The pressure of the baby’s head at her cervix took her breath away. She didn’t have time to gather her strength. The urge to bear down came again and with the next contraction and a long, exhausting push, her baby came out of her body with a whoosh of liquid.

  It was at that same moment when the pain in her head exploded. Had a blood vessel ruptured? Was her brain bleeding out? Was she about to die without the chance to hold her baby?

  Through the agonizing pain, Sheila felt the rise of her beast. It wasn’t dead! Joy and sorrow battled for her soul. The pain intensified. Sheila’s scream turned into a roar of fury and the world turned gray.

  She had only played dead! The feline gave that information to the woman, letting her know her determination and power. The feral cat rushed to the surface. It looked around. The enemy wasn’t there. Ties kept the human body prisoner. It roared. The adrenaline rush gave it the strength to break the metal ties.

  Then, something else drew its attention—the slowing flutter of a heart. The beast looked down. A small human cub lay between her legs. Her baby. Her cub!

  Taking it with care not to slice the fragile slippery skin, the female placed the infant on her chest, purring to reassure the baby. Moments passed and panic rose in the female’s heart. The small heartbeat was stopping.

  Frantic, the cat licked the baby’s nose, clearing the obstruction there. Another moment passed and a small whimper came from the child. Then a loud cry.

  At that moment, the enemy entered the room. The half-shifted panther rolled out of bed, keeping the baby close to its chest. She backed up, hissing and growling at the enemy. He had tried to kill her. He would take her cub!

  The human man smiled and raised a hand. The cat recognized the thing he held. A human weapon. From outside, snarls and growls rose to the room.

  “Give me the child.”

  *

  In the forest, Logan’s tigers, the panthers John had brought, and some wolves they had saved, fought Cain’s army of human mercenaries.

  The attack had launched at dusk. The foliage above turned the forest into the perfect hunting ground. Rusty had showed them the path, then he retreated toward the main house.

  Before letting loose the tiger, Logan had gripped the human’s arm, stopping him from leaving the formation. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to stay with Cain.”

  “Why?”

  “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, tiger. If I’m with him, I can save some lives. Few, but it’s better than none.”

  Logan had understood. The human had left for the main house while they started fighting their way through the traps the humans had placed. One hour later, they had reached the first line of defense. The mercenaries were skilled, but shifters had the advantage of night-sight and speed.

  A bullet grazed the tiger’s side. He snarled, leaping for the man aiming at him like he was a wounded animal to be put down. Claws raked the man’s body and the tiger’s jaws gripped the man’s throat. Fangs entered the man’s neck like a heated knife in butter. The screams turned into gurgles, then nothing. The mercenary was dead.

  Both human and animal were exhausted. The thought of killing the scientist who took his mate was the only thing giving them the energy to continue. Sheila’s smiling face appeared in his mind like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. It was the image he held on to for sanity. Logan prayed she was still alive. If not, he would go with her to the other world. His life meant nothing without her.

  Leaving the dead body behind, the tiger turned to face the incoming threat. Another shot of adrenaline washed through him. As the enemy approached, the tiger rushed to the main house. His pride and allies could deal with the mercenaries. He had to find Sheila.

  He tried to sense her, but couldn’t. The bond they had shared was too thin. They haven’t had time to strengthen it and now he couldn’t use it.

  The beast ran faster, dodging bullets. Logan’s mind surfaced enough to communicate with his Beta.

  “Trick, I’m heading for the house. Kill every fucking mercenary.”

  “You bet, Logan. Go get our Alpha-female.”

  “Do your best and don’t get killed. I need you to stand as my best man at the mating ceremony.”

  “Mating ceremony!? Have you asked her?”

  “I don’t need to ask. She’s mine.”

  Trick’s mental chuckle seemed out of place in their current situation.

  “You’re asking for trouble, man. Make sure you have a few wounds to complain about. It might make her feel sorry for you and go along with the mating ceremony.”

