AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 14
Niko
My phone rang. I would have ignored it if it was anyone else’s name on the screen, but you didn’t ignore the Alpha of the pride. “Hey, boss,” I answered, still keeping my hand on Amelia, not wanting to lose contact.
“We have had some disturbing news arise. Reports have come in that Sandoval has landed in the States. We don’t know why or how, but we need you to keep your ear to the ground and see if you discover anything on your end before we get home. We’ve already started traveling home, preparing to land in Rio currently thanks to a few favors pulled and a promise to double the pilot’s fee. Won’t take no for an answer from anyone, so be prepared for an arrival within the next two or less.” DJ quickly informed me.
“Shit,” I replied. “I’ll put the team on it.” I hung up and made the appropriate calls to get the ball rolling on our end. Sandoval going from the jungles around us to the States in the span of a few days, sent up red flags.
My tiger side wanted to shut out the world and focus on the desire filling the room, but my human side was still focusing more on the fact that Sandoval was still out there and a threat to all female shifters. My phone rang, and it took all my willpower to pull back from Amelia and Miguel to answer it.
“What have you got?” I answered as I walked out of the living room and into the kitchen for a bit of privacy.
“A lot. I’m going to send over everything I have, but more keeps rolling in. I know you need time with your mates, but we could really use you back at the command center,” Oliver, the pride’s IT guru and liaison with the local police, said.
“Mates,” I sputtered. “Who said I had mates?”
“Sorry, boss. Didn’t mean to upset you. I felt the shift in the pride bonds and just wanted to let you know that I am happy for you. For all three of you.”
It was weird; I had expected judgment or disdain. Also, his comment about the bonds shifting was odd. Again, that normally didn’t happen until a full mating occurred. I didn’t have time to mull that over, so I filed it away to dissect later. Oliver’s acceptance felt good. “I’ll do what I can from here. I need to be here for Amelia and Miguel. If an emergency arises, let me know, and I’ll come back.” I ended the call and returned to the living room.
“Baby, you’ve got to give him a little slack. He’s working on hunting down the guy who was ready to sell you to the highest bidder no matter what they wanted you for.” Miguel’s words hit me as I entered.
“I know, but if we,” Amelia made a triangle with her hand between herself, Miguel, and the empty spot I had left, “are going to figure out what’s happening between us as fruitless as I think it will be, he needs to be here and present no matter what the outcome is.” That sign was becoming our thing, the triangle drawn in the air, and I kind of liked it.
“I am here,” I commented as two sets of eyes turned toward me. I walked over and sat on the coffee table in front of them. “Now, are you going to tell me what Kat suggested?”
Amelia took a large breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t remember.”
Miguel squeezed her. “What do you mean you don’t remember?”
Amelia sighed, and over the next hour or so, she slowly shared what happened from the moment Alaska had kicked Miguel out until we arrived.
“It sounds like something you were talking about triggered that memory.” Miguel kissed her neck. “I think we all need to start being honest about everything. What’s going on inside as well as the deep dark parts we are too afraid to share. This is new territory for all of us.”
“Exactly. So, this is just something that our animals are reacting to because of our recent trauma and fear. I’m fighting my inner demons, trying to convince my tigress that it’s not destiny, that we were looked over a long time ago. That this is a physical reaction to our circumstances.” Amelia pulled away, raising her knees, and wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s hard. I have good moments where I think I might be wrong, but then my little conscience runs in and smacks me, reminding me that I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve a mate, let alone two of them, and it’s just a big joke.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. “Hang on, I need to check this.” Miguel gave me a dirty look and shook his head slightly. I ignored him as I skimmed through the emails Oliver had sent. Dozens of reports of kidnapped or attempted kidnappings of female shifters from Canada, down through the States, Mexico, and most recently, South America. As I read each report, a pattern began to develop in my head. My fingers flew over the keys, and my focus narrowed to the device in my hand and the information it received and sent out. I slowly came out of the tunnel to hear Miguel’s soothing voice as he spoke to Amelia. A quick glance at the face of my phone showed that once again, I had lost almost an hour to the hunt for Sandoval.
“For me, this just feels natural. Connecting with both of you makes me feel complete. I still don’t know why our bond started before we mated, but that constant hum of connection makes me feel safe, loved, and happy. It gets stronger the longer we stay together, which to me means we are meant to be. I want to get to know you both on a deeper level, and I won’t lie, my panther and I both want to jump your bones.” Amelia laughed at Miguel’s last words. “I also recognize that this feels right to your tiger but not to your human side, and I am willing to take as long as we need to get on the same page.”
They both turned to me expectantly, but I was getting messages from both my team here in the compound and Diego in the States. I stood up and moved to the window, unintentionally giving them my back and drowning in that tunnel again. The sun felt good on my skin as I furiously typed away on my phone. Seconds turned to minutes. My tiger whined at me for walking away from the two people who truly did complete my life, for ignoring them when we needed each other the most. I tried to console him. We were doing exactly what our job was. To protect our mates, to ensure they were always safe.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” I cringed at his tone. “Or are you just going to spend the rest of the day on that damn phone? It’s been more than two hours since Diego and Leo called, and you’ve ignored us for most of it.”
I turned around to see that Amelia had retreated further into herself. Having moved from beside Miguel to the corner of the couch, where she curled up and grasped a blanket to her chin. She watched me with big eyes full of fractured hopefulness. I didn’t want to disappoint her, I didn’t want to see her face fall, but I knew it had to happen. For her safety, I had to destroy the threat that hung over her head.
“I have to make sure that you are safe, both of you. I need to make sure the threat out there is exterminated. Then and only then can I focus on this.” I gestured to them. My tiger roared to life inside, pushing against me to emerge.
“You don’t have to be an ass about it.” Miguel’s hurt shone on his face.
I didn't think I had been. I was being honest, and all that got me was hurt and pain thrown my way. I couldn’t fix this now. Once Sandoval was destroyed, then I could put all my focus into fixing what I had broken in this relationship. My heart hurt at the thought of leaving, and my tiger raked his claws against the mental cage I kept him in.
I couldn’t look at Amelia. Seeing the disappointment on both their faces would shatter me. They needed to understand; I prayed they would understand. “I’m not trying to be,” I said. “You know that my whole life here has been dedicated to protecting the pride. Now that this has developed, my drive to protect is even higher.” My heartbeat skyrocketed as thoughts of losing them raced through my mind. Claustrophobia began to overcome me, and I raced outside to get away from it. I could fix this; I had to, but only after the threat was gone. A slight breeze flowed around me, bringing the sweet scent of roses and chrysanthemums with it. The buzz of bees and the chirping of birds all helped to ground me and keep me from going into a full-blown panic attack. I hadn’t had an episode like this since I was twelve or thirteen. I sat in the grass, letting the blades tickle my palm. I had thrown up a wall in my mind, cutting myself off from both the pride bond and the mate bond. I felt a nudge at that wall and opened a small door. Miguel’s feelings vibrated toward me. Anger, hurt, fear, love, and agitation.
“If you leave now, I don’t know that she’ll ever forgive you. Do you have any idea how much it took for her to open up to us, to become vulnerable? You fucked up big time,” Miguel’s voice rang in my head.
I opened my bond with them a little wider and felt his frustration with me, but Amelia’s hurt and heartbreak almost destroyed me.
