When he entered the cave, he could hear the sounds of a fight coming from deep within. He took off into the cave until he came to a point where the cave made a sharp, ninety degree turn to the left. Before Kyle knew what was happening, two lions jumped out of the darkness and slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. Kyle immediately recognized one of the lions as Amy, but he had no idea who the other was. No doubt he was another rogue member of the Anastas pride. Before Kyle had the chance to get up and fight back, three more lions came barreling around the corner and joined in the attack against him. Kyle was much larger and stronger than each of them, but outnumbered five to one, he was definitely at a disadvantage. Kyle noticed that Amy made her way to the outside of the other lions, clearly trying to stay as far away from his thrashing claws as she could. Clearly, she wasn’t so concerned about the other lions’ well-being as long as she and Cain were safe.
Kyle managed to get back up and on his feet. Thanks to his larger stature, he was able to sit up on his hind legs and bring down his two front claws on two of his attackers at once. Kyle’s claws tore through their flesh with such strength and speed that he barely had time to feel the warmth of their blood on his fur before he had their heads severed from their bodies. Seeing how quickly he’d taken out two of the lions at once, Amy joined the remaining lions, and the three of them leaped onto Kyle with their claws extended and their mouths opened, ready to rip him apart with their razor-sharp teeth. Kyle tried to ready himself for the blow. He heard several angry roars coming from nearby, and before the three lions collided with Kyle, two of them were plowed down by Craig. His brother made quick work of sinking his teeth into the flesh of one of the lions and ripping out its throat.
Amy hadn’t been hit, however, and she went crazy on Kyle. She was flailing her claws around like a psycho and repeatedly chomping down her teeth like she was hoping her luck would lead one of Kyle’s body parts into her mouth at any moment. Alone, she was more of a nuisance than anything. It was clear that Amy had not spent much of her life fighting, and she was letting her fear and emotions get in the way of her natural instincts. Kyle watched another member of his pride come up behind Amy and dig their claws into her hind leg. Alice yanked Amy back and slammed her into the cave wall. She turned her back on Kyle and faced off with Amy.
“Kyle, go find Natalie! This traitorous bitch almost got me killed. She’s mine.”
Kyle had never seen Alice so enraged before, and with her sending her thoughts to his mind, he could feel her anger, too. Clearly, she had figured out it was Amy who had allowed Cain and his team of assholes onto the mansion’s grounds back home. That night, Alice had almost been killed when a few of the lions fighting for Cain had ambushed her. It looked like she was about to get her revenge, but as much as Kyle would love to watch Alice rip Amy’s spine out, he had to get to Natalie. He took off down the hall in the direction Amy and the other lions had come from. The further into the cave he ran, the stronger he felt his bond with Natalie, and that also meant that he could feel her pain even more vividly. He saw a room at the end of the tunnel with a smaller, secondary entrance. A large boulder was pushed to the side, and Kyle was sure that it was what Cain had been using to seal up the room where he’d been holding Natalie. He could hear a lot of growling coming from that room, and he knew that Cain wasn’t facing Natalie alone. What a fucking coward!
Kyle charged into the room and found Natalie fighting against four lions. Three others lay dead on the floor, their heads ripped from their bodies, and he knew his mate had been responsible for their deaths. He felt a brief flash of pride, realizing his mate had been fighting seven lions at once and already she had managed to kill three of them while she still stood up fighting. What really threw Kyle off was the fact that none of the lions, dead nor alive, appeared to be Cain. He knew he was there because his scent was strong in the room, plus Cain would not leave and risk allowing one of these lions to deal the death blow to Natalie and claim the pride leader position for themselves. Kyle wasn’t about to waste any time, however, and he jumped right in and dug his claws into the backs of two of the lions that Natalie was still fighting off. He made quick work of ripping out their throats, and then he turned back to Natalie and the two lions she was still fighting. He noticed that Natalie seemed a little wobbly on her feet. Apparently, the poison had not completely worn off, yet she had still managed to fight several lions off while she waited for him and the pride to get there and help her.
