by R. E. Butler
A branch snapped to her right. It startled her, and she turned to run when she was tackled from behind. She hit the ground hard as a large person landed on her back and forced the air out of her lungs. Her vision filled with stars as she struggled to catch her breath with the heavy weight on top of her.
The person eased off her slightly, and she gasped in a deep breath. She was thinking about yelling for help or telling whoever it was to get the hell off her, when the person – a male, she decided – slapped his hand over her mouth before she could get out even a squeak.
The male growled, and she could feel the vibrations through her clothing. Her skin tingled, and her cat rolled in her mind, suddenly aware of the male. She pushed at her beast and ignored how good it felt to have the solid male behind her. Instead, she jerked her head back in an attempt to break his nose or cause him harm so he’d get off her.
He avoided her head, and his fingers dug into her cheek.
“Stop that,” he ordered.
There was something very familiar about his voice. She was sure she knew him from King; although she hadn’t been back there in so many years her mind could be playing tricks on her. Not to mention that she was probably suffering from a concussion or internal bleeding from his reckless disregard for her safety.
She needed to get back to the van. She’d been worried about Tanya and her females getting caught by the males, and here she was the one who’d been busted.
Doing the only thing she could think of, she bit down on the male’s palm. Her cat helped by letting out her fangs and they dug right into his flesh. She tasted his blood as he let out a curse and jerked his hand away.
“Damn it! That hurt, woman!” he snarled.
Something snapped to awareness inside her as the coppery taste of his blood saturated her tongue. A headache bloomed behind her eyes, and she let out a sharp cry of pain. In a heartbeat she was on her back, and Jackson Whitman hovered over her. His brows were drawn in worry, and she could see the amber of his beast in his eyes.
“Honor? What are you doing here?”
Her head throbbed, the ache making her vision blur.
“What the hell’s going on, Jax?” a masculine voice said from behind her.
She tipped her head back and blinked to clear her vision. Holden, Jackson’s brother, stood with his hands on his hips. He was naked, and she realized that Jackson was, too.
Her cat roared in her mind, and the ache grew until her eyes watered, and her fangs cut her gums.
“Get. Off. Me!” She shoved at Jackson’s shoulders, and although she knew he was strong enough to overpower her, he rose onto his knees. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled as her knees weakened.
Holden caught her and drew her close. Everything within her quieted for a moment, and her cat was right there, purring in her mind, urging her to close the distance to his very kissable lips.
“Fuck it,” she whispered and rose onto her toes and kissed him.
She couldn’t remember ever kissing a male before. When she had sex, she didn’t kiss. Maybe this was her first kiss?
He groaned, a combination of a purr and a growl, and pushed his tongue past her lips. She closed her eyes as the urge to kiss him, and also kiss Jackson and maybe do other things, overwhelmed her. Her fangs erupted again as her cat happily purred in her subconscious, and she felt Holden jerk slightly as she cut his tongue.
A voice rang out from the woods. “Jackson? Holden? What’s going on?”
Honor broke the kiss and pushed away from Holden. Her mind spun, and the headache that had eased slightly in his arms intensified suddenly. She grabbed her head with both hands and groaned.
“We’re fine, Eryx,” Jackson called. “Give us a minute.”
“Honor?” Holden asked. “What’s wrong?”
She knew Eryx Fallon and his family well. If they found her, Gretchen and Julia were sitting ducks. They’d assume that Honor was attempting to harm the pride. They’d never believe she was an innocent bystander, only trying to keep her females safe.
She spun on her heels and raced away as her headache grew stronger and more painful. Tears streamed down her face as the branches slapped at her skin, and Holden’s and Jackson’s shouts of alarm echoed in her ears. Something split apart in her mind, like a wall that had been built and suddenly cracked from the foundation up. She saw older females clawing her arms throughout her childhood, the growing resentment she felt toward her father, and the relentless need to punish the males who were simply trying to carve out a piece of happiness.
“Go! Go! Go!” she shouted as she cleared the woods and hit the side of the van, wrenching open the side door and leaping inside.
Julia squeaked in alarm but shifted into gear and stomped on the gas. Honor pulled the door shut and fell backward, her mind flooding with memories that she didn’t realize she even had. Sorrow filled her, because she was leaving behind two males who had somehow unlocked her mind.
Jackson and Holden.
They were her mates.
But she couldn’t think about that, because she was the leader of the females and she had a duty to see them safely home and to watch over them. She’d think about her mates another time.
Her cat rebelled at the idea of leaving, but Honor lay down on the seat and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and told the creature to let it go. She couldn’t go back to Ashland because she was a criminal in the males’ minds, and they weren’t wrong. She’d done terrible things in the name of keeping the pride together, and the two sexiest males on the planet didn’t deserve such a shitty female.
Even if there were something bigger going on here than just her finding her mates.
Why had she been clawed by the females three times?
And what happened to her family?
“Are you okay?” Gretchen asked once they were on the highway and speeding away from Ashland.
No.
“Yeah.”
“What about Tanya and the others?” Julia asked.
“A dragon shifter burned them up.”
“Damn,” Julia said. “I didn’t like them, but I didn’t want them dead like that.”
