Epilogue
"It's been three weeks, but I still can't believe that you're safe," May said over the phone. "I miss you like crazy."
"I'll come visit all the time. You know I can be there in the blink of an eye. Ranger's a pro at teleporting," Abeline reminded her.
"I know."
"How are you? You should be getting huge," Abeline teased.
"I'm fine. The baby's kicking up a storm. I always seem like I have to pee."
"I'm pissed you're waiting till the birth to find out the sex," Abeline muttered. "I won't know what kind of clothes to buy."
"Lucy had her baby. It's a girl. They named her Jasmine. She's so pretty. Got blonde hair and big blue eyes. I think they'll fade and turn honey colored. But who knows. It's making me want to have this baby already. I have a little bit longer. I think maybe five weeks."
"Time will fly by," Abeline assured her. She had yet to tell anyone about her pregnancy. And she was going to try to spend as much time as she could in the coming weeks with her family so when she started showing, she could make excuses and not visit them. She didn't want them to know her shame. Ranger said it was up to her and was supporting her. It made her love him more. They'd become closer these past three weeks. They'd pushed each other and Ranger had been training Abeline to fight.
"I'm sure. Well, Trent is telling me it's time to eat lunch. I have to go. Promise you'll come by tomorrow," May pushed.
"I promise I'll come by tomorrow."
Abeline hung up the phone and turned to face her mate. Ranger smiled at her, laying on his side, his head propped up on his hand.
"Hello gorgeous," he whispered, leaning forward and giving her a quick peck.
"Hello handsome. Are you ready?"
"Ready for what, my dear?" Ranger smiled.
"You promised!"
"I know. I was just giving you a hard time," Ranger laughed. He pushed the sheet off and stood up. Abeline bit her lip and followed his gorgeous naked ass as he walked over to the dresser to put some pants on.
"You know it's really quiet around here."
"Devon's gone off on a mission for Jax and Uriel is with him. Cole decided to go search for Chance. No one's heard from him and Janet's worse. Tanner has been out almost every day and night. He basically doesn't even live here. As for Jax, no one ever knows what he's up to."
"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Abeline smiled seductively at him.
"If you want to do this, then you can't be sending me double meanings like that, love," Ranger groaned. He pulled on a pair of black sweats and then motioned for Abeline to come over. Abeline tossed the sheet off of her naked body and got up out of the bed. She took a step forward and then stretched, raising her arms above her head. She ran a hand lazily through her red locks and smiled at Ranger. He growled and then was holding her in his arms the next second. She gasped as he captured her lips. His hands cupped her ass and his mouth devoured hers.
Are you sure this can't wait? he asked her.
Abeline shook her head. She placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed back. Ranger reluctantly let her go.
"Put a shirt on."
"Yes, boss," Abeline teased.
"I could show you who's the boss," Ranger whispered in her ear before walking toward the bedroom door. He'd gotten it fixed and now it was made of steel. That way if Abeline was ever alone, she'd be safe until he could get to her.
"They're going to be expecting us."
"I don't know why we're doing this."
"They want to hear the heartbeat. And see pictures."
"They can hear the heartbeat if they listen hard enough," Ranger rolled his eyes.
"Temperance is still stuck in her human ways. She wants pictures. I told her that I'd do an ultrasound."
"I see."
Abeline quickly dressed in a plain black shirt and a pair of jeans. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and smiled at Ranger. "I'm ready."
"Hold on to me love."
"This is totally cheating," Abeline laughed. She blinked and they were standing outside of Temperance's house. Braiden was pacing back and forth, talking on his phone. He startled a moment when they appeared then shot them a look. Abeline just ignored him. He was still pissed at vampires and wanted Cole's head. Jax had told Cole to stay away, but Abeline wasn't sure how long he'd listen. Cole was itching to give the wolf the fight he craved, and Abeline knew that Cole would win.
Braiden hung up the phone and walked over. "Temperance is coming. She forgot her purse."
Just then the door opened to the old hotel and Temperance stepped out. She was dressed in layers, still not used to the way that wolves adjusted their body temps. Plus Ranger could always keep Abeline warm.
"Oh, you made it. Are you ready?" Temperance asked, all smiles.
"I'm ready," Abeline smiled. She was trying to distance herself from the creature growing inside of her. She didn't want to hear the heartbeat or see pictures. But she'd promised Temperance and she wasn't going back on her word. Nothing would make her want this child. It belonged to Temperance now.
"I can teleport us all," Ranger offered.
"No fucking way," Braiden shook his head. "I don't trust you."
"At least you're honest," Ranger nodded.
"Braiden," Temperance smacked her mate. "That was rude."
