Page 41 of Blazing Joysticks

Keir’s chest swelled with pride and love. Even after everything she’d been through, her first thought was for her nephew’s safety. His mate was extraordinary.

“Rest now,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Cat’s eyes were already drooping. “Promise?”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

As Cat drifted back to sleep, Keir settled into the chair beside her bed. His mind raced, planning and strategizing. He needed to arrange security, talk to Beck about the investigation, deal with the press...

But for now, he’d stay right here, guarding his mate’s sleep.

Hours passed in a blur of quiet conversation with doctors, hushed phone calls, and stolen moments of rest. Keir refused to leave Cat’s side, even when the nurses gently suggested he go home and get some proper sleep.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, waving off their concern. “I’ve gone longer without sleep.”

It was true. In his centuries of life, Keir had endured far worse. But he’d never felt this bone-deep exhaustion before, this mix of fear and rage and desperate relief that left him feeling hollowed out.

A soft knock at the door pulled Keir from his brooding thoughts. Beck stuck his head in, his normally cheerful face grave. “Boss? Got a minute?”

Keir glanced at Cat, still peacefully asleep, before nodding and following Beck into the hallway. “What have you found?”

Beck ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Not much, I’m afraid. No clear footage of the bastards who took her. They knew where the cameras were, avoided them like pros.”

Keir swore under his breath. “What about Cat’s building? Any leads there?”

“Nothing concrete yet. But...” Beck hesitated.

“Spit it out.”

“The break-in at Cat’s place, the attack at the conference, now this? It’s escalating, Keir. Fast. And it all points to--”

“Jason Grimes,” Keir growled, his hands clenching into fists. The CEO of Obsidian Tech had been a thorn in his side for years, but this... this was personal.

Beck nodded grimly. “My thoughts exactly. But we can’t prove it. Not yet.”

Keir’s mind raced, weighing options and risks. “Double the security detail here. I want eyes on Cat 24/7 until we sort this out. And get me everything you can on Grimes’s movements for the past month. I don’t care how you have to do it.”

“Consider it done.” Beck clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll get them, Keir. I promise.”

As Beck strode off, purpose in every step, Keir leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He needed to be strong for Cat, to be the protector she deserved. But God, he was tired.

A commotion down the hall snapped him back to alertness. A nurse was hurrying toward Cat’s room, her face flushed with exertion. Keir straightened, every muscle tensing.

The nurse skidded to a stop when she saw him, her eyes widening. “Oh! I... I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”

Keir’s eyes narrowed. Something about her reaction set off alarm bells in his head. “I’m not leaving my mate’s side,” he said firmly.

The nurse’s cheeks reddened further. “Of-of course not. I just need to check her vitals.”

She made to move past him, but Keir blocked her path. “I don’t recognize you from earlier. What’s your name?”

Before the nurse could answer, a soft voice called out from the room. “Keir?”

Cat was awake. Keir turned instinctively toward her voice, and in that split second of distraction, the nurse bolted.

“Hey!” Keir shouted, but she was already halfway down the hall. He started after her, then hesitated, torn between chasing the suspicious nurse and staying with Cat.

“Keir?” Cat called again, more urgent this time. “That woman...”

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