They hadn’t picked up Trip or Adam’s scents in the woods, so they figured they must have managed to make it back sooner as well.When they finally broke through the wood line and were in the backyard of the main house, they slowed their pace.Ryan went to the large window in the back of the house and pawed at the glass.Minutes later, El came into the room.Her eyes lit up with happiness when she saw them both, and she ran out to greet them.
Shawn and Ryan both moved to her, rubbing against her desperate for her touch.
“You guys made it here quick,” she laughed.
Trip joined El outside.“The two black sheep of the family return.”
“Let’s get you two shifted back, shall we?”El said.
“I’m going to go get Herb,” Trip said, turning and jogging off.
Shawn didn’t like the fact that El had to go through so much in order to help shift them back, but he had been trying every chance he got, with no luck.Trip returned with Herb and one of the healers.
“El can shift back and forth ten times safely.After that, if you haven’t shifted, unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until after the baby,” Herb told them.
It wasn’t lost on any of them how heavy weighted his instructions were.
“I know neither of you can ask, but yes, we’re positive that she can withstand the shift ten times.The closer she gets to that the number, Nancy, the healer, will be checking the baby in between each shift just to make sure.”
Ryan dipped his head.Shawn watched El.She stripped out of her clothes, and although Shawn’s eyes soaked in her gorgeous naked body; it was the soft curve to her belly that captivated him.
El paused briefly, her eyes flickering to meet both of theirs before she shifted for the first time.Shawn felt his panther give pause.El had shifted to her panther first.She shifted back to her human again and then back to her panther.Ryan snarled next to him, apparently not pleased that she was shifting to her panther.It took three shifts for Shawn to feel his panther give way to El’s call, and he shifted.
He stumbled forward, the feeling of being on two legs made him shaky and uneasy.El smiled sweetly at him before she shifted again, this time into her lioness.Ryan stepped forward, and everyone held their breath.It would be hard for her to force Ryan to shift, and she had only six more shifts left.
The more she shifted, the tighter everyone held their breath.Shawn stared at Ryan as if he would somehow be able to help it along.After El tried again with no success, Nancy stepped forward and placed her hands on El’s belly to check the baby.She gave a silent affirmation to keep going, so El shifted again.
“Shift faster,” Trip told El.
El shifted quickly two more times, and still nothing.El had tears in her eyes as she waited for the healer to give her the all-clear to shift one final time.El shifted to her lioness and then her lioness let out a frustrated roar as Ryan still remained in his lion form.El roared and snarled several times and paced around him, nudging him hard with her head and shoulders.Nothing worked, and eventually, El shifted back and threw herself on Ryan’s lion as tears slid down her face.
“Shit,” Shawn whispered.
He looked to Trip who was holding back tears of his own.Herb and the healer walked off silently, leaving them.Marcus showed up at some point, and it was just the five of them as they huddled close together comforting El as she wept for what she hadn’t been able to do, and for the unknown that still lay ahead of them.
Chapter 37
El
Marcus eventually draggedher off Ryan’s body and carried her upstairs to her room.He covered her with her blanket and curled up next to her.Soon after, Trip joined them, laying on her other side.El laid there in silence, listening to the sound of their breathing.Shawn came in looking fresh from the shower.He walked up the bed and gently lifted her off the bed and lay down, bringing her down on top of him.
El adjusted herself so that she was comfortably lounging on his chest, while still being able to feel Trip and Marcus beside her.Just when she thought it couldn’t be more perfect, Ryan’s loud rumble filled the room, and he pounced on top of the bed and curled up at her feet.
“Thank you,” she whispered to them all.
She knew certain things were weird for their beasts, and sharing a bed was one of them.They were letting her know that no matter what, they would all come together for her, for their child.Even with Ryan stuck in his lion form, he was there for her.
El drifted off to sleep soon after.When she woke up, the sun had gone down, and all the men were gone.Her stomach growled, which seemed to be the norm for her anymore.With a smile, she stretched and got out of bed in search of her men and food.
She heard their voices as she approached the kitchen, which made her smile even bigger.Apparently, she was on their eating habit schedule now.
“You better have saved some for me,” she joked when she walked in.
All of them grew silent, and she could feel the mood swing happen.Whatever they had been talking about had been pretty heavy.El eyed each of them as she headed to the stove to see what they had warmed up but ultimately decided not to push them.She had enough heavy in her life the past few months that she figured if she needed to know they would include her in the conversation.
Much to her delight, she found a big bubbling pan of ravioli on the stove.She grabbed a plate and plopped two big spoonsful on the plate before turning to join them at the table.
“Are you all going to fill me in on the conversation?”she asked, before her first spoonful.
