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CHAPTERTEN
Rylan watched his mate through hooded eyes from where he lay on a cold, steel surface in the room they were using for the lab in the warehouse. She was amazing, in a tight, black t-shirt, black jeans that hugged her every curve, and black boots with a sai sticking out of a sheath in each one.
Fucking breathtaking.
His woman had dug both bullets out of his body without flinching, seemingly more worried about hurting him than anything else. She’d tried to give him something for the pain first, but he’d refused, not ready to pass out and leave her presence. He needed to know she was close. Needed to be able to feel her near him.
“The children?” she asked Zev as she reached over and rested a hand on his side, as if somehow knowing he needed her touch.
“They’re fine. Danica has them at our house. It’s surrounded by pride. No one is getting to them.”
“And Sam and Rachel?”
“They refuse to leave the children.”
“Good,” Amira said, running her hand lightly over Rylan’s fur. “Sam needs to be there to protect them.”
Zev’s eyes narrowed on her. “Why do I feel like there is more to that statement than just that he is a grandfather protecting his grandchildren?”
Rylan stiffened, wondering the same thing. Amira looked down at him, giving him a small smile. “Because there is.”
“Tell me,” Zev demanded, and Rylan had to stifle the growl that wanted to break free at the order to his mate. Zev was his alpha, which gave him the right to demand answers from him, but he wasn’t Amira’s. Not yet, anyway.
Evidently he wasn’t as good at hiding his feelings as he thought, because Amira leaned down and brushed her cheek against his, whispering, “Shhh, my fierce protector. I’m okay.”
Straightening, she glanced back at his alpha. “Sam feels as if he should have been able to save both Walker and Rylan the day Rylan was taken. That it’s his fault because he didn’t do more. His fault his son was taken.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Amira shrugged. “I agree, but we can’t help how we feel. Sam will be fine, he just needs to know that he is needed and is keeping Walker and Willow safe.”
Zev gave her a short nod, before looking at Rylan. “You ready to go home, my friend?”
Rylan tried to lift his head from the table, but found he was unable to. He was so tired, just drained.
“Can you shift?”
He just stared at his alpha, unable to move or reply. How the hell had he become so exhausted that he couldn’t even nod his damn head?
“Okay, how about I carry you out to the car? It’s best if you stay in lion form now anyway. You’ll heal faster that way.”
Rylan let his eyes drift shut, trusting his alpha to get him home. He felt Zev’s arms under him, and then was lifted into the air, and they were moving out of the warehouse to the truck. Zev slid him onto the middle seat, and Amira slipped in beside him. He felt her hand on his neck, gliding slowly through his fur, and finally let himself drift off to sleep.
* * *
Rylan woketo the sun on his face and a warm body pressed tightly against his. Inhaling, he groaned when his mate’s scent washed over him, and his cock turned instantly hard. He must have shifted in his sleep at some point, because Amira’s body, clad only in one of his shirts, was right beside him, her bare legs tangled with his. Her head rested on his chest, her arm wrapped around his waist.
Slowly, he raised his hand to touch her silky, dark hair with the stunning purple highlights, sliding the curls through his fingers, barely suppressing another groan that wanted to emerge. She was so beautiful. She felt soft and womanly in his arms, but he knew she could be hard and kick ass when she needed to. A fierce warrior, one he was proud to call his own. One he wanted to touch, kiss, slide deep inside…
“Daddy, can we have pancakes?”
Rylan froze, his gaze going to where his little girl stood in the doorway holding her favorite stuffed unicorn. He felt Amira’s body begin to shake with suppressed laughter, and he realized she’d probably been awake the entire time. Smelling his lust. Knowing what he wanted to do with her.
“Yeah, sweetheart,” he said gruffly, barely resisting the urge to smack his mate on the ass in playful punishment for laughing at him. “Pancakes sound good.” And they did. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate.
The day those assholes took us, his lion groused. We didn’t even get to eat our hamburgers.
“How about I get them started while Daddy takes a shower?” Amira said, squeezing his waist tight, before leaning up to give him a quick kiss on the jaw and then sliding from the bed. “Give me five minutes to get ready, and I’ll be down.” When Willow hesitated, Amira paused in the process of pulling clothes from a black bag that was sitting on a chair he had in the corner.
“Well, maybe you could make the bacon, but we should wait for Daddy to make the pancakes.” When Amira’s eyes narrowed on the child, Willow bit her lip and gave a small, helpless shrug.
Amira threw her head back and laughed, a loud, joyous laugh that made Rylan want to join in even though he had no idea what he was laughing about. Once Amira got herself under control, she teased, “You had a vision, didn’t you? You do realize I can burn bacon just as easily as I can pancakes.”
Willow giggled, small dimples appearing in her round cheeks. “Yes, but the pancakes are lumpy and burnt.”
Shaking her head, Amira gave his daughter a soft smile. “Well, it sounds like you are going to be saved just in time, sweetheart. I hear your Grammy at the front door. Maybe she can make your pancakes.”
Willow’s eyes lit up, and she spun around and ran down the hall without another word.
Shaking her head, Amira glanced over at him with a soft smile on her face. “Give me a few minutes to use the bathroom quickly, then I’ll get out of your way.”
No, that wasn’t going to work for him. “Come here.”
Rylan knew his tone was rough and demanding, but he couldn’t help it. This was the first time he’d seen his mate when he wasn’t shifted in his lion form, and he needed his arms around her. Holding her at night didn’t count. He was sleeping and had no idea what was happening.
“Rylan…”
“Just for a few minutes. Please.” He held out his hand, waiting patiently for her to slowly set her clothes down and walk over to him. When she placed her hand tentatively in his, he gave it a tug, letting out a small, uncomfortable grunt as she tumbled down onto the bed with him, into his arms. Having her close again calmed him, calmed his lion.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Amira whispered, her hand resting lightly on his chest, her head on his uninjured shoulder.
“I’ll be fine,” he promised gruffly. “I just need to hold you.”
His shoulder ached and his hip burned, but other than that he didn’t feel too bad. If he shifted a couple more times, he would be as good as new.
“Me too,” Amira admitted quietly. “I was so scared, Rylan.”
He had a feeling she wouldn’t admit her fears to many, and he felt honored that she had to him after just meeting him. “Same,” he said, giving her a piece of himself back. They lay in silence for several minutes before he whispered, “Tell me something about yourself.”
“Like what?”
“Doesn’t matter. I just want to get to know you. Fate paired us together, but I want to know the woman She chose for me. Favorite color, favorite food, favorite movie. Anything and everything.”
Soft laughter filled the air, and Amira snuggled closer to him. “Hmmm, let’s see. I love the color purple, a thick, juicy steak, and anything Die Hard. You?”
“While I am becoming very fond of purple, my favorite color is green. Steak is my go-to food, and definitely action movies. I’ve seen all of the Die Hard movies several times.”
“I was born in Louisiana,” Amira said after a moment of silence, her fingers tracing a pattern over his chest. “But, I didn’t stay there long. I was an only child, and my parents moved us around a lot.”
“Did you like that?”
“I loved it when I was younger,” Amira replied, “but not so much in my teen years. I wanted to settle down, make friends that I could keep, play sports. Do things any normal teenager did.”
Rylan ran his hand gently through her soft curls, loving the way they felt against his skin. Wrapping one around his finger, he tugged lightly on it, and then let it go. “I grew up in the pride and loved it, but I did go through a phase where I wanted to travel.”
