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BISHOP
I gently rockedAudrey in my arms as she sobbed uncontrollably, praying her latest dose of sedative would take effect soon.
I had no idea what was going on in her head, but I feared it didn’t bode well for how she’d feel when she was fully conscious. I’d been afraid that because she was so shy about sex, she’d be horrified at what her heat had made her do, and it was looking like I was right.
We were going to have to tread carefully with her once Cyrus had decided she’d recovered enough from her exhaustion to stop sedating her and reassure her that there was nothing she should be ashamed of.
If I was smart, I’d arrange for her and Nova to talk when we got back. Audrey might not believe what a bunch of men said about her heat, but she might believe another woman.
It was such a weird thing to be upset about. Nakedness and sex weren’t something members of our pack were ashamed or afraid of. But I knew from having met other races as part of my education in becoming one of the pack’s alphas that that wasn’t the case with everyone. And while Audrey was a shifter, her pack was vastly different from ours and we couldn’t treat her like one. Not for this.
“We need to pick up our pace,” Cyrus said, glaring at the southern horizon before turning his glare on me.
My wolf bristled, taking his expression as a challenge and I nuzzled the top of Audrey’s head with my cheek, a subtle reminder to the beast half of my soul that we had more important things to worry about and that Cyrus wasn’t challenging us. He’d been glaring at everyone and everything since having sex with Audrey.
Her sobs turned to drowsy tears, her body still trembling against me with her distress and my chest squeezed so tight it was hard to breathe. I wanted so desperately for her to be okay, to not worry about anything, but I suspected she was afraid of what we now thought of her.
She was probably also afraid of her permanent relationship with Knox. Even unconscious, her soul would be able to sense that the mating bond had been sealed, and that was another huge thing for her to be afraid of.
“For fuck’s sake,” Cyrus snapped as he ran his hands down his face. “Just hold her, Knox. The sedative is about to take over and she’ll be out for at least five hours. She needs her fucking mate to steady her soul.”
Knox tensed. His gaze, like it had been for the last two days, was locked on Audrey, and a wave of longing washed through our twin bond along with a stomach-churning mix of emotions: need, anger, shame, horror, hope.
He’d been a mess since we’d left Kelna, clinging to her for almost all of the first day, his emotions flipflopping between panic and satisfaction when she snuggled close and terror when he realized he was preening at her unconscious attention.
He’d refused to let me or Cyrus carry her until we let the sedative partially release her in order to coax some food into her and she’d started coming to and had begun to cry.
Then he’d really panicked and shoved her into my arms and refused to take her back.
“I don’t know what to say to her,” he said, rushing down a steep incline as if I were going to throw her into his arms that instant.
“She’s unconscious.” Cyrus hopped down after him while I took it slowly, mindful of my precious cargo. “No witty banter is required. Hell, no banter at all. Right now, she’s perfect for you.”
Knox released a sharp growl and leaped at Cyrus, slamming him against a boulder and ramming his fist into Cyrus’s stomach.
“Take that back,” Knox snarled, his eyes flashing dark for a second as his wolf strained to break the collar imprisoning him.
“Take on your responsibilities,” Cyrus spat, shoving Knox off him with a powerful push that sent my twin stumbling backward.
“I am.” Knox tensed, readying to leap at Cyrus again, and I shoved my way between them knowing Audrey’s unconscious presence would automatically stop the fight.
“She needs her bonded mate steadying her soul.” I glared at Knox. “She needs to know she’ll be loved and accepted for what’s happened even if she’s unconscious.”
Knox huffed but didn’t retreat or resist when I pressed her against his chest and she snuggled up against him.
The motion made my throat tighten and my wolf rise to the surface in a strange mix of relief that she’d accepted him — even if she wasn’t fully aware of him — and jealousy. It didn’t matter that I logically knew having Knox hold her would be best for her. I didn’t want to give up comforting her.
“And you!” I wrenched my glare to Cyrus once I’d made sure Knox had a solid grip on Audrey and had forced myself to step away from them.
“Me what?” Cyrus demanded back as he squared his shoulders in a not-so-subtle reminder that he was bigger than me.
A ripple of his power escaped his control and I raised an eyebrow, knowing I didn’t need to point out that he was being an asshole. Something I sure as hell wanted the reason for but wasn’t stupid enough to ask about at the moment.
I’d ask him later when his wolf wasn’t riding him so hard.
I knew he cared about Audrey, but I would have thought his mood would have improved now that her fever was gone.
He wrenched his power back and pushed past me. “I want to get to the edge of the next forest by nightfall.”
The forest that was still so far away we only knew it was there because of the map and the fact that we’d passed through it on our way north. We were going to have to really push our pace if we were going to make it there before the sun set.
But that meant we’d be that much closer to Stonehaven and help for Audrey, help I prayed she wouldn’t need.
Maybe when she finally regained full consciousness, she’d have already cried out all of her negative emotions.
Except I knew it didn’t work that way. Even if she acted fine and said she was fine, she might not be, and I needed to keep an eye on her since Knox had no experience with women and wouldn’t have a clue if something was wrong, and Cyrus was hopeless with them and would probably say something to make it worse.
