Catching Her Mates

by Rebecca Airies

  “I am so not ready to think about more. On top of that, I don’t know what these relatives know about living in a whyr town or even how they feel about shapeshifters. I don’t want to get them here, only to find out they’re bigots.” Chloe gripped her glass.

  “That’s something you’re not going to find out from letters. You’ll have to call them. Talk to them, just as you will your men.” Dixie patted her hand. “But your men do love you, and you know as well as I do, they want to make sure you’re happy.”

  “I know they do. All right, Maggie, you’ve got to tell us about the rolling pin woman.” Chloe turned to Maggie.

  Chapter Eight

  Archer hooked an arm around Leslie as he walked her out of the Wild Beat. The girls’ night had finally broken up, and the others started to go home. They’d finally been able to coax their mate out of the bar. Not that the night had been bad.

  Talking with Jason and Tony had been great, and dancing with Leslie had made his evening. During the night, her muscles had relaxed, and now a soft smile curved his mate’s mouth. The time with her friends and telling them everything she’d been keeping to herself had lifted a weight off her.

  Apparently, it had been quite a night. The women had laughed and drank. None of them came away drunk, but the liquor had relaxed them. They’d also stayed much longer than he expected.

  Other people slowly made their way across the parking lot, as well. Cars started and pulled out. People piled into taxis, and the vehicles pulled out of the parking lot. His gaze moved over anyone close to them. Probably a little paranoia, but she was too important to risk.

  They stepped into the shadows between the wide circle from the parking lot lights. His muscles tensed, and his heartbeat pounded. When they stepped out into the glowing light, he rolled his shoulders. Get control.

  They strolled across the parking lot. The low hum of a motor broke the near silence. Archer turned his head. No bright lights flared, not even the red glow of the brake lights.

  “How about we stop for some ice cream on the way home?” Leslie tugged at his hand.

  “Sounds good. It will have to be a store. I’m pretty sure that all the restaurants and shops are closed by now.” Judge glanced back at her.

  She grinned. “A little carton or two of ice cream suits me.”

  “We can get you a couple of those and me the ingredients for a jumbo banana split.” Judge aimed for their car.

  Archer mouth watered. Bananas, chocolate, strawberries, and nuts. Yum. He nodded. Maybe they could alter the plans a little. Smearing some of the ingredients from that sweet treat on Leslie and licking it off her might make it even better.

  She’d go wild as they cleaned fudge off her with their mouths. Hell, he might leave the ice cream at the store and simply get the fudge, whip cream, and bananas. The creamy whipped topping, sweet fruit, and thick fudge would taste even better with the salty tang of her skin. Driving her wild and feeding his sweet tooth at the same time, such a wonderful combination.

  A motor revved. The rumbling sound broke the night. He glanced around and behind them, but nothing moved, and no lights came on.

  “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream, Leslie?” He leaned close to her.

  The motor roared again. He glanced behind them. The car was somewhere there. Hair stood on the back of Archer’s neck. Something was wrong.

  Tires squealed as they fought for purchase on the asphalt. Fuck. Not good.

  “It’s called Double Chocolate Sin and Crunch. It’s chocolate ice crea—” Leslie squeaked. Her voice cut off.

  Archer’s arm tightened, and he wrenched her to the side.

  “Move, Judge!” Hopefully, his brother reacted and didn’t question.

  He dived with her into the space between two cars. They hit the ground. He grunted. Son of a bitch. He levered up to one knee and turned. Had he just overreacted?

  A car whipped through the space where they’d just been. He exhaled and glanced down as she swiveled into a sitting position. His heart pounded, and his head swam a little. Someone had tried to kill them.

  “Tell me that someone didn’t just try to run us down. That had to be a drunk.” Leslie looked from him to the clear area the car had raced through.

  Her chest lifted and fell rapidly as she drew in panting breaths. Her glassy eyes focused somewhere beyond him. Her arms crossed over her chest. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. A fine tremor ran over her body. The same jittery quaking rolled through his muscles. He could have lost her.

