Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

"Are you hurt, Baby?" Bronx asks, wiping the blood from my face with his sleeve.

I shake my head no, but I'm having trouble finding words. I look down and wipe my hands on my dress, the blood drops smear. I can feel tears stinging my eyes as I look at Bronx. Someone killed that man. My mouth opens and closes a couple of times but I can't seem to form words.

"Francis, please get the Luna in the car. I will tell the police if they need a statement, they need to come to the hotel. I'll get the list of detectives so we can get them cleared through MasonCo before we let anyone up to see her," I hear Bronx say. I feel Francis gently guiding me.

"Kas, Baby, it's going to be alright. I will be there in just a minute, okay?" Bronx says to me as Francis leads me away into the sedan.

Bronx's POV

Of course, I leave Kas alone for one minute and trouble follows. I will say, thank the Goddess she has had such good self-defense training. It probably saved her life. I look at the assholes Kas attacked. You wouldn't know the damage was caused by a five-foot-three she-wolf. It may as well have been James or Marco to do this to them.

I talk to the police and have them send a list of detectives who will want to speak to her directly to my head of security for MasonCo's Paris office. I then contact the office to let them know what's going on and request they have a private werewolf doctor come to the hotel right away.

I get in the car. As soon as the door closes, Francis starts racing to the hotel. Kas looks like she is in shock now. I pull her into my lap and cover her with my jacket.

"Okay, Baby. Talk to me. Are you alright?" I turn her face to look me in the eye.

"Someone shot that man. H-his blood is on me," she says blankly. She's looking at me but she might as well bea thousand miles away. I pull her close to me and rub her arm. I need to keep her talking. Try to avoid her falling into a vision.

"Who shot him, Baby? Did you take someone's gun? Were you trying to defend yourself?" I ask. If somehow this goes to court, I need to know if she killed the guy so I can have defense attorneys ready.

"My sister?" she says looking out the window blankly.

What the Hell is she talking about? We haven't found any of her sisters.

We reach the hotel in record time. Francis pulls up to a door in the back and opens the sedan door. I carry Kas through the kitchen and up a service elevator to our suite. Francis stays outside to screen anyone who wants to get in.

I take Kas directly into the bathroom and strip the soiled clothes off of her. I start the shower and help her step inside. I realize she is just standing there, in shock, not able to clean

herself, so I strip off my clothes and get in with her. Please Goddess, don't let this be her undoing.

As soon asl step into the shower, the floodgates finally burst inside her. She's hysterical. I pull her close and wrap my arms around her as she cries loudly. A soft purple glow starts to grow around us.

"It's my fault. That man died because of me," she wails.

"No, Baby. That man died because he tried to rob a store and take hostages. He died because of his greed and stupidity. You just happened to be there. None of this is your fault," I say soothing her.

When her crying finally softens into little hiccups, I take a washcloth and clean the rest of the blood off her face and arms. I help her out of the shower and into a soft fluffy robe. When I'm sure she isn't going to start glowing in front of the doctor or the detectives that will be coming, I lead her into the sitting room so the doctor can look her over.

He asks her a bunch of questions and checks her vitals.

He assures us that she will be fine after a good night of rest and not to let the police upset her. He gives me a prescription to help calm her nerves if she needs it. I thank him and show him to the door just as Francis is ready to bring in two detectives and a MasonCo translator. The translator is a wolf, so I know they will make sure the correct message gets through.

I warn them what the doctor just said and that I have no problems kicking them out as they sit to question Kas. I pull her into my lap and let the detectives do their job. Kas is a trooper and answers as many questions as she can without crying.

They ask how she was able to take down two of the three men.

"Back home I have two bodyguards, James and Marco, they have trained me how to protect myself in case I'm ever on my own. I just did what they taught me, sir," Kas sniffles.

"Well, you did a good job, Mrs. Mason. About the third man. We know you didn't shoot him, the bullet doesn't match the caliber of guns any of the men were using. Do you know who shot him?

Kas looks up with tears in her eyes, "No sir. I-I heard some clicking sounds, then I saw a red dot on his face, then he-"

"It's alright Mrs. Mason. You don't need to explain the rest. Thank you for your time and I hope you will still be able to enjoy our beautiful city. If there is

anything else you remember or if you need any police assistance, please give us a Call," the detectives say through the translator, handing me a business card before being escorted out.

I'm about to cancel our dinner reservation when Kas insists that she still wants to go. She just needs a nap. After a three-hour nap, she does seem much better. We have reservations at a Michelin-rated restaurant that evening. The chef hears Bronx Mason and his new wife were in his establishment, so he invites us back to the kitchen fora tour. The food is spectacular and Kas is totally into the kitchen tour. The chef patiently answers all her questions about cooking techniques and flavors. He even gives her his phone number and says to call anytime if she wants to trade ideas with him.

Seriously. Everyone loves this woman. How could they not?