Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Hollie listened to the sound of their voices but didn’t comprehend exactly what they were saying.
She was so tired, she couldn’t concentrate on anything.
She’d walked as far as she could last night, which couldn’t have been more than two to three miles tops, then decided to hide out in the barn she’d come across until morning.
It was near a large, beautiful house, but all the lights were out in the home, and she just needed a few hours of sleep; then she would move on.
Unfortunately, she didn’t wake up early enough to slip away like she planned. Now she was stuck in a corner, trying to figure out what to do. Her head was pounding, her leg hurt, and her entire body ached with pain.
“Can I sit by you?” Jonathan asked in a hushed voice.
She opened one eye to look at the child and lowered her head in permission, before shutting it again.
His face lit up, and he immediately plopped down next to her.
She felt him rest a tentative hand behind her ears, and she tried to block out the pain he inadvertently caused. “Oh! Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry.”
“What’s wrong, Jonathan?”
It was the one they called their alpha. The one who said she was his mate.
He was right. She knew it. He knew it. But she was going to deny it for now.
Not out loud, of course. She wasn’t stupid.
She just wasn’t ready to accept it herself yet.
Not because she didn’t want him. She did.
But how was she going to keep him safe? There was no way she was going to give him up, though. He smelled delicious.
“I hurt her, Alpha. I didn’t mean to.”
“Of course not, cub,” the alpha said gently. “I know you would never hurt the alpha-mate on purpose.”
Alpha-mate. She liked it. That meant she was in charge, right? What woman didn’t love to be in charge?
“You need to call the doctor, Alpha. We have to help her feel better.”
Hollie grunted softly, rubbing her head against Jonathan’s leg, trying to let him know that she wasn’t upset with him for causing her pain. That everything was going to be fine.
“Already done, bud.”
It was a new voice, one she hadn’t heard before, and she opened her eyes to mere slits to see the man squatting down a few feet from them.
She let out a small growl of warning, just in case he planned on hurting the child who was so sweet to her.
She might be miserable right now, but she would still take on any threat to Jonathan.
“My name is Jacob Pattenson, lioness. Thank you for protecting my son,” the man said softly. “I can tell he will always be safe with you.”
“She’s the alpha-mate, Dad!”
Jacob chuckled. “So, I hear.”
“She’s so awesome!”
“And a bit terrifying,” she heard one of the other guys mutter, and she huffed in amusement.
Deciding it was time to shift, Hollie raised her head and nipped at her mate’s shirt.
Grabbing it with her teeth, she pulled lightly, then let go.
When he reached over and set his hand on her neck, she shrugged him off and did it again.
She might be a shifter, but there was no way she was going to show off all of her assets to the crowd that seemed to be growing in the barn.
“I think she wants your clothes off, boss.”
Hollie shoved her head into the alpha’s chest, then pulled on the shirt again.
He laughed before undoing the buttons and removing it.
She found herself disappointed when she saw he was wearing a black tank top underneath.
Leaning over, she playfully nipped at the tank, happiness filling her when she made him laugh again.
“Damn, Leo, I don’t think I want to be a part of whatever is going on up here.”
Hollie was immediately on her feet, standing in front of Jonathan with her head bent low, and a protective roar leaving her throat.
A vampire. Just like the ones she’d killed the night before. They wouldn’t get near the cub. She wouldn’t let them.
She felt a hand rest on her neck and heard her mate’s soothing voice.
“It’s okay, my lioness. Preston is the pride doctor.
” Hollie roared again, but felt a wave of dizziness this time that about put her on her ass.
She was so exhausted, she could hardly function, but no vampire was going to hurt Jonathan when she was around.
She didn’t care who they said he was; she didn’t want him anywhere near the boy.
“It’s okay, Alpha-mate. Doc Preston won’t hurt me,” Jonathan said, slipping his arms around her neck and pulling her close. “He’s a good person. He helps people.”
Hollie rested her head on the child’s shoulder, her eyes never leaving the vamp who was watching her carefully.
“I can smell the vampires on you, Alpha-mate. I’m sorry that some of my kind attacked you. But I will ask you to remember, there are good and bad in every species. I can’t help what happened to you, but I can be the doctor who cares for you, if you’ll let me?”
Hollie breathed in deeply, scenting the truth in his words.
“He’s a part of our pride, mate,” Leo said as he draped his shirt over her body. “He is someone we trust and protect. He’s proven his loyalty to us. To me.”
Knowing she needed to stop being so difficult, Hollie lowered herself to the floor and began to shift.
After everything she’d been through, it took longer than it had ever taken before.
However, a few minutes she lay in front of them all, the shirt covering a good portion of her small body, her hair fanned out on the floor around them.
“Let me help you,” Leo said gruffly. He knelt beside her and helped her sit up, then wrapped the shirt around her, sliding her arms through the sleeves. His eyes never left hers as he did the buttons up, covering her from the view of the others.
“Hollie,” she rasped, as she stared into the most breathtaking blue eyes she’d ever seen. Her throat was on fire from where Bouncer Bull had tried to squeeze the life out of her, but she had to get the words out.
“What?”
“My name is Hollie. Hollie Donaldson.”
The alpha gently traced a finger down her neck, where she knew there had to be dark bruising. “And what is the name of the man who marked you with his handprint, my mate?”
She could hear the rage in his voice, even though he spoke to her gently. Her heartbeat picked up slightly at the haunting memory of the vamp’s hand tightening around her throat.
“Bull,” she whispered, leaning in to lay her head on Leo’s thick chest, needing to feel the comfort and safety he was providing. “Bull and Diego. They had orders to kill me.”
“And where are these vamps at now, alpha-mate?”
Hollie lifted her head to look over at the man who’d spoken. “What’s your name?” she asked hoarsely, as her throat began to hurt more.
“Caiden, ma’am.”
“Caiden is the beta of my pride.”
Hollie’s eyelids fluttered as she fought against sleep. She gave a slight nod, acknowledging Caiden’s status. “They’re dead, beta.”
“Dead?”
“Tore out Diego’s throat.”
She snuggled closer to Leo, listening to the rhythm of his heart beating.
“And Bull?”
“I finished him off before I left.”
“Where at?” the alpha demanded, his arms tightening around her.
“Highway towards town. Couple of miles. Bastards hit my car.”
“Why are they after you, mate?”
“Because they’re bigoted assholes,” Hollie muttered. “I called them out on it.”
“She needs to rest, Alpha,” Preston cut in. “The more she speaks, the more pain she’s in. Give her a couple of hours.”
Leo ran his hand lightly down her back, leaning down to rub his cheek gently over the top of her head.
“Caiden, take Caleb and Jensen and go make sure those fuckers are gone.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
That was the last thing Hollie heard before the darkness hit her.