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  If you’d kept your fucking flogger to yourself, I wouldn’t be in this damned mess. Tell me to calm down? I’ll show you calm.

  “Have you ever noticed, the person telling you to calm down is, without fail, the one who wired you up? Frosted Flakes, you are just too much, you know that? I don’t know what I was thinking, mating with you. Let’s kick off this discussion with the nonsense about me not going to the office tomorrow. I’ve already been off for several days. Good grief. Pregnant mamas don’t give a fat rat’s hairy ass about anything except getting their baby delivered safely—the sooner, the better. Babies don’t care about what’s going on outside their cozy living space until mama’s tummy starts putting the squeeze on them, then they don’t care who yanks them out.”

  “What the hell’s going on? I could hear Bristol all the way down the hall?” Glaring at his brother, Austin fumed, “What did you do? Did you say something stupid?”

  “He told her to calm down. Please tell me the security team isn’t watching this, although I’d love to have a copy. I’m gathering clips for an Adler Siblings Dimmest Moments montage.” Asia clearly had no interest in helping her brother, having decided his stupid remark had earned Bristol’s wrath.

  “Here’s how it’s going to be… I’m going to work. I have the panic alarm you gave me. I’ll be fine.” She rolled her eyes when they all looked surprised by her comment. “I swear, if I was as helpless as you seem to believe, I’d have never made it through my first year of medical school.” Shaking her head, Bristol finally stopped pacing to face the three Adlers standing on the other side of the massive conference room table.

  “Listen, I’ve agreed to meet London at the lab in my clinic in half an hour. She’s going to draw the blood sample she needs for analysis and transport it back to her lab. They are flying out in an hour. Denali and Kensington are making an unscheduled stop in Boston tomorrow on their way to Paris for their honeymoon. If I don’t do my part, Denali loses a chunk of her honeymoon for no reason, and I don’t want to be responsible for that.” Leaning across the table, her hands flat on the polished mahogany top, Bristol pulled in a steadying breath.

  “I’m doing everything you’ve asked, except sitting on my thumbs. I have to work. Women depend on me. Their families count on me to keep their wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters safe through what is often one of the most stressful times of their lives. It’s not fair to them for me to just disappear, and it isn’t fair to ask me to walk away from my life’s work because some floozy has her heart set on making you hers. She can kiss my ass. You are mine.”

  “Well played, Dr. B. Well played, indeed.” Austin chuckled, but she could see admiration shining in his eyes. “Israel, she’s your mate, and I won’t presume to tell you how to handle this, but I will make a suggestion. One of your men was an Army medic, right?” Israel nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Bristol. “Send him with her. She can pass him off as temp staff. It’s not a perfect plan, but it buys you some time.”

  Bristol watched Israel’s jaw tense, the shift so subtle, she’d have missed it if she hadn’t been focused on his reaction to his brother’s suggestion. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but since she didn’t have anything better and the clock was ticking, she’d take it.

  It was amazing how fast people could get things done when they were motivated. A half-hour later, she escorted her new assistant into her clinic. She had to give Lincoln Billings credit, he’d hit the ground running. Bristol didn’t know where he got them, but he changed into scrubs before meeting her in the parking garage, fifteen minutes after Israel’s reluctant compromise.

  London was the consummate professional, drawing several vials of blood and cautioning Dr. B to drink a lot of water and the bottle of juice she’d brought with her.

  “I’m looking forward to this research. I haven’t had anything new to work on for a while. This is a way for me to look out for my family from afar.” Bristol detected a note of loneliness in the young scientist’s tone but let it go when her husbands flanked her.

  “Princess, you know we’ll fly you to Texas anytime you want to visit your family.” Eli’s sweet words appeared to soothe London’s anxiety.

  “I can’t always get away, Love, but Eli can usually work remotely.” Dr. Evan Monroe was one of the country’s best surgeons. Bristol understood his obligations better than anyone else could. He owned the surgical center, so the buck stopped with him.

