“Calum, please, for the sake of my sanity, sit down,” Jake growled.
Turning, he looked at Jake, then realized everyone was staring at him. “Sorry.” He glanced to the entrance again. “Walls are closing in on me.” Rubbing the back of his neck he went to start pacing again and stopped himself. “She said morning…”
Gage heaved a loud sigh. “It’s been dawn for about ten seconds. Sit the fuck down and let me pretend I’m still sleeping.”
“Won’t someone wonder if a bunch of women leave?” Kelsey asked in a sleepy voice. “I mean how bad is it there, are people free to come and go, do they monitor everyone?”
Calum had been wondering the same thing for the last hour and was still kicking himself in the ass for knowing before he left his mate there.
“Someone better bring coffee, or I’ll go end this tyranny once and for all, single-handed,” Rayne moaned.
Devin chuckled then, nodded. “And she would too. Vicious she-wolf without her caffeine.” Rayne smacked him.
Jesse came wandering in. “There’s a group coming. Will take them a bit to get here though, they are only halfway down the hill on the other side of the ravine.”
Calum frowned at him, he’d just checked a few minutes ago and could see no one from this location.
Smirking, Jesse pointed to Kelsey. “Used her tree-view trick.”
“Later on,” Calum said as he turned toward the entrance, “I want more details on that adventure.”
Devin stood up and stretched. “Figured you had enough going on right now. You don’t need to go even the score on that front too.”
Calum paused and looked at him. “They abducted your mates; that is my business, and someone will pay for it…” He backed up a step closer to the entrance. “I just have to clear up a few other things first.”
“Yeah, like deal with his mate!” Gage chuckled.
Snarling at him, Calum turned back to watch for the women. If Shaelan wasn’t with them, he was sending someone back to get her. It had almost killed him being away from her this last day.
It felt like hours, as he stood there watching in the direction of the village. He knew it was quite the treacherous path to navigate, having done it in the dark, and if they had Nona or other elders with them it could take a while. He exhaled loudly, again, and jammed his hands into his pockets as he stepped few more feet away from the cave to see if he could spot them.
He heard the others come up behind him but didn’t turn to look.
“Not a word,” Rayne said in warning, most likely to Devin.
Calum had at least been right about something in all of this. Gage and Devin were never going to let him forget how he’d harassed, lectured, or ribbed them about mates. Ever. He still hadn’t told them how he met his mate, or that he’d marked her. There just weren’t the right words without it sounding bad, especially in front of the women. Mostly, he was going on instinct with all of this. His knowledge of true mates was limited, so he relied on his gut. Which right now was tied in knots.
When he caught a brief glimpse of pink, he started moving in that direction. There was only one thing that color on this entire mountain.
As they got closer, he counted a dozen heads moving through the gulley that led up to the cave. There was only one he was interested in seeing at this point, and when he spotted her, it was like the light from the sun was only shining on her.
He glanced behind him to see everyone had followed. Jake and Jesse were looking all around them, keeping watch for anyone coming from another direction.
Unable to look away any longer, he turned back to see Shaelan had stopped walking and was looking up to where he stood. His cat rubbed over his skin, and his heart jumped up into his throat. Fuck staying out of sight. He moved out of the shelter of the trees and started in her direction while at the same moment, she dropped what she’d been carrying and started running up the hill.
His feet slipped a few times on the steep incline, and he slid a few feet, but he kept going and didn’t slow down until she was almost in front of him. She threw herself into him with such a force he landed on his butt on the hill, still holding her, he sat up and buried his face in her hair. Cinnamon. Cat and man were back in synch, and a feeling of contentment came over him.
Leaning back, he grasped her head to see her face. Her jaw was slightly bruised, and her lip was still healing, but the swelling was gone. Her eyes moved over his face in the same way. “Are you okay?” He searched her eyes, trying to see for himself. She shook head, then dropped her head to hug him tightly again. She snuggled her face into his throat and his cat started prancing inside him, excited by having her this close.
“So many lies,” she whispered.
He ran a hand over the hair hanging down her back. “I know. Your aunt filled me in.” He smirked. “Then the guys held me back from coming to you.”
