Abraham groaned as the early morning sunlight filled his room. He’d just dozed off when Noah and his sister returned to do the allergy testing. He nearly lost his temper after the seventh or eighth needle. He felt fine now. He hadn’t had trouble drawing a breath since they’d hauled him in. Unless Noah could heal a broken heart, he was ready to go home and hit something.
When the door opened, he craned his neck to see who it was. He hoped it was Noah with his discharge papers. Instead, Micah and Josiah strode in with Sarah and Eve on their heels. Eve plopped down into the recliner next to his bed and balanced her laptop on her swollen belly.
Abraham looked at her then Micah. “Are you here to take me home?”
“Not exactly.” Micah grabbed his cell out of the back pocket of his jeans. He swiped the screen a couple of times and held it up to his ear. “I returned your call, Agent Carlson, and I’m with Abraham now. Give me a moment and you can speak with him.”
He crossed to the side of Abraham’s bed and held up the cell phone. He tapped the mute button and growled at Abraham. “Harry called me this morning before sunup. This guy is Agent Carlson with Homeland Security in New Jersey. I guess he called Harry because they found a girl off the coast. When she came to, she claimed to belong to Abraham Hallow. They traced you through the advertising Harry is doing for your fight with Loch. They called Harry because of his number on the advertising. Harry passed their number to me.”
Abraham bolted up in bed. “Is it Kai?”
Micah shook his head and handed the phone to Abraham. “I don’t know. He’s an asshole. He won’t give me anything. He wants to talk to Abraham Hallow. That’s you.”
Abraham stared at him for a long moment and shook the tubes burrowed into his flesh enough to free his arm. He took the phone and tapped the mute button off. “Hello?”
“Who is this?” the voice on the other end demanded.
“My name is Abraham Hallow. Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Agent Carlson with Homeland Security. A woman was found floating naked on a gutted lifeboat off the coast of New Jersey. She came to when she was hauled into custody. She has no identification. We don’t know if she is from the United States. When we asked her to give us information, all she would give us is your name. She said she belonged to you, which causes concern.”
Abraham’s heart leaped into his throat. His voice trembled as he spoke. “She’s been traumatized. I’m sure coming up with the right phrases might be difficult right now. Is her hair multicolored? Purple, pink and turquoise? Is she a little shorter than five foot?”
“Yes, sir. That describes her.”
Abraham looked up to see Eve fish a glass from the bag she set on the ground beside her. She took a photo of it with her phone and waited. She shook her head and put it into the bag and retrieved another. She repeated the steps with the second glass. This time she nodded and started typing.
“Her name is Kai,” Abraham answered.
“Kai who?” Agent Carlson pried. “Where is she from?”
Abraham tapped the mute button and looked at his family. “He wants her last name.”
“So make one up,” Josiah answered.
“Or give her yours,” Micah added.
“Whatever you do, you need to let me know,” Eve told him. “I have what I assumed is her fingerprint. It’s not yours. I was able to make her an identification photo from a picture I took of us while we were baking. I need her last name and marital status and Homeland Security will have their ID.”
Abraham mulled over what they’d said. Carlson’s voice echoed through the phone. “Mister Hallow.”
Abraham took the phone off mute. “Sorry. The nurse came in. I don’t know if my brother told you, but I’m in the hospital. Her full name is Kai Evelyn Hallow. She is my wife. She was born in Seattle, Washington, and moved here when her parents died in a car crash. Need anything more? Need to know how often we fuck?”
“Sir, I don’t appreciate the vulgarity.”
“I don’t appreciate my wife being held hostage. Run her fingerprint again and prove who she is.”
“We will need someone to bring her information to us.”
“I’m sorry. Did you miss the part where I said I’m in the hospital?”
“Until we have physical identification stating who she is, we cannot release her. She will be held here in New Jersey for three more days and then she will be transported to another facility.”
“Three days. Are you serious?”
“Completely, sir.”
Abraham shook his head. “Fine. Can I call you back at this number?”
“Of course, Mister Hallow.”
“Great. Talk to you later.” Abraham tapped the screen to end the call and handed the phone to Micah. “They have Kai. But we have three days to produce identification documents to prove who she is.”
“Way ahead of you, little bro.” Eve’s fingertips were a blur as she tapped the keyboard. “For the record, the fingerprint was a match. They just ran it again.”
Sarah frowned at her from her seat across the room. “How can you possibly know that?”
Eve pivoted the laptop on her belly toward her sister-in-law. “I hacked Homeland Security.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed. “Of course you did.”
Abraham huffed. “Great. Can we get back to the documents we need? The ones that don’t exist?”
Eve grinned at him. “But they do exist, Abe. They are currently being produced in New York City, a quick drive from where they are holding Kai.”
Micah looked at her. “So we’re buying ID’s on the black market.”
“Yeah. And I used our checking account. Thanks, baby.”
Micah turned to Abraham. “You owe me.”
“Great,” Abraham answered. “Can you get Noah to clear me? I have to catch a flight.”
