Abby fell forward, smashing her head against the pavement, her hand still clutching the knife buried in Tomas Brandt’s stomach. Ben’s heart stuttered. His chest heaved. He screamed out to her, begged his mate not to die, unable to stay silent as she collapsed. “By the Gods, let my mate be all right,” he whispered, his soul crying out for the woman—the mate—he’d yet to claim.
Trevor, protect Abby, while I take care of the rest of these assholes. They’ll all die for daring to touch what’s ours. Without thought, without caring that humans couldn’t know about their kind, Ben let the magic loose, let his beast free to rip and tear his enemies apart. No one would escape from him. No one.
You got it.
Ben didn’t need to see his twin to know that Trevor was beside himself with worry and self-disgust, that right now he’d have Abby cradled against his chest, protecting her with his body if he had to. Ben could understand Trev’s feelings. He was pissed at himself for not doing more to ensure their mate’s safety. Once they got out of here, once they made sure their mate would survive, they’d make sure she never had such a disadvantage in battle again. They wouldn’t prevent her from fighting evil, but they’d damn sure make sure she could call upon her beast’s instincts to survive. As soon as she healed enough to accept them in her bed, they’d mate her and call her beast forth, forcing her to shift for the first time.
As the magic raced over his skin, Ben embraced his inner beast, allowing the white tiger that completed his soul free reign over his body. He’d destroy all those that would harm his mate, whether they were human or supernatural. He’d allow no one with evil in their soul to walk away.
While man became beast, rage and the desire for retribution swept through his mind. In seconds, Ben’s beast had erupted into battle, rending and tearing into the woman who’d dared to harm his mate. As soon as she fell beneath his paws, Ben ripped out the woman's throat, ending her life without another thought, a more fitting punishment then the human laws that allowed her to go free after trying to prostitute out her seven year old daughter for dope money. He didn’t stop, didn’t shift back to his human half until the last remaining attacker collapsed beneath his onslaught. The beast paced among the dead and dying, watching Trevor holding his mate, whispering to her, begging her to fight.
Ben shook his head, letting the beast recede so the man could go to Abby and Trevor. They needed to get medical care for their mate. And they needed to go now. As the magic flowed over his skin, shifting him to his human form, Ben heard an engine racing, followed by squealing tires. On edge, Ben raced over to his mate, determined to protect her when she couldn’t protect herself, even at the cost of his own life. The now idling SUV belonged to Zoe. Marcel jumped out of the passenger side and raced over to them. “Zoe and the twins are with Conn, but go with Twila. She’ll drive you all over to Doc Parson’s office in Zoe’s vehicle while I and a few others clean up the mess here.”
Ben nodded, but otherwise dismissed Marcel, keeping his attention solely on Abby as Trevor lifted her against his chest and carried her toward the open car door. Scrambling into the back seat, he waited for Trevor to get in with Abby. The amount of blood covering her, the paleness of her skin, had him shaking in terror. He couldn’t lose her, he just couldn’t.
Trevor didn’t look much better. Leaning forward between the seats, Ben gently placed his hand on Abby’s head, horror and fear choking him. “Is…is she going to make it?” he whispered, breaking the tense silence filling the vehicle. Her breathing was ragged, uneven. What would he do if she didn’t survive her injuries?
Trevor shook his head as he ran his hand through her blood-matted hair. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Trevor turned pain-filled eyes to Twila, “Can’t you drive any faster?”
Twila glanced in the rearview mirror, then over at Trevor and Abby, grimacing, fear and anxiety written all over her face. “If I go any faster, we might draw more attention than we want right now. As soon as we get out of city limits, I’ll floor it.” Once again, she glanced in the rearview mirror, then looked down at Abby. “I still don’t understand why no one reported the angry mob or the bloody battle outside the diner. Why didn’t anyone call for help?”
Trevor’s hoarse voice joined Twila’s as he asked the questions on his mind. “Besides that, why did those people join together? Were they influenced somehow? Controlled maybe?”
