by Jess Buffett
“And I promise to keep making her happy,” Evan said softly from behind her.
“Good.” Avery nodded, pushing off the tree brushing herself down. “Well, on that note, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it, and I’ll see you,” she pointed to Summer, “tomorrow.”
Winking, Avery left them, and Summer shivered as Evan’s arms came around her, his hands falling onto her stomach. Did she dare tell him yet? What would his reaction be? She knew she’d have to do it soon, but fear kept her lips closed.
“So, will I get to see you shift tonight?” Evan whispered in her ear, oblivious to her inner turmoil.
Trying to shrug off any negative thoughts, she pretended to consider his question. “Only if you’re good.”
“Hmmm, really?” he murmured against the side of her neck. She shivered from the seductive caress of his breath on her skin. His arms formed thick bands around her body, enveloping her. A hand trailed over the top curve of her breast, eliciting a moan from her. Summer’s eyes slid closed as she lost herself in her mate’s embrace. “And what do you consider...good?”
The huskiness of Evan’s voice had her thighs clenching, she could feel herself growing wet. This was how it had been since the moment they had mated. Just a few soft words, a gentle caress, and her body was ready for him. God, how she loved this man.
“Well, I’m thinking it starts with not turning me on in front of my family.” She opened her eyes and turned in his arms, trying to hide her satisfaction at his sheepish expression. “Though I do love that you can’t get enough of me.”
He growled, nipping her bottom lip. “No such thing as enough.”
Summer laughed, her entire being filling with joy. She had never been happier than in this moment. “Well, in that case, how about we go find somewhere for you to show me just how much you can’t get enough of me?”
“Now that sounds like a plan.”
Summer let out a squeal when Evan swept her up in his arms and carried her off to the edge of the property. “Evan, put me down. I wasn’t serious!”
Evan leered, waggling his brows as he finally set her down on her feet. “But I was.”
Her heart beat rapidly as Evan backed her up against a tree. The bark scraping along her oversensitive skin sent little electrical currents racing through her body. The heat that burned in her mate’s eyes overwhelmed her, and suddenly this no longer remained a joke. Summer could think of nothing but having her mate, her need for Evan consuming her.
His entire frame covered hers as his hands clamped down on her waist. The soft slow grind of his cock against her wet heat caused her to whimper even as his lips claimed hers.
“Evan,” she whispered, gasping for breath. Her arms came up and around his neck, pulling him closer to her.
Evan groaned. “God. I can’t get enough of you, Summer.”
“Yes.”
Carried away on a sea of turbulent emotion, Summer noticed too late that they weren’t alone.
Before she could react, Evan suddenly slumped down in front of her, his large frame hitting the ground. Summer went to cry out for help, only to be stopped as a hand clamped over her mouth. Her eyes widened when arms came around her like steel bands, and she found herself unable to move.
“No, no, no. We don’t want to do that.” Brad’s voice sounded distorted, almost unhuman. Summer’s eyes widened when two more men stepped forward, she could immediately tell they were shifters. In fact, they resembled Brad, with the same hazel eyes, and strong jaw. They even had similar dirty blond hair. Still, there was something familiar about these two newcomers, and it had nothing to do with Brad. Who were they? And what the hell did they want?
“If you scream, they,” indicating to the two other men, “won’t hesitate to rip lover boy’s throat out. Do you understand?” Brad said pointedly to her.
Summer nodded stiffly.
“Now, you’re going to come with me, and my friends are going to stay here with Evan, just so you don’t think of running.” Summer’s entire body shook with anger. “Now let’s go.”
She stumbled as Brad gripped her upper arm with one hand and her hair with the other, shoving her in the opposite direction of the gathering.
“Hey, wait!” one of the other shifters called.
Brad growled and drew her up short with a yank on her hair. “What, Rick?”
She swung her gaze to the shifter in time to see him pull away the collar to Evan’s shirt. Oh, no.
