She wasn’t stupid. Liberty had told her everything, but there was an unease about him. As soon as she had a moment to herself, she was going to call her sister and get the answers her intended mate wouldn’t answer.
“Fuck,” Winter growled.
“Talk,” Savage ordered, taking the stool that sat to Winter’s right. He twisted the seat around so Winter could see his face and he could watch Mary Grace move about the bar.
“I haven’t told her everything,” Winter whispered, his voice so low only his brother could hear. “I haven’t told her about the change.”
“She’s not going to like being kept in the dark, Winter,” Savage replied, taking a hearty drink from his glass.
“I can’t put her through the change,” Winter admitted, shaking a picture of Nova screaming in pain from his mind. “I can’t see her in pain.”
“So, you’ll keep her a human and defenseless against our enemies, because of what you went through?” Savage said, continuing when Winter started to talk. “Yes, it’s painful. I can only imagine, but we have drugs now that will help; drugs we didn’t have when I changed you. The healer would be with her the entire time. Just as he was with Liberty.”
“But Liberty was almost dead…she was unaware of what was happening,” Winter argued. “I would rather cut off my own arms before causing Nova pain.”
“Talk to Harold,” Savage suggested. “And tell your mate what the hell is going on or you may regret it.”
“I can’t do it,” Winter cursed, shaking his head again. “You don’t understand, Savage. The thought of her being in pain is almost too much for me to even deal with.”
“This isn’t just about you,” Savage said. “You know I’m right, brother.”
Winter slammed his fist on the bar, cringing when he heard Mary Grace yelp from the sound. He mumbled his apologies and stood up from his seat.
“I’ll talk to her,” he growled. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Nah,” Savage smirked, leaning his back against the bar. His eyes never left Mary Grace as she wiped down tables and straightened chairs before the bar opened for lunch. “Rain’s coming. Plus, I like this place better.”
“I can see that,” Winter chuckled, turning for the back of the bar. He needed to get a team together to find Perry once and for all. He was the only enemy standing between his mate and her future.
Chapter Twelve
Calla shivered beneath the several blankets that were piled on top of her body. She’d seen the healer and taken a well needed shower. She’d slept for hours after the females in the pack had fed her. Malaki was staying somewhere on the same floor as she was and she sensed he was near. They’d always been close, but the kidnapping had helped them form a stronger bond; one that would probably never be broken.
A knock sounded on the door, causing Calla to pull the covers tighter under her chin. She knew she was safe, but the unknown of who was on the other side of the door sent her into a near panic.
“Shh,” the alpha who’d saved her cooed as he approached the bed. His lips moved, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. A loud keening noise drowned out all the sounds around her. She took a chance at peeking out of her blanket sanctuary and saw her brother moving around the alpha.
“Calla?” Malaki said, sliding into the bed. The moment his arms wrapped around her, the noise subsided. “It’s okay now. I promise.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, realizing that the sound had been coming from her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever be sorry,” the alpha said, standing back from the bed. “Calla, my name is Talon Shaw, and I am the alpha of this pride.”
“I…I know, sir,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“Your brother has pledged himself to this pride,” Talon began. “I have taken him into my home as one of my own, and I would like to ask if you’d be willing to do the same?”
Calla looked up at her brother, seeing how the dark rings had subsided from under his eyes. He looked…happy.
“Please,” she said, trying to sit up so she could look strong for both of them. “Please, I need an alpha. I…I don’t want to die.”
“I’m not going to let you die,” Talon promised. The alpha moved closer to the edge of the bed. He held out his hand, waiting for Calla to accept it. She didn’t hesitate to reach out for the only male that could save her life.
“I can’t stand, alpha,” she cried, her voice cracking as she licked her dry lips.
“I’ll hold you,” Malaki promised, sliding his arm behind her shoulders so he could stand next to her, giving Calla the strength she needed.
“Calla Marshall,” Talon began, his canines growing thick in his mouth. “Take the blood of my pride and you will be one of us. Refuse and you will die. I will honor your place in my pride and protect you as you will be one of my blood.” The alpha scored his wrists and held it up to her lips. She leaned forward and lapped at the drops of blood that had welled up on his skin. As soon as the blood hit her system, Calla’s panther lunged forward, causing her human body to jerk in her brother’s arms.
“Calla?” Malaki gasped.
“Let her go, carefully,” Talon warned, taking a small step back. “She needs to shift. Let her go.”
There was a shout for a female as Calla’s body fell to the floor. Several women rushed into the room, shoving the men outside. She knew what was happening and was thankful the alpha knew too. Even though their kind didn’t have an aversion to nudity, Calla was going to need this first shift to not be so public.
The females pulled at her clothes, warm, soft hands petting her back. Fur sprouted along her human skin, her paws flexed as sharp claws emerged. Calla’s panther yowled loudly as her tail lengthened from the base of her spine.
“Talon,” one woman called out behind her, but the panther didn’t care. She wanted out of this confined room…she needed to run.
