Winter's Wrath: Sacrifice (Winter's Saga #3) (37 page)

He turned to look at the beauty, her dark, wild curls spilling over her shoulders untamed and perfect.  His heart pinched in a vise as their eyes locked.  Meg’s eyes drifted down to his bloodstained shirt.  “You held me.”  It was a statement, not a question.

He reached his large hands up to hold her shoulders gently and nodded—the anger in his heart doused by her touch.

“He loves you?” Creed had to ask, and though he was cringing inside as he waited for the answer, it wasn’t the real question he needed to ask, and he knew it.

“Yes, he does.”

Creed’s eyes fell.  He nodded.

“And you, him?”  He could barely get the words out and couldn’t look at her even when he did.

“I love him like a brother.”  Meg’s voice was unwavering.

Relief washed over his aching heart as he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in the small of her warm neck.  Her scent filled him.  He knew he was holding the world in his arms and was honored to feel her holding him just as tightly.
 

“Why on Earth would you blame, Meg?”  Margo was trying her hardest not to feel the defensive knee-jerk reaction that gripped her muscles into knots.

“I’m not blaming her, but you have to admit, it can’t just be a coincidence that Creed shows up and turns Meg’s head, then this happens.”  He nodded miserably toward his unrecognizable son.  “We both know Cole and Meg were becoming an item,” Theo’s face was pasty and pale from worry over his son lying on the Intensive Care Unit’s bed 1A. 

Margo’s arms were crossed over her blue surgical scrubs.  She tried not to glare at Theo above her mask.  They were only allowed to remain in the room because of their doctors’ privileges—professional courtesy and all.  But, if the nurses heard them arguing, they’d be kicked out faster than a rowdy guest on a raunchy talk show. 

Theo slumped miserably into one of the stools.  The wheels squeaked loudly, shaking Margo from her self-inflicted silent trance.

“Theo, kids their ages fall in and out of love at the drop of a hat.  That Cole took his disappointment—if that truly is what we’re saying here—to the extreme, reflects his own flaw.” 

Theo threw angry, hurt daggers at Margo with his eyes.  “Theo, neither of us wants our children hurt.  We both want them to be safe and happy, but that’s not the hand dealt to Meg.   Her life is going to be one battle after another—at least, for the foreseeable future.  Cole has everything going for him, God willing.  Maybe it’s best if they don’t see each other anymore.”

“We live in the same house, Margo.  How do you propose we do that?”

Margo shrugged slightly.  “We’ll need to make some changes in that area.”

Theo frowned.  “What the hell are you talking about, Margo?”  His voice was raspy with an equal mix of exhaustion and emotion.

“One of us will have to move out.”  Even at saying the words, Margo felt her heart shatter in her chest.

Tears welled in Theo’s eyes.  “You can’t be serious.”

“If the only way to keep our children safe is to keep them separated, yes, I’m completely serious.”

Theo looked away from Margo, feeling absolutely dejected and alone. 

“You’re doing this now?  When I need you the most?  The extent of his spinal cord injury is still unknown even after being given the I.V.
corticosteroids
.  You know that.  You know what that could mean.”

“I’m sorry, Theo.  Just as your first concern is for your child…mine is for my children.  They will always come first.  Always.”

“Do you realize what you’re saying?” His voice echoed with pain.

“Meg, her brothers and the other metas have decided they can’t let this opportunity slide.  They want to proceed with the original plan.  I’ll be leaving with them.  When we return—if we return—I’ll help make arrangements for you to move closer to Cole.  He’ll probably need to stay at the hospital for a while.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me after everything we’ve been through, Margo.”  Theo’s voice was hollow, completely distraught to the point of detachment.

“Maybe you’ll find it better not to be involved with me, Theo.  Let’s face it; I haven’t exactly been the best influence in your life over the last year.”  Margo turned to walk out of the room, hating herself for the callousness she was forcing herself to wear.

“This isn’t you Margo,” Theo called to her back.

“My children are my world.  Nothing comes before them except my God.  And to be honest, I didn’t know what it was to truly believe in God until I saw Him in the eyes of my children.”  Margo still hadn’t turned to look at Theo, afraid if she did, she’d go running into his arms.  “Goodbye, Theo.”

Her hand was shaking so violently when she reached the elevators, she had to try three times to push the down button before she saw it light up properly under her finger.

As she waited for the elevator doors to open, she found herself chanting. 
Walk away soldier.  Walk away soldier.  Do what you have to do to live another day.  Just walk away.

The soldier in her refused to cry instead flipping the switch so by the time the elevator doors did slide open and she stepped into the cramped elevator, the shaking in her hands was gone.  She pressed the button for the ground floor. Her hands, and the rest of her for that matter, were as steady as the slab of cement Cole hit. 

They had to commission another flight.  It’s not that they were against flying public airways. It’s just that airlines don’t look too kindly on passengers who are packing, and this bunch was definitely packing. 

They had six cases full of guns and ammunition, night vision goggles, communication equipment, explosives, detonators and oh, so much more.  None of which would have been allowed on a commercial aircraft.  The metas were ready for war.

Everyone was dressed in black from head to toe.  The first couple hours of the flight they used to talk through the whole plan for the umpteenth time.  It was tight.  Everyone was absolutely clear and ready to end Kenneth Williams and the hell he created here on Earth.

Looking out the window, Meg saw what looked like dark shadows in the distance and realized it was land.  They were very close.  Inwardly, she prayed for everyone; none of them wanted to die tonight.  At her feet, Maze snorted loudly before standing and stretching his front paws forward and lifting his behind into the air.  He looked at Meg with his smart yellow eyes. 

“Well, big man?”  She cooed softly to him, scratching his ears just the way he liked it.

