Lost and Found (A Werewolf Wars Novel Book 4) (26 page)

“A little banged up, too, but they’ll be all right,” Lark assured.

Sarah let out a relived breath.
We all made it home relatively unscathed. Thank goodness.

Lark gave Sarah an appraising look and smiled. “You seem better.”

Sarah frowned, confused, her muddled brain taking a minute to comprehend.

“I mean your demeanor. You seem like your old self, before...” she trialed off in a whisper.

Sarah shook her head in understanding. “I am. Oddly enough, being chased by crazy werewolves helped me realize how much I wanted to live. And Vincent...he was great. He really helped me look at everything in a whole new light. If it was not for him, I wouldn’t have made it,” she admitted. Vincent was her rock—and so much more.

“You and Vincent must have really bonded. I’ve never seen him so serious and worried before,” Lark acknowledged.

Sarah nodded, wondering how much Lark knew of their relationship.
But how much could she know when I don’t know what our relationship is?

“He’ll probably want to know you’re awake,” Lark added when Sarah said nothing.

Sarah trembled with anticipation at the thought of seeing him. She really, really wanted to see him—to know he was alive and well with her own eyes.

“Do you want me to go get him for you?” Lark offered.

“Yes,” she answered quickly. “But can I get cleaned up first?” she asked. A shower wouldn’t wash away the cuts and bruises, but at least she would feel better afterward.

“Sure. Let me help you to the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” Sarah said. Butterflies fluttered in her belly as she gingerly turned to climb out of bed. She couldn’t help but wonder if things would be different between her and Vincent now that they were home. She really hoped not. Whatever they had, she wasn’t ready to let it go—she’d never be ready to let it go.

***

V
incent shoveled the chips and sandwich into his mouth as quickly as possible. Lark and Devon insisted he leave Sarah’s room to shower and eat, but he couldn’t wait to get back. She was going to wake up soon—he could feel it.

Although, Devon assured him she was fine, he wouldn’t stop worrying until he could stare into her vibrant sapphire eyes again.

Thinking of Sarah made him eat faster. His mouth was so full, he couldn’t ask Lark about Sarah when she entered. He chewed faster, making his jaw ache, and finally swallowed.

“Sarah?” he asked anxiously, taking a drink of Coke to wash the food down.

“She’s awake,” Lark beamed. “And she’s asking to see you.”

“Is she okay?” he asked, already walking to the door.

“She seems to be. Devon already checked her over and cleared her,” Lark continued happily. She stepped forward, blocking his path to the door and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”

Vincent flustered at her outburst. “It’s okay. You don’t need to thank me.”

“I know. I’m just glad to have you both back,” she replied, giving him a small smile. “Go see her,” she slapped him playfully. “I know you want to.”

Vincent didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
Sarah is awake and asking for me.
His day wasn’t so glum anymore.

The closer he got to Sarah’s room the more unease rolled through him.
How am I supposed to act?
He would just have to take it in stride and pray she gave him some clue as to how she felt.

He wiped his clammy hands before slowly pushing the door open. He let out a long breath, seeing with his own eyes that she was okay.

Sarah looked up at him with a grin. “Hey,” she greeted.

“You look good,” he acknowledged. Her long blonde hair was wet and brushed back from her face. The light blue tank and gray pants fit her curves perfectly. She was exquisite.

“I’m covered in cuts and bruises,” she mumbled, tucking her locks over a particularly nasty mark on her shoulder.

“You’re still beautiful,” he admonished, shutting the door behind him.

“Thanks,” she smiled shyly.

“How are you?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I’m glad to see you. It’s been a long morning,” she answered, as she played with the quilt.

She’s nervous
, he realized.
But why? Say something.
“The way I figure it, you had it easy, Sleeping Beauty.”

Sarah giggled, meeting his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Fast healer. I’m good as new,” he promised.

“Lucky you.”

They both chuckled before falling into a long silence. Vincent shifted on the bed, contemplating what to say. Their relationship had evolved—at least for him—but her nervousness made him question what she felt.
What if she is antsy about how to let him down?

