“I’m ready now.” Looking around the room, I knew I spoke the truth. Nothing in this house mattered to me. My home was in Roark’s arms. I lifted my hand to his cheek and made sure my heart was in my eyes. “I go where you go, Roark. You are my home now.”
With a soft groan, he lowered his head to kiss me, our son jostled between us just enough to fidget and squirm. We both ignored him, the gentle heat of the kiss too heady, too intoxicating to hurry.
The door handle rattled and I leaned back, ending the kiss, expecting Miranda to enter the room to check on Noah.
But the man who stood in the entry was dressed head to toe in black, and the weapon in his hand was pointed at the crib, where Noah’s sweet body would have been if Roark were not here, holding us.
Before I could react, Roark rose from the chair like a monster in the dark. He turned his back to the intruder, spinning Noah and I away from the door. I stumbled, then instinctively grabbed Noah from him.
I heard gunfire with a silencer, like I’d heard a hundred times in an action movie, but it was louder than I expected and Roark jerked in pain as he was shot in the back.
I wrapped my body around Noah and kept my back to the door as Roark released us both with a bellow of rage. He spun around and rushed the door.
Two more gunshots. One must have hit Roark, for I heard him grunt in pain. The other went wide, a burst of sound to my right as the wall above Noah’s crib disintegrated where the bullet hit.
I dropped to my knees and scrambled for the open door to my bedroom. I had a handgun in my bedside drawer, right next to the small dagger Roark had given me, the gold blade that saved my life. Since the attack on Trion, knowing I had weapons nearby was the only way I could sleep at night, alone.
Noah woke and began to cry. Roark bellowed in rage and I heard his huge body crash in
to the attacker. The sounds of fists and snarls urged me on.
The crib in Noah’s room collapsed with a loud snapping sound.
Out of sight, I rose to my feet and ran. When I reached the other side of the bed, I placed my screaming son on the floor and pulled open the drawer. The gun was there, as was the blade. I grabbed both and ran back to the open door just as Roark threw the intruder out into the hallway.
I raised the gun, my hands shaking, but couldn’t get a clear shot around Roark’s huge frame.
Blood ran down Roark’s bare back from at least two gunshot wounds, but he stood tall and strong like a beast among men.
The attacker must have panicked, for he scrambled through the hallway, his footsteps loud as he raced down the curved wooden staircase.
I expected Roark to give chase, but he stood there panting and I could not leave my post, half in, half out of my bedroom. I could not leave Noah unprotected.
“Roark?”
The front door slammed against the wall and I knew the attacker was gone. Across the hall, Miranda opened her door and screamed when she saw Roark.
He staggered then, leaning against the wall.
Miranda rushed past me, saw the destroyed crib and gasped. “Where’s Noah? Where’s the baby?”
Even though I could hear his angry crying, I said, “He’s in my room, on the floor.”
“I’ll get him.” Miranda rushed past me and I sighed in relief as Noah’s wails calmed immediately to the sound of her crooning words. She reappeared in the door, Noah safely in her arms.
“Natalie.”
I rushed to his side and slid under his arm, helping to hold him upright. He was heavy and I bit my lip as he leaned against me with a lot more weight than I was expecting. God, he was huge.
“Miranda, call 9-1-1. Roark needs an ambulance.”
“No, mate. I would not let your hack physicians touch me. Your Earth bullets, fortunately, went through me, so there is no need to retrieve them. Get my bag and use the ReGen Wand. That will heal me enough to get back to Trion and the pod.” I dashed into the other room, grabbed the small bag he’d brought with him, pulled out a small metal wand thing. It looked much like the device he’d used on me for his medical exam. Well, the probing. It was more of an orgasm by magical dildo than exam. Running back, I gave it to Roark, who pushed a button. A blue light came on.
“Wave this over my back.”
I did as he said and watched as his body healed somewhat, thankful it didn’t go someplace private. While Roark was sweating and he breathed raggedly, I could see the tenseness leave his shoulders. The pain was lessening. As Miranda and I watched over the next few minutes, the wounds had closed up mostly, the blood stopping.
“Good. Enough,” he said, reaching to grab the wand. “If it gets worse, we’ll use it again and again to stave off the worst. We must get back to the brides processing center. Someone on Earth wants to do us harm.”