Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,16

fire pit, and a large square plot of dirt that had been a garden in the summer. Cyrus’s parents’ house was worn and lived-in, but it wasn’t in need of repair. Cyrus made sure of it. They had four hundred acres that would all go to Cyrus whenever they passed. The couple never had children of their own, so Cyrus had received all their love. Zeke wasn’t jealous, but he did wonder what that would feel like. Not wanting to be rude, Zeke got on with the reason he had gone outside.

Zeke: My meeting is going well. I might be home sooner than expected.

Zeke sent the message and watched his phone, waiting for it to show Stella had read the text. It showed to be delivered, but after ten minutes, she still hadn’t read it. It was possible she was driving. Maybe she was busy getting ready for class the next day. She could be in the shower. Nope. Zeke couldn’t let his mind go there, because facing Gwen with an erection was the last thing he wanted. Having shifter hearing, he left the phone on silent. When she responded, it would vibrate. He tucked the device back in his front pocket and returned to the kitchen.

By the time Cyrus was finished for the day and ready to head home, Zeke still hadn’t heard from Stella. His Goyle was sure something was wrong, and it was all Zeke could do to keep the beast from taking over. Zeke bit the bullet and tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. He didn’t leave a message, but when several more hours came and went with no response, he called back.

“Hello? Zeke?” Sheila’s voice was scratchy. And why was Stella’s mom answering her phone?

“Sheila, what’s wrong? Where is Stella?”

“She was…” Sheila’s voice broke. It was twenty-seven long seconds later before she answered. Yes, Zeke counted. “She was attacked coming home from the grocery store. She’s… It’s not good. I need to go.”

Attacked? Godsdamnit, his beast had been right. Something was wrong, and instead of being there to protect her, he was almost thirteen hundred miles away. “Sheila, wait! Tell me where you are.” There was no way Zeke wasn’t going to be there for his mate.

“We’re at the Tri-County Medical Center. I-I have to go.” Sheila disconnected, and Zeke wanted to throw his phone against the wall.

“Everything okay?” Cyrus asked. Zeke had told his brother about meeting Stella in the airport and how they had texted back and forth.

“No. No, it’s not. I have to go. Stella was attacked, and she’s in the hospital. That’s all I know.”

Cyrus clasped Zeke’s shoulder. “I’m going with you.”

Zeke was taken aback at his brother’s offer. He kept in touch with the siblings he watched over, but with the exception of Sam, he wasn’t close to any of them. For Cyrus to offer to be there for him after just meeting meant the world to him.

“I appreciate the offer, but stay here and help your parents.”

“Dad can call his buddy to help out for a few days. Let me do this.”

“Okay. But we need to go. While you pack, I’ll get us a flight.” Zeke prayed there was one leaving soon, because he couldn’t stand the thought of Stella lying in a hospital bed without him there longer than she’d already been. Cyrus was packed and ready before Zeke found their flights. It took several, but he got them leaving New Missoula in less than an hour and landing in New Santa Ana. “We’ll have to drive part of the way once we land, but that’s only an hour and a half. Let’s go.”

Cyrus called his dad on the way to the airport, and John told him not to rush home. To be there for his brother. Zeke’s heart warmed at the sentiment. He already felt closer to Cyrus than any of his siblings with the exception of Sam, but Zeke could see that changing. Sam and Monica had reunited with Xenia, and with the lot of them still in Egypt close to finding where Cleopatra was buried, they finally had the opportunity to bond as a family. Zeke hoped they succeeded on both fronts.

During the flight, Zeke explained more about what he had encountered on his trip to rescue their brother and his mate. He recounted quietly how Sophia disguised herself as an old woman, kissing Nikolas right there on the street, then he explained how Jonas was a genius who created the disguises. Zeke