“Not bad for a bird, am I right?” Ronin grinned at Hudson.
When Hudson just stared in stunned silence at him, he laughed and blew him a kiss. “You’re welcome, big guy.”
He started to strut off, giving Hudson another cheeky grin. “If you need me again, just – shit!”
The bird shifter had stepped on a wet pile of leaves and Hudson watched as his feet slid out from under him and he landed in a graceless heap on his ass. Ronin bounced back up and gave him a sheepish look. “Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m gonna go…help my lady.”
Hudson rolled his eyes and muttered, “idiot”, before turning to the porch. “Corden, it’s over. Give me my…”
Panic made his bear surge forward. The porch was empty, and he ran toward it. A black bear launched its large body at him. Hudson caught him and threw him to the ground before dropping onto him and ripping out its throat. He barely tasted the shifter’s hot blood, barely heard its dying scream. He was up and running toward the porch again without a single look back. He lifted his shaggy head and inhaled before staring into the woods. His mate’s scent was nearly buried under his own, but he found it easily enough. He dropped to all fours and ran past the lodge.
He ran toward the trees, pulling up short when the two bear shifters appeared in front of him. They blocked his path and he made a low growl. They growled back but held their ground.
He shifted to his human form, staring at the shifters. “Step aside and I’ll let you live.”
The bigger of the two rose up on his hind legs before roaring at him. His polar bear growled viciously in return but before he could shift, he smelled Judd’s scent behind him.
Judd, naked and bleeding from a bite wound on one thigh, clapped him on the back. “Go. I got this.”
Hudson shook his head. “No, you can’t take on both of them.”
“The fuck I can’t,” Judd said. “Go.”
“Judd -”
“I said I’ve got it, you ass.” He grinned at Hudson. “Go and save your girl.”
Before Hudson could reply, Judd shifted to his bear form and with a fearless roar, charged the two shifters. As the three of them fought viciously, Hudson shifted to his bear form and ran into the woods.
* * *
“Move, you stupid bitch!” Corden hissed at her. His hand tightened around her upper arm until pain raced up and down her arm, and Rosalie cried out as he yanked her deeper into the woods.
“Let go of me!” She tried to hit him in the face and he growled at her before grabbing her by the hair with his other hand and giving it a brutal yank.
She screamed, and he snarled at her. “Move your fucking ass, or I will kill you right here. Do you understand, bitch?”
Her arm and scalp throbbing, Rosalie stared up at Corden. She had two choices – she could allow Corden to drag her into the woods and kill her before Hudson found them, or she could put up a fight and hope to God that he only broke a few of her bones and didn’t outright kill her before Hudson arrived.
Be brave, Rosie.
She stared up at him and whispered, “Please don’t kill me,” before she burst into tears and let her body go completely limp. She sagged down, landing on her knees on the rain-soaked spongy ground, as Corden made a noise of disgust.
“Get up, you stupid fool.” Standing above her, he wrapped his hand in her hair again and yanked her head up until she was looking at him. “I said, get up before I -”
Rosalie, her body trembling, punched Corden as hard as she could in the crotch. His hand tightened mercilessly in her hair before it loosened and released her. His face paled, and she shuffled back on her ass like a crab, staring wide-eyed at him.
He sank to his knees, his hands covering his crotch as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. “Bitch,” he wheezed as she climbed to her feet. “I’ll… kill you for that.”
Her heart pounding, she turned and ran back toward the campsite. It was pitch black in the woods, the moon covered by the dark clouds. As thunder boomed above her and lightning flashed in the sky, it briefly illuminated the fallen log in front of her. Moving too fast to stop or dodge around it, she made a feral scream of fear and leaped over it. She landed on her feet but the wet leaf-covered ground made them slip out from under her.
She landed on her ass with a loud grunt and immediately scrambled to her feet. Before she could take off again, a large paw came out of the darkness and slammed into her stomach. She flew backward, landing in a heap against the fallen log, the back of her shirt rucking up and the wet bark scraping bloody grooves into her skin.
