Bound By Darkness

Devlin’s predatory nature showed in his grin. “Yeah, that doesn’t make it any less true. I’m guessing you’re both dealing with some pretty strong feelings for each other.” Then his smile faded. “Seriously, Larem, you have to know you’ll both be fighting an uphill battle if you try to make this thing work between the two of you.”

Like he didn’t know that already. “It wouldn’t be the first human-Kalith pairing.”

“True, but Sasha clearly wants to be the next Seattle Regent. And judging by what she’s trying to accomplish here, I think she’d make a damn good one. I have to tell you that having someone like her after the shit we’ve put up with in the past is pretty incredible. I’d hate to see anything screw that up.”

Larem got up to dump his tray, not wanting to hear another word on the subject. But Devlin wasn’t the kind to take a hint, not when he had something on his mind.

“On the other hand, God knows I’m the last one who should be pointing fingers when it comes to this kind of thing. The Regents still aren’t happy about me hooking up with my Handler. My advice? Do what you have to do, and we’ll deal with it.”

The knot in Larem’s chest eased just enough to make him smile. “Thanks, Devlin. I know my presence in your world has caused more than a few problems for you, and I regret that.”

“Compared to the grief I get from that bunch I ride herd on, you’re hardly a blip on my radar when it comes to being a problem.” He punched Larem on the arm. “Keep it that way. Now let’s get a move on. I hate hospitals.”

Chapter 17

Sasha counted the minutes until they reached the condo, where she could take a shower, crawl into bed, and pretend the world didn’t exist.

It also didn’t hurt that Larem had thought to ask Laurel about the possibility of Chance moving in with Sasha. Not only had the Handler agreed, she’d offered to stay with Sasha and help her get settled while the two men made a run to the pet store for the doggie necessities. Larem had also called Dr. Isaac, who agreed to wait until they got there to pick up the dog.

She couldn’t wait. Right now she could use the comfort of her furry friend, because once Devlin and Laurel left, she’d be alone with Larem. Any kind of buffer would come in handy.

Devlin pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine. Larem hurried around to help her out. Pride had her wanting to refuse, but the truth was she was so stiff and sore that she had to accept. Once he got her into the house, Laurel, bless her, took charge and shooed the men back out of the cono.

As soon as they left, Sasha stopped trying to maintain a brave front and sagged against the counter. “I’m sorry to be such a bother, Laurel.”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, that’s what friends are for. Now let’s get you into the shower before the guys get back with your new roommate.”

Sasha let Laurel help her down the hall. Funny, she hadn’t realized they’d crossed the line into friendship, but she liked the idea.

The hospital had given her a pair of disposable scrubs to wear home. Her clothes had been torn and covered in blood, and the police wanted to check them for trace evidence from her attacker. Laurel stayed close by in case she needed help peeling the scrubs off, but she managed to do it on her own. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

The shower stung when it hit her scrapes, but the heat soothed away some of the stiffness. At first the water ran brownish red as it took two rounds of shampoo to get rid of all the blood in her hair. Washing away the last vestiges of the accident was well worth the price of a little pain.

Laurel was waiting to help Sasha dress in a clean pair of pajamas and her robe. “Why don’t you sit on the edge of the bed and let me dry your hair? I’d like to take a look at your head, too.”

Sasha eased herself down on the corner of the bed and let the Handler do her thing. She winced when Laurel’s fingers pressed briefly on the bump.

“Sorry about that, but it’s looking good. Not nearly as bad as I feared.” She gently toweled Sasha’s hair and then used the blow dryer to finish the job.

“Once we get you settled in the living room, I’ll make us tea. I’m pretty sure I left some in the cabinet. One of the caffeine-free herbals will be safe for you to drink.”

“Sounds good,” Sasha agreed as she shuffled down the hallway to the living room.

The mention of herbal tea hinted that a question was coming. She’d hoped to have more time, but circumstances had made that impossible. When Laurel joined her with two steaming mugs, Sasha spoke first.

“So the doctor told you I’m pregnant.”

Laurel nodded. “She did, and for what it’s worth, I haven’t told Devlin and won’t without your permission. I take patient confidentiality seriously, but I do think he should be told. He can help you deal with any fallout.”

“I’ll think about it. I only found out for sure yesterday myself.” She sipped her tea and blurted out the rest. “I guess you’ve also figured out Larem’s the father. He knows, but I don’t know how. I hadn’t told anyone, not even him.”