Sarah opened her mouth, but never got to say anything. A knock thudded against the door before it creaked open.

“I brought you some soup,” Lark announced, eyeing the two of them.

Vincent hopped up from the bed. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting during this visit, but this wasn’t it. He needed to think of the right way to tell Sarah how he felt and pray she felt the same way, but he didn’t know how to express his feelings and he didn’t want to scare her.

“I should let you eat,” he explained, back tracking to the door.

Sarah’s face fell.

“I’ll come back later,” he promised, grasping the doorknob tightly.

“Oh, okay,” she whispered.

Did he upset her? That hadn’t been his intent. “After dinner,” he added, finally getting a smile from her. He sighed, glad the glum expression had left her face.

“See you then,” she replied, giving him a tight-lipped smile.

S
arah jumped at the sharp rasp on her door. The knob twisted and the door creaked open. She held her breath, her pulse beating faster, anticipating the man who would enter. The door opened and Gene stepped in. Her heart fell, but she forced a smile still eager to see her visitor—even if it wasn’t the man she’d been waiting for all afternoon.

“Hey,” she grinned as Gene shut the door behind him.

“I’m glad to see you up,” he smiled. The bed dipped down as he sat next to her and pulled her into a hug. “I wanted to come sooner, but I got held up,” he explained.

“Lark told me you went to New Mexico,” Sarah acknowledged. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

“Just tying up a few loose ends from your brilliant idea. I wasn’t sure how the plan was going to work out, but it went off better than I imagined,” Gene said, pulling back. He tucked a finger under her chin evaluating her. “I’m just glad you came out relatively unscathed.”

“Me, too.” Speaking of unscathed, “I hope Lark and Devon didn’t give you too much hassle about keeping us a secret from them?” she worried.

Gene smiled. “Not too bad. It was more Claire than anyone else. She’s taken everything really hard. Vincent’s had it rough, too. She has barely let him out of her sight. She even sat with him some of the time he was keeping a vigil by your bed.”

“Oh.” Maybe that’s why Vincent hadn’t come by yet. At least she hoped that was the reason.

“They say losing a child is one of the hardest things a parent could ever face,” Gene shrugged. “I’d be beside myself if something happened to Adrian.”

“I’m sorry we put you through that—put everyone through that,” Sarah apologized.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he reminded. “At least not entirely. Besides, I do understand why you did what you did and that’s why I kept it quiet.”

“Did it work? Our plan?” Sarah asked anxiously. Had all their pain and suffering paid off in the end? She leaned forward waiting for his answer.

“It did. The team I took to New Mexico had a lot of cleaning up to do. From what I can tell, what wolves survived the fighting for dominance fled. We took out the remnants of Malakai’s pack while you were sleeping, too.”

“Sounds like I missed everything,” Sarah replied. It would’ve been nice to see everything through.

“Nah, you needed the rest,” he smiled. Gene turned to the door a second before someone knocked. “Talia came, too,” he explained as the she-wolf entered.

“Hi. How are you feeling?” Natalia greeted as she entered, carrying Adrian on her hip. The she-wolf took a seat on the bed next to Gene.

“Good. How are you?” Sarah asked, reaching out to take Adrian’s soft, tiny hand in hers.

“It has been a trying few days, but things are looking up,” Natalia smiled, resting her head against Gene’s shoulder.

“They are aren’t they?” Sarah breathed relaxing against the pillows.

Their enemies were all but obliterated. Even if there were fragments, they wouldn’t have the same hold that the Lunas or Juarezes had. They were safe and could live freely and undisturbed.

***

V
incent bounded up the stairs. The farmhouse was finally quiet and mostly everyone was going to bed. Sarah would be alone—he hoped. Visitors had been in and out of her room all day, making it hard for him to visit her uninterrupted.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as he walked down the hallway. After everything they’d been through, it was silly for him to be nervous, but it was the unknown that worried him. He was treading into new territory—a relationship. Sarah wasn’t just any woman she was
the
woman and he had to make sure she understood that. It would also help if she felt the same way.