The wind was knocked out of her, and she gasped for air as she stared up at the large silver and brown grizzly standing above her. He snarled at her before raising his paw again.
She waited for the death blow, waited for those thick sharp claws to tear her wide open. Before he could land the blow, the giant, white polar bear came barreling out of the darkness. He hit the grizzly like a freight train and the two of them crashed against the ground.
There was no epic struggle, no violent fight for control. Corden was large, but he was no match for Hudson’s size and strength. Hudson pinned him down easily and bent his mouth to Corden’s fur-covered throat. He tore open the fur and flesh with a quick and savage ruthlessness. Blood sprayed from the grizzly’s jugular, and Corden made a single soft growl before dying.
Hudson backed away from the dead shifter. Rosalie struggled to her feet and took a few steps forward as Hudson shifted to his human form. He stood with his back to her and his head bowed.
“Hudson?” She whispered.
He turned and wiped the blood from his mouth. There was no triumph in his face, no victory in defeating his enemy. Instead, there was only anguish and a weary remorse that broke her heart.
“My mate,” he said. It was almost a question, and the combination of hope and resignation in his voice made tears flow down her cheeks.
“Yes,” she said. “Your mate.”
Relief washed over his face, and he wrapped his arms around her hips and picked her up, burying his face into her neck.
She put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight, kissing his thick wet hair. After a few moments, he set her down and took her hand. “Sweet Rosie, I -”
The howl of pain made them both freeze, and Hudson muttered a curse. “That’s Judd. C’mon.”
He took her hand and they ran through the woods. They reached the campsite in only a few minutes, and Rosalie moaned in dismay when she saw Judd. The bear shifter was lying on his side, and despite the darkness, even she could see the blood that covered his naked body. The three wolf shifters had driven away the other two bear shifters, and Rosalie turned away when the jaguar and the tiger leaped onto their backs and delivered the death bites to the screaming, growling bears.
“Judd!” Hudson dropped to his knees beside the fallen bear shifter. “Judd, you’re okay, man. You’re okay.”
Rosalie joined them, kneeling at Judd’s head and stroking his dark hair as Hudson took his hand. “It’ll be okay. You’re gonna heal.”
Judd shook his head and Rosalie winced when blood flew from his mouth. “Not gonna heal from this, buddy.”
A loud whimper escaped from Hudson’s throat and he shook his head. “Don’t say that. You’re not dying because of me. Do you hear me?”
Judd didn’t reply, and Rosalie made a soft gasp when she peered around his large body. His back was ripped open and she could see torn muscle and ligaments, and the shattered bits of his spine.
“Can’t feel my legs.” More blood bubbled out of Judd’s mouth and Rosalie wiped it away. “Fuck, can’t feel anything. Shouldn’t dying hurt?”
“You’re not dying,” Hudson said. “We’ll get you to the hospital.”
“Found your girl,” Judd said.
“Yeah, I did.” Hudson squeezed his hand.
“Good, that’s real good.” Judd’s eyelids drifted closed and Hudson squeezed his hand again.
“No! Judd, stay awake.
Look at me!”
Judd’s eyes popped open. “Glad you found your girl.”
“Stay awake, Judd. Just -”
“Move, Rosalie. Let me see him!”
Hudson growled when Ronin dropped to his knees next to her. “Get away from him, bird.”
“Rosalie, move!” Ronin pushed her to the side before bending over Judd.
“I said get away from him,” Hudson growled.
“Hudson, he can help.” Bishop appeared and grabbed Hudson’s shoulder. “Come with me.”
“No, I won’t leave him.”
“He’s gonna help him,” Mal joined them. “Trust us, Hudson. Let Ronin save him before it’s too late.” He helped Rosalie to her feet as Bishop dragged Hudson to his. “Rosalie, take Hudson over there.”
