He stood and stretched.

“You going to be all right? Give her a break, Cade. She’s afraid for you. This isn’t about big Pack politics for her, this is about her mate.” Lex squeezed his shoulder on the way out. “You go to bed too.”

“I’m on my way there now. Thanks, Lex.”

“Yeah well, thank you too, huh? For believing I have it in me to fill your shoes.” Lex ducked his head a bit.

“I admire you, Lex. You’re a damned good leader. No stretch to believe you’ll do just fine.”

“Jeez, any minute and we’re gonna start weeping. I’m going to bed to show my woman some sexual prowess or something,” Lex grumbled and headed toward his and Nina’s room.

Cade snorted and headed to his room. He’d been thinking of how he’d make some renovations to build some more private rooms on their side of the house to give Grace some space that was hers but if he planned to take over for Templeton, he supposed the point was moot.

Even more moot when he entered their room and she wasn’t there.

He picked up the phone but her cell was on voicemail so he called Dave.

“What the hell?”

“She’s working, Cade. Just leave it alone right now,” Dave said without preamble.

“It’s three in the damned morning. She needs to be here. Bring her ass home or I’ll come and get her.”

“You’re awfully good at making all her choices these days, aren’t you? If you come down here, you’d better watch your balls because she’s in a sour mood.” Dave hung up.

“Did he just hang up on me?” Cade sighed and began to pace. He opened their link but aside from a general level of agitation, didn’t get a whole lot more than that. She had either cut him off, which was very difficult, or she was deeply involved in whatever she was doing. Knowing Grace, he’d lay odds on the latter.

He tossed his clothes in the hamper and climbed in bed but instead of sleeping, he tossed and turned for an hour before getting back up and grabbing the phone again.

“What?” Dave answered.

“You’re awfully lippy to your Alpha,” Cade drawled.

“I’m trying to sleep on a very small break room couch, I’m not in a great mood. This is all your fault anyway. What do you want? She’s fine. I made her take a break and eat something and she’s working. I can see her from where I’m laying. Hiroshi is on watch and the place is locked up tight.”

“You being there at four a.m. is my fault, how?”

Dave exhaled sharply. “I’ve known you my whole life. You’re my cousin and my Alpha.” He paused. “But you’ve always been the boss. Even when you were a kid. Grace gets that. She understands duty to her people. She betrayed her damned family for it. And all you had to do was take her out of the room and ask her her opinion. But you decided to risk your life, give up your position here and move to Boston to take on Supreme Alpha status and you didn’t bother to pretend to value her opinion. Ah, I see by your stupefied silence you finally got that.”

“Well, she could have stayed here to talk to me instead of running off down there to hide.” God, he sounded like a punk.

“You’re an ass. She’s doing her duty just like you’re doing yours. She wants that vaccine because she wants you protected for the Challenge. Now, I’m going to try and sleep some more. Hiroshi and I trade in another hour and I was up before dawn for the Joining. Remember that?” Dave hung up again.

“Crap.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Grace, why don’t you go home for a while?” Dave said as he approached.

She looked up and noticed the lab had filled with people. It was nearly two in the afternoon and she hadn’t slept in well over twenty-four hours. Nothing new, she’d gone days without sleeping before, part of the doctor gig.

“Send Hiroshi home for a change of clothes please? I’m going to shower here and then I’ll catch a few hours’ sleep.” They had dormitory-style rooms just for that sort of thing in the lab.

“I don’t know, Grace. Cade called twice this morning. He’s going to want to see you.”

“Dave, I’m in the middle of something. He’s busy, so am I. I’m not interrupting my work to make him feel better. Plus? I’m not so enamored of him just now.” Grace told her staff she was taking a few hours to sleep and headed to one of the quiet rooms to do just that.

Her dreams were fitful, filled with images of Cade getting killed during the Challenge, damn him. But when she woke up, she knew what she’d been missing with the vaccine. Foregoing the shower, she put her lab coat back on and rushed out, shouting orders as she went.

Her staff went scurrying and began to apply the solution she’d hit on when she’d just woken up.

They worked on it for the next several hours until she knew she’d had enough. She needed a shower, a hot meal and some sleep and she supposed it was time to confront her stubborn mate as well.

“Okay.” She rubbed her eyes. “Let’s go home. You guys need some time off and this all has to sit for a while.”

“Grace, you’re a machine.” Dave kissed her cheek.

“Thank you. Goodness, it’s already nine-thirty? Yikes.” She grabbed her bag and they headed for the door.

Outside, the air was cool but not cold and she took in the fresh, non-lab scents. But on her last deep breath as they cleared the trees and started into the lot, something not right filtered into her system. She froze just as Dave put his hand out. Hiroshi yanked her to the ground as a bullet whizzed into the place she’d just been standing.