Twice Tempted: Between Two Alphas (Mia and Cameron)
Chapter 63

Chapter Sixty-Three

I wake up to a foot in my face. And the tickle of hair beneath my nose.

My daughter is curled against my side, her hair a tangled mess around my face.

The foot belongs to my son. His head is at the bottom of the bed, where his arms wrap around Cam's wolf form. His legs point at me.

It's still early in the morning. Too early to want to get up.

Cam's head swings toward me bemusedly.

Jace is back. I need to go check on Merilee. Are you okay?

I nod.

He slides from the bed and pauses beside the door. Cam may be in his wolf form, but his movements are decidedly human. He tilts his head, seeing the three of us curled up on bed. He stays there for a few seconds as if he's committing the sight of us to memory.

The very idea of us being a real family after all these years is almost impossible to believe.

I like the idea of it. I didn't have a normal childhood, and I want my kids to have a stronger foundation if they can.

My daughter makes the faintest snoring sound and it's so stinkin' adorable I gather her closer and kiss her head.

She smells like baby shampoo and sunshine.

I know these days of cuddles and closeness won't last forever. And I need to soak up every moment I can with them.

I close my eyes and settle in, hoping the kids will sleep late and we can enjoy this bit of quiet.

"Why didn't you come to Pop-Pop's to see us?"

It's my daughter. Her eyes are still closed.

"Mommy was so exhausted after the trip with Daddy, I had to rest a bit."

My daughter opens her eyes and when she stares at me, the look in her eyes makes me feel like dirt. "You could've seen us first and then rested." She's hurt.

I suck a breath. "Sweetheart, mommy loves you!"

"If you loved me, you would've come straight home. Instead of coming here."

I want to cry.

She's hurt and lashing out and though both my children are mature for their ages, they are still very young. However, I can't go down that spiral of trying to explain. On the surface, that might seem like an easy solution, but saying I was sick or sad or needed alone time...there is no version of the truth that won't make her more upset or stressed.

"Oh my baby," I tell her, dragging her even closer for a tighter hug. I try to find the words... "Mommy is very sorry. I thought I was making the right choice. But I was wrong. I won't make that mistake again." I hold up my finger. "Pinky promise. I'll communicate better."

We twist fingers on it and she's content. She snuggles in again and puts her head on my chest.

I listen to the steady sound of her heartbeat.

My son's breathing changed the moment Jacelyn started talking, so I know Aaron is awake, but he's listening and processing. And if I'm being honest, I'm really glad they didn't tag team me on this.

"I love you, my babies," I whisper. "Let's cuddle a little longer, then I'll make some pancakes."

"With chocolate chips," Aaron says.

He knows chocolate chip pancakes are a rare treat.

"To make up for not seeing us," he goes on.

Wow, that's a lot of guilt. "Well played, my son."

He giggles. So does Jacelyn.

They laugh and laugh and the sound is like a melody.

It brings the first real smile to my face.

JACE

The plane touches down and I glance around at the passengers.

Declan is beside me in the cockpit. Jacob has resumed his seat at the back, his computers are up and he doesn't look real happy about whatever he's looking at.

We have two vampires that are sleeping in the second to last row. That's gonna be fun, bringing them back to pack.

Michail's in the next seat with the female wolf we rescued from the labs. He's got her on his lap. Come to think of it, I'm not sure he's put her down at all from the moment he swept her up in the basement laboratory.

Morgan's in the first row of seats. She looks pensive.

She isn't wearing any glamour now, and I almost rather she'd keep the icy look. When I see her like this, in the aftermath of the lab, she seems too vulnerable.

"Touching down in five," I tell them as we prepare for landing.

It feels like a week has passed since we left for California.

It's been barely a day.

The amount of shit one can get themselves into in twenty-four hours is staggering.

Cam, we're incoming.

The response is immediate. I'll meet you at the jet.

I see the convoy at the edge of the runway. Several blacked out SUVS idling and waiting. He's been anticipating our arrival.

Maybe it's the excitement of a cure for Merilee.

Maybe my brother is about to call me to task for my transgressions.

We'll see.

"Yo, Boss." Jacob's voice is low.

I keep my eyes on the runway and my instruments. "Yeah?"

"That C4 never detonated."

"The timer was set for 90 seconds. How can that be?"

Jacob sighs. "Damn if I know. The remote detonators were calibrated. I checked them myself. Given the distance between the lab and the holding cells...I can't see how someone could find both loads and deactivate them in time."

"Unless," Morgan says, "They knew we would set explosives and where we would put them..."

I'm quiet while we touch down and focus on keeping us in the middle of the runway. The tarmac is slick and I wait until we slow down enough that I'm confident I can maneuver the plane safely. Then I look back at Morgan. "What are you saying?"

"The woman...the one at the elevator. My mom."

"Yeah?"

Declan shakes his head. Jacob mumbles 'damn.'

"She could've done it."

"Your mom's former military or something?" Jacob asks.

"No. She's just a clever witch."

"Working with explosives isn't simple," I say, "despite what people see on tv."

"I didn't mean it that way... my mom's the one who wove the spell for Ashley." She rubs her eyes. "Damn it, I should've thought of this..."

"What!?"

"Magic always has a price, Jace." She looks terrified. Her skin blanches and her eyes go wide. "She made Ashley give her a gift in exchange for the mating spell used on your brother."

"I'm confused," Michail says.

“Ashley's abilities as a Seer. That was the trade." Morgan shoots to her feet and paces the central aisle of the plane. “Oh my god. She could've forseen all of it, Jace." Her eyes are haunted when they turn to me. "The bombs. Our break-in. What we'd take from the labs... That we would've rescued the prisoners."

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