She took Hudson’s hand and tugged on it. “Hudson, honey, come with me.” She didn’t actually think Ronin could help, even if he had a medical background, she’d seen Judd’s back. Nothing could repair that type of damage. But she didn’t want Hudson to watch his friend die, so she tugged on his hand again. “Honey, come over here.”
She led him a few feet away, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tight as Bishop and Mal knelt in front of Judd. Their big bodies blocked their view of Ronin and Judd, and Hudson jerked all over when Judd made a sudden loud bellow of agony.
“Judd!” Hudson pulled away from her, but before he could run to Judd, Porter and Jace were standing in front of him. They pushed him back, and Hudson snarled at them.
“Just wait,” Porter growled as Judd’s shrieks of pain filled the night air.
“He’s killing him!” Hudson snapped.
“He’s not, I promise,” Porter said.
“Hold him still!” Ronin shouted. “Christ, don’t let him thrash around.”
“Judd!” Hudson shouted again. He shoved Porter to the ground and dodged around Jace before running toward Ronin and the wolf shifters. “Get the fuck away from him! Get away from…Judd?”
Rosalie dashed forward, grabbing Hudson’s hand and staring in shocked disbelief at Judd. The bear shifter was sitting up. He was still covered in blood, but he was moving his lower legs and his arms.
“Fuck, that hurt. What did you do to me?” He said to Ronin.
Rosalie moved around him and stared at Judd’s back. It was completely healed, the skin smooth and unblemished.
“How?” She whispered.
Hudson knelt next to Judd. “What happened?”
“I have no fucking idea,” Judd said. He stared at Ronin again. “What did you do?”
Ronin grinned at him. “Let’s just say we’re even now for that time I broke your arm.”
Hudson blinked at Judd. “The bird broke your arm?”
“Oh, you didn’t tell him?” Ronin said. “I get it. It’s embarrassing getting your ass kicked by a bird, huh?” He slapped Judd on the back before standing and calling, “Hey, Kitten? You hungry? I could go for a taco. How about you?”
He wandered away, and Judd said, “Christ, I hate that damn bird.”
“Me too, buddy,” Hudson said. “Me too.”
The two bear shifters grinned at each other before hugging.
Rosalie turned to Porter. “How did he do that? What did he do?”
“Ronin’s a phoenix,” Porter said. “He can heal injuries, even life-threatening ones.”
“Holy shit.” Rosalie stared at the retreating back of Ronin as Jace joined her. He was naked, and she avoided looking at his lower body as he smiled at her.
“Hey, Rosie.”
“Hi, Jace.”
He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I know you’re supposed to be back to work tomorrow, but I’m gonna be the greatest fucking boss ever, and give you the day off. See you Tuesday, yeah?”
Her laughter turned into a hiccupping sob, and Jace kissed her forehead again. “It’s okay, Rosie. You’re okay.”
She hugged him tight. “Thank you, Jace.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Rosalie?”
She turned and stared at Lincoln. The lion shifter smiled tentatively at her. “You got a minute?”
She glanced at Hudson. He was still talking to Judd, and she took Lincoln’s hand when he held it out to her. She thought with a weary sort of amusement that three weeks ago, she would have been thrilled to see a naked Lincoln standing in front of her. Now, she didn’t have a lick of interest.
“You okay?” Lincoln asked.
“I think so. Why are you here?” She asked.
He gave her a small smile. “We’re friends, Rosie. Aren’t we?”
She nodded. “Yeah, we are.”
Lincoln took her other hand and raised them both to his mouth before pressing a kiss against her knuckles. “I’m sorry, Rosie. Sorry for using you, sorry for taking advantage of you for the last two years. I’m happy for you, I really am. You deserve to be happy.”
She smiled at the lion shifter. “Thank you.”
“Rosie.” Hudson was standing a few feet behind her. He glared at Lincoln and held his hand out to her. “Come to me, my mate.”
Lincoln squeezed her hands before dropping them. “See you at work, Rosie-girl.”
She nodded and returned to Hudson, taking his hand and linking their fingers together as Mal helped Judd to his feet. She stared at the small group of shifters who had worked together to save her life and swallowed down the lump in her throat.
