Slade's Desire (White River Wolves Series, #2) (6 page)

“Are you okay,” Becca asked, rushing forward to slide an arm around her waist.  “Let’s get you back to bed.”

“No,” Gypsy protested, pulling out of Becca’s grasp and stumbling into the bathroom.  “No, I’m alright.  I just need to take a shower.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Gypsy insisted, as she turned back to face the other woman.  “Thank you for looking in on me.  I’m fine, though.  I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I would like to check on Sari and Xavier.”  She knew the irrational fear she was suddenly feeling was not Becca’s fault.  It was something her mother had instilled in her since she was a small child.  When Becca turned away in confusion opening the door to leave, Gypsy called out, “Becca, wait.”  Becca turned back, her large eyes full of uncertainty.  Unsure what to say after the embarrassing way she had just acted, Gypsy took a deep breath, “It was nice to meet you.”

Becca nodded, “You too,” was her quick response before she left the room. 

Nice way to start off making friends, Gypsy thought, angry with herself for the way she had overreacted.  Becca was a scientist, it was her profession.  That did not make her a bad person.  It also did not mean she would harm Gypsy if she found out the things she could do.  Making a promise to herself to seek out Becca in the future and attempt to form a friendship, Gypsy turned on the shower.  Removing the hospital gown she wore, she stepped in, reveling in the hot water that cascaded over her exhausted, sluggish body.  She would shower, eat breakfast, and then look in on Sari and Xavier.  By then she should feel much more alive and ready to face whatever was thrown at her next.

An hour later, Gypsy made her way down the long hallway to peek in on Sari.  It was getting easier to move around, and soon she was standing beside her sister’s bed watching the young girl sleep.  She looked like an angel, with her long blonde hair splayed out over the pillow, and her face void of pain and fear.  It had been so long since Sari had slept peacefully.  Reluctant to wake her, Gypsy decided to check on Xavier and let Sari sleep.

Slowly she made her way down the hallway to the room at the end.  Opening the door, she was surprised to see Xavier sitting up in bed.  His face was still ghostly pale, and she could feel waves of exhaustion rolling off of him, but he was alive.  His eyes slowly opened and his dark brown gaze rested on her.  Holding out his hand, he whispered, “I know you.”

Tears filled her eyes as she quickly crossed the room, grasping his hand tightly in hers.  “Yes,” she responded, a slight catch in her voice.  “Yes, you know me.”

Xavier’s gaze wandered down to their clasped hands, and then back up to meet hers.  “You saved my life,” he said in awe.  “I was dying.  I thought it was my time, but you wouldn’t let me go.”

Shaking her head, Gypsy brushed a wayward lock of dark hair from his brow.  “It wasn’t your time to go, Xavier.  You have too much left to do on this earth.  The great spirit wasn’t ready for you.”

“How do you know?” he asked, the hand holding hers trembling slightly.  “What if he was and we cheated death?  What if he comes back for me?”

“He wasn’t,” Gypsy assured him, smiling gently.  “If he was, he wouldn’t have let me have you.”  Xavier nodded, and then leaned his head back against the pillow, squeezing her hand tightly.  They sat like that for several minutes before Gypsy finally ventured the question she had wanted to ask since the day before.  “Why are you hiding from your mate, Xavier?  Why don’t you tell her who you are?  She must be human, or she would already know.”

Xavier opened hooded eyes, glancing toward the door and then back to her.  Shrugging, he responded gruffly, “She’s been through a lot, and just isn’t ready.”

It was a vague answer that just raised more questions for her, but Gypsy decided not to ask them.  She respected the enforcer’s privacy.  If he wanted to keep his true identity from Janie, she would not interfere.  Rising, she smiled down at him and gently tugged her hand from his.  “I need to get back to my sister.  I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Thank you,” Xavier rasped, closing his eyes again.  “If you ever need anything, I am forever in your debt.”

Reaching out, Gypsy softly trailed her hand over his long, brown hair.  “There is no debt to repay, young wolf.  But there is a mate you need to claim.  Don’t wait too long.”

Turning to leave, Gypsy stopped short at the sight of Chase Montgomery standing just inside the doorway.  How long had he been there?  The alpha waited for her to leave the room before following.  “What Xavier said in there goes for me too, Gypsy.  If you ever need anything, anything at all, you come to me.” He left before she could respond, making his way silently down the hall and out the front door. 

L
ate that night Gypsy slid out of bed, pulling the blanket off of it and wrapping it snuggly around her shoulders.  After sliding on a pair of slippers Jade had given her, she shuffled to the closed door of her room.  She refused to stay cooped up in the hospital any longer.  She needed to get outside and see the moonlight, to feel the wind in her hair.  Gypsy loved the outdoors, especially at night, but she had not been allowed outside once since she had been taken by Philip Perez.  When she was rescued and put in the hospital, she had been too weak to try and venture out.  Now she felt like she was slowly suffocating, and she couldn’t stand it any longer.

Pushing the door open, she glanced up and down the empty hallway before quietly slipping out of the room and slowly, but steadily, making her way toward the front of the hospital.  It was after midnight so the place was empty, except for a handful of staff on duty.  No one was sitting at the front counter when she walked past, going through the entranceway, and out the front doors of the building.  Hugging the blanket tightly around her body, Gypsy stood at the top of the stairs and took a deep breath, a slow smile spreading across her lips.  Tears glistened in her eyes as she started down the stairs that led to a lighted garden area below.  She would bet the place was beautiful when the flowers bloomed in season, but right now there was a layer of snow across the ground.  Gypsy would not have cared if there had been three feet of snow.  She was finally outside, and that was all that mattered to her. 