  Logan didn’t answer. Speeding up, he reached the main house in minutes. The tiger broke through the three-line and had to dodge the rain of bullets. A snarl and a scream came from the house. A panther screamed in fury. The shots stopped. The scent of blood rose like a heat wave from the ground, making it hard to find the particular scent of his mate.

  A human bursted through the front door, chased by a black panther. The man screamed but didn’t make it far. John’s panther leaped, and the scream cut off. The tiger left them behind, entering the house. Blood smeared the hallways. The bloody handprints on the walls transformed the place into a horror show. Bodies lay lifeless, the eyes sightless, but fear still marking their faces.

  But through all the blood, the tiger caught the scent of his mate. It roared, following it up the stairs. It reached the first floor. His enemy came out of a room, fired and ran down the corridor. The tiger crouched, avoiding the bullets, but the human disappeared through another door.

  Baring his fangs and hissing in rage, the tiger rushed toward the end of the corridor. He stopped midway, catching the strong fragrance of his mate. The room it came from also had the powerful scent of blood. Fear struck the Alpha. He leaped inside, roaring a challenge. He was prepared to find his dead mate. Instead, he came face to face with the most beautiful being in the entire world.

  The half-shifted form of his mate stared back at him, purring. Her pink-tinted eyes shined with tears. Mesmerized and purring in pleasure at seeing his female, the tiger prowled closer until he almost touched his mate.

  A babe’s cry broke his trance. He looked down at the bundle of fabric his mate had on her legs. He sniffed. The scent made the tiger take a step back, and the man rose to the surface, shifting. On his knees, the man gaped at his grinning mate.

  “Sheila? What is...?” He couldn’t finish.

  “Our baby,” she sighed.

  Chapter twenty-seven

  “Give me the child.”

  The feline recognized the words. She snarled. The baby cried. The sharp pain in her belly came instantaneously after the boom of the weapon. Her back hit the wall and her hold on the newborn tightened. She used the wall for support because her strength was leaving her fast. The feline wasn’t at peak power because of the human drugs. A wound didn’t help the situation.

  The cub still cried. The panther saw her enemy panic when the roars and growls came from inside the house. Humans screamed. Weapons boomed. And the growling came closer.

  The enemy looked at her slumped body, still holding the child. The rumbling in her chest warned him to stay away or die. Her fangs and claws were her only weapons, but a perfectly placed slash to his throat, or leg, could kill him fast.

  “God dammit!”

  The cat saw him turn and run, firing at someone. Then, a huge tiger leaped into the room. The call of battle he released shook the windows. He was Alpha, and he let everyone know he was there to avenge his mate.

  The panther hissed, then the scent of earth after a summer rain reached her. Clean and powerful, it infused her senses, making her purr. She knew that scent. She recognized it from another life; a happier life. The tiger sniffed and moved closer to her. The male’s purr mirrored hers. He came to her, slowly.

  Her mate.

  The baby cried. Her mate took a step back and, in an instant, the human part of him kneeled in front of her. The panther took in the man’s face. It was as appealing as the form of the tiger. She allowed the human side of her to come forward.

  “Sheila? What is...?”

  “Our baby,” she sighed. Then a sob broke free. The movement caused her belly wound to gush more blood. Sheila gasped.

  “Baby? What’s wrong?” Logan’s hand lifted, cupping her face. Then he pulled back the sheet covering their child and hiding her wound. She saw the blood drain from his face and understanding fill his eyes. The blue turned to stone.

  “No. You’re not dying.”

  The words were a broken whisper. Tears filled his icy-blue eyes, falling down his pale face.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No. You. Are. Not. You need a healer.”

  Every word he spoke was a declaration.

  Letting out a sigh of resignation, Sheila gave him another bad news. “Cain killed most of the pack. I’ll be dead before I can reach any healer.”

  “Damn it!”

  She felt him push energy through their fragmented bond. It dissipated before it could reach her. The wild panther inside her didn’t reach for it. She knew it was in vain. The wounds she had sustained over the months couldn’t be fixed only by the will of an Alpha. Logan growled, fighting to feed her his energy. When he failed a third time, she caressed his tired face.