“This time, you’d better darn well stay put when I leave you with mom.” She stared him in the eyes as she spoke.  He let out a soft whine.

“Don’t give me that,” Meg scolded.

His thick paw reached up and rested on his best friend’s knee. 

“I know you saved my butt back in
California
and I’ve said ‘thank you’ hundreds of times—in the form of steaks!” Meg grinned at her best friend.  “But this time is different.”

Maze clamored up into the seat beside her and looked directly into her eyes, as if he really wanted to discuss this. 

“Do you realize you’ve been shot by tranquilizers twice?  And you’ve had wooden shrapnel exploded into your flank.” Meg’s hands gently ran down his shoulder where the injury had long since healed.  If she searched through his thick coat, she could still find the scars, though.

Maze pranced in his seat then decided he wasn’t close enough to her.  He climbed into Meg’s lap and licked her face. 

She pressed her lips closed tight, not wanting to get tongued by her coyote and giggled at him before pushing his nose away and wiping her face with the back of her black sleeve.

“I love you too, you wily coyote.  I don’t want anything to happen to you.  You’re not a meta, you know.”  She smiled at his eyes as they seemed to narrow reproachfully.  “But you’re the smartest, strongest, bravest coyote in the whole world.”  His tongue lolled out of his mouth, draped over his sharp teeth as he seemed to smile widely. 

Meg couldn’t help but sigh happily as she hugged him close, burying her face in his coat and breathing deeply.  Her coyote smelled like a mix of wild wind and fresh grass with a hint of canine musk.  She kept him pretty clean, despite his efforts to roll in the dirt and plod through muddy streams.  Sometimes it seemed as if he intentionally sought the most disgusting things to smear all over himself just to get a rise out of Meg.  Or maybe it was because he loved his baths.  She would bring him into the shower with her and use the handheld shower nozzle on him.  That’s how she bathed him before they left.  So, as she breathed, it wasn’t surprising to smell the strawberry doggie shampoo she doused him in earlier.  

But there was another scent she caught.  Frowning, Meg nuzzled her nose against his neck and sniffed.  Cologne?  He smelled like…she pulled away from her coyote and gave him an accusatory look.  “Have you been spending time with Creed?”

Maze looked at Meg innocently, slurping his long tongue back into his mouth for a moment then let it flop back out—making him look as if he was grinning.

“You stinker!  Whose side are you on anyway?”

“Oh, he’s on your side, that’s for sure.”  Creed slipped into the aisle and into the seat beside Meg.

She couldn’t think of a single clever thing to say to Creed, so instead she turned to Maze.  “Hop down, buddy.  You weigh a ton.” 

Maze grinned and licked Meg’s cheek once more before complying.  Now she had coyote hair all over her black ninja costume.  Okay, it wasn’t a ninja costume.  But that gives you an idea of what kind of clothes she was wearing.  They were all dressed in black.  But once they pulled
their
ski masks over
their
faces during the attack, you’d be able to tell which was Meg.  Just look for the skinny one with silver coyote hair all over.  She absently swiped at the hair, wishing her brain didn’t freeze every time Creed came around.  She felt like an idiot—a hairy idiot.

“I admit I was playing with him this morning when he was running around trying to dry off after his bath.  He sure loves to play fetch.”  Creed was smiling down at the coyote, “Don’t you buddy?”

Maze grinned and scooted closer to Creed’s feet so he could put his paw on his lap.  Meg’s eyes bugged out of her head.  Creed noticed.  “What’s wrong?”

She looked back and forth between Creed and Maze and shook her head.  “Nothing, I guess.  It’s just…I’ve never seen him do that with anyone but me.”

“Do what?”

“Put his paw into your lap.  That’s his way of showing submission, devotion.  At least, that’s the interpretation I gave it since he only did that with me before.”

Creed grinned at Maze and rubbed his ears just the way the coyote liked it.  “What can I say.  We took a liking to each other.  Didn’t I like him before?” he asked casually.

“Well, you didn’t dislike him.  I just don’t think you interacted very much.  Except for the times you shot him with a tranquilizer.”

“Times—plural?”

“Twice.”

“Yikes, sorry about that big man.  No hard feelings, right?” He spoke directly to Maze, leaning over so they could talk face to face.  Man to man…or something like that.

“Well, to make up for it, he ran my ass ragged this morning,” Creed winked obviously to Maze. 

Meg just shook her head at the two boys beside her, bonding like the oldest of friends. 

“Maze, I have to talk to Meg for a minute.  You just hang back, okay?”

Maze whined a little, but obeyed by lying down at
their
feet.

Meg’s jaw couldn’t have dropped further.  How did he
do
that?  Maze only obeyed her that completely—and really, only when he wanted to. 

“Listen, I wanted to ask you a question.”  Creed turned to her, his expression turning serious.

“Okay.”

“There’s this girl at the Facility. I want to offer her the chance to leave with us.”

“A girl?”  Meg felt her heart tightened painfully. 
What the heck?

“Yes, she helped me when I was recuperating.  She even slipped me some pain meds to help with my migraines.  I think she would be willing to leave with us.  What do you think?”

Her mind spewed all sorts of thoughts, but she bit her lip and tried to calm down before speaking.

“Who is she to you?” 
There, that was a reasonable question without screaming, punching or even using one four
-
letter word.  Yeah me.

“She was one of my doctors.”

“One of the doctors that performed those horrible tests on you?  Taking samples from you like a common lab rat?  One of
those
doctors?” 
Okay, my cool was slipping as evidenced by the squeak at the end of my last sentence.

“She’s different.”  Creed frowned looking into his hands. 
Apparently, I wasn’t reacting the way he anticipated.