“They’re going to attempt a rescue in twelve hours.” Teddy pulled back just enough for those brown eyes to meet his. “They will do everything in their power to get everyone they find to safety. You have to believe that.”

  Jayden did, but he also knew that didn’t mean it would happen. “Do they know if my parents, or my friends’ families are part of this rescue?”

  Teddy shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. As far as I heard, they have no confirmation who is being held at any of the locations they’ve discovered.”

  He turned to Meir and Shmuel. “We need to tell the others. Do you know where they are?”

  Meir pointed toward the lake that was near the center of the island. “Kyser is swimming.”

  Shmuel gestured toward the forested part of the island. “And Jurnee is writing in her journal in her favorite spot.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll find them and let them know,” Meir told Jayden. “You should be with your mate. Maybe later we can all get together and worry as a group.”

  Grateful, Jayden nodded. “Thanks. And if anyone sees Leilany, let her know too, okay?”

  “Do you want me to go find her?” Teddy offered after Shmuel and Meir left.

  That, right there, was his mate. It’s why he knew Teddy had no ill-intent about their families being slaughtered. It might not have been the nicest of images, but his mate had done it for him, as well as his friends. He would have wanted those that were doing the rescuing to be as careful as possible not to get anyone killed.

  “No,” Jayden told the man he’d fallen in love with in such a short time. “I want you to take me home and make love to me. I need you.”

  Teddy kissed Jayden softly. Then he took his hand and led them back toward their cabin. “You know Saber and his men will do everything in his power to bring them back alive and unharmed, right?” Teddy said.

  “I know. But I also know, things don’t always go as planned.” Talk about an understatement. “My whole life has proven that to me. Every single thing I tried, I somehow screwed up.”

  Teddy stopped and pulled Jayden into his arms once more. “No, you didn’t. That’s just your herd leader talking. You’ve been here for weeks and nothing has once gone wrong.”

  “Seriously?” Jayden asked him. “You can say that when it was you who pointed out how stupid I was for standing in elephant form, completely exposed, for the human world to see?”

  Anguish flashed in Teddy’s eyes and Jayden knew he just messed things up again. “I’m sorry,” Jayden rushed to say. “I didn’t mean it like that, but you have to admit, I could have brought the humans here with my carelessness.”

  Teddy bowed his head and let out a long, slow breath. When he looked into Jayden’s eyes, all he could see was regret, without any reproach for Jayden’s foolishness. “No,” Teddy told him. “They wouldn’t have.”

  Jayden opened his mouth to argue, but Teddy placed his index finger over Jayden’s lips, stopping him.

  “I was an ass that day. I told you that,” Teddy said. “Yosi has barriers that don’t allow anything human to come close enough to see the island, much less what animals live here.”

  Strong arms pulled him tight against Teddy’s hard body. “There was no way anyone would have seen you, and I knew that when I was yelling at Yosi. If anyone screwed up, it was me.”

  Jayden wasn’t sure how to take what his mate had just told him. He’d always assumed he couldn’t do anything right. But he had done fine. Well, sort of. Technically, he hadn’t known anyone could see him, but he should have thought of that possibility instead of standing out there like an idiot.

  “Come on, precious. Let’s go home,” Teddy said as he took Jayden’s hand again.

  But Jayden’s mind wouldn’t shut off. “I’ve been here almost four weeks and I haven’t broken anything, gotten anyone hurt, or done anything else that was stupid.”

  “Hey.” Teddy stopped them again. Those brown eyes that had a way of seeing Jayden, stared right into his soul. “You didn’t do anything stupid. That was your idiot leader.”

  This time when Teddy’s lips met his, Jayden sank into the kiss as he held onto his mate’s words and prayed they were true.

  CHAPTER 10

  There was nothing better than having his mate curled up in Teddy’s arms. Some nights Teddy stayed awake just to watch Jayden sleep. Others, he kept his mate up talking. Either way, Teddy made sure to hold Jayden, to cherish him.

