Chapter 11

Jaxson could smell Charlotte's unease, even though there was a door between them. He could also hear the shutter of the camera and the quiet words of the older blonde as she spoke to his mate. He could feel that she was trying to soothe her, but unsure how to go about it. then he heard the good news. "I think that's all, Charlotte. If I need any more, may I take them?" Jaxson smelled Charlotte's anxiety increase ten-fold. She was so worried about how bad her scars were going to be. He knew that she wasn't a vain female, but no modern woman wanted to go around covered in scars like that. Jaxson thought of her as his own little shield maiden. At times, so fierce, then shy and reserved. Like her sassing the government man.

Jaxson felt a ghost of a smile run across his face at the memory. Just then, the door opened and the two women came out. Charlotte with her head down and her hands twisting in her shirttail.

Misty, holding the camera upright in one hand and reaching around to shut the bedroom door with the other, said, "There's just one thing I don't get, Charlotte. Your stab wounds were numerous, not altogether not too deadly. It was blood loss more than anything that put you in danger." When her mate, the large male holding her in the circle of his arms, growled, Misty took a step back.

"That would be my fault, ma'am. I did that to her. And shot her, and threw her out of the back of a vehicle, where she hit her head and caused a large gash on the back of her skull," Rio said so quietly that if you weren't listening, you would not have heard him. At that, the smaller of the two women pulled her gun and aimed it at his heart. Rio watched in fascination as his little mate stared at him and finally made eye contact. The minute she did, she owned him. He fell into a well of emotion that would, soon enough, set them both on fire.

Amber felt her hands shake and watched as the gun in her grip wobbled a bit. What was wrong with her? She was a strong, competent federal agent. She had been trained to deal with any possible scenario. But this, this was out of the realm of anything she had ever experienced. When she realized that the largest of the two men had confessed to harming the witness, she did what most agents would do. She drew her gun and aimed it at the person responsible. But, when she did, something happened. Something unexplainable. She started to hyperventilate. Tears welled up in her eyes, and it felt like her heart would shatter in her chest. "What, wha...What's wrong with me?"Jaxson was the first to speak.

"That is the effect of the mate bond." Reaching out, he gently disarmed her and clicked on the safety. "The bond will not allow one mate to harm another."

"But, I'm not a shifter!" Amber said.

"No, but your mate is." Jaxson turned his head to where his brother was standing, looking heartstruck. "Isn't that right, Rio?"

Rio seemed to shake himself back to attention and took two steps and pulled the younger woman into his arms. When he did, a look of peace stole over his features and tears leaked out of the corners of his eye.

"Yes. A mate. I never thought I would have one. Here I am 42 years old and I am just now meeting my mate." Rio sucked in a shuddering breath and put Amber away from him slightly. Still keeping his hands on her though. One on her waist and another cupping her cheek in the most reverent way. His hands were so large that his fingers were buried in her hair around the back of her head."Mate?" Amber whispered. Rio nodded and then smiled down at the woman. Looking her over, she was not what he would have expected. Not that he expected anything. She wasn't quite as small as Charley. But compared to his 6'6 frame, she was tiny. She might have been about a foot shorter, give or take an inch. She had blazing red hair and eyes so blue they reminded him of pictures he had seen of the oceans around Hawaii. But, the colors swirled with turquoise, and the iris was ringed with black. Her eyelashes were almost the same color as her hair. Freckles. She was covered in them. Wicked thoughts flashed through his mind as he thought about tearing off her clothes and seeing just where those freckles stopped, if at all. Amber looked up at the big man holding her. His stare was intense in a way she had never before experienced. She had read enough stories to understand about sexual desire and heat. But truthfully, she never thought she would ever experience it for herself. She just never seemed drawn to any male. Some even repulsed her. A lot.

"Dammit, Rio! You cannot take my newest agent!"

Nathan Powers had watched the by-play with a great deal of interest. However, this agent was just promoted and she had recently had a lot of expensive training. "Sorry, boss. It's just the way things are. Not going to change. A mate bond is for life. If not accepted the mate can turn feral. Which is dangerous. For everyone."

