Chapter 209

Almara’s Pov

I let out a sigh when the door closed shut behind Boss, whose real name I never did learn and I suppose that was intentional, and Rudy. They took the spyware they found planted in my house with them to search for fingerprints, or see if they could trace back at least to where it was manufactured.

“I suppose that’s all,” Elenor says and though it wasn’t directed as a question I respond as if it were.

“Actually,” I say hesitantly. I pause and contemplate whether or not I should ask. Elenor raises her eyebrows at me. “Would you be willing to go to my parents' house to see if Grace and my father went there?”

“Is it safe?” Elenor asks crossing her arms over her chest. I resist the urge to point out that coming to my aid and fighting a crowd of ill-intentioned wolves is no less dangerous than what I’m asking her to do.

“Safer than going to vampire territory,” I point out. Elenor balks at me.

“You’re not thinking of going there are you?”

I shrug. “I have to. It’s a likely spot that’s where my daughter could be,” Elenor shakes her head at me like she couldn’t possibly understand- and I guess in many ways she can’t. She never had any biological children of her own. If she did, she’d know that my safety is the last thing on my mind.

“If you think she’s there, why do I have to go to your parents?” Elenor asks like she couldn’t be more bothered by my request. I try to keep my tone level and remind myself she did just help me out. Technically, Elenor fulfilled her annual good deed and isn’t due for another now.

“Just to cover all bases,” I say. “Please? For your granddaughter,” A glimmer of compassion twinkles in Elenor’s eyes.

“Oh all right,” she concedes.

“Thank you, it really means a lot,” I tell her perhaps more eagerly than should be necessary considering this is her pack after all. Still, Elenor seems to relish in the praise as she turns her nose in the air and grabs her purse off the counter.

As Elenor leaves, I make it look like I’m busy getting ready to head out to venture on my journey. I grab my keys, check that my bag is all prepped, pat down my pockets, and pretend to count through a mental checklist. As soon as I hear the door close, I drop the act.

While I’m grateful Boss and Rusy set up the traps, I still don’t trust them. I turn off the cameras they installed with the remote they gave me. They advised I use a physical remote and not the app on my phone to connect to the cameras considering the vampires have demonstrated they can tap into our phones.

I then move over to where the lasers are positioned. One of the small gun-shaped gadgets is tucked securely into a corner of the foyer entrance and another is in the kitchen and living room.

I cringed when I heard Rudy drill a hole into the wall so he could place the laser into the wall so that it didn’t protrude out. At least he patched the hole back up. Now, the only visible part is the opening where the lights of the laser shoot out, it’s no bigger than the point of a pen.

Should anyone notice it all, it just looks like a tiny bug maybe a gnat. I pull out the remote and fiddle with it, hoping to change the laser settings so that a different maze pattern is emitted instead of the default one that Boss and Rudy have it set to. That way no one, not even them, knows which way the laser lights will fall.

Unfortunately, the lasers are not yet activated and won’t be until I leave the house, so I have no idea if what I’m clicking is even registering. In the midst of my fiddling, I hear the front door open.

“What did you forget, Elenor?” I cal out.

“Almara?”

I drop the remote and sprint to the front door. There Arthur stands and my heart thuds in my chest. “Arthur,” my voice catches in my throat. I throw my arms around his neck and he lightly stumbles back and hisses in pain.

I quickly let go of him and drop my eyes down over his chest, “What is it? Are you okay?” But, I already see his white undershirt is beginning to darken and dampen with dark red blood.

“I’m okay,” Arthur says, but I’ve been a nurse long enough now to know what okay is and isn’t. And this wound definitely is not okay.

“Here, come here,” I tell him and lead him to lay on the living room sofa while I snatch my bag off the counter.

“Your face,” Arthur says and pulls me back to face him. He takes my chin in his hands and tilts my head up so he can inspect the bruising under my eye and the cuts on my skin. I can see the rage swelling up inside him, even without Lily telling me. “Who did this to you?” He growls.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It doesn’t matter-”

“Doesn’t matter!” Arthur bellows. “Some low-life gamma thinks he can hit his Lunda, my mate? He’ll pay for this,” I let out an appreciative smile.

“And he will, but right now we have more important matters,” I point out. Arthur lets out a hot huff of air and I watch as he clenches and unclenches his jaw.

“Where is Grace?” He asks and my pause before answering serves as the unfortunate answer he didn’t want to hear. “We have to go to her,” He says and tries to sit up from the couch, but I place my hand on his abdomen.

A shock of electricity is generated through me as my hands rest on the familiar ridges of his abs. Though my mind is fully aware of the predicament we’re in, my body aches to be entwined with his. He can feel it too, I see it in his eyes. It’s what makes him lay back down.

“And we will,” I say. “But we can’t go with you bleeding out,” I force my hand away from his body and dig in my bag for the first aid kit. He lifts his shirt up and a whimper of desire escapes me.

“I never did tell you how hot you looked as a nurse,” He says in a husky voice that causes my face to flare with heat. “Kiss me,” He says with such a burning desire I can’t resist his command.

I fold over top of him and press my lips hard against his. A moan from deep within my heart escapes me and I can’t stop. I’ve missed him so much. I’ve missed us. The months we spent apart while he was fighting and I had to force my emotions and worries down are finally coming to the surface.

He grabs the back of my head and his tongue explores my mouth as though getting reacquainted with his long-lost fated mate.

We finally disentangle ourselves only after I sense the vitality of Arthur slip. When we pull away, he looks paler and I know I need to get to work.

I’ve had much practice in not showing any concern when we’re faced with a possible deadly wound- it worries the patients. So, I move as though on auto-pilot.

As I apply pressure to the wound and prep the cleaning gauze with my free hand I relay to Arthur of the events that happened. The broken window, Elenor answering my call, the hidden camera, the security system.

When Arthur is all patched up, I tell him to stay laying down while I go get him some sugar for his blood levels. He’s in no shape to be traveling to the Vampire territory, but I know it’ll be useless to try and talk him out of it.

“I guess I’ll have to thank Elenor,” Arthur says like he never thought he’d be saying that. Then he quickly adds, “I never did like those security men,” Arthur says scrunching his nose.

“Why not?” I ask and hand him one of Grace’s cookies. Arthur looks at the snack and a wave of sadness passes over him,

“Just a bad feeling that’s all, but they haven’t given be a physical reason to not like them.” He takes a bite of the cookie and then looks at me, “Yet.”

“I want to know who put the hidden bugs in our house,” I say thinking aloud.

“Probably someone undercover for the vampires during our party. That would’ve been the only time. That also explains how they would know Grace was advanced for her years,” Arthur says and I help him sit up. What he’s saying makes sense, but it doesn’t feel right.

Maybe it’s a mother’s institution, but I think there’s more to the bugs than the easiest explanation.