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“It’s been five days since they are here and neither girl is getting better.” Logan paced in front of Sparrow’s bed like a furious tiger in human form. Despite Karla’s healer abilities, she couldn’t figure out why his sister was still unconscious.
The other two young women were in no better shape. The one called Eva was in a catatonic state; not eating, drinking, or speaking. Only a deep emotional trauma can send a shifter into such a deep state of depression; like losing a mate.
And Sheila? Sheila was still unconscious. After passing out, she started burning up with a fever that their healer couldn’t cure. It was possible that the human men had injected her with something and her body was reacting badly.
“They all went through a violent event, Logan. Their bodies and minds need time to heal. You cannot rush this process. Have patience.”
“I don’t have the luxury, Karla. I need to know where they found my sister. We followed the tracks of the cars half-way up the mountain before the rain washed them away.”
“And if I push energy into her, trying to wake her up, she might go into a hysterical state, damaging her memories, or worse, her brain. I will not do that to either woman. You’ll just have to wait.”
Logan growled in annoyance. He recognized that tone in his healer’s voice. He would not budge. To his surprise, his tiger agreed with the healer. The animal didn’t want the females to hurt further. Typical Alpha male! Protecting the vulnerable.
Logan was not that kind. He wanted answers. He craved revenge, and he needed to clear up the unfinished business with his little panther. The scorching kiss they shared was still on his mind. He could still feel her soft lips opening for him. The gentle, tentative strokes of her tongue spoke of inexperience. She was a novice in the mating game, and he was too old for her.
“I think you should contact the other Alphas. Try to find out who she belongs to.”
Logan watched Karla carefully. She was trying to sound indifferent. However, since she witnessed his and Sheila’s first kiss, she had urged him to get her out of the Pride house and even the territory.
“Karla, don’t go there. Don’t involve the mating heat into this. I told you we are not a couple.”
Logan tried to sound gentle. He and Karla had been scratching the itch during the mating fever for the last few months. He should have diversified his partners, but he was tired of the younger female games. Karla was thirty-five; his age, and knew the score. But maybe he made a mistake in being only with her.
“Sorry, Logan, but you are my Alpha and I care about you. Mating heat or no mating heat. You don’t know this girl. What if she’s a human spy? Perry was one of us and he betrayed the Pride without a blink. She’s a huge unknown.”
“I understand what you’re saying. But we’ve been searching for Sparrow for over two weeks and we couldn’t find her. Suddenly Sheila comes driving into our territory like she’s running from hell-dogs. She has my sister in the back seat and a pack of human mercenaries after them. You weren’t there Karla. The chase wasn’t staged and her fear was very real.”
“I know, Logan, but-”
“So, of course, I have a shitload of questions,” he interrupted the healer. “Plus, Sheila marked me without my permission.” He would not tell anyone yet that his tiger was smug about it and he wanted to mark the little panther back. “You know that the penalty for that deed is death. However, she saved Sparrow. I’m willing to consider another punishment, but I need her to be here for it. So, no. She’s not leaving our territory yet.”
“Fine. But you need to place a guard on the two women. We don’t know what their level of-”
“Karla, I think you overstep your responsibilities. Protection is my job. Healing is yours. Let’s each stay where we belong.” Logan clenched his teeth in frustration. The woman was challenging him. “You are a great healer, Karla. But if your attachment to me gets out of control, I will trade you for another healer in a second. Don’t think I won’t. I need to know I can count on you to take care of the pride and that you won’t challenge my authority.”
He saw her pale at the words. Karla nodded.
“Of course, Logan. I understand. Just know that I won’t share your bed during the mating fevers anymore.”
“It’s for the best. We can-”
Whatever Logan was about to say had to wait. The bedroom door opened, crashing into the wall. A panicked Trick stumbled inside. Logan and Karla turned to face the Beta.
“What?” Logan asked; a growl in his voice. He was sick of problems. He wanted to fix the one he already had. Not stumble over new ones.
“Sheila... Shit! She’s like... I’ve never seen... You got to help her, man.”