She leaned back. “I wanted to see you too, after I found out.” She bit her lip for a second. “I don’t understand any of this, Calum.”
When she said his name, he dragged his eyes from her mouth. “I know.” He sighed. “This is not how it’s supposed to be.”
“I don’t want to be away from you again. That’s the only thing I know for sure, even if I don’t understand why.”
She closed her eyes briefly, and his heart jerked in his chest when she opened them and he saw they were filled with sorrow.
“It’s horrible, what the women go through…and probably the men.” She took a shaky breath. “My friend Billie was with one of your clansmen. Dale. Another woman was with Marc…” She looked behind her. “Shoot, my bag.” She turned back to him, looking panicked. “I have the book of all the men, women and babies since it started.”
“We’ll get it and we’ll deal with all of it…” He looked at her mouth again and lightly grasped her chin. As he lowered his face to kiss her, a shadow moved over them. Pulling her closer to him to shelter her, he looked up to see a woman with black hair grinning down at him.
“Hi. I’m Billie.”
Shaelan sighed and turned while still sitting on him to look at her. “My bag…” Billie held up a cloth bag. “Thanks.”
She moved to get off him, and whether he agreed with it or not, he realized they weren’t going to get any more alone time right now. Standing, he set her on her feet and grasped her hand. Leaning down, he whispered, “Tell me someone brought coffee.”
She grinned. “We’re not that uncivilized up here.”
He hugged her against his side, tucking her under his arm. “Then your clansmen are safe from the Rayne.”
Billie looked up at the sky. “Not a cloud in the sky.”
Calum chuckled. “This is going to be a long meeting.”
As they reached the cave, he was relieved to see everyone settling down outside. The thought of so many being in there together in such a small space would have had his cat on edge. There was a reason he spent so much time alone, he wasn’t big on crowds. He noticed Shaelan wasn’t rushing over to be in the middle of them either, she seemed content to stand aside and holding his hand. Which was good, as he didn’t plan on letting go, not just yet.
She exhaled. “I suppose you should meet my mother.” Her voice was filled with tension. “I know it’s not her fault, she just tried to keep me safe…” She looked up at him. “…but it’s hard right now.”
He felt like he was falling into her eyes, and actually had to blink to kick his brain back in gear. “I think she had to go through a lot and do what she needed to, so you both survived.”
Shaelan continued to look at him for what felt like an eternity, he didn’t know her well enough to understand what the changes of expression on her face meant. He stood there, not breathing while he waited for her to speak.
“I suppose she did,” she said quietly.
Dragging his eyes away from her, he surveyed the women present. When he reached one with high cheekbones and a refined aura, he studied her for a moment. She kept looking over at Shaelan, every few seconds. He leaned down. “Is that woman in the blue sweater your mom?”
She gave him a shocked look. “How did you know?”
Calum smirked. “Same beautiful face as yours.” He shrugged. “And she keeps looking at you with that motherly look they get when they’re checking if you’re okay.”
She laughed quietly.
When she suddenly stepped in front of him, he jerked his head up to see why. Rayne and Kelsey were heading their way. He knew he was standing there grinning, simply because she’d moved to block him from other females, but he didn’t care. Squeezing her hand that was still in his behind her back, he leaned down. “They’re coming to see you, not me.”
“Me? Why?”
“They’re my two best friend’s mates.” He was trying not to push his face into her hair, now close to his face. “Both had similar situations as you…in not knowing they were shifters,” he clarified.
She turned. “Really?” Heaving out a breath she leaned closer to rest her head on his chest. “You don’t know how much better that makes me feel. I thought I must be the stupidest person ever for not noticing.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head, as he cradled her into his chest. “I think your situation and clan took things to the extreme, but no, you’re not stupid.”
“Calum, can we borrow your mate for a few moments?” Rayne asked sweetly.
He hadn’t realized they were going to take her. He frowned.
Kelsey grinned at him. “We’re just going to go get you some coffee and introduce ourselves.”
“Promise we’ll bring her right back,” Rayne added.