  Reaching out to London, Bristol grasped her forearm in what she intended to be a show of support. Gasping at the power surge she felt from the other woman, it took a few seconds for Bristol’s brain to sort through the bombardment to her senses. Pulling London aside, Bristol made sure her back was to the Monroe brothers before giving the tiny blonde a warm smile.

  “Congratulations, London. She’s going to be gorgeous just like her mama.” London’s eyes filled with tears before she wrapped her arms around Bristol.

  “Thank you so much. I haven’t said anything to my mates, but I’m sure they know. They can always tell… well, they can tell everything. I think I could be across the country, and they’d call to tell me I’m ovulating and should get home right away. If they have their way, we’ll have so many kids, I won’t ever get any work done.”

  “I know you’ve been through this before, but every pregnancy is different. If you have any issues and can’t get through to your doctor, please don’t hesitate to call me.” Bristol felt the Monroe brothers step up behind her and grimaced. Damn, she hadn’t meant to spill the beans if they hadn’t already figured out they were going to be fathers again.

  “Come on, Princess. Evan has a patient being flown to Boston for surgery. Teenager with a compound fracture. Evidently, his dad is an ag pilot, and the two of them decided to see if they could snag the top wire of a fence. Obviously, it didn’t work out well.”

  Watching the trio hurry out of the clinic, Bristol sent up a silent prayer for the young man headed to Evan’s clinic and added one for the father who’d made a horrific decision. It wasn’t a good sign he hadn’t been mentioned.

  Her new assistant stepped up beside her and held out his phone. “Don’t worry about the dad. I Googled the accident; he walked away. He won’t ever fly again, but all things considered, they’re both damned lucky.” She let out a relieved sigh and thanked him for the information. “The boss called. He was worried about you.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Said something about you worrying about a patient. I explained what was going on. This is just a heads up; he is tuned in to you big-time.” He blushed before adding, “I like this job, so if you could avoid getting me fired, I’d be most appreciative.”

  Bristol burst out laughing, unable to hold back her amusement. After everything she’d been through the past few days, getting a veteran fired was the last thing she wanted to do.

  “Do you have any children?” she asked, looking at the ring on his left hand. When he shook his head, she grinned. “I’ll make you a deal. You keep your boss’ crazy stalker away from me, and I’ll deliver your first baby for free.” His face lit up as he laughed.

  “Since my dad is a doctor in our small hometown, I know this is a huge gift.” His smile faded, replaced by a sincere look of concern. “All kidding aside, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, Doc.”

  How had she gone from feeling so alone a week ago to being surrounded by so many wonderful people a few days later? Proof you should never give up—everything could fall together as quickly as it fell apart. Patience and perseverance were the keys.

  Clovia stood under the awning, deep in the shadows, watching Dr. Bristol Banks run to the waiting car. The rain made it impossible for Clovia to identify the man following her, but he was obviously hired muscle—the scrubs he wore couldn’t disguise his ultra-alert demeanor. He was a shifter with a medical background, she was guessing former military, probably employed by Israel Adler. He was easy on the eyes—it was unfortunate he had to die. Nobody was going to stand between
Clovia and Israel Adler—not the hottie bodyguard or the bitch he was protecting. If Austin Adler didn’t stop stirring up trouble in her pack, he was going on her damned hit list as well. Thank the Goddess, she’d anticipated his interference and made certain the calls to her Alpha were rerouted to a dummy phone. He’d catch on eventually… maybe. The man was so far up his wife’s ass, it was a wonder Prairie Winds hadn’t revoked his Dom card.

  When she’d called the hospital today to let them know she was too ill to work, they’d politely informed her she was no longer needed. Clovia hadn’t been surprised, but it still pissed her off. The Adlers were a powerful family of magicals. Making certain she no longer had a job would have taken little more than a phone call. It didn’t matter, she had a very impressive trust fund, and the sale of her condo would fill her coffers even more. Of course, once Israel Adler was her mate, she wouldn’t need to work. Dr. B was probably claiming she wasn’t interested in the Adler fortune, but there wasn’t an uncollared submissive at Prairie Winds who didn’t want to be the one Master Israel claimed as his own.