“They’ve mated. He’s got the mark, and he smells like her.” The stranger sneered at her, shoving Evan away. “Christ, for all we know she could already be pregnant.”
Brad spun her around, his hands clamping down hard on her arms. “You stupid bitch,” he spat. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? If you’ve fucked his plans up, he’ll be pissed.”
“Who?” Summer instantly regretted the question when Brad slapped her. The blow to her cheek making her see spots.
“Fuck! We’ll have to take both of them.” Summer growled when the two other shifters lifted up her mate and began dragging Evan between them. “Shut it, bitch.”
Summer glared at Brad, barely resisting the urge to take a swipe at him. While she didn't doubt she could take Brad on, with Evan unconscious and at the mercy of the other two, she couldn’t risk it.
Moving further into the dense woods, Summer's sense were on alert. Branches and leaves flew into her face as she tried to watch where she was going and keep an eye on Evan. When they came to a familiar clearing, Summer felt her blood run cold. Shit, this wasn’t good!
Brad pulled her to an abrupt halt, and she snarled when the two other shifters dropped Evan to the ground. “Watch it.”
Goon one, as she had begun to think of him, chuckled. “Or what, princess?”
“Or I’ll rip your balls off and feed them to you, before I end you,” she bit out, her hands becoming claws.
“Hey,” Brad shouted, wrenching her arms out in front of them. “Don’t even think about it. You take a swipe at any of us with those things, and Trevor there introduces your mate to his.”
Summer followed his line of sight, her body trembling at the sight of Trevor’s claws only inches from her mate’s throat.
“Enough,” a male’s voice shouted at them.
They all turned to the newcomer and Summer froze when she saw who it was.
Aidan.
“You,” she seethed, struggling in Brad’s hold. “I knew you were behind this.”
The man’s laughter reminded her of an evil villain's cackle. “Then I guess you were right, sweetheart.” Aidan eyed the other men, frowning when he saw Evan. “Why the fuck is that human piece of shit here?”
“She mated him,” Brad sneered. “Trevor found the mark, says he smells like her too. What the hell are we supposed to do now, brother dear?”
Summer gasped. “Brother?”
“Half-brothers. As in we all are. And you’ve ruined their plan.” Brad gave her a sad look. “You shouldn’t have mated the human, Summer. Now, he’s just in the way.”
Oh God, it was worse than they had thought. Brad wasn’t the one trying to control the prophesy, Aidan was. Her gaze shot to each of the men in the small clearing with her, and her heart sank at the severity of the situation. Brad wasn’t just working for Aidan, they were family. One hell bent on joining with hers. And as far as they were concerned only one thing stood in their way. Evan.
Chapter Nine
The moment Evan open his lids, he wished he hadn’t. Pain, sharp and agonizing, shot through his skull. The pain meant nothing to him however, when he saw Summer being held by Brad.
“Get off her you mongrel,” he shouted, trying to climb to his feet.
A foot slamming into his back, planted him back onto the ground.
“Looks like lover boy is awake,” Brad snickered.
“Leave him alone,” Summer screamed, a feeling of satisfaction filling him as she wrenched her elbow back, Brad receiving the blow straight to his face. Th
e tiger let go of Summer to clutch at his nose and she raced to him. Whomever had been standing behind him made the mistake of coming forward, placing Evan at their back. Clearly they didn’t see him as much of a threat.
Grabbing a fallen branch just a meter away, Evan hefted it up high, swinging it with as much force as he was capable. There was a sickening crunch as both shifters slumped to the ground.
His eyes widened in horror when he saw Brad coming for Summer, claws outstretched. In the distance he could hear Aidan shouting at the man to stop what he was about to do, but Evan could see it in the man’s eyes. He wasn’t going to. In a desperate bid to protect the woman he loved, Evan reached for Summer, swinging her around and covering her with his own body.
Evan cried out as Brad’s sharp, talon-like claws sliced through his skin. They landed on the ground and rolled, Evan bucking in an attempt to remove the other man. He was getting sick and tired of tigers taking swipes at him.