"It's fine," Ranger shrugged. "Where's the car?"
"This way."
Ranger and Abeline followed the couple around the side of the hotel to a parking lot in the back. They climbed into a black SUV and got comfortable. Abeline leaned over into Ranger, seeking his comfort.
"Who's the doctor we're going to?" Abeline asked.
"He's a friend. His name is Doctor Jared Smith."
"Is he human?"
"Yes, but he knows about us and knows how to treat us."
"How?" Ranger asked, taking interest in the conversation.
"We're not sure. He must've known some in the past."
"How do you know you can trust him?" Ranger asked.
"He saved a pack member's life."
"I see," Ranger replied. He'd still stay on guard. No one was going to harm his mate. He'd kill the human if he even looked at Abeline funny.
"Does he know that I'm giving you the baby?" Abeline asked.
"Yes. He can deliver it too if you'd like," Temperance turned around to smiled at Abeline.
"We'll see."
"Almost there," Braiden announced ten minutes later. Traffic had been rough or they'd have been there earlier. "He's expecting us."
They arrived, Braiden pulling into the parking lot. He turned the car off and got out. Walking around, he helped Temperance out of the car. Ranger just grabbed Abeline and teleported them just outside the front doors. Braiden saw them and rolled his eyes. They opened the doors and stepped in.
"Hi, you must be Ranger and Abeline," a young girl said with a smile. "Doctor Smith will be with you in a moment. Please take a seat."
Braiden and Temperance stepped in and the girl's eyes lit up. "Hey Candy girl," Braiden said with a smile. "How's the doc treating you?"
"Well, thanks. He's teaching me a lot."
"You been staying out of trouble?" Temperance asked, eyeing Candy's black eye.
"Eh, you know me," Candy shrugged.
"Candy was a member of my old pack," Braiden supplied at Abeline's questioning look.
"Oh, okay," Abeline smiled at the girl.
"Welcome, my name is Doctor Smith, but you can call me Jared," a human man in his early thirties smiled at them, holding out his hand.
"This is Abeline and Ranger," Temperance told him.
"Nice to meet you," Jared dropped his hand. He didn't seem to mind that they didn't shake. "Right this way. We'll get you all set up."
Stay close to me. Abeline rolled her eyes, but did as Ranger asked.
Jared led them to a private room and closed the door behind them. He told Abeline to get on the table and remove her shirt. Braiden and Temperance hid their eyes as Abeline did as he asked. He handed her a blanket to cover her breasts and then told her to remove her pants. She did that also and then pulled another sheet up to cover herself. Ranger's fists were clenched and the demon paced in his head. This human male was about to touch his siren.
"Ranger, calm," Abeline commanded, shooting him a glare. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
Jared looked at him and seemed to freeze. "You aren't a wolf," he commented.
"No I am not," Ranger hissed. Jared shook it off and shrugged.
"Okay," Jared replied.
Ranger was shocked by the doctor's response. He kept his eye on the doctor as he squirted some jelly on his siren's belly. Braiden and Temperance turned, but mainly kept their eyes on the screen. Ranger was thankful for that.
"This won't hurt," Jared smiled at Abeline. "Just relax."
Abeline took deep breaths and let the doctor move a wand like thing over her stomach. She turned her head to look at the screen. Suddenly she saw a shape on the screen. The doctor pointed.
"That's the baby," he told them. Temperance placed a hand over her mouth and looked over at Braiden. She had tears in her eyes.
"Is it healthy?" Braiden asked.
"Yes. It's the perfect size. I'd say that you are about five weeks along. Maybe six."
"Can you print out the pictures?" Temperance asked.
"Of course," Jared smiled at them. "I'll get Candy to print them from your file. I need you to fill some papers out, Abeline."
"Okay."
"We don't need to get any adoption agencies involved. We can do this in house," Jared told them. That had been one of Temperance's worries.
"I can take care of getting the baby's named changed to yours and getting some legal papers if I have to," Ranger told them. "Wouldn't be hard."
"Thanks, but we just have to list the birth certificate in Braiden's last name and it will be fine."
Abeline cleaned the jelly stuff off her belly and redressed. She met everyone in the lobby and filled out the papers. She was emotionally spent and wanted to go home. Temperance was busy staring at the pictures that Candy printed out. She handed the papers over to Candy and turned to Ranger.
"Take me home," she demanded.
"As you wish," he reached out a hand and pulled her close when she took it. Closing her eyes, Abeline felt the teleport and then the bed under her as Ranger picked her up and held her on the bed.
"Are you okay?" Ranger asked after some time.
"I'm fine," Abeline told him, and it was the truth.