Laurel frowned. “Were you going to?”

“Soon, but not yet.” She managed a smile and placed her hand on her still-flat stomach. “Of course, eventually the truth will reveal itself.”

Laurel seemed to take it all in stride. “Have you had a physical yet, other than what they did at the ER?”

One more thing to add to her to-do list. “Not yet. I’m so new here, I don’t have a doctor of any kind, much less an OB/GYN. Never imagined I’d need one, at least not like this.”

“I can make a couple of recommendations for you.”

Okay, that took care of the basics. “Laurel, about Larem. I know this is going to sound crazy considering everything, but I’m worried about how he’s going to feel about this. Before all this happened, the last time I saw him we didn’t exactly part on good terms.”

The Handler looked sympathetic. “From everything I know about him, Larem is one of the good guys. Devlin sure likes him, and he has made good friends among the Paladins.”

Laurel stopped to sip her tea. Finally, she said, “If he hasn’t told you his story, you should ask him. I can guess how he found out about the pregnancy, but you’ll need to hear that from him.”

The sound of the garage door warned them that their private conversation was about to end.

“Are you all right with Larem staying with you? If not, we can stay over.”

Sasha couldn’t avoid Larem forever, and the truth was that she felt safer when he was with her. “I’ll be fine. Besides, Chance will keep both of us occupied.”

When the kitchen door opened, Chance came bounding in, skidding to a halt in front of Sasha’s chair. Then he approached her slowly as if he sensed that she needed a gentle touch. He laid his big head in her lap and sighed.

Laurel’s eyes were huge as she took in the size of the beast.

“You said it was a dog, not a horse,” she laughed.

Devlin spread out the cartons of Chinese food he’d brought on the coffee table. She could hear Larem rooting around in the kitchen, and a minute later he appeared with plates, serving spoons, and forks.

Sasha struggled to sit forward, trying to push the dog’s head off her lap. “Come on, Chance, give me a break here,” she said, giving his soft fur a stroke. “I promise to pet you all you want once I’ve eaten. Why don’t you go check the place out?”

His ears immediately perked up and then he did exactly as she suggested. He made the rounds in the living room, accepting pets from all four people before taking off to investigate.

Devlin loaded up a plate for himself and one for his wife. “You got yourself a nice dog, Sasha. Larem told me his history. I’ve gotta tell you, it makes me want to hunt down his former owner and heap some serious abuse right back at him.”

“Me, too, but he’s really Larem’s dog. I’m just Chance’s roommate for now.”

Although she had a feeling it would be really hard to hand him over when the time came. Rather than dwell on it, she concentrated on finishing her dinner before she gave in to sleep.

She set her plate back on the coffee table, content for the moment to listen to the murmur of the other three talking between bites. After a bit, their voices grew more distant, until they almost disappeared altogether. Right before sleep claimed her completely, though, a pair of strong arms lifted her off the couch. Bits and pieces of conversation floated past her.

“Can you turn down the sheets?”

“Here, let me help you with her robe.”

The touch of cool cotton against her skin felt good as someone—Larem?—settled her on the bed. She thought maybe she smiled. Then there was nothing but silence and sleep.

“Call if you need us, and don’t forget to set the alarm.” Devlin jingled his keys in his hand. “Barak said he’d be glad to come over first thing in the morning if you need him to relieve you. I’ve also posted a couple of the young Paladins across the street to keep an eye on the place.”

“Thanks, Devlin.” Larem patted Chance on the head as he followed Devlin toward the kitchen door. “I know she appreciates both of you coming to help.”

“Anytime.”

Laurel joined the conversation. “Devlin, would you mind waiting in the car for me? I need to talk to Larem for a minute.”

Her husband looked less than pleased as he started for the door. “You know, I really hate secrets.”

“Yeah, I know. That doesn’t change the fact that I need to talk to Larem in private.” She frowned before adding, “And crank up the radio, so that super-duper Paladin hearing doesn’t let you eavesdrop.”

“Woman, you are way too suspicious.” But Devlin was laughing as he disappeared into the garage.

Laurel waited until she heard the music turn on before speaking. “I wanted to remind you to wake Sasha up every couple of hours. Any sign that she’s slow to respond or can’t answer simple questions, call nine-one-one and then me.”

“I will.” But there was more—he could see it in the way her eyes kept bouncing between him and down the hall to where Sasha lay sleeping.