Using a burst of strength he didn’t know he was capable of, Evan suddenly lifted the tiger up and off him, relishing the cracking sound Brad’s bones made as he slammed against the tree.
Not satisfied. Evan leaped to his feet, a little disconcerted when he could actually feel his skin as it knitted back together. Taking a step toward Brad, ready to finish the bastard off, a snarl from only meters away gave him pause and had him spinning around to face Aidan.
“Do it and I’ll slice right through her,” Aidan warned, clutching Summer tight, one clawed hand wrapped around her neck while he held the other close to her stomach. “She may survive, but the child won't, I promise you that.”
Evan froze. “Child?”
The Alpha’s laugh echoed through the trees. “You didn’t know, did you?” He grinned down at Summer. “My, my...have we been keeping secrets already? Doesn’t make for a good start to a mating, now does it?”
The look of shame told Evan that Aidan spoke the truth, though he in no way blamed Summer for not telling him. She must have been so worried about his reaction, and so scared herself. He wouldn’t let the bastard play on those emotions.
“It’s okay, honey.” His eyes flicked down to the claws so very close to his mate and their unborn child. “I love you, and I’ll love our baby. It’s going to be okay.”
“Oh, how fucking sweet,” Aidan sneered. “Only one problem. The child is an inconvenience I hadn’t planned on.”
Evan’s blood ran cold. “What does that mean?”
“You’re a smart man, Evan. What do you think it means?” The malevolent grin on Aidan’s face told him that if he didn’t act soon, he could lose everything he ever loved.
But how the hell was he supposed to go against an Alpha alone?
“Killing her or our child won’t solve a thing.”
Aidan seemed to think about that. “True. There are always other ways to control the prophesy. Perhaps little Ella would be willing to come home and take Summer’s place.”
Summer struggled in Aidan’s hold. “You stay the hell away from my sister.”
Evan growled when he saw Aidan’s hand tighten around Summer’s neck.
“Let’s not be rude, shall we?” Aidan arched an arrogant brow.
“Why do you care about the prophesy anyway?” Summer asked, glaring at the Alpha.
“Let’s just say I’ve recently made a deal with a new partner, and have a vested interest now,” he answered cryptically.
That sounded ominous.
Desperation swept through him as Evan tried to find a way to get Summer out of Aidan’s hold. What he would do if he did, he had no idea. Aidan was faster, stronger. And even as he stood there, Bradley and his brothers were waking up. Angling himself so he at least stood between Bradley and Summer, Evan’s eyes darted around for something, anything that would get them out of this mess.
A sudden hiss echoed through the trees distracting them all, and Evan gaped as Ally came darting in, leaping at a stunned Aidan. He could see the tiny claws extend as his cat landed them in the Alpha’s face. The shock was enough that Summer was able to extend her own, longer ones, raking the up the Alpha’s side before stumbling a little closer to Evan. But dammit, Trevor and Rick were still too close.
The Alpha growled, clutching at Ally and tearing her away before tossing her into the bushes. “Fucking cat. What the hell was that?”
“Well shit.” Bradley chuckled, eyeing Evan. “Now there is something I hadn’t expected. A familiar.”
“What?” Aidan frowned, clutching at the wounds to his side. His eyes widening in comprehension a moment later. “You’re a fucking witch? Why the hell did we not know this?”
Bradley gave a careless shrug. “Stuffed if I know. Doesn’t matter much. He clearly has no abilities, which means all he has is a weakness. One you just tossed into the bushes.”
The malevolent grin that spread on the Alpha’s face created a ball of dread in his stomach. He may have slightly shocked someone the other night at the Pride meeting, but he had no idea how he had done it or if he could do it again.
“Oh, look at the worried little half witch. What’s wrong, Evan?” Bradley taunted. “Worried what we might do to your precious mate? You know, I had some pretty pleasurable plans in mind that night. If you hadn’t interrupted…”
“You arsehole,” Evan snarled. “Go near her again and I’ll fucking kill you.”