A huff reached her ears and the sound of claws scratching sent the women scrambling for the door. When the way cleared for her, the panther realized that her brother had shifted and was standing next to an unknown male. That panther was huge, easily four times her size.
Calla’s panther relaxed when their new alpha’s power registered, wrapping around her body in a magical dance only one as dominant as Talon Shaw could emit. Malaki’s panther moved forward and nudged her flank, telling her it was time to go.
She hesitantly followed the alpha out of the room and down the stairs, her brother taking up the rear. As soon as the door leading to the outside world opened, Calla’s panther roared with the sound of freedom…and she ran for the first time in months.
Winter had left Nova an hour before, posting Savage at the bar until Drake could come hang out after dark. The panthers were going on a hunt and just the thought of them getting hurt on her behalf made Nova feel even guiltier for not listening to Winter when he’d raised hell about her dating Perry.
She shuffled around the bar, refilling the coolers with bottles of beer. Cole skirted around her, setting a mixed drink in front of one of their regular customers. Luke, the other bartender, was helping clear some tables.
“You oaky?” Savage asked, taking a sip of his whiskey. He raised a brow when she shook her head. Nova really didn’t want to voice her concerns to anyone but her sister or Winter, and from the looks of it, she was going to have to get her information from Liberty.
“Not really,” she sighed, tapping the side of her head with a pen she held between her thumb and forefinger. “Got a lot of stuff going on up here.”
“Ahh,” he said, standing up and walking toward her. “Drake will be here soon. If you need me, you know how to get in touch.”
“Just watch over Winter for me,” she urged.
“Will do, sugar.” He winked, looking over his shoulder as the sound of spurs reached his ears. It wasn’t but a few seconds until Drake came in, looking larger than life.
“Little lady!” He smiled, just the corner of his
mouth lifting in a naughty smirk. “I’m here to keep an eye on you again. Where’s my beer?”
“Over here,” she chuckled. Nova had never seen a man put down as much beer as Drake did and she was secretly hoping this babysitting job would be over soon, not because she didn’t like Drake, but because he was going to put her in the red with all of the beer he’d been downing on the house.
“Thanks, doll.” He winked again, taking his usual seat at the bar.
“I’ve got to make some calls,” Nova said, looking for an excuse to slip away from the big bear. “After that, I’m going back to Winter’s place.”
“Let me know when you are ready to leave,” he grunted, obviously sad that his free beer tap would be cut off before the night even got started.
Nova locked her office door, then grabbed her phone and made the call. Liberty answered on the first ring. “Everything okay at the bar?”
“Yes,” Nova sighed. “I need to talk to you.”
“About?” Liberty pressed.
“I need to talk to you about the change,” Nova announced, taking a deep breath.
“Um,” Liberty paused. “Why?”
“He touched me,” Nova smiled. “We’re mates, but he won’t tell me anything other than that he marked me. Liberty, I know there is more, but he clams up when I mention it.”
“Men,” Liberty grumbled. “Talon changes the subject when I ask him about the three days missing from my memories of my change.”
“They wouldn’t let me see you because the Guardians said you weren’t safe right after the change…that you had to adjust.”
“Something’s fishy,” Liberty said. “When are you leaving the bar?”
“I was thinking about leaving here soon,” she replied. “Cole said he’d close up tonight.”
“Come over as soon as you get home,” her sister said.
“Okay,” Nova said, hanging up and placing her head in her hands.
Whatever he wasn’t telling her, she was sure that Liberty would find the answers. Obviously, her sister had some unanswered questions. Nova was sure that between the two of them, they could get one of those stubborn panthers to talk.
Nova worked for another hour before she couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed her purse. Drake grunted as she walked up to him. “You’re ready to go already?”
“Sorry, Drake,” she smiled.
“Let’s get you home,” he sighed. “I gotta get back to the den anyway.”
“Den?” Nova frowned, wondering what the hell he was talking about, but then mentally slapped herself. Den, meaning his home.
“Home, little lady,” he smirked. “Got shit to do.”
“Okay,” she chuckled, letting Drake lead her out to his big ass truck. She had to climb to reach the seat, but he just hopped, landing in the seat.
After Drake had taken his leave at Winter’s doorstep, Nova set her purse down and turned to leave, heading for the main house so she could speak to Liberty. As soon as she knocked, the door was opened and her sister stood there, worry etching her brow, but she didn’t say anything as Nova walked inside.
“Let’s go into Talon’s office,” Liberty suggested. “It’s private in there.”
As soon as Liberty closed the door, Nova nodded toward the lock. She didn’t want anyone walking in on their conversation. Liberty obliged and took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of her mate’s desk. Nova took the other.
“What do you know about being changed into one of them?” Nova asked.
“Well,” Liberty paused, gathering her thoughts. “I was told that to be able to bear young, I would have to be one of them. At the time, I was okay to wait, because I didn’t know much about being a shifter.”
“What about the mark on Talon’s neck?” Nova asked, smiling when her sister blushed.
“I had to mark him with my teeth…my panther teeth,” she answered, fidgeting a little. “They have a certain way they make the mating official, Nova. It’s strange…I mean, they can mark you once their animal knows you are theirs, but to seal the deal, you have to mark Winter, and you can’t do that until you are one of them…us.”
