Free Holding Hope Word Doc NC by Paloma Beck Page B

arms, something he thought he’d never have in his many
years. Once, just once before, had he allowed himself to hope but it hadn’t
been meant to be. Martha had died before he could claim her but he’d been
certain at the time that she was his mate. Could it be he was wrong? He’d lived
years believing he’d lost his only chance at love, his one true mate. Now,
holding Ella in his arms, Lucas understood Martha hadn’t been his mate after
all. You couldn’t have two mates –two people perfect for you- and with all certainty,
every fiber of his being assured him that he was holding his mate in his arms
at this very moment.
    He looked down at Ella.
She appeared so young; he wondered how old she was. He knew nothing about her
and still his heart beat only for her now. Her pale skin was soft under his
calloused fingers. He longed to stroke his fingers through her short blond hair
but didn’t want to disturb her. She remained limp and still but he took solace
in knowing she was calmer now. Her cinnamon brown eyes were closed again. He’d
nearly broken down when those precious eyes looked up at him, first afraid and
then hopeful. They’d been filled with hope, with such faith and a trust he
didn’t deserve.
    His gut clenched with
the knowledge that he’d claimed this magnificent woman without her consent.
Would she understand he had no choice? She was so weak and seemed so
vulnerable. He’d held her the entire flight back to the United States, hadn’t
let anyone so much as touch her. When Donovan, the TEU’s medic, tried to help,
Lucas fought back his growls while he refused his help.
    “She needs more blood,”
Donovan explained. “I can hear her heartbeat fading again.”
    Lucas heard his
brother-in-arms but couldn’t reconcile himself to what needed to be done.
    “Lucas, listen to me,”
Donovan raised his voice as he touched Lucas’s shoulder. “Since she’s a woman
of the Magdalena Circle , our blood
can sustain her through her injuries. I gave her a few drops of my blood while
we were being held. Let me give her a few more.”
    “No,” Lucas raised his
voice to match Donovan and showed his sharp teeth, two actions he’d never
before taken against one of his brothers-in-arms. Shame immediately rushed
through him. “I apologize, Van, but no more. She will take from me alone.”
Lucas knew the few drops Van had given her wouldn’t do any harm. Since he
wasn’t her natural mate, it had no effect aside from sustaining her health
during her healing but he still couldn’t allow it.
    Understanding swept
over Donovan as he backed away and nodded. “You’ll need to at least give her a
few drops until she’s well enough to feed fully.” Donovan pulled the curtain
and left them alone.
    Silence reigned over
them as Lucas sat holding his mate, holding his hope in the future.
    “I’m so very sorry, my
precious, I can’t bear to see you like this. I must feed you and make you
well.” Lucas’s voice broke as he pulled Ella closer against him. He fought to
control his emotions, anger and frustration raging through him. He’d given up
searching for a mate because he’d believed she had died. Had he not been so
foolish, Ella may not have ended up held captive by Nassir and his men. What
hell had she gone through?
    Picking up his phone,
Lucas called Anton.
    “Lucas, what can I do
for you?” Anton sounded surprised to hear from him. Lucas could hardly blame
him. His usual MO was to fly under the radar and bother no one.
    “Anton, I need the
cabin prepared for me. I’ll be going immediately there once we land.”
    Silence followed. It
was clear Anton was holding back his questions. “Ah. Okay. I’ll send a car to
the airstrip for you and in the meantime, I’ll send the caretaker to freshen
the cabin.”
    “Good. I’ll be staying
at least a few weeks.”
    “I’ll have some of your
clothes and necessities packed in the car for you.”
    “Thank you. And Anton,”
Lucas paused, “There’ll be