“I’m going to test a theory,” he said, laying the syringe at the end of the bed. He closed his eyes as if in prayer, and Cole narrowed his eyes as the healer raised his hand.
“If you touch her, I will kill you,” Cole snarled, making Talon and Kye raise a brow at him. The need to rip the pride’s healer to shreds was at the forefront of his mind. Cole didn’t care that he was human and the healer could kill him with one swipe of his claws. Liv was too precious to test theories on.
“I can sedate her if this doesn’t work.” Harold kept his eyes on Cole as he wrapped his hand around her upper arm.
“You son of a bitch!” Cole hollered as Olivia screamed out in pain. The males rushed to the door, covering the entrance as if Dane was going to burst through at any moment.
“Shhh, Liv,” Cole cooed, but turned his head to glare at Harold. “What the fuck did you do? Dane can’t make this go away when he’s knocked the fuck out!”
“You do it,” Harold ordered, jutting his chin out toward Olivia. “Use your hand to touch her where I did.”
“You’re fucking crazy!” Cole barked, but placed his hand over the same spot the healer had touched. He couldn’t believe, the pride’s healer of all people, had purposely put a woman in pain. He was supposed to heal, not harm.
“I can’t believe it,” Talon gasped, coming to the side of the bed.
“What?” Cole snapped. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Are we sure Dane is her mate?” Harold asked the Guardians.
“One thousand percent,” Talon said, his eyes flashing amber.
“What is this all about?” Cole asked, confused and scared. Something was obviously throwing them off.
“Well, Cole,” Harold sighed, taking a seat on his rolling stool. “It looks like Olivia has mated with both you and Dane.”
Chapter Six
Dane came awake just as the sun was rising in the distance. The faint light illuminated the healer’s living room with a soft orange glow. He rubbed his eyes and sniffed the air when the scent of coffee crossed his senses.
“How long has it been?” he asked as Noah came into the room with his own cup.
“She’s shifted,” he offered, making Dane’s heart beat rapidly in his chest. He stumbled to his feet, but Noah placed a hand on his arm.
“What’s going on, Noah?” Dane growled low in his throat when Noah blocked his way toward his mate. He wanted nothing more than to be the first thing she saw when she woke from her change.
“Talon needs to talk to you before you see her,” Noah stated, pulling his phone from his pocket and shooting off a text to his brother. “It’s best you stay right where you are for a little longer.”
His first thought was that Olivia hadn’t healed yet. The broken bones never set and she’d be unable to run in her shifted form.
“I’d advise you to move,” Dane growled, feeling his beast bubble to the surface. His body swelled, his eyes glowing amber. This male knew better than to stand between a Guardian and his mate.
Booth and Storm stepped out of the healer’s kitchen and came to stand beside the alpha’s brother. They made a wall to block him from moving from his spot. He could hear her purring in the next room, and he wanted nothing more than to leap over his brothers. His body crouched low, preparing to shift and get through them, but the front door opening stopped him.
“Dane, stand down.” The order came from his alpha. His powers wrapped around Dane, deflating any need for a fight that was brewing inside him. Dane couldn’t push back against his alpha and dropped onto the couch with a curse.
“Is she okay?” he asked, resting his head into his hands.
“Something happened during her change,” Talon began. Dane’s head raised slowly, fearing the worst.
“Tell me,” Dane urged.
“She became uneased, and Cole was in there.” Talon paused. Dane didn’t like the way his leader stood next to his brother in an attempt to keep him from moving off the couch. “She started to fall off the bed, so Cole caught her.”
“Okay.” Dane frowned in confusion, feeling actual relief knowing Cole was there when he wasn’t. “Did she hurt herself?”
“Dane,” Talon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure Olivia is your mate?”
“Yes, she’s my fucking mate! Why are you asking me this?” Dane exploded from his perch, standing to his full height. His canines erupted from his gums and his eyes threw amber sparks as his anger boiled.