"Hey! What a minute! No one has asked me how I feel about this! You are an abuser. It's clear that you have flipped from all of your years in deep cover." Amber was almost shouting. Charlotte, watching Rio and seeing his bear push forward, quickly grabbed Amber and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Here, Amber, It's almost dinner time. Why don't you help me in the kitchen?" Charlotte pushed Amber into the kitchen. All the while, watching Rio watch his mate. The sadness and the hunger on his face were jarring and heartbreaking, all at once. Rio turned to his brother with a questioning look on his face."I know, brother, I know. Believe me. If any one of us understands, it's me. I had to wait to see if my mate was even going to pull through. Let alone accept me."

Jaxson turned his head to the kitchen, then back to look at Rio. "Something tells me that you are going to have a job cut out for you." Jaxson walked out of the house, leaving Bill, Rio, Powers and Misty standing there in the living room. Misty was the first to speak up. "Damn. Can I have one too?" She asked with a slightly rueful smile on her face as she looked over at the sheriff. "I'm a widower. My mate passed away several years ago." Bill said with a sad smile. Laughter came out of the kitchen as the three stood in silence.

Charlotte stuck her head out of the kitchen doorway and said, "Hey, Rio. Will you get us some eggs from the chicken coop? I have something in mind for dinner."Rio nodded and then craned his neck to see Amber. She was leaning against the counter, looking faintly shell-shocked and definitely withdrawn. He grabbed the basket that Jaxson kept on the front porch and went out to the yard to collect a few eggs for his brother's mate. While he was out there, his brother walked up to him."It's going to be okay, Rio. Once she hears the entire story, she'll forgive you. We just have to be patient. When she hears everything about what happened and why, she'll understand. Now, we just have to figure out where we are putting all of these extra people. I figure Powers can be on the sofa and Amber will be with you in your room. That way, we can put Misty back in my old room at the back of the house." Jaxson had a speculative look cross his face suddenly. "Unless she goes home with Bill."

Rio looked at his brother in disbelief. "Bro, you didn't smell what I smelled. That woman has the hots for our sheriff. Besides, it would do Bill some good to have some companionship."

Rio just shook his head and said, "Stranger things have been known to happen, haven't they?"Jaxson nodded and headed out to the barn. Animals still had to be taken care of. Stalls had to be cleaned. He turned out the horses while it was done. Then he put done fresh straw and gave them fresh alfalfa and feed. He then moved on to putting out fresh alfalfa for the cattle and he fed the hogs. Rio and Jaxson walked into the house together, relishing their familial connection after not experiencing it for so long. They headed to the kitchen where they heard laughter and conversation.

"One time, those two decided to go hiking in the Spring. Rio might have been 10 or 12. Of course, Jaxson was going to follow his older brother. Well, about the time they decided to do this, the real bears were coming out of hibernation. Those are the crankiest animals when they leave their dens. They sleep for three to six months. They are starving when they wake." The brothers could hear the women gasp as Bill spun his tale. "Well, anyway, these two hellions happen to hike close to a den with a momma bear and her cubs. If there is one thing you do not do is get near a momma bear's cubs. Well, she decided that those two were a bit too close to her den. Of course, it didn't help that the cubs were nosey little boogers." Bill started laughing. They waited for him to stop to finish the tale. They knew it. They had lived it. But, they loved to hear him tell the story. "Those two were chased all the way home. That momma bear stopped about the time they got to the fence line and sat roaring and growling at them until they went in the house. Let me tell you, those two never went "hiking" around that time of year again." Rio and Jaxson were leaning against the door frame of the kitchen watching Bill. "The funny thing is, their dad had already told them not to go. But they insisted that they were safe. I think they both had wet pants."

Amber and Charlotte looked up as if sensing them both. Charlotte's eyes dilated and her face flushed. Rio watched Amber as she blushed and ducked her head. But Rio still smelled her. She wanted him. Rio walked into the kitchen and handed Charlotte the eggs that he had collected. She thanked him and turned to the counter with several bowls and different ingredients were left out. He watched as she put together the oddest meatloaf he had ever seen. He had never seen anyone put mustard or brown sugar in their meatloaf. Then he watched as she took lard and placed it in an iron skillet and put it in the oven to melt. Then she set about mixing her cornbread. Having watched her put brown sugar in the meatloaf, he was ready to protest loudly if she put sugar in the cornbread. She didn't. Once the skillet was hot and the grease melted, she mixed it together and poured it back into the skillet. After everything was cooking she turned to the brothers and asked the question they had been discussing outside.

