Catching Her Mates

by Rebecca Airies

  His fingers pressed on the nub as he plunged forward. A huge shiver ripped down her spine and spread over her entire body. The tight urgency exploded, slamming through her. She pushed back into him, riding the sensations for as long as possible.

  He pulled her hips back into each hard lunge. She moaned. His hold tightened. He plunged deep, and his body shook as he found his pleasure. His body shuddered with the tremors. He drew in deep breaths and held onto her, before slowly pulling her back into the water. She moaned as he lifted her off him. Damn, she wasn’t ready. He settled her beside him on the bench.

  “Now, that was a definite experience. Maybe next time, I’ll choose what position we take.” She glanced up at him. Maybe they could make that happen soon.

  He lifted one of his arms and curled it around her. She snuggled in next to him. He drew his fingers over her skin in a slow stroke. An electric pulse slid through her, and she hummed. If he kept that up, it wouldn’t be too long until the next round at all.

  “You can choose any position you want, kitten. Did you want to get out or stay in here a while?” John arched a brow at her.

  “I think I’d like to stay in here for a while. We can let the water relax our muscles and see who’s ready for the next round first.” She slid her palm over his ribs and stomach. Already, interest began to bubble inside her.

  “Since you take a little more time to heat up, I think I should begin playing and teasing so that you’re not holding us both up.” He lowered his other hand between her legs.

  She laughed and widened her thighs for him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  John drove through the city. The sun just topped the horizon, slowly spreading light over the landscape. If it were any other time, he’d pause to enjoy the transition from a blanket of black dotted by stars to the first yellow gleam as the sun appeared. Today, he had no time. Another damn attack.

  A hit-and-run involving a pedestrian. When they discovered who the victim was, his officers had contacted him immediately. Councilman Mark Murray had been hit by a car. The car had turned around to take another swipe at him when a man had come out of his garage and ran to help the councilman.

  John stopped at the edge of the scene. He grabbed his flask of coffee and shoved open his door. Fuck, it was too damn early for this, even if the cause of his tiredness was extremely satisfying.

  He strode over to talk to the officer in charge of the scene. The techs slowly processed the collection. He stopped beside Cal Bryant. The tall, black-haired officer stood off to one side. John didn’t see an ambulance or the coroner. Either Murray had walked away from the hit, or he’d been critical.

  “So tell me everything.” John glanced over at Cal.

  “Councilman Murray apparently runs every day. He’d just gotten out onto the road when a car came down the road at a high speed. It swerved to hit him.” Cal rolled his shoulders.

  John sighed. A routine. Councilman Mark Murray knew about his brother’s attack and the assault on the mayor. That warning should break those everyday habits. Apparently, it hadn’t.

  “How badly is he injured?” John glanced over at Cal.

  “Not as badly as I first thought when I heard he took an almost full-on hit from the car. There’s concern about his knee and leg; although, he could stand on it. He has some broken ribs, bruises, and maybe a busted arm. There might be a concussion, too, but I couldn’t tell. He was too busy arguing with me and the paramedics.” Cal rolled his eyes.

  “About what?” John turned fully to face his officer.

  “A lot of things. He didn’t need to go to the hospital. His arm wasn’t busted. Then there were some things that didn’t make sense at all. He had to stay because he had to run. That he had to go to the store. It was his turn to work. Part of that is why I think he might have a concussion.” Cal frowned. “We notified his brother, and he talked to him, assured him that he’d make the necessary calls.”

  “Did he see anyone?” John glanced around. At that hour probably not, but he could hope.

  “He didn’t see any of the people in the car clearly. No lights and it being fairly dark prevented that.” Cal lifted a shoulder. “The fox wanted to go after them himself.”

  “Did he get a license plate?” John asked.

  “The neighbor did, and it came back stolen, but the description of the car doesn’t match the one the plates belong to.” Cal frowned.

  Either they were using two stolen cars, or they wanted to hide the fact that they were using a car with ties to one of them. The latter was less of a possibility though, because the vehicle would need repairs, which might link it to the crime.

