Weeks passedsince their encounter with the Pantera.The first few days they all walked around on pins and needles waiting for some kind of attack, but one never came.They had started to relax some, but there were always at least four people close to Destiny.
She was growing so fast, El had been concerned, but willow had explained that Destiny wouldn’t grow according to her human roots.She was more magical than most shifters and would grow faster.In one way, El was thankful because the less fragile Destiny became, the better El felt if there did happen to be an attack.On the other hand, she didn’t want Destiny’s baby stage to fly by.She loved their time spent nursing or anytime Destiny would simply sit still and listen to El read a story.
El was desperate for those normal times in the midst of all the abnormal.Her mates showered Destiny in love, and each one was creating their own bond with her, which was just as special for El to watch.
“El, we’re going to take Destiny outside to shift and play for a little bit.Do you want to come with us?”Trip asked her, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Yes, of course,” El said.
She finished washing the baby bottle she had been cleaning and followed Trip outside.Ryan, Marcus, and Shawn were already out there, and in their lion and panther forms.Destiny clapped her hands at seeing her dads already shifted and then wiggled to get out of Trip’s arms.
Trip set her down, and she immediately shifted.El sighed when she saw the shredded clothes all around her.They were going to have to buy stock in children’s clothes cause Destiny couldn’t seem to wait to get undressed before shifting.El picked up the mess while Destiny took off to romp with her dads.
El took a seat on a nearby wicker chair and watched them play.She had shifted much since Destiny had been born.She definitely didn’t shift when Ryan did just in case he needed her to help him shift back.A movement in the woods caught her eye, and she used her lioness’ eyes to make it out.There among the wood line were at least ten giant lions, standing guard.
Ryan had been right about the Pride coming together to protect Destiny.El couldn’t count the number of times she had seen lions simply standing guard nearby.The women in the Pride had been just as great, coming over with food, clothes and so many gifts.Destiny was so loved that sometimes it overwhelmed El.She had grown up without a lot of love.
“Ryan, there’s a commotion at the gate,” Adam said, hurrying out of the back door.
Ryan’s lion head snapped to attention, and he hurried after his brother, to shift privately.El stood up, torn at whether to follow Ryan or stay with Destiny and the others.She looked back at the men, and Marcus motioned with his head for her to go with Ryan.She hurried after him and caught up with him just as he was tugging a pair of sweatpants on in the foyer by the front door.
“Who is it?”she asked.
“I don’t know, we’re about to find out.”
They stepped outside and lined up around the front gate were hundreds of shifters.It took El’s breath away.
“Are they panthers?”El said.
“Not all of them, some of them are dragons, wolves, and other kinds of shifters.It’s insane,” Willow responded, from where she stood next to Adam.
She looked just as shocked as El felt.
“I guess word got out,” Ryan muttered.
“What are we going to do?”El asked.
“We’re going to take them in, and we’re going to vet each and every one of them, thoroughly.”
“It’ll take years,” Adam stuttered.
“They’re all here for her,” El whispered.
Persia and Leilani joined them outside, and El heard them both gasp.
“Where do we start?”Leilani asked.
“We start with the first one and just keep going, I guess.We offered them refuge, so now we have to make good on our promise,” Ryan stated.
“Let’s open up the far western quadrant, it has the most empty homes, and we can patrol that area better, to corral everyone over there until the vetting process, and then we’ll start letting them fill in.Gather all of our top officers,” Ryan said to Adam.
“Leilani and Persia, you two get Destiny and take her inside and do not let her out of your sight.Send the men to us.”
Their moms walked off, and El sent up thanks to the Mother for giving her and Ryan such strong, devoted mothers.There were times neither of them liked it, especially El—she still had a long ways to go with her mother— but she knew, at the end of the day, her mom would do whatever it took to protect Destiny.
“Let a few of them pass,” Willow said, stepping forward.
Adam grabbed her shoulder, but she simply turned and offered him a soft smile and removed his hands.
