by Lacey Thorn
Don’t let him take you out of that room! Daniel’s order filled her head. I can smell your blood.
He has a knife to my throat, she warned her mate. I’m bleeding, but I’m okay.
I’m going to rip out his fucking throat.
Another hit and the door flew wide, bouncing against the wall as Daniel entered in lion form. God, he was majestic. Huge. And angry. His roar shook the room as he padded slowly toward them.
“Stop,” Hughes ordered. “I’ll slit her throat before you can reach me. You might kill me, but she dies. Do you want to watch your mate die?”
Daniel growled low in his throat, flashing his teeth in displeasure. Ariel knew she should be scared. Instead, she felt complete trust. All Daniel needed was the knife away from her throat, and he’d be on Hughes before the other man could blink. She knew what she had to do. She’d have to be quick. There was no room for second chances. If she failed, she was dead. She knew it.
Be ready.
Ariel, what are you planning?
I’m going to give you the opening you need. Take him out. She blinked, took a deep breath, and kept her gaze on Daniel.
“I love you.” She spoke her vow aloud. If anything happened, she wanted him to remember that she loved him.
She got a grip on Hughes wrist with one hand, managing to slide her palm between the blade and her throat. She used her other hand to grasp the arm he had locked around her waist. Gripping his thumb, she jerked hard, using every ounce of strength to twist so he had to follow with his hand or risk her snapping his thumb.
He pressed the blade tighter at her throat and jerked the blade across the hand she slipped between. He slit her palm, the cut flaying her skin wide as the serrated edge dug deep into her flesh.
With a scream, she closed her hand around the blade and shoved it away. As she forced his arm from her waist, she pivoted, stepping away from him and turning, so she faced him. She released him immediately, bringing her cut hand toward her chest as the excruciating pain finally registered. Hughes swung at her, but she dropped to her knees as Daniel streaked by.
Hughes’ scream echoed off the walls, blood spurting before another roar rocked the room. She heard the pounding of booted feet and sprung up into a crouch, facing the door and protecting Daniel as best she could. She wouldn’t have time to shift. The healing she’d need would take too much from her. She’d have to face them as she was. Naked and bleeding.
Gabriel was the first one in the door. He wore a pair of gray sweats and nothing else, and Ariel assumed he’d also come inside in his animal skin. He held another pair of sweats in his hand. He took one look in the room, his gaze swinging over her, jaw tightening, before staring at Daniel. He kept his gaze on his brother.
Holt followed on Gabriel’s heels. He took in the room with one sweeping gaze then ripped his shirt over his head and tossed it to her.
“Put that on,” he ordered and waited until she’d complied before moving toward her. “How badly are you hurt?”
Her gaze moved back to Daniel. He was pacing in front of Hughes body. Blood covered his face, staining his beautiful golden fur.
“Ariel!” Holt demanded her attention. “You’re covered in blood. Where are you hurt?”
She held her hand up, showing them the damage the knife had done. Better her palm than her throat, though.
“Anywhere else?” Holt asked, softening his voice now that she was looking at him instead of her mate.
She shook her head.
“You’re torso is covered in blood,” he told her. “Are you sure he didn’t cut you anywhere else?”
It took her a minute to find her voice. “Small nick at my throat. My palm took the brunt of it. He was planning to take me with him. To use me to get away. Before that, Talbot was going to keep me. Said he had a male shifter he’d put me with.”
At that comment from her, Daniel let out another roar. She needed to keep talking because once Daniel came to her, he would have her total focus.
“I don’t know who he has. Whoever it is was a gift from Marcus Blain. Talbot also said he had plenty of female black bears. He planned to either let Hughes use Rissa for training or kill her. Did you find her? Is she alive?”
Holt and Gabriel shared a look.
“Slade has her. She was out cold when we got here and didn’t wake up. She was…” Gabriel paused and blew out a breath. “They’d beaten her pretty badly. Broken bones, bruising, multiple lacerations.”