  John frowned. A lot of planning went into this hit-and-run. Two stolen cars or the plates from one that wouldn’t be linked to them. Getting to know Mark’s schedule. They intended to kill him.

  “Fuck. It’s going to be a long day.” John clenched his fist.

  Josh Murray’s theory that someone might be trying to stifle the opposition had a little more credence now. Mark Murray wouldn’t be challenging for the alpha position any time soon. The question was exactly who was behind it. Cunningham or simply a supporter of his?

  John stayed at the scene while the techs gathered the evidence. After that, he went to the hospital to check on Mark Murray. An officer had already taken Mark’s statement. He didn’t need to do that. If he had a head injury, they’d talk to him again in a few days. No part of Mark’s statement bore a little deeper conversation. Mark had reiterated Josh’s belief that the den leader might have something to do with the attacks.

  John clenched his fists. If only they had something to tie the incidents to anyone at this point. But no one was talking.

  * * * *

  Leslie stepped out into the chilly hallway, letting the heavy gray door close behind her. She exhaled and rolled her shoulders. Well, today’s boring lecture is finished.

  Archer leaned against the wall opposite the door. Such a sexy man. If they weren’t surrounded by people, she’d peel away that white shirt and slide her palms over his muscled chest.

  He looked relaxed. She tilted her head and dropped her eyes to the laptop bag that hung from one of his hands. Where had he been while she’d taken classes? He worked remotely while she studied, but where did he do it?

  She strolled over to him and rose up to give him a kiss. “Hey, Archer.”

  “Hi, angel, did you have a good class?” Archer curved his around her waist. “Are you ready to leave?”

  She snuggled into the warmth of his body. Hard muscles pressed against her from waist to shoulder. This was always one of her favorite places to be.

  “Yes, I did, and I’m more than ready.” She leaned into him.

  Nothing new today. This teacher went straight from the book. Since their main assignment was always to read the next chapter before class, it made for a boring hour.

  “Let’s go then. We can go home and relax a little before we start dinner.” He nodded and led her toward the exit.

  Archer pushed open one of the glass doors. The bright sunlight dazzled her for a moment. No huge trees offered any shade on Dorsett Hall, the newest building on campus. He urged her across the sidewalk to the crossing. She glanced both ways. No one coming.

  They stepped onto the street and hurried across to the row of parked cars. Footsteps pounded on the asphalt. She glanced over her shoulder, just as she felt pressure on the opposite side. A hand pressed against her back. A blond man stopped right behind her. Her eyes widened.

  She tensed and twisted around. Pain lanced through her shoulder. She winced. What the fuck? She reached up to her shoulder. Archer growled, stepping toward him. The man turned and ran away.

  Archer tugged her forward. She stumbled and reached out to catch her balance. He pulled her upright. That man had stabbed her. But with what? Warm blood didn’t flow down her back.

  He urged her between a big SUV and a pickup. She stood there and shook her head. An almost dizzy numbness swept through her. S
he glanced toward Dorsett Hall.

  “What did he stick in me?” She stared toward the building until Archer pulled her down. Had the man kept running or was he going to come at them again?

  “Get down and be still, angel. This will probably sting.” Archer touched her left shoulder.

  She looked over her shoulder. Something thin and black hung from her, standing out starkly against her blue shirt. What was he doing?

  He pulled. Pain lanced through her right shoulder. She clenched her teeth and hissed. Fuck, that hurt. She turned to him. He held a black cylinder, a little larger than a pen, that had a needle on the end of it.

  “What’s that?” She frowned. The man hadn’t had a dart gun. He’d run into her, not shot her.

  “A dart. I don’t know if they modified it to inject when hand delivered. Most of the time, the injection occurs on impact. It takes some force to get it to activate.” Archer scowled. He pulled out his phone and dialed. “Tell them where we are and what happened. I need to keep watch and be aware. Tell them to hurry.”