  “We need to get dressed,” Jayden murmured against Teddy’s chest. “I promised the others we’d worry together, and I don’t want to let them down.”

  The worst feeling in the world, was the one when he needed to release Jayden to get out of bed. How both heaven and hell could exist in the same spot, Teddy wasn’t sure, yet it did. Even if he was hugging his mate anywhere else, he always had to step away eventually.

  “I know.” Teddy kissed Jayden’s temple and dropped his arms. It was like a physical pain when Jayden rolled away from him to the side of the bed.

  With each step Jayden took toward the bathroom, the more the ache settled in his chest. It was always that way until he could hold his mate again.

  In the beginning, Teddy had thought something was wrong with him. Like he’d become obsessed with his mate or something. Not that that would be bad, but Teddy also didn’t want to end up being one of those guys who hovered over his mate, not allowing Jayden to leave his side for any reason. When he’d confided his emotions to Kylo, his friend had laughed his ass off.

  Apparently, that was how all mates felt. Unsure, Teddy had finally broken down and asked Jayden. His mate hadn’t laughed, nor had he seemed worried Teddy would become a stalker. What he’d done was to reassure Teddy that was exactly how it was for him. Relieved, Teddy didn’t let it overwhelm him, but he had discovered, no matter what he was doing throughout the day, he had a need to check on his mate. The odd thing, Jayden did it, too.

  Even weirder. It was as if they sensed the other needed them, because they would end up meeting somewhere in the middle from where each had been.

  Jayden came out of the bathroom smelling of toothpaste. Uncertainty was shining from his eyes when he met Teddy’s gaze. Instantly on alert, Teddy got up and went to his mate. The need to comfort was too strong to resist, so he didn’t bother to try as he pulled Jayden against him.

  “What is it, precious?” he asked.

  “Are you... I mean, can you...” Jayden closed those pretty eyes and sighed as he dropped his head to rest against Teddy’s shoulder. “Will you come with me? I know Leilany will be there and she hasn’t been pleasant, but...”

  Teddy didn’t even let him finish, as he sealed their lips together in a soft, reassuring kiss. “Of course, I’ll be there.”

  The tension in Jayden’s body drained from him, as he snuggled deeper into Teddy’s embrace. “Thank you,” his mate whispered.

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” He held the man he loved for another minute. He’d been ready to release Jayden when it hit him, Teddy had never actually told Jayden how he felt.

  Sliding his hands up Jayden’s back, he moved them to cup his mate’s cheeks and tilted his head upward, until he was once more staring at the gorgeous brown eyes. “I love you, Jayden. More than my next breath, I love you. I will always be by your side.”

  The dullness that had been creeping into Jaden’s gaze as the time drew nearer to the rescue mission faded. It was replaced with a light so bright it not only lit up the room, but Teddy’s soul with it. He was on cloud nine that he had put that expression on his mate’s face.

  “I love you too, my mate. Forever and always,” Jayden whispered. Their mouths met in a sweet kiss that wasn’t about passion, but emotion. More importantly, it conveyed how much they loved each other.

  Feeling easier in his skin, Teddy finally was able to release Jayden again so they could both dress. After grabbing a few drinks and some snacks to take with them, they headed over to Jayden’s friends’ cabin.

  It wasn’t until they’d arrived that Meir let them know they hadn’t seen any sign of Leilany. Teddy could feel the tension once again building within his mate. Determined to help, he said, “I’m going to Yosi and Kylo’s house to see if there are any updates.”

  Jayden gripped his hand tighter. He knew his mate didn’t want him to leave, but Jayden would feel better if Leilany were there. Even if she was a pain in the ass.

  “Hey,” Teddy gently said as he cupped Jayden’s cheek with his other hand. “I swear, I won’t be long, and I think you’d all feel better with an update.”

  Jayden nodded, but he didn’t release his hold on Teddy’s hand. “Promise, you’ll be right back.”