Trick was trying to talk through gulps of air, but failing miserably. Logan couldn’t understand what was wrong.
“What about Sheila, Trick?”
“She’s writhing in pain. I think she woke up and panicked. She’s on the floor, but she’s bleeding. I can’t tell from where because she moves like a fucking snake!”
Logan didn’t wait. He ran for the room they had placed her in. He heard Trick and Karla call after him, but he didn’t stop. Was her cat emerging? Why was she in so much pain? Logan reached the corridor where Sheila’s room was. Alpha power poured down the corridor. The tiger inside Logan snarled and bristled. The vibrations were a challenge and a call from an Alpha to another.
He prowled toward the closed door. His cat pushed to the surface. Logan allowed him freedom. He undressed with the experience of the years and the transformation began. Bones and joints popped, reshaped. Fur and claws pushed through the skin. His fangs dropped in seconds. The shift was quick.
Pushing open the door to the bedroom, the tiger stopped. It had expected to meet a feline. Instead, he saw a human girl crouching on the carpet, hissing and snarling like she was rabid. The Alpha power came off of her in waves and the scent of blood permeated the room.
The moment she saw the tiger, she leaped for him. Confused, the tiger rose on his hind legs. The female, not fully human but not animal either, slammed into his chest. The large feline wrapped his front legs around the slender body, taking her down with care. He settled on the female, pinning her to the floor. The female still fought like she was in danger.
Trying to calm her down, the tiger purred, budding his head to hers and licking her hair. He ignored the power in the room, focusing more on the fear and scent of blood. However, he allowed his own Alpha power to spread, mixing with hers. She was strong, but she was a novice. He had experience and control.
Finally, after long minutes, the female stopped fighting. She panted beneath the tiger, fisting his fur. Her purrs mixed with his. The beast inside her was calming, synchronizing her breaths with his.
“Logan?”
The man inside the beast heard her shaky, fear-filled voice. He shifted, laying over Sheila’s body just in case.
“What’s happening to me?”
The confusion and fear he heard in that question broke his heart. She was so young, and they didn’t know each other. How could she be his mate? How could he help her?
“I don’t know, Sheila. Is your cat calm?”
“I-I think so. I can’t feel her anymore.” She looked down at herself.
Logan followed her eyes. He suddenly realized that she wore just a thin nightgown, and he was laying over her completely naked. She had her hands buried in his hair like she was about to drag him in for a kiss. Sheila must have reached the same conclusion, because a pink tint appeared in her cheeks. Logan cleared his throat.
“Okay. I’ll get off you and get dressed. Then, we’ll talk. Okay?”
Sheila nodded.
Logan stood, helping her up. The nightgown fell down, covering her legs. A small mercy. However, the decolletage wasn’t helping. Teasing skin showed beneath the lace covering the upper part of her breasts. Logan’s body stirred to life. Sheila swayed.
“Wow.”
“Easy,” he mumbled and drew her close for balance. She almost melted into his body. Logan gritted his teeth. This wasn’t helping his waking arousal.
“I’m sorry,” Sheila mumbled into his chest. “Your scent. It makes me feel... centered. It’s like water washing away the grime in my head. I can think.”
Logan held her gently, trying to ignore the way she rubbed her nose over his skin, inhaling. Then the scent of fresh blood hit him.
“Sheila, you’re bleeding.”
“My fingernails,” she mumbled.
“No. It’s fresh.” Logan lifted her head by the chin. “Your nose is bleeding.” The tiger inside Logan panicked. What was going on?!
“Oh. I-”
She didn’t have the chance to speak. The scream she let out echoed, or was mirrored, from a room down the hall. The unexpected push to his chest made Logan release her. Sheila ran past him and down the hall. He didn’t have time to grab her.
“Sheila! Stop!”
She wasn’t listening. She ran, bursting into Sparrow’s room. Logan was right behind her.
“No! No! No! No!”
He took in the chaos. Patrick was in the opposite corner from Sparrow. Karla was on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. Sparrow cowered in a corner, holding her head and screaming at the top of her lungs. And Sheila walked right to his sister, taking her into her arms. Sparrow fought. Sheila held on. Logan took a step toward the struggling women. His sister was hurting and Sheila was an unknown to him.
