Then there was Maverik… Mav to his clan members. Mav was a Wolf. Normally Kaid wouldn't trust a Wolf as far as he could fucking throw him, but Mav was different. Yeah, he was a manwhore like most wolves were. He never spent more than a night, okay, an hour at most, with the same woman, but he was good down to his very bones. He was 6’3”, slender but muscular, like a swimmer. Golden blonde hair he wore in a long kind of Mohawk to his shoulders, all one length but with the sides shaved and top center pulled back and bound together along the length of it at the top of and behind his head. Blue eyes, heavily tanned skin, and the ladies went wild at the “I don’t give a fuck” vibe he gave off. He was funny as hell with a twisted sense of humor and dry wit that made everybody laugh, either that or you’d want to kill him. You knew if he didn't like someone; he only picked on you if he liked you. If he was straight with you all the time, he either didn't like you or didn't trust you. Nobody knew his whole story, but from the little bit we did know, it was a pretty fucked up one. He was former military. His tatts and his attitude screamed it. Some kind of special forces bullshit that had done a real number on his sanity. He had scars all over him. Hell, they all did. They were shifters for Christ’s sake, but his were a different kind. His were war scars, bullet holes, stab wounds, and a really nasty one across his face that twisted his mouth into a permanent scowl, but his deepest ones were inside — the kind you couldn't see. Once you got to spend a little time around him, you realized that his constant humor and one liners were probably the only reason he was semi-sane. He didn't spend a lot of time sleeping, and as a result, was usually the male that Kaid relied on to keep sentry at night. Mav was messed up emotionally, but to him their clan was his family, and Kaid knew that somebody would have to kill him to get to his family.
That left only Goldy. Goldy was, well, he was just Goldy. He was 6’2” of loud, obnoxious, generally pissed off Lion Shifter. Well, actually he was half Lion Shifter, half human. He must have had a strong dose of human though, because he couldn't shift, but he managed just fine anyway. An old biker that had partied hard and long and found them at about the same time he was looking for a place to land. He was the oldest of the group at almost 60. He had wavy reddish gold hair that was so long it brushed his shoulder blades when it was down. Light ice blue eyes, and a reddish gold mustache and beard that matched his hair and hung down the middle of his chest even when he double braided the damned thing. His entire wardrobe consisted of blue denim coveralls. He wore them every damned day. He was pale skinned and freckled where you could see the skin through the dark blue tatts that had mostly faded and bled so much that it was hard to tell what they once were. He not only knew about anything you talked about, but he did it first, did it best, and he would probably tell you he invented it, too, if you gave him a chance to. Yes, he was one of those, he loved to brag. But he had a heart of gold and could fix any damn thing that broke, seriously, anything. He had a side business rebuilding old motor cycles from scrap and reselling them. He was a proud, boastful bullshitter, but if you were his clan, he had your back, period. And luckily, he had decided they were home… his clan.
They were a ragtag bunch of thrown together shifters. Nobody else would have even a one of them, but together they made it work. They were family; they were his family, his clan. And Bear had been away for far too long. It was past time to get back to them. He hoped they had all managed to be okay in his absence, and he sure as hell hoped they arrived soon. He had no idea where he actually was. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long to figure out, but first they had to get down off this fucking mountain and find some kind of civilization, so he could figure it out and start toward home. And, yes, a pair of pants to cover his dick might be a good plan, too. He didn't mind so much, but he knew Avaleigh would probably appreciate it as would any other people he might come across.
Avaleigh was doing her best to keep up and not be a burden, but the wet legs of her jeans were chafing her raw with every step she took. And she was out of breath and exhausted. She hadn’t done anything for what she thought was a couple of months, but lay around thanks to the asshole drugging her, and she was a little out of shape, so give her a freaking break! Kaid kept turning to try to help her along, but she insisted on doing it herself. She didn't want to hold him back. He had gone quiet a little while ago, and she wondered if he was rethinking bringing her along. They had been walking for hours, and they still hadn't seen any sign of people. Her stomach was bothering her now, and she was beginning to think that if they didn't find somewhere soon, she was going to squat behind a tree. She was cramping, and the cramps were steadily getting stronger and more frequent. As another one hit her, she gasped, and that had Kaid turning to her quickly.
“What is it, Ave? You okay?” he asked her.