“Do you like being one of them?” Nova asked, needing answers.
“It’s different, but not bad.” Liberty shrugged. “It’s very strange at first, learning to accept this thing inside you, taking up space in your head and body. When my panther gets agitated, I can feel her. It’s like I’m being pushed from the inside out. In the beginning, that first shift…it hurt, a lot.”
“How bad?” Nova pushed.
“I was miserable, but after that, it got easier,” Liberty replied, leaning forward in her chair. “But what I still don’t have answers for was why I was out of it for three whole days, Nova. No one told me anything.”
“I was told to stay away until you healed.” Nova frowned. “They said that you weren’t safe to be around until you had control over your panther.”
“I had control over her when I woke up,” she cursed. “I wasn’t a threat!”
“Someone isn’t telling us everything,” Nova mused.
Knock! Knock!
“Liberty?” Talon’s voice boomed. “Open the door! Are you okay?”
“Damn,” Liberty gasped, rushing for the door. She unlocked it and pulled it open wide. Her mate stood there larger than life. “Sorry, we were using your office for privacy.”
“Okay,” Talon said, looking a little uncomfortable. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Nova said, standing from her seat. “I want you to tell me what happened to my sister during the three days she was changing and healing from her attack, Talon.”
“Ah,” he paused, wiping a hand down his face. “Damn.”
“There’s something Winter is keeping from me,” Nova said, gritting her teeth. “He marked me, but won’t tell me anything else. I know there’s more, Talon. Liberty has no memories for three days after her rescue. It’s time you come clean.”
“Sit,” he ordered, nodding toward the chairs they’d already occupied. Nova and Liberty shared a look and took their seats.
“This is very hard for me to talk about.” Talon cleared his throat, looking down at his desk.
“Talon,” Liberty started, but when her mate’s eyes raised, they were glowing.
“When,” he began, then choked up, a lethal rumble coming from his chest. “When I found you, my mate, you were almost dead. They’d touched your skin…the skin that was mine to protect from harm. They’d treated you like a punching bag. They kicked you and ripped your clothes as if you were nothing…no one. You were incoherent, mumbling things I couldn’t understand, and then you opened your mouth. Blood poured out and that’s when I knew you were dying.”
“Oh, God,” Nova gasped. No one had told her the extent of her sister’s injuries.
“Our healer walked me through giving you my blood…to change you into what I am,” he replied, his upper lip tilting up into a snarl. “I didn’t think you were going to make it…and then…then you started screaming.”
“What?” both women barked.
“The change is painful,” he answered. “Extremely painful, but you were already somewhat comatose. Harold gave you sedatives so you wouldn’t hurt, but you continued to scream. I had to be removed from the room after the first day because I was losing my mind. My Guardians held me up when my world was crumbling around me, seeing and hearing you in so much pain. My only relief was that when you woke up, you didn’t remember anything.”
“So, this is why he won’t change me?” Nova asked, her voice nothing but a whisper.
“Seeing our mates in pain will drive us insane,” Talon admitted. “Winter doesn’t want to be the cause of pain for you.”
“Then I’ll take that decision away from him,” Nova snarled. “Talon, I want you to change me.”
“No,” Talon said, shaking his head. “I will not do that without Winter’s consent.”
“Excuse me?” Nova barked, her head throbbing from
the force of her outburst. “This isn’t his decision. It’s mine.”
“Nova,” Liberty warned, but Nova slashed her hand through the air to stop her sister from interfering.
“No, Liberty,” she cursed. “You know what? Never mind.”
Nova stormed out of the office and down the hallway, ignoring the stares of the few pride members that were milling about the alpha’s home. She quietly left and stomped off toward Winter’s home, but when she got there, she was too angry to go inside.
Instead, she reached inside the door, grabbing her purse and keys. She didn’t think of her own safety as she climbed into her car and drove off the pride’s secured land. No one stopped her, but an old white truck waited down the road for the chance to find Nova Raines alone…and unprotected.
Chapter Thirteen
“What the fuck do you mean ‘she’s gone’?” Winter raged into the phone. His panther was on edge.
“She knows, Winter, and she left the pride house upset…mad,” Talon replied. “One of the teenagers saw her leaving and called me right away because he knew you were out hunting for Perry.”
“I’m calling her,” Winter snarled, tightening his fist around the steering wheel of his truck. His mate was missing…possibly in the hands of her attacker. She could be hurt again, but this time it would be worse. Perry’s touch alone could bring her pain. A deadly snarl left his lips as he dialed her number, cursing when she didn’t answer. He called the only other Guardian who was in the area of the pride’s land.
“Dane, she’s gone,” he barked into the phone. He was backtracking from the home where they’d killed the pack of wolves, hoping to find that son of a bitch somewhere along the way. He’d just disappeared…vanished into thin air.
“We are just crossing the county line, heading toward the pride,” Dane announced. “We will keep an eye out for her.”
Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) Page 11
