24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

F ury

My boots are eating up the worn carpet, as I pace a rut in the Wolven Warriors' den floor. It's been twenty-four hours since they pulled Tally from my arms, twenty-four hours of pure, undiluted hell.

Stealth, lounging on the couch with a beer, raises an eyebrow. "You keep that up, you're gonna wear a hole straight through to the underworld."

A snarl rips from my throat as my teeth snap, making me appear—and feel—more animal than humanoid. "It's been a whole fucking day. No one will tell me where she is, how she's doing. It's driving me insane."

"Relax, man." Dare, ever the peacemaker, claps a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine. Probably just resting up, getting that ankle looked at."

I round on him, fangs bared in mock threat. "You don't know that. For all we know, they could be…"

The words choke off, too horrible to voice aloud. Images flash through my mind: stark white walls, glinting scalpels, screams echoing down sterile hallways. Bile rises in my throat and sweat pops out on my brow and the back of my neck.

Lash, silent until now, leans forward, elbows on knees. "Hey. Don't go down that road. Natalie's not at some black site. She's probably at home or in a hospital. Her people won't hurt her."

"They're not her people." The words grate out, harsh and bitter. "Not anymore. She's one of us now."

Stealth's bark of laughter shatters the tension. "Listen to you, getting all territorial. Never thought I'd see the day."

Despite my shitty mood, a wry grin tugs at the corner of my mouth. "Yeah, well. Things change. And, uh…" I toss a repentant look at Lash, "sorry."

Restless energy buzzes beneath my skin, fueled by the need to do something, anything. Tugging out my phone, a low growl rumbles in my chest. "I swear, if that bastard Marks is hurting her…"

The screen lights up, and my heart stops. There, in a bright blue bubble, a single text. From her.

"Holy shit." My fingers tremble as I read and re-read it. It's brief, just an address and a phone number, but it's enough. No. It's more than enough. It's everything.

"Is that…?" Lash cranes his neck to get a look.

Nodding, my eyes never leave the screen as hope expands my chest. "Yeah. It's her. She must be okay."

The relief is staggering. My knees nearly buckle with the force of it. Tally's safe. She's reaching out.

She still wants this, wants us .

"Well? What are you waiting for, dumbass? Call her!"

Flipping Stealth the bird, I retreat to the hallway for privacy. I wonder if I need a defibrillator as my heart hammers against my ribs while the line trills once, twice …

"Fury?" Her voice, even muffled through the speaker, is the sweetest sound in any world. "Is that you?"

"Tally. Thank fuck." The words catch in my throat, thick with emotion. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm okay. They put my foot in a boot. The worst part of the whole ordeal was their response to the fang marks on my neck. Judgmental assholes. Oh, and yeah, they didn't enjoy my question about uh, birth control for wolven sperm."

Sagging against the wall, I drag a hand down my face, trying not to think about how Tally doesn't want to have pups with me. Don't be ridiculous. No sane person knowingly starts a family less than a week after meeting someone. Even a wolven. Especially a wolven.

"I've been losing my mind, Tally. Trying to find you, to reach you. I thought…"

The silence stretches, heavy with unspoken fears.

"I'm so sorry, Fury. They wouldn't let me contact you, kept saying I needed to rest, to ‘process my ordeal.'" She practically spits the last few words, frustration lacing every syllable.

A humorless chuckle escapes my lips. "Ordeal, huh? That's what they're calling it? More like a happy accident, if you ask me."

Her laugh, bright and golden, chases away the last lingering tendrils of dread. "Isn't that the truth? Fury, listen, about what happened back at the cabin…"

My breath stills in my lungs as I brace for impact. Here it comes. The part where she realizes what a mistake it all was, where she comes to her senses.

"…I meant every word. Every touch. This thing between us? It's real. At least on my end. And I'll be damned if I'll let anyone keep me from you."

It's like the sunrise breaking over the mountains, like the first fresh breath of spring after a long winter. The knot that's been growing exponentially in my chest since her helicopter lifted off finally unclenches.

