Her family. Hearing her say it soothed me.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I kissed the top of her head, glad we were feeling the same need for home.
“Are you feeling neglected? Like it was a bite and run?”
I choked a bit, and Grey howled with laughter in the front seat.
“Turn around, Grey,” Carlos said. I appreciated his attempt at help but knew Grey wouldn’t listen. My discomfort was way too amusing for him.
“No,” I said, stroking my thumb over the back of her hand. “I’m just worried about you.”
“I’m here. I’m fine.” Love washed over our link a moment before she reached for me and pulled me down for a long kiss.
When she pulled back, her face was flushed and her scent sweet.
“Enough of that, I think,” she said.
I nodded reluctantly, flicking a glance at the driver and the quietly grinning Grey. There would be plenty of time later. We had a lifetime ahead of us.
It didn’t take much longer before the cab pulled up to the airport drop-off. Everything was relatively quiet as we took our bags and paid the driver. It took a while to find an earlier flight, but it was worth it when Michelle heard we would be taking off in an hour.
“Let’s find something to eat,” I said when we had our tickets.
It wasn’t hard to find a place to eat. We followed our noses to a restaurant that was emitting a mouthwatering, smoked meat smell. Grey was quick to lead us toward a back booth. He patted the seat next to him and looked at Carlos.
“Come here, honey,” he said with a laugh.
Carlos sighed and sat down. Grey would never give up on trying to lighten Carlos up.
Michelle slid into the opposite booth and picked up the menu as I sat beside her. When the server came to take our orders, I let him know our flight time and then asked if he could make me two half-pound burgers on the rare side. Grey and Carlos asked for the same while Michelle ordered a BLT. Once the server left, Michelle turned to me.
“So how did you find me?”
“Your blood.” The memory of seeing it smeared across the door would give me nightmares for the rest of my life. She squeezed my hand in comfort, and Grey took up the story.
“It was on your room’s door. We followed the scent trail out the side door. From there, we picked up the scent of the car. They had eyes watching the route, and we ran into a bit of trouble that slowed us down.”
“How many?” she asked.
“Enough,” Grey said. “But, not too much for Carlos here to handle.” Grey nudged Carlos with a grin. Carlos didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to look at the baseball game on the television.
“Thank you,” she said.
The server brought us our bill just in time for us to pay and walk back for boarding. Tension gripped Michelle. I understood and held her hand.
Home was calling.
Chapter 21
When we pulled up to the main house, Liam and Aden were waiting on the porch for us. I couldn’t open the door fast enough for Michelle. She jumped out and ran toward her brothers. I could feel the sudden burst of worry and fear over our connection and focused on returning as much calming love as I could.
“I missed you so much,” I heard her say as she bent to hug them.
Pain clouded her features as they wrapped their arms around her. I doubted it was from the boys hugging her. She’d moved too fast getting out of the car.
Mary, Gregory, Henry, and Paul stood just behind the boys. I nodded in greeting as I carried our bags to the porch.
“Mimi, it was so fun,” Liam said excitedly.
“We played till dark,” Aden added.
“How about you tell me what you all did when we’re inside,” Michelle said, standing. They clasped her hands and started talking as they led her through the door.
Mom and Dad were waiting for us.
“Emmitt,” Mom said, ambushing me with a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
“I can smell the Claim on you,” Dad said. “Congratulations.”
Michelle glanced at me as she continued to listen to her brothers. I wondered if she’d heard Dad.
“Now, we just need to work on Jim,” Mom said under her breath.
Like Winifred, she was holding out hope that Jim would meet his Mate before he reached an age that the Elders would have to say yes to his request.
Mary and Gregory joined our conversation. “We heard you ran into trouble,” Gregory said, looking pointedly at Michelle.
“She can use some rest.”
“The cubs are welcome to sleep at our place if you think she’ll allow it.”
I glanced at Michelle. She was watching Liam with a smile as he recounted a water balloon fight. Yet, the smile lacked its normal shine. Her face was pale, and she leaned a little, favoring her right side.
“She needs to.”
“We’ll ask,” Paul said. They’d been quietly listening to our conversation and quickly moved to Michelle.
As soon as they asked if the boys could spend the night, I knew Michelle wouldn’t persevere against all the pleading looks.
Once she nodded, the boys raced down the hall, pulling Paul and Henry along. Michelle turned toward us.
“Welcome to the family,” Mom said, excitement lacing her voice.
“Thank you,” Michelle said. “Can we talk?”
She wanted to talk now? Just standing there she was starting to tremble. When I saw the goosebumps on her arms, I realized it was due to a chill and not necessarily exhaustion.
“Are you sure you don’t want to rest first?” Mom asked, echoing what I’d just thought.
“No, there’s a lot I need to share, and I don’t know how much time...” A thread of her worry wrapped around me.
“All right,” Dad said. “Nana Wini is already waiting.”
“I’m going to put these in our room,” I said, lifting the bags I carried. “I’ll meet you there.” She nodded and started walking with my parents.
I ran past them to our room and found Jim dozing on the couch.
“Have fun while I was gone?” I asked, not stopping. I put our bags on the bed and dug in the dresser for a warmer shirt. Mom always kept extra clothing handy. I found one and pulled it out.
“Yep. I kicked some mutt butt. Uncle Grey told me you almost got nutted again.”
I shook my head. “You should be less worried about my nuts and start thinking about your own. Mom’s gunning to find you a Mate now that I’m Claimed.”
Jim groaned as I walked out the door, grinning.
The group had just reached the soundproofed room when I caught up to them. Mom and Dad went inside as I handed Michelle the sweatshirt.
“Thank you,” she said a second before she started to put it on.
She flinched as she raised her arms over her head. I quickly helped pull the sweatshirt down but smelled blood when the neckline brushed over her head. The shirt must have rubbed against her gash. I quickly pressed my lips to hers then took her hand and led her into the room. I wanted this meeting done so I could get her into bed.
Mom and Dad were just taking their seats. Michelle made a face as she sat, which Winifred caught.
“What happened to you? I can smell blood,” she said, concerned.
“I ran into a door.”