by Marla Monroe
Chapter Nine
One minute she was stepping into the shower with a very naked Beau, trying not to scratch him with her claws, and the next she was gasping with Beau holding her against his chest telling her to relax and breathe.
“W–what just happened?” she asked then noticed she had her hands back.
“You started hyperventilating when your hands morphed back to normal again. How do you feel now?” Beau asked her.
“Okay, I think. I don’t remember it. Did it take very long? Was I hurting?” She had no idea why she hadn’t known what was going on. She’d kind of known when it had originally happened, and she hadn’t freaked out over it at the time either.
“It only took a few seconds, and you didn’t seem to be in any pain, but it must have felt odd because you started having trouble catching your breath. Are you sure you feel okay?” Beau seemed to be a little shaken up, as well.
“I’m fine now. Sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out. I sure hope that doesn’t happen again.” Something deep inside of her warned that it would.
She looked down at her hands and shook them experimentally to see if they felt any different, but nothing felt odd or weird. Shrugging, she smiled up at Beau.
“Looks like I can shower on my own now if you want to get out and do something else.”
“Hell no. I like what I’m doing just fine, boo. It pleases me to bathe you and make sure you don fall in the shower. Gaston would declaw me if I let you get hurt. Non, Shayla. I’m happy where I am.” Beau’s wide grin set her heart leaping once again. His smile was not only engaging but also addictive. She wanted to bask in the warmth of it.
She slapped at his hands when he lost sight of bathing her to tease and torment her instead. His hands found every ticklish spot she had and every erogenous zone she didn’t know she had. It didn’t take long for the shower to turn into something more as Beau sucked and nipped at her nipples while his fingers did wicked things to her pussy and clit. Soon her moans echoed in the overly large shower as her arousal blossomed into a full-fledged inferno, just waiting for the right touch to send her exploding into climax.
“You taste like a glass of wine on a hot day, boo. You go to my head just as quick. I want to watch you come for me. Let it go, beb. Fly for me.” Beau’s heated, gruff words combined with the slight pinch to her clit drew a scream from her even as she went up on tiptoes with the explosion of her orgasm.
It seemed to go on forever, and at the same time, it was over too soon. She collapsed against Beau’s broad chest with a contented sigh. If it weren’t for him holding her up, she’d have slid right to the floor. Even now, her butt cheeks ached from squeezing so tightly when she came. That sure as hell had never happened to her before either.
Beau chuckled as he held her up while he rinsed her free of the soap he’d covered her with using his bare hands as the cloth.
“You’re like a person who’s chockay, drunk from cheap wine.”
She frowned and growled at him. They both froze at the sound that came out.
“Do that again, Shayla,” Beau said.
“Did I just growl?” she asked, her eyes snapping open again.
“Oui, cher. You did. Do it again.”
“No. I don’t want to growl.” She pouted even though she knew it was childish and silly.
Beau only chuckled and helped her out of the shower then gently dried her off. He was careful of the bandage on her shoulder then got a strange look on his face and turned her around toward the mirror. The next thing she knew, he’d removed the bandage.
“What does it look like?” she asked.
“It’s healed. All that is left is a fading redness and a slight scar that may still fade. You’ve healed nearly as fast as a shifter would have.” Beau turned her back around and kissed her on the nose. “We need to get you dressed and…” Her stomach growled, interrupting him.
“Feed me,” Shayla finished for him.
“Yes. Whatever made that terrible noise has me a little worried. I think I will definitely feed you, next.” Beau grinned down at her as he guided her into the bedroom.
They argued about underwear, but Shayla won with a superior grin.
“It’s a waste of time. Instead of only two or three things we will need to remove, there are four or five now. What is wrong with not wearing them?” he asked with a scowl.
“Number one, my boobs will bounce around, and number two, it shows when I don’t have on underwear,” she said.
“What is da point, boo?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows.
She wanted to scream in frustration. Instead, another of those not-so-amusing growls came out. While she frowned at it, Beau grinned and tugged on her hand to get her moving again. What was with the noise? She’d never growled before. Why all of a sudden was she growing fur and pointy things and growling? It had to be because of something they had done. She couldn’t think of anything else it might be.
When they walked into the living area, Gaston was just emerging from the back. She hadn’t been back there and wondered what was in that direction. From the look in his eyes, he wasn’t exactly happy. She wondered if he resented the fact that she’d spent all that time in the shower with Beau. She started to say something but thought better of it. If she did decide to stay there with them, she would have to trust that they really were fine with sharing her. They would need to work that part out. She couldn’t make either of them change in that respect.
“What is it, frère?” Beau asked as he squeezed her hand in reassurance.
Gaston looked from his brother to her and sighed. “They found the three guards we left. They were sound asleep and hard to wake up deep in the woods. They don’t remember anything and are still acting like they had been drinking when alcohol doesn’t last long enough in our systems to get drunk.”
