“Mate…” Trip started, stepping closer to El.
She put her hand up to silence him and stepped back, making it clear she didn’t want him anywhere near her.
Shawn walked in just then, and the tension in the room was not lost on him.He immediately went to El, looking her up and down as if to convince himself that she was in one piece and unharmed.
“El?”her name was more of a question, indicating Shawn was wanting in on what was going on.
“El, Claudia means nothing to me.She is merely a friend, and she’s the best healer we have.We need her around here, so you’re going to have to learn to deal with me being around her—withallof us being around her,” Trip told her.
“Fine.Shawn can you pull the file on my last boyfriend.The one who was a member of the LAPD.We could certainly use his help right now.He did pass your inspection, did he not?”El said, her eyes never leaving Trip.
“Uh, El, I think maybe you need to get some rest,” Shawn said.
“No, I don’t need rest.What I need is that phone number.He’ll be part of our task force here.He was quite the hugger as well if I remember correctly.”
Her last statement earned her three loud growls from her lions and a frustrated huff from Shawn.
“El, now is not the time to be jealous and petty,” Ryan told her.
“Oh, so now not only am I ignorant, I’m jealous and petty too?”El scoffed.
“This is blowing out of proportion very quickly.Maybe we all need to just leave and get some rest, and revisit this in the morning,” Marcus, always the peacemaker, said.
“I think you’re right about leaving.Shawn, I’d like to go visit your mother—now.”
Marcus, Trip, and Ryan all moved in on her.Even though giant men surrounded her, breathing down on her with furious looks, El squared her shoulders and prepared to stand her ground
“You’re not going anywhere,” Ryan said.
“Like hell.Trip’s off hugging his ex every chance he has.You believe I deserve a punishment for playing into your mom’s plan.Marcus is being used as the constant peacemaker.My world keeps getting weirder and weirder.I turned into a freaking lion tonight!I need a break!”
“My mother’s home is an hour’s drive from here into the mountains.It’s a secure location and easy for me to monitor who comes and goes,” Shawn said.
El instantly felt better having someone on her side.Shawn had always been on her side.
“El…” Marcus pleaded.
“I’m sorry, but I need some space from all of this.”
“We’re your mates.You shouldn’t want space from us,” Trip said, his tone a mixture of hurt and anger.
“I know this whole mate thing is cut and dry for you all.I’m your mate so I should just accept all of these things, like hugging your ex, but inmyworld, a man who hugs his ex, still has feelings for her.Those scenarios rarely turn out good for the current girlfriend.Men who want to punish their girlfriend for the actions of their mother, don’t usually pan out well either.”
Their expressions were all painful, and El could feel their pain down in her soul, but furthermore, she could feel her own pain.El had spent her entire life putting others before her, and that was something she was going to change.She now had the strength from her beasts to give her the courage to stand up for herself.
“It won’t take me long to get ready,” El told Shawn.
“I’ll go pack as well.Mom’s going to be so excited to see you,” Shawn said.
Once Shawn left, El decided to ignore the three giant lion shifters still there staring down at her, and she began packing her own bags.Shawn’s mother was one of the kindest women El had ever met; she was everything El had ever dreamed a mom should be.The thought of spending some time with her made El giddy with excitement.Instead of stressing over her beasts, or her battle with Leilani, or what was going to happen with her and her mates, El just focused on the warm hug Shawn’s mom would engulf her in as soon as she saw El.
“El, I wish we could talk about this more,” Ryan said, finally breaking the silence.
“I don’t know what more there is to talk about.You’ve made yourself clear.I’ll be punished, just let me know what you plan to do to me and when, and I’ll make sure I’m back in time,” El sneered.
“Dammit El, it’s not like that,” Ryan roared.
El flipped around, her lioness on edge; she could feel her eyes glowing.