"Where will everyone sleep? Do we have enough space?"

Jaxson looked over at Bill and said slyly, "Oh I think we have just enough room. Don't you Bill?" Misty looked up at them and blushed a bright shade of red. Her blonde hair and fair complexion gave her away easily.

"Maybe. That depends on a lot of things. Let's figure this out after dinner. Charlotte has been cooking and I am starving." The meatloaf and cornbread were not quite done, so Charlotte and Amber finished setting the table. After they were done. Misty helped them bring the food over to the table. "Wow Charley. I didn't know you could cook like this." Rio was looking over the table at the food. Fruit salad, fresh green beans, brown gravy, meatloaf and cornbread.

"And for dessert, she made a pie," Nathan said. "She did it like she has been cooking like this her entire life." Charlotte flushed with pleasure at the compliments and Jaxson growled.

Charlotte looked up at him and grinned. "Don't be jealous. I love to cook and I love even more for people to enjoy my cooking."Jaxson grinned back at her then walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her full on the lips. At her gasp, he pressed forward until someone loudly cleared their throat.

"You'll get used to it, Powers. Shifters are not afraid of open displays of affection or nudity. Many other things we consider the norm that "regular" people would feel the constraints of society." Bill told him after Powers frowned at the physical display.

Rio was watching his mate watching his brother and his mate kiss. The look of longing on her face had told its own story. He was suddenly glad that Jaxson was insisting they sleep in the same room. He wasn't going to try to complete the bond tonight. But the opportunity to hold her in his arms was something he was looking forward to. No one spoke as plates of food were passed around the table. Glasses were filled with sweet tea, and a bowl of lemons was on the table for anyone who wanted. Halfway through the meal, Misty announced, "I'm going to ride into town with the sheriff and get a hotel room."

Jaxson smirked at his brother as if to say, "See, I told you."

Bill shook his head. "Nonsense. My house has plenty of rooms. You can stay with me. I'm sure that Uncle Sam is footing the bill, but you will be more comfortable at my place than at the motel in town. Besides, I make great coffee." Misty didn't say anything. She just smiled and nodded. Everyone at the table had watched the by-play with interest. Especially Amber. After dinner and dessert, the men decided to wash dishes and clean the kitchen, since Charlotte had cooked most of dinner. When they were finished, the brothers walked the sheriff and his overnight guest out to his truck. As Jaxson and Rio watched Bill's taillights disappear, they turned to each other and grinned. Jaxson said, " What you wanna bet we end up with another set of mates before too long?"

Charlotte smiled at the thought of the sheriff having a chosen mate. Rio turned to face his boss and Amber. "The sleeping arrangements for tonight are, Amber in my room and Nathan in the back bedroom."

"What!!!"

"Amber, trust me. You're going to want to be with Rio. Jaxson and I don't like to be apart." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, but you're mates." Rio felt his bear whine at the thought that their mate didn't want them. But before he could say anything, his sister spoke up.

"Amber, when you and Rio touch each other, do you feel tingles? When you look at him, do you see your future? Do you want him like you have never wanted another human being before?" Amber felt her eyes widen. That was exactly how she felt and nodded to Charlotte."That's the mate bond, Amber. Only mates feel that way about each other. No abuse of any kind between mates. Complete fidelity. Absolute love and devotion. That's what having a mate is. It's someone to hold you when you hurt. Someone to laugh with you. All the things that you could ever hope and wish for in a partner." Charlotte was looking at Jaxson when she said all of this. Then she said something else. "Your past isn't an issue, Amber. Only your future. Together. For life." Then she left Amber's side and walked into Jaxson's arms and laid her head on his chest.

Amber looked over at Rio, who looked like he was holding his breath. "I'll...I'll try. My past is ugly and I.. I don't know if I can deserve you."Only Nathan Power knew the entire story and he wasn't about to volunteer. Rio would seek him out eventually if Amber didn't tell him. Rio felt his breath rush out of him in a rush. Then he walked over to Amber and picked her up and carried her to their room.

"Come on, Powers. I'll show you to your room. It's late and we are all tired. We can get to work forming a game plan in the morning when Bill and Misty come back." Nathan nodded and looked around him and wondered what kind of fantasy world he had stepped into.