Stalking His Mate: League Of Gallize Shifters

by Dianna Love

  She gave him a flat stare. “Why ask me when you know the answer?”

  Yep, she was skittish and not ready to trust him, especially after that trick question. He admitted, “To see if you’d tell me the truth and find out if ... you’re a healer.”

  She turned to stare at the electronics and files piled between them and the wall separating the cargo area from the driver. She wouldn’t look at him for a while.

  He waited as patiently as Ferrell stalking dinner.

  When she finally turned to face him again, she sounded despondent. “I told you I’m not a healer. I have no idea where this power came from, but it’s not safe.”

  To her credit, she kept warning him about her power, but he hadn’t sensed any threat when they’d touched. Just the opposite.

  He leaned forward, propping one hand on his knee and dropping his other one to gently squeeze the aching leg. “I don’t know that it’s dangerous to everyone. It didn’t harm me.” He debated on how much to say, but … he was in deep water with the Guardian, his jaguar could be dying and he was staring at the one person who might be able to help him.

  His jaguar had calmed around her for some reason, too.

  Rory might be making a mistake, but he took a leap of faith and told her, “In fact, your touch healed a wound I received during our first encounter.”

  Her mouth fell open, an honest reaction. She snapped her lips closed and asked, “How ... I don’t ... how do you know my energy healed your wound?”

  “If you’ll recall, you saw my shoulder get ripped open and I hadn’t shifted. When your fingers touched my damaged shoulder, I felt your power rush into me and start mending it. The minute you pulled away, my shoulder healing slowed, and it stopped completely the next day.”

  Her eyes widened with surprise. “Really? What about now?”

  He shrugged. “It’s getting there.”

  Talking to her about this went against every belief he had to never admit a weakness to anyone, but he’d carried his secrets for the longest time.

  Where had that gotten him?

  The Guardian believed he was killing his animal.

  Rory had no idea if he was doing the right thing by telling a stranger, but he could feel his life force dwindling. He’d ignored it for too long.

  She had no reason to trust him, but she had once. If she would again, he had a feeling he could find his way out of the mess he and his jaguar were in.

  Could a nymph repair him beyond what his Guardian had accomplished?

  She chewed on her lip again, but this time she seemed to be considering something and said, “I felt your power, too. It was ... huge, strong. I’ve seen jackal shifters heal fast and I never got the sense that they were as powerful as you.”

  There was a new snippet of information.

  Where had she been around jackal shifters to observe them?

  She was starting to give him tiny bits of truth, which he interpreted as tiny steps toward trusting. His instincts said this was huge for a woman on the run, and that he needed to move ahead carefully.

  He let the topic of jackal shifters be for now and answered her. “I am more powerful than most shifters when entirely healthy, but there is no absolute rule for any shifter.” That sounded better than admitting he and his jaguar couldn’t fix this problem. “My boss is a powerful healer. He worked on my leg and it’s on the mend.”

  Lie, Ferrell sniped at him.

  Now his jaguar wanted to use words?

  Mate heal.

  Rory sent back, I’m trying to fix whatever is wrong with us, but she is not our mate.

  His jaguar remained quiet, and felt withdrawn. Not a good sign.

  Ferrell didn’t even send him a bloody image. That was actually a bad sign. Was his animal giving up on them? What the hell had Rory done to fuck this up so badly?

  Siofra’s gaze dropped to the leg he’d been rubbing. He lifted his hand away, a kneejerk reaction to anyone noticing him in a weakened state.

  Ridiculous action, considering he’d already admitted the wound was not healed.

  She stood up with her hand on the back door and leaned over to keep from hitting the roof. The hospital gown hung on her like a sack.

  He went on immediate alert.

  Was she about to jump, thinking he wouldn’t go after her with a damaged leg? If so, she was very mistaken.

  No, she squatted down and leaned forward on her knees, then reached out to touch his leg. She paused at the last second, staring at his black fatigues, and looked up with big eyes. “Can I see it?”

  His heart thundered in his chest.

  He wanted her to touch him in the worst way and not just to heal his leg. That was just plain strange. He shook off the crazy thought and focused again.

  She was still waiting for his answer.

  “Sure. You can see it, but I warn you it’s not a pretty sight.” He pulled up the pants leg until he revealed the hideous collage of raw muscle, bones and skin trying to regenerate.

  She cringed, but to her credit she didn’t throw up.

  He wouldn’t take any drugs to dull the throbbing out of fear it would slow his healing even more. Based on what the Guardian had done, his leg should have mended more by now.

  The sadness in her eyes touched him in a way that few things did. He didn’t want her pity, though. He’d closed off his emotions years ago to survive being a Gallize shifter after losing his brother and ultimately his family.

  She barely spoke. “You really think I can heal this? I’d like to do that for you, but I’m not sure I know how.”

  No one got through to him, really deep inside him, but the genuine concern in her voice woke his heart with a jolt.

  He admitted, “I don’t know, but I’m willing to try ... if you are.”

  She reached out again, but pulled back.