Ben wondered all the same things. Hell, he shifted for cripes sake. Bullets were flying and none of the weapons were silenced, not to mention the screaming of the injured. Someone should have come running. So why didn’t anyone? Finding those answers were something he and Trevor would have to look into, but not until they knew Abby would make it.
Within minutes, they were speeding across the countryside, racing toward Doc Parsons. Both a medical doctor and a veterinarian, the doc took care of all of the town’s shifters, along with his son. Twila had made the right decision to bring her to see old man Parsons. No human medical facility could be allowed to take care of Abby, especially now that she’d been exposed to both her mates at the same time. They couldn’t chance that the humans would discover the abnormalities in her blood and, now that she’d received exposure to both their pheromones at the same time, she was that much closer to shifting into her beast for the first time. No way could they allow her to be in a human medical facility when she could become a predator right before their eyes.
The SUV rocked to a stop in front of Doc Parsons office. As soon as the vehicle pulled up in front of the sprawling ranch house Doc Parson and his son worked out of, Ben jumped out and raced over to Trevor’s door, opening it to take Abby from him and into the waiting doctors.
Seconds later, Ben carried Abby toward the ranch house, her unconscious body pressed against his chest. Maybe if she heard his heartbeat it would give her something to hold onto. Then he castigated himself for such a ridiculous thought. She didn’t even know they wanted her as their mate, that they wanted to make a life with her, despite what they hinted at in the diner earlier.
Before they could even get to the front door, they were greeted by both old Doc Parsons and his son as they pushed a gurney toward the SUV. Though he didn’t want to let Abby out of his sight, he gently placed her on the stretcher. “Take care of her,” Ben demanded.
Nathanial Parsons nodded, then looked worriedly up at his father before turning back to Ben and Trevor. “We’ll do our best for her. I can tell you right now she’ll need a blood transfusion. Do you have any idea what blood type she has?”
Ben grimaced, then shook his head. “No, but she has shifter blood. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s a jaguar, but I can’t be sure what type of feline she is.”
“We hadn’t gotten that far into that particular conversation before we were attacked,” Trevor added.
Old Doc Parsons nodded. “We’ll take care of it. Any feline blood will work. Her immune system will adapt to whatever we give her, but if you two would like to donate, we won’t turn you away. Mandy is in the lab. Pop in there if you want while we take a look at your girl.”
With that, the two doctors raced down the hallway with their patient. The further she moved away from him, the more his heart hurt. Before he could sink into self-pity, Twila gripped one of his and Trevor’s arms and started pulling them toward the laboratory at the back of the ranch house.
“Let’s go. We’ll each donate a pint and if we need to call others in for more, we’ll do that, too. They won’t let your mate die.”
“How do you know she’s our mate?” Trevor asked, his voice thick with emotion.
Twila snorted. “Hell, every one of us in the diner with exception of Zoe could smell that the three of you belong together. It was obvious to all of us and had been for weeks. There’s a pool going at Mel’s Bar as to when you’d two finally get around to claiming her.”
Ben shook his head in surprise. He’d had no idea the town had noticed his and Trevor’s interest in Abby. As Twila opened the door to the lab, Ben
reached out and pulled Trevor to a stop. “We need to contact her family. We promised.”
Running his bloodstained hand through his disheveled hair, Trevor grimaced before nodding. “I know. But I want to wait until we know something about her condition. You and I both know Marco will want all the details, both about what happened to her as well as what her prognosis is.”
Ben had to agree. The mob boss definitely would have questions and he’d expect those answers right away. If he thought the man didn’t care about Abby like family, he’d tell him to go to hell. But once they met Marco Grazioso, they had no doubt the mobster loved Abby like she was his own daughter.
“You’re right. Let’s get this done. I want to be out in the waiting room ready to go into her as soon we’re allowed.”
