Freakn' Shifters Bundle (3-in-1) (33 page)

As he slumped to the ground, he heard the sound of animals baying and running footsteps. Then, the more disturbing sound of an engine starting and tires spinning.

But he found it hard to care that his prey escaped as he passed out.

A feathery touch tickled down Francine’s spine, and she squirmed to make it stop. It lightly stroked her again, and she grunted as she rolled onto her back to stop it. A warm hand landed on her bare breast, cupping it, and she froze, her next breath halted.
Oh my God, he’s still here.
The realization both warmed her and sent a chill of fear through her because she didn’t know what to do.

She’d not exactly expected Alejandro to disappear like Houdini before she woke, but she’d never expected to wake up beside him. While she’d had boyfriends in the past, short term ones, she’d never had one spend the night. At a loss as to what she should do, she kept her eyes clamped tight and tried to breathe shallowly lest he discover her less than pleasant morning breath.

“You’re not very good at faking sleep,” Alejandro said wryly, squeezing her breast before rolling her nipple between his fingers.

With a gasp, her eyes flew open, and she saw him propped on one elbow staring down at her while his other hand continued to palpate her breast.

“Um, hi. I didn’t expect to see you.”

A frown tightened his lips. “I told you I wouldn’t leave.”

At his disgruntled tone, she hurried to explain. “That came out wrong. It’s not that I expected you to run off at the crack of dawn, it’s just,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “no one’s ever spent the whole night with me before.” A blush heated its way up her cheeks as she admitted it.

“Probably because you steal the blankets and hate to cuddle,” he retorted, diluting his rebuke with a smile and squeeze of her boob.

“I like to cuddle. Well, I do when I’m awake anyway.”

“I’ll test that claim later, but I can tell you right now when you sleep, it’s on your stomach, clutching your pillow, and every time I touched you, you elbowed me. At one point, you even kicked me.”

She could only grin sheepishly. “Oops. Sorry, I guess I’m not used to sharing.”

“Well, get used to it, baby, because while I don’t have much experience sleeping with someone either, I’d like to start doing it with you. But…” He released her breast to wag a finger at her. “I also don’t want to wake up freezing on a sliver of mattress, looking for something to hold on to for fear of falling on the floor.”

“Whiner.”

“Brat.”

They grinned at each other and laughed. He dropped a kiss on her nose, but she cringed anyway. “Toothbrush first.”

“I’ve already brushed,” he admitted. “I’ll go make breakfast while you take care of yourself. You need to get ready for work, and since I’m going to be sticking around, I need to start looking for a job.”

“Really? You’re serious about staying even though I wouldn’t let you claim me?”

He flicked her nipple and she yelped. “You are really asking for a spanking. I meant what I said and as far as I’m concerned, I claimed you all right, baby. It might have only been your body last night, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already got my hooks in your heart, which just means I need to win your trust. And that starts with me putting down some roots.”

Biting her lip, she fought not to throw herself on him and kiss him silly. She’d probably kill him with her morning dragon breath if she did. But once she did wash herself up, he was in for a big smackeroo. And if she had time before work, a BJ too. “Sounds good. Now get that sweet ass of yours moving. I thought I heard the mention of breakfast and after last night’s workout, I am starved.” She winked and he groaned.

“Gonna kill me for sure. Wasn’t three times enough, baby? A man’s only got so much stamina.”

She grinned. “Buy some vitamins if you can’t keep up. I’m a lusty girl. Get used to it.”

“My pleasure.” He gave her nipple one last tweak before rolling off the bed and strutting off in nothing but skin, glorious tanned skin that felt so freakn’ good against hers.

Humming to herself, she showered and brushed her teeth, getting ready for work in record time, still determined to indulge in a morning quickie before she had to leave. Skipping down the stairs, she grinned at the smell of bacon.
I could get used to this. Used to him.
He brought her to heaven last night, more than once, and she’d never felt better or happier. She never wanted the pleasurable glow he gave her last night to fade.

Entering the kitchen, she found her sexy cat flipping French toast in a frying pan, still naked.

“Aren’t you afraid of burning some important parts?” she asked, munching on a strip of bacon while watching him move, hunger of a different sort making her body warm.

Hooded eyes met hers. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let anything harm me and get in the way of your pleasure.”

Laughter bubbled from her as she went around to the sink to wash her hands of the grease. Arms bracketed her, and she turned to find Alejandro’s face hovering only an inch away. “Morning. Can I get a kiss now?”

She pretended to think about it, and laughed as his hands bracketed her waist and pulled her to him. “Brat.” He crushed his mouth to hers, and she sighed against him as, that easily, her arousal came roaring back to enflame her.

Lifting her, he seated her on the lip of the sink, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as she sucked his tongue into her mouth, enjoying his low growl of pleasure.

“I’m going to burn your breakfast,” he murmured into her mouth before sliding his lips down to nibble at her jawline.

“I’m sure I could find something else to eat,” she quipped, threading her fingers into his hair and yanking him back up to kiss her again. Things got pretty hot after that with their lips fused and her hips gyrating as she dry humped his hard cock, now cursing herself for dressing before she came down.

Glass shattered and she vaguely wondered what they’d broken in their impromptu romp just as a sharp sting in her back made her cry out.

“Francine!” Alejandro’s frantic yell came through white noise that roared in her ears. She tried to gather herself to answer, but found herself coughing instead, fluid bubbling at her lips. The world tilted as he pulled her down below the level of the counter, repeating the word “shit” over and over.

“Where’s the fucking phone?” he growled as he cradled her in his arms, his tone panicked.

“Wall,” she muttered, the word emerging out as sluggish sounding as she felt. “What happened? I feel funny. Kind of cold and numb.” She had to force each syllable past a tongue gone thick, and she blinked as her vision blurred.