“What’s done is done. They knew it was foolhardy to get revenge on Jilly, and they died in the process,” Honor said. “It’s time to go home.”
“It didn’t come soon enough,” Gretchen said. She was quiet for a moment and then said, “You sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“We’ll be home before you know it,” Julia said. “And now we don’t have to worry about the males in Ashland again. I’m ready to put it behind us and focus on the future.”
A future that Honor wanted to include Jackson and Holden. But there was no way that would happen. Their kind weren’t meant for relationships and love.
Right?
Chapter 15
Jilly woke up between her mates, who had shifted into their human forms at some point during the night. She reached for Fate who faced her, his eyes closed in sleep, and drew him close. She kissed his forehead and breathed in his scent. Tears stung her eyes. She grabbed Wyked’s hand that rested on her waist and drew it to her lips, kissing each finger.
Fate opened his eyes slowly. He frowned and his brow drew down, but then he smiled and purred.
“Hey, beautiful!” He kissed her. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you.”
She sniffled and chuckled. “You’re glad? I’m over the moon.”
Wyked stretched behind her and kissed her neck. She rolled to her back and pressed her hand to his cheek. “I thought I lost you both last night.”
Wyked glanced at Fate and then at her. “We thought we were going to die, too. I’ve never been in so much pain. Whatever was in that dart was like acid, eating away at everything a little bit at a time.”
Fate nodded. “I was so sorry that the last thing you were going to see was us in pain like that.”
Wyked snarled. “Fucking females. Why would they come after us? We’ve
lived here peacefully for three years without a sign of them, and then suddenly they show up with poison darts and try to kill us? I don’t get it.”
Because she’d been one of them once upon a time, she could guess at their mind-set. One or more of the females harbored anger at her for leaving, and for whatever reason it had taken this long for them to get a plan together.
“I think they wanted me to suffer,” she said.
“By killing us?” Fate asked.
“Yeah. When they captured me after we first met, they said I was betraying our kind by mating with you. I don’t know who Treasure killed in the woods, but my guess would be that Tanya was the leader. She would have taken over after Layla was killed.”
“Not that I’m not happy to die in your place,” Wyked said, clearing his throat, “because I would do it a thousand times, but why wouldn’t they kill you? Why go after us?”
“To make me suffer. They probably would have killed me eventually, or maybe they hoped that I’d be so distraught that I’d kill myself.” She rubbed her neck and sighed. “Somehow, even though they don’t know anything about me since I changed after mating you, they guessed that my biggest fear was losing you both. As far as plans for revenge go, it was pretty damn good.”
“Losing you is my biggest fear, too,” Fate murmured and nuzzled her throat.
She wrapped her arms around both their necks. “I’m really glad that we’re heading out on the road soon. Being here in Ashland makes me feel like a sitting duck.”
Wyked chuckled. “We’re glad, too.”
She asked for her phone, which Fate grabbed off the nightstand. She checked her messages.
“Dad said that Treasure was up at the crack of dawn this morning, and, according to Uncle Rhett, is doing fine.” She looked at her mates. “She saved your lives.”
“We should at least get her a fruit basket,” Wyked said.
“Oh yeah, or flowers?” Fate said. “What do you give to someone who nearly kills herself trying to save your life?”
Jilly snorted a laugh. “Seriously?”
“What?” Wyked asked, giving her his most devilish grin.
“Obviously, you give her a gift card. I’m thinking for a mani-pedi. She can take Aunt Lisa.”
“We stand corrected,” Wyked said. He slipped from the bed and stretched, his sexy body on full display.
“Why are you getting out of bed? Don’t we have some celebrating to do?” she asked.
Fate kissed her and nipped her bottom lip. “Yes, but it’ll have to wait. We need to check in with the clan and our parents and let them know we’re really okay, and then we need to go see the pride, and a special pink and blue dragon.”
“Then we can celebrate?” she asked.
“Hell yes,” Wyked said. “Again and again.”
“I love how you think,” she said.
* * *
It was no surprise to Jilly that the entire clan was waiting to hear how Wyked and Fate were doing. She’d texted Dionne that they were going to come to their RV, and by the time they walked out of their own RV, the panthers were all waiting. There was a rousing cheer and a lot of hugs and congratulations from everyone, and Jilly was overcome with how much the clan cared about their welfare.
“Of course they care,” Dionne said, giving her another hug. “You’re family.”
“I know, and we’re so fortunate to be with such a wonderful clan,” Jilly said.
“We’re going to celebrate with a special breakfast,” Dag said. “Pull up a chair around the firepit.”
She, Wyked, and Fate did as they were told, and they sat on folding chairs by the firepit. The cooking grate was covered with cast iron skillets, and in no time Dionne and several of the females were making piles of pancakes. When Jilly saw that they’d tossed a few peach halves on the grate to cook, her stomach growled. Pancakes with grilled peaches were her favorite.
Dionne handed Jilly a plate piled high with pancakes and sliced, grilled peaches. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome, honey.”
When Wyked and Fate had plates, they ate together. Dionne passed out plates to Dag and Hanai, who joined them, and after Dionne passed out cups of coffee, she sat down while the others continued to serve.