  She took the phone from him just as a woman answered with a cheery, “Hello, Archer.”

  “Archer’s keeping watch. Someone shoved a dart in me. They ran off, but we don’t know where they are now. We’re in the parking lot of Spenser College. We need help. Archer says to hurry.” Leslie glanced around. Who was this woman, and how did she know Archer by his phone number? She bit her lip. Got to focus. All that could be answered later.

  “Please tell me that this isn’t Leslie. The chief is going to be pissed if his mate got darted.” The woman’s tone sharpened.

  “I’m Leslie. I think he’d be more pissed if Archer was guarding someone else while he’s supposed to be with me.” Leslie put a hand to her head. A dull numbness swam through her head and grew with each passing moment. Whatever was in that dart seemed to be taking effect. Crap. She slid down the car and sat on the ground.

  “Fuck. Try to keep talking with me, Leslie. I want you to tell me what’s happening,” the woman said.

  She glanced up as Archer walked to the end of the SUV. He knelt and peeked out, glancing both ways. He backed away, before turning and doing the same at the other end. For a moment, his form blurred at the edges. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, everything had returned to normal.

  “What’s Archer doing, Leslie?” the woman asked.

  “He’s moving from one end of the cars to the other, peering out.” Leslie exhaled. Something gray hung in Archer’s hand. “Where’d you get the gun, Archer?”

  “Don’t worry about why Archer has that right now. What’s happening? Can you see anything? Hear anything?” The woman’s voice sharpened.

  Leslie took in a deep breath. She tried to push to her feet. Her vision blurred, everything fading out of focus. She made it to her knees and swayed. Her stomach dropped, and the world tilted. She drew in a ragged breath.

  She fell to her hands and knees. Asphalt dug into her palm and the side of her other hand. The phone skittered away. She blinked, trying to see where the phone went. She edged forward and fell onto her side.

  “Stay down, Leslie.” Archer came back and cupped on her shoulder. “There are the sirens. Can you hear them coming to help?”

  He lifted her and sat her up against a nearby car. Leslie leaned her head against the door. The whoop of sirens rose in the early evening. The wail faded in and out. She frowned. The sound shouldn’t be doing that.

  Dark spots swam in and out of her vision. What the hell was in that dart? She put a hand to her head. Back and forth, the ground and cars tilted and swayed. Her stomach flipped.

  “Archer?” She reached out, trying to grab for him. She flexed her fingers, but found only air, not the solid warmth of his leg.

  Panic rose up, and her heart began to pound. Where was he? Her stomach churned. Acid rose in her throat. She was going to throw up. Oh, no. Her hearing faded, and then the dark nothingness wrapped around her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  John paced the hospital room. He ran his hand through his hair. Much more of this and he’d rip the place apart. Fucking hell.

  He glanced at the bed. Why the fuck wasn’t she waking up like the doctors said she would? Within thirty minutes, my ass. The doctors had given her medication to counter the effects of the dart hours ago. Every extra minute stretched John’s nerves. There had to be someone in this hospital who could actually help her.

  The door opened, and Dixie peeked in. John smiled. Leslie had some good friends. Dixie and Chloe had come by to see how she was doing. Shonna, Maggie, and Penny had all called when they received the news, but the three of them were all at work. After Chloe and Dixie had been in the room for about thirty minutes, the nurses had complained about the number of people in the room, so they’d cleared out.

  “How is she?” Dixie stepped fully into the room.

  “She’s still the same. Looks like she’s having a really nice sleep, but won’t wake up even when I threaten to spank her butt.” Judge scowled.

  “Keep talking to her. The charge nurses are making noises about visiting hours being over, so Chloe and I are going to have to leave. Call if anything changes, please.” Dixie glanced toward the bed.

  “We will.” John nodded.

  John walked over beside the bed. He drew his palm over her arm. She had to wake up. Afterward, she could sleep all she liked as long as she opened those eyes for him. A little peek at those gorgeous hazel eyes. That was all he was asking.