She does.

Even if she had said it meant nothing, her actions conveyed something different. He could see it in her eyes and the fear in her voice when they’d reunited at Luna’s. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Then why am I so nervous?
Vincent inhaled deeply and knocked on her bedroom door.

“Come in,” Sarah’s soft voice called.

Vincent twisted the knob and entered, closing the door behind him. His breath caught. Sarah sat on the bed in a tank top and tiny shorts. Her knees were drawn into her chest, accentuating her long, silky legs. She was stunning, and man did he love her.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were coming,” Sarah said quietly.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “You had a lot of visitors and my mom kept me busy.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered, not meeting his eyes.

Is she mad at me? I should have come sooner.

“I just thought it would be better for us to talk alone,” he stammered, not entirely sure what he should say to her to ease the situation.

Sarah looked up at him, her brows lifting into her hairline in question.

Vincent shut his eyes and shook his head. This was not going the way he envisioned. Not that he’d really known what he was going to say, but that was beside the point.
Think. Think. Think.

“I thought it would be nice to talk away from prying ears. It’s been just you and me for the past week...it’s kind of hard to acclimate,” he explained.

Sarah gave him a small smile. “I got use to the quiet. Well, it wasn’t always quiet...” she trailed off.

“I know what you mean,” he said.

Sarah swallowed, looking down to her quilt then back to him. “I’ve been thinking,” she paused and sighed.

Vincent balled his hands and held his breath. Whatever she said next would either make his day or break his heart. He probably deserved the heartache; goodness knows he’s caused enough of it himself. But didn’t he deserve happiness, too?

“I was thinking about going back to school after Christmas. And...” she looked up at him, her chest heaving. “I was hoping you would come with me...you know like we talked about.”

She wanted him to come with her. Did that mean what he thought it did?

“There’s off campus housing and we could get an apartment,” she continued, looking away from him. Sarah nervously plucked at the blanket again.

Vincent couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful woman before him who was offering him a future with her. It couldn’t be real. Sarah was choosing him and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe and happy.

Sarah cleared her throat, drawing him from his thoughts. “I mean you don’t have to. It was just an idea,” she mumbled, her cheeks flushing.

Wait. Why is she backtracking? Probably because you haven’t said anything!

“I would love to,” he replied, sitting down on the bed. He curled his finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “Sarah...I want to be wherever you are. I love you,” he said, and then held his breath.

Sarah leaned in and pressed her soft lips against his. “I love you, too,” she whispered against his mouth.

Vincent relaxed, running his fingers into her long flaxen strands. She loved him! His heart swelled with joy at the revelation. Sarah was his everything and he would do anything for her.

“So does that mean you’ll come with me?” Sarah asked smiling.

“I don’t want to be anywhere else,” he admitted. Home was where she was.

“Good.” She pecked him again. “In that case, will you stay with me tonight. Just hold me?”

Sarah scooted over to the center of the bed. Vincent slipped off his shoes and they climbed under the covers. She sighed deeply as he wrapped an arm around her.

This is right
, he thought as he closed his eyes. He could spend the rest of his life like this.

***

S
arah bolted up at the thumping knock on her door. Vincent stirred next to her and sat up on high alert, until he realized where they were. She couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take them to get used to the idea of being safe.

“Hey, Sarah,” Lark started as she entered a tray in her hand. “Oh,” she flustered, her eyes drifting to Vincent.

“Morning,” Vincent greeted with a grin.

Lark stared for a minute, then blinked and continued toward the bed. “I brought you breakfast. I didn’t realize you would have company.”

“I was just leaving,” Vincent said, climbing out of bed.

Sarah frowned, immediately missing his warmth. She wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed with him all day.

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” he promised as he strolled to the door and left.

Sarah scooted back against the pillows as Lark plopped down next to her. “Hi,” she said smiling, shyly at her sister.