“What are your plans today?” Dag asked.
Wyked swallowed the bite of food and said, “We’re going over to the boarding house to check in with the pride, then we’re taking Treasure to the mall to get a phone. Lisa and Rhett are coming, too.”
“And Brian and Kevin, I’m sure,” Jilly said.
“They’re so adorable together,” Dionne said. “Lucky kids to have found each other so early.”
Jilly agreed.
“Then we’re babysitting for my cousins so Callie and her mates can go out to dinner,” Jilly said.
“Tomorrow,” Hanai said, “I’ll need some help dismantling the smoker so I can get it stored. Anyone interested?”
No one said anything for a moment. Jilly watched as Wyked and Fate stared at each other, seeming to communicate without speaking. Finally, Fate let out a growling sigh.
“Happy to help,” he said.
Wyked winked at Jilly with a broad grin.
“Thanks, Fate,” Hanai said, chuckling.
Jilly chewed on a warm peach slice and said, “Where are we going first when we start on the road?”
Dag put his empty plate on the ground and settled back in the chair with his coffee mug. He took a sip and then cleared his throat. “We’ll head directly south. For the first few days, we’ll drive from morning until evening and stop at rest areas or department store parking lots that allow RVs to stay free of charge. It will take a few days, but we’ll set up camp in Tennessee and stay there for the month.”
“It’s beautiful in Tennessee in October,” Dionne said.
“How do you pick the places we stay?”
“We’ve been traveling this way for a long time,” Dag said. “The places we stay have to meet a lot of requirements – not only do the campgrounds or RV parks have to be shifter friendly, but there has to be work for us.”
Hanai nodded. “There are several local construction businesses who will take on temporary workers like us.”
“That’s cool,” Jilly said. “I didn’t think the plan was completely random, but I wasn’t sure if you had concrete plans.”
Dionne shrugged. “Sometimes our plans get messed up, but generally speaking, we’ve been going to the same places for a couple decades. One year a campground was closed because the owner had died suddenly. Another one was closed because a tornado had devastated the area.”
Dag nodded. “The worst-case scenario is always that we just find a place to park and then move on. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes our best laid plans don’t work out.”
“I’m going to miss Ashland and my family, but I’m looking forward to exploring the states. I haven’t been many places.”
“What states have you been in?” Wyked asked.
“Pennsylvania and Indiana. I did once go to Florida for vacation with Dad and Henry when I was eight.” She hummed. “I guess I haven’t really been anywhere.”
“That’s okay. You’ll get to see a lot in our travels,” Fate said. “After Tennessee, we’ll go to Mississippi, then Louisiana, and then we’ll be in Texas for Christmas.”
“Why Texas?” she asked.
“The weather is great in the winter there,” Dionne said.
“I can’t wait,” Jilly said. And she really couldn’t. It was an exciting chapter of her life that was about to start. Although she could have been happy in Ashland with her mates, her cat was ready to roam with the panthers. Nothing felt more like home to her than the RV and the open road that was calling.
Wyked stood and took her empty plate and coffee mug, stacking them carefully with his and Fate’s. He took them into his parents’ RV and then came back out, brushing his hands on his jeans. “Ready to head to the boarding house?”
“You bet.�
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“Let’s drive so we can go right to Rhett’s,” Fate suggested.
“Have fun!” Dionne said.
They took the SUV and drove to the boarding house. Jilly got out and looked up at the huge monstrosity of a house.
“I think the time will go fast,” she said. “Before we know it, we’ll be back here in Ashland for the summer.”
“Yep,” Wyked said. “You’d be surprised how quickly time flies when you’re on the road. Fate and I can’t wait to show you the places we spent our childhood.”
“You didn’t mind being on the road when you were growing up?”
“No. It’s what our kind do,” he said. “It was just very natural.”
“I think there was only one time we really didn’t want to move on,” Fate said. “We were teenagers, and we’d helped build a barn for a farmer. There was a wolf pack in the town, and Wyked and I made friends with some of the males. It was hard to leave when we were having such a good time.”
“I was just wondering about our kids,” she said.
“It’s our life,” Wyked said. “There are times when we don’t want to leave, just as there are times we can’t freaking wait to get on the road again. I think our kids will be just fine with traveling, because they’ll know that we chose this life for them. It’s our heritage.”
She smiled. “I like that.”
They headed into the house and went straight to the kitchen, where John, James, Rue, Eryx, Jackson, Holden, Rhett, Henry, and Dom sat at the kitchen table.
“Morning,” Jilly said.
A chorus of good mornings rang out from the group.
John pushed out the chair next to him and Jilly sat down, with Wyked and Fate taking the chairs next to hers.
“How’s Treasure?” Jilly asked Rhett.
“She was passed out for most of the night and woke up early this morning, saying she felt just fine.”
“I’m glad.”
“Trust me, so are Lisa and I. We didn’t know what to expect because, although she’d told us that she had healing abilities, I actually thought she meant she had accelerated healing like shifters do. She had a sort of rejuvenating sleep that allowed her body to heal from the stress of healing someone else.”