“She didn’t scream out in pain when Cole held her in that bed,” Kye said, shaking his head.
“She called out for both of you, and then mumbled, ‘My mates’,” Talon informed him.
“What?” Dane scowled. “Wait? She didn’t have any pain when Cole touched her?”
“No, none at all,” Talon explained. “This is why I’m asking you if you imprinted on her when you touched.”
“My panther was not mistaken when I felt the connection, Talon,” Dane replied, pacing in front of the couch. “Where’s Cole?”
“In the room with her.” Kye hooked a thumb over his shoulder but didn’t move from his spot. “That man in there is human. You cannot attack him.”
“I’m not going to attack him,” Dane scoffed. “My panther is rather calm knowing Cole has been with her during the time I had to be sedated.”
“There’s more,” Talon said.
“And?”
“Cole felt something when Olivia touched him,” Talon answered. “He said it was strange and electric. He felt at peace when they touched, and he said it wasn’t like when he kissed her a few days ago.”
Dane didn’t even become angry hearing Cole had kissed his mate. In fact, it aroused him. “I need to see them.”
“Remember what I said about Cole being human,” Talon warned, pushing out his powers with his command. Dane wanted to roll his eyes and tell his alpha he needn’t worry. The last thing he, or his beast, wanted to do was to harm Cole. No, they wanted to thank him for being with Olivia.
“May I go, please?” Dane asked.
“We will be close,” Kye offered.
They stepped aside, allowing Dane to walk into the room where Olivia and Cole were waiting. When he pushed the door open, he saw a beautiful black panther laying on the hospital bed, and the human male sitting in a chair. His hand was on her side as she slept. When he stepped into the room, Cole woke up with a jerk, but didn’t release his hold on her.
“Dane,” he breathed. There was no fear in his eyes, and Dane didn’t want the male to be afraid.
“So, it seems we both have the same mate.”
“Has this ever happened before?” Cole asked, feeling peace once Dane had entered the room. Whatever was going on, he needed answers. The desires he felt were strong. Whatever happened when Olivia touched him made his head spin with the possibilities.
“Have you ever felt a connection to me when we touched?” Dane swallowed hard. “During the times we shook hands, slapped each other on the back, or even accidental touching…anything?”
“Um,” Cole blushed. “Yeah, there were a few times I felt a shiver in my bones when we touched.”
“How much stronger was it when you touched Olivia?”
“It was stronger,” Cole admitted. He looked over at her sleeping form and closed his eyes. They’d almost lost her. Now, they were facing a possible relationship together, and if he was being honest, Cole wanted to have that. He wanted both Liv and Dane in his life, but how did that work in the shifter world?
“Talon told me what happened,” Dane replied, walking around the end of the bed to stand in front of Cole. “I need to talk to you about my…lifestyle.”
“I already know,” Cole said, shaking his head. He already knew Dane was quite the freak, but he didn’t know if he was interested in men.
“You do?” Dane paused.
“Yeah, it’s kind of a known fact,” Cole shrugged. “I’m okay with it.”
“Are you? Really?”
Dane pressed. “We need to discuss the possibility we three are mated, and I need to know your feelings on this.”
“We need to talk to Olivia when she’s awake,” Cole hedged, looking toward the window when thunder sounded off in the distance.
“I need to know where you stand on this,” Dane continued, his eyes flashing amber. “Are you willing to set aside your views of a vanilla relationship to try this with her…with us?”
“Have you had sex with a man?” Cole blurted, needing to know exactly what Dane was asking. He knew his own answer, and he was leery about telling his own tales of his past. He needed to know if Dane was as promiscuous as the rumors had said.
“I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I haven’t had relations with a female and invited another male into the equation.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Cole pressed. He loved Olivia, and he knew this was going to be challenging, but was Dane only thinking with his connection to her through the magic of his beast? Cole needed answers. Oh, he wanted to tell Dane, but his fear of discovery had lasted from his time in the service. At that time, no one spoke of their preferences. “Have you had sex with a man?”
