CHAPTER TWENTY NINE:
Keegan could stare at her all day and all night as she sleeps. This woman had the most power over him; the power to hurt him immensely and the power to love him unconditionally. After what happened the night before he was positively sure something broke between them. The barrier of kept secrets, the niggling fear and sickening uncertainty was a meandering path that almost cost them the marriage they were in the delicate process of building. There was nothing and there was no one that he would allow to ruin it. He had no regrets spilling his guts out to this woman, and there was nothing he would not do for her. He was his life, his entire universe. He vows to erase every trace of pain he had caused her until he becomes worthy of her. At least now, they can truly move forward without any cloud of doubt of their immense love for each other. They were soon to become parents. He yearned for a family he can call his own and he could not have found a more perfect partner than his mate. He sighed deeply as he stroked her face. He was memorizing every nuance, every expression, and every quirk of her beautiful face and body. He drank her in as he was overwhelmed with such emotion that left him dizzy with rapture.
“How long have you been staring at me, B? You’re beginning to creep me out.” Queran chirped without opening her eyes and snuggled deep into his bare chest. She openly breathed in his scent that made her weak in the knees and relaxed her. He was like a potent drug that calmed her, consumed her.
“I can stare at you all the time and you would never hear me complain. Waking up to you is the best part of every morning and coming home to you the best part at the end of each day.” Keegan kissed her lingeringly on her sexily bruised lips.
“Thank you.” She said against his lips.
“For what baby?”
“For telling me the truth and trusting me with your past.”
“Oh baby.” He held her in a bone crushing embrace. “I was a fool to keep them from you. It was wrong of me to think that I was protecting you by not letting you know. I never wanted to taint you with those memories and yet I still managed to hurt you. I can’t have you hate me, baby. From now on, no more secrets because I can’t stand the pained look in your face that still haunt me in my sleep. I love you with all that I am babe and I would never want us to ever go through that ever again.” He vowed.
“You can tell me anything, B. Don’t forget that because I would surely do the same. I’ve kept no secrets from you and my life is an open book to you. But it’s all okay now, these things are all very new to us and these are just a part of the growing pains in a marriage. Soon we are going to learn a new skill as parents and that alone thrills me. Let’s just move on, okay?”
Keegan was rendered speechless like always and his face broke into a wide smile.
“What are you smiling about alpha?”
“Nothing. How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?“
“Enough of the complements now, B. It’s time to feed me and your pup.” She rubbed her tummy for emphasis.
“Oh – yes of course. I’ll be right back. Just stay there okay.” Keegan pecked her lips and got off the bed and strode towards the bathroom butt naked. “Enjoying the view?”
Queran threw a pillow at a laughing Keegan. She sure did enjoy the view as she smirked and slid down the bed, day dreaming about naked bums and babies.
*****
“Meg? Meg where are you?” Caitlin called out from the doorway of the child care center.
“Can you wait here a moment Enrique? I just need to find my friend Meg.”
The man in coveralls nodded at a very enthusiastic Caitlin. She quickly frowned at the unyielding look on the handy man’s face. Since his arrival he has not spoken any word to her and just robotically nods when asked. The water pipes of the little school burst two days ago causing a minor flood. So they had to close it down temporarily until the problem gets fixed. Normally, the men in the pack could help but since it was mid morning, they were all busy at the vineyard and Elijah was away on official pack business. They had a long standing business with Sam’s Repair shop and she knew all the staff. Enrique, as she was told, just started to work a few weeks ago, that was why she didn’t recognize him. Her skin prickled at the dark look in his eyes and the coldness of his stare. She ignored the niggling suspicion but later came to realize the repairs had to happen soon. She left Enrique and walked further into the room to find her friend. After a few minutes with Meg nowhere in sight, she just gave the go signal for the repairs to proceed.
“Meg is most probably back in the pack house; will you be okay if I left you here? I’ll be back shortly.” Caitlin led him out back and still, not even a squeak was heard from him. He was a strange man. Caitlin thought but shrugged her shoulders as she walked out of the small building to find her friend.
It didn’t take her long to find her in the kitchen, no doubt fixing lunch.
“Hey, bestie? I just let in the handy man to fix the pipes at the center. What are you cookin’?” Caitlin chirped
Meg raised an eyebrow at her while grating the cheese. “Bestie? You have been hanging out with the young ones far too much you’re infected with their vocabulary. We’re having the old fashioned pasta; are you up for Spaghetti Bolognese?”
“Yuuuuppppppp.” Caitlin replied popping her lips as Meg rolled her eyes and threw a foil wrapper at her.
“How long is the repair going to take?” Meg inquired.
“Enrique said it would take a couple of hours. Well, at least those were the few words he just said to me. I swear that guy is as stiff as a log.”
“Enrique?” Meg drew her eyebrows in a tight frown. Now, why does that name sound familiar? She racked her brains but was just too distracted to even bother.
“Lunch?”
“Hooyah!” Caitlin exclaimed as she jumped off the breakfast stool and headed for the dining.
*****
“It’s done.”
The dark stern man still in his dirtied coveralls stared at the retreating back of his alpha. Carter has patiently waited, carefully planned and now ready to execute. But more than anything else, he mourned the loss of his mate however now admittedly, he no longer had anything else to lose but more to gain. He faced the glass window overlooking the vast space before him and suddenly felt his knees shake that his left palm banged against the glass in an effort not to collapse, his other hand clasped the edge of his shirt. Enrique was beside him in no time and caught him before he fell on the floor.
“Alpha!” Enrique gasped at the sight of a festering wound on his alpha’s chest.
Carter pushed him as he struggled to stand. “This is nothing. Go! We still have a lot to do.”