  “I swear it, precious,” Teddy vowed. He just hoped like hell Leilany didn’t make him a liar.

  ONE OF TEDDY’S SELF-appointed jobs had been to know every inch of Salvation, as well as where the residents of the island went on a regular basis. Teddy preferred to swim when he needed time to himself to think, while his mate liked to stare out at the ocean from the cliffs.

  Meir often went down to the stream that meandered from the lake to cove, staring at it as if willing himself to shift. From what Yosi had learned from those that had rescued Meir, he’d been kept in a long, narrow cage that hadn’t given him room to shift. Not that it had stopped Meir from trying on more than one occasion.

  When he was freed, he’d been in that cage for more than a week and instead of being able to fight his captors, or even run from them, Meir had to suffer the humiliation of being carried. He’d been a fighter before that. Teddy could tell.

  At six-foot-three with thick arms and legs, it was obvious Meir typically trained daily to defend his home and family. Teddy had hoped Meir would find a way back to his old self, but up until now, that hadn’t happened. Then again, none of those who had come to Salvation after being hunted by the humans had found any real peace.

  He would love to claim Jayden had, and, in a way, their mating helped, but at the same time, Teddy could see it was causing the guilt over his parents to intensify. Jayden was having a difficult time reconciling that he could be happy when his parents were captives.

  But out of the group of five who had managed to become good friends in their misery, it was Leilany who suffered the most. She also was the only one who they didn’t know anything about, as she refused to talk about her past.

  Teddy couldn’t deny it put him on edge. He didn’t like someone that close to his mate, when he had no idea if she would hurt him. That said, Jayden had actually taken a blanket and pillow to go sleep on the couch one night when Teddy brought up that he wasn’t comfortable with Jayden being around her.

  Like it or not, Teddy was stuck with Leilany in their lives. Today hadn’t been the first time she’d tried to sabotage his mating, but it was the first time she’d taken his words out of context to twist them for her own gain. Typically, it was the stories others who lived in Salvation told of all the horrible things Teddy had said since he’d arrived.

  The question was why had she done it now? Why today when their loved ones might be rescued?

  If Teddy had to guess, she was more on edge than usual. She may not like him, but it was time for Teddy to discover what the humans had done to her. For Leilany, that meant heading to the small area of tall grass just east of the lake.

  Keeping alert, he stood at the start of the tall grass and opened his senses. His orca could pick up even the faintest of sounds. Admittedly, his hearing was better underwater, but there was little he didn’t hear if he paid attention.

  There was a slight rustle that didn’t correspond with the breeze. Turning slightly south, he headed straight to where he’d heard it. She blended so well with the dried grass that Teddy didn’t notice her until he was almost upon her.

  When he did finally see her, it was to stare into golden eyes that promised death.

  “I get it,” Teddy said, not wasting any time. “You don’t like me.” Leilany growled in response. “Okay. You hate me. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that you and I need to talk.”

  Leilany, who was crouching like she was ready to attack, shuffled her paws as if she were preparing to do just that.

  “Fine,” Teddy said and sat down, letting himself appear vulnerable. “Then I’ll talk, and you listen.” She growled, but since she didn’t charge him or leave, he figured he might as well keep going. “I don’t know what happened to you with the humans, but I’ve heard the stories of the others.”

  Her head turned as if she were about to run away. The thing with cheetahs, sure they were fast, but they could only keep that up for a short period of time. Plus, she didn’t really have anywhere to go.

  “You do remember you live on an island? There’s only so many places you can run to. It might take a while, but I’ll keep finding you and I’ll keep talking.” He could see the question in her eyes. “Because you’re hurting.”

  She barked out what almost sounded like a laugh. Not that he could blame her for not believing him.

  “I get it. I’m not exactly known for caring about other people’s feelings.” Teddy smiled. “That was before I met Jayden. As unbelievable as it seems, I’m not that person any longer.” There was another bark, this one louder.

