Chapter 208 Chapter 208
Jesse reached the back of the house just in time to see a cat heading into the trees. “Shit.” He stood there for a second wondering if he should go grab his pack or just go after her. Thera came bounding around the corner and slowed long enough to look at him. “Yeah, I screwed up.”
She gave him a low moaning sound and took off running.
“I’m coming.” He called out to her as he pulled his shirt over his head. Shaelan had said to tread carefully and be wary of triggers. Talking about her mother and Chicago was a trigger for Leah. Pulling his boots off, he winced as he took some skin from his ankle with them. Undoing them would have been helpful. Shucking his jeans, he listened, trying to pick up any sound from the cats charging through the bush. He’d expected Evanna to come out when Leah was triggered, not her cat.
All four paws moved fast as he scented the air to catch up to them. Now he was doubting the fence was for Thera at all. Maybe Leah couldn’t control her cat side. Tillie had said she spent a lot of time as her cat. Was it her cat that had brought her back to the clan home? He’d imagined it was Evanna when he’d read the journal. He stumbled and his cat gave a low hiss. Now was not the time to think about everything. Jesse let go and allowed his cat to take the lead, he needed to catch up to them.
He caught a glimpse of a tail through the thick growth and jumped onto the rocks to get a better view. Spotting Thera, he took off in that direction. When he cleared the trees, he put on the brakes. Thera was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. Leah lay on the ground moaning. Had she been hurt? He rushed over and was blocked by an unimpressed wild cat. Thera’s ears were back, her sides heaved, and she stared him down.
He chuffed a quiet apology and hoped it translated that way to her.
“Thera leave him be.”
Jesse stopped and looked at her. It was Evanna, there was no way Leah used that tone. She was on her knees now, hunched over hugging her waist.
“Clothes, Thera.” Evanna hissed out a breath.
Thera gave him a brief glare and then took off back in the direction they’d come.
Jesse ignored the fact she was naked and went over to her, he crouched down so his head was level with hers.
“I had to take over Minn.” She blew out a breath. “Always hurts bad when I do that.”
He was shocked, he’d never heard of a shift back hurting unless there was injury. She was shivering and it alarmed him. Dropping his belly onto the ground, he moved closer, so she could use him for some warmth. Minn was her cat. A cat she—they couldn’t control.
She didn’t object to his closeness, simply allowed him to curl around her so her bare skin was against his fur. “Leah can’t control her.” She said as her teeth chattered. “I don’t know what you said to bring out Minn, but we’re going to have to talk.”
Jesse nudged her back, so she’d lean into him more. Her breathing was alarming him, it was half cat, half-human.
“I’ve got her,” Evanna whispered. “She’s fighting me. Leah is so far in the background she can’t help me.”
He didn’t understand any of it and that pissed him off. He’d done this. Shaelan had warned him about triggers, and he’d tried to be careful, watch for the signs she’d told him about but clearly hadn’t monitored Leah enough to stop in time. Jesse had to make this right and he had no idea how to.
He realized he was struggling to control his animal now. This was no time to have some sort of conflict with his cat. When he was trying to convey that to his creature, Thera came charging out of the trees. His cat gave a low warning growl, shocking Jesse and the wild cat.
Thera gave him an ‘are you serious’ kind of look and then dragged the table cloth over and dropped it in front of him.
Tightening his control on his cat, Jesse stretched and pulled the cloth closer. He wished he had something to put on, so he could shift and help her back, but he didn’t. Sitting up, he watched as she struggled to get it wrapped around her. The first thing he was doing when he got back to the van was giving her a run pack. He always carried some with him because he never knew who he was going to come across on these trips he was sent on.
Jolting, he went over when she was attempting to stand. She did not look steady at all.
“Damn, damn.” She cursed softly. “I might have to rest for a few minutes before heading back.” She licked her mouth like it was too dry, “It hasn’t been this bad in a long time.” She stumbled and would have hit the ground if he hadn’t thrown his body under her to stop the fall.
He didn’t know if she’d been around enough other shifters to understand, but he issued a few short chirps telling her to just stop and wait. Moving back from her, he shifted without further announcement and then went over and scooped her up into his arms. “Just close your eyes and rest.”
So many pieces were clicking together for him. Why she was in her cat form so much, was because Leah couldn’t control her and it physically hurt Evanna to force her under control. He had to talk to Shaelan as soon as possible and see if she had any suggestions. How had she lived like this for this long? He could barely handle one disagreement with his cat, never mind having to fight constantly.
Jesse closed the door and stood there looking at it for a second. Evanna said a nap would help. He knew after a shift like that food would have been the first thing he went for. The elders had left some important knowledge out in the few years they’d been teaching her.
Putting his hands on his hips, he looked down and realized he was still naked. Shaking his head, he turned back to go get his clothes.
Thera stood on the step waiting for him.
“She’s resting.” He said as he jumped down the steps and rounded the corner of the house. He needed to call Cal and fill him in, or Shaelan, maybe both.
Reaching his clothes, he yanked his jeans on and picked up the rest. Spotting her clothes on the ground, he went toward them. Before he called anyone, he needed a moment to digest. Some time to reflect on what he’d learned this morning.
Setting her clothes on the porch, he beelined for Tillie’s house to grab a protein bar. Then he was getting some of that coffee and looking around to see what needed to be done here so he could get her off this mountain.
“Watch for triggers.” He mumbled between bites. He needed to talk to Evanna about said triggers because he wasn’t happy with the events that followed Leah being triggered. Ripping off another bite with his teeth he chewed without tasting it. “No shift should end like that.” He went over and sat down to pull his boots back on.
He was so mad right now, his cat had even receded. Well, he’d learned a few things today—none of them he felt good about. Then there was what he found out when he picked her up. Stomping naked through the trees with a shaking woman—that was his mate. “How the fuck does that work?” He scowled at the floor. What if it was just Evanna, was that possible?
He grabbed his phone and headed for the door. Most men had to contend with persuading their mates’ animal side to accept them. His mate’s animal had a name of her own and from what he could tell had a lot of attitude too.
He walked into the house quietly and went to the stove where she’d been perking the coffee. The pot was still hot, the brew might cause him to have a heart attack, but he needed the strong brew right now. Pouring a cup, he looked around for what might be the sugar she’d mentioned the day before.
The third canister yielded a jackpot. He used one teaspoon because there really wasn’t much left. Taking a sip, he winced as it went down. “That’ll work.” He whispered. Strong was an understatement.
Looking around, he spotted a door at the end of the kitchen area, going over he opened it and looked in. A storage pantry. He checked a few canisters and found all of them very low. Shaking his head, he walked out and quietly went back outside. “She wouldn’t have had enough to survive the winter.” He mused and then looked down to see Thera was right beside him. “And you,” he stopped and looked down at her, “what the hell are we doing with you for the trip?” She looked back at him with a bored expression in her eyes. “I’ll figure that out later.”