“No, Logan. Stay away. She’s feral.”
Logan froze. His sister? Feral? He looked at his Beta in disbelief.
“I saw her eyes, man. She’s gone. I’m sorry.”
No. He will not accept this! He wanted to intervene between the two women, but Sheila was keeping a tight space between them. Then she pinned Sparrow’s hands behind her back, immobilizing her. The next thing she did shocked Logan. Sheila hissed, her fangs dropped, and she bit Sparrow on the back of the neck, holding the grip.
Logan froze in place, keeping his distance. If Sheila or Sparrow made one move, then Sparrow would die. To his surprise, his sister hissed but didn’t struggle. She looked at him and he saw what Patrick was talking about. The pink tint to her honey-gold eyes was a dead giveaway. They lost her to the feral. Or was she? As he watched Sheila hold his sister’s neck, he could swear he saw reason spark into her eyes.
Then he met the emerald green of his mate and breathe a sigh of relief. She was truly in the moment. She was aware of who she held. With a low growl, she told him all he needed to know. He had taken her out of her nightmare. Now, she had done the same for his sister.
“Thank you,” he whispered. She blinked; a very cat-like gesture. Logan went to where his Beta was crouching, cradling a broken arm.
“She’s going to be fine. Sheila has her. I think it was just a nightmare.”
“Are you sure?” Patrick’s face was pale.
Logan shook his head. “I’m not sure about anything at the moment.”
They both looked to where Sheila still held Sparrow. Sparrow swayed, then fainted. Sheila released her neck instantly, licking the wound. She lowered the young woman to the floor. Logan rushed to his sister.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know,” Sheila whispered.
Logan looked at his young mate. She slumped against the wall. Her power was now muted, and she was pale. Her nosebleed hadn’t stopped, and he knew she was about to pass out.
“She’s cold. I’m cold,” Sheila whispered, touching Sparrow’s hair.
Logan touched her hand. She was icy, and so was Sparrow. “Okay. Let’s get you both back in bed.”
Sheila lifted her head slowly and looked at him with shining green eyes.
“Yes, please.” Was all she said before she slumped to the side.
“Dammit!” Logan could see the sheen of sweat covering the pallor of her face. He knew that whatever she’d done had made her condition worse. Trick came to sit next to him.
“Let me take Sparrow.”
Logan frowned. “Your arm is broken.”
“Nah, it’s just bent a bit. I don’t care.”
“I’ll place her on the bed. You can take care of her from there.”
“Fine.”
“How’s Karla?”
“Concussed, but alive. She’ll probably wake up with a major headache.”
“I bet.”
Logan rose with his sister in his arms. Two steps and he was arranging her under the covers. Then he picked up his healer.
“I’ll take Karla to Dom. He’ll take care of her.” The junior healer knew how to deal with a concussion. The moment he entered the healer’s cabin, the young man cursed.
“Aw, man! I don’t need to see your junk. It will give me a complex.”
“Then don’t look.”
“What happened to her?”
“Sparrow woke up in a panic.”
“Damn! She will be like a bear woken up from hibernation for the next week.”
“Tough,” Logan grinned at the young healer.
Ten minutes later, he was back in his sister’s room, picking up his mate. JJ was there.
“What’s up, boss? Why haven’t you called for help? I could have carried her back to her room.”
Logan snarled. “Touch her and I’ll break your hands.”
“Wow! Possessive much? You know, pants are good when walking around the house.”
Logan just growled again. Damned nosy pride-mates! He took Sheila back to her assigned room. Her skin felt like ice and her lips were getting a blue tint. She was freezing to death! How was that possible?!
Placing her on the bed, he ripped the nightgown off of her. Then he laid next to her, wrapping his larger body over hers. Skin to skin, his body heat should warm her up. Logan pulled the covers over them to the neck. Sheila shivered in his arms. She buried into his chest like a frightened kitten.
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”
Logan stayed awake, thinking of ways to save his sister, his Pride, and his unexpected mate.