  “Come on. Open your eyes, just for a little while, and we’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night.” Archer put his palm on the blanket over her leg.

  John squeezed her arm. “Come on, angel. We need to know you’ll be all right.”

  John kept trying. She slept through the nurses tending her and the lights being turned down. He remained standing by her side. Around three in the morning, she opened her eyes.

  “What happened? Why are you standing there?” She reached up to him.

  He opened his mouth to answer, but her eyes had drifted closed. Answers could wait until the morning. Already her breathing had deepened, and she’d gone right back to sleep. John dropped down in the chair. She’d be all right. At least, she’d woken up.

  John sat and leaned back in the lumpy chair as far as he could. What had been in that dart? Why had it put her out for so long even after the reversal drugs had been administered? The doctors had gone home, at least those who knew anything about her case. He’d have to wait until they returned to get his answers.

  * * * *

  John stared at Leslie. Yesterday’s incident didn’t seem to have fazed her at all. The woman could, at least, try to act scared like a normal person. She’d asked about going back to classes only hours after she’d woken up this morning.

  She had a few injuries. A dark blue bruise colored one cheek. She had a few small scrapes on her hands and arm and knee. And of course, the small round bruise on the back of the shoulder. All in all, she’d come out of it relatively unscathed.

  On top of that, she showed no fear. A pang went through him. He sighed. That should make him happy, but it didn’t. He was such an ass, but she needed to be prepared. Another attack would probably come their way.

  John scowled. Why did the drugs have such an extreme effect on Leslie? They’d rushed the first analysis in order to find something to help. Not that it had. He clenched his hands. Hopefully, they weren’t dealing with another variation of that shit. That was the last thing they needed.

  He glanced over at Archer. Judge had left for the hospital. He’d lingered in the hall, hugging Leslie before he strode to the door. John understood. Leaving her to go into work for a few hours had left him with a churning stomach and a raging headache.

  John shook his head. She was home and safe. Maybe the knots would ease from his shoulders.

  He hadn’t been there for her. The entire drive to the scene, his stomach had clenched, and he had gripped the steering wheel tightly. What would he
find? Had they taken her? Was she alive? Was his brother all right? But he’d gotten his answers and physical contact relatively quickly. Judge had been waiting in the emergency room when they’d arrived.

  One of the worst nights of his life. Sitting, waiting, pacing, the gut-wrenching agony. That was all new territory. He helped others and was usually on the other side of that awful wait for information.

  “John!” Leslie waved her hand in his face.

  He blinked and smiled at her. She frowned at him. Her hands landed on her hips, and she tapped her foot.

  “You weren’t listening to me.” She narrowed her eyes and leaned down until they were nose to nose.

  He fought to pull his lips into a straight line. Did she think she was intimidating when she did that? Tingles prickled over his palms. It would be so easy to grab her and pull her into his lap for a long kiss. Soon. He’d do that soon.

  “I was thinking about something else. Sorry. What were you saying?” He reached up and skimmed across her unhurt cheek.

  “I was saying that you two needed to stop moping around and watching me as if I was going to fall onto the floor into seizures in the next few minutes.” She grabbed his hand.

  “Don’t even joke about that.” John scowled. His heart jumped and pounded against his chest. Seizures and serious injuries were nothing to joke about.

  She sighed and patted his shoulder. “Sorry about that, but I’m fine. The doctor gave me a full bill of health. I can do whatever I want now. I’ve shifted. The only sucky thing about that was that I didn’t get to go on a good run. Not even at the warehouse.”

  “They wanted to make sure that you were fine and the drug didn’t mess with your control when you changed. The doctors wanted someone there to tranquilize you if your cat went into a rage. Plus, since we suspect a whyr of being involved in this, they’d know we’d probably go to the warehouse to let our animals run.” John took a deep breath.

  “Yeah, I know. It was just frustrating changing forms for a little bit and not getting to stretch my cat’s legs. We haven’t been able to get out and do that lately. I’d love to run with you three.” She swept her eyes over him.