Cradling the phone closer, voice raw with passion, I say, "You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that. I thought maybe once you were back in the real world…"

"Hey. None of that." Her tone softens, wrapping around me like an embrace. "The real world brought us together, remember? And it's where I intend to keep you."

Keep me. The words resonate through me like an oath sworn in blood and starlight.

"So…" Hesitance creeps into her voice, a sudden shyness. "When can I see you? I'm dying to lay eyes on my wolven again."

" Your wolven, huh?" A slow grin spreads across my face, wolfish and full of promise. "I like the sound of that."

"You'd better. You're stuck with me now, mister." Tally's smile is somehow audible, luminous even though I can't see her.

Warmth floods my veins, bubbling like champagne. "Whenever you want, Tally. Just say the word and I'm there."

A thoughtful hum, a breath of static. "Well… how about tomorrow? I'm on sick leave. I can come to you, see the magical Integration Zone."

"Hah!" We both know it's far from magical. More like a hellscape, but I'll play along. Then it hits me. Tomorrow. She wants to come here, to this glorified prison camp, with its barbed wire and prying eyes and squalid corners. Wants to see how the other half lives, warts and all. So. Many. Warts.

The prospect is equal parts thrilling and terrifying. But beneath it all, a fierce joy takes root. She'll be here, in my space, my world. I'll get to share this part of my life with her, show her where I come from.

Because she cares. Because she appreciates every facet of me, every crack and pothole .

Just as I appreciate her.

You love her, asshole, the back of my mind taunts, none too gently.

"Tomorrow sounds perfect," I manage around the sudden lump in my throat. "I can't wait to show you around, introduce you to the pack."

"I can't wait either." A muffled voice in the background, a sigh of frustration. "Ugh, I've got to go. Apparently, the powers that be still have questions for me." Though I can't see her eye roll, I know she's doing it from the sound of her voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Bright and early."

"Count on it, Tally. I'll inform the National Guard at the gate. Tell them you'll be here for me. Call me first and I'll be waiting right inside the gate."

"Okay, and Fury?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

The words hang in the air, truer than any vow, any covenant. She's given voice to the unspoken question that's been building since a tumble down a ravine and a snowstorm threw us together.

And I don't hesitate, the truth spilling from my lips like the most natural thing in the world. "I love you, too, sur'nam . Always."

No words come through the phone. Just a soft, shuddery exhale; it's like a whispered promise. Then the line goes dead. Her absence is suddenly cold and stark.

But it's temporary. Just a short delay before I'll have her back in my arms where she belongs.

First things first, though. Slipping my phone into my pocket, I barrel into the den, a wild grin splitting my face .

"Alright, pack. We've got work to do. Tally's coming here tomorrow and my place needs an overhaul. Hell," I gesture at the room like a disgusted Vanna White, "this whole damn place needs an overhaul."

Lash blinks, Stealth's jaw drops, Dare lets out a low whistle.

"Damn, bro. You move fast," Lash drawls, but he's already hauling himself off the couch.

Manic energy buzzes through me like an electrical current. "I guess it's no secret I've been in a… dark place."

"Dark? Try black, Fury. How about a black hole in deep space? No. How about a black hole tunneling to the other side of the galaxy? Saying you've been dark is like calling Mount Everest a hill." Stealth may be giving me shit, but he's already standing, waiting for direction.

"Yeah, okay, black-hole-in-deep-space-level depression. That's why I need all of you to help make my place look like a humanoid's been living there, not some pathetic, goth asshole. It needs to look like I've regularly done dishes and washed clothes and bought something new to spruce things up at least once this millennium. Can I count on your help?"

"We've got a few weeks, you say?" Dare quips. "We should be able to make some headway by then."

"Bright and early tomorrow. That's how much time we have."

"I'm all out of miracles," Lash shrugs, "but we might be able to bring you into the 21 st century. Maybe Bold's mate, Jasmine, can perform some magic with… throw pillows?"

Wait until they walk through my front door. They'll see just how much throw-pillow-magic my apartment will need.