Sunshine Mated (Ouachita Mountain Shifters Book 8)

by P. Jameson

  Her gaze softened and she parted her lips to speak. But Layna’s repeat knock made him break away. “Coming! Damn, hang on.”

  “Oh,” came her response through the door. “Excuse me, sir, but I did not need to know that. You keep your ‘coming’ business to yourself, ‘kay? Nasty fucker,” she muttered quieter.

  Grudgingly, Mason pushed off the bed and carefully tucked his still hard cock behind his zipper. Glancing up, he caught Adira watching him, bottom lip snagged by her teeth, all that blond hair strung out over the sheets. Damn, she was a sight.

  “Can I...”

  “What?” Mason asked.

  “Can I come with you? I could help if needed. Or just, you know, wait for the arrival. I’ve never been to a birthing before.”

  She wanted to see the baby. He could feel it through their bond. And it was true, she had no experience with this since Sorcera were birthed from the mystics. Sent right to the earth as newborns for other Sorcera to raise. A witchy sort of adoption. It was what Mirena had hoped for as a last ditch effort to have a family with Theron. Instead the mystics had chosen to heal her so she could carry his cubs.

  Mason tossed Adira the sweatpants. “Get dressed.”

  Her eyes filled with excitement as she hurried to get her clothes on. Mason could watch her like that all fucking day. The way her gaze lit up. If it killed him, he’d make her do that again. Not just again. Everyday. Multiple times a day. He’d find a way.

  When they were both dressed, Mason went to the door and swung it open to find Layna still there.

  She coughed and sputtered, waving one hand in front of her face. “Good shit lollypop. The pheromones are hot in here.”

  Mason struggled not to roll his eyes while Adira averted her gaze. “Which mate is in labor?” he asked.

  “Wellllll… uh, both.”

  “Both?”

  Layna nodded.

  Mason shot a glance at Adira. She was struggling to keep the excited grin off her face. His heart went impossibly soft for her. Yeah, damn. She was his. Let anyone argue that fact and he’d annihilate them.

  “Looks like you’re gettin’ your wish, Sunshine. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

  ***

  Shit, shit, shit. And a shit-fried sandwich on rye. With shit mustard.

  Adira listened to Mason’s internal—and surprisingly creative—cursing while she watched him and Doc and Owyn scurry around the makeshift delivery room through the half frosted glass window.

  They’d planned to deliver the young in Doc’s exam room, but with Bethany and Josie both going into labor at the same time, they’d needed more space. The females were currently occupying two of the massage rooms, while Doc and the guys took turns running between the two to check on them.

  In the waiting area—the rest of the spa basically—the entire clan had gathered to await the births of Ouachita’s newest young. The first since the clan changed their no-mating policy.

  These births were significant. A milestone. A symbol of what big cat mating had become under Magic’s leadership.

  Adira watched him through Josie’s window. She could only see him from the shoulders up, but he walked with Josie around the small room, hand gently rubbing her back, his face scrunched in concentration.

  Adira was betting she wasn’t worried about gummy bears right now. She had her panther and that was all she needed.

  Looking around at the rest of her people, Adira could see how each couple complimented the individuals. The yin-yang was used too many times among Sorcera, referring to the balance of light and darkness. But right now, she could use it to describe each pairing. Where one was weak, the other was strong. Where they faltered, the other stood fast. They were brick and mortar. Each existed to help the other. It was why they could heal each other. Why they could feel what the other was feeling. So they could make better what was damaged. Patch holes, mend fences. Love could do those things. She’d seen it with her own eyes.

  It was what mating was supposed to be.

  And sadly, she couldn’t offer Mason any of those things.

  She was going to become wicked. Whatever demons he still struggled with, she’d only make worse.

  That was the real reason he couldn’t be with her the way she hoped. And he wasn’t wrong for holding back.

  Well, fuck. How can it hurt that bad when the baby ain’t even coming out yet?

  She was definitely hearing Mason’s thoughts. But it was as if she was missing half of the conversation. Like listening to someone talking on the phone. When they were together, just before Layna interrupted, she kept getting mixed reactions from him.

