AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not in the mood for games.” Beckett eased his hand away from the guy’s neck. “Who were you following?”
“Some very bad men,” the guy admitted. Then he stuck his hand out. “My name is Santee Delk.”
“And my name is No Trespassing,” Beckett said. “Didn’t you smell cheetah markings? A little bunny would have to be crazy to enter a cheetah’s territory.”
“Well, Mr. No Trespassing, it won’t happen again.”
Beckett hated to admit that he liked Santee’s sass.
Santee leaned in closer, his noise wiggling. “Why do you smell like wood burning in a fireplace?”
A sensation in the center of Beckett’s chest seized him. He could still scent snow, as if they were standing in a foot of the white stuff. Which was insane because it was the middle of summer. There wasn’t a threat of snow on the air, so the smell must have been…
Beckett snarled as he looked Santee over. The guy was his mate. He also saw deep lacerations on Santee’s side and thighs. “You’re hurt.”
“I can heal,” Santee said. “I’m a bunny shifter. I heal quickly.”
But Beckett couldn’t let Santee leave in his condition, not when he was hurt and had just been caught in a snare. He had to do something about it. And he knew exactly what needed to be done.
Beckett picked Santee up in his arms, earning a squeak from the smaller man. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you home so I can make sure you’re okay.” Beckett’s hand settled against Santee’s side, where one of the deeper cuts was. “You look like you’re on the verge of passing out.”
Santee shook his head, but Beckett could feel his racing heartbeat and the tremble in his muscles. The bunny shifter was in pain, whether he admitted it or not.
He carried Santee through the forest, making a beeline for his house. He’d already seen that Santee was no match for him physically, so there was no need to pretend otherwise. Besides, Beckett wasn’t interested in hurting Santee or anyone smaller than him. He just wanted to make sure his mate was okay.
His mate. Fuck, Beckett would shelve that for now because he wasn’t sure how to react in a way that wouldn’t scare Santee further.
Once they reached the house, Beckett gently set Santee down on a chair in the kitchen. His mate was sitting up with his arms wrapped around himself, seemingly trying to hold himself together.
“Do you know why I smelled like wood burning in a fireplace?” Beckett tucked a few strands of blond hair behind Santee’s delicate ear.
“We’re mates,” Santee whispered, as if someone unseen would hear him.
“Hey, Beckett,” Hayden said as he came into the kitchen. Santee quickly shifted into his bunny form and scrambled from the chair, racing to hide under the table.
Hayden cocked his head. “Since when do you bring prey home, still alive? Wanna share it?”
Beckett snarled. “You dumbass, that’s my mate.”
Hayden’s brows shot up. He blinked then looked from Santee—who had his fluffy white tail peeking out from under the table—back to Beckett. He nodded toward the kitchen chair. “And you brought him in here while he’s hurt? Are you trying to kill him? I smelled his blood as soon as you walked into the house, and my cheetah is going apeshit.”
With a snarl, Beckett shoved Hayden against the wall. “Touch one strand of fur on him and I’ll rip off your arm and shove it up your ass.”
“What’s going on?” Bran asked as he entered the kitchen, his brows hiked. “Why are you threatening Hayden, and why is there a cute little bunny under the table?” Bran paled. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to eat it.”
“Not if I want to keep both my arms in their sockets,” Hayden said.
Beckett released his brother. “No touching the bunny.” He turned to Bran. “He’s my mate.”
Bran’s jaw dropped. “You’re mated to a bunny? How does that work? Isn’t it too small for you, and how do you communicate?”
Hayden chuckled. “He’s a shifter, gatito.”
“There are bunny shifters?” Bran laughed. “He’s so adorable!”
Beckett crouched down, hoping Santee didn’t have a heart attack. “Come out, conejito.”