  “Why isn’t it working? Gods! I don’t want to lose you. Not again.”

  His admission mirrored hers and broke her heart. “I know.” She pushed her free hand through his hair, pulling him in for a long kiss. Words didn’t matter. Their love flowed between them.

  Sheila hurt everywhere. She’d concentrated all her energy on protecting her baby, and now she had nothing left. The hand she had in her mate’s hair fell to her lap. Logan reached for their baby, stroking the dirty, fuzzy, black hair.

  “She has my hair color. Elena - my shining light.” Sheila chuckled, then groaned when the bullet wound made itself known with a sharp jab to her internal organs. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Logan smiled as he watched their baby squirm.

  “Elena. Our princess.”

  Sheila touched his hand, smearing it with her blood. “Take care of her, Logan.” The amusement was gone from her face. “Cain wants her. He gave me injections during the pregnancy. I don’t know what it will do to her.”

  “You will live, baby. She needs a mother and I need my mate.”

  Sheila felt his desperation. It broke what was left of her heart. “I know, but I can’t fight any longer, Logan. He drained me of strength. I am too weak to fight. I waited for you...”

  “Baby, I’m sorry.”

  Logan’s shoulders shook with his sobs. He kissed her hard. Sheila responded eagerly. It was a last kiss, and she wanted it.

  A blaring siren broke the moment. Sheila smelled the gas being released into the house. Logan scented it, too.

  “Bomb,” they whispered at the same time.

  “Come on, let’s go girls.”

  Logan tried to lift her in his arms. Sheila gasped and her bleeding increased. The baby started wailing again. She pushed away from him.

  “No, take her. You can run faster with her.”

  “I’m not fucking leaving you!”

  Crying, and desperate to save the two most precious things in the world, she placed the baby in his arms. “Save her, Logan. Please. Save our baby.”

  He shook his head. “You’re coming with us.”

  The scent of gas increased. Panic rose in Sheila’s chest. The house was about to blow. She pushed him away. “No. I’ll be dead weight. Go!” The scream made the baby cry. “Keep Elena safe, Logan. Go!”

  Tears falling down his chest, her mate cradled their girl to him.

  “I love you, Sheila. Forever.”

  “I love you, Logan. Forever.”

  Logan ran out of the room. Sheila collapsed to the side, sobbing. The pain in her soul overshadowed the one in her body. But her mate and child will be safe. They will live and that was enough for her.

  Her vision blurred, and her hearing faded. She didn’t feel cold anymore. The pain dissipated and death came in the shape of an eight-year-old boy.

  Whispering her last I love you, Sheila’s strength left her and her soul drifted into the Ether.

  *

  “Mama, she’s the one that saved me!” Cole saw Sheila, his friend, slumped to the side, bleeding badly. He could sense she was nearly dead.

  “Cole, we need to leave. The house will explode!”

  His mom tugged on his hand, but he broke free and rushed to his crime partner. She had kept Cain from killing him. Had suffered, so he didn’t have to. She was kind and funny. They had spent many hours talking while they were prisoners. Now it was his turn to save her. Cole grabbed his mother’s hands and begged.

  “Please mama, save her! She saved me. She kept me safe. Please!”

  “Baby, there isn’t time-”

  “Please!”

  With a long sigh, his mother kneeled. She inspected Sheila’s body. The wound in her belly bled. His mother placed both hands over the wound, closing her eyes. The healing power buzzed in the air. Seconds later, Sheila groaned and her eyes cracked open. Cole saw the pink infusing the white of her eyes. Feral.

  His mother lifted her hands and swayed. Cole steadied her. He looked at Sheila’s wound. It hadn’t completely healed, but it wasn’t bleeding so hard anymore.

  “I healed the internal damage. It’s the best I can do for now. I need energy to get us out of here.”

  Dragging Sheila’s body up from the floor, they supported her while they half-walked, half-dragged her through the corridors, to the back door and out of the house. The scent of blood drifted in the wind. Sheila stumbled on her feet. They just entered the woods when the house exploded. The shock of the explosion threw them forward.