  “Someone tried to run us down. I don’t think it was a drunk.” Archer shook his head. No lights, and that car had waited for them to get to an open area.

  “Are you two okay?” Judge called.

  “I’m good.” Archer dropped his head, before he turned to Leslie. Damn, he should have called over to Judge. “What about you?”

  She lifted her hand from her lap. “I’m in one piece, which is good, but I think I hurt my wrist. And that pavement grated a layer of skin off my palm and knee.”

  “Leslie is a little hurt, but is in one piece. How about you?” Archer stood, drawing her up to stand beside him.

  “Ripped pants and a scraped knee. Nothing serious.” Judge eased to the edge of the car he’d dived behind. “I’m coming over there to check her injury.”

  “Be careful.” Leslie glanced left and right.

  Archer’s stomach clenched and sweat beaded on his forehead. It was probably safe. The person who tried to run them down wouldn’t stick around for another try. Not with the many people in the parking lot. Still, he held his breath as his brother sprinted across the asphalt.

  Judge made it. He took Leslie’s arm and slipped his other palm under hers. Archer pulled out his phone as Judge examined Leslie. John would have his ass if he didn’t report this, even though nothing really happened. They had to keep a record of every attempt. Whenever the police did catch whoever was behind this, he had to be held accountable.

  He didn’t call 911. He dialed the station. It would be almost as fast. The news that John had claimed his mate would have made the rounds. Anything to do with her would be considered a priority. And John would be told immediately of it.

  That was an important thing. If John found out about it after the call was over, he’d go crazy with worry over Leslie. And by the time he got home, his cat would be panicked. While Archer and Judge would get the pissed-off cat after him, Leslie would face the possessive, desperate for touch reassurance side.

  By the time he finished the call, Judge cradled Leslie’s hand, gently moving it. Leslie’s mouth tightened, and the muscles on her cheeks tightened. She didn’t make a sound, but that hurt more than she would admit.

  “I want to have this x-rayed. Because you’re a whyr cougar, we cannot risk any of these bones being fractured and not treated right. A stress fracture could split during landing in cougar form.” Judge glanced up at Leslie.

  Archer turned toward the doors to the club. Both doors pushed wide open. Maybe someone noticed the screeching tires and told those inside. Jason stepped out and looked around. Archer rose and waved. Jason rushed over to them.

  “Are you three all right? Someone ran in and yelled that three people were almost run down by a car. They’ve called the police.” Jason stopped as reached them.

  “Well, we’re mostly all right.” Archer glanced toward Leslie and Judge. “A scraped knee and a hurt wrist that needs to be examined. I’ve called the station to inform them and have them notify John.”

  “Good thinking. It’s hard to find out last that your woman has been hurt and not even get the full details.” Jason nodded. “And a brand-new mating. That would make it worse.”

  The wail of sirens rose in the night air, gradually becoming louder until it drowned out the chirp of crickets and the hum of the lights. Archer eased closer to Judge and Leslie. How could a simple night out have ended like this? Why was someone aiming a car at them? For fuck’s sake, an idiot should realize that ai
ming a car at the mate of the chief of police would only draw more attention.

  Three police cruisers turned into the parking lot. The big black police SUV pulled in behind them. Archer raised a brow. Well, that cleared up any doubt that John knew about this. He’d sent enough men to ensure that there wouldn’t be another attack on her. Archer curved his arm around Leslie.

  “Are you sure that it’s only your wrist and the skin on your hand and knee?” Archer framed her face. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “No, you didn’t hurt me. My wrist is throbbing, but that’s the only thing. I didn’t even realize anything was wrong until you yanked me out of the way. Thank you for that.” Leslie leaned into him.

  The police pulled up around the cars where Archer, Leslie, and Judge stood. John climbed out of the police SUV. He rushed toward them. John’s eyes locked on Leslie.