Enrique bowed and reluctantly left the room. Carter struggled to walk towards the liquor cabinet to get something to numb the pain. Emma may have already died but the mark she imprinted on his chest was a clear evidence of her scorn. The day she died, the mark burned like hell and bled. Now, it was infected, extremely ugly and was sucking out his life energy. The only thing that can reverse this is to go through with the original plan to kill Lucas and claim Queran as his own. To covet her and her powers unto him and all will be well. The plan to entice the bloody rogues cost him more and nothing was reaped from that feat. He only had Enrique to help him as they meticulously planned their attack. He will not make this easy for Lucas. He would dismember him and put his head on a stake to attest to his dominance. This has to be the only way because if he fails then death will surely come knocking at his door even before his plan materializes and all his efforts would all be for naught.
*****
The weekend as at an end, Keegan and Queran were not ready to leave their bubble. He made arrangements for Tanner to pick them up and drop him off at the hospital as he takes Queran home. It was surely going to be another busy day for him but does not mind the least because he always had the end of the day to look forward to. This making up was nowhere in the vicinity as normal, it was extraordinary and he was still giddy with elation. He got off the car and opened the door on Queran’s side and leaned to say goodbye.
“I’ll see you tonight, baby. Thank you for making my weekend one to remember. We should do that again okay?”
“Do what? The fighting and then the making up? I’d rather skip the fight and just make out.”
“Minx. Come here.” Keegan pulled her towards his chest and kissed her passionately in front of an extremely cranky and annoyed Tanner.
“Haven’t you had enough of each other sucking each other’s faces? Can you just p-leeease cut down the PDA. YOU are late for work, bro and I need to get back.”
The couple snorted in unison and irked him further as they kissed again making a show of it. Tanner cussed like never before behind the wheel. Queran broke the kiss and rested her head on his chest.
“I miss you already. Please come home soon.” She looked up wearily.
Keegan tipped her chin and said. “Hey, why the sad face? Of course I’ll come home. And I miss you too. Now go and get some rest. If the sickness kicks in bad make sure to call me or Tanner, alright?”
Queran just nodded.
“Promise me, Queran. I need to hear it.” She rolled her eyes at him.
“Some things will never change.” She pecked him on the lips and sat at the passenger seat beside Tanner.
I love you! She mouthed and Keegan did the same.
Several hours passed in a frenzy of emergencies one after the other. Monday was an unusually crazy day at the hospital. Keegan was on ends attending to a vehicular accident that left a family of four in pretty bad shape. The car capsized as a road truck driver lost control of the wheel and hit the front fender with immense force. The mother died on the spot and the father and kids are in a coma. He shuddered at the thought of losing Queran and it was like dé jàvu. But the goddess blessed him when his mate, his life and his everything pulled through. He suddenly felt a strong urge to go to her and simply hold her in his arms. He wrapped up his notes, hit the shower and quickly dressed. Grabbing his duffel bag he headed to his car. As he unlocked his car and was about to get in, he was grabbed from behind in a strong choke hold and the unmistakable sting of a needle. The cold unknown drug seeped into his bloodstream that numbed him in a matter of seconds. Thoughts of coming home to Queran and holding his baby in his arms were the last thoughts that filled his mind.
“Holy Fuck!”
And these were his last two words before he dipped into the abyss of a thoroughly drugged state.
*****
Nightfall crept in the shadows around the lake house. Queran had just finished preparing dinner when a sense of dread and foreboding leached its way into her body. Keegan should have been home an hour ago and she tried to erase the worry. No, something was awfully wrong. The sound of the doorbell startled her that she lost hold of the dish bowl she was drying, breaking it into pieces. She calmed herself by taking deep cleansing breaths and walked to the door. Tanner was standing outside the door carrying a brown package. She quickly let him in.
“Tanner? Have you heard from Keegan? He should have been here by now?” She asked worriedly.
“No, I haven’t yet, Q. But I heard that it was pretty crazy at the hospital. I brought you this. It had your name on it and was dropped off at the pack house. Maybe lover boy sent it.” He playfully teased; to which Queran gave him a tight smile.
She stepped aside to let Tanner in and shook the box to guess the contents. It sounded strange like a single item just kept bouncing within the sides. They reached the couch and Tanner sunk into the plush cushion and immediately rested his head against the back, eyes closed.
“Well? Aren’t you going to open it?” Tanner asked.
“Well, yeah I guess.”
She peeled off the brown tape that was hugging the edges of the cover. It seemed strange that Keegan would send a package for her and drop it off at the pack house. Not to mention the cheap packaging that was so unromantic. She planned on exacting punishment to him later. Now that the tape was discarded, her hands strangely shook. Something was not right. So she held her breath and lifted the cover.
“Oh goddess, no.” The well of tears eroded and fell from her eyes as she passed out and collapsed against Tanner’s side.
“What the?..” Tanner immediately sat up and tried to shake her to wake up. A faint thud of an item hitting the floor prompted him to look and the sight clenched his throat in a tight fist of fear. There in the plush carpet lay a severed pinky finger. He dropped the box and the note fell out. In a messy scrawl it read.
If you want to see the remaining parts of your mate you have to come to me, my beautiful Queran. I will have you fetched by dawn tomorrow. If my messenger turns up dead and you are not here, I will be sending over every fucking piece of his body. Come alone, I’ll be waiting. - C
A/N: I know you how much you hate cliffhangers. But hey, the good thing about it is I keep my promise not to leave you hanging for days, weeks or even months. It's the weekend and there will be an update. Pinky promise and I am quite attached to my pinky. Thank you all for reading. Please Vote and Comment. I respond to every one of them and I appreciate your views immensely.