“House. Now.” Tanner commanded and I shifted, threw my clothing on, and followedthem inside, no one speaking.
Once we were there, Huston called to Candrin who was coming down the stairs. Was he waiting for me to come back? My brothers? Or worse, was he about to leave?
“You’re all here.” He stopped midway down the steps. “Do I need to move out? I can.”
My beast growled inside me, my eyes no longer my own. My bear didn’t like the notion of our mate leaving. I didn’t either, but Candrin was human and humans were not the same as us. And there was also the whole all three of us scenting him as ours thing.
“No!” Huston’s voice boomed. He too was more bear than human.
“Out. Shift.” Tanner demanded, his teeth clenched and his voice possibly too low for Candrin to hear from where he was. “Before you do something stupid.” This part was a little bit louder.
Tanner wasn’t usually a bossy dick like this, but then again I could scent his bear. He was close to the edge, just not quite as close as Huston and I were.
“Now.”
Huston ran out the front door and I could hear the ripping of his clothing, his bear was already loose and the human was just standing on the staircase looking at us bewildered.
“You too Oberon. I can see your beast.” Tanner was right, I needed to leave too. But I couldn’t, my bear refused to listen.
Outside. Now. We don’t want to hurt our mate.
Ours.
Mate.
Ours.
Claim.
Tanner grabbed me by the arm and started to tug, a growl building in my chest, my feet still holding firm.
“You don’t want to hurt him.”
That had my feet moving and my bear even more insistent. He dragged me bit by bit, but not quickly enough. My bear taking his fur, my clothing shredding to pieces, my four paws thumping to the floor, the roomshaking.
“Fuck!” Tanner cried out.
I’d apologize later, when I could manage to get my skin back. But for now I was trapped, my beast too big for the doorway. The situation couldn’t get any worse.
Only it did. Tanner’s expletive wasn’t about me shifting. Not exactly, anyway. He was half way up the stairs, holding a passed out Candrin. I did that. I broke my mate, put him in danger. Had Tanner not caught him, he could’ve toppled down and broken his neck.
Give me back my skin.
Mate.
Yes, he’s our mate and he needs us. He needs me to help him. You scared him so much his body crumbled.I thought I might be able to help him see the error of his ways and to give me my control back. I was wrong.
My bear tipped his head toward the ceiling and let out a growl.
23
CANDRIN
What now?
My head was pounding and my back ached. I went to turn over but everything hurt. I was in bed. Maybe not mine but someone’s. That had me instantly awake as memories flickered through my head reminding me of an old style movie reel.
My room, my bed. That was a plus. And I was alone. Not Tanner’s and not Huston’s.
