JaneThe expression on Ethan’s face terrifies me.When he answered the phone all color drained from his cheeks, and his jaw went absolutely rigid. His eyes clenched shut as if he was in pain when the person on the other end of the line spoke, and the next thing I knew he was urgently telling me we had to go.“What’s wrong?” I ask, leaping to my feet.“It’s Paisley.” He answers, his voice like gravel.The room begins to spin as dread ties my stomach into knots, “Is she okay?” I gasp, reaching for the counter to suddenly swaying body.“They’ve rushed her into emergency surgery.” Ethan explains, moving for the door. “I don’t know any details yet.”Glancing helplessly at Linda, I find my friend already pushing my purse into my hands, “Go, I’ll take care of the pups.”“Thank you.” I mouth, following Ethan. “I’ll take you.” I announce, “You shouldn’t drive with a head injury.”He guides me through the door with a hand at my waist and closes it behind us, pulling the keys from my hand, “Of c
Ethan“What did you just say?” I demand, certain I’ve misheard the man.“Well, when we got into the operating room, we discovered that Paisley wasn’t actually in cardiac arrest.” Dr Hastings shares. “Her system was shutting down, but there were no signs of severe stress on the organ itself. We ran a few tests, and it appears someone administered a lethal dose of a drug called digitalis to Paisley mere minutes before we went into surgery.”“What’s that?” Jane asks, her little hand clutching my arm.“Well it’s actually used to treat heart conditions in small doses,” He explains, “but in the quantity Paisley received it can be deadly, and it’s not one of her prescribed medications. Whoever did this, did it on purpose.”“You’re sure?” I press.“Quite.” He nods, “the drug wouldn’t be tested for in a normal autopsy, we only checked because we could see that something was very wrong. Paisley was poisoned, and whoever did it probably assumed it would happen too quickly for us to save her. Luc
3rd PersonRyder, Riley and Parker were beside themselves. All the adults were in an uproar, running around and whispering behind closed doors, trying to keep the truth a secret. But they knew - they always knew. They were wide awake when their Mommy ran out with the Alpha the night before, they knew their sister was in trouble and they could feel the grown ups’ fear as if it was their own. They’d stayed up as long as they were able to keep their eyes open, but it hadn’t done any good. There was no more news while they were awake, and when they got up this morning, Mommy was nowhere to be found. Now Jane had finally called Linda for an update, so they huddled outside her bedroom door with their keen ears pressed to the wood, listening intently.“Hey honey, how’s it going?” Linda was asking, sounding as if she was preparing herself to hear the worst.Their Mommy’s voice was very faint on the other end of the line, but they could hear her exhaustion clearly. “She’s alright.” Jane answ
3rd PersonEthan was driving Jane straight up the wall. She’d never known anyone who could push her buttons like he did, and what’s more - he truly seemed to enjoy riling her up. She actually wondered how much of his current ploy was actually about power, and how much was simply to tease her.Jane glanced at Paisley, sleeping so sweetly in her bed, and felt her determination to defy Ethan waiver. He really did need to take a break, and she desperately needed some time alone to figure out what to do about their situation anyway. She couldn’t think when he was in the same room, watching her and turning her on with his mere presence alone.“Please.” Jane murmured, so quietly she wasn’t certain Ethan would actually hear her. Ethan flashed her a wolfish grin, “good girl.” Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her mouth opened to offer him a saucy retort, but he pressed a finger to her lips, “ah-ah, don’t make me change my mind.”Jane bit her tongue until he left the room, but the moment he disa
JaneSpinning to face Paisley, I find her sitting up in bed, her green eyes wide but still glazed with the remnants of sleep. This is the first time since the surgery that she’s seemed truly lucid, and I have to fight every protective instinct in my body to immediately begin interrogating her about who visited her before she went under. “Hello my love.” I greet her, crossing the room to sit at the edge of her bed. “How are you feeling?”“Funny.” Paisley answers with a yawn. “Why were you swearing, Mommy?”Brushing her hair back from her face, I offer her a lopsided smile. “I was just feeling a little out of sorts.” I confess, “But I shouldn’t have said those things.”Paisley leans forward, raising her hand to her mouth and secretively whispering “I’s heard Daddy say some of dose words too sometimes.” She grins sheepishly, “but he says dey’re bad words and only bad Daddies say dem in front of pups.”“And what do you think?” I ask her, overjoyed that she’s up and talking,She thinks fo
EthanAgitation consumes me so quickly it steals my breath. Where could they have gone? I think manically. Paisley’s not allowed off the ward, and Jane wouldn’t ever risk taking her out of her doctor’s reach this soon after surgery - would she? Did somebody get to them? Have they been taken? Surely Jane wouldn’t have run off with Paisley… the idea is almost too terrible to bear, though she had pushed awfully hard to convince me to go home.My wolf is in an uproar, clawing at the surface and begging to be let out so he can begin tracking my mate and pup. I’m on the verge of letting him, of tearing the hospital apart to find my she-wolves when the elevator dings and their scents hit me. Charging out of the room, I watch the silver doors open and see Jane wheeling Paisley out in a wheelchair, surprise coloring both of their faces when they realize I’m there. Of course the difference is that where Paisley’s face lights up, Jane’s falls. All at once my terror wanes, though my frustration
JaneI can’t recall ever wanting to strangle anyone as much as I want to strangle Ethan right now. The truth is that I’m not sure I can make it three months working alongside him every day, but I’m equally afraid of the romantic schemes he might try to pull if I agree to date him. Three dates a week is simply too many, and the word date is a minefield all on its own. Yet when he calls me that damned fake name and basically accuses me of being a chicken, I can’t help but rise to the challenge. “Define date?” I huff. “You and I, spending quality time together in the evening or on weekends.” He shrugs, eyes twinkling with mirth. “Surely you’ve been on a date before?”Rolling my eyes heavenward, I waver back and forth. Five boring days a week for three months, or a few heated hours? In the end I feel much more confident in my ability to rebuff him for a short period than day in and day out, and I know the sly wolf will take every advantage he can, working or not. Finally I suggest, “T
Ethan“Paisley, slow down!” I call, my hands itching to scoop her up off the ground. We’re already at the park, and she’s running ahead of me as usual. The only problem is that today isn’t like any other, she’s just been released from the hospital after major surgery, and someone clearly wants to harm her. I don’t like letting her out of arm's length, let alone out of my sight. She pauses only long enough to turn around and exclaim, “But Daddy I’m excited!” “You just got out of the hospital little one, don’t push yourself.” I caution. Shifters might heal fast, but matters of the heart are always treated very seriously. The doctor said she could be up and about and play for short periods of time, but at this rate she’s going to tire herself out before we ever get to playing. “But Daddy!” She argues, pouting hard.“Paisley slow down or I’ll carry you the whole way like a baby.” I threaten. Most of the time Paisley actually loves being carried, but she’s been cooped up in the hospita