“Will she be okay?” Ariel demanded.
“I don’t know,” Gabriel admitted. “She looked pretty bad.”
“Slade and Jensen will do everything they can to make sure she survives,” Holt assured her. “She’s part of our den. We won’t give her up without a fight.”
“He has other female bears, Holt. Enough that he didn’t care about keeping Rissa.”
Holt nodded. “We’ll find them. I promise you that. Them and the gift from Blain. Laramie won’t let this go.”
“Talbot meant for them to take Laramie’s mate, Emersyn.” She glanced toward Gabriel. “And Kenzie. Talbot really wanted to get his hands on Kenzie. I don’t think he’ll stop hunting for her. He said Hughes took the wrong blonde and brunette.”
Gabriel’s chest rumbled with displeasure. He looked lethal as he took in Ariel’s warning.
“He won’t get his hands on anyone.” Gabriel spoke in a deep, guttural tone, and Ariel knew his liger was close to the surface.
“Aleksy and Koby have him,” Holt told her. “We’ll get all the answers we need from Dr. Talbot.” He glanced toward Daniel again. “You’re mate needs you. We’ll leave you alone for a minute. Meet us outside as soon as he’s dressed. We need to make sure your palm is good so it doesn’t start healing wrong. Make it quick, please.”
With that, Holt turned and left them. Gabriel dropped the sweats inside the door and followed Holt. Alone with her mate, Ariel turned to Daniel. She walked toward him, holding her uninjured hand out. He met her halfway, nuzzling against her, his big tongue coming out to lick her arm. She went to her knees once more, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into his fur. She rubbed against him, and everything hit her. Sobs tore from her chest as emotions rolled through her. It took her a moment to realize fur had become skin. Daniel’s arms tightened around her, his voice crooning in her ear.
“Shh, baby. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, and I’m never going to let you go.”
She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. “I knew you’d come for me.”
“Always. I’ll always find my way to you.”
“I keep thinking about how much time I wasted. Shoving you away. Letting fear rule me. I could have died without ever knowing what it’s like to be in your arms. To feel the way you love me. I could have—”
“Shh.” Daniel interrupted her. “I let fear keep me away. Fear of hurting you. Fear that my father was right and I’d never be good enough. Not even for my mate.”
“Daniel—”
“He was wrong.” Daniel cut her off again. “You and I had some mending to do before we could trust one another, trust in one another.”
“I do.” She nodded vigorously. “I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone in my life. And I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
“I love you, too. Always and forever, baby.” He dropped his mouth to hers, kissing her softly, slowly. He took her hand and rising to his feet, pulled her with him. “Let’s get out of here.” He took her injured palm in his hand. “I want to make sure Tony or Jensen look at this before it heals. He severed tendons, baby.” He glanced back at Hughes, another growl rumbling up from his chest. “I’d take his throat out again if I could.”
“Thank you,” she whispered as she tugged him away, stopping at the door while he reached for the sweats and pulled them on.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Daniel told her.
“You saved my life,” she whispered.
“Your life is my life,” he vowed. �
�Don’t you know that I’d die without you? Besides, you saved me first. I was crawling out of my skin until you touched me. One touch and I knew.”
“Knew what?” she asked.
“That I was home.” He dropped another kiss on her lips then swept her up in his arms. She looped her good hand around his neck and cradled the other at her stomach. Holt’s shirt was long enough on her that it protected her modesty as Daniel carried her out of the building. Despite the chaos and blood surrounding them, Ariel felt completely safe in her mate’s arms. She knew as long as she was with him, she was home, too.
Chapter Twenty-One
They’d been back in Riverton for three weeks. Ariel was almost completely moved into Daniel’s house with him, and they were making plans to go back in the field together. To search for lone shifters who were often easy prey for hunters.
The letter she’d written to Daniel had been on the counter where she’d left it, making her realize he’d never read it. In fact, he’d given it back to her, allowing her to decide what to do with it. She’d burned it, telling him it held fear that was no longer a part of who she was. She loved him. Every facet of him. And through him, she was discovering how he saw her, which helped her begin forgiving and loving herself again.
