Wilde Creek: The Protector's Heart Part 15

She turned and found Malachi sheathing a knife. "Get Jack and get in the SUV. Go straight to Acksel's house."

"Malachi!" She shouted his name as he pushed her away from Damien, who was struggling with the wolf, obviously someone from Malachi's pack.

"Go, Nila. Now!" Malachi turned and kicked out as a male from Damien's pack rushed him.

She looked over her shoulder to see Maura hurrying away with Jack.

"Give me back my son, you b.i.t.c.h!" She screamed the words, tearing after the woman, determined to get Jack back.

She closed the distance to Maura and lunged, grabbing Jack's outstretched hand and shoving the woman away. Jack cried out in pain as Maura kept hold of his ankle, trying to pull him out of Nila's grip.

Instead of pulling harder and hurting her son, she let go and kicked out, her foot landing against Maura's knee. Maura howled and let go of Jack, and Nila s.n.a.t.c.hed him up before he hit the ground.

Nila sprinted around the fighting wolves, not wanting to give Maura a chance to catch up to her. The SUV that they'd come in was parked with others from Malachi's pack, and Nila opened the driver's door and set a squirming, crying Jack on the pa.s.senger seat and started to climb in.

"Not so fast," Tanner growled, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her out of the SUV.

"NO!" She grabbed the console in between the seats and kicked with all her might. Tanner punched her in the side and she grunted in pain, but didn't let go of her grip on the console.

Jack cried in fear and reached for her. Tanner grabbed her waist and gave a mighty tug that made her feel like he was going to pull her in half. One of his hands landed on top of hers, and claws emerged through his fingertips. He curled his hand and she knew he was going to shred her skin. If she let go, then Jack was defenseless.

She jerked her head back and connected with Tanner's face, nearly pa.s.sing out from the pain.

"Ah, b.i.t.c.h," he snarled and dug his claws into her hand.

She opened her mouth to scream, but the pain was so great that nothing came out.

A soft growl sounded so close she thought it was Tanner s.h.i.+fting into his wolf form, ready to tear her to pieces, but as she blinked away the fog from nearly braining herself on Tanner's hard head, she saw that Jack was the one growling. He perched on his legs, tiny needle-like claws springing from his fingers and thick fangs erupting from his gums. He gave a warning growl and then he sank his fangs into the top of Tanner's hand.

Nila heard his bones break and Tanner screeched in agony. The thick, metallic scent of blood filled the air. Jack growled and snarled, shaking Tanner's hand like a dog shaking a bone. When Tanner lifted off her, she flipped to her back, bunched her legs up, and kicked hard, sending him flying.

She watched Tanner roll on the ground and clutch his hand, which seemed to be missing at least one finger.

Oh man, had Jack eaten his finger?

She'd deal with the ramifications of her son partially s.h.i.+fting and saving their lives later. Shaking herself back to reality, she grabbed the door and slammed it shut, turning the key in the ignition and pressing the door lock. Not that it would stop anyone from getting into the SUV because they could just shatter the windows, but at least it would slow them down.

She looked toward the park where she could hear the fighting still going on. She didn't want to leave Malachi, but knew he would be p.i.s.sed if she waited for him.

Jack crawled into her lap, softly sobbing and babbling. She put the car in gear and drew him close with one arm, gripping the steering wheel with her free hand.

"It's okay now, baby," she crooned, even though she wasn't sure that was true. Whatever happened tonight, she didn't think they'd ever be safe, no matter how many security systems they had.

Malachi watched Nila drive away. He'd been distracted with Damien, and looked over to see one of Damien's friends falling away from the SUV, clutching his b.l.o.o.d.y hand.

Damien ducked a punch and Malachi threw another one, which connected with his cheek. Damien spit blood onto the ground and laughed. "I'll get her eventually. You can't watch her every second."

Malachi growled and launched himself at the male, but another male barreled into him and pushed him away. A fist flew at Malachi and he barely dodged it, shoving the male off and leaping to his feet in time to see Damien s.h.i.+ft into his wolf form and race out of the park.

"s.h.i.+t! He's going after Nila!" he yelled to Acksel, who was facing off against another wolf.

"Go with Ren, I've got this!" Acksel yelled back.

Malachi and Ren raced to the other SUV, and they followed the road out of the park.

"Where would she go?" Ren asked.

"I told her to go to Acksel's."

Ren nodded. Malachi used the corner of his s.h.i.+rt to wipe the blood off his face. He was going to be in a h.e.l.l of a lot of pain later, but right now all he could think about was keeping Nila safe.

They sailed down a dark road, and in the distance he saw the SUV's taillights. Suddenly, the SUV jerked to the right and then sharply to the left as the brakes squealed. It spun around until it was facing them and didn't move.

