Karma stood and padded barefoot out of the peaceful room to the main part of the cabin. Benjamin sat on a quilted sofa facing a crackling fire. His hair was wet, and he wore fresh jeans with a dark tee that stretched tight across his powerful chest. Her entire body heated and flashed wide awake.
He looked up and smiled. “Did they go down okay?”
“Yes.” She hesitated.
He patted the sofa next to him, and she gladly went forward to sit. When he reached behind himself for a hand-stitched blanket to place over her legs, she fell for him all over again. “Thank you.” She pushed her wet hair away from her face. “How did you find us?”
He reached for her hand and held it gently. “We figured there would probably be a helicopter if they got the chance. Did you see the first grizzly ram it?”
She nodded. “I thought he just was out of control.”
“No. He had a tracker on his tongue, which he stuck to the bottom of the helicopter.” Benny’s voice was a low masculine hum. Healing tingles cascaded from him.
She leaned against him, trying to see how badly he’d been hurt. “You’re healing. What is injured?”
“Just a few bones in my leg,” he said quietly. “You have bruises on your neck. What happened?”
She wasn’t ready to talk. “You first.”
He gave her the time she needed, telling her of their ride to the compound and the ensuing fights. “Now you. What happened? I need to know so I can help you.”
The reality hit her then. She’d left Terre to die in the rubble, because there was no way he’d been able to open that door with the keypad. “I caused Terre’s death.” Should she feel bad about taking a life? She didn’t and might have to think about that later. Right now, she relayed the entire story to Benjamin.
By the time she was finished, he had her on his lap and was holding her tight. “You were so brave.”
Nobody in her entire life had ever called her brave. “I was terrified and desperate,” she admitted softly.
“That’s brave, baby.” He tilted her head back and kissed her, long and deep. “I’m proud of you, although I wish I could’ve killed Terre.” He really did sound sorry about that.
She grinned. “Well, you did get to kill Jaydon.”
Benjamin rolled his neck. “No, I didn’t. I only had seconds to find you before that lodge collapsed, and my gut feeling is that he made it out. That guy isn’t giving up his plans so easily. We might’ve bought some time for now, but he’ll keep trying to duplicate the ritual.”
So he’d chosen her over vengeance. She snuggled closer into his chest. “Thank you for coming for us.” Her body was sore, but she’d never felt better in her life.
“Of course.” He tugged on a strand of her hair. “I’ve been thinking.”
Joy careened through her. “Yes?”
“I have family members that live all over the States, and some live in nice, quiet towns. Why don’t you think of locating in one of those? You’d have family instantly, and a smaller town would be a good place for the girls to grow up.” He rubbed his chin. “I’ll get you a list.”
She grew still, and her blood chilled. He was sending her away? “Would you be coming, too?”
“No, sweetheart.” He kissed her gently on the forehead. “You and the girls need a safe life. Mine is anything but.”
Oh. She hadn’t considered that he wouldn’t want to be a father. Of course, he didn’t want to be a father right now. She and the girls were a package deal, and asking him to take that responsibility on was more than he apparently wanted. “I understand,” she said softly.
Someone knocked on the door, and Mercy came inside. Her hair was wet and her eyes wild. “Excellent job stealing the tablet, Karma. I cracked it.”
“Already?” Benjamin stiffened and released Karma. “Did you find the enhanced females?”
“Some of them,” Mercy said. “They’re at a temporary location north of Portland. Garrett needs a few hours to heal his head, and Logan does, too. He’s contacted the other members of the Seven, and they’re coordinating a strike plan for just before noon.”
Karma gasped. “You’re all wounded. You can’t strike now.”
Benjamin shook his head. “We have to go before they figure out we took the tablet. It’ll be shock and awe, Karma. It’s what we do.”
It was crazy. Healing tingles were still coming from him.
Benjamin stood and drew her up. “Get some sleep. I’ll go help plan the attack.” There was still a crust of blood beneath his ear that he’d missed in the shower.
Karma watched him go. Terre had tried to destroy her spirit for years, and he’d failed. It had taken less than a week for Benjamin Reese to break her heart.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The rain had lightened as dawn began sneaking over the mountains and the sun tried to pierce the still-thick cloud cover. Benny quietly opened the door to the cabin Bear had provided for him after a contentious night of planning a desperate op and arguing with Bear about strategy. Sometimes Bear just liked to argue, Benny finally decided. Mercy had brilliantly gone and awoken Bear’s mate, Nessa, and her presence had calmed the shifter. As Nessa had commanded an elite witch fighting force before mating Bear, her insights had proven invaluable.
Benny wasn’t entirely sure she’d changed jobs, in fact. But that was none of his business.
He kicked off his boots and moved to check the fire when a small sound in the kitchen caught his attention. He bypassed the fire and turned to find the two little girls rifling through the pantry. “Hello, urchins,” he murmured.
They both jumped, and the slightly taller one pushed her sister down and then stood in front of her in a protective stance, her eyes wide. They were dark topaz, not merely brown, and there was no doubt both girls would be incredible beauties one day.
Benny paused. He didn’t want to scare them, but his sheer size was a lot. He was big even for immortals, and the males the girls had been around in the Kurjan strongholds probably hadn’t been the nice, nurturing types. Neither was he. Yet he crouched to his haunches, acutely aware that he still towered over them. “Are you hungry?”
The girl on her butt edged to the side. “Hungry?”
His heart just melted right then and there. So he grinned, keeping his voice quiet and gentle. “From here, I can see pancake mix. I’m sure there are huckleberries in the freezer, because bears are nuts for huckleberries. Seriously nuts. How about huckleberry pancakes?”