Tuesday Teaser 9/11/18: Gina’s Wolf Part 25

Today is Nine Eleven. 9/11. In America it is named as Patriot Day in remembrance of the Twin Towers falling, the Pentagon attack, and Flight 93. There is so much tragedy in the world today. From personal tragedies like a friend’s mom passing away today to world wide tragedies like the fall of the Twin Towers 17 years ago. Hurricane Florence is barrelling down on America’s east coast, threatening millions of homes and people. Sometimes it seems like it’s too horrible to bear.

When I feel like that I turn to a book. I’ve gotten a TON of comfort and encouragement from reading, Yes, from the Bible and other inspirational books, but also from romance novels, science fiction stories, fantasy books. Because a book filled with characters I care about with a good story can take me away from whatever horrible thing has me down and bring me back to real life feeling better. I plan on re-reading an old favorite tonight.

Do books do that for you? I hope so.

I’ll post another day about my excellent camping trip on Lake Winnipeg. I had a great time.

Here is the next  snip in Cole & Gina’s story. Enjoy!

“And what about the ladies in the camp?” The mayor sounded apologetic. “Your mother and the other women?”

Taye let out a growl beneath his breath.

The mayor nodded at him. “I don’t like to use women in war, but we are outmanned and outgunned. We’ll use whatever advantage we can.”

“I don’t like it,” Taye said flatly. “I didn’t like it when I heard the President’s women were captured last week, and I don’t like it now. Women deserve to be respected and cherished.”

“They were treated with great respect, and Kansas-Missouri took your women first.” The mayor held up placating hands. “As a last resort only. My word on it.”

Gina cleared her throat. “They’ve probably been sent back to Kansas City. That was the plan when I, er, left, and that was a few days ago.” She paused, debating with herself, and finally cleared her throat. “One of the wives is pregnant. My stepfather wants a child very badly, so I’m sure the women have been sent home for safety.”

“One of the wives,” muttered Stone with disgust.

Taye shook his head. “Why bring a pregnant woman all this way? It’s dangerous.”

“Because of me.” Gina had thought about that too. “My mother probably wanted to be on hand when I was found, and my stepfather tries to treat all his wives equally. If my mother got to come, so would the other wives.”

“Huh. The other wives,” said Stone, clearly still disgusted.

Judge Case steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. “A man desperate to have a child might be willing to do anything to get his pregnant wife back.”

“Even walk away from a war,” McGrath agreed.

Taye stood up. “We’ll have nothing to do with it,” he said flatly. “We don’t steal women.”

McGrath arched his eyebrows. “Not married ones, you mean.”

There was a brief silence before Taye shrugged. “Only mates, and we never hurt them or force them to accept the mating. No wolf I know has ever stolen a married woman. We won’t start now.”

“Fine, fine.” The mayor stretched back in his chair, smiling faintly. “But is this woman really married? After all, Todd has how many wives? And is she his true wife?”

Taye’s brows pulled down, and he glanced at Gina. “Did he marry her first? Is she happy as his wife?”

“No, Shelley is his fourth wife.” She considered for a moment. “I think she is happy. She’s very proud of maybe being the mother of his heir.”

“Maybe?” said Cole, stroking a hand up and down her arm. He was focused on her, so her might not have even known he was caressing her. She did though, and she liked it.

“His wives have been pregnant before, but the babies never lived.”

Stone made a low sound of sympathy.

Taye turned to McGrath and said with steel in his voice, “She’s a woman and the mother of his child. We don’t hurt women for any reason.”

McGrath straightened. “Good enough.”

The judge nodded. “The women are probably out of our reach anyway.”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come,” called McGrath.

A young man in the uniform of the Omaha City Guard stepped in. “Mayor Madison has sent word that his son Ray has come out of the coma.”

*

Cole stared through the glass wall at the man lying in a pristine white bed in the hospital room. He had known Ray Madison all his life. They were only a year apart in age. Their mothers were best friends. Ray was his sister’s fiancé. He’d never been a heavy man, having the lean, lithe body of a mountain cat, but now he looked wasted. His hair, usually a tawny gold, was dull blond. His face had a gray tinge to it. Even with a blanket drawn up to his neck, his body seemed to be nothing but bone. How could he have become so thin in such a short time?

Beside him, Gina squeezed his hand. He put his arm around her, thankful that he was out here and not in the hospital bed. Inside the room his sister perched in a chair only inches from the bed, holding Ray’s hand while a doctor listened to Ray’s heart with a weird contraption that hooked into his ears. Ray’s dad and mom, Eddie and Lisa Madison, stood on the other side of the bed, watching the doctor with anxious eyes. Ray’s eyes were open, but their color was dull like his hair.

A whisper of a sob came from Gina. She pressed her face into his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

She kind of nodded and shrugged at the same time. Lifting her head, she sniffed. “That could be you,” she whispered. “It’s a miracle you’re even alive. When I saw you shot …” Her voice broke. “You were dead. I was sure you were dead. But somehow you’re alive.”

She sounded surprised? “I’m a wolf warrior. What did you feel when I was shot?”

She was silent for a long minute. “I was horrified and guilty and furious. I wasn’t very nice to you at first, and they killed you.”

“And you’re sorry you weren’t nice to me?”

Her head tilted to look at him. No smile. “Not then. Maybe I am now. Cole.” She paused to look around. His parents were a yard away, also looking into Ray’s room. “Let’s go sit down somewhere private.”

He followed her down the hall to a small room where visitors could sit. He thought he would follow her anywhere because he never wanted her to be alone and unprotected again. She took a chair and waved him to the small couch. No, he didn’t want her sitting alone, so he tugged her over to the couch.

“Cole, I accepted your, uh, mate claim and I want to be your wife, but I don’t know how.”

He stared. “How?” he echoed blankly.

“I mean, can we even think about that until this mess with my stepfather is done?” She blinked and looked away, biting her lip. She drew a deep breath and looked back at him, delicate pink shading her cheeks. “On the other hand, I want to be your wife.” The color deepened. “I want you. Before everything goes crazy when Todd does whatever he’s going to do, I want … That is… ” She coughed, looked away, looked back, pressed her hands to her brilliant cheeks, and looked utterly adorable. Her voice lowered to the merest whisper. Only a wolf warrior could have heard her next words. “I want to make love with you as your wife.”

Those words were the finest poetry he’d ever heard. “I want that too. Tonight?”

“Where?”

It didn’t matter to him, but it obviously did to her. “At the Limit. The room we have there is private. Do you want a wedding?”

“Yes.”

It appeared her embarrassment was fading because her voice was strong again. “Mayor McGrath can do the ceremony, can’t he? Is that okay with you?”

He couldn’t care less, but he would do anything to make her happy. “Sure. Let’s go tell my mom and dad. They’ll make it happen.”