Ren stopped the SUV in front of the one Nila was driving and they both got out. Malachi scented the air and smelled fresh blood. Ren went around the other side of the vehicle as Malachi rapped on the driver's side window.

Nila looked especially pale. Even in the glow from the dashboard he thought she looked like she was going to pa.s.s out. Jack was in her lap, and he turned his head and met Malachi's eyes and smiled.

"Carrot," he said, the word m.u.f.fled through the closed window. Malachi's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of fangs in Jack's mouth.

What the h.e.l.l?

"Nila?" Malachi said, but she didn't move, her hand gripping the steering wheel and her gaze straight forward.

"Mal? Come back here for a second," Ren called.

Malachi told Jack he'd be right back and walked around to the back of the truck, stopping in surprise as he saw the body of a wolf. He recognized the coloring as belonging to Damien. Ren knelt next to the wolf and looked up at Malachi.

"He's dead."

"What the h.e.l.l happened?"

Ren shrugged. "I'm guessing that he ran out into the road to try to stop her. Maybe he thought she'd crash instead of hitting and killing him."

Malachi looked at the SUV. Did Nila know she'd killed Damien?

"d.a.m.n it," he spoke softly. He didn't want Nila to suffer with the knowledge that she'd killed someone, even if it was her psycho ex.

Ren stood slowly and said, "Get your mate and son out of the SUV and take the other one home. I'll wait for Acksel here."

"This is my mess, Ren."

"It's pack business. When are you going to learn that?"

"I'm pretty hardheaded," Malachi said.

"Yeah, well, I know that, but I still like your sorry a.s.s." Ren pulled his phone from his pocket and Malachi went to the driver's door. Jack had his face pressed to the gla.s.s, and he squeaked in excitement when Malachi stopped in front of him. Banging his little palm against the window, he said, "Carrot!"

"Yeah, buddy. Nila. Nila!" He called her name and jerked on the handle a few times, hoping that Jack had just suddenly figured out how to unlock the doors.

"Nila!" He shouted her name sternly and she seemed to react to that, at least a little. He wondered if she was in shock. "Open the door now, Nila. Jack needs help."

Her whole body jerked and she blinked several times, looking around before locking eyes with Malachi. He knew then that she did know what she'd done. "Don't break down on me now, sweetheart," he said loudly. "Open the door and let me take you and Jack out of here."

Her hand moved so slowly he wasn't sure it would ever reach the b.u.t.ton to unlock the door. The second the door clicked, Malachi wrenched it open and lifted Jack from her lap. He clung to Malachi like a monkey, repeating carrot and burying his face in Malachi's neck. Malachi reached for Nila and helped her out. She was stiff as a board, but followed him dutifully to the other SUV. He cursed not thinking of putting in a car seat before they left, but he'd been so focused on getting Jack back that he hadn't gotten the car seat out of his own SUV.

Malachi helped Nila buckle in and put Jack in her lap, and she held him tightly. Malachi grabbed a jacket from the backseat and laid it over Jack to warm him up, turning the heater on high. When he started the engine, Jack laid his cold little hand on Malachi's bicep and whispered, "Dada."

"We'll be home soon, son," Malachi said, glancing at Nila and seeing her eyes fill with tears. "Did you hear me, sweetheart? Home."

"I heard you, Mal. We both did."

Nila wasn't watching the scenery blur by as Malachi drove them home; she just looked at Jack. She desperately wanted to check him over, but the dim lighting from the dashboard wasn't enough for her to see anything.

She was trying not to think of what had happened, how things had gone from bad to worse in a heartbeat. What would happen to her now that Damien was dead and she was the one who had killed him? It probably didn't matter to Isaiah that Damien had run out of the woods so fast she hadn't seen him until he was standing in front of her vehicle. Even though she jerked the steering wheel, she'd still hit him.

The sickening sound of the body thumping under the tire. The way the SUV bobbled a bit as she jerked the wheel the other direction and then spun entirely, until all she could see was another set of bright headlights heading her way.

"Am I," her voice caught in her throat and she coughed to clear it. "Is he going to come after me because D-Damien's dead?" She didn't want to cry. She felt like she'd been crying for months because of Damien.

Malachi slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about Isaiah, sweetheart. What happened was an accident, and you can't be held accountable for that. Regardless, I'm here to keep you and Jack safe."

She mulled over his words as they drove back to Wilde Creek. Since he'd told her he wanted her to drive directly to Acksel's house, she wasn't surprised when he took her there. They must have been expecting them, because a handful of males were standing on the sidewalk.

Malachi got out, came around to her side and opened the door. As he helped her and Jack out of the vehicle, he said over his shoulder, "Has Sam apprised you of what's going on?"

A male she didn't recognize said, "Yes, we're on it. Patrols have been stepped up around town."

"Good. Thanks, Robert. I'm going to get my mate inside; it's been a h.e.l.l of a night."