Before he could understand what was happening, power surged through Evan as if tiny electrical currents raced up and down every nerve. His system was on overload, ready to explode like the fury that pulsed through him. On instinct alone, he raised a hand, aiming it at an extremely stunned Brad and allowed the energy to purge itself from his body.
Blinding light erupted out of Evan’s hand, his whole being trembling as a lightning bolt of power burst free.
“Evan!”
He could hear Summer’s scream, so faint it could have been miles away. Evan’s sole focus remained on Bradley, and a small part of him relished the shriek the bastard made as he fell to the ground.
As quickly as it came, the bright light disappeared, leaving everyone in the clearing frozen. Evan drew in laboured breaths as his gaze darted to Bradley’s prone figure, then to Summer, and back again.
What the fuck did he just do?
“Fuck,” Aidan snarled as he glared at Bradley’s body. Evan braced himself for an attack by the Alpha, only to be taken by surprise when he turned to his two other brothers instead. “The others are coming. We need to get out of here.”
“You can’t be serious?” Trevor gaped. “They killed Brad.”
Aidan arched an arrogant brow. “Brad bit off more than he could chew, and do you really expect me to face Sage while wounded. Unlike Brad, I’m not a bloody idiot.”
Without another word, Aidan turned, disappearing into the bushes behind him. The remaining brothers shared a look before they also took off. Evan shouted but otherwise was unable to do anything, his body still trembling and slightly weak.
Shouts and snarls suddenly erupted through the air, and Evan sighed in relief when Summer came over to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, relishing in the feel of her in his arms. He had come so close to losing her, and the child he hadn’t even known she was carrying.
He looked up when Sage, Chase, and two white tigers he assumed to be their brothers, Dominic and Rourke, burst through the tree line. “Where is he?” the Alpha demanded.
“He’s gone, Sage,” Summer said quietly. “He heard you coming. He was injured and wouldn’t risk facing you.”
“Fucking coward,” Sage snarled and Evan couldn’t agree more. The other man’s eyes widened when they fell on Bradley. “I take it he had a falling out with this one?”
“Not exactly,” Evan mumbled, unsure how to explain what he had just done.
“Chase, call the Shifter Council. Tell them what has happened. We have no proof of Aidan’s involvement, but they need to know Brad has been dealt with.” Sage m
et Evan’s gaze, obviously waiting for more details.
“It was me. I took him out.” Evan grimaced. “Seems some of my latent abilities are coming through. I didn’t have any control over them, and before I knew it Bradley was on the ground.”
Sage gave him a sympathetic look. “It’s never easy taking a life, no matter how justified. And as for your powers, we can find someone to help you with them. For now, we need to focus on this mess, though. Did you get any answers?”
“Oh, we did,” Summer scoffed. “And more.”
Sage frowned. “Something tells me I need to be sitting when I hear this.”
Evan tightened his hold on Summer. “It doesn’t matter, not yet.” He peered down at Summer, her honey-gold eyes shimmering with emotions he felt echoing through him. “God, I thought I’d lose you.”
“Not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me,” she whispered, linking their hands and bringing them to rest on her stomach. “You’re stuck with us.”
“Damn. I’m going to be a dad. We’re going to have a baby.”
His mind was still trying to process the information when his brothers-in-law let out a few catcalls and whistles.
“You're pregnant?” Sage gaped.
“Yes, she is,” Evan answered for a blushing Summer. “We’re having a baby.”
Damn, it didn’t matter how much he said it, the idea of having a child still felt so unbelievably surreal.
Chase chuckled as he hung up the phone that Evan presumed he had used to call the Shifter Council. “Ah...that would be babies, dude.”
“Huh?”
His friend's grin was huge. “Tiger shifters have litters like regular tigers, remember?”
Evan’s brain took a moment to catch up to what Chase was telling him, but when it did, he suddenly felt extremely light headed. Babies…litters…more than one.
“Oh, fuck me!”
The rest of the men joined Chase in laughter at the expense of Evan.
