“We were set up. When we arrived in the encampment to rescue the medical workers, no one was there. There was an explosion. Hunter and I didn’t get out in time.”
She gasped. “No!” She touched his face frantically then ran her hands down his chest, searching for evidence of his injuries, wanting to know how bad they were.
Then she turned to Hunter as Jericho’s words sank in. “You too? You were both hurt?”
Hunter gave a short nod.
“I’m so sorry. I had no right to be angry, no right to yell at you.”
Hunter thrust his hand in her hair, smoothing the strands with his fingers. “No, honey, we understand. You were alone and afraid. For all you knew, we’d abandoned you like your family did.”
“But it was you who were alone,” she whispered. “How bad was it, and don’t lie to me.”
Both men sighed.
“Jericho nearly died,” Hunter said.
“Goddamn it, Hunter.”
Kaya’s stomach fell to her feet. She swallowed the rising nausea. If he had died, she would’ve never known.
“And you?” she whispered to Hunter.
“For a while I couldn’t walk. I was paralyzed when a piece of shrapnel lodged in my spine. I’m just lucky they were able to remove it. We were both beat up pretty bad, but we made it, Kaya. We came back to you.”
She threw herself into Hunter’s arms, burying her face in his neck. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no right to feel as I did. I didn’t know you were hurt.”
He stroked her hair and held her close. “No, honey. You had every right. But we’re home now, and we’re never going to leave you again. Do you understand that?”
Slowly, she pulled away and reached for Jericho’s hand, wanting to touch him and gain reassurance that he was here and whole.
“You aren’t going away again?”
“Never,” Jericho vowed.
“But, it’s what you do,” she said. “It’s how you honor Rebeccah’s memory.”
“No, it’s what we did,” Hunter said quietly. “But not anymore. Rebeccah is gone. We loved her, but now we love you.”
She went completely still. “You love me?”
Jericho nudged her chin until she stared back at him. His eyes were alight with emotion. Love.
“You’re everything to us, Kaya. You’re what kept me alive. We fought to get back to you.”
She threw herself into his arms as she had done Hunter. “I love you too, Jericho.” And then thinking better of her actions, she jerked away, her hands running down his chest. “I’m sorry. Are you all right? Do you still hurt?”
To her surprise, he laughed and captured her hands with his. He brought both up to his mouth and kissed her palms. And then he looked down at her belly, his laughter dying as a look of intense longing filled his eyes. Love softened his entire face, and if she ever had doubts as to whether he welcomed the idea of a baby, she shed them now.
He lowered his hands to her belly, cupping it through the thin layer of her shirt.
“I want to see,” he said huskily. “Will you show me?”
She glanced over at Hunter to gauge his reaction, and his eyes went soft as he followed the direction of Jericho’s hands.
“Show us our child, Kaya,” Hunter said.
She wiggled from between them and turned on the couch until she was on her knees. Then she raised her shirt and pushed down her pants until she bared the curve of her belly.
Strong, blunt fingertips tentatively pressed into her sides.
“You won’t hurt her,” she said gently.
“You’re so sure it’s a girl?” Jericho asked.
She nodded solemnly. “She will have blue eyes.”
“We have to talk about her, your pregnancy, I mean,” Hunter said. “You need care, Kaya. You haven’t been eating properly. You need extra vitamins. Tests. Sonograms. A doctor.”
She stared curiously at him. “Sonograms? Tests?”
“He means you’ll need help when it comes time to have the baby,” Jericho said. “A hospital.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. You know I can’t do that.”
Hunter’s hand tightened on her belly. “We’ll figure something out. We’ll take care of you and our daughter. You have our word.”
“I’m so glad you’re both home,” she whispered. “I missed you so much.”
She went forward, snuggling into both of their bodies. To be happy now after living so many months in fear overwhelmed her. If she closed her eyes, would this all be a dream? Would she wake back in the cage?
Her heart pounded at the thought.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Hunter asked gently.
She didn’t respond at first.
He pulled her onto his lap and carefully framed her face in his hands until she looked him in the eye.
“You know we love you, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“And you also know we’ll never leave you again.”
She hesitated a fraction.
Hunter pulled her down to kiss her lovingly on the lips. “I don’t blame you for not accepting it right away. But we’ll prove it to you. We’re not going anywhere. You have our word.”
Tears trailed down her cheeks, and he wiped them away with his thumbs.
“I love you too. So much. I just want to be with you and Jericho.”
“Then we’ll take it one day at a time. Jericho and I both have some healing to do. Just like you do. We’ll do it together.”
She smiled through her tears and leaned in for another kiss.
“I’ll take very good care of you and Jericho,” she promised.
“And we’re going to love you for a very long time,” Jericho said.
“I’ll st
art by making dinner,” she said. “Hunter bought supplies in town, and I taught myself to cook while you were gone.”
Hunter smiled. “Let me go out and get the groceries, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Duncan drove toward his cabin after a long-ass day of work. He was tired, the day had been filled with bullshit calls, and what he really wanted was his wife. But she wasn’t due home until the next day.
He pulled up, cut the engine and sat there for a long moment, mustering the energy to get out and go inside.
He had one leg out the door when his cabin door flew open and Aliyah tore out of the house, her golden hair flying behind her.
Suddenly finding a hell of a lot more energy, he stumbled out of the truck about the time his wife hit him square in the chest. She leaped into his arms and wrapped her legs tight around him. Her lips crashed over his in a sweet, honeyed rush that left him breathless.
“God, I’m glad to see you,” he groaned as he cupped her ass in his hands.
She went completely still against him and inhaled deeply. She drew away and frowned and inhaled again, her nostrils flaring.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked in amusement.
“Your scent is different,” she said sharply.
Then she lowered her head, sniffing his neck and his shirt. When she pulled back again, her eyes glowed strangely, and her body quivered, signaling an impending shift.
“Aliyah, get it together. You can’t shift out here, for God’s sake. Anyone could be watching.”
She blinked several times before the feral light in her eyes subsided.
“Who have you been around?” she demanded. Her expression was utterly serious as she slid from his arms.
He frowned. Aliyah wasn’t usually the jealous type. Hell, she’d scented plenty of women on him before. Hazard of the job. But she’d never reacted this way.
“Honey, the only people I’ve been around are Nick and a bunch of crazy-ass hunters who decided to get drunk and go spotlighting.”
She shook her head vehemently. “A woman. Who is she?”