Chapter 18 Aiden #2
My quadmates stared unabashedly at our mate’s strong, nude body, and I was no different, even in beast form.
Her long blonde hair hung around her shoulders in gentle waves.
We got a glimpse of perky, perfect breasts before she crossed her arms over them.
The soft light from the stars and waxing crescent Moon above caressed her curves and the slight grooves in her toned stomach, which led to a trimmed patch of blonde hair between her long, bare legs.
She was all silky skin and lean muscles, and the image would be branded onto my brain for the rest of my life.
She sucked in a deep, calming breath. The beast would be riding her hard after a fight like this.
I had to stow that thought before it made me insane.
“Shit,” she said.
She looked around the parking lot at the small group of friends and family that were now in on her greatest secret. The girls were still gaping at her. Brody had averted his eyes because she was basically his sister, and Allen had done the same because he didn’t have a death wish.
“Shit,” she said again.
I padded over to her and nuzzled her again.
She smelled like blood and jasmine and beastly violence and primal need.
“Damn it, Aiden,” she said. She exhaled another shaky breath and rubbed my neck, and I purred like a buzzsaw at my mate’s hands on my fur. She shook her head ruefully, then she pushed me away. “Okay, that’s enough out of you.”
“Avery.” Heath’s gaze on her was searing, ignited by the obsession that had consumed us all.
“Don’t worry about any of this, okay? I’ll report to the Council that Mahoney challenged Aiden over some bullshit that happened during Guardian training last semester, and their beasts fought to the death, as is their right.
The wolf’s wounds are consistent with those from a Prime feline.
No one will know the difference between tiger and jaguar, and the killing blow to the skull rather than the neck is consistent with the jaguar. You were never here.”
She jerked a nod. “Thank you. He really was trying to kill Ian, so I had no choice.”
“I know, Killer. You did the right thing.”
Mallory sidled up to her. “Hey there, friend of mine. Quite a situation you have going on there. I mean, I’d have put my money on big cat, especially after the power your girl used to send my cat running through the woods during the whole campus breach thing, but damn.
We can talk about it all later, after you’ve, uh, come down from all of this, but at the moment, how about I heal some of these gashes? ”
“Do it,” Heath said. Avery and Mallory both gave him a flat stare. “Please,” he added.
He put his cell phone to his ear and wandered out of earshot, and Mallory began running her fingertips over the flesh wounds in Avery’s shoulder and thigh.
The soft blue glow of Moon magic, stored like a battery by shifters with a competent healing affinity, bathed my mate’s wounds and unclenched the knot in my stomach.
While Mallory worked, Clara trotted up, fox Ian still in her arms. “You were amazing, Avery! I can’t even believe this—you could’ve ended Paul Blankenship’s lion with, like, two swipes of your paw and a scary roar!
But instead you had to use your swords, and you were amazing then, too, don’t get me wrong!
I mean, I get why you aren’t open about your beautiful tiger, I really do, but it’s such a shame.
People are backwards and stupid about females sometimes. ”
With one last burst of my will, I forced the jaguar back inside, and he was not happy to go. I shook out my limbs and pinned my sister with a grave look. “Clara, do you understand why no one can know about Avery’s beast? Especially Dad?”
She paled. “Oh. Yeah, definitely. Not a word from me. I promise.”
Avery’s ethereal gaze dipped down my naked body for a fraction of a second, setting every nerve I had on fucking fire, before she focused firmly on my face. Her eyes narrowed, studying me for a beat, and then she turned her attention to the fox in Clara’s arms.
She pointed at him. “I see you, Ian Baxter. You think you’re avoiding being yelled at by me and by your boyfriend, who you scared half to death, by hiding behind your cute little fox face. You are in for a rude awakening.”
His whiskers twitched, and then he buried his head in Clara’s shirt.
Brody walked over to Clara and held out his arms. “I will take him, please.”
“Sorry,” she whispered to the fox, and then she handed him over.
Brody clutched Ian to his chest and walked away, presumably so they could have a private chat.
Elijah wandered closer to Avery, bringing the chill of the basilisk with him. He chucked my clothes at me and then produced a T-shirt and offered it to Avery. “Here you go, Dove. Courtesy of Willow.”
Willow waved jovially from where she stood next to her car, clad in only a sports bra and jeans. Winona lounged against the door next to her, looking like a fifteen-year-old who’d just seen something extremely impressive but didn’t want to let on that she was impressed.
Avery pulled the T-shirt over her head, which only hit her mid-stomach. She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders, agitation seeping from her every pore, but she managed a smile and a wave for Willow.
Elijah shucked his own shirt, and Avery tried but failed to smother a tiny moan at the sight of his naked torso.
“Fuck,” she swore, snatching the shirt from Elijah’s hands and tying it around her waist. “I mean, thanks, Elijah.”
“You’re very welcome, love.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He grinned. “Okay.”
Mallory cleared her throat and stepped away from Avery.
“Finished. These should be fully healed tomorrow, so take it easy until then.” She gave Avery’s outfit a quick once over, her nose wrinkling.
“I have some clothes in my car out front. How about I go grab you something and meet you in the bathroom so you can look less like you just shifted and brawled in a parking lot?”
Avery chewed her lip and shifted her weight from foot to foot. I bit off a growl at the fact that her feet were bare against the dirty asphalt.
“Go ahead, Dove,” Elijah said. “Wyatt ducked inside to update Bernard on the situation. He’ll keep everyone out of the back.”
She sighed. “Okay. Mal, I’ll meet you in there.”
Mallory ran off, her still-stunned mate in tow, and Elijah went to help Heath.
Avery glanced at me one more time, her beast still peeking through her eyes. “Thank you, Aiden,” she said softly. “I would’ve done it, but I’m glad I didn’t have to.”
She was so strong, so fucking beautiful, and it hurt so much.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I would do it again a thousand times to keep you safe.”
She managed a nod before she hurried away and disappeared inside.
And my world was dark again.