Bain #3
“We almost lost you,” he whispers. “I’ll admit, bathing you in the pond might be more for us than you.” She tilts her head at him in question, and he smiles. “Our wolves are riding us hard right now to take care of you.” She licks his wrist, and he asks, “Is that a yes?”
She dips her head, and he stands, pulling his shirt off. Gage and I do the same, and she quickly turns to face the water, as she always does, as if she feels shy watching us undress.
The twins, in wolf form, run past her, jumping into the pond and paddling until they reach the middle, then they shift to their human forms.
“You guys coming or what?” Chase asks in amusement as he treads water.
Maddox scoops up Red and steps into the water until it’s covering her back. Chase and Hunter move closer, gently stroking her under the surface as Gage and I join them.
“She looks sleepy,” Hunter says as we watch her eyes fight to stay open.
“I think regenerating takes a lot from her,” Gage says, watching her lie there relaxed in Maddox’s arms. She puts a lot of trust in us now, and it makes me feel good to know that. Even though every part of me feels like a failure for allowing her to be killed yesterday.
I still can’t believe Kane got the jump on us with all those rogues.
By the time I smelled them, they were already at the edge of our property, and it was all I could do to shout through the bond at the others and shift.
I managed to get past her before they arrived, but there were a dozen of them.
I still don’t understand how Kane had control over all those rogues. It doesn’t make sense.
I shake my head, trying to dispel the memory of all those red eyes and bared teeth aimed at my angel. Ripping their throats out was too quick a death, but there was no other choice at the time.
I watch as the twins swim toward the waterfall with Gage on their heels. “Can I?” I ask Maddox, gesturing for my wish to hold her.
He nods and gently passes her to me. I shift her so she’s sitting on my forearm with her front paws on either side of my neck. This position lets me hug her, something I’m craving right now. I can feel each breath as her chest rises and falls against mine, and it soothes me to feel her breathing.
Maddox starts to swim to where the others disappeared through the waterfall, so I move us in that direction too. I want her to feel safe, and our private little cave is perfect for that.
“Angel, we’re going to go through the waterfall now. Hold your breath,” I tell her as I stride through it quickly. Once through, I go to set her on the ledge that juts out, but her claws grip into my shoulders.
“You don’t want me to put you down?” Her claws dig in a little more, not breaking the skin, but making her point—she wants to stay in my arms. I can’t help but smile, just a little. “Okay, angel. Message received.” Then, a little quieter, I add, “Believe me, I’d rather be holding you, anyway.”
Her claws release their grip on me, and she rests her head on my shoulder, taking a deep breath as if she’s sighing in contentment, making me appreciate her even more.
The others watch in amusement as they start to move closer. As if they can’t resist the draw of her presence. I already know I can’t, that’s why I’m the one holding her right now. The water sits just above my hips, only the very bottom of her getting wet.
The twins stand in front of me, with Gage to my right and Maddox behind my left shoulder.
“She’s so calm right now,” Hunter says as he strokes her upper back and side.
Chase gently strokes her lower back, above my arm. “She’s so cute like this. All snuggly and sweet.”
“She’s always sweet,” Gage corrects him, reaching over to stroke the top of her neck.
“Yes, you are such a good girl, aren’t you, sweetheart?” Maddox adds as he reaches up to run his thumb over her cheek.
Suddenly, I feel her shift. Not move. Shift.
My fingers no longer cling to her soft, red fur, but are now holding on to her smooth, pale skin. A mass of red hair hangs down her back as her arms and legs wrap around me, squeezing me tightly.
She shifted.
Gasps fill the cave and I see the twins' wide eyes staring at her back in shock.
“Ho-ly shit!” Chase says, taking the words right out of my mouth.
And then Maddox whispers the one word I feared most.
“Mate.”
The twins jump back, as if they’ve been burned, and suddenly she shifts back into her wolf form as I do my best to hold on to her through it.
My heart clenches painfully, and from the looks on the others’ faces, they feel the same thing I do.
Heartbreak and disappointment.
But not just that, a deep feeling of despair is already pushing to the surface. I tried to tell myself how unlikely it was, for her to be mine, but I still hung on to that hope.
Needing to confirm it’s true, before I completely spiral, I turn to face Maddox as I cling to her with a desperation I can’t explain. After this, I’ll never be able to hold her again. She’ll be his, not mine, not ours.
Maddox stares at her with a mix of shock and awe, and when his eyes meet mine, I demand, “Tell me.”
My fingers dig into her fur, praying it’s not true, but no matter how much I wish it, his next words stab me in the chest as if I’ve been gutted.
“She’s my fated mate.”