"You were afraid of feeling something," Ranger stated.
"Yes," Abeline acknowledged.
"We will never have a child. Are you sure about this?" Ranger asked.
"Yes. Temperance will be a great mother."
"I have an idea," Ranger said after a few seconds.
"What?" Abeline asked.
"Let's go for a run," Ranger smiled.
"Yes!" Abeline jumped up. She was suddenly full of energy. She longed to be in wolf form.
"Wait," Ranger hesitated. "Is it okay for the baby?"
"I talked to May about this. It's okay for the first three months. After that I have to stay in human form."
"Okay good. Let's go."
Ranger took her hand and then they were standing in the back yard. Abeline quickly undressed and stood staring at her mate. Ranger was a beautiful man and all hers. She smiled at him and then let the change come over her.
Ranger pulled his power around him and morphed his body into that of a wolf. He wasn't as fast as Abeline, but he was getting better at it being less painful. He shook out his fur and smiled at his mate. He took off, letting her chase after him.
Abeline smiled at her mate as he disappeared. She'd give him a head start. She was used to running on four legs and was faster than him. He'd need more practice. She looked over her shoulder at their house. This was her home and she was happy here. She had a mate that loved her and had changed for her. With one last look at the house, she took off after her future. Tilting her head back, she howled, letting him know she was on her way.
Jax stared down as the two wolves disappeared into the woods. He sighed and shook his head. He was glad they were happy. The howl sent up by Abeline reached his ears and had him rolling his eyes. They were going to alert all their neighbors that wolves were in the area.
Sitting down on his bed, he pulled out his cell and dialed Uriel's number. He let it ring twice then hung up. Uriel would call him back or just show up. Jax waited a moment, twiddling his thumbs. He had the patience of a saint. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander.
Then he felt a disturbance in the air and knew that Uriel was in the room. "How is it going?" Jax asked.
He opened his eyes and eyed his friend. Uriel looked rough.
"Rough," Uriel supplied. "Devon is making this difficult. He's reckless and innocents are getting killed."
"Just remember not to get involved. You're only watching. Devon isn't to know you're there yet."
"I know. I haven't slept much. Too worried the boy is going to get himself killed."
"I can tell," Jax looked him up and down. Uriel hissed at him.
"Shut the hell up."
Jax laughed.
"How's everyone here?" Uriel asked.
"Chance is missing and Cole is searching for him. No sign of Mandy which is good. But we'll see her again," Jax told him.
"Tanner? Is he still disappearing all hours of the day and night?"
"He has his priorities straight. Cole doesn't need him and he's doing no harm yet."
"Are you going to tell me where he's going or am I going to have to take a break from Devon and find out myself?" Uriel asked.
"You know I can't tell my secrets. If he wants anyone to know, he'll tell them."
"Has he met his siren?"
"My lips are sealed," Jax remained calm and collected, not giving anything away. He was good at keeping secrets and no one would wrangle them from his mind.
"Is Cole just going to bring the wolf in himself?"
"Guess we'll find out."
"Chance didn't take the wolf did he?"
"Guess we'll find out," Jax repeated.
"Damn it man! I hate when you fucking do this to me," Uriel ran a hand over his face.
"Go eat and sleep. You're going to need your energy," Jax told him.
"Why?" Uriel raised and eyebrow.
"Good luck." Jax got up and walked over to the window. He was dismissing Uriel. He heard the man sigh and then disappear. Jax turned around with a smile. He loved messing with his closest friend.
Turning back toward the woods, Jax thought he saw movement. He narrowed his eyes and looked again, but everything looked normal. He shrugged. If it was something bad, he'd see it eventually. Every time he closed his eyes at night, he saw visions of the present and future. It was hard to get any sleep and sometimes he had to shut down his body to replenish his strength.
He walked over to the small fridge he had beside his desk and pulled out a bag of blood. He grabbed a cup from the edge of his desk and poured the blood into it. It was cold and would taste like shit, but he needed it. Jax drank every last drop and then teleported the cup to the sink. He threw the bag of blood away in the garbage and wiped his mouth. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He was unprepared for the vision that slammed into him, almost making him double over. Jax gasped and opened his eyes; only they were milky white and he wasn't seeing the room.
Blood was everywhere. It coated the walls and stained the carpet. Someone was screaming. It was girl's voice. Jax moved down the hallway, following the sound. A laugh left his lips and Jax wondered who he was supposed to be in the vision. He saw a flash of fur and a wolf came running at him. He caught him by the throat and tossed him down the stairs. He hissed and moved into the room. There was another scream and then violet eyes shown from the woman's face. Jax immediately recognized her. He moved forward again.