“I’m okay, just cramping a little. I think I must have eaten something bad before we left.”
He looked at her for a minute seeming to assess her, then said, “I think it’s only a little bit further and then we can rest for a few minutes. Why don’t you let me help you get there?”
“No, I’m good, let’s just keep going.” He was irritated, she could tell, but they started walking again. Finally, what seemed like hours later, he found a place to stop. She immediately stalked off by herself to find a tree to squat behind. A little later she came back to the clearing he’d found for them to stop in. He was waiting for her, standing facing the direction she came from. “You good?” he asked. She just nodded her head, knowing full well she was not done being sick and was not at all good. The pain in her middle nearly unbearable, it was by sheer stubbornness that she was able to continue. He stalked to her and swept her into his arms. Then he settled them into some heavy under growth, and when she finally relaxed into him, Kaid pulled her against him a little tighter and told her to rest. She was going to argue, but decided that she needed to rest more than she needed to argue, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms. They continued on this way all night, the next day and that night, traveling for several hours, resting for one or two. He found a little water for them, and a few nuts to munch on, not that Avaleigh would accept anything other than water. He could have shifted and hunted them a rabbit or something, but he didn't want to leave her unprotected. She wouldn't have eaten it anyway — she was still fighting the purge. She had to stop to go to the bathroom often. She walked with a hand, or both, on her stomach, pressing in against the cramping. She was getting dehydrated, and he knew he had to find them a place for him to complete the claim and her to truly rest and ride out the remainder of the purge. But what Kaid couldn't figure out is why no one ever came after them. He kept watching the sky, watching their trail, listening for anything. But there was nothing, no one.
On the second morning before dawn, they came across a two-lane highway that circled up the mountain pass, and looking down the highway they could see the glow of lights in the distance. Avaleigh started toward the lights, but Kaid stopped her, “Avaleigh, we need to stay off the road.”
“Yes, but we need to get clothes for you, and I really need a bathroom.” Kaid could tell by looking at her that she was on her last leg. It was the purge from his bite, and it was getting worse. She needed a place to rest, and he needed a place to complete the claim, so the purge would be easier on her.
“Okay, but let’s stay in the shadows, don’t walk right along the road.” It wasn't long before they came to a little gas station with a little quick shop grocery attached to it. Or at least it was a few years ago. The gas station appeared to still be in use, but the store looked deserted. There was a little house around back that seemed to be attached to the gas station by an old dilapidated walkway. Hanging on the line out front was a couple pair of overalls and a pair of sweats. As he made his way to the clothes line, the front door banged open, and there stood an old man with a shotgun pointed right at them, “I told you to stay off my property, you sorry sack of shit, get on now, go!!!!”
Before Kaid could say anything, Avaleigh stepped a
round him, “Sir, we just need a pair of pants for my husband and if I could use your bathroom, I’d be forever grateful.”
The old man looked at her, and then back at Kaid, with his suspicious gaze ending on Avaleigh again, “What happen to ya’ll? Ya’ll okay?”
“No sir, we aren’t. We were car jacked a couple of days ago when we stopped to enjoy the view up the mountain, and they took my husband’s clothes to try to slow us down, and I’m sick now. I think it’s nerves, and we are both so hungry and weak from traveling so far on foot. We’ve been walking for almost two days, and I don’t think I can walk anymore.” And then she started sniffling, and Kaid stepped up to make it look more real by putting his arm around her and trying to soothe her by telling her it would be okay. “We found civilization now, and we’re gonna be okay, baby.” Kaid turned his attention to the old man standing on his front porch with his shotgun still pointed at them, “Sir, if we could just use your phone, we will be on our way.” He looked at them, and Kaid could tell he was trying to decide whether or not to buy their story. Just then Avaleigh got another cramp and turned really quickly into him and leaned on him for support. As she spun to turn her head into his chest, her hair got tangled in his hands exposing her neck as he went to steady her. He continued to stroke it away from her face as she sucked her breath in and tried to deal with the cramp that had almost doubled her over. Apparently the old man had seen all he needed to. He lowered his shotgun and stepped back into the house, pushing the door opened with his back as he did and said, “I thought ya’ll was somebody else at first. Come on, now, bring your wife on inside and let’s get her settled.” As soon as Kaid had her inside and lying back on the couch, the pair of sweats hit him in the head from behind. The old man said, “Cover that up — I’m damn near blind from having to see it as it is.” Kaid slipped into them. They were a few inches short, and fit him like tights, but they covered him. Avaleigh was steadily panting now, trying not to whimper. The old man took a seat in an old faded wing-backed chair across from the couch and said, “Now, why don’t you tell me the truth? What kind of trouble is following ya’ll? Why are you really naked, and what is ailing your woman aside from that claiming mark on her throat?”