“If I have, will it change your perception of me?” Dane retorted, taking a relaxed pose against the door frame.
“No.” Cole paused, weighing his words. These panthers were straight-forward when it came to information. He shouldn’t hold anything back. Especially since Olivia was involved.
“Have you ever had a threesome…with a man involved?” Dane continued. “Be honest with me.”
Dane was right. Cole needed to be honest. Ever since he’d met the Shaw pride, none of them had ever treated anyone differently. Even with Dane’s kink, the others never judged him for it. Why would they judge Cole?
“It’s hard for me to even say these words aloud, Dane.” Cole sighed and wiped his hand down his face. Fuck! This was really hard.
“I would never judge you,” Dane promised. “Just tell me.”
“I’m bisexual, and have been for my entire adult life,” Cole whispered, knowing Dane could hear him. He didn’t mean to keep the words hushed, but from his years of military service and the need to keep his secrets just that…secret, he couldn’t even say the words aloud without fear of fallout.
“It took a lot for you to admit that to me, didn’t it?” Dane asked, his eyes returning to a bright, icy blue.
“When I was in the military, it wasn’t something you just told your fellow soldiers.” Cole grimaced. “I would’ve been kicked out.”
“Here you are not going to be shunned or judged for your sexual orientation,” Dane said. “Believe me, I know.”
“There’s a lot you need to know about me…and my brother,” Cole replied.
“I want to know everything,” Dane said, pushing away from the wall. The usually goofy Guardian turned serious when Landon was mentioned. Cole knew Dane took his duties to the Shaw pride seriously, and seeing him concerned over his brother just made Cole feel more at ease with the male. “Right now, your brother’s safety and the whereabouts of the cartel is our main concern.”
“My brother is…different. Different than me, but also the same,” Cole began, knowing it was best to tell Dane what was going on. It was time to let his guard down and trust the pride. “He’s been through a lot, and he’d finally found his calling in life when this happened. I’m scared for him.”
“What’s different about your brother?”
“Landon is gay,” Cole answered. “My parents didn’t accept him, and they disowned him for who he was. I was deployed when he came out to them, and they kicked him out of the house. It took a few years to get him to move in with me. He’d been living out of his car while I was gone, and he turned to drugs. That was about seven years ago.”
“You said he just finished school?”
“Yeah.” Cole smiled, feeling pride when he thought of his baby brother. “He busted his ass and finally got his degree to be a veterinarian. He’d always wanted to work with animals.”
“You are a good brother,” Dane insisted, causing Cole to blush slightly.
“I only did the right thing for him since my parents didn’t.” Cole frowned. “I should probably call Sheriff Lynch.”
“You can call him while I sit with Olivia,” Dane said as he nodded toward the sleeping panther.
“What’s going to happen when she wakes up?” Cole asked, removing his phone from his pocket.
“She will want to run. And after that, she will have to find her way back to her human self,” Dane explained.
“How long will that take?”
“She could come back to us within a few minutes to a few days. Whatever she does, I’ll be with her. I’ll shift as soon as she awakes and be by her side until she returns to us.”
“Okay, good.” Cole nodded, feeling sad that he couldn’t shift like Dane and be with Liv. “I’ll be here waiting for both of you to return.”
“Call Garrett and get a report,” Dane pressed.
Olivia blinked several times as she came out of the fog of her sleep. God, she was so warm. She felt like a blanket had been thrown over her body, and she didn’t even care to move. A rumble in her chest brought her out of her haze. She vaguely remembered being in this room before, but for what?
She blinked again as the room cleared. A yellow sheen covered everything around her, but she could see the details in every carved piece of wood, every fine stroke in the painting on the wall, and the fibers in the carpet. Her nose tickled at the scent of coffee, and she tried to moan out her need for a cup but it came out as a whine.
“Olivia,” Dane whispered. His voice was soft, and she turned toward the sound.
