Falke’s Captive

Kelan decided offense was the best defense. “There were two of them, and one fits that description, a little. Besides, would you admit a woman we’d been ready to bed shot you in the ass with a tranq dart?”

Reidar opened his mouth to say more, but Axel walked in. With reinforcements. When Axel came to a stop near the bedside, Gunnar, dressed in a Catamount Outfitter uniform, stood behind him.

“Who’s manning the store?” Reidar asked, his gaze on Gunnar.

“Torsten’s prowling,” Gunnar answered.

“Sin can handle the counter by himself for a while,” Axel added, letting Reidar off the hook for now.

“Dakota?” Kelan asked, surprised to see both of his big brothers here rather than trailing her like hungry kittens.

“I’m here,” she said, stepping into view through the doorway, although she remained in the hall.

“Figures,” Kelan mumbled. Reidar cleared his throat.

Alex frowned. “I see your nap didn’t help your disposition.”

Kelan adjusted himself, sitting up straighter. He didn’t like being in a position of weakness.

“Getting tranq’d by some broad with a quick trigger finger will do that to ya.”

“You should’ve come to me, told me what happened—”

“And set you off on another of your alpha speeches? No thanks. I’ve heard them all before.”

“And not learned a damn thing!” Axel took a step closer, but Gunnar’s hand on his arm stopped his progress.

Kelan kicked free of the covers but stayed put otherwise, his gaze on Axel. He wasn’t sure he had the strength right now to stand up to, let alone stand against, his eldest brother.

Axel took a deep breath. “What you do, Kel, affects us all. When are you going to realize that?”

“You think I did this on purpose? That I asked to get shot and tagged? Or that I wanted any of this to happen? Fuck you, Ax. I didn’t volunteer to be a lab rat. I’m the victim here.”

“I’m pregnant.” Dakota’s words were like a bucket of ice water thrown over him. She stepped into the room, and Ax and Gunnar immediately flanked her.

“Honey—” She silenced Axel with the touch of a finger to his lips and a smile on her face. “He has to know why you’re being such a bear lately.”

Axel snorted. “A bear?”

She grinned. “Okay, a pissy puma.”

“I’m not sure that’s much better.”

She caressed his cheek, her love for Axel palpable. “He needs to know, and besides, it’ll be obvious soon enough.”

All of the anger seeped out of Kelan’s limbs. That explained everything—why Axel wouldn’t leave her side, why he’d been so scarce around work and defensive about it, about everything.

“But I thought…” Kelan began, letting his words drift off when Dakota looked at him.

She smiled. “That I wasn’t ready? I know I told everyone that because I really thought I wasn’t ready for kids.” She cast a grin at Axel first and then at Gunnar, touching him on the arm. Color in her cheeks made her look radiant. “But your brothers are rather…persuasive.”

Axel and Gunnar actually squirmed, making Dakota grin and Kelan chuckle. Dakota was pretty persuasive too, when it came to his older brothers.

Reidar was the first to move. He got up, went to their sister-in-law and pried her away from her mates. “Congratulations, sis.”

She giggled and returned his hug. When they pulled apart, she approached the bed where Kelan sat, having draped his legs off the side.

He smiled, opened his arms. “I’m happy for you.”

Her eyes were so alive with joy, he felt her gaze like a punch to the gut. “Thanks.” She gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek, then whispered, “Don’t blame Axel. He’s just a little overprotective.”

He chuckled as she pulled away. Yeah, his big brother had always been that way, worried about the safety of his siblings, and now his mate. And Kelan hadn’t made it easy on him.

Quite frankly, he blamed himself for the whole fiasco. And he grasped the seriousness of the danger without Axel having to point it out. A scientist had captured him, tagged him, and he’d led her to his family. If Gunnar hadn’t been shifted…

“I’ll handle this,” Kelan told them. Whatever it took, he’d do it. He wouldn’t let a mistake on his part endanger his family or his brothers’ future.

“There’s nothing really left to handle,” Reidar said, drawing the attention of everyone else. “The microchip is out. The woman knows the cat is home with us, safe and sound. No harm, no foul. Now she can go off into the woods and find real wildlife to pester with her darts and tests. There’s no other reason for her to come around again, unless she needs camping supplies.”

After a moment, Gunnar said, “Let’s hope you’re right about her.”

“But there’s still one thing left to do,” Axel said.

“And that is?” Kelan asked.

“Someone has to tell our fathers.”

Kelan cringed but pushed to his feet and met Axel’s unyielding gaze. Axel might be the family’s alpha now, but Kelan would rather dive head first into lava than upset his fathers. Nonetheless, he nodded.

“I’ll go with him,” Reidar volunteered.

Thanks, Kelan said telepathically without a glance at the brother who’d been there with him, for him, all his life. A firm hand patted his shoulder.

Don’t worry. You can make it up to me some day.

“At least I’ll have another day to figure out how to tell them,” Kelan said as he lifted the frosty mug to his lips.

Sitting in their usual booth at the pub, Reidar nodded and shredded small pieces off a paper napkin. He preferred the “rip the bandage off fast” approach when dealing with their fathers, not putting things off as long as possible, the way Kelan always did. His brother lucked out with a reprieve from telling their fathers about his capture, when they’d found a note at home earlier that afternoon saying their dads had gone to visit an old friend in Seattle.

“Oh, come on,” Kelan said, chuckling. “It’s not like they’re going to take a belt to our backsides.”

Reidar cast him a narrow-eyed glance. “I didn’t do anything wrong. If anyone’s ass needs to be belted, it’s yours. What exactly were you thinking, running off on your own like that?”

“Now you sound like Axel.” Kelan slouched in the booth across from him and folded his arms. “I was pissed and needed to cool down. I’d gone to talk to Axel about our idea, and he blew me off.

Again.”

“Oh.” Reidar reached for his beer. “At least we know why he’s being such an ass lately. Maybe after the babies are…Wow. We’re going to be uncles.” He knew the responsibility behind raising their kind. Their own mother and fathers hadn’t had it easy with six telepathic, shape shifting boys and a girl who wanted to be one of them. Childhood was bad enough, but once they reached puberty and could shift…

“Kill me if I ever get that way around a woman.”

Reidar laughed. “We have to find one who’ll put up with you first.”

“You think you’re a comedian…”

Still grinning, Reidar stared at his glass a long moment, then said, “Do you ever think about it?”

“About what?”

“A mate. Settling down. Having children.” He couldn’t believe he was actually bringing this up, but something changed in him when Dakota made her announcement.

“Whoa, there. Where the hell is this coming from?” Kelan sat forward and leaned over the table.

“We’re going to have kids in the family in a matter of months, and you’re thinking about getting laid?”

“I got laid last weekend. That’s not what I mean.” Reidar sent Kelan a look of irritation. His brother could be so obtuse sometimes. “I’m talking about finding what Axel and Gunnar have.”