Gage and Devin started walking in their direction, he gave Shaelan’s hand a quick squeeze and released it. She took Rayne’s outstretched one and went with them, after a quick look over her shoulder at him. Giving himself a mental shake, he looked back to find serious expressions on the men’s faces. “What?” he asked when they were close enough that he could say it quietly.
Devin waved his phone around. “Pulled this out to check for a signal and see if I can reach dad, and one of the women said she’s seen Jerome with a phone before but had no idea what it was until now.”
“A cell phone? But they don’t…” He scowled. “Son of a bitch. They do have people feeding them info about shifters coming up the mountain.”
Gage nodded. “Meaning they probably know we’re here. We had one of the villagers bring us up.”
“Fuck.” Calum turned around so his back was to the women and stood with his hands on his hips. “And they know my car that you went to.”
“Yeah, so they’re going to know we were coming for you,” Gage said quietly.
Calum glanced at the phone still in Devin’s hand. “Is there signal?”
He shrugged. “Not the best, but I could get through to Dad if you think we need to go that route.”
He nodded. “I think that the more outside of here that know, the better.” Looking over his shoulder, he found Shaelan. “There’s a book with a list of women, captives and babies born. Make sure someone takes pictures in case it gets lost…” Shaelan was smiling at something Kelsey said. “This is going to get very messy.” He turned back and motioned with his head. “Lady in the blue sweater is Shaelan’s mother and the alpha’s…wife.” The word mate meant too much to his culture. He didn’t feel the man had earned the title.
Gage blew out a breath. “From what Marilyn told us last night, she’s with us.”
Devin nodded. “But she’ll be the most vulnerable—aside from Shaelan, that is.”
“I want my men out of chains. We can’t do anything until we know they’re clear.” Calum looked again to check on Shaelan. “And we need to know numbers, weapons, and just what we’re up against down there.”
“Agreed,” Gage said in a hushed tone.
“Let me go wander around to grab a better signal and call dad. I don’t even know where to start to explain all of this to him,” he mumbled.
Calum nodded, as he watched Nona coming toward them. “Take Jesse with you. None of us go anywhere alone.”
Gage nodded and motioned to get Jesse’s attention. “I’m going to go chat with Marilyn, she may think she’s unequipped to help here, but she’s mistaken. The things that woman knows and does…”
Chuckling, Calum glanced over to where she was chatting with some of the other women. “I would have been scared to death to deal with her in her youth.”
“Same,” Gage said with a grin as he moved over to talk to her.
He checked on Shaelan once more before he found Nona standing in front of him.
“You two need to resolve that soon,” she said with a knowing expression on her face.
He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Which part is that? Me losing my sanity, or are you talking about some other part?”
“Heh.” She nodded. “No, that’s the part I meant.”
Jamming his hands in his pockets, he looked down as her eyes moved over his face, appraising him. From the look, it wasn’t good, and he wasn’t fooling anyone but himself, pretending otherwise. “I’m trying to give her time.”
Nona folded her hands in front of her and glanced at Shaelan for a second, then looked back to him. “You think time is going to clarify and settle the emotions ripping through the two of you?”
He glanced over at Shaelan and let out a quiet breath. “No ma’am.”
“She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.” She smiled. “Marched up my hill when she was just a child, against her fathers’ orders, then asked that I train her to be the clan’s next Nona.” She winked at him. “It’s a title, not a name. She’s fought against that man every day since. I think when she struggled for the right to go get a more advanced education, it was the start of her preparing, without even knowing it, that she’d need the strength to change her life. All of our lives.”
“I didn’t know…”
She gave him an annoyed look. “You think she ran up that hill when she saw you because she felt like going for a jog?”
Calum tried to think of something intelligent to say but couldn’t, so he shook his head ‘no.’
Nona nodded abruptly. “She had her revelation yesterday, tore her room apart and screamed like a vengeful creature…she sat on the deck staring into the night for hours after that, even fell asleep there. Her animal took her out there to watch for yours, I believe.” She looked him up and down. “She doesn’t need time; she needs a man strong enough to let her be who she has to be.” Sighing, she searched his eyes, the expression in hers softening. “Only one thing will clarify it, make all the pieces fit together.” She pulled the collar of her jacket down to expose an aged bite mark next to her collarbone. “And after that, you’ll both be stronger and ready to face this head on.”
