Their Pride

Their Pride Part 45

I listened to the truth in his words.  The man honestly thought I was strong enough to leave him?  I smiled at him.  “I’ll rest before we go.”

He shook his head at me.  “I didn’t say that to get my way.”

“I know,” I whispered while going up on my toes.  Pressing a kiss to his cheek, I mumbled, “That is why I love you.”

This time, as I pulled away, I kept his hand firmly in mine.  He wasn’t going to get away from me that easily.  The vehicle came into view, but before we could get in, a figure jumped at us.  Before I knew what was happening, Seb had it pinned to the ground.  Lying there, Jones held his hands up in surrender.

“Jones!” The excitement in my voice must have startled them both because they jumped slightly before glancing over at me.  “Did you find her?”

He let a large grin cover the normally hard line of his lips.  “Yes, she’s wonderful and mine.”

I let out a laugh at the complete dazed expression on his face.  There was no doubt in my mind that the man was already mated.  Seb still had him pinned to the ground, and I could tell he was attempting to let the anger ease from his body. 

“What were you doing Jones?” Seb asked while jumping off the man.  His voice was still gruff, and he darted his eyes around as if he were looking for future attackers.

Jones flipped to his feet.  “New orders from Zeke.  He wants me to make sure you two are ready for surprise attacks.”

I rolled my eyes at my favorite guard.  “What else did he tell you to do?”

“You know, he said you were pregnant, I just didn’t think you would be this big.”

Seb growled, while I laughed.  “Stop trying to avoid the conversation.  What else?”

“You’re not going to like it,” he mumbled, “but Zeke wants me to train you to defend instead of fight.  He thinks that since you are pregnant, you need to learn how to be on the defensive until someone can come to your rescue.”

Narrowing my eyes, I reminded myself that I shouldn’t shoot the messenger.  Okay, I was pregnant, but that did not make me defenseless.  I would never do anything to put my babies in danger, but I didn’t like the thought of sitting back while others did the work for me.  “Where is he?”

“Back at the cabin,” Jones answered quickly.  “You want me to drive?”

I nodded.  “I’d love that.”

The drive back was uneventful.  I sat there, listening to the quiet tones of the music Jones decided to play.  When I commented on it, he said it was good for babies.  Instead of replying to him, I reminded myself that he was going to be a father soon too.  My face stayed pressed into Seb’s shoulder, and I let myself relax.  I wouldn’t be traveling to Alaska for a while now, but I knew I couldn’t keep myself from interfering a little.  Maybe I could just check up on them occasionally.

The vehicle stopped, and I jumped out before either of them could open the door for me.  Zeke stood outside the cabin as if he had been waiting for me the entire time.  A pained smile was on his face, but looking closer, I realized that the pain was fake.  The man was trying to pull the pitiful me card so I would go easy on him.  Not happening.

“Zeke,” I grumbled.

He smiled largely at me, realizing that I saw past his false expression.  “Before you chew me out, can I say something?”

I knew he was trying to avoid the lecture he was going to receive, but I couldn’t keep my curiosity at bay.  Nodding my head, I waited until he began speaking once more.

“My student, the one I trained before I left my tribe.  I trained her to be the new enforcer, but she is loyal to a fault.  You could use her as your contact.”

I bit my lip in contemplation.  “It’s a good idea.  She doesn’t have to tell anyone, and I can get updates on Blake.”

“It’s a great idea.  While you stay here for another two weeks, she can tell you everything that is happening.”

“If I do this?”

He shook his head at her, but the smile stayed in place.  “We need to hunt down Marcus anyway.  We can use these two weeks to find out where the man went.”

I waved my hand dismissively.  “It’s taken care of.”

“By who?” both Zeke and Seb asked suspiciously.

I let a large grin cross my face.  “Zeke wasn’t the only person I met when I was running from my people.  I met a nice person named Charlie who is the best at finding people.”

“How do you know?” Zeke asked with the same tone he used earlier.

I shrugged. “Charlie found me.”

“I hope you don’t regret putting your trust in some guy that you only knew for a little while,” Zeke grumbled while walking into the cabin.  The door slammed behind him.  I waited for his footsteps to fade away before turning to Seb.

“Doesn’t he remember you met him the exact same way?” Seb asked with humor.

I shrugged.  “He’s sees it differently.”

“You’re hiding something,” Seb mumbled before a large smile crossed his face.  “Charlie isn’t a guy is he?”

“Nope,” I said with a mischievous grin on my face, “and Zeke will never find out until it’s too late.”

Seb stepped towards me.  “You have an evil streak in you.”

“That I do,” I whispered, remembering Emma’s face as she answered my questions.  “That I do.”