Four

I fell down to my knees, carefully turning her over in my arms. Her short brown hair barely touched her shoulders, and I knew if she were to open her eyes right now, I would see the same pair that had been haunting my dreams for the past few days.

Her beautiful lips had a split along the bottom one with blood dripping from her nose, presumably from the fall due to the gas. I held her body close to mine, savoring the feeling of her warmth.

The smell of the gas grew stronger the longer I sat there holding her, not realizing how long I had been staring at the angel in my arms until I was called for through the pack link. We had to get out, we had been in too long, and the gas was going to start affecting me.

I got to my feet, stumbling slightly as I waited for the dizziness in my head to clear before making my way down the hallway, holding her tightly in my arms. I had been so consumed by her that I had not been aware of the clean-up that was already underway. All of the bodies had been brought to the lobby and the hallways had already been cleared and cleaned as if nothing had happened.

Our pack was nothing if not efficient.

Each vampire was carried out to the truck to be loaded up, while the Humans were left behind in a neat pile in the lobby. We had government contacts who specialized in covering situations like this. Once we cleared the area and called them, they would be there within the hour to deal with the bodies.

I moved through the front door and out into the fresh night air, still holding the woman as tightly to me as I could without hurting her.

"Parker, medic wants to see you." One of my warriors called out. I knew the drill, especially with vampires. We had to start treatment for bites immediately. In my case, with only one bite, a shot usually did the trick.

I sat down on the bed of the truck, adjusting the woman in my arms to a more comfortable position with her head on my shoulder and her butt on my lap.

"Hey, Parker. I just need to take a look at you and get you going on meds before we head back. Who's this?" Daryl, one of our field medics asked.

I glanced down at the brunette curled up against my chest with a smile. Daryl poked around my bite mark before sticking the needle into my skin with the antidote to the vampire venom.

"This is my mate."

Kaylee's P.O.V.

I hadn't had a dream like this in a long time. For the past several years, every time I closed my eyes, I would still be on edge. I would be aware of my surroundings in a half-conscious state, just waiting for those monsters to burst through my door to drag me back to Hell.

This time, I felt safe. It was the most relaxed I had been in years. The bed I was lying on was nowhere near as hard as the cot in my room, and I felt a warmth radiating up my arm stemming from my hand. The tingles seemed to grow exponentially stronger the longer I waited.

I remembered seeing the happiness on Olivia's face just before I went down, and I knew that wherever I was, I was safe.

The pain that radiated from my jaw, lip, and nose told me that I hurt myself when I fell. Yet, it was nowhere near the pain that I had been in for the past several years.

I felt myself release a deep breath of relief as someone ran their hand up and down my forearm. It was like they were trying to encourage me to wake up, but my mind was still so fuzzy.

Their touch was like electricity, zapping me back to life as they moved up to brush the back of their fingers across my cheek. I turned my head, hoping to press further into their warm touch.

"That's it, baby." A man whispered. His voice was deep, but he spoke so softly to me. "You're doing so well."

The praise coming from him made my chest fill with butterflies. I knew that voice. Everything in my mind was screaming out how familiar it was. I wanted to place it with their face, but I wasn't ready to open my eyes yet. They felt so heavy but were getting lighter with every second.

There was a commotion, disrupting the sense of peace I had. My eyes cracked open, just enough to be offended by the light in the room and to see a woman rushing in.

"Oh, Parker!" She cried out before moving around the bed and gathering him in a hug. He moved to wrap his arms around her, but I wasn't ready for him to let go yet. I tightened my hold on his hand, and he squeezed back. "They told me you were in the hospital. I thought… I am so glad you're home and safe!"

"I'm okay, Ma. Those bloodsuckers didn't stand a chance." My eyes lazily slid over to the man. One arm was holding the woman to his chest. He was no less than a foot taller than her, with broad shoulders and dirty blonde hair. I followed his bare arm down, noticing the healing bite mark on his skin, and guilt turned my stomach to a knot.

"I was so worried." She said into his chest, and my heart dropped. Even though they were there to save their Luna, I felt guilty that he had risked his life further to bring me out. She pulled back and whispered to him with a small smile on her face. "Is she the one?"

"Yeah, she is." He nodded, squeezing my hand.

"I am so happy for you, sweetheart." She turned in his hold, placing her hand on my knee before looking up at me. I blinked at her, and she gasped as she pulled away from him, seeing I was awake.

"How are you feeling?" The man, Parker, stated. His excitement was evident in his voice, but he restrained himself as he held onto my hand tightly. I wiggled my fingers, trying to get blood flow back, and he seemed to realize just how extreme his grip was. He started to pull away with a pained look, but I grabbed onto him before he could let go completely.

"Foggy," I whispered back as I stared into his eyes, such a deep brown that they almost looked black.

"Would you like some water?" He turned to the side, grabbing the pale pink pitcher before pouring me a glass single-handedly. I pressed the button on the side of the bedrails, lifting the head of the mattress into an upright position.

He held the cup as I took a small sip of the room temperature liquid. "You're one of them, right?" He eyed me warily as if unsure how to approach the subject or how I would react. "I know of your world. You can stop looking at me like you're scared I'm going to run."

I giggled at him, and he relaxed with a sigh before looking down at our hands. The pink blush that dusted his cheeks sent butterflies through my chest. It was the most adorable sight in the world. A man as large as him blushing for someone like me was the last thing I ever expected to happen.

"Does it bother you?" He asked, and I watched with a full heart as his mother placed her hand on his back. It was clear they were close. It made me happy, but it also made me miss my own mother. I hadn't seen her in years since I was kidnapped.

"Not in the slightest. Does it bother you that I am an Oracle?" I asked back, watching as his dark brown eyes widened in wonder. Besides my mother, I had never come across another being with the gift of foresight. I used to think that being able to see the future was a gift. Not anymore. Not after all of the torture and abuse I had to face by those vile creatures who had taken me with the intention of using my ability for their personal gain.

"That is way cooler than turning into a dog." He joked with a smirk before clearing his throat in embarrassment. His hand moved up to rub the back of his neck, and I watched his muscles flex as he did so.

The sound of a woman shouting Parker's name in the hallway had me turning my head away from him. His jaw clenched, and his eyes tightened just before I did so, making me even more curious about who the woman was and why he had such a reaction to her.

"Parker!" She shouted as she rushed around the doorframe only to stop short when her eyes landed on him standing next to my bed. She barely spared me a glance before moving over toward him. His mother moved forward, her hand staying on my leg as she blocked the path to Parker. "I just heard the news that you were here! I am so glad that you're okay! I was so worried."

Her black hair hung down just past her shoulders, and her brown eyes were lined with tears. She blinked them away dramatically, wiping her hands under her eyes as she let out a deep sigh.

"They are fine." His mother chimed in, sending me a smile. I knew right away that the new woman in the room was trouble. If his mom didn't like her, I would be sure to keep my guard up.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, feigning surprise at seeing me. "Is this one of the patients? Did you already talk to the doctor about her meds? It wouldn't be safe to let her wander around unstable."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You are a terribly unpleasant person."

Her jaw dropped as she gaped at me. "Excuse me? I am the Beta Female of this pack!"

I shook my head in amazement, astounded by her ego. "And until Parker and I mate, that means nothing to me."