  Two officers approached them. The officers moved them a row over, away from the scene. One guided Judge away. John didn’t stop until he reached Leslie and took her into his arms. He pulled her tight against him. His muscles visibly relaxed. Leslie snuggled up against him. She wrapped one arm around him, but held her bleeding palm clear of John.

  The other officer, Gary Daniels, one of the human officers, smiled at Archer. “I’d like to speak to you. Could you come with me?”

  “Can I stay close enough that I can see my mate at least? We recently mated, and even walking away from her raises my hackles.” Archer clenched his fingers and opened them.

  “Sure, we’re only going right over there. You might even be able to hear them, but I’d like you to speak low.” Gary pointed a couple cars away.

  “I can do that.” Archer nodded and walked with Gary to that spot. He turned to face his mate.

  “What’s wrong with your hand?” John cupped his palm beneath the arm that Leslie kept away from his body.

  “It got sort of jammed into the pavement when Archer pulled me out of the way of that car.” She grimaced. “I didn’t want to get blood on your uniform.”

  “You’re going to go to the hospital and get this seen. Next time, hug me back and don’t worry about the blood. I have other shirts.” John stared down at Leslie.

  “Judge already told me that it needed to be examined.” A small smile kicked up Leslie’s mouth.

  “Good.” John nodded. “And follow the doctor’s orders. Wait right here.”

  “All right, Archer, tell me what happened?” Gary stood just in the corner of his vision.

  His brother walked over to his vehicle. John pulled out a first aid kit and came back with bandages and some saline. Archer turned to where Judge stood a few cars away. A grin pulled at Judge’s mouth. Yep, he heard John’s order.

  Judge would take advantage of that. Though that depended on the results of their trip to the hospital. If she had broken something on that dive, they’d spend the next few days taking care of her. And probably drive her crazy with their overprotectiveness.

  Archer quietly went through the story for Gary. Gary noted everything down and asked a few more questions. Archer shifted on his feet as he answered. Finally, the interview ended. Archer strolled over John and Leslie.

  “I’m not going to be doing any backflips soon, so I don’t see any problem with an order to rest and take it easy.” Leslie lifted a shoulder while John tended her wounds.

  “I think Archer and Judge might tie you down if you didn’t rest, so I’ll take that as agreement enough. The hospital will do a better job of cleaning this, but this should do until you get there.” John nodded.

  “Chief, I need to interview her. I’m going to walk her a little bit away, but you’ll still be able to see her.” Gary stood in front John.

  John drew in a deep breath. “All right, don’t take her far.”

  Gary guided Leslie away from them. He took her only the next car over.

  “What happened, Archer?” John nudged Archer’s shoulder.

  “When we were walking out, I heard a car idling. I didn’t think much of it. You know how it is. I figured they were waiting for someone. But I didn’t see any lights, not even parking lights. I forgot about the strangeness of that because Leslie, Judge, and I were talking about stopping by the store for some ice cream. In the middle of that, I heard the engine rev and the squeal of tires. Since I didn’t see any lights and the sound seemed to be right behind us, I got Leslie out of the way.” Archer clenched his fingers into a tight fist. He should have taken her right back into the bar. That idling car should have been enough.

  “That’s good. I’m glad you did.” John nodded.

  He glanced at Leslie. She cradled her wrist to her stomach. This was ridiculous. They needed to get that checked out. She’d heal fast, but she was in pain. He glanced down at the ground. And that was partly his fault.

  When they were free to go, John once again pulled Leslie into a fierce hug. She returned it, but her now bandaged hand was turned away. John pulled back, clasped her hand, and pressed it to his chest.

  “Stubborn little cat. Take her to the hospital and then go home. I wish I could go with you, but I need to stay and work.” John drew in a slow deep breath. “No stops for ice cream. I want her safe.”

  “They’ll keep me safe. They already did.” She patted his chest and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. “We’ll be at home waiting when you get off.”

  “Call me when you find out how badly her wrist is hurt.” John locked eyes with Archer.

  Archer nodded. “I’ll keep you in the loop. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get in and out, but probably not.”

