Fuck. He needed a phone to call someone from his clan before he blacked out. No doubt one of the humans would have a cell phone.
As he turned and forced his heavy legs to move, he made it back inside the other room. But not two steps inside, all of a sudden, the room pitched beneath his feet, and Sean fell to his hands and knees.
He took a second to breathe in and out before trying to stand up again, but he experienced the same pitching sensation. On his third attempt, he said fuck it, and made his way over to the human female on the floor on his hands and knees. He quickly patted down her pockets, but he came up with nothing.
Shit. As his head started to pound in addition to the blurred vision and weird sense of balance, he pushed his body to move toward the other human. If he couldn’t reach out to his clan, he wouldn’t be able to help Lauren. She’d been drawn into this mess because of him. He wasn’t about to abandon her.
Even if it took his last breath to find a way to save her, he’d do it.
He made it to the other human, but his balance went even more off-kilter, and he fell onto his stomach. Before he lost complete use of his arms, he reached out and felt the man’s right pocket. Nothing. Please let there be a phone in the other pocket.
His strength was waning, but he inched over the man to feel the other side. His vision spotted as he felt around, but there was no rectangular object in the pocket. Fuck. He had no phone. There was no way to reach out to his clan, let alone Lauren. She would think he had abandoned her.
That thought made his heart squeeze. Even if he were dying right now, and he very well might be, that paled in comparison to the shame of failing his female. He’d been too cocky. Sean should’ve warned her and asked for his clan’s help before this.
As his consciousness faded, all he could think about was how he’d fucked up for the sake of his pride instead of doing what was best for his female. Maybe it would be a good thing if he were dying because then she’d be free to find someone worthy of her.
He conjured up an image of her beautiful, deep brown face and warm brown eyes before he finally succumbed to the darkness.
Chapter Six
Tapping her fingers against her leg, Lauren wondered what was taking so long. Their first location had been nothing more than an empty, abandoned warehouse. If Human Purity had once used it as a base, it’d been at least a few months since they’d stepped foot inside it.
Even with their first location a bust, Sy and his team were fairly confident about Sean being in the single-story building right outside the van. She hoped so. Her heart squeezed at the thought of spending weeks, months, or even years wondering if Sean were alive or dead. How would she move on without him?
Stop with the negativity, Lauren. Sean may still be alive.
She didn’t like relying on strangers for help, especially since everyone seemed to think Sylas Murray was like a superhero and had zero doubts that he’d find Sean. All of that self-confidence made Lauren uneasy. After all, it was best to always prepare for the worst. Which, in her case, could mean raising a baby without a father.
She stared down at her stomach and tears prickled her eyes. If Sean were dead, the baby would be all she would have left of him. As much as she would love the little him or her, she had no idea how to raise a half-shifter child. Hell, she didn’t even know if the child would be able to shift into a cougar.
When it came to shifters, all of Lauren’s education meant nothing. She felt like a child on her first day of school.
The voice of Dr. Lisa, who had asked her to just call her Lisa, interrupted her thoughts. “Sylas Murray saved our entire clan a few months ago. He’s got this, Lauren. If Sean is alive, he will find him.”
Lauren glanced over at the shifter woman. “I want to believe in him, but surely you’ve seen the videos Purity released in the past. They’ve refined their torture to make it last.”
“It’s sick, I agree. But while Sean is an engineer and spends most of his days inside an office, he had self-defense and combat training as a teenager. All shifters do, both male and female.”
“Even you?”
Lisa smiled. “Yes, even me. Although it’s been over a decade since I’ve used any of it. I spend most of my time in the lab. Of course, after this, I might have to get back into practice.”
In a normal situation, Lauren would be curious and ask more about what Lisa did for research. Or, ask about the shifter training and see if she could complete it too. Yet right now, she felt about as social as a worm. All she could think about was Sean.
The female shifter’s phone vibrated, and Lauren’s heart skipped a beat. “Is it Sy? What did he say?”
Rather than waste time answering her, Lisa stared at her phone and then typed something before looking back to Lauren. “They found him. Sean’s alive, but unconscious.”
A small thrill of joy rushed through her body, but as Lisa reached behind her for her doctor’s bag, Lauren had a feeling she hadn’t heard the whole truth. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Sy isn’t sure, but one of the wolves with him is a trained biological scientist, and he thinks they’ve drugged him with something.”
“Is it life threatening?”
“We don’t know. Whatever it was, it was absorbed through the skin.”
While part of Lauren appreciated the shifter’s honesty, her words made her stomach drop. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Not yet. First, we’ll have to transport him separately to make sure he’s not infected with anything airborne. If he’s cleared from airborne transmission, then until we get him somewhere safe and wash him off, you’re not to touch him without gloves, do you understand?”
She put out her hands. “Then give me some gloves.”
Lisa gave a half smile. “No whining and protesting. I like you more and more, human.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “There’s a lot about your kind I don’t know, and I’m not about to presume otherwise. My whining and weeping won’t help my man.”
“Just prepare yourself. As much as I admire your fortitude, it may slip when you see him.”
