The door opened, but she didn't bother looking up."El?"
Shawn.
"Baby?"Marc.
The breath she blew out rebounded on her face, bathing her in its clammy warmth."Yeah?"
One of them crouched down beside her, pressed his hand to the back of her head, and gently stroked her there."Are you going to look at us?We want to see your beautiful eyes, baby."
"Now we know why they're beautiful," she scoffed.Gulping, she whispered, "What am I?"
Her other male crouched down to her left.He ran a hand up and down her calf, trying to soothe her."A panther," he confessed.
Of course, she thought almost ruefully.A panther.
Jesus.Could nothing be simple?
The breath she sucked in, even to her own ears, sounded panicked.That was probably because of the hyperventilating she was about to do.
Yet again, she was a cuckoo in the nest.
"Well," she whispered, "at least this explains why my mother hates me.She isn't my mother."There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she was her father’s child.Her grandfather would never have let a stranger inherit the family wealth, and Annabel would have simply had an abortion if she’d found herself pregnant from an affair knowing that Joseph would never accept another man’s child in the house.
Shawn let out a hiss."With any other woman, I'd say that wouldn't matter.But she hasn't been a mother to you.So, it isn't bad news, El, that she isn't your mother."
"Fucking hell, Shawn," Marc spat."Remind me not to give you any diplomatic jobs."
Though his words had been like a spear to the gut, that was only because Shawn was right.Her bitch of a mother could no longer be labeled that.Bitch would now suffice.
Lifting her head, she peered at her men with watery eyes.The crazy thing was, now she knew she was a panther – what had they called them?Pantera?– what scared her more than anything, even more than the realization that she could turn into a fucking cat, was the fact they might not want her any more.A notion that was given power because of Trip and Ryan's absence.
Her mouth trembled as she whispered, "Do they not want me anymore?"
Marc let out a sharp gasp, and immediately swiped his head to the left in rejection of her question.He squeezed her calf and gritted out, "You are our mate.Nothing, and I mean nothing, changes that.Do you understand me?I have been searching for you for a hundred years.Waiting… And you think that this news puts our bond in jeopardy?"He shook his head."You're crazy."
"Well, where are they?"she wailed.
"They're in their bedrooms.We didn't want to overwhelm you, El," Shawn told her softly.
She wasn't sure whether to be touched or not.Men could be such dingbats sometimes, couldn't they?
An ache speared her between the eyes."I'm tired," she admitted.
"We left you here sleeping," Marc said with a frown."I thought you'd want to talk."
Sheepishly, she made another admission, "I faked it.I needed to be alone."
Shawn sighed."That's the last thing you need, El."
"The next few days, maybe even weeks, are going to be crazy.And this past month, even before I met you guys, has been intense.I just wanted some quiet time."
"Did it work?Do you feel better?Pushing us away?"
She reached for Marc’s hand, having heard the hurt in his tone – a hurt she'd never intended on inflicting.
"Hey, it was never about that.It wasn't about any of you.It was about me.My entire life has been a lie.And yet, I'm rich, and I've had a lot of experiences that so many people would never dream of getting to experience, but it hasn't been easy.It's never been easy.
"My parents always seemed to hate me.I could never connect with my brothers.The only people who ever seem to like me in my house were the housekeepers.My grandad and I were close, but I lost him so early.Then, after that came the whole shitstorm about his will.Ever since I've been trying to figure out what's normal.And, I've come to realize that nothing is.Not for me."The breath she released was deep and filled with pain."And that was all before this happened."