“Thank you.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed again. “I know just saying thank you isn’t enough, but...”
“It’s enough,” Mal said.
“Although, if you wanna pay for tacos tonight,” Ronin said cheerfully. “I wouldn’t say no.”
The large jaguar sitting next to him made a loud hiss before bumping him with her head.
“What?” Ronin smoothed a gentle hand over the jaguar’s back. “You know I love tacos.”
“C’mon,” Mal said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Man,” Ronin said as he studied the dead bodies of the shifters that littered the campsite, “the first batch of summer campers are gonna be in for a big surprise when they show up.”
Rosalie stared up at Hudson. He pushed a lock of her curly hair behind her ear before bending and pressing a kiss against her mouth. “Let’s go home, my mate.”
“Yes,” she replied. “Let’s go home.”
* * *
She was waiting for Hudson in the bedroom after his shower. Mal and Heath had driven them to her house and she had headed straight for the shower. She’d wanted Hudson to join her, but he’d shaken his head and disappeared back downstairs.
After her shower, he had applied antibiotic cream to the scrapes on her back with the careful precision of a surgeon before kissing her shoulder and sending her to the kitchen while he showered.
Fresh fruit and a sandwich were sitting on the table for her. She ate half the sandwich and an apple, petting Mr. Pibbles as he rubbed against her legs, before she returned upstairs. All she wanted was to be in Hudson’s arms.
The door to the master bathroom opened and Hudson appeared in a cloud of steam. He had a towel wrapped around his hips and despite everything that had happened, despite the way her back was aching and the weariness in every muscle of her body, a small trickle of lust went through her.
He cleared his throat. “Did you eat?”
“A little.” She patted the bed beside her. “Come sit down, Hudson.”
He sat down next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. “You should get some sleep.”
“In a little bit. Hudson -”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry for what I said on Friday. I didn’t mean any of it. I just, I knew that I couldn’t be with you, couldn’t make you my mate because of Corden so I said terrible things to hurt you and drive you away.”
She lifted her head and he gave her a look of guilt. “I am so sorry for hurting you, my mate.”
“Shh,” she
said. “It’s okay, honey.”
“It isn’t,” he replied. “I did not mean it.”
“I know you didn’t,” she said.
“I love you.” He cupped her face and pressed a kiss against her mouth. “I love you, and you are my mate, and I will never leave you again. I promise.”
“I love you too,” she breathed against his mouth.
He leaned back. “What about the lion?”
She shook her head. “I don’t love him. I never loved him, and I know that now. What I felt for him was… it pales in comparison to how I feel about you. I love you, Hudson. You’re my mate and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
He took a deep and shuddering breath before lifting her and sitting her on his lap. His big hand rested on her thigh and he kissed her again. She parted her lips, moaning at the familiar taste of her mate when he slid his tongue into her mouth. He cupped her breast, teasing her nipple through the thin fabric of her sleep shirt.
When he pulled back, she made a whine of dismay. “Hudson, no.”
“We should talk, sweet Rosie,” he said. “We should talk about tonight, and why Corden went after you, and what really happened to Samuel, and -”
She pressed her fingers against his mouth to silence him. “We will,” she said. “We will definitely talk about all of that. But not tonight. Tonight, I need my mate to make love to me. Will you do that?”
He nodded immediately. “Yes.”
She smiled. “That’s my good mate.”
* * *
Please enjoy an excerpt of The Dragon’s Mate (The Shifters Series Book Seven)
The Dragon’s Mate
© Elizabeth Kelly 2019
“I knew it. You’re fucking faggots.”
Tyler’s stomach dropped and he pulled his mouth away from Corey’s. He looked behind him and fear slipped into his gut. Jeff Howell, along with three of his football teammates, were standing just behind them.
Corey’s cold and shaking hand slipped into his, and Tyler squeezed it tightly.
Rosalie Undone (The Shifters Series Book 6) Page 33