Kyle moved in to help Natalie with the final two lions before her remaining strength gave out and they managed to get the upper hand on her.
“Kyle! Watch out!”
He felt Natalie’s fear when she screamed inside of his head. Before he was able to turn and find out what had her in such a panic, a heavy body landed on his back and teeth sank into his neck.
“ROAR!”
His outburst was met by the release of the teeth in his flesh, but only for a second, and then the lion tore into him again, being sure to attack the same injury again. Blood was flowing down the sides of his neck and soaking the floor at his feet. Kyle was flailing and doing everything he could to get his attacker off of his back, but the lion had sunk his teeth and claws in deep and refused to loosen his hold on Kyle. All of the blood was making it difficult for him to use his sense of smell to determine who his attacker was, but the hate in Natalie’s eyes when she looked toward them told him all he needed to know. Cain had hidden and waited for just the right moment. When Kyle had had his focus drawn to protecting Natalie, Cain saw it as his chance to attack, and he had done so from behind like the piece of shit coward he was. Kyle felt himself growing weak from all of the blood he had lost. He heard Natalie’s cries for him to fight against the gravity that was pulling him down to the ground, but he was growing too weak.
“Kyle, hold on. Please, just hold on.”
Natalie’s voice inside his mind was the last thing Kyle heard before his body gave out completely. He crashed to the ground, and when his head slammed into the stone floor, everything went black.
CHAPTER 13
Natalie
Natalie saw red. When Natalie watched Kyle’s eyes droop shut and then his body slammed into the ground, unconscious, she forgot about everything except her rage. Gone was her pain and disorientation. Her focus was narrowed on Cain, who was standing over her mate watching him like he wanted to make sure Kyle wouldn’t be getting up again. The two lions she had been fighting when Kyle had come in were not cutting her any slack. They continued their attack on her from each side, simultaneously. Natalie breathed in deeply and shut her eyes in an attempt to remove her eyes from her mate’s bloody form lying motionless on the ground. If not for their mated bond, she would have believed he was already dead. When the lions moved on her again, she used her sharp sense of hearing to determine when she should make her move and strike out against them. Natalie sensed when they were about to strike, and she jumped back on her hind legs and thrust her claws out toward each of them. She hit them with so much force she barely felt any resistance when her claws ripped through their throats. When she reopened her eyes, both of the lions who’d attacked her lay on the ground at her feet with the floor covered in the blood pouring from their neck wounds.
She looked up and her eyes met Cain’s. Natalie let out a loud roar that shook rocks loose from the cave ceiling. Dust and rock showered down over them, and even with her extraordinary vision, Natalie struggled to see through the dust the falling debris caused. She closed her eyes again to use her other senses to get to Kyle and Cain. She heard Kyle’s shallow, ragged breathing and low growling that had to be from Cain since Kyle was out cold. Natalie stood her ground and waited for the cloud of dust to clear before she made her move on Cain. She wasn’t waiting for long, but once the dust had settle enough for her to see anything, Cain was standing over Kyle with his claw pressed right below the nasty wound at Kyle’s throat.
Cain’s growling made Natalie think he was trying to tell her something. Sh
e had suspected he had yet to learn how to communicate with his thoughts, and he was proving that point to be true.
“You’re joking, right? All of the work you have put into capturing me and trying to steal our prides away from Kyle and me, yet you haven’t taken the time to learn how to communicate with your mind yet?” Natalie was taunting Cain. With an ego as big as his, she was hoping to distract him enough to get him to move away from Kyle to come after her. “Seriously Cain, it is so simple, we were able to teach the youngest of our children back at the pride lands within thirty minutes. Most figured it out on their first try with the simplest of instructions.” Cain’s growling grew louder, and his body was rigid. She knew that he was getting pissed off at her. “You realize what an idiot you look like, standing there and growling with nothing to say. Just imagine how stupid you’re gonna look in front of the pride if you succeed in killing us and taking over as the new pride leader. I mean, my pride might be more forgiving since most of us just learned after Jason’s death, but the Anastas pride. Ha! Those lions will laugh you right off of their lands, or just kill you and take your spot. Yeah, they’ll probably kill you. They don’t seem to take kindly to any signs of weakness.”
