Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Williams Mansion

“What’s wrong?” Caine asked, trying to bite back a smile as he kissed his son’s forehead, knowing that his mate wouldn’t appreciate it at the moment, not when he already knew why the woman that he loved more than anything was pouting.

“Nothing,” Danni mumbled softly, only to add a sniffle at the end as her gaze once again found the pile of junk food that she would never get the chance to enjoy.

“Would it make you feel better if I told you that Marc said the pizza that I got for you didn’t have enough cheese on it?” Caine asked, watching as Danni’s eyes turned red as she turned her glare on Noah when the poor bastard made the mistake of chuckling.

He’d barely managed to find half the items on the junk food list that she came up with when the first text came from Noah, letting him know that Danni was in labor. That had been followed by at least a dozen text messages from the woman currently pouting, letting him know that everything was fine and wondering if he wouldn’t mind grabbing a chocolate shake on the way home. When he’d made it back, without the shake, there had been no question that she was labor, but that hadn’t stopped her from inquiring about that shake or glaring at him in between contractions.

“Not even a little bit,” Danni said, looking so incredibly beautiful as she sat there pouting that he couldn’t resist leaning down and stealing a kiss.

“I’m sorry that you didn’t get to enjoy being pregnant,” Caine said, shifting his kisses back to his son’s forehead as he sat down on the bed next to her.

“No, you’re not,” Danni grumbled even as she couldn’t help but smile as she reached over so that Ash Noah, who’d been named after the two people that saved his life, could wrap his tiny hand around her finger.

“Would it help if I promised to spoil you rotten next time?” Caine asked, watching Danni frown as his words slowly sank in and when they did…

“You want more children?” Danni asked with a hopeful look in her eye that told him that he wasn’t the only one that had fallen in love with their son. They’d never wanted children, never planned on having any and now that he was holding Ash in his arms, he couldn’t wait for more.

“Probably a few dozen more,” Caine said with a teasing smile as he gazed down at the miracle in his arms.

“What if the cancer comes back?” Danni asked quietly.

“It’s not coming back,” Caine said, shaking his head as he leaned down and kissed their baby boy’s forehead, unable to help himself.

When she opened her mouth to argue, Noah cut her off, reminding him why he liked the human so much. “The cancer’s gone, Danni. It’s not coming back.”

“That’s what they said last time. How can you be sure that this time will be any different?” Danni asked, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Because Ashley’s blood worked,” Michael said with a warm smile as he walked into the room carrying several bags of blood in his hands as an odd, slightly acidic scent reached him, making him wonder why it smelled familiar.

“How are you feeling?” Michael asked as he dropped the bags of blood on the bed next to Danni as his attention shifted to Ash. “May I?” the Sentinel asked, already reaching for the sleeping baby in his arms.

“Of course,” Caine murmured absently as his attention shifted to Danni in time to see her frown as she caught the scent that was driving him crazy.

“He’s a handsome little guy,” Michael murmured, smiling down at Ash as he gently shifted him to one arm so that he could fix the baby blanket that he was swaddled in as he walked around the room.

“Thank you,” Caine said, watching as Noah frowned as he picked up one of the bags of blood that Michael dropped on the bed as the scent of apples reached him, covering the scent that he realized was coming from the bagged blood.

“You’re a very lucky man, Caine.”

“Why’s that?” Caine asked, looking up to find the Sentinel watching him as he pulled a syringe out of his pocket and-

“Because your son was supposed to die like mine did.”

* * *

St. Hope Prison

One Hour South of the Williams Mansion

“Chris,”Ephraim said, pinching the bridge of his nose, wondering where he’d gone wrong as his son continued tormenting the nine-foot werewolf.

“Aw, what’s the matter?” Chris asked with a teasing smile only to laugh when Drew, who’d held off going after Chris longer than Ephraim thought he would, reached through the bars and took a swipe at him.

“There is something seriously wrong with your son,” Jacob said as they watched Chris move closer to the bars only to jump back, laughing his ass off when Drew took another swipe at him.

“He doesn’t handle being away from his mate well,” Ephraim murmured absently as he took in the abandoned prison, noting the old bars covered in peeling paint that didn’t have a chance of keeping any of them locked away, the cracked cinderblock walls, the water dripping from the ceilings, and scented the stale air, looking for any signs of the men behind the bounty on his family, but there was nothing.

For a moment, he wondered if the address they’d posted on the forum was wrong, but…

This was too perfect, Ephraim thought, taking in the steel beams crossing the ceilings and heavy gates on either side of the cell block. Absolutely fucking perfect, Ephraim thought absently as he watched Ethan shift his gaze from the steel beams to the thick bars blocking the windows.

“Probably,” Jacob said, nodding in agreement as they watched Drew release a warning growl as he stepped back away from the bars, quickly shifting back to human and reached for the lever to open the cell.

“Oh, shit…” Chris said even as he tried looking innocent when Drew narrowed his eyes on him as he walked into the cell, shifting back into a seriously pissed-off werewolf as he went.

“Can I ask you something?” Jacob asked as they watched Chris jump onto Drew’s back, further pissing the large werewolf off. “What do you think the Council is going to do when they find out about Ashley?”

He’d been wondering the same thing, but…

“I honestly don’t know,” Ephraim said, sighing heavily as his attention shifted to Christofer as the Ion carefully made his way up the old cast iron stairs to the guard’s box overlooking the unit.

“She can’t stay here,” Jacob added as Ephraim glanced around the old prison, looking for any signs that someone had been here recently while he listened for their backup.

“No, she can’t,” Ephraim murmured in agreement as his attention shifted to Trace, who was pacing the other end of the catwalk, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here. Not that Ephraim could blame him. Even after all these years, he still had problems around metal bars, thanks to the time he’d spent in Nichol’s dungeon. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what it had been like spending centuries trapped inside a wall.

“How long do you think we have before the Council finds out about her?” Jacob absently asked as his attention shifted from one end of the unit to the other, his gaze lingering on each opened gate before shifting back to the floor below them.

“Depends on who’s been talking,” Ephraim said, knowing that they were making a mistake by taking Ashley to the compound, but he just couldn’t stomach the idea of something happening to her. She just…

She reminded him of Jill.

If he could go back, he’d do so many things differently. He would have spent more time with her, would have made sure that she was okay, and he sure as hell would have-

“Are you okay?” Jacob asked as everything turned red.

“I’m fine,” Ephraim said, slowly exhaling as he forced his eyes to shift back and focused on the reason why they were here.

“Who do you think it is?” Trace asked, his colonial accent becoming thicker as the scent of his anxiety intensified, making Ephraim wonder how much longer the Pyte was going to last before he headed for the door.

“I have a few ideas, but I’ve been waiting for one of them to slip up.”

“Whoever it is, is making sure that nothing new is getting posted,” Jacob pointed out.

“There is that,” Ephraim murmured in agreement, but he’d been hoping that it would play out differently. He’d been hoping that the traitor would slip up and give himself away, but so far, there was nothing.

“Going to the compound might not be such a good idea right now,” Jacob said quietly as they watched Drew shrug Chris off his back and walk out of the cell with a huff.

“I’m not sure that we have a choice, not with everything that’s going on,” Ephraim said, pulling out his phone and realized that the Sentinel network was down as the sounds of metal slamming together echoed throughout the old prison as the scent of apples teased him.

“Oh, shit…” Jacob muttered as the first tendrils of smoke reached them as the unmistakable sounds of metal slamming against metal echoed throughout the cellblock, letting them know that it was already too late.