“That’ll do it, then,” Cash said. “You need to know how to make fire so it won’t burn you up and deplete you. Most of us start small and work our way up to bigger things.”
“Like humans,” I whispered, horrified at the memories swirling through me. People running across a rooftop, fleeing in terror. Holy shit, I’d eaten someone whole!
“Not humans,” Max croaked beside me. “Vampires.”
Right. I’d swallowed a vampire. There was literally a bloodsucker inside me. I held a hand to my stomach as it churned. Gross.
I turned to look at Max. He looked more tired than I felt. Then I remembered why I’d done it, why I’d shifted—why I’d killed those vamps. For him, my mate, who had been tortured and chained in silver. A rush of protective anger washed through me. Someone had fucked with the wrong girl’s mate. He deserved to be swallowed whole like the worm he was.
“Are you okay?” I asked, stroking Max’s chestnut hair away from his forehead.
“Fine,” he growled, turning his face away. A muscle in his jaw jumped though, belying the pain he was really in.
“Why haven’t you healed?” I asked.
“The silver slows it down,” he said, still facing away from me.
Awww, he didn’t want me to see him in a weakened state. It was kind of cute, especially since I was feeling better by the second. But I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of the other guys, so I didn’t push.
“How about that water now?” I asked, turning to Cash.
“I’ll get a gallon,” he said with a grin, sliding off the bed and loping out of the room.
“Maybe it’s your Silver Shifter gift,” Jett said from where he still leaned on the wall, seemingly unconcerned with my awakening. I knew he was my mate—my wolf didn’t make mistakes—and I knew that Jett knew it, too. But he’d refused to be bonded to me through a blood exchange.
Owen, Max, and I turned to stare at him.
“What do you mean?” Owen asked.
Jett shrugged and started tapping on his phone screen again. “Maybe her Silver Shifter gift is to shift into something besides a wolf.”
I fought my irritation that he was talking about me like I wasn’t there. But that was the least of my concerns right now. “Wouldn’t I have known about it before?” I asked. “Even if I didn’t know it, haven’t I always been the Silver Shifter?”
“Maybe it happened when you took them as mates,” Jett said.
We remained silent as his words sank in. All I could think about was how he said I took them as mates. My wolf growled at being denied her fourth mate, but I couldn’t imagine Jett ever letting me get close enough to kiss him, let alone doing a blood exchange. I couldn’t pretend the rejection didn’t sting, either. Not that I was any more anxious to get cuddly than he was. The others might challenge me at times, but Jett had been just plain dickish since the moment we met. My wolf, however, made no such distinctions. She found the sight of his hardened muscles, velvety brown skin, and sculpted jawline just as yummy as all the others’.
A minute later, Cash returned carrying a gallon jug of water as promised. “What did I miss?” he asked, his eyes moving from one of us to the next.
“Jett has an interesting theory,” Owen said. “What if Ari gained powers from taking a mate?”
Jett snorted. “Try three. She took three mates.”
“So maybe I have three powers,” I said, ignoring Jett’s pointed reminder that I’d gone against the rules of werewolf mating. I chose to believe that’s what he was doing, not that he was rubbing it in that he was the lone hold-out.
“Can you shift into anything else?” Owen asked, his blue eyes hopeful. “Like a bear?”
“I could try,” I said, though in truth, just talking was exhausting. “Let me have another drink first.” I reached for the water in Cash’s hand, my fingers trembling.
Owen supported the jug while I gulped down water until I could hear it sloshing in my stomach with every swallow. I was too tired to be embarrassed. God, I was tired.
I closed my eyes for a second and tried to feel another presence inside me. My wolf was strong—maybe stronger than my human side. She was happy to be surrounded by her mates, despite Cash’s refusal to bond with me officially. My dragon, well, she was apparently happily sleeping. Ariana the human was supremely jealous of her.
No matter how I strained, I couldn’t feel anything else inside me. At last, I opened my eyes, my body just about melting with the effort I’d put in.
“There’s nothing else,” I said. “No other animals. Just my wolf, my dragon, and me.”
“That must be a fun party,” Jett said, smirking.
“No bear?” Owen asked, looking slightly wounded.
I shook my head, letting my eyes fall closed again.
“I thought that maybe, since you’d taken me as a mate, too…”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Now that my thirst was sated for the moment at least, I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week straight.
“That’s enough excitement for the day,” Max said. “You’re going to wear her out if you keep pushing her.”
“She took three mates,” Jett said. “Shouldn’t she expect to get worn out?”
“Get out,” Max growled, pushing halfway up off the bed, his jaw clenched and his eyes flashing.
“I was already on my way,” Jett said as he swaggered out of the room. I swear he had a little extra bounce in his step and a lot of laughter in his voice. The bastard.
“All of you,” Max said, glaring at Cash and Owen. “We both need rest, and Ari doesn’t need you hovering over her while she sleeps.”
“You’re right,” Cash said. “I’ll join the wolves in patrolling the pack’s land. I can keep a lookout from the air.”
“Feel better soon,” Owen said, leaning over to kiss my forehead. Our eyes met, and the warmth and concern in his gaze made my heart glow with warmth.
“I will,” I whispered.
When the other two had left, Max rolled toward me and wrapped his arms around me. “Thank you,” he whispered, nuzzling my ear.
“I should be thanking you,” I said. “You got us some peace and quiet.”
“You saved my life,” Max said, his voice serious.
“You would have done the same for me.”
“I would have,” he said, inhaling my scent. “I would die for you, Ari.”
I slid my arms around him, reveling in the strength of his embrace even when he was injured. I rested my head against his firm chest and closed my eyes. Despite his flaws, I knew in that moment that there was no one on earth who understood me better—who would protect me and anticipate my every need better than Maximus, my stubborn, prickly, beloved wolf mate.
Follow Ari and her mates in the next installment, coming April 9th.
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About Katherine Bogle
Katherine Bogle is the bestselling author of the steampunk phenomenon, QUEEN OF THIEVES, as well as the international bestselling DOMINION RISING series.
She first found success with her debut novel, Haven, which came second in the World’s Best Story contest 2015. Since then, she has gone on to release 11 books with one core theme: kick-butt heroines. Though her series may span genres—from fantasy, to steampunk to science fiction—she will always write about strong women overcoming the odds.
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About Alexa B. James
Alexa B. James is the adult romance shared pen name for 2 USA Today Bestselling YA authors.
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