He looked at her neck again, even though she’d already covered it back up.
“He died a long time ago, before we grew a single wrinkle together,” she said quietly.
“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t imagine finding Shaelan then losing her. He couldn’t even stay strong for a day without her right now.
“So am I, every damn day still, but having had him in my life, even for that short a time, has given me the strength every day since.”
He stood there, still trying to process it, then looked around at everyone. “We can’t…”
She nodded like he’d already finished speaking. “Talk to Mari. She’ll have a place you can have some quiet time together. Take the night, while we get a plan in place and get you and her settled so you can help finish this then free her people.”
Calum looked down at her, then nodded briefly. “I think the strongest person I’ve ever known is standing right in front of me.” He meant it too.
“Heh.” She grinned. “Sweet talker.” She waved a hand in Mari’s direction. “Go talk to the crazy one and go to your girl before you distract everyone from the task at hand, stalking her with your eyes every two seconds.” She walked away, chuckling.
Shae watched him as he stood there talking to Nona. She couldn’t help that her eyes kept going back to him.
“I’m afraid you’re getting the biggest brooder of all of them,” Kelsey said with a grin.
“Oh?” She glanced back at him. “Did he…” She clutched the thermos against her chest and tried not to blush. “Did he tell you how we met?”
Rayne shook her head. “No. I think he started to, but Marilyn came storming in.”
Shae grinned. “Yes, she does that well. It’s a skill, according to her.”
“It is something,” Kelsey said quietly. “So, how did you meet?”
She had no idea why she had brought it up, but now that she had there was no way out. She huffed out a breath. “I may die of embarrassment explaining, but…” She looked back to him for a second. “I’m training to be the next medicine woman for the clan, and I went in to check his shoulder.” She pursed her lips. “Actually, there’s more before that. I was being married off to a guy I didn’t know…”
“Oh my god, does Calum know? Is the guy dead?” Kelsey asked, leaning closer.
Shae shook her head, “No, he’s not. That’s a story for another time.” She grinned. “A strange one—then again, I guess to you two, my whole world is.”
Kelsey snorted. “Oh. we may be tied with that one.”
Rayne nodded enthusiastically. “Nothing in our lives could be close to normal before we found out we were animals.”
They both looked back to her. She felt a kinship with these women, and it made her feel weepy inside. Before she changed her mind, she exhaled and said, “So, I asked Calum—and just so you know, this was Aunt Marilyn’s idea—to mark me.” She blushed. Shoot. “So I had another male’s scent on me…”
Kelsey held up her hand. “Wait…you did this while he was chained up?”
Shaelan nodded and was sure her cheeks were flame red now.
Rayne covered her mouth, then dropped her hand away. “And he did.”
She noticed it wasn’t a question, but Shae nodded anyways. “Both of us thought he had been given the breeding herbs at the time.” She blew out a long breath. “I was just…” She looked over at him. “I don’t know if it was him, or what, but I just wanted to climb right inside him.”
Rayne placed her hand on her arm. “We both know what you mean, trust us,. We’ve been lost in that mating animal magnetism ourselves without understanding it.”
Shae fanned her face. “What is that all about, right?”
Kelsey looked at her for a long moment. “So…his mark is on you, but you didn’t mark him?”
Her eyes tracked to him again. “No.” She looked back to her. “I don’t even understand it all. I mean is there a process or something?” She blushed. “Besides that part?” Shae still didn’t know why she was telling two strangers. Then again, who else could she talk to? Her mother? Absolutely not. Her aunts, no and Billie had just gone through a horrible ordeal, so she was out too.
“It makes so much sense now,” Rayne said softly.
“Yeah,” Kelsey agreed Shae looked from one to the other. “What does?”
Kelsey shrugged. “The way he’s losing his mind right now because you’re twenty feet away from him. This morning, I thought he was going to wear a path in the rock with all the pacing.”
Shae interrupted her. “I don’t understand.”
Blowing out a breath, Kelsey gave her a soft look. “Until you accept and mark him, his cat is going to be riding him hard and clawing at him from the inside…”
“That’s a thing?” Shaelan glanced back to Calum again.