  Cole’s ears rang, but he could swear he heard a tiger’s roar echo through the forest. Crawling, he checked on his mother.

  “I’m fine, baby. How’s your friend?”

  Cole pushed Sheila on her back. She was still alive.

  “Here, let me give her some energy. We need her to walk.”

  He watched his friend came to her senses enough to understand what had happened.

  “Cole.”

  Her familiar, broken voice made him smile. “Hey, Sisi. You’ll be okay.” She grabbed his hand, squeezing. Pink tainted green eyes.

  “Don’t tell anyone I’m alive.”

  Cole frowned. “Sisi, but... your mate and baby...”

  “No one, Cole. Promise.”

  He nodded. “Fine. I promise. Mom promises too. Right, mom?” He looked at his mother, trusting that Sheila knew what she was doing. Sheila was smart. His mother nodded.

  “I promise, Cole. Sisi can stay hidden for now.”

  A rustling of leaves made them look up in fright. A petite woman stood halfway hidden by a tree trunk. She was dressed for hiking but her eyes, her pink tinted eyes, latched on to Sheila’s.

  “Sparrow?”

  “Alpha.”

  The young woman lowered her eyes in submission. Sheila reached for her. “Come here.”

  Cole watched the other woman with mistrust. She was feral. Her eyes gave her away. But she was listening to Sisi. She called Sisi, Alpha. His mother shifted uncomfortably. The newcomer kneeled next to Sisi. They hugged, cried, then separated. He looked down at his friend. She was weak and tired. Then he looked up at his mother.

  “What do we do now, mama?” She stroked his dirty hair.

  “Now, we go into the world and hide the best we can, baby. We can’t trust another pack in this area. If Cain finds us, he’ll either kill us or experiment on us.”

  “And we take Sisi with us?”

  “If she wants to. Her friend is-”

  “Harmless. She’s mine; my pride-mate. I’m her Alpha.”

  Cole gripped Sheila’s hand. “Come with us, Sisi. You can be my big sister.” She gave him a weak smile.

  “Big sister Sisi. I like the sound of that. How about you, Sparrow? Do you want a younger brother and an older sister?”

  “Sure.”

  She drew out the word. The fresh addition to their pack didn’t please Cole, but Sisi trusted her.

  “So, Sparrow, tell us, how and why did you come here?” He wanted to know everything.

  “After five months, I finally felt my Alpha, so I snuck out while...”

  Chapter twenty-eight

  With his soul shattering like glass, Logan ran. Tears fell like rivers down his face. The beast inside him roared in fury and despair. He wanted to rip Cain’s head off, wanted to rampage and make the world suffer like his mate had suffered. How he was suffering. He wanted to die and be with his mate.

  The whimpering baby in his arms kept him grounded. Logan cradled Elena gently, rushing out of the house. Pushing his numb body, he sped for the forest. The goal—his territory. He wanted Elena out of danger. He couldn’t save his mate, but he would die before he let his baby girl hurt.

  Panthers and tigers flanked him. The humans were dead. Not one gunshot sounded in the mountains. They had dismantled Cain’s base of operation. But at what cost? It had been too late.

  The explosion of the house stopped him in his tracks. He stood on a rise and turned. Tears falling, he watched the house that had been a prison for the love of his life burn. She was inside. Logan took a step forward. His mate was dead. Why should he live?

  The cry of the baby in his arms brought him back. He had Elena. He had a piece of Sheila with him.

  “Logan!”

  John Black ran to stand by his side, watching in horror as the house burned. Trick shifted as well. Logan ignored everyone. His world broke apart for the second time in his life. But this time he had a thread to hold on to.

  “Logan?”

  Trick’s incredulity caught his attention. He looked at his Beta. Trick’s wide eyes couldn’t move away from the bundle in his arms.

  “What is that?!”

  The question should have been funny, but Logan was dead inside. John inhaled sharply.

 

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