Another male said, "Let us know if you need anything. Adam and Jeremiah are inside to help."

Malachi held her against him as they walked up the now-familiar sidewalk leading to Acksel and Brynn's home. Jack was awake but silent; her normally talkative son was either too traumatized or too tired to talk. She hugged him a little closer.

Jeremiah opened the door and Malachi ushered her in, following close behind as the door was shut and locked.

Brynn and Mia stood a few steps away from them, both looking concerned, and it took only a second for Malachi to step away and the girls to surround her and Jack.

"We're so glad you're okay," Mia said, sniffling.

"Are you hurt? Doc is here," Brynn said.

She felt Malachi's hand on her back and he said, "Yes, she needs to see Doc and so does Jack."

Doc appeared out of the kitchen and joined them as Brynn and Mia moved out of the way but still stayed close. He took one look at Nila and Jack and said, "Let's go in the spare bedroom and see what we're dealing with."

Malachi led her to the bedroom they'd stayed in before, and she squinted at the brightness of the overhead light when Doc flipped the switch. Malachi grabbed a towel from the bathroom and laid it on the bed. She laid Jack down on it, stripping him so Doc could look him over. For the first time since he'd been taken, she got a good look at her son. His fingers were still claw-tipped, and when he opened his mouth and yawned, she could see his fangs.

"I thought I was imagining things," she said as she rubbed Jack's shoulder and smiled down at him.

Malachi said, "I've never seen anything like it. Doc?"

Doc didn't answer for several minutes as he checked Jack over, testing his limbs and checking him for injuries. After listening to his heart, Doc laid the stethoscope over his neck and gripped the ends, exhaling deeply.

"Physically, he's fine. There's some minor bruising on his arms and chest, probably from being grabbed or held while he struggled. He wasn't fed, though; I can hear his stomach grumbling."

Nila lifted him from the bed and he snuggled into her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Mama," he cooed, fisting her hair.

"Hey little man," she said, relief twining through her.

"And the claws and fangs?" Malachi asked.

Doc sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his temple. "I have to tell you that I'm stumped. Wolf s.h.i.+fters, even full blooded ones, don't s.h.i.+ft until their teens. Partially s.h.i.+fting is very unusual for wolves, even close to the time they're ready to s.h.i.+ft. Occasionally in a time of high stress, a teenager might partially s.h.i.+ft, but not a baby."

She lifted one of Jack's hands and looked at the dark claws. They looked like tiny, curved needles.

"Is he stuck like this?" she asked.

"What happened before he partially s.h.i.+fted?"

Nila looked at Malachi and he moved closer, lending her his strength. She told them what happened, starting with getting Jack away from Maura, Tanner's attack, and Jack's sudden s.h.i.+fting.

"I think he took off one of Tanner's fingers, but I...I don't want to think he actually ate it."

Doc's nose wrinkled in disgust. "That's probably unlikely considering how small Jack is. You'd have noticed him chewing on a finger. It most likely dropped away during the struggle. I think what we have here is a case of high stress causing the partial s.h.i.+ft. Jack was already traumatized from being taken and kept away from you for several hours. Then he sees you being hurt and someone trying to take you away. He might be a baby, but babies can be intuitive about danger, especially s.h.i.+fter children. He's enough of a wolf that he was able to summon the ability to protect you."

She repeated herself. "Is he stuck like this?"

Doc smiled gently. "I doubt it. After you get him cleaned up and he eats a good meal and gets a good night's sleep, I expect he'll wake up perfectly normal."

"Is this something we're going to need to worry about in the future, like him getting worked up and partially s.h.i.+fting?" Malachi asked.

"I don't know. I want to say no, because I think this was an extraordinary circ.u.mstance, but the truth is I've never known such a young child to grow claws and fangs. I would suggest being cautious in the future, and as he grows older to make sure you teach him how to handle himself in stressful situations."

She lifted Jack into her arms and carried him into the bathroom. Malachi drew a bath while Nila tried not to look at herself in the mirror. She was certain she looked like she'd been to h.e.l.l and back. As she knelt next to the tub and settled Jack into the water, she realized there was a bottle of baby soap on the edge of the tub and a washcloth decorated with yellow ducks was folded next to it.

"These are Jack's," she said as she dunked the washcloth in the water and opened the bottle.

"Adam took Mia to the house and she packed an overnight bag for the three of us."

She fought the tears that stung her eyes at the sweet gesture. Malachi's family and pack treated her and Jack like they were one of them. She soaped Jack's skin, noticing that the bruises were fading quickly.

"He'll s.h.i.+ft when he's older, won't he? He's more wolf than human," she said as Jack grabbed a small cup from her hand and dumped the water over his head, babbling as it rinsed off the soap.

"Most likely," Malachi answered.