"Your wolf is dead."
"No!" she screamed. She ran at him, attacking him with her fists.
"Why do you mourn him? You are mine."
Jax watched as his hand darted out and he grabbed the woman by the throat. He tilted her head to the side. "You will be mine forever." Then Jax sank his teeth into her neck as she screamed and fought him.
Jax blinked and the vision was gone. He shook as the after effects dissipated and left him cold and hungry. Though he'd just eaten, he craved the taste of fresh blood. He got to his feet and walked over to the window. He knew who he'd been in the vision. He also knew who the woman was. He felt the need to warn them, to tell the woman of what was to happen, but knew he couldn't. He could only hope that the vision would change in the future. That somehow one of the characters of the vision changed their mind on something and set a different path for themselves.
Jax pulled his fist back and shattered the glass. This wasn't fair! He hadn't asked for this curse! He wished he'd never been blessed with the sight. He tilted his head back and roared.
Logan patrolled alone. He spent most of his time alone nowadays. No one wanted to be around him. He couldn't seem to control himself and was always lashing out. Riven was in turmoil of who knew what and never said anything. He was supposed to be the beta now and no one wanted to challenge him. Barbara, his sweet mother, had been trying to get him to tell them what was wrong, but he couldn't. He literally couldn't tell them. He had tried, even writing it on a piece of paper. He'd been about to hand it to her when his throat had closed up and he felt sick.
Something was wrong with his mind. He was supposed to be remembering something. Something had happened to him and now he'd forgotten what it was. There was a sense of urgency that he felt. Something was wrong. His heart hurt and his head was filled with glimpses of brown hair and the brush of lips over his. Who was the stranger in his mind? Was she his mate?
A twig snapping had Logan's head swinging around and a growl leaving his lips. He shook himself as a bird shot out of a bush and a deer took off running in the other direction. He had to focus. He wasn't doing a very good job at patrolling if he left a deer scare him. He took a deep breath and pulled different scents into his lungs.
He trotted forward, his nose to the ground and his eyes darting back and forth. He felt like someone was watching him, but he scented no one. He stopped just on the edge of a stream. This was where Trent had left Bruno's body. He had forgiven his brother for that, but it was still a memory he held on to.
A sense of unease hit him and Logan knew he wasn't alone. He straightened, turning back into human form as he surveyed the surrounding area. "Hello?" he called.
A blur to his left had him spinning, fangs erupting in his mouth. Someone was toying with him.
"Show yourself," Logan growled.
"You wolves are pathetic," a male said, stepping out from behind a tree. Logan felt some sense of knowing the man, but couldn't place him.
"Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you are coming with me," the man smiled at him. He stepped toward Logan and Logan tensed.
"You're hilarious," Logan spat. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"I'm a lot stronger and faster than you. You don't make the rules. You just follow them," the man said.
Logan tilted his head back and howled, alerting his pack to the danger. The man shook his head.
"You shouldn't have done that.
"And why not?" Logan spat. "Afraid now?"
"Now I'm going to have to kill them all."
"What?" Logan snapped. "You can't defeat a whole pack."
"I'm a vampire. I can do whatever I please."
A memory floated into Logan's head. He had seen this man before. What was his name? It slid past his lips, "Cole."
"You're starting to remember."
"I know you."
"Yes, we have a short history. You should be dead, but I'm in need of you."
"What do you want?" Logan asked. He could hear his pack running toward him. They'd be here in a minute.
"Do you want to save her?"
"Save who?" Logan snarled. Glimpses of the brown hair flashed behind his eyes. Did he mean her?
"If you want to save her, come with me."
"Who, damn it!"
"Your mate," Cole smiled at him. Logan felt like he'd been punched in the gut. All the air left his lungs.
She was his mate. She'd done something to him, making him forget her. He snarled and lunged forward. The vampire grabbed him by the throat. Logan could see Raice's panther form running toward him. He could see Gavin, Gale, and Riven not far behind. They wouldn't make it.
"Fuck it. Yes. Take me to her," Logan pushed past as he struggled to breathe. Cole smiled.
"As you wish."
Logan felt sick as the forest disappeared and they appeared in a bedroom. He stumbled back from the vampire and sank to his knees. He looked up at Cole.
"Where am I?"
"I'm sick of this," Cole snarled. He pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into Logan's face. Logan's eyes rolled back in his head and everything went black.
The End
A/N
Well what did you think? This story took me forever, but it's finally over! I set it up to continue this series of vampires! Cole found Logan and is going to take him to Janet to help, or is he... Their story will be next. And who was in the vision Jax had? Could it be someone close to him?
Let me know what you think!
Midnight