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“I’ll let Sam know you’re awake. I’m sure once he’s checked you over, he’ll let you go back to our rooms.” Marshall pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I’ll be back in a few. Don’t go anywhere.”
Aaron gave him a tired smile before turning to check on the bed next to him. Blake gave him a watery smile, trying to hide his worry, but failing miserably. Aaron pushed himself upright and swung his legs out of bed. He remembered just in time to keep the sheet around his lower half. He usually held onto his clothes when he shifted, but in extreme cases, they shredded into rags.
He shuffled the few feet to Rafe’s bed and placed a hand on the panther’s large head.
“Hey, Rafe. You can shift back. We’re safe.” An ear twitched, and the end of his tail flickered. “You saved me, Rafe. You did your job. I need you back in human form.” He pushed a little of his Alpha power, trying not to sway at the effort. The tip of Rafe’s tail flicked, but he didn’t shift.
“Damn it, Aaron. I can’t leave you for one second,” Marshall growled as he strode into the room and wrapped his arms around him from behind.
Aaron sank into the heat and strength of his mate’s embrace and let himself be shuffled back to bed.
“If you keep that up, I’m keeping you here overnight,” Sam threatened as he checked his vitals. Aaron leveled a glare at him, and Sam cocked an eyebrow back. “What? You know the rules. I’m in charge when you’re a patient.”
Aaron sighed and leaned into the pillows. Movement from the doorway had him turning his attention that way. He was surprised to see Saint standing there.
“Hi, Saint. Thanks for getting Marshall and Blake back so quickly,” he offered, holding out a hand. Saint nodded and shook.
“You can thank Murphy when you see him. He was behind the wheel. How are you feeling?”
“Tired. I’ll be happy once I can sleep in my own bed,” he said pointedly to Sam, who rolled his eyes.
“Um… how’s Rafe?”
“He’s not shifted back yet,” Aaron said, surprised at the look of concern on Saint’s face.
“May I?” Saint asked Sam, nodding towards the other bed.
“Of course, if it’s okay with Blake?”
Blake nodded and eased off the bed, stretching as he did. “Please. I know he’s there. He’s just being stubborn.”
Saint looked at the panther that was stretched out. He flicked a glance toward Aaron and Marshall before crouching down, so he was at eye level. He leaned over and whispered in Rafe’s ear.
The ear twitched and Rafe’s lip lifted, showing sharp incisors. Saint flicked another glance their way before smirking and leaning in to whisper again. One of Rafe’s eyes opened as a low growl rumbled through the room.
“There you go, come on. You know you want to,” Saint taunted. A snarl erupted, and a paw with claws extended swiped out. Saint chuckled and jumped back. “Ah, ah, ah. Bad kitty. No claws.” He leaned down again. “Fight me like a man… if you can.”
Aaron gasped at the taunt as Marshall groaned next to him. There was a flash of light, and then Rafe was there, in human form, arm reaching for Saint.
Blake instantly pushed past Saint, who had wisely retreated to the far wall, and grasped his brother’s shoulders. “Thank fuck. Are you okay?”
Rafe groaned and dropped back onto the bed. “What the hell happened?”
“You were shot protecting Aaron and then couldn’t shift back,” Blake told him as he passed him a drink of water.
“Ugh, I remember now.” Blue eyes met Aaron’s. “You okay, Boss?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you. You took the brunt of it with a bullet to the groin. I only got one in the shoulder.”
A worried look passed over Rafe’s face and Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. It missed everything important. It streaked across your belly before lodging in by your hip. You’ll be sore for a few days, but there’s no lasting damage.”
Rafe sighed in relief and gripped his brother’s hand.
“Right, because I trust you both,” Sam said, giving them an evil eye. “I’m going to let you go back to your rooms to recover. However, you are not to be left alone for the next twelve hours, and I’m trusting you, Marshall, and Blake, to make sure they rest. If anything seems out of the ordinary, then you call me instantly. Understood?”
All four males nodded their agreement.
“Good. I’ll grab you some scrub pants so you can make it to your rooms without frightening anyone.” With that, he strode from the room.