“The allergy testing results haven’t come back yet,” Josiah informed him. “You’re here until they do. We can’t have another relapse on a plane like the one you had back home.”
“Joe, he said three days. And she’ll start to dry out in three days. They’ll know what she is by then.”
“I’ll get on a plane and go get them myself. Then I’ll deliver them and bring Kai home.”
“Or sweetheart,” Sarah replied. “You could call Sam, Henry, or Delilah. They’re going to land at LaGuardia in a couple of hours. We could have Kai back by the end of the day.”
“Try tomorrow morning,” Eve announced. “But definitely before she needs water.”
“I’ll call each of their phones and leave a message,” Josiah volunteered. “Be right back.”
Abraham watched as Josiah excused himself and slipped out into the hall. He slumped back against the pillows propping him up in his bed. Relief flooded him knowing that Kai was alive. But his heart still twisted. They may have found her, but it didn’t explain why she ran away from him.
»»•««
Kai sat on the cold cement floor as she stared at the concrete block wall in front of her. It was far better than looking at the steel bars beside her. They were just a stark reminder that she was caged like an animal. The pumpkin-orange jumpsuit the humans gave her to wear itched her skin. She sighed. She forgot. She was now human too so she should probably refrain from referring to those around her in that manner.
She was naked when she’d come to her senses. She wasn’t sure if it was by her own ability or if it was the sailors who’d found her hanging off that wreck of a boat. She’d felt her stomach churn when they’d touched her to bring her on board their vessel and gave her a blanket to cover herself with. From there everything was a blur until she’d wound up in this cell. Since then all was quiet as death, other than the occasional interruption by some uniformed official or suit-clad man.
In the silence Kai found her seer gift had been untouched by Neptune’s curse. She found her family safe in a known neutral spot in the South Seas. She also found that Azul and Bligh were killed moments after they’d draped her over that dingy. All three scouts had sacrificed their lives for her and their deaths would weigh on her soul for eternity.
Her head snapped to attention when she heard a high-pitched voice shouting down the hall. “I don’t think you understood me, sir. I want to see my sister-in-law now. Do you know who Doctor Michael Chadwick is? Of course you don’t. But I do. He’s the head of the archeology department at the most recognized museum in Washington DC and an exceptionally good friend of mine. He’s also golfing buddies with the man in charge of this branch of government. So unless you’d like me to step outside and call Mike, just let me see Kai Hallow please.”
Kai frowned at the sound. Kai Hallow? Humans, and of course, her family of werewolves used last names. Mermaids certainly didn’t. Was this voice there for her or someone else named Kai?
Her heart ticked up a notch. If that woman was there for her, was Abraham with her? She ached for his touch. She was stupid for running off without him. She’d cried herself to sleep the night before missing him.
A redhead shuffled down the hallway toward her cell with one of the suit-clad men behind her. Both of them snarled as they made their way to her cell.
The redhead shooed the agent away with a flick of one hand as she set her other on her rounded belly. “You don’t have to hover over us. I’m pregnant. Does it look like I could stage a break-out? If I was planning that, I would have sent my husband instead. Could we have a moment of privacy please?”
The agent glanced from the woman to Kai and growled before he stomped back to his post.
The redhead eased her way down to the floor on the other side of the bars. “How are you?” she whispered.
“Where is Abe?” Kai countered.
The woman lowered her head. “He’s in the hospital, Kai. From what Josiah told us, he stopped breathing. He said he felt like something was filling his lungs but nothing was. He seems fine now but they are still running tests to see what might be wrong. He wanted to be here to take care of this himself.”
Kai swallowed back a sob as her eyes stung with tears. She’d wanted him to know in his heart she was there, that she was coming back to him. She never thought the bond she’d formed in that kiss was so strong. He had experienced everything she had and it almost killed him. “That was me. I am so sorry.”
“How was that you?”
“I kissed him before I left. I wanted him to know in his soul that I would come home to him. I guess our bond is so strong he lived my life with me.” Kai shook her head. “I’m sorry. I know you’re a Hallow. I’ve seen you with two of the brothers and the other mates told me that you were gone to get married.”
“I’m Delilah. And they’re not both brothers. Henry is Sam’s and my husband. Sam is the only Hallow.” Delilah reached through the bars and took Kai’s hand in hers. “It’s a long story that I will tell you on the drive home, but right now, we need to get you out of here. And I need to call Joe right away. What you said about the bond will clear up the confusion about what is wrong with Abe. Your lungs filled up too? With what?”
Kai gave her a weak smirk. “They filled up with water.”
Delilah's voice dropped so only Kai could hear her. “But how could that be? You’re a mermaid. That would be like my lungs failing because they were filled with oxygen.”
Kai tugged on the legs of her jumpsuit. “Not anymore. Neptune spelled me when I chose Abraham over him. I’m human now.”
Delilah’s eyes grew wide. “You are? I’m sorry, Kai. You’ve lost your whole life.”