“Roar!”
Cain’s outburst came with enough warning for Natalie to move right before he leaped off of Kyle and went after her. He leaped in the air with both claws extended, and anger flashed through his eyes. Unfortunately for Cain, Natalie was much faster than him now that adrenaline had burned off all of the poison’s effects on her body. She stood over him so tall it was like a mountain compared to a hill. Cain didn’t have a chance against her, and judging by the way his eyes were darting around the entrance behind her, she was sure he already knew it. Natalie was now standing between Kyle and Cain, her sharp teeth bared and a warning growl rolling off her tongue. When Kyle made a strangled sound, she turned to glance at him, and Cain took advantage of her momentary distraction. He leaped on her back and was able to knock her off of her feet due to the odd angle in which she was standing. However, he didn’t stay and try to fight her, even with her momentarily knocked down. The coward ran straight for the room’s entrance and set off out of the cave. Natalie jumped up ready to follow him, but Kyle chose that moment to let out another low growl. She felt his agony shoot through her, and his pain was so potent that Natalie couldn’t bear to leave him there alone.
“Craig? Craig, are you here?”
“Natalie! I’m here. We’ve been held up fighting Cain’s cronies out here. Are you okay?”
“Kyle, oh God,…” Natalie was struggling to get the words out, even in thought. Kyle was hurt so bad, she wasn’t sure if he was going to make it.
“I’m coming!”
Natalie didn’t have to wait long before she heard Craig’s feet pounding against the rock floor of the cave, and the next thing she knew, he was running through the entrance of the room where her and Kyle were. When Craig saw her lying next to his brother’s body, surrounded by blood, he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Where’s Cain?” Craig demanded on a growl.
She could feel his anger rolling off of him in waves.
“He got away.”
“I’m gonna kill that motherfucker! I’ll send someone to help you with Kyle.” Craig turned around and ran back out, no doubt in search of Cain. It hadn’t been too long since Cain had run out, and Natalie prayed Craig would be able to catch up to the bastard.
“Kyle, honey, please wake up. I’m so sorry.”
Kyle didn’t respond, and his breathing was growing more shallow by the minute. Natalie was losing hope that he could be saved; he’d already lost so much blood.
Natalie laid down with her mate and rested her head on his back gently. She was careful to make sure that she didn’t hit Kyle’s wound. She didn’t think there was much she could do for him but be there with him.
“Kyle, I love you so much.”
She closed her eyes, and tears ran down the matted fur on her face. Natalie focused all of her energy on Kyle and prayed she would somehow be able to share her strength and love with him. They were able to feel so much of what the other experienced through their mate bond, and she hoped that while Kyle was hurt, he would be able to sense her love for him through their bond if she concentrated hard enough.
“Oh my God!”
Natalie opened her eyes and looked up toward the doorway when she heard Alice’s voice inside her head. Natalie was sure the sight of her and Kyle on the ground surrounded by so much blood was shocking.
“Alice, can you help me? He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s still here. If we hurry, maybe…”
“Natalie, what’s happening?”
Glenn cut her off when he showed up next to his mate. If she hadn’t been so upset, she would have rolled her eyes at him. Wasn’t it obvious what was happening? Kyle was hurt and bleeding out on the ground beside her. She didn’t understand why Glenn needed an explanation when he could be helping her with Kyle.
“Cain snuck up on Kyle from behind. He needs help!” Natalie was frantic. Why were the two of them just standing there and staring at her like she was crazy? “Help him! Please.”
She heard feet pounding on the ground, and soon her parents and Kyle’s mother came up behind Alice and Glenn. The two of them moved out of their parents’ way, but they all froze again once they moved into the entryway where they were able to get a good look at her and Kyle. No doubt they were in shock over seeing their children covered in blood.
“Natalie, what’s going on?”