  Clovia was damned tired of pretending she wasn’t a switch. Giving up opportunities to play the controlling role in D/s scenes had been a bigger sacrifice than she’d anticipated. Once Israel was hers, Clovia knew she’d be able to bend him to her will… at least occasionally. Until then, she’d continue playing the part of the devoted submissive. Cocking her head to the side, Clovia tried to identify the sound she’d heard. Muffled, she’d have never heard it without the enhanced senses of a shifter. She didn’t have time to investigate. The car was already moving in her direction.

  Pulling the gun from her pocket, Clovia raised it quickly, taking aim at the passenger in the approaching car. She squeezed the trigger, and everything around her exploded in a cacophony of deafening noise, bright lights, and total chaos—everything started to spiral downward. Her arm felt like it was set on fire. She screamed at the ferocious growl behind her before she was pulled to the ground, sharp teeth ripping the muscles of her upper thigh. The compelling voice of her Alpha cut through the blinding pain, his command to stop, coming a split second before she could shift.

  Through the haze of pain, she saw Bristol Banks astonished expression framed by the undamaged window and illuminated by the streetlights as the car slowed briefly before speeding away. She didn’t know why the shot hadn’t taken the other women out, but there wasn’t so much as a crack in the glass. Bound by the compelling magic of her pack’s Alpha, Clovia remained frozen in place. Her mind screamed to shift, knowing how fast she would heal as a wolf, but the spell kept her locked in human form and drowning in agony. People were closing in around her, but she was so lost in pain, it was impossible to speak—hell, she could barely think.

  An hour after Bristol left for her office that morning, Austin called Israel to tell him Clovia Williams’ Alpha was on his way to Texas. Israel listened as his brother explained how he’d finally become suspicious about why his messages to the Alpha were being ignored. Deciding to use another contact, Austin got an immediate response. Before Bristol was finished seeing patients for the day, they had mobilized an operation that would have made the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff proud.

  His mate only balked when she’d realized several people were putting their lives on the line to protect her. Israel was baffled. How could she expect anything less? In the end, it was Kent West who’d run interference. When he joined their heated video conference, Bristol had been in the middle of explaining, in excruciating detail, why Israel was an arrogant ass. Kent had burst out laughing before reminding Israel of all the times he’d laughed at Tobi’s similar observations about her two husbands. Kent calmly explained this was business as usual for their team. In fact, they were deliberately overstaffing the operation to use it for training.

  “Bristol, you know my brother and me well enough to have confidence in our ability to judge the potential danger in a situation. We’d never send our people in unless we knew they could handle any potential situation.” He paused, letting her process his words before flashing her devious grin. “We’re using this as a training exercise, Bristol. We damned well wouldn’t send recruits into something we were overly concerned about. You put yourself in our hands when you joined the club, and we didn’t let you down. Now, you’re also under the watchful eyes of the entire Adler clan, as well as my lovely wife and her merry band of miscreants.

  “Personally, if I was in Clovia Williams’ position, I’d be more concerned with meeting the pissed off subs from Prairie Winds at a local social event. They are challenging on their best days, but they are all fiercely loyal. They understand the importance of friendship and function as a team when so many of their peers are competitive.”

  He paused for several seconds, studying Bristol’s reaction, gauging her emotional state. He tilted his head to the side, a move Israel recognized as a prelude to a shift in the other man’s approach. He listened as Kent laughed while shaking his head.

  “Jen wanted me to make sure you know she’s taking the second sniper position. She’ll be on the roof of the building across the street from your clinic. I’ll let her fill you in later on all the trash-talking taking place among our team. There seems to be a bit of competition about who will get to neutralize the threat to you. What I’m trying to say is, we’ve got your back. We’ll only use the force necessary to keep you safe, but we will do whatever it takes.”