Kai shook her head. “I have Abe. He’s my life now.”
Delilah squeezed Kai’s hand tight. “And us. You’re a Hallow too.”
Kai frowned. “I heard you call me Kai Hallow like I have a last name now. Why was that?”
Delilah chuckled. “That? You need to hear that from Abe, not me. I love my little brother-in-law, but I’m not taking his bullet. He’ll explain it soon enough.”
Kai nodded. “Okay.”
Kai turned her attention from Delilah to the hallway when she heard footsteps. The agent who ushered Delilah to the cell now returned. “Time’s up. You’ll need to go.”
Delilah tugged Kai toward the bars until Kai’s face was pressed against the metal. She left a soft kiss on Kai’s cheek. “I’ll bring a change of clothes for the ride home tomorrow. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Bye,” Kai replied.
Delilah glared at the agent. “Maybe you could be a gentleman and help me to my feet?”
Kai could hear the man grumble as he offered Delilah his hand and gently helped her to her feet. Delilah waved one last time before she followed the agent down the hall and disappeared.
Kai closed her eyes and focused all her energy on the new connection she’d formed with Abraham. She hadn’t realized just how strong it was. She could feel the electricity flow through her heart and it warmed her like his embrace did.
She concentrated on her words and pushed them through the firestorm to his soul. “I love you, Abraham. I always will.”
»»•««
Kai was startled awake from her spot on the floor by the sound of the cell door opening. There was a new suited man standing there over her who was as emotionless as the last.
He dropped a paper bag beside her and snarled. “You’re free to go. Those clothes were brought for you. Come with me and I’ll take you somewhere to change.”
Kai climbed to her feet and grabbed the handles of the bag. She followed the agent down the hall until he stopped in front of a small conference room. With a sweeping arm, he ushered her inside. She closed the door behind her nearly striking the man in the nose.
She shed the jumpsuit and dug in the bag. For having rather conservative tastes, Delilah had tuned into what Kai usually wore. It took a moment or two for Kai to understand the undergarments. She had never worn anything like them before. Once they seemed like they were on correctly, she tugged on the shorts and T-shirt. She tossed the jumpsuit on top of a chair and opened the door.
At the end of the hall, Delilah stood waiting for her. On either side of her were two men. One was muscular with tattoos and a Mohawk. The other looked like the exact opposite. He was tall with thick, perfectly combed brown hair and glasses. Both of them shuffled their feet like nervous schoolboys.
Delilah reached her hand out to the agent. “We’ll need her documents, please. It’s not like we can leave her vital information behind with you. Besides, I’m sure it’s in your systems.”
The agent snarled as he handed her a rolled-up stack of papers. “It wasn’t in there before.”
“I guess you weren’t looking hard enough.” Delilah stretched her free hand out to Kai. “Come on, Kai. Let’s go home.”
Kai stared at them and scampered to her, lacing her fingers between Delilah’s. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find the bespectacled mate smiling at her. The other mate snaked an arm around Delilah’s waist. Kai studied him for a long moment. There was no doubt in her mind that he was the Hallow.
The four of them hurried out of the building to the parking lot.
“I’m going to have a serious talk with my sister-in-law when we get back for sending us to the fucking ghetto for those papers,” Samuel grumbled.
Delilah glared. “You will do no such thing, Samuel Hakimi-Hallow. You will leave that poor girl and her children alone.”
Delilah’s hand slipped from Kai’s when Samuel pulled her to him. “You are my everything. Henry is my everything. That baby you carry inside you is my breath and soul. I will not tolerate anyone putting those I love more than my own life in danger. That neighborhood was dangerous, and that storefront housed more than we picked up there.”
Delilah rose onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Let’s just get in the rental car and go home.”
Samuel took her hand with one of his. With the other he clasped one of Kai’s.
“Doesn’t this look peculiar?” Kai asked as she skipped to keep up with his stride. “You holding both our hands? Wouldn’t that raise questions?”
Samuel cracked a grin at her. “No more than explaining the truth, that a werewolf is escorting his brother’s mermaid girlfriend back home along with said werewolf’s husband and wife.”
Kaia’s heart sank. “I’m not a mermaid anymore.”
Samuel’s face fell also. “I know. Dee told us.”
Kai felt her other hand taken captive. She turned to find Henry at her side, completing their chain. “It doesn’t matter what you are, Kai. You’re our family. Now, let’s get you back to your mate. It’s killing him to be apart from you.”
As they approached the sole car in the parking lot, Samuel let go of her. Henry opened the back door of the rental and ushered her inside as Delilah slid in on the other side. Samuel climbed in behind the wheel while Henry took his place in the passenger seat.
Delilah wrapped her arms around Kai and hugged her tight. Kai smiled. Delilah’s mothering instinct was kicking in. The wee one she was carrying was going to be a lucky babe with such wonderful parents.
“Soon,” Delilah murmured as she rubbed Kai’s arm. “We’ll be home soon.”