My tongue darts over her skin when, suddenly, I get a spray of water in the face.
“No, bad shifter.Bad.” Stryker is in my face with a spray bottle of water and I growl, but before I can launch myself at him, my mate shakes with laughter, and all thoughts of murderare instantly erased from my mind. That sound is… everything. So carefree, andhappy,and…
I’d do anything to hear it again. Take a faceful of water every day if that’s what it takes.
Still chuckling, Kiara lifts the hem of her shirt and dries my face, my breath stilling in my lungs.
She’s scent marking me back. Claiming me in front of him without an ounce of hesitation.
It clicks, then, and the onslaught of adrenaline begins to ebb from my veins, my thoughts easier to connect and hold onto. She’s already vetted this one as a potential mate and deemed him worthy, she doesn’t need me to test him. And my mate’s smart; if she approves, that’s all that matters. The more mates she surrounds herself with, the better she’s protected. If I fail again, she won’t pay the price. There will be others to ensure the monsters that tortured me never get their hands on her. To accomplish that? I don’t need to only be Kiara’s mate, I need to coordinate with the rest of her men. The better we work together, the easier it’ll be to protect her.
It pains me to let him touch her, but I stuff down my own feelings and rise to my feet, carrying Kiara over and gently passing her over to him as an olive branch. She comes first. If we’re at each other’s throats, it’s not my pride that suffers, it’s her. And until I’m back to the guardian that used to spark legends and strike fear into the hearts of men, I’ll need to rely on Stryker and Devlin to help care for our mate.
He startles, but takes her without hesitation and gives me a nod of respect. “I’m honored by your trust. I swear, I’ll take care of her with my life.”
I dip my head in return, even though I miss the weight of her against me fiercely. But I know better than anyone that sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
Kiara beams at me as she wiggles her way down from Stryker’s arms, and a terrible part of me puffs up with smug satisfaction at how quickly she abandoned him when she letmehold her for as long as I desired. “Well damn, if I knew all it’d take was a little jealousy to make all this progress, I’d have called in Stryker days ago.” Over her shoulder, she snarks, “Don’t get any ideas, I’m still claiming the credit.”
He snorts. “Wouldn’t dream of it, princess.”
She flips him off, but there’s no heat behind it. To me, she gushes, “It’ll be a workout hauling all the bedding over after work, but trust me, it’ll be worth it. You’ll be so warm, you’ll kick me out of the nest halfway through the night, cuddle buddies be damned. Want to help, or is your social battery drained for the day? You could wait for me here if you don’t want to borrow Stryker’s gym shoes, but it’ll likely take me two trips on my own-”
“What are you talking about?” Stryker interrupts. “Hauling bedding over?” He scowls. “Tell me you aren’t planning onsleepinghere?”
Kiara grimaces. “Yeahhhhhh, about that. Some unforeseen problems cropped up, the heat got shut off at my place about a week ago, andIkindasortasoldmyhouseandammovingintotheclinic,” she mumbles in a sheepish rush, rocking back on her heels and avoiding his gaze.
I didn’t know someone’s neck could turn that red, but Stryker looks like a volcano about to blow. “You’ve been living with aferalshifter,withnoheat in the middle of one of the harshest winters on record, andyou didn’t think that was something you should tell me?!”
A warning growl rumbles through my chest, not liking the tone he’s speaking to my mate with, and he seems to takethe chastisement to heart, pinching the bridge of his nose and backing off to cool down.
Once he gets his shit together and remembers the proper way to speak to a lady, he stops his pacing in front of her and says calmly, “You can stay with me. We’ll grab your things on the way.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you staying at the bed and breakfast? How well do you think that’d go over, bringing Z there? People can’t find out about him until he’s cured.”
Stryker gives her a pained look. “Sweet girl, you know the best thing we can do for Z is keep him comfortable, but contained, and ensure he isn’t a threat to himself or others.”
I was wrong. Apparently a personcanturn a deeper shade of red. And Kiara? She’s practically on fire as she seethes, “Just because a cure hasn’t been found yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Tell me, Stryker, do you really think he’s a lost cause? Because despite what people say, the two of us have been in a room with him for an hour and he hasn’t hurt either of us. I’ve been living with him for more than a week, and all it’s done is prove that he needshelp,not to be locked up and left to rot.”Exhaling slowly, she says more calmly, “Hurt people hurt people. Injured animals lash out in pain. Look at him;reallylook, and tell me what you see.”
As he turns his attention to me, I bare my teeth, taking Kiara back in my arms. He doesn’t deserve to cuddle her if he’s going to be an asshole.
Voice a whisper, he asks, “Do you know what happened to him?”
Kiara sighs. “Based on the hundreds of scars and burn marks, broken wing when I found him, and how defensive he gets around people, especially men? I’m guessing that someone found out what kind of shifter he is and tried to traffick him. Andwhen he fought back, they made it their mission to break him so they could sell him.”
“Wait, what kind of shifter is he?”
Kiara looks between the two of us, weighing the risks before coming to a decision to trust the man. “A sphinx.”
Stryker jerks back, and I bury my nose in the crook of my mate’s neck. It’s easier to keep up with the conversation this way, though frustrating that they’re discussing my fate in front of me and being unable to speak for myself. But I… I can’t. I’m not sure I even havea voice left.
“Shit. Fuck.” He runs a shaky hand through his dark hair. Taking a deep breath, he says, “That settles it then, I’m staying too. If you’re right?” Holding her worried stare, his words hit every one of my fears on the head as he says, “Somebody’s looking for him. Asphinx? Most people think they’re extinct. That’d be a goldmine to traffickers, and if they catch you with him…” he shakes his head, not wanting to imagine the implications, and honestly… neither do I.
I can’t keep my mate safe if I abandon her. Sticking close puts her in danger. Gods, what the hell am I supposed to do?
“Kia?” a muted, male voice calls outside the door, and Kiara pauses for a solid five seconds before springing into action, panicking.
“Oh Fates. Could he have any worse timing?” To both of us, she begs, “It’s my brother. By all that is holy,stay. Here.I haven’t told him about either of you yet and he will lose his absolute shit. Please, please, please, don’t come out until I get rid of him.”
