Felix went to his mate and pulled her against his chest.He tipped up her face and skimmed his fingers over Casey’s cheek, his expression one of reassurance.“It’s rare and only happens to very old or sick shifters.Occasionally inexperienced shifters too.None of us are in danger of getting stuck.”
“Apart from Leo,” she said.“You should tell Anna.”
Saber scowled, exchanged a glance with Felix.“I doubt Leo will want Ma to see him like this.”
“That’s too bad,” Anna Mitchell, the matriarch of the Mitchell family, said from the doorway.A tall woman with dark hair like her children, she vibrated with determination and mother-bear protectiveness.“Scarlett told me.”
Saber stepped in front of her, held his mother in place when she attempted to duck around him.“It doesn’t look good, Ma.He’s too weak to shift.”
Her gray eyes narrowed as she met his resolve with a glare.Her chin lifted a fraction.“I’m your mother.I’ve seen the best and the worst of all of you.”
Saber sighed in defeat and guided his mother to the sleep-bed.She sucked in a harsh breath on seeing Leo’s battered body clench in the midst of a spasm.He shuddered for long moments before slumping in a boneless heap.
“Did he say what happened?”
“He didn’t say much.”Saber’s grim visage shouted his disapproval.
“Okay.”Ma lifted her chin and gathered determination around her like a cloak.“We’ll clean him up and let him rest.We’ll need to take turns and watch him around the clock.The moment he gains consciousness, we’ll encourage him to shift—if he seems strong enough to complete the transformation.Other than that, I don’t see that there’s much we can do apart from pray.”
Chapter Six
Three months later, Middlemarch Resort, Planet Tiraq
Anotheroneofthosebloody dreams.Exhausted from working with the twins in their new vineyard, he’d fallen asleep in his clothes.No sooner was he out than Betrys Torin popped into his head, enticing him, seducing him, fucking him during his sleep.On the brink of coming, he’d woken with a hard-on.
No more!Not tonight.
Leo stripped off his clothes and pictured his feline shape in his mind.The process took longer than it used to, and he had to use intense focus, the same concentration he’d required during his teenage years when new to shifting.
“Paint the cat in your mind, son.”
The long-ago words from his father helped to soothe the angst that popped into his psyche more and more these days, the fear he might fail in his shift and end up between.
You can do this, Leo.
His father had been right, and it would be the same on this occasion.He imagined his cat, the sleek, muscular lines of his body, the prick of his ears, the swish of his tail, and finally, finally the magical prickles swept across his skin.Bones cracked, reshaped.Fur started to sprout along his back.The familiar pain racked his body, and he heard a grunt—his grunt—as the transformation took him.He dropped to all fours and embraced his feline form.His tail flicked back and forth, and his senses magnified.
The ever-present pain in his stomach faded as did the nagging ache at his temples.He left his quarters via the open terrace door and padded into the night air.
Tonight, the briny scent of the sea drew him.He wanted to play in the waves and sprint along the white sand.Feminine voices up ahead had him stepping off the gravel path and slinking into the undergrowth.
“Did you see the signs about the zylon creatures?”a woman asked.“Do you think they’re as dangerous as they say?”
“They wouldn’t have signs everywhere if it was a lie,” another woman stated her opinion.
“I’m playing safe,” the third woman said.“We’re only here for a week cycle, and I want to enjoy every moment of the capture experience, not end up sick or dead because I didn’t believe their signs.”
Wise woman, Leo thought.Zylons were fluffy and cute, but their bites were deadly to most beings.Luckily he and his brothers had discovered the zylon bites had no effect if they were in feline form, and hunting them had become a popular diversion for the shifters.
The three women sauntered by him, dressed in slinky outfits designed to impress.They were part of another batch of guests, drawn by word-of-mouth, to try the fantasy rooms and to indulge in the sensual treats available at the resort.The wordcapturefilled the dining room, the reception room, the walkways.His top lip curled.Who knew he and his brothers would make a successful living by indulging women in their fantasies.
Sex on tap.
A dream come true for most males.
Not for him.
Leo dodged all of the women, stayed away from the resort and concentrated on the farming side of their operation.Their grapes were growing well, despite the tropical climate, and it would be interesting to see how the wine would turn out since typically the vines required cooler temperatures.