  Okay, okay. It hurts. I get it. Damn, makes me want to retire my pecker for good. No one should go through this. Ever.

  But what disturbed her most was that she could hear his thoughts at all. She knew of no light magic that could enable her to. No spell. No potion. And there was a reason for that. It was too dangerous to know what others were thinking. Even the way the Elder Destiny spoke to Mason made Adira uneasy. If the bobcat shifter hadn’t revealed herself through a spell the Sorcera cast through the mystics, Adira would never have trusted her.

  Deep down, she knew what this mind reading was. It was dark magic beginning to take hold of her. It was the beginning of the downhill slide. She would take on more and more dark powers until she was no longer herself. She was a snowball collecting more and more until she was too much.

  It terrified her, what she could become.

  Adira took in the clan.

  Nastia watched raptly from the small couch she shared with Thames. Mirena took a spot on Theo’s lap. His hand rubbed absently at her stomach where their young grew. It was still flat as a pancake, but soon, it would look just like Beth’s and Josie’s. Gash leaned against the farthest wall, Bailey’s back pressed against his front while he pulled the belly rub thing with her too. She was several months farther along than Mirena and starting to show. Clara sat on the floor cross-legged between Eagan’s knees. She munched on the same cookies Mason had fed Adira earlier. Ryan, Bethany’s brother, Layna’s mate, and the only human male in the clan, paced the room carrying a sleeping Rhys. He and Bethany had been friends of Josie’s before any of them ever set foot at Lake Haven. He was also Mason’s closest friend in the clan.

  A smile touched Adira’s lips. Her heart warmed at the sight of her… family… coming together once again. They were her family.

  And this time they weren’t binding together to defeat an adversary. They were here to celebrate. The only danger to them now… was her. Her transition. Her as a Magei. The darkness she could bring to their serene existence. Their peaceful home.

  She was the Junkyard Dogs.

  She was the Alley Cats.

  She was the dark version of Nastia that would burn a sister so badly she was permanently scarred.

  She was dangerous, and they were all fooled by the sweet façade she was still able to maintain. By the cutesy rhyming that was still necessary. Even she was fooled until this very moment. Though her heart still loved the clan, it was hurdling straight for a brutal switch that would leave her cold and unfeeling and… deadly.

  For a moment, she let herself relive the darkness she’d felt leaking from her sister on that dark night Nastia attacked the clan. She had lost all control of herself. Overcome by a horde of evil familiars sent from the darkness to urge her farther into its arms. She fought it until the whites of her eyes turned the color of blood and blisters formed on her fingertips from holding back the power. Even still, she’d attacked, mortally injuring Mirena. It had taken a miracle, the clan coming together in love, to power a ridiculous spell that saved them both.

  Oh. Oh! Okay! So the baby is coming out now. Like right now, right now. Shit. Should I look?

  Mason’s thoughts coursing through Adira’s mind had her glancing up to see which of the females was delivering first. She could see the dark spiky top of his head in Josie’s room. A giddy thrill rattled through her, anxious
to set eyes on the newest baby.

  Magic rumbled off a threatening growl that had everyone in the waiting area jerking to attention. Even little Rhys startled in his sleep, and Ryan shushed him back down.

  Yeah, okay. Got it. Mason was backing toward the door with his hands up. No looking down there even if I’m only trying to see the baby. Point of view accepted, big guy.

  Adira watched Magic settle and go back to Josie’s side.

  Though, fuck. I can’t blame him. When it’s Sunshine’s turn to do this, none of these fools better be gettin’ curious.

  Mason stiffened, and whatever else he was thinking, she was deaf to.

  Sunshine’s turn…

  But he didn’t want that with her. He’d made himself clear. Nothing was making sense.

  She shook her head as if she could dislodge the claws darkness had on her mind. As if she could undo whatever was happening to her.

  Josie cried out, but Adira couldn’t see her through the frosted part of the window. Tense seconds ticked by as the clan waited, breath held, to hear the cry of a newborn.

