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Callum touched the mark on the back of her neck, admiring the half-bear half-tiger paw print that had formed. It wasn’t possible, but somehow it was.
“We’re destined mates,” Sophie said, her voice barely above a whisper. He couldn’t tell if the news upset her or not though, and her hair blocked him from seeing her face. Hopefully the news didn’t upset her.
“You know about mating and mating marks?” he asked, curious as to what she knew about their culture.
“Lou studied a lot of that stuff,” Sophie said. “His specialty was genetics and reproduction, so yeah. Eden and Xander would have been the first pair he got to study alive – even though they hadn’t completed the bond yet. He never got to meet them though; he died a few weeks before they arrived. Your friend, the one that betrayed you, he gave Lou all sorts of information on them.”
“I see.” He gritted his teeth, not wanting to think too much about what she’d said. The betrayal didn’t sit well with him. It had never occurred to him that he couldn’t trust other shifters, that they could secretly be working for the hunters. How could someone turn against their own kind?
She twisted, sitting up and pulling the sheets up to cover herself. “Is something wrong with us being mates?”
“No,” he said quickly, not wanting her to think his silence had anything to do with her. “I’m just...surprised, is all. I didn’t think two different species could be true mates. I...I just assumed I’d go through life without ever finding my true mate.”
The notion that two different species could be fated to be together was surprising. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. Sophie was different than any other woman he’d met. He cared for others and fought to protect them, but his instincts around her were different. Now he knew why. He just hoped that given her sheltered past, this new development wasn’t too much for her. She’d only just gotten her freedom, did she really want to enter into a serious relationship with him? He sighed as worry filled him.
“Oh.” She shifted, moving away from him so she could hug the pillow.
This wasn’t going the way he wanted it to. She had to know that his worries had nothing to do with how he felt about her. She was the most wonderful and courageous person he’d ever met, and he was honored that he’d have the opportunity to spend the rest of his life with her. He just needed to ease her fears. “Sophie.” He reached out, pushing her hair away from her face so he could see her. Her face was unreadable and her eyes stared vacantly at something on the far end of the room just over his shoulder. “Hey.” He put an arm around her and let out a relieved breath when she let him roll her toward him.
Sophie’s beautiful blue eyes sparkled and she swallowed as she gazed up at him.
He reached out, stroking her cheek. “I never thought I’d get the chance to meet my mate. Growing up, I thought I’d have to settle down with a bear shifter whether she was my mate or not. That’s how it is at Sanctuary too. They don’t allow interspecies mating, but that doesn’t matter to me. I like you, Sophie, since that first night I saw you when we tried to escape with Eden and Xander I felt the need to protect you. “
“I didn’t think this would happen to us,” she said quietly.
“Did you know it could happen?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ve seen it before. Lou studied...” She paused to clear her throat and looked away again. “He studied some of the deceased couples. It was his conclusion that interspecies mating had occurred due to decreasing numbers amongst shifters. It was a way for us to survive since conception outside of a true pairing is difficult, if not impossible. It’s also why some humans are able to be our true mates.”
“Huh,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting this either, Callum,” she said. “I do like you, too.”
Her words made him grin. “Good.” He kissed her brow and snuggled back closer to her.
“It’s my understanding we have some time to complete the bond,” she said, lifting her brows.
“We do.”
“So we can get to know each other a little better first?” she asked, bobbing her head up and down as if she were answering her question.
“Sure.” He didn’t think he needed to get to know her any better. From the first moment he saw her he’d been drawn to her, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for the tigress. The past few days had only increased these feelings.
Sophie had a good heart, and even though she’d been through hell most of her life, she was still a good person. It would be easy to fall in love with her. Hopefully she felt the same way about him.
“We should get dressed and get some rest. It will be a long trip back to Sanctuary tomorrow,” Callum said.
Sophie sighed as she relaxed back into the blankets. She shifted, curling into him. His cock stirred as her bare skin brushed against it. As much as he’d like to take her again, he couldn’t without completing the bond between them. He gritted his teeth, willing himself to calm down. After a moment he did, but by that point, Sophie was sound asleep.
Callum kissed the back of her head and settled into the pillows, closing his eyes.
***
Callum paced back and forth, his eyes drifting to the alarm clock near the bed. It was nearly ten, and Nate and Xander would be here any minute. Sophie sat on the bed. Her hair was still wet from her shower and was mussed sexily, falling in soft wet curls around her round face.
He wanted to reach out and run his fingers through her locks, but a knock at the door stopped him. Striding to the entrance, he peeked out of the peephole and grinned. Nate.
Unlocking the door, he threw it open. “I wasn’t sure we’d see you again,” Callum greeted his friends.
Xander pulled him into a hug, clapping him on the back. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too,” Callum said. When Xander pulled back Callum nodded at Eden, who had resumed her position next to Xander.
Nate stuck out his hand and Callum accepted it. Nate nodded at the woman by his side. “You remember Tess, and this is her brother Theodore.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said as he took a step back, opening the door for them to enter. He turned and motioned for Sophie to join him. “This is Sophie.”
She smiled and waved but stopped a few feet behind him. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
Eden brushed past him and walked toward Sophie, wrapping her in a warm hug. She said something that he couldn’t quite make out. He smiled, glad the pair seemed to be fast friends already.
Callum closed the door once everyone had come in.
“I know we just got here, but I have to ask, what do you know about our brother?” Theodore asked, looking from Callum to Sophie then back again.
“He risked himself so we could get away,” Callum began. “Last we saw him he was injured, but very much alive. By the time we were able to make our way down the cliff to him, he was gone. I don’t think his injuries were life threatening, but I don’t think he could’ve walked out of there either, not on his own. We followed the tracks to the road and they disappeared.”