Lisa crawled between the seats to sit in the driver’s seat and a sense of panic built in Lauren’s stomach. “We’re leaving him?”
“My job is to get you to safety. Sy has things in hand and will move Sean to a secure location for testing.”
Curses were on the tip of her tongue, but Lauren resisted the urge. This shifter female was just trying to help her.
When she was sure she could talk normally, she said, “How long until I can see him?”
The doctor started the car. “I’m taking you to the same facility, albeit in a different wing. GreyFire Industries has a research facility we lease nearby. As soon as every test imaginable is run on your male, I’ll take you to him myself. While waiting, we can confirm your pregnancy as well.”
As Lisa pulled out onto the road, Lauren closed her eyes and sent good thoughts toward her shifter. At least she now knew he was alive. It was only a matter of time before she discovered for how long.
~~~
Five hours later, Lauren watched as yet another doctor entered the room on the other side of the observation window. Her fiancée lay on a table, unconscious in his cat form. His tan fur was matted, and his body was limp in a way that seemed “off”; he was far too still. Even when he slept in cat form, he’d move every once in a while, not unlike how domestic cats would make soft noises or twitch a paw in response to their dreams.
Yet for the last four or so hours she’d been allowed to watch, he hadn’t twitched once.
Clenching a fist in front of her heart, she tried not to cry. She’d been strong up until now, but her exhaustion from the ordeal and the now-confirmed pregnancy was pushing her closer and closer to her breaking point.
“Sean,” she whispered, “I need you.”
She knew it was selfish, but even just being in the same room as him would ease the fears that had been building minute by minute.
<
br /> The door behind her opened and she turned to see Lisa carrying a clipboard. Lauren didn’t miss a beat. “Well? Did they find anything?”
“No.”
“Does that mean I can go see him?”
For a second, Lisa stared at her and Lauren braced herself for another denial, but then the shifter female smiled, and hope bubbled in her chest. Lisa said, “You really do love him, don’t you?”
Giving her a look of irritation, she answered, “Of course I do. Now tell me if I can see Sean or not.”
“All right, all right. I do have good news and bad. The good news is that he doesn’t have anything that is airborne, which means you can see him.”
Lauren clapped her hands together. “Then let’s go.”
The doctor put up a hand. “Not just yet. You need to know that we’re still trying to pinpoint what’s wrong. So you’re wearing gloves until I give the all clear.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll wear a pink tutu if it means I get to be in the same room as Sean.”
Lisa gave her a long look before she nodded. “Okay, follow me.”
They walked down a utilitarian hallway with white walls and black and white tiles on the floor. After making three turns and entering through a door Lisa opened with a code, they stood in a small room with another observation window.
Sean was on the other side, much closer than from her previous vantage point, and was not more than fifteen feet away.
Blinking back tears, Lauren took the gloves offered her, put them on, and looked to Lisa. The other woman nodded, punched a code, and the door opened. She gestured with a hand. “Go talk to your future mate and convince him to wake up.”
Not needing any encouragement, Lauren rushed past the doctor and went straight to Sean’s side.
She reached out a hand and brushed the top of his head until she could scratch behind his ears as she said, “Sean, babe, it’s me. Christmas is almost over. Wake up, so I can tell you about your other present.”
Yet the cougar under her fingers remained both still and silent.
As she continued to stroke his head, his back, and his legs, she told him about waking up from the accident, calling his clan leader, and meeting the other shifters. Then she said, “So in case you haven’t noticed by now, I can handle your clan. Wake up for me, babe, and I’ll say yes to being your mate and move to DarkStalker’s land if you want. I think our children will do best there, surrounded by love.”
Beyond the rise and fall of his chest for breathing, Sean didn’t move. She wanted to kiss his cute pink and black nose since that had always been a surefire way to wake him up in the past, but she wouldn’t ignore Lisa’s warning about touching him. Instead, she bopped his nose with a gloved finger before pulling the nearby chair close and sitting down. She took Sean’s giant paw in her hands, and braced herself to wait.
~~~
Lauren had been dozing, but she was awake enough to register Lisa’s voice over the intercom. “Stay still, Lauren, and keep your eyes shut. Sean’s waking up and we don’t know what kind of state he’ll be in.”
It took everything she had to not open her eyes. If Sean’s animal half was in charge and wild like the others had warned her about, then making eye contact could be fatal. No, it was best to remain still and control her breathing until her next set of instructions.
Yet as the seconds ticked by, she grew nervous. If Sean were awake and conscious, he would’ve made some sort of noise to get her attention.
Come on, babe, say something.
But it wasn’t Sean’s meow she heard but rather Lisa’s voice again. “He’s staring at you and sniffing the air. Open your eyes slowly. If you see recognition in his eyes, let me know. Otherwise, talk to him in a soothing voice to try to get his human-half to recognize you and come to the forefront of his mind.”
Lisa hadn’t given her a reason not to trust her, so with a slow inhalation, Lauren opened her eyes. A pair of light-blue cougar eyes stared at her. Searching his eyes, there was no recognition there, just curiosity and confusion.
