Black Moon (Alpha Pack #3)(4)
The commander fell silent for so long, fear balled in Kalen's gut. Finally he gathered his courage and asked once more.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Would you submit if I said yes?"
Kalen nodded, the bottom falling out of his stomach. "Yes, I would."
"Why?" Nick cocked his head.
"Because you're a PreCog and that means you can sometimes see the future. On top of that, you're the commander and a good, fair man. So if the future is better without me in it, if my death will keep the Pack and other innocents safe . . ." He couldn't finish.
"On your knees, Sorcerer."
The commander's tone was cold, his blue eyes like the Arctic North. Legs shaking, Kalen slid from his seat and knelt on the stubby carpet. Placed his hands on his jeans-clad thighs and stared at his polished black fingernails digging in painfully. His heart thundered in his chest, threatening to break his sternum.
Then Nick walked around his desk and opened a top drawer. Reached in and lifted out the biggest f**king hand cannon Kalen had ever seen. The spit dried up in his mouth and he watched numbly as the Alpha wolf approached, went to stand behind him.
The hard muzzle of the gun pressed to the back of his head. So he'd die on his knees, execution-style. Quick and painless.
Oh, God. Take my soul before Malik can claim it, and look after Mackenzie, too. That's all I ask.
"I'm sorry, kid."
Kalen squeezed his eyes shut. Time crawled to a standstill.
The crack of a gunshot split the air.
Lightning before the storm.
* * *
"Dr. Grant?"
Mackenzie pushed an errant lock of curly dark hair behind her ear and looked up from the paperwork on her desk to see Noah standing there. The cute blond nurse was wearing a pleased expression as he hovered in the doorway to her office.
"What's up?"
"Blue's finally awake," he said, referring to Sariel. "Blue" was the name all of the staff at the compound had called the Fae prince, due to his long, gorgeous blue hair and matching wings. The Fae had eventually revealed his real name to Kira, Jaxon Law's mate. Kira had proved to be a godsend in the ensuing months, working with the creatures in Block R, or the Rehabilitation unit, where Sariel used to be housed.
"That's great news!" She smiled at Noah. "Does Dr. Mallory know?" Melina Mallory was her colleague and a damned fine doctor. Mac counted her as a friend, but the woman also ruled the roost in the infirmary as well as in their research on shifters and other paranormal beings.
"She's with him now. All his vitals are looking good-well, at least for what we know about faeries, anyhow. The prince has got some color back in his face, but he's still refusing to eat. I wouldn't be worried because it's not surprising that a patient wouldn't be hungry after being severely wounded, except Blue hasn't been eating well since he's been at the compound."
"We need to keep an eye on that," she said worriedly. "If his weight drops so much as another ounce, I want to know."
"You bet," Noah said. Some of his natural cheer returned. "But he's back with us and that's what counts."
"Yes, it is." Standing, she stretched. "Go and tell Blue I'll check on him in a short while. I've got a couple of things to do first."
"Yes, ma'am!"
With that, the nurse was gone. Mac couldn't help but be fond of the guy. Noah was a bundle of energy. He lived at the compound, loved his job, and rarely took any time off. He was in his element taking care of wounded Pack members, who were frequently injured in the course of battling rogue paranormals. He'd also started working with Kira and Sariel, rehabbing the innocent creatures like Chup-Chup, the resident gremlin, and even the prince himself, who had no one else to help them adjust in what was, to them, a strange world.
Noah was adorable, and fantastic at what he did.
After straightening her papers, she walked out of her office and down the corridor past the exam rooms, in the opposite direction of the patients' rooms. She headed toward the lobby of the infirmary, past the receptionist, and into the main hallway leading to the rest of the compound.
Only when she was alone did she reach up to touch the pendant hanging around her neck from its long chain. The weight of the disk was solid, comforting. She could feel the raised ridges that formed the pentagram within the circle, and the pendant seemed to warm in her hand. Almost as though it were seeking to reassure her that it would always do what Kalen had said-protect her from all evil.
Including Malik. The Unseelie slime had sent a Sluagh to attack her and Kalen in town a few weeks ago, and Mac had been scratched by the beast. This had somehow allowed Malik a portal into her mind, and the bastard had truly frightened her. Kalen had promptly given his beloved amulet to Mac, his sole possession of any sentimental value. The enchanted protection his grandmother had given to him was now Mac's.
Oh, but Kalen had shared so much more than that. Her footsteps faltered and she halted, remembering.
Breathy moans and tangled sheets. Messy black hair falling over his kohl-rimmed green eyes as he moved over her. Thrusting, possessing.
Making love.
And then it was over and he'd pulled into his isolated shell, claiming there could be nothing between them. He'd given her the pendant, made her promise never to remove it, and then put miles of emotional distance between them. They might as well be living on different planets, the chasm was so great.