That absolute fucking piece of shit! He had to have been watching the house and saw us leave. Fucking hell, we should've taken her with us. We never should've left her there. At least not before the extra security was in place. And now that fucker was at OUR house threatening OUR mate. I got a ping on my phone and when I saw what it said my blood ran cold.
"FUCK! Go faster Ash! I just got a notification that a window was broken. He's probably in the house right now!"
The engine roared as we pulled into our driveway. As we all scrambled out of the truck, I saw Wilmington climb out of the parlor window and dart towards the trees.
"Jer! Go after that fucker!"
"On it!"
Jer started running for the woods and shifted on the fly. Ash and I dashed to the front door. I saw all the marks where he had used an axe or something to try to force his way into the house, but the door was wood over reinforced steel. It looked like he went for a window when he couldn't get through the door. Ash entered our code to open the door and we rushed into the foyer.
"ZOEY!"
We listened and heard nothing. We searched downstairs, looking in all the rooms trying to find her. The living room was in shambles, with cushions torn open, and lamps knocked over. My heart was racing. Where was she? Did he manage to get to her? Did he hurt her? Was she unconscious or tied up where she couldn't answer us? I was too panicked to think to check for her scent.
"Please, Zoey! Answer us! Tell us where you are, baby!"
I caught a faint whimper coming from upstairs.
"Ash! Upstairs!"
I ran up the stairs. I followed the sound to my room, Ash right on my heels. I opened the door, and I didn't see her at first. Then I heard another whimper, and I moved around my bed. I saw her tucked between my bed and the wall, and I died a little. My precious mate was curled up with her head on her knees with her hands over her ears and rocking back and forth. She was traumatized and I wasn't here to protect her. I heard Ash moan and felt his anguish as he saw her. Now that we'd found her, my panic eased and now I could smell her fear and it turned my stomach.
I knelt in front of her and gently touched her arm. She shrieked and only my fast reflexes kept me from having my throat cut as she slashed the knife in front of her. I grabbed her wrist and took the knife from her and threw it under the bed. She twisted in my grip and fought me like a hell cat. Her eyes were wild, and I could tell she wasn't seeing me and was trapped in her terror. I winced as her nails dug into my arm and tore downwards, leaving bloody slashes in my skin that healed quickly. My blood made my grip slip and with a scream, she knocked me over and tried to claw my eyes out. She screamed as I held her by her wrists again.
"NO no no no! I won't let you hurt me! Let me go! Leave me alone!"
"Zoey… baby… it's me. It's Deacon. Come back to us, baby. Please. It's ok. I'm right here. Come back to me, my mate."
"D… Deke?"
"Yeah. It's me baby."
I saw her eyes focus on me and suddenly she collapsed onto my chest and just broke. I wrapped my arms around her and held her while her whole body jerked with the force of her sobbing. My heart hurt so much. I had failed our mate. We all failed her. I held her tight as her sobs subsided.
"It's ok, baby. We're here. Shhhh. It's ok. You're safe."
I felt Ash sit next to us on the floor and start rubbing across her lower back.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I never dreamed he would attack the house so soon."
"It's ok Ash. You couldn't have known." Her voice wobbled.
I gently guided her face up so I could see her eyes.
"Let's get you back downstairs and a drink in you, hmm?" I felt her tense up. "Don't worry, baby. He's gone and we aren't going anywhere and we'll be right by your side."
She nodded and then looked around.
"Where's Jer?"
"He went after that son of a bitch when he ran into the woods."
She nodded again and slowly got up from the floor. As Ash gave me a hand up, rage blew through our bond so strong it knocked both of us to our knees.
"Jer! What the fuck is going on?"
"I lost the fucker, Ash! He fucking shot me and I lost him when my leg collapsed. Asshole ran up a fucking stream and I lost the scent."
"Not your fault Jer. We'll deal with him later. You ok?"
"Yeah. Just pissed he got the drop on me and that I lost that asshole."
"Alright. Get home fast, our mate is… not good. This truly terrified her and I think it was just too much to deal with after last night."
"On my way."
"Ash! Deke! Oh my god! Are you ok?"
Zoey sounded hysterical. I nodded as we stood up.
"Yeah, baby. Just some strong emotions rocking through our bond, and it took us by surprise."
"Oh fuck! Is it Jer? Is he hurt? Please Goddess, please tell me he's ok."
"He will be, baby. That fucker had a gun and he shot at Jer and got a lucky hit. He's already almost home and almost healed, ok? Let's go downstairs and wait for him."
She nodded and the pain in her eyes killed me. My mate was so caring, and she took on everyone's pain as her own. We all went downstairs and reached the kitchen just as Jer came in through the back door. Zoey saw him and ran to him and threw herself in his arms. He staggered as he caught her, his leg still weak.
"Oh my god, Jericho. I'm so so sorry. You got hurt because of me. This is all my fault. I bring so much trouble wherever I go."
I watched as Jer gently pushed her back until he could cup her face in his hands. He looked hard into her eyes.
"Zoey Donovan. You listen to me, and you listen good. NONE of this is your fault. You got that? None. This is all on that pathetic obsessive shit stain. He's the one who couldn't take no for an answer. Ok? This isn't your fault." He gave her a lopsided grin. "The world would have been better off if that particular swimmer had slid down his momma's thigh instead."
I snorted laughter and Ash chuckled at the utter shock on Zoey's face. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before dissolving into giggles. The bands around my chest eased and I finally could take a full breath. I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear her laughter to know she was ok.
Jer kissed the end of her nose, causing more giggles. "There's my girl."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her back to us, limping a little. Zoey noticed the limp and immediately stopped and dropped to her knees to examine his leg. I stifled a groan at the sight of Zoey on her knees. My cock hardened and jerked, reminding me how much it still wanted inside her.
"God, Jer. That's got to hurt so much. Let me get a first aid kit or something."
Jer cleared his throat, and I could see his cock was just as hard as ours. It felt so wrong to be hard and aching for her after what just happened. But looking at her in this moment, all I could think of was my cock in her mouth, sucking and licking me. Drinking down my cum. I shivered. My baby comes first though. She went through something horrible and didn't need my desire right now. She needed comforting.
"I'm ok, love. It's already almost fully healed. I will be right as rain in another few minutes. Shifter healing remember?"
"Fucking lucky." I heard the jealousy in her voice.
Jer was dressed in one of the spare pairs of shorts we kept around for when we shifted outside and didn't have time to strip. I knew the exact moment she looked up at Jer and saw how hard he was. I swallowed hard as she looked at me and Ash with that same heat in her eyes from before.
"I seem to remember giving a rain check. Care to cash in?" Her voice was husky and it sent shivers up and down my spine. I wanted to hear that voice calling my name as she came.
"Are you sure, sweetheart? After everything that just happened?"
"Yeah, Ash. I'm sure. If anything, it made me even more sure since it reminded me that every second is precious and can change on a dime. I really want to taste you. I could've lost that chance today."
I groaned. "Fuck me. As long as you're certain. I want to give you everything you desire."
She nodded and stood. "I'm very certain. I'm also certain I want to go to a more comfortable room. Preferably some with cushioning since I plan to spend a great deal of time on my knees."
Fuck fuck fuck. I almost came right then. But I wanted my mate to be able to take her pleasure from me since she wanted to watch me come, so I held out.
"You're killing me, baby."
"Not yet, Deke. Wait until I suck your soul out through your dick. Then I'm killing you."
She winked at me. Fucking. Winked. I gave a low growl and looked at my pack mates.
"I think this occasion calls for my special room. She's perfect for it. Don't you agree?"
"Oh, absolutely."
"That's a perfect idea."