  Teddy shrugged. “Since I’m the one who never thought changing was possible, believe me when I say I’m still having a difficult time accepting it. Still, it’s true. The guilt of whatever happened is crushing you with its weight. I get you not being able to talk to those you consider friends, but you and I both know we aren’t even close to being friends.”

  She didn’t shift, but she was sitting instead of crouching and Teddy could tell she was listening.

  “You need to tell someone, Leilany.” Teddy wasn’t sure what else to say, but he wasn’t about to stop now that he had her attention. “The others feel it too, you know.” He shook his head when she glared at him. “I’m not saying it’s the same, but they believe because they survived, they got free, they are somehow to blame for what happened to their family and friends.”

  He could hear the rumble deep within her as she growled, clearly disagreeing with something he’d said. Teddy just wasn’t sure what that was. “It’s survivor’s guilt. None of you could have stopped what happened.”

  Suddenly she was back in human form and screaming at him. “I could have because I was the one who started this. Me.” She thumped her chest with her fist. “I was the idiot who trusted him.” A sob tore out of her, as if she were purging the hate that was inside of her. “I never should have told him. He was human. He wasn’t my mate, but I loved...”

  She choked on the words as if her brain wouldn’t allow her to speak them. Coughing, she fell to her hands and knees, body shaking as she struggled to get air into her lungs.

  Teddy crawled over to her and pulled her onto his lap, holding her as she kept repeating, “I never should have told him. I should have been the one who died, not anyone else, only me.” Two minutes later, the tears started truly flowing down her cheeks as she begged to die.

  He didn’t understand all of what she’d been saying, but he’d gotten enough. Until she was coherent, there was no way to know if whoever she told had any significance with what happened, but she believed he did.

  For her sake, he hoped she was wrong. Not that she’d get into trouble, but Teddy wasn’t sure she was strong enough to handle the guilt of so many lives having been lost because of her mistake.

  CHAPTER 11

  Jayden shook as he rang the doorbell to Yosi and Kylo’s home. He had been pacing the floor of his friends’ cabin wishing Teddy were there to hold him when Meir had received a phone call for them all to come down to the house. According to Kylo, Teddy was there with Leilany.

  From the moment Meir told them what Kylo wanted, terror had gripped Jayden and wouldn’t let go. There was a good chance this was nothing more than his friend and his mate having gotten into a fight. But Jayden feared it was about his parents. Or the rescue. Or...

  The door opened and a somber looking Kylo answered it before the chimes had stopped. “I know this day is stressful, but Teddy thought it best if Leilany only had to tell her story once.”

  Blowing out a stream of air he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding, Jayden let himself relax a little. “I thought you were going to tell me my parents were dead,” he told Kylo.

  Kyser was next to him nodding. “Or the rescue couldn’t happen without killing everyone.”

  Kylo shifted his gaze away from them and Jayden was once more tense. Stepping back from the entry, Kylo gestured for them to come inside. Once he closed the door behind them, Kylo said, “We’re set up in a conference room in the basement.”

  Jayden knew that was where Yosi had set up his computer room. The entire basement was reinforced with six feet of concrete as well as titanium. If anyone decided to attack the island, the basement could be sealed off and keep anyone inside safe.

  With Yosi’s security system in place, not only was that not likely to be needed, but, in the off chance it was, they’d have plenty of warning to get everyone to the house. The only ones who might not make it, would be if they were out swimming, like Teddy had been when he’d disappeared for ten days.

  Fortunately, Yosi had a contingency for that, too. The island, for the most part, was surrounded by deep water. Only the cove and a small beach area couldn’t be accessed by the larger creatures. With that in mind, Yosi had created an underwater cave that came up beneath the house.

  Assuming the enemy didn’t find it, anyone still out there could swim to safety and use a set of hidden doors and tunnels to get to the basement. It wouldn’t be easy, but at least they had a chance. Then again, Jayden wasn’t so sure it wouldn’t be better to stay out in the ocean if something happened.

 

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