There was a bench in the middle of the garden area, and Gypsy made her way to it, taking a seat on the freezing metal frame.  Raising her head to the night sky, she closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the small breeze sending wisps of hair floating across her face.  Cold, brisk air caressed her cheeks, and the light from the moon bathed her face.  Her body trembled as the frigid air seeped deep into her bones, but she welcomed it.  She never felt as at peace anywhere else as she did outside, in the dark of the night, under the moon.  She really needed that calmness and serenity tonight, because ever since she had awoken that morning, memory after memory were coming back, and those memories felt like they were crushing her.

Gypsy took a deep breath, drawing on the energy of the moon, feeling its power surround her, enveloping her.  She had always been in tune with the night.  Her mother said it was the magic in her blood, calling to her.  Her father had been the same way, sitting outside for hours when the moon was full. 

Forgetting where she was and who might be watching, Gypsy stood and let the blanket fall to the bench.  Holding her arms up high toward the moon, she chanted softly,

Fill me with your power,

Bathe me in your light and energy,

Help heal me, make me stronger.

I accept you for all eternity.

When she turned sixteen, her mother gave her a book that had belonged to her father.  It contained information regarding her heritage, told her about some of the powers she would receive, and explained how to harness those gifts.  Gypsy had studied the book daily, soaking in information about her father’s craft.  She had always had a knack for entering minds and extracting information, as well as communicating telepathically with others.  She was sometimes able to move things with her mind, but it took a lot of concentration and it caused migraines afterwards, so she chose not to experiment with that gift very often.  Another thing she excelled at was bringing people back from the brink of death.  She had only used that particular gift four times before Xavier, but it worked on all but one child.  To this day, it broke her heart that she had been unable to save the little boy.

One thing she had never been able to do, though, was harm someone.  However, she would have killed in a heartbeat when she was in that prison called The Dungeon if she would have had the strength.  Unfortunately, they had kept her weak and vulnerable, and there was nothing she could do to save herself, her sister, or her friend.

Gypsy hummed quietly as she felt the moon’s energy flowing through her, claiming her, and giving her strength.  She had missed this so much.  She belonged to the night, to the moon and the stars, and they to her.

S
lade had been awake for forty-eight hours straight.  Not only that, but he was already running on slim to no hours of sleep since Gypsy had been brought to the compound, and he was exhausted both mentally and physically.  He was no closer to finding the bastard who shot Xavier than he had been the day before, but he wasn’t going to be of any use to anyone right now.  His head was pounding and he could not concentrate on the smallest task.  His mind kept wandering to a certain dark haired beauty and the miracle she’d performed just hours ago.  He would never have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but there was no doubt in his mind that she was the reason Xavier was alive today.

Rubbing his face tiredly, he sighed deeply.  He needed to go home to get some rest, but first he wanted to check on his mate.  When he left her early this morning, she was sleeping peacefully.  He did not want to leave, but it was his duty to find Xavier’s shooter and bring him to justice.  He could not do that sitting in the hospital watching Gypsy sleep.   

Slade’s head was bowed as he walked toward the hospital steps, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his jeans.  Just as he placed a foot on the first step, he noticed a slight glow out of the corner of his eye.  Glancing in the direction of the garden area, he froze.  What the hell?

There, in the middle of the garden, stood Gypsy.  Her head was flung back, her arms wide open and reaching toward the stars and moon above.  Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted.  She was wearing nothing except for a hospital nightgown, and he could clearly see the outline of her hardened nipples through the thin material.  He felt a sudden tightness in his groin as his cock hardened instantly. 

For a moment his wolf took over and all he could think was that his mate was standing just feet from him, in nothing but her nightgown, and he wanted to feel her against him.  He wanted to claim her now, body and soul, for himself.  The only thing that stopped him was the bright yellow glow surrounding her.  It confused his wolf, and Slade was able to gain control of himself again just in time.

Removing his hands from his pockets, he rearranged his aching cock, groaning lowly.  As he watched, Gypsy turned fully in his direction, her dark brown eyes glowing brightly.  She was so fucking beautiful, and he was hard as a rock.  When her eyes drifted down his body, Slade realized he still held his cock in his hand through his jeans.  Unable to stop himself, he stroked the length of it once, then twice.  He had no idea what was going on.  He knew the mate pull was strong, but this was all together something different.  He had been around Gypsy several times in the past week and a half, and while the urge to claim her was hard to ignore, it was nothing like what he was feeling at this moment. 

Gypsy lowered her arms and took a step in his direction, the tip of her tongue sneaking out to wet her lips as she whimpered softly.  She took another step, reaching an arm out to him.  Oh hell, it was obvious she wanted him too.  How was he going to resist?

When she moaned his name on a whispered plea, Slade could not hold still any longer.  He crossed the distance between them in an instant, covering her trembling lips with his own.  Slipping his hand in her long tresses, he held her still as he outlined her mouth with his tongue, before pushing past her lips to find the sweetness within.

Gypsy returned his kiss, tangling her tongue with his and grasping his hips tightly to pull his hard cock into her soft belly.  Sliding his arm around her, he pulled her flush against him, wishing they weren’t separated by their clothes.  The feel of her breasts against his chest tore another groan from deep within him, but then Gypsy slid her hand inside his coat and under his shirt.  The touch of her ice-cold fingers against his skin penetrated through his lust-filled haze, and he stiffened as he pulled back, struggling to get a hold of his emotions.  “Gypsy,” he rasped as he held her from him.  “What the hell is going on?  What’s happening to us?”

Moaning, she tried to fight Slade’s hold to get closer to him again, but he held her still.  He wanted nothing more than to take her right then and there, but it just did not feel right.  Something was off.  “Gypsy,” he ground out forcefully, “look at me!”