Beau swore in that lilting Cajun voice he had. She loved hearing them talk, but right then, something serious was going on. What had happened to them that they wouldn’t remember it? Had the females drugged them so they wouldn’t be around when they attacked? If so, how had they been able to get the three of them out into the woods? They were big, heavy panthers. Sure the females would be stronger than Shayla, but still.
“There’s more,” Gaston said. “There were no footprints around where they were on the ground. The area is wet and should have left nice, easy-to-identify-and-follow prints, but the guards’ were the only ones found.”
“This stinks of magic,” Beau said. “Do you think the wolves hired a witch so they could attack?”
“Why would they? No one knows that Shayla is here. They would have no reason to want her dead when they don’t know about her.” Gaston ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”
“Those female panthers sure knew I was here. What’s to say someone in your, um, pride didn’t let it slip to the wolves or anyone else for that matter?” She really didn’t like the idea that anyone, much less a witch, wanted her dead for some reason. What had she ever done to them?
“What about the attack?” Beau asked.
“I’m on my way to talk to them now. I don’t want them back in our home.” He didn’t look happy about leaving.
“They have to be punished, Gaston. If they had killed her, they would be eliminated. They need to know we won’t allow anything to happen to our mate,” Beau said. His voice had gotten deeper as he all but growled the last part.
“I know, but first I want to know how they knew she was here and why they thought killing her would help them when they had to know we would have smelled them in the house. It doesn’t make sense.” Gaston started to turn away.
“Gaston. Nothing makes sense anymore. Something tells me that everything is tied together—my shifting hands, my healing so quickly, their attack, and the guards’ walking away to take a nap. Maybe the females weren’t acting on their own,” she said.
“Are you taking up for them? They could have killed you, would have if you hadn’t been able to shif
t your hands to protect yourself,” Gaston said in a much louder voice.
“Not taking up for them really, just saying that there could be more to this than what is obvious right away. I just don’t want you to choose to discipline them and find out later that it wasn’t their fault. Your brother has already said it smells like magic. I agree.” She waited, holding her breath, to see what he would think of what she was saying. She knew she was right. Something told her that it was the right explanation, and for the first time in a long time, she just knew what had happened.
“I’ll keep that in mind, cher. I’m not making any promises. Their attitude will go a long way in what their punishment will be. I will not have any of my cats disobeying orders or harming what is mine, and you, Shayla, are mine and my brother’s mate. A mate is sacred even if she isn’t the mate of a LeRoy. It just won’t be tolerated.” With that, he continued through the door, letting it slam behind him.
“Now I feed you.” Beau tugged on her hand until she followed him into the kitchen.
He wouldn’t let her help as he made several sandwiches and opened a bag of potato chips. As they sat at the table eating, Shayla couldn’t stop her mind from turning over everything in her head. She couldn’t help but wonder how much she had changed since arriving in New Orleans. She remembered being timid and afraid of the world around her. She even remembered how she didn’t leave her home except when she absolutely had to. But now, she felt like before the attack, only she couldn’t really remember much about before to know if she was just making it up. It was driving her crazy trying to figure it out. It was like convoluted circles that you couldn’t really see where they changed colors, but you knew they did.
“Stop thinking about it so hard. I can hear the gears in your head turning faster than a hamster on an exercise wheel. He runs till he drops, and you’ll end up doing the same thing. So leave it be until Gaston brings back more news. Eat, boo. You are losing weight on us.”
That made her laugh. “I’m most definitely not losing weight. You need your eyes checked.” She still laughed at him despite how absurd that sounded.
“I happen to love your curves very much, t‘chat, little cat. In fact, I’m already picturing you on all fours with that sweet ass in the air.” He leaned over and kissed her soundly on the lips before refilling her glass.
“I don’t understand this mate thing, Beau. Don’t you resent that you don’t get to pick the one you want? What about sharing with your brother? Don’t you really want a woman of your own?” It had been bugging her ever since they’d told her she was their mate.
Beau sat down again and took both of her hands in his. “Shayla, you are the one for us. There’s no doubt in our minds. The instant we smelled your unique scent, our cats were already half in love with you. It’s better than the human way of falling in love and believing it is the perfect match when five or ten years down the road they end up divorced.”
“So you’re saying that there’s never any problems with mates? They don’t split up—ever?”
“No, there are always problems in any mating, but they are worked through. But they never split up. Mates are for life, and our lives are very, very long, boo.”
She snapped her head up from looking down at her plate. “How long? I mean, I thought you and your brother were about thirty-five or so. Are you telling me you’re older than that?”
“Gaston is seventy-five, and I’m seventy-two. We can live to be as old as two hundred and some change, but with so much going on, it’s not often someone lives to that age anymore.” His sad frown pulled at her heart. She was sure he was thinking about his parents.
