spilled over and she felt them rolling down her cheeks.