Chapter 5
Kaid was stunned. He managed to hide the surprise on his face as he scrambled to find an answer that the old man would accept. “Claiming mark? I don’t know what you…”
“Don’t lie to me, boy,” the old man interrupted him. “I know a claiming mark when I see one.” With that he thrust out his right arm and pulled back his cuff, and there on his wrist was a damn claiming mark. The old man smiled, “My Mate, she claimed me. Now tell me the truth, boy, what kind of trouble’s following you? It’s that thing up the hill, ain’t it?”
Kaid only paused a second. The man had a claiming mark, so he clearly knew about shifters.“Yeah, it is. But we don’t want to bring trouble to your door. We’ll be moving along soon as I can get my woman up and moving.”
“You didn’t say your Mate, son.”
Kaid met his eyes, his challenge clearly seen. “She’s mine. I marked her, she’s going through the purge.”
It seemed to placate the old man. He nodded,“Complete the claim, her purge will be easier.”
“I know that, just… haven’t had time yet.” Avaleigh moaned and tried to pull herself up off the couch. Both Kaid and the old man moved to help her, but Kaid got his arms wrapped around her first and made to help her to the bathroom. The old man put a hand on his arm to pause him and said, “Take as long as you need. I don’t feel the dragon snake near, and if it comes to it, I’ll help you hold him off if need be. See to your woman. If she ain’t your Mate, there’s still ways to ease her. I’m Amos by the way. Bathroom’s up the stairs, second door. Take the bedroom just after it.” Kaid didn't meet his eyes — it was obvious that Amos knew that Avaleigh wasn’t his true Mate. But he’d claimed her just the same and needed to do whatever he could to ease her purge. He planned on completing the claim, but he wasn't sure that she’d allow it after he explained it to her. He didn't give her a choice with the initial marking, but she deserved at least that choice for the rest of it. It was for the rest of their lives, and it was a long time to live with her resentment if she ended up hating him for it.
Avaleigh had heard what Amos and Kaid had said while they thought she wasn't paying attention downstairs. She didn't know what a lot of it meant, but she could guess. As Kaid helped her into the bathroom and began to undress her, she heard his sharp intake of breath and looked down. Her panties were soaked through with blood. And her thighs were wet with it, too. She said, “I feel like I have something clawing to get out of my stomach, and my insides are being ripped out at the same time. I feel all achy, too, and I’m hot and cold.”
He answered her in a low soothing monotone as he helped her to the toilet to her utter embarrassment. He moved to squat down in front of her and wrapped his arms around her as he started explaining. “You are going through the purge, Ave. It’s ‘cause I bit you. The purge happens when a shifter claims his Mate; it purges the female of all other males’ DNA. If she’s been with anyone else, if their blood is inside her, their seed is inside her, her Mate’s DNA urges her body to rid itself of all but his. I started that process inside you when I bit you. He’d marked you with his blood, and inside, too. You said he could track you that way, that you couldn't run because he would always find you, so I marked you so it would purge him from you, and you could be free. But all this blood, Ave — I’m not sure that this is how it’s supposed to be.”
She was thinking that as long as the purge did its job, she’d sit on this toilet and bleed until she freaking bled out, but then his next words had her jerking back into reality.
“Now, I just need to fuck you and complete the claim, and it will be done. When I cum inside you, it will ease the pain and speed things up. Then we can get out of here and meet up with my clan. They’re moving this way, and we’ll find ‘em and get home and be safe. There’s no going back now, Ave — you’re mine, and I’m yours. We are not going our separate ways.” He figured he may as well get it out in the open now.
“Hold up, what the hell are you talking about? Fuck me and I’m yours? What?! What?!”
He looked at her like she was a little child and patiently began again, “I said, now I just need to fuck..”
I'm Not A Dragon's Mate! Page 4