  Bristol had nodded solemnly and thanked Kent for taking the time to explain. Israel had been sitting on the edge of his chair during their conversation, watching his mate carefully, her face enlarged on the large screen on the wall, worrying about her lack of affect and the way her eyes glazed over. He wanted to go to her, offer his support, but she’d already been miffed when she left in the morning. London called him after drawing Bristol’s blood, laughing about his mate’s obvious frustration.

  “Big brother, I’d like to tell you I feel sorry for you, but I don’t.”

  He knew she was on her way to the airport, surrounded by her men. She might be able to fool most people with her teasing tone and cheerful demeanor, but he knew she’d been battling homesickness since she and her men arrived for Kensington and Denali’s wedding.

  “Don’t be a stranger, sweetness. We miss you.” She’d promised to return soon, but he made a mental note to check in with her soon. Something about the tone of her voice made him wonder what was up. Within minutes, he was up to his ass in alligators, making certain every detail of the day was mapped out, every contingency covered.

  His security company had several fleet cars with bulletproof glass, but only one with armor plating in the side panels. Israel had been frustrated to hear the car was at one of Bronx’s car dealerships for mechanical work. With Cleveland’s racing background and Bronx’s knowledge of every motor he’d ever sold, the two of them had worked all day to ensure the car was in perfect working order. Nobody wanted Bristol to be a sitting duck in a disabled car.

  Five hours later, Israel stood deep in the shadows at one end of the block. He was grateful Kent and Kyle had been able to call in enough political favors to get a four-block square cordoned off for several hours. The official press release made a vague reference to a famous actor from Austin, filming a scene for an upcoming film. Since Kensington Adler wasn’t specifically mentioned, it didn’t matter that he was enjoying a private flight bound for Logan International in Boston.

  There weren’t many places Kensington hadn’t seen during his world travels, so the first place Denali mentioned, when he’d asked her where she would like to go on their honeymoon, was on the shortlist. They had planned to spend a couple of days exploring Salem, Massachusetts on their way home from Europe, but rearranged their itinerary when the Magic Council requested a blood sample from Denali.

  Watching Bristol leave her clinic with another man at her side was a tough pill to swallow, but most of the team worried Clovia Williams wouldn’t make a move if she saw him. His earbud was filled with chatter ab
out locations and plans, but he’d tuned it all out the moment his mate emerged from her clinic. The first thing he noticed was her fatigue.

  Bristol might not believe she needed a vacation, but everyone around her thought otherwise. Brigitte Stafford mentioned it to him earlier, promising to help Bristol find another physician to further lighten the load at her clinic. The Magic Council was pleased with the mini-baby boom taking place in central Texas but hadn’t considered the strain it was putting on the local physicians specializing in the care of magical patients. The Council vowed to help, but their intervention wasn’t going to come fast enough to eliminate the sag he could see in her posture.

  Scenting Clovia hadn’t been difficult. Her anger and the lingering stench from the horrible perfume she’d used while trashing Bristol’s apartment gave away her location to every magical on the team. She wasn’t expecting them, or she’d have covered the smell leaching from her pores. Fucking hell, that shit stunk to high heaven. Israel knew Bristol was safe inside the armored car, but watching Clovia raise the gun and fire at his mate made his heart skip several beats. Before he could suck in another breath, the sharp crack of a rifle bounced off the concrete and steel buildings lining the street. The gun flew from Clovia’s hand, clattering to the ground in front of her as she grasped her upper arm, howling in pain. The wolf that emerged from the black smoke filling the air behind Clovia, lunged, latching on to the woman’s upper thigh, the bite meant to keep the nurse in place.

  The wolf disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and in its place was a stern-looking man, standing next to Brigitte Stafford. Hell, now he wasn’t sure which one of them had shifted in the cloud of black smoke, but his money was on Brigitte since she was perfectly clothed rather than stark naked the way most shifters would be. Laughing to himself, Israel moved quickly down the street, stepping up to a semi-circle of men and women in time to hear Kent West whistle.