  And then all the air left Adira’s chest as a single angry wail broke the silence. The room erupted in cheers mixed with some animalistic snarls of appreciation. People were clapping and smiling so hard it seemed like their faces would break.

  Time inched by slowly as everyone’s gaze trained on the window to the massage room. But finally, Magic stepped up, holding a tiny little bundle with a dark mop of hair that matched his own. He lifted the baby high so everyone could get a good look, and the hoots and hollers dimmed to oohs and ahhs. The expression on Magic’s face was unfathomable. So full of love it made Adira’s heart ache, as he bent his head to peck the tiniest kiss to his new son’s cheek.

  Something inside her cracked wide open. Something painful and necessary. She’d had plans. Dreams and aspirations that she fought hard for, just in case she was able to keep her light. She’d studied hard, followed the rules. She was an overcomer, facing challenges head on, as bravely as either of her sisters. She’d found a way to beat her speech problem, she’d found a way to save Nastia, she’d found a way to help Mirena heal.

  But this… this she couldn’t overcome. This transfer of powers. The darkness lulling her until she belonged to it. Losing the light that made her, her.

  It would own her.

  But there was something she could do for the ones that had helped her along the way. The ones she cared about. She watched Mason through the window as he stared at Magic and the baby wide-eyed.

  The one she loved.

  Her eyes touched on each person in the room, drawing strength from them. She needed it, to make her decision.

  And then it was easy.

  She couldn’t put them through it again. Pain and confusion and heartbreak. Couldn’t have them risking anymore for her. Couldn’t let them be in danger again. Not when they were finally, finally safe. She was the only threat left to Ouachita, and she was going to annihilate it.

  Once and for all, she was going to do what she’d come here to do.

  Make Ouachita safe.

  Slipping out of the spa, she hurried down the hall to the lobby where the front desk was located. Quickly, before she could lose her nerve, she picked up the phone and dialed the number that could connect her to Father Isaac.

  When he answered, she told him, absent of any need to rhyme, “You have to come now. There’s no more time. And one more thing… bring your spells. We’re sending me back to the mystics.”

  Before he could argue, she slammed the phone back to its cradle and hurried back to the spa for one last look at her family.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mason watched his leader as he carefully held his newborn, swaying him gently as Doc and Owyn finished up with Josie, and a mega-shitload of memories flooded him.

  Jordy. The tiniest little boycub with a full head of dark hair. Screaming with so much vigor, Mason knew he was going to be a fighter someday. He just never imagined he’d have to do battle at such a young age.

  Mason had held his son, so small in his arms exactly like Magic was holding his now. He’d been by Deana’s side for the entire delivery, trying his damnedest to ease her through the labor. But he’d been as useless as the human medicine the doctor tried to give her. His touch hadn’t done what it was supposed to and taken away her pain. Their bond seemed to have no healing power at all.

  So he’d tried to make up for it by being there however she needed. Held her hand, kissed her forehead, rubbed her back. And he wasn’t like other new fathers, squeamish and shit. Maybe because he worked in a hospital and had already seen enough blood and fluids to make him immune. No, he’d been right there for all the fragile details that brought his boy into the world.

  “Okay, Magic,” Doc said, tossing some blood soaked rags into a bin. “You can heal her some now. Just go slow with it. The pain…”

  “Got it, Doc.” Magic nodded, passing the baby off to Mason with a stern look that said, you drop him, you die.

  Magic didn’t give him a chance to object, otherwise Mason would never have done it.

  Because it unraveled him. Took him out like a punch in the gut. Broke apart what was left of the cage he’d set up around the tiny part of his heart that he reserved for Jordy. For a moment, he was right back there, stuffed in a tiny hospital room, holding the wriggling little thing that would some day, for too short a time, call him daddy. He’d been so overcome with joy at finally having his family complete. Deana had done well. Given him a son. And he’d truly believed that little boy could fix all their problems.

  But people didn’t work like that did they? Sometimes things were just broken and there was no way to repair them. And then sometimes the only one who could fix you, was you.