How had she never noticed how beautiful he was? His curly, dirty-blond hair covered his ears, and he’d grown a little bit of a beard since she last saw him. How long had it been? It felt like days, but she was so confused.
“I need you to stay calm,” he began, but quieted when she gasped and it came out as a cackle. “You were in a bad accident.”
Accident? Oh, she kind of remembered being run off the road and hearing her own screams. Was it that bad? She started to ask him something when a pressure built in her head.
A snarl.
Panting.
“I had to change you into what I am to save your life,” Dane continued when Olivia’s eyes widened at seeing a black paw on the bed. Her head slowly raised from the bed, her eyes tracing that paw to an arm, and then to a body of a panther. That body belonged to her.
With a quick jerk, she scrambled backwards off the bed, landing with a thump on the hardwood floor. A cat snarled in her mind, and she looked around for a way out, but all she saw was Dane standing in front of the door with his hands held out in front of him.
“If you want to run in the woods, I will shift and run with you until you get your bearings,” he offered, stripping off his shirt. The cat cocked her head to the side when she saw her mate’s bare chest. He was covered in muscles, and his satiny skin made the cat lick its mouth…twice. “If you want to be human again, I need you to push your panther into the back of your mind. You need to focus on your human self and demand the beast set you free.”
Cole
Her panther lifted her lip, revealing a fang when she thought of her other mate.
Other mate?
Olivia fought the beast to give her back her human form. She wanted to see Cole and Dane so bad. She didn’t want to run in the woods.
I want to be human again.
The shift was painful. The panther screamed as the fur on her body recessed into her human skin. Her bones reshaped, returning to their human length. Olivia rolled to her side and pulled her legs up so she was in the fetal position. A blanket draped over her body, and then she was being lifted.
“Dane,” she whispered. “Cole.”
“We’re here,” Dane replied, kissing her forehead.
“Liv?” Cole said as he came near.
“What happened to me?” She was so confused.
Dane took a seat on the healer’s couch and kept her in his arms. Cole sat down next to them, and she reached out to touch his hand. The moment they connected, she felt desire pool low in her belly, and that was when she realized she was touching Dane, too.
“It’s okay, Olivia,” he purred. “We are mates.”
“Mates,” she said, testing the term on her lips. Her mind had thought it while she was a panther and the desire for Cole and Dane ran through her mind. “Wait? What? We’re mates? All three of us?”
“It seems the gods have given me two,” Dane admitted, looking up at Cole. The male nodded and squeezed her hand.
“We have a lot to discuss and figure out, but first you need to eat,” Cole said, releasing her hand. The connection was lost and her eyes tracked him as he disappeared into the back of the house. A few seconds later, Harold, the pride’s healer, came into the room.
“Olivia, how are you feeling?”
“Confused,” she sighed. “Tired…hungry too.”
“My mate is preparing you something to eat,” he promised, removing a pair of gloves from his pocket. “Can I give you a quick check up?”
“Sure, but I feel fine,” she replied, slipping the cover away just enough for him to press the stethoscope to her chest.
He listened to Olivia’s heart and asked her to sit up so the healer could finish his exam. Dane helped protect her modesty while lowering the blanket down her back. Harold asked her to breathe in and out several times before slinging the scope over his neck.
“Your breathing is normal and so is your heart rate,” he began, taking a seat on his coffee table. “Do you have any pain in your ribs, hand, or leg?”
“No, why would I?” she asked, frowning at the healer. He reached for her hand and turned it over in his palm. The way he examined her with his brow pushed forward concerned her and she wanted to know everything that had happened. “What happened to me?”
“You were severely injured in the wreck,” he stated. “You had internal injuries that ended up being life threatening. Dane took it upon himself to change you into one of us to save your life. You’re going to be overwhelmed while you learn to adjust, and you will need to rest for a few days. I don’t want you going to work, either.”
Dane (Rise of the Pride, Book 8) Page 6