  His heart dove to his feet. “You don’t have to,” he said, letting her off the hook.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I have no control over this power. Sometimes it doesn’t show up at all and other times it’s been ... deadly. I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially you.”

  The truth poured through her heartfelt words.

  His jaguar hummed. Rory’s pulse skyrocketed when she said “especially you.” “When you say deadly, do you mean that jackal you killed with your hands?”

  “It was an accident!” she said in a pleading voice as if she needed someone to believe her. Her face crumbled. “They were both accidents.”

  “Both?” he asked softly.

  She covered her mouth and her eyes welled with tears. When she spoke, her words were thick with emotion. She shook her head slowly as she stared straight ahead, lost in some memory, but kept talking as if on autoplay. “I ... I didn’t even know I could do it, but the first one ... he was ... a jackal ... bigger, stronger ... ” She cupped her throat, a movement of fear, and kept staring with unfocused eyes. “I tried to get away, but he had me down and ... ” Pausing, she swallowed a choking sound. “ ... he ripped my clothes and ... I could feel energy in my feet, then my legs and ... then he tore my pants and I panicked.” Her voice went up to that of a child in distress. “I don’t know. I grabbed his arms and ... the power just ... shocked his body and he ... ” Tears ran down her face, but she was too locked in her nightmare to realize anything but the horror she relived.

  She moaned in terror.

  Shit. He reached down and picked her up under her arms, lifting her across his lap. He pulled her close and held her against his chest, rocking her. “Shh. It’s okay. Sounds like he deserved whatever he got.” He kept her that way, holding her safely while she bawled her eyes out.

  This woman was no killer.

  She was a survivor in a world of preternatural monsters, a whole different level of predators from human ones.

  Rory had no idea what her power was all about, but he was damned glad it showed up in time to zap that piece-of-shit jackal.

  At least he hoped she’d stopped him before
he raped her.

  When her sobbing finally slowed down, she was sniffling and hiccupping at the same time. If it hadn’t been such a dire situation that had brought on this moment, he’d smile over how adorable she was when she had her claws pulled back and allowed him to hold her.

  She felt good in his arms.

  Too good.

  He should put her on the bench next to him.

  Not fucking happening.

  He paused at noticing his jaguar was still silent, but not withdrawn this time. No, this was different.

  Ferrell seemed ... peaceful.

  Was she healing his animal without any idea what she was doing?

  When she wiped the back of her hand across her nose, then on her hospital gown, he did chuckle.

  She lifted her swollen eyes to him. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What?” she repeated.

  He should have figured out by now she was persistent, if nothing else. “I like how comfortable you are right now. You’re pretty and sweet. A winning combination.”

  She looked at the hand she’d just wiped on her gown and rolled her eyes. “Not my best moment, but the only shower I’ve had was getting hosed down by the wolves so this rag is as good as a tissue.”

  He should have killed all the wolves.

  “Whoa,” she said, putting her hand on his chest. “What’s wrong? You’re squeezing the breath out of me.”

  “Sorry. Just ... I don’t like hearing about one more person abusing you.”

  She cocked her head, giving him a deep look. “Why? You don’t even know me.”

  “I don’t have to know a woman to not want her misused.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. She touched his cheek and her energy hummed against him.

  “You’re welcome. Did you stop that jackal before he ... ”

  “Did the deed?” she finished. “Yes, but I still don’t know how it happened. I have no idea how I killed the bounty hunter jackal who was attacking you, either, but ... I was trying to stop him from hurting you.”

  Did she think he was going to hold that against her? “I’m glad you did. Thank you for putting yourself at risk again, but I don’t want you hurt.”

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered. Letting out a deep sigh, she said, “Sorry for crying all over you. That’s been coming for a while, but I’m recovered from my pity party. I want to take another look at your leg.”

  She thought crying over almost being raped and killing two men unintentionally was having a pity party. Damn, had no one cut this woman any slack?

  He helped her to her feet and waited as she knelt again.

  When she positioned herself in front of his leg and wiped her face on her gown again, Rory lifted the pants leg once more.

  “That’s awful,” she said as if to herself.

  “I’ve had worse,” he admitted, but failed to add that it had been a long time ago when he was learning to control his jaguar.

  “Ready for me to try to touch you?”

  He put a finger under her chin and lifted so she would face him. “Only if you want to try this. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t choose to do. Before you do, I need you to know that I still have to deliver you to our boss, because we made an agreement with the woman who sent us to rescue you. She protects shifters and is taking care of all those women and children we saved from the bounty hunters. She’s the one who was adamant about finding you.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Whether your touch fixes any of my leg or not, I can’t just let you go. To be completely honest, I would have a difficult time knowing you were out there alone and being hunted, but I have orders to take you in. No one will hurt you there. We all want to help you, but I won’t let you do this and not know everything.”

  “Are you trying to talk me out of testing my energy to heal you?” she asked, with a twinkle in her unusual eyes.

  “No. Maybe, hell I don’t know.” He dropped his hand from her chin. “I’ve never had to ask anyone outside of our group for anything. I just don’t want to be one more man taking advantage of you.”