Remembering what Lisa had told her when confirming her pregnancy, Lauren had an idea as to why, so she said in a soothing voice, “Right now, you don’t know who I am, but my scent is confusing you because you can smell your own scent mixed with mine.” The cougar merely stared. Lauren forced aside her sadness at the love of her life not recognizing her and decided to push a little further. “Your scent is part of me because, Sean Fisher, I’m carrying your child.”
Sean in cougar-form tilted his head. He’s not convinced yet. “I’m going to raise my arm for you to get a better whiff, okay? Then you’ll really be able to smell the mixture of scents.”
Before Lisa could tell her not to do it, Lauren slowly raised her arm until it was about six inches from the cougar’s nose. Despite how much she believed in her shifter, her heart was racing. One of Lisa’s theories about the drug used on Sean was that it would chemically damage a shifter’s brain in such a way that only the animal side could take control.
Meaning, she might never get her man back.
No. She wasn’t about to give up just yet.
Her patience paid off as the cougar leaned closer and sniffed her arm. His nose even touched the sleeve of her shirt. Hopefully, the material would be enough to protect her just in case she could catch whatever Sean had.
The big cat sniffed up her arm until it reached her neck. A small flash of fear shot through her body at that powerful jaw so close to her own, but she quickly pushed it aside. If she didn’t believe in Sean, then who would? Keeping still, she said, “The scent is strongest where my neck meets my shoulder. Take a deep sniff, kitty cat, and when your animal instincts recognize I’m telling the truth, allow the human half back in control.” She turned her head slightly to meet the cougar’s intense blue gaze. “I need him to help protect our baby. Please.”
She swore she saw something flash in the cat’s eyes, but Lauren didn’t want to get her hopes up. Remaining logical and collected was her best chance at bringing Sean back.
Since the room was dead quiet, the sound of the cougar sniffing her neck was especially loud. Normally, she loved it when he sniffed her neck in cat form before licking her jaw. The thought of Sean never doing that again squeezed her heart.
As the cat continued to breathe in her scent, all Lauren could do was wait and hope for the best.
Chapter Seven
Sean was a prisoner inside his own body. He instinctively knew he was awake, yet all he saw was blackness. A few times in the past, when he’d been gravely injured, his cougar had taken control and pushed him to the back of their mind to force him to rest and heal.
Yet this time was different. Unlike in the past when his cat would chirp or meow back at him when he mentally reached out to his cougar, whenever he tried to take control of his brain, his cougar snarled and pushed him back. It was almost as if his own inner cougar saw him as an enemy.
No doubt, all of this had to do with that drug they’d sprayed on him. Since his human brain, albeit confined, seemed to be working, he needed to think of a plan.
But before he had thought of anything that might work, he caught Lauren’s faint scent in his nose. Was she nearby? He hoped like hell his cat hadn’t hurt her or he’d never forgive himself.
Again, he tried to shove the darkness away to take control of his brain, but his cat growled back at him.
Fuck. If his cougar was acting that way with him, he was afraid of how it would act with Lauren since she was human.
A stronger wave of Lauren’s scent reached him, but this time he noticed something—his scent was mixed with hers. While faint, it was still there, which meant only one thing: Lauren was pregnant with his child.
Roaring inside his own mind, he again tried to push away his confinement. Not only did he need to protect his female, he also had his unborn child to take care of. He needed to reach both before Human Purity took their little one away from them.
With a roar, he mentally pushed agai
nst the wall keeping him in. The darkness parted for a second and he caught a small glimpse of Lauren sitting next to him, but then the blackness returned. The small glimpse told him she was alive and offering him her neck. How did she know her scent might help bring his human-half back or that it was strongest there? He didn’t recall ever sharing that tidbit of information about shifters.
He was hit with another wave of Lauren’s scent mixed with his, and he mentally growled at his cat. You can’t protect her alone. She needs both of us. Let me free.
His cat ignored him.
The bastard. Well, if the animal half of him wasn’t going to listen, he’d just have to force his way out.
True, he could mentally go too far and burn out both him and his cougar, but it wasn’t like Sean had a choice. If he couldn’t get free of his prison, he couldn’t help his female, let alone protect her.
Gathering what strength he had left, he mentally pushed against his invisible wall. Thinking of never seeing Lauren or their child ever again, he grew stronger, drawing even more from his remaining energy, and pushed harder.
Something happened because suddenly the darkness was gone, and he could see out of his eyes in cougar form. Lauren was in front of him, her heart racing, and giving off a slight scent of fear.
She was afraid of him.
He was exhausted, but he used the last of his mental energy to shove his inner cat to the back of his mind and into a temporary prison at the same time as he imagined his body shifting into a human. Maybe this way Lauren would know it was him and not his cat in charge.
He must have succeeded as he now felt the cold steel of the table under his ass, but before he could reach for Lauren, the world went black.
~~~
It took a second for Lauren to process Sean’s shift, but the instant his human hand went limp and his eyes closed, she jumped up and placed a gloved hand on his chest. “Babe, talk to me.”
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