Chapter Six
She lived in a sea of pain. Her head throbbed. Her back burned. Dizziness assaulted her every time she tried to move her head. When she finally managed to pry open her eyelids, only darkness greeted her. Where the hell was she? Why was it so damn dark? “Hello? Can someone turn on the lights?” she asked.
A gasp to her right had her turning her head in that direction. The sudden movement sent a wave of pain and a surge of nausea washing over her. She groaned, unable not to despite her need to be strong no matter what obstacle she faced. What a shitty ass day, she thought. “Anyone in here? Can you turn on the light please?”
When someone gripped her left hand and someone else ran a hand through her hair, she knew that the room wasn’t dark. The lights weren’t turned off, she just couldn’t see. Why couldn’t she see? “What’s going on? What’s wrong with me?” She demanded, wanting some answers, knowing that whatever was wrong with her she could handle it. She wasn’t some wimpy woman who’d rail at the fates for blinding her if that’s what happened. That’s not to say that she wouldn’t kick someone’s ass though just as soon as she learned how to function without sight.
She heard a heartfelt sigh to her left, which she distinctively recognized as Ben, and a clearing throat to her right, which had to be Trevor. But neither man spoke up. “For cripes sake. Just spit it out already”
“Your head took a pretty serious hit at the base of your skull so there is some swelling inside your brain that’s putting pressure on your optical nerves. Your eyesight should come back as soon as the swelling goes down,” Ben added.
She’d been right, Ben was standing on her left.
Trevor dropped his hand from her hair and picked up her right hand. “The ax wound you took to the back is already beginning to heal, thanks to the shifter blood they have infusing into your IV right now. Doc thinks you’ll be able to go home in a few days if you continue to heal as rapidly as you are.”
Abby shook her head. “No, I want you both to get me out of here. Something is out there gunning for me and I won’t have innocent people exposed to that kind of evil. Take me home and I’ll call in some reinforcements.” No way would she allow others to land in harm’s way because of her. Somehow she had to make sure to shake the Marcum brothers off her ass as well because she just knew they weren’t about to leave her side. She didn’t want either of them to confront what she knew would come after her, though they did seem to hold their own against the horde of attackers if the strength on their voices were anything to go by.
“Abby, be reasonable. You have a nine inch gash in your back, a lump the size of a melon at the base of your skull, not to mention your temporary blindness.”
Abby could hear the frustration in Trevor’s voice, but she just couldn’t take the chance. It was her duty to protect the innocent. “I can’t endanger others. It goes against everything I believe in.”
“Fine,” Ben agreed. “But you’ll stay at our place. Don’t even think of objecting. That’s non-negotiable if you want out of here.”
“And you’ll follow doctor’s orders to the letter, Abby.” Trevor added.
“Now wait a minute. You have no right…”
A sudden puff of warm air against her face was her only warning that one of the men had invaded her personal space. “That’s where you’re wrong,” Trevor growled. “We have every right where you’re concerned.”
Abby didn’t know whether to laugh at their nerve or tell them to back the hell off. He couldn’t just say something like that without an explanation though. “So what gives you the right to dictate to me?”
“Because you’re our mate, Abby. The one woman meant to be ours above all others,” Ben whispered in her ear.
Chill bumps raced across her skin as his lips grazed her temple. “M-mate?” she didn’t know what to think, what to feel. In all honesty, she’d never thought a shifter—never mind two—would ever want to settle down with her. Her personality could only be termed caustic at best. Hell, she could be a full-on bitch and she was the first to admit it. She didn’t take shit from anyone. Heck, her idea of a good time is an afternoon spent at the shooting range or beating the crap out of a practice dummy at the gym.
As Ben’s lips trailed down her cheek to the nape of her neck, Trevor took her mouth with a thoroughness that left her breathless. Abby’s heartbeat thundered in her chest. Despite her injuries, she wanted to get naked with them, wanted to beg them to take her long and hard. It took a Herculean effort to break the kiss. All three of them were left gasping and she knew right then that she was in trouble. This thing between them was more than lust—much more. If she were truly honest with herself, she’d known all along that it was, she’d just been fighting it like the stubborn woman everyone knew her to be.