  And sometimes the answer is right in front of your face and you shut your eyes to it. Destiny. Her voice was gentle but her words were trademark blunt.

  Mason’s eyes pooled with tears as he stared down at Magic’s son. In awe, heart breaking. “I miss him,” he whispered so softly, the others couldn’t possibly hear.

  I know.

  She was the only one who did.

  His face crumpled and the bastard tears fell all over the baby’s blanket, but he couldn’t stop them. Memories of his son were so fresh each one was like a gift and a sentence all at once. All the good things meshed so tightly with the bad, it had been better to shut them all away. To pretend Jordy hadn’t existed at all. He considered Ouachita his family, but none of them knew he’d been a father until he hinted at it to Mirena. Not a single one. How could he have let that happen?

  How could he have strangled his heart so brutally. Fucked it up so bad, it hardly recognized love anymore.

  A sob raked up his throat and caught on the air of the room. Followed by another. Wretched sounds he couldn’t contain no matter how hard he tried.

  Stop trying, Mason, Destiny murmured. You’ve found your sunshine. Stop hiding in those dark places by yourself.

  “Mason?” Doc’s voice touched him from across the room. He looked up to find all four of his clanmates staring at him, but all he could do was shake his head as tears made waterfalls of his cheeks.

  Somehow, he found his feet moving closer to the bed where Josie lay partially healed from her bond with Magic.

  “I… I had a son,” he croaked, and it was such a relief to say it out loud, his chest heaved in another achy sob. “Jordy. That was his name.” A tortured snarl from his cougar as he spoke his son’s name for the first time in so many years. “I had him. He was mine for two years. And I lost him… I lost him. He got sick. Something his cat couldn’t fight.” Mason shook his head holding the baby out for Josie to take. “I thought I could do this. I can’t. I need to go.”

  He registered their shock. Especially Magic’s. Time stood still as Owyn and Doc took him in under these new details. And he could imagine what they were thinking. If he’d had a child, he’d had a mate. It was the darkest secret none of them knew. Maybe they
would judge him for it. Maybe they wouldn’t understand. Even now, when they all had mates themselves.

  It was easy to see how he’d failed his mating, failed his young. But could they see how hard he had tried? Would they trust that he’d done his best at the time? Because damn it, he had.

  He needed to leave. Needed to bleed. Needed to think.

  Again, he held his tiny bundle out for Josie to take. But she didn’t reach for the baby. Or rather she didn’t reach for just the baby. Easing forward, she opened her arms wide and wrapped them carefully around Mason as he cradled her new young.

  And. It. Broke. Him.

  Wide open. He was a chasm needing filled.

  With her embrace, she offered forgiveness he never knew he needed. Understanding he never knew he wanted. For hiding his past. For keeping his son in the shadows when he’d promised not to. For locking his heart away and hiding it from the ones that needed it most.

  Sunshine. She needed him most. And damn, he’d let her down. That stopped now.

  Mason heard the door slam against the wall as someone rushed in, but he was still too reeling and raw to see who it was.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Ryan’s urgent voice crossed the room a second before he did.

  “Everything’s fine,” Doc said.

  “Bullshit. Look at them.”

  “Ryan—”

  “My two best friends, right there,” he snarled. “And they don’t look fine, Doc.”

  Mason pulled away from Josie and cut a glance to Magic. His leader looked stricken. Brow that was usually furled even on the good days, was smooth with some emotion Mason couldn’t name.

  “Is the baby okay? Josie? Shit, Mason?” Ryan stared back and forth between the two of them while the other clanmates looked on from just beyond the doorway.

  Mason passed his bundle off to Josie and this time, she took her baby, holding him so carefully against her chest.

  Lifting his gaze, he met Ryan’s fierce one. Shit, they’d been through a lot since that Christmas when he moved to the lodge. They ran together, worked out together. He schooled the human on how to fit in with the clan because he was tough as shit, and somehow, Mason knew he was important. He’d given him a fake mating mark to make Layna jealous when she was being stubborn about mating. Had died a little inside when the human left the clan to move to Memphis. And resurrected a little when he returned.