Rayne nodded. “That’s most definitely a thing.” She reached out and rested a hand on her arm. “After you’ve shifted the first time, you will understand all the animal parts to this bizarre and wonderful world.”
“I feel like this is a major exam and I didn’t even read any of the material on the subject.” Shae hugged the thermos again. “I just, I don’t like being away from him, but I don’t understand any of this.” Kelsey and Rayne both nodded at the same time.
“The way it was explained to me is this,” Rayne said quietly. “Fate doesn’t pair two mates that don’t belong together. None of the elders know of even one time a mismatch was made. It will all fall into place when you’re both truly mated.”
Shaelan nodded, and then turned to see Calum walking toward them. Butterflies took flight inside her stomach, like they did each time he looked at her. She blew out a breath. “I swear his eyes are the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Kelsey giggled. “Oh, tell him that.”
“I’m going to see what Devin has found out from his father,” Rayne said. “We’ll talk to you later about the marking process.”
“Oh, mmm, yes,” Kelsey offered quickly. “I need to go talk to Gage about getting some chains…” She giggled.
Shae knew they were just leaving to give her a few moments alone with Calum, and she was glad they understood. Now if she could just figure out how to talk to him about this without blushing to the color of a bright red apple, she’d feel better.
Calum stopped in front of her and looked at the thermos she was clutched to her chest. “Keeping it warm for me?”
She laughed. “Sorry, I got caught up talking to Kelsey and Rayne. They’re very nice.”
He nodded slowly. “They kind of scare me.” He smirked. “But they aren’t mine to deal with.”
“I am?” She wanted to wrap her arms around him, so she continued to hug the thermos so she wouldn’t “You are,” He agreed. Motioning to the cave, he held out his hand. “I’d like a few minutes to talk to you, without so many eyes staring at us.”
She took his hand and followed him inside. Her eyebrows shot up when they walked in. “The cave has furniture?”
He nodded and kept walking to the back of it. “And a distillery.”
“Aunt Marilyn strikes again, I’m sure,” she commented. He stopped when they were well away from the entrance and turned while still holding her hand.
“I know a lot has happened in the last few days…” He shook his head. “…to both of us…”
She watched his mouth as he spoke, remembering what it had been like when he kissed her and then felt her whole-body flush, just thinking about it.
“Shaelan, if you want me to get through this, stop looking at my mouth that way,” he whispered.
Her eyes flew to his. “Sorry.” She shrugged. “I can’t help it.” Biting her bottom lip, she continued to look at him, waiting for him to continue. He pulled the thermos from her hands and then grasped the back of her head and leaned down. When he brushed his mouth over hers, she was afraid that he was going to stop there, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him so he didn’t.
With a growl, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up to his height. His mouth was hard and demanding as he took over the kiss.
Needing to be closer, she wrapped her legs around his waist and grasped his hair so he couldn’t stop kissing her. Her insides heated when his tongue stroked hers.
Breaking the kiss, his mouth traveled down her throat. “If I can find a safe, private location…” He ran his teeth along her jaw. “Will you spend the night with me?” He ran his tongue over her flesh. “Get to know each other…”
Shaelan moaned as his mouth moved to nip her ear softly. “Yes.” He turned and leaned her against the wall, rocking his hips into her. She gasped as sensations moved through her.
He gripped the back of her head and titled her face up to his. “You’ll be coming back with my mark—where everyone can see it.” His breath brushed over her lips as he watched her. “So be sure.”
She could see the vulnerability in his eyes as he waited. “I am.” Never had she felt more certain than about being with him.
He growled low in his throat and took her mouth in a rough, scorching kiss.
“Knock knock…” someone called into the cave. “Sorry, Cal, I drew the short straw…Dev’s back from talking to his dad and requires your presence.”
Calum pressed his face into her throat, his breath as out of control as hers.
“Give us a minute and we’ll be out, Jake.” He lifted he head and grinned at her. “I honestly only intended to talk to you.” He gently lowered her until her feet were on the ground.
“I’m glad you didn’t just talk to me.” She felt her cheeks heat up and bit her bottom lip.
He groaned. “It’s going to be a long day.”