“So can we tell the Doc that you’ve agreed to stay with us so someone can make sure you don’t die in your sleep, or should I tell him you’ve decided to stay here until he authorizes your release?” Ben asked.
Abby huffed. If she weren’t so aware of the pain now that they weren’t seducing her, she’d probably cross her arms in rebellion at the way they’d taken over. “Fine, I’ll stay with you two. But I want to call in some reinforcements. I don’t like that someone seemed to not only influence or outright control a whole pack of people, but somehow managed to hide the battle in plain sight. That’s some seriously powerful mojo.”
“We already took care of it,” Trevor admitted. “By the time we get you home, everything should be in place,” he added.
Trevor’s thumb brushed back and forth over her bottom lip. By the Gods, she wished she could see them, touch them. She’d know where she really stood with them if she could only look into their eyes. She firmly believed that old saying that a person’s eyes were the window into their souls. Without her sight, for the first time in her life, Abby felt at a disadvantage. It was not a comforting feeling. Not at all. Somehow, she didn’t think that’s all they had to tell her. They were holding something back, and that made her very uneasy. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Trevor sighed, then dropped his thumb from her lip.
She heard the sharp sound of chairs scraping across the floor and knew that both the Marcum brothers had pulled up a seat. Whatever they had to say, they were stalling and Abby didn’t like it. She didn’t like not being in control of the situation and she especially didn’t like that they were reluctant to tell her something.
“Just spit it out already. If I handled the whole blind thing and mate announcement, I can take whatever you dish out, whatever you feel is so horrible.” A throat cleared to her left. Ben then. Apparently he’d take the lead in explaining things.
“It’s not horrible news, not in our opinion anyway, but we’re not quite sure how to tell you the rest.”
Abby smirked. “Starting at the beginning usually helps.”
To her right, Trevor chuckled. It was low and husky and had her pussy twitching in anticipation. She had to get control of her libido and listen to what they had to say. Giving herself a mental smack, she focused on the direction from where Ben’s voice had come.
“The Doc feels that because you have shifter blood, once you mate, it will initiate your first shift.
Once you shift into your feline beast and back to human, he believes you will be healed.”
She paused, taking in everything he said…and everything he hadn’t. “So once I have sex with you, I’ll be able to shift and that will heal me?”
To her right, Trevor cleared his throat. She turned her head to his direction, despite her inability to see him. “What?” she asked, knowing instinctively he had something to add.
“Not exactly. You need to mate with both your mates and receive your mating mark before it will happen.”
Abby swallowed, then licked her lips nervously. It’s not like she hadn’t wanted to jump their bones immediately upon seeing both the luscious Marcum men, but she’d not planned on doing it while she was as such a disadvantage. “Both of you? At the same time?”
Her nipples puckered, scraped against whatever they’d clothed her in after the attack. The thought of taking both men at the same time caused her pussy to weep with need, to grow wet with longing.
“Yes, or one at a time. It’s up to you on how you want to proceed.”
So if she took them at their meaning, in this at least she’d have some control. That eased her mind a bit, knowing that not all her choices had been taken away from her. She knew that finding a mate was a joyous time, something to celebrate and not shun. It was time to take control, to take the reins and decide her future.
“And you’re both certain that I’m your mate and you’re not just lusting over my bodacious bod?” she asked, fully aware of what their answer would be before she heard it. No different than any other woman, she wanted to hear that she was desired for more than just sex
Ben chuckled. “Oh, you definitely have a bodacious body, but you’re also strong, courageous and soul-deep beautiful, too."
“And not to mention that fire-breathing dragon tatt on your back made my dick harder than steel while we bathed you,” Trevor added.
Abby snorted. She just couldn’t help it. “Fine. Ben first, then Trevor. When I’m healed and my body can take something vigorous again, I want you both.”
Sheltering Abby Page 4