  She listened quietly and some understanding dawned in her face. She murmured, “Not like the others.”

  He asked, “What?”

  Brushing away whatever she’d realized, she nodded. “I understand what you’re saying. Thanks for being honest with me, but I still want to try if you’re sure you want to be my guinea pig.” She gave him a crooked smile.

  His heart did a double backflip. He was in far more danger from that smile than he was from her energy.

  “I’m willing. I know you have concerns about your power, Siofra, but you can’t hurt me. I’m hard to kill.”

  She flinched at the last word and he regretted going that far, but he didn’t talk to women a lot. He could make them happy as hell in bed, but not with his words.

  Talking always got him in trouble.

  He’d pointed out all the potential negatives, so he gave her the positive. “Your power has already touched me and didn’t harm me those times.”

  “There is that, but I don’t even know if it will show up again,” she murmured.

  “I understand.” After all this woman had been through, he was amazed and humbled that she was willing to try to heal his leg even knowing he would still deliver her to his boss.

  She focused all her attention on his leg as if she were a surgeon. When she reached out this time, she carefully placed three fingers along the damaged calf.

  Heat and energy flooded his leg, shooting up into his body. The muscles and tendons tightened as if cinched down with a ratchet. The pain was excruciating. Far worse than what the Guardian had put him through.

  Ferrell howled and banged, fighting to get out. That energy was flooding him.

  Rory gripped the edge of the bench and banged his head back, moaning.

  Siofra’s voice came to him from a distance. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m not touching you. Rory, please don’t die. I’m sorry.”

  Shit, he’d gladly die right now. His leg felt as if claws were ripping it apart again and his head wanted to explode. His eyes rolled so far up in his head, everything went dark.

  His last thought was to ask her not to escape, but the words never made it to his lips.

  Chapter 14

  Siofra watched in horror as Rory shuddered, like Dyson had.

  No! This can’t be happening again.

  The van stopped and the driver’s door slammed. They were going to kill her the minute they saw Rory. She pleaded, “Rory, please don’t die. Please.”

  Maybe they should kill her and keep her from hurting anyone else. Rory had not been hurting her.

  He’d been kind and nice.

  How could she do this to him?

  The rear door opened and the man Rory had called Vic stood there with his jaw dropped. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn’t talk. “He ... he ... ”

  Rory stopped shuddering at that second and slumped, not moving.

  Vic reached in to touch Rory’s throat. Then he shook Rory. “Wake up, man.” Vic slapped his face. Still no response. “Shit. What happened?”

  She was too caught in her panic to think clearly and blurted out, “I don’t know.” She had no idea what went wrong. She’d wanted to do something good for Rory. Why had her power turned on him?

  Until those words left her lips, Vic had been giving her a concerned look equal to the one he gave Rory. “How can you not know? You were back here with him.”

  “I was trying to help him.”

  “Help? What the fuck did you do?”

  “I don’t know,” she shouted as tears ran down her face. “I just touched his leg ... ”

  “Rory was conscious when I closed this door, now he’s not. I can’t smell a lie, but he’s out cold and all I’m hearing is you touched him. What are you?”

  She flinched as if he’d struck her. What are you?
<
br />   A monster?

  Vic spoke into his comm unit. “Justin! I just found Rory unconscious. This bitch used some power on him and his pulse is thready.”

  She couldn’t argue, because she had used her power.

  “Got it,” Vic said, then looked at her. “Put your hands where I can see them. Make one wrong move and I’ll cut them both off before you take another breath.”

  She slowly put her hands out, not taking her eyes off of Rory. He was still breathing, but it was shallow breaths.

  Please don’t let that man die. Not that one.

  Vic whipped a pair of metal cuffs on her wrists then yanked her out of the van. She looked around, desperate for help on any front.

  The only person who had come to her aid was unconscious. Her fault.

  They’d parked close to what looked like one of those corporate-style helicopters she’d seen in magazines, the type that could hold a group. The rotors still turned slowly.

  A young man jumped out and hurried over, yelling, “Justin told me Rory’s in bad shape. I’m ready to power up the minute we get him on board.”

  Vic yanked her around by the cuffs and told the other guy, “Secure her in the cabin. I’ll bring Rory then we’re out of here. She looks meek, but she did something to him with her power, so be careful around her.”

  “Hell, Justin warned me, too. He interrogated one of the wolf shifters who said she’s working with the Black River pack,” the pilot said.

  She didn’t think Vic could look any more dangerous than when he’d discovered Rory, but he proved her wrong when he leaned close to her and said, “You hurt Hawk or any more of my brothers and you’ll wish you’d died yesterday.”

  Her heart sank at the anger boiling around her.

  She glanced at Rory’s pale face and closed eyes. He would help her. She knew it in her heart. He wouldn’t blame her for what happened, but ... she blamed herself. She’d known her power was deadly even if she hadn’t hurt him the first time they touched.

  She was never touching anyone again.

  She moved away from Vic and said, “I did not intentionally hurt Rory. It was an accident. Don’t touch my hands, because I will not be held responsible for anyone else getting hurt.”