She still did her best to avoid large groups within the pride, but it seemed Daniel was the same. Most evenings, she cooked in their home. Afterwards, they cleaned up the kitchen together then made it to the shower and cleaned up each other. The rest of the night was spent making love in one of the many positions Daniel had introduced her to.
Tonight would be different. Finn and Laura as well as Gabriel and Kenzie were coming over to join them for dinner. Ariel had spent the day baking and cooking and figured she’d probably overdone it, but there’d be plenty of food. Unfortunately, she’d have to wait longer to be alone with her mate, which meant she’d already taken her shower without him.
“Hey.” Daniel walked in, looking sexy as hell in his sheriff’s uniform. He’d been going back into the office since they’d gotten back. She’d been afraid he’d smother her after what had happened, but he’d surprised her. He’d given her free rein to do what she wanted at the house as long as she moved in completely. He’d been adamant that they’d never spend another night apart, and she was completely onboard with that.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied, closing the oven on part of dinner and crossing to him. “God, you look so good.”
Daniel snorted. “I’m a hot and sweaty mess.”
She leaned into him, licking at his neck. “You smell incredible.”
“The others are right behind me,” he offered with a groan as she nipped at his ear.
“No quickie in the kitchen then?”
He leaned back and stared down at her for mere seconds before turning her and bending her over the table. He had her jeans and panties down around her knees and cock in hand before she had time to appreciate his eagerness. Then he was inside, one palm riding low on her belly so he could finger her clit. The other was pressed between her shoulder blades, keeping her in place. As if she’d go anywhere with the pleasure he was giving her. She braced one palm on the table and reached back to wrap her other hand around his thigh.
“God, yes,” she moaned as he pounded into her.
“Fuck. The things you do to me,” he growled at her ear.
“I think you’re the one doing things to me,” she countered, giving a growl of her own.
He chuckled then moaned as she clenched around his pistoning shaft. He pinched at her clit, milking it between his fingers, and she came with a loud cry. He followed moments later.
She was still breathing heavily when he tugged free and quickly straightened their clothes. He’d managed to pull her from her bent position and had his arm around her waist when Finn knocked on the door. Not that they wouldn’t be able to smell what she and Daniel had done, but thankfully, they weren’t caught in the act.
“Are we interrupting?” Finn asked with a grin while he helped his very pregnant mate inside.
“Stop hovering,” Laura demanded as she moved past him. Kenzie and Gabriel were right behind them.
“Something smells incredible,” Kenzie said, giving a wide grin as heat filled Ariel’s face. Gabriel growled while Daniel cleared his throat roughly. Finn laughed. “The food. You guys need to get your minds out of the gutter.”
As she moved closer to Ariel, the other woman’s scent registered.
“You’re pregnant?” Ariel asked.
Kenzie’s grin went wider. “I am. Laramie is trying to take credit for it.”
“The hell you say,” Gabriel snapped, looking ready to beat someone to a pulp.
“Not like that.” Kenzie smacked him in the stomach. “You know what I mean. Because I was hanging around with all the pregnant mates when we were with the Holloways. Ergo, we have him to thank.”
Daniel threw back his head and laughed. “I can hear him saying that, the cocky bastard.”
Finn laughed, too. “Sounds like him.”
“By the way.” Gabriel leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Quinn’s going to need another dose of lion’s blood. Abby said to ask you to stop by tomorrow.”
Ariel and Daniel had already discussed him giving Quinn some of his blood to help her and the baby she carried. Ariel had told them what she’d overheard Talbot say. Thankfully, it seemed Tah’s alpha blood and Daniel’s primal blood were helping Quinn, though she did need transfusions more often than any of the human mates had. Ariel figured it had more to do with the blood not being from the father than anything else, but she wasn’t a scientist, so it was all supposition on her part.
Daniel nodded. “She doing any better?”