  Even visits to minor emergency clinics took forever at times. He hooked an arm around Leslie and guided her to the car. He put her into the back seat and went to the driver’s side. Judge would want to sit in the back with her.

  “Don’t hit too many bumps. It will hurt her more.” Judge slid in beside her.

  “My wrist is hurt. I’m fine otherwise.” Leslie smiled, but her lips were pinched.

  “I know you’re fine. We only want to make sure that you get there without any additional pain if we can help it.” Archer glanced back at her before he slid into the car and buckled up.

  He drove slowly out of the parking lot. It was the slowest he’d driven in a while. With such precious cargo, he wouldn’t risk hurting her.

  Judge kept a light conversation with her on the short trip to the minor emergency clinic. Other people waited in the yellow waiting room, but they didn’t have to sit long. A nurse ushered Leslie into an examination room. Leslie’s check-up didn’t take long. They cleaned out the scrapes on her wrist and knee as well as the abrasion on Judge’s knee. The x-ray found no broken bones.

  Judge insisted on looking at it. Archer bit his lip when the doctor gave Judge a narrow-eyed glare that his brother ignored. Both doctors pronounced a minor sprain. He splinted her wrist to keep it immobile and advised rest and icing the wound.

  Leslie smiled and shook the man’s hand. She didn’t seem to be in that much pain. Archer frowned. Was she trying to convince them that she wasn’t hurt? He sniffed. No scent of strain or stress from her.

  “Are you in pain?” Archer asked.

  “Not much. I mean yes, it aches, but the doctor handed me a couple of overpriced pain relievers. That should help with it for a while. And I have two men who can help me get my mind off this dang thing on my wrist.” She held up a package and scowled down at the splint.

  Well, she definitely wasn’t hurting too much if that distraction comment was anything to go by. If he hadn’t read it wrong. The pain medicine would burn through faster in a shapeshifter, but she’d also heal faster.

  “I’ll get you something to drink so that you can take it before we leave.” Archer left the room to get her something to drink.

  By the time they finished with the paperwork and got out of the clinic, Archer would have carried her home in his arms if he had to. He checked in the rearview mirror. She sat alert and attentive as Judge talked to her. Was she telling the trut
h or trying to reassure them?

  Chapter Nine

  When they arrived home, he drew her back to the bedroom. Normally, he’d have taken her to the living room where they could talk about her girls’ night and wind down before they went to bed. Tonight, the urge to feel the warmth of her body pulsed inside of him. He glanced over as Judge strolled in and closed the door. Tonight was all about her if she felt up to it.

  “How are you feeling?” He brushed his fingertips over her cheek. The warmth and softness drew him to explore even more.

  “I feel good. There’s no pain in my wrist, and I don’t plan on doing any push-ups tonight, so I think I’ll be good.” She grinned.

  “There definitely won’t be any push-ups, but if you’re sure that you feel good, Judge and I have some plans.” Archer stroked the full curve of her lower lip.

  Her tongue slipped out and flicked over his finger. The moist glide of her tongue sent a spear of heat straight through him. He drew in a sharp breath. The woman was temptation in the flesh.

  “Will I like your plans?” She arched a brow before she tried to lick his finger again.

  He pulled his hand back. This wasn’t about him. The little cat would steal away his control and lure him away from the plan if he wasn’t careful.

  “You’re going to love them.” Judge stepped up beside her. “We’re going to take off your clothes. All you have to do is stand there.”

  “But you know I like participating.” She ran her good hand over Judge’s chest.

  “We know you do, but let us do this tonight.” Judge clasped her wrist and slowly lowered it to her side.

  Her lower lip jutted out in a pout. “All right, but you owe me.”

  Archer laughed. Such an opportunistic cat. “I think you’ll be more than satisfied by what we do to you.”

  “Umm, I don’t know about that. Maybe you should start showing me.” She wrinkled her nose.

  Archer dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Just stand still and let us show you.”

  She sighed and nodded. Such a put-upon sound. Archer shook his head. He pulled her shirt over her head.