“But he was alive?” Tess asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes,” Sophie said.
“Well, that’s something at least,” Theodore said as he ran a hand through his hair.
“If you two are ready, we should hit the road,” Nate said. “If the hunters’ headquarters is really nearby, I’d like to get out of here sooner rather than later.”
“Do you think they would’ve taken Terrence there?” Tess asked.
“I have no idea,” Callum said, shaking his head. He’d like to find the cat that had done so much to keep them safe, but he had no idea where to begin the search.
“We can’t take on that facility without backup,” Theodore said.
“But will Sanctuary send an army to take the hunters down?” Tess asked. “If we go back now, we could lose our only chance to attack it. Most of the people there aren’t the ones who run toward a fight, right?”
Callum scrubbed a hand over his face. Unless something drastic had changed in the short time he’d been gone, no, they weren’t. The majority of the people at the safe haven were cowards. Content to stay hidden in the safety of the compound.
“I don’t know,” Nate said after a long moment. “If it’s their headquarters it’s likely to be heavily guarded, and there are only seven of us.”
Tess sighed and slumped down into one of the armchairs. “I understand why they’re afraid, but at some point they’re going to have to fight. Hiding isn’t doing anyone any good, especially since the hunters know where Sanctuary is.”
“I know,” Nate said.
Callum let out a breath, not ready to weigh in on the conversation one way or the other. He could see both their points.
Sophie took a step toward Eden. Eden’s face softened as she took in Sophie. She opened her mouth, but Sophie spoke first, “Is it true you rescued a baby?”
Eden nodded. “The mother...she was your sister?”
Sophie dabbed at her eyes as she cleared her throat. “Serena. She was my big sister.”
“That’s what I thought.” Eden pulled a cell phone from her back pocket and strode to Sophie. “We brought her with us back to Sanctuary. She’s beautiful. I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve been calling her Serena after her mother. I...I thought it was fitting.” She stopped next to Sophie and tilted her phone so she could see.
Sophie gasped, one hand going to her mouth. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she took the phone from Eden. “She looks just like her. Thank you so much for taking care of her.”
Eden wrapped an arm around Sophie. “You don’t have to thank us. I’m just glad that we got there when we did.”
Nate cleared his throat. “Not to be rude, but we should hit the road. It’s a long drive home and there might be hunters along the way once we get out of the city. I’d rather do the bulk of our driving on isolated roads during the day when more people are out and about than at night when there aren’t any witnesses if we’re attacked.”
Eden hugged Sophie then pulled back. Sophie reluctantly handed over the phone. She met Callum’s eyes and he nodded at her. Although she smiled softly, it didn’t quite meet her eyes. He hated seeing her sad. The only way he could ensure her happiness was to make the world safer for her and her baby niece.
“Do you need any help packing?” Eden asked, glancing between them.
“No. All our stuff is already in the bag.” Sophie pointed to the small duffle bag they’d purchased the other night.
Callum went to the door and picked up the bag. “Let’s go.”
“Maybe on the way back we can put together a plan,” Theodore said.
“At least that way we’ll have something to present to the council. Hopefully that will speed up the process,” Tess said.
“We’ll get your brother back,” Nate said as he pulled Tess close to him, placing a fleeting kiss to her temple. “Promise.”
It was then that Callum saw the mark on the back of his friend’s neck. A mating mark. Nate and Tess are mates. He smiled happy, for his friend. Everyone deserved a bit of happiness and he was glad his friends had found it. He was thankful he had a chance to find it too. He just hoped he and Sophie would get a chance to explore their budding relationship further before all hell broke loose.
“I can draw up a map of the hunters’ headquarters,” Sophie said as she came to a stop next to Callum. She slipped her fingers into his as everyone filed out the door.
“You know the place?” Tess asked.
“I’ve been there before,” Sophie said. “My sister and I spent several years there throughout our imprisonment with the hunters. I remember the place.” She frowned and looked down at the ground. “Whenever I got taken to a new place, I made a point of walking around in all of the areas that I was allowed to. I committed the floor plans to memory in case I ever got the chance to run. From what I saw the other night, it didn’t look like much had changed since the last time I was there.”
Callum gave her hand a squeeze and she smiled at him. Xander stared at their hands a moment but didn’t say anything to them. As Nate walked past, Callum observed he had a mark too. Callum lifted his hand to his own neck. The collar of his flannel probably covered it. He wouldn’t mind if the world knew, but until Sophie was fully onboard, he’d keep it between them.
“What do you know about the compound?” Tess asked as they made their way toward the elevator.
“It’s their main facility. There are hundreds of hunters there. It’s a small town. Completely functional on its own with housing, fields for crops, and a hospital,” Sophie said.
“How many shifters do you think we’ll need?” Theodore asked.
Sophie inhaled. “I don’t know. They’ll sense us if we bring too many.”
“What about our group?” Xander asked, turning around abruptly. Callum pulled Sophie back before she collided with him. “Could we infiltrate them and plan a rescue mission?”
Sophie looked around at everyone as she nibbled on her lower lip. “I know their vulnerabilities. If we planned ahead, I think we could make it work. We’d need a way to distract them so we could get to the holding cells and release the prisoners. Then we’d need to remove their trackers so they couldn’t be traced or recaptured when it zaps them. There’s a lot of things to think of, but yeah, I think we can make it work.”
Callum nodded. If they were going to do this they’d need a solid plan, one they could realistically make work. If they failed, they’d all be captured and killed.