She was getting really tired of everyone’s questions, and now her own mother was adding to the list of people who were wasting time. She just wanted them to help Kyle before it was too late.
“Kyle’s hurt, mother! Why won’t any of you help him?”
“You’re glowing,” Cynthia, Kyle’s mother, told her.
“What are you talking about?” She was having a nightmare. Everyone around her was acting like they’d never seen blood before, and their hesitation was going to cost Kyle his life.
“Look at yourself, darling,” her father told her. “Cynthia’s right.”
Natalie looked down at herself and felt her eyes grow wide. A bright orange light was engulfing her. She looked to Kyle and saw that the light extended from her body and wrapped around him. The light around Kyle seemed to be pulsating, and as she listened closely, she realized that it was pulsing in time with Kyle’s heartbeat. She also heard a difference in his breathing once she was paying attention. Kyle’s breaths weren’t as shallow as they had been a few moments ago.
“What’s happening to us?”
“I don’t know, honey,” Natalie’s mom answered her. “I think we need to get you both home. Maybe Mr. Collins will know something about this.”
“Your mother’s right,” Natalie’s dad said. “If anyone can tell us what’s happening, it’s gonna be Mr. Collins.”
Natalie agreed. She hoped that Collins would have some answers, but more than that, she prayed that Kyle would be okay.
When they got back to the pride lands, they took Kyle straight to the mansion, and Natalie put him in their bed. When she laid him down, she had to take another look. She was sure that the wound around his neck had been larger, and Kyle’s breathing was definitely clearer than it had been back in that cave. It looked like he was healing extremely fast. Both she and Kyle were still glowing, and since she had no clue what was happening, she didn’t want to risk shifting back into her human form until she figured out what was happening. She lay with Kyle, her head on his back, and told him how much she loved him over and over again.
“Kyle, honey, I need you to get better. I love you. Please, wake up.”
“I love you, too.”
Natalie’s head shot up so she could look at Kyle. His eyes were still closed, and she was afraid she had been hearing things. She was afraid to speak to him because she was worried that she wouldn’t get a response and would find out that she had truly been hearing thin
gs. However, her need to know if what she’d heard had been real or imaginary won out.
“Kyle? Honey, are you there?”
A moment of silence stretched on. It was probably no more than a minute, but while Natalie lay there waiting to find out if her mate was okay, she felt like the silence stretched on forever.
“Natalie, what happened? How did we get home?”
Natalie was having trouble believing that she was truly hearing Kyle’s voice. She just stared at him for a minute, but when she saw his eyes open and watched him look around the room, she finally knew that she wasn’t imagining things. She shook her head and began nuzzling Kyle’s face. They were both filthy and covered in blood, but in that moment, she didn’t give a damn. By some miracle, her mate was alive.
“Oh my God, Kyle, you’re okay!”
“Of course I’m okay, Natalie. Babe, are you going to tell me what happened, and why my damn neck is so sore?”
Natalie took a look at Kyle’s neck, but it was hard to see what was going on there because of all the dried blood caked in his fur. As if they were suddenly summoned, Paul, Cynthia, Albert, and Patricia came filing into the room. They had all shifted and found some clothes to throw on, but the blood smears covering their bodies told Natalie they hadn’t wasted any time trying to clean up. Paul moved right to Kyle’s side and began running his fingers through the fur around Kyle’s neck, trying to find the wound to care for him. Natalie watched, and after a few minutes, Paul’s eyebrows drew together, and he removed his hands from Kyle, placing them on his thighs. He was staring at Kyle’s neck with such a look of confusion that it made Natalie’s anxiety and worry spike again.
“Paul, what is it? What’s wrong with him?”
Paul scratched the back of his neck, then brought his arm around and rubbed at the stubble growing on his chin. “That’s just it, Natalie. I can’t find anything wrong with him. Other than being covered in blood and a slight dark pink discoloration at the back of his neck, I don’t see anything wrong.” Paul turned and looked at her parents and Kyle’s mom. “I thought you said his neck was ripped open and he was near death?”
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