“Then this thing between us won’t work, Beau. I’m human. I won’t live as long as the two of you. Besides, I’m only thirty-four. I can’t date men who are over twice my age. That’s just not right.” She faked a shiver and stuck her tongue out.
“Oui, love, you can. You won’t find two men on this earth who will love and cherish you as much as us. And your age isn’t an issue. Once we complete the mating and bite you, an enzyme in our saliva will transfer our DNA to you. It won’t turn you into a shifter if you aren’t already one, but it will give you longevity and speed up your healing, though you don’t seem to need help with that.”
She had heard him say love and wondered if he just said it as part of his argument or if he meant it. They hadn’t really said anything like that before. She couldn’t help but wonder if they could truly love someone they didn’t choose from the beginning. They knew nothing about each other. It just seemed too far-fetched to her to be real.
So did things like vampires, shifters, demons, and other things that go bump in the night. I need to step back and really think about this. If I decide to stay with them, my entire life will change. Is that what I want? What will my life be like here if I stay?
They were all good things to think about. She needed answers, and already Beau hadn’t answered one of her questions. Had he just forgotten it or purposefully ignored it. It was a major point she needed to know now before things went any farther. It was also one she needed to ask the men separately.
“You didn’t answer my other question, Beau,” she said, studying his face.
His brows burred together as he seemed to be thinking and trying to remember. Then he nodded and smiled.
“Sorry. I forgot. I wanted to make sure you understood that the age difference isn’t an issue, and neither is your lifespan because it will be the same as ours.” He stopped and took a breath. “There’s nothing I would love more than to have you all to myself, but this is much better for all of us. I know my brother will love and care for you as the most important thing in his life. He knows I will do the same thing. When one of us is busy with the pride, the other will always be close to you. We’ll be able to keep you safer together than either one of us could have separately. Your happiness and safety are the most important things to me. I would do anything to guarantee that, even sharing you with my brother so that I am assured you will always have one of us by your side.”
She just sat there for a second letting that sink in. He was serious. She hadn’t really seen that until now. He really did want the best for her. He wanted it so much he would share her to insure that. It humbled her that anyone would feel that much for her, and she had two men who cherished her like that. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept of someone having that much love for another person.
“I don’t know what to say. I would have never in a thousand years imagined someone would care about me that much,” she said.
“Believe it, boo. You are our world, and we will do whatever it takes to take care of you.”
“Are you saying that you love me? Do you really mean all of that?” she asked.
Beau leaned closer and kissed just behind her ear then down her neck before answering. “I will speak only for myself, though I know my brother feels the same way. I love you, Shayla. I fell in love with you when you jumped on that demon’s back to help me. No one other than my brother would have done that. Not even the majority of our pride would have been brave enough to attack a demon.” He brushed the tip of her nose with a finger.
“Um, I think if I had known what was going on, you might have been on your own,” she said with a shiver.
He just smiled. “I don’t think so. You are that kind of person. You gave freely of yourself, and because of that, I knew you to be a good person. I couldn’t help falling for you.”
“And you won’t get jealous of your brother? Even if we, um, were to get intimate without you?” she asked.
“Did Gaston act upset after we’d had fun in the shower earlier? There will be times when it will be just the two of us and times when it will be just you and Gaston. There’s no secret board where we have to keep tabs on who’s been with you the most. All that matters is that you are happy.” He seemed so sincere that Shayla was starting to believe him. Still, she needed to talk to Gaston, as well.
“St
op worrying about it for now, boo. Let’s find out what is going on. The rest can wait for now.” He began gathering their dishes. She jumped up to help, but he waved her away. “Go sit in the living room. I’ll be done in a second. That’s what dishwashers are for.”
She laughed and left him to it to walk into the other room. She hoped Gaston would be back soon. She wanted to know what was going on. Why had the female shifters attacked her? If their pride was going to hate and resent her, it would only make things more difficult for the guys. She didn’t want them to always be on their guard or lose the support and respect of the pride. It would kill something inside of them, and that would hurt her.
It wasn’t long before Beau joined her on the couch. He entertained her with stories about their past when he and Gaston had gotten into trouble all the time for everything from peeking when the female shifters were naked just before their change, to sneaking out at night to hunt on their own. She laughed with him as he regaled her with story after story.
“What about you? What sort of trouble did you get into as a child?” he asked.
She frowned, trying to remember her past. It all seemed hazy, but she remembered her parents taking her to the zoo and the museums. She didn’t remember ever really doing anything that would get her into trouble. That came later in life when she was nearly an adult.
“I didn’t explore my disobedient side until I was seventeen and eighteen. That’s when I would sneak out with friends to go to the movies or to a club. I rarely got caught, though. My parents were older and went to bed early, and not much woke them up.” She shrugged. “I didn’t really have a very interesting life like you and Gaston.”