Finn and Laura shared a look. Laura had taken the other woman under her wing, immediately. She’d said it was a pregnant woman thing, but Ariel thought it had more to do with Laura wanting to make Quinn feel accepted. She’d still not said much about her mate other than to say the baby’s father was dead. She’d not even spoken to her father about what she’d been through. The only person she seemed to speak to was one of Tony’s men who’d brought her back to Riverton. He rarely left her side, overseeing everything when it came to her care.
Dr. Talbot wasn’t talking either. They had him kept under lock and key on Tony’s property. Talbot had said nothing more than cryptic statements. No information on the shifter he had caged or where he’d stashed the female bears. No word on where Marcus Blain had skulked off to once he’d been chased away from Illinois. And anytime they tried to ask him about Quinn and her baby, he’d just laugh and say she was one of his most viable experiments.
“Abby thinks Quinn will open up soon. Once she feels safe.” Laura sighed. “She breaks my heart. There’s so much pain in her gaze. I want to help her, but she won’t let me in.”
“All you can do is be there for her, honey,” Finn assured his mate. “We have no idea what she’s been through.”
“Finn’s right.” Ariel’s voice was soft, and she swallowed nervously when everyone glanced at her. Daniel immediately stepped closer, his arm firm at her waist. “I…I know you tried to be there for me, too. All of you. And I appreciate it, even though I might not have shown it.”
“Ariel.” Laura gained her feet and moved toward her, tugging her out of Daniel’s embrace and hugging her close. She squeezed tight while Ariel gently patted her back. “I’m so glad you found your way to Daniel. I hope that means you’re ready to accept all of us, too. As your family.”
“She might be if you don’t smother her,” Finn joked, tugging Ariel from his mate and hugging her against his side. “Besides, she’s always loved me. We’ve been cooking and singing together since Colorado.”
“All that’s missing is Murphy,” Daniel stated.
Ariel knew he worried about Murphy. The last text Finn had received had been almost a month ago. Murphy had said he was going to be out of touch for a bit and not to worry. But as far as Ariel could tell, all the prid
e had done was worry. She hoped Murphy showed up or at least called or texted again soon.
“He’ll contact Finn,” Laura said, reaching for her mate and squeezing his hand. “They’re too close for him to be out of touch much longer.”
“Let me know when he does, please. I’d like to apologize to him,” Daniel offered.
“There’s no need for that,” Finn said. “You know that as well as I do. Murphy will tell you the same.”
“Wait a minute,” Gabriel interrupted. “Where’s my apology?”
“For what?” Daniel demanded.
“For putting up with your sorry ass your whole life,” Gabriel joked, and Ariel could have kissed him for replacing Daniel’s worry with a grin.
“Same place mine is for putting up with you, and trust me, you were way more trouble than I ever was. Ask Laura.”
Daniel and Gabriel both glanced toward Laura, but she shook her head.
“You’re not dragging me into this. Besides, you two were assholes long before I came into the picture.”
Kenzie and Ariel both started laughing.
“I believe that,” Kenzie agreed. “He was definitely an asshole when I met him.”
“One who swept you off your feet and had you falling madly in love with me,” Gabriel told her.
“She was definitely mad,” Finn added.
“You’re all very funny,” Gabriel groused then turned to Ariel. “What about Daniel? You have to admit he was an asshole.”
Ariel shook her head. “No, I think I was the asshole. Thankfully, he never gave up on me.”
“Never,” Daniel swore, dropping a kiss on her brow.
“All moved in now?” Kenzie asked.
“Yes. I brought the last load of my stuff over today,” Ariel admitted.
“Let us know if you need any help rearranging or anything,” Laura offered.
Before Ariel could figure out how to tactfully pass on that offer, the timer on the oven went off, and she scrambled away to get dinner before it burned. She wasn’t having Laura over to help move anything while she was pregnant. Kenzie either. If Ariel needed help, she’d wait for Daniel. Not that she needed help.
