Chapter 106: Inseparable

Daphne

Bella seemed unusually anxious. I picked up her nervous vibe, even over the long-distance video chat.

“Are you okay, Daf? Are you comfortable? Are you happy? Oh my Goddess, are you lonely?”

“I’m fine,” I assured her for the third time. I had already given her a virtual tour of my suite to show her how beautiful it was. “I love my rooms, it's basically just a little apartment. My new boss is great. I’m going to start seeing patients next week. I’m happy, Bella.” I sighed. “But I do miss you.”

That was the honest truth. I was used to being away from home for long stretches of time, weeks, sometimes even a month or more. But somehow, knowing that I was in a different country, almost a four-hour drive from home made the separation feel sharper.

“What about my father? Is he treating you nicely?”

If I said no, I had full confidence that she would then tell my brothers, and a rescue mission would be organized immediately. My eyes went to the door, which was shut and locked out of habit. Louis was a busy man, so I very rarely saw him during the day, unless it was to sit together for a hurried lunch. “Your father…”

How the heck did I explain to Bella how special her father had become to me? How could I tell her how we sat together almost every evening, just… touching, letting that warm comfortable feeling flow between us, sharing space, discussing our days. What would sweet, innocent Bella say if I simply told her I’ve been kissing your father.

Ugh, that was too weird. I knew it would sound creepy to her, even though it wasn’t creepy at all. The desire was there, simmering low under the surface, but we never acted on it, it never went any further than kissing and PG 13 touching.

“Your dad has been wonderful,” I forced a smile, “He’s taking very good care of me.”

Bella looked suspicious. She was too observant. I would have to come clean with her soon, but I didn’t really know what was happening between Louis and I. I had no idea what to tell her.

“Well that’s good,” she finally said. She squirmed in front of the camera. “Um, we had some news.”

I could tell by her tone that it wasn’t good news. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s that bear-shifter, Kodi,” Bella twisted her hands, “We got a call this morning… she escaped.”

“Escaped?”

“Mmhm. Bart took her to his sleuth, some place way, way off the grid, away from humans. She broke a water glass and stabbed him in the neck. Missed his artery by a millimeter.”

It was hard to imagine anyone getting the drop on that giant of a man. “Where is she now?”

“They haven’t tracked her down yet, but they assured us that they are on it. I’m sure it’s nothing to be worried about, but I thought you should know.”

“Wow. Well, I’m sure I have nothing to worry about here. The palace security is very tight, if she even thought about looking for me here.” I doubted that Kodi cared where I was. It was more likely that she would want to go after Bella and my brothers. “You need to be careful too.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Wyatt and Byron have already put me under house arrest. I’m not allowed to go anywhere outside the pack house without an escort. I can’t even go for a run by myself.”

“Please be careful,” Now her anxiety was spreading to me. “We need you. Liam needs his mama.”

“I know, I know. Hopefully, the bears will catch up with her quickly. I’m sure it’s nothing to be worried about.” Bella lifted Liam up so that he could see my face on the screen. I waved at the baby, who had zero interest in my video. He sucked his fingers and made a grab at Bella's hair.

“I have an idea! Why don’t we plan a visit? Why don’t we get Wyatt and Byron to bring you and the baby here for a visit!”

Bella had not been to the Royal pack since she was reunited with her father a year ago. I know Louis had left an open invitation, but there had been so much going on for Bella and my brothers. First a pregnancy, then a new baby, all the while learning to be a Luna and recovering from her own traumas.

I know Louis would like nothing more than to be close to his daughter and grandson.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Bella’s face brightened immediately. “I’ll talk to them about it tonight!”

We chatted a little longer, making some loose plans for this future visit. At least she looked more relaxed by the time we bid our final goodbyes. I switched off the computer and sat back against the sofa.

She was more relaxed, but I wasn't.

I didn’t think I had anything to fear from Kodi the bear, but my thoughts turned to Nate immediately. Would she have any crazy ideas about seeking revenge? I hadn’t been able to track down the man, but maybe she had resources that I did not. The woman was an assassin. She probably had mad skills at tracking down people who didn’t want to be found.

I stood up and started to pace. If only I could get a message to him. Was that too much to ask? An email address, a phone number, even a note card in the mail, just to warn him… Kodi is on the hunt again.

And oh, by the way, you are going to be a father.

There was a soft knock on the door. I didn’t need werewolf senses to know it was Louis, I had already learned his knock. My heart kicked up, and I flew across the room to turn the door handle.

How could I go from thinking about Nate to launching myself into Louis’s ready arms? He folded me against his chest and stroked my hair, and immediately the worry receded. I breathed deeply from his scent and clung to his lean, muscular back.

“What’s wrong, darling?”

“I’m fine,” I mumbled into his shirt. I stepped back and let him enter the room. I shut the door and followed him to the couch. He had a file folder in his hand, which he tossed onto the coffee table. He sat down with a tired groan, and then patted the cushion beside him. I dropped and snuggled under his arm.

“I don’t think you are fine.”

“I was just on a call with Bella,” I began.

He tensed beside me. “Is Bella well? Is it the baby?”

“They are all fine,” I said, stroking his thigh to distract him. “But she told me that Kodi, that bear shifter, escaped from custody.”

His forehead creased. “That’s alarming.”

“My brothers will keep her safe,” I said confidently, “But, if she gets into a populated area and starts killing again,” I shook my head, “I’m worried about what she might do now.”

Louis tapped his fingers against my back. “I’ll alert my security forces. See if they can’t help track her down. In the meantime, I have something for you.” He leaned forward, squishing me a little as he picked up the manilla folder and held it out to me. “My investigators came up with a few possibilities, based on your descriptions.”

My heart stumbled, and I’m sure that Louis heard it. My fingers shook a little as I sat up and flipped open the cover. Inside were some photos, paper clipped to some printed files. I flipped through them slowly. Physically, they were very similar to Nate. They could have been his stunt doubles if we were making a movie. They had the same dark hair, similar tall and lean body types.

“No. No. No.” I discarded the photos one at a time. “Close, but no cigar.”

I got to the fifth photo and froze.

It was a military photo, stiffly posed at attention. Nate stared at the camera with a cold, detached expression. He was wearing Navy dress blues, with a cap on his head, and a number of bars pinned over his breast. I didn’t know enough about human military to know what those bars signified, but it seemed like a lot. “It’s him,” I whispered, touching the photo almost reverently.

I flipped over the photo to read the file that was paper-clipped to the image.

Nash Turner.

I let out a short bark of laughter.

“What is it?”

“His name,” I said, detaching the paper to show the king. “He called himself Nathan Straight… his name is Nash Turner. Straight. Turner. What a dork.”

The king took the file and peered at it closely. “There’s just one problem,” Louis said, flipping the page over as though he expected something else to be printed on the back.

“What’s that?”

He handed the paper back to me so that I could see for myself. “According to this, Navy SEAL Nash Turner died in Afghanistan six years ago.”