“Someone shot you,” he said, his voice low and tight. If she didn’t know better, she would have said her affable cat was pissed—and scared. She found it hard to concentrate on anything with the ice spreading through her body. He laid her down gently on her stomach, and she almost welcomed the cold tile floor on her cheek because at least she could feel it.

Alejandro scooted to the wall to grab the phone. He yanked it down and scurried back to her while punching in numbers furiously. Her eyelids fluttered shut. A tap on her cheek made her open them.

“Stay with me, baby. I’m going to get you some help. Answer the fucking phone,” he yelled when whomever he called didn’t immediately pick up. “Javier, about fucking time you answered.  He shot her. What do you mean who? Francine, you idiot. In the fucking back. I need help. Now! I think he used silver.”

Silver? Well that sucked. Who wanted her dead? Shapeshifters could heal from a lot of things, but silver interfered with that ability.
And that’s not good
. Because she now knew the spreading numbness meant she’d gotten hit bad.

She wanted to tell Alejandro, whose face hovered over hers fixed in a mask of devastation, that everything would be okay, but her lashes fluttered as darkness sucked her down.

*

Helplessness. What an awful feeling, and one Alejandro never experienced before. It bothered him as much as the fear that gripped him when he thought of Francine not recovering.
No! She has to get better. I won’t let her die.

Alejandro paced in front of the door that hid him from Francine and the doctor they called to take care of her. The ride to Naomi’s house with Francine pale and unconscious would haunt him forever. He’d not wanted to move her initially, but he feared even more her bleeding out from the silver embedded in her flesh, so he agreed to meet the physician at Naomi’s house, which cut their travel time in half.

Borrowing Francine’s car, he sped all the way, and said a prayer of thanks no cops stopped him on his way. Arriving in a squeal of tires at his brother’s place, he almost cried in relief when he saw the doctor already there. Hands shaking, he feared moving the pale bundle in the back seat. Ethan pushed him aside and gently carried Francine inside, closeting her in the master bedroom for the physician to work on. The big Kodiak got shooed out by an ashen-faced Naomi who shook her head at Alejandro when he would have followed her inside.

“You’re a mess, and besides, you need to tell everyone what’s happened. She’ll be okay, Alejandro. She has to be.”

Hanging his head, moisture stinging his eyes, he prayed she spoke the truth.

“What the hell happened?” barked Geoffrey, Naomi’s father, the grizzled wolf as angry as if his own daughter lay comatose.

Javier, Ethan and the rest of Naomi’s family crowded around him, questioning looks in their eyes that turned to rage as he relayed the cowardly attack. It was when he heard about the hunter’s potshots the night before, which still kept Mitchell abed this morn, that he lost his mind and roared.

“Why the fuck did no one call me?” If he’d known, he could have…still never expected such a brazen attack.

“It’s my fault,” Javier said. “I thought since he still staked out our house that he had no clue where you actually were.”

“You thought wrong!” Alejandro growled and lunged at his brother, only to have Ethan hold him back.

“Punching him won’t help things,” rumbled the big Kodiak. “Dr. Weston is going to patch her up and she’ll be fine. What we need to concentrate on is finding the hunter so he can’t hurt anyone else. This has gone too far.”

It had, and it was up to Alejandro to fix it.
I did this to her. And now I’ll take care of it.
Because if there was one thing he would not tolerate, was someone hurting the woman he wanted as mate.
The woman I love.
The realization didn’t come as too much of a surprise. He’d recognized how special she was from the moment they’d met. And after last night, only a forever after would satisfy him. He couldn’t wait to tell her on bended knee how he felt. Once she recovered, that was.

Rarely did rage come to visit him, and never before for someone not related to him, but Francine meant more to him than anyone he’d ever known. He would have gladly stepped in front of her to take the bullet to spare her pain if given the chance. Anything to ease the ache inside at knowing she hurt. A pain in his heart that could only find ease in vengeance. But he wouldn’t leave to wreak havoc until he knew she was safe.

It seemed like an eternity, but in reality was more like an hour before the doctor emerged, Naomi’s mother at his side looking pale.

“She’ll recover,” the doctor announced, easing the fear inside him. “The bullet nicked her spine and lung. The hole in her lung has already sealed over, but the bone injury will take a little longer to heal. She’s going to need quite a few days of bed rest. Oh, and lots of iron supplements, in other words, red meat to build up her blood because she lost quite a bit.”

Relief made his breath whoosh out as the terror that clung to him since he heard the shot finally loosened its grip. “Can I see her?”

“Go in, but not for long. She needs to rest. The silver made her weak and even though I’ve removed it, her body needs to regain its strength.”

Leaving the gathered men, with the exception of Mitchell whom they’d tied to a bed in his own home so he could also recover, Alejandro entered the bedroom and approached the large bed with leaden feet. Sprawled on her stomach, covered in a blue sheet folded to her waist, the white bandage plastered to the middle of her back acted like a sucker punch to the gut. He staggered, and Naomi, her cheeks tear streaked, glanced at him and tried to give him a wan smile. He couldn’t hold her gaze, the guilt making him look down where he saw her hand clutching Francine’s tight.

Flipping her head the other way, Francine’s weary brown eyes, so different from the passion-filled ones of the night before, peered up at him. It pierced him to see the happiness in her gaze when she saw him. How could she not blame him for her injury?

“Jag, thank god. Would you tell my BFF here that everything is all right? I swear, she’s trying to crush my hand.” Welcomed by his lover even though he didn’t deserve it, Alejandro moved to stand behind Naomi.

“Oh stuff it,” said Naomi in a thick voice still clogged with tears. “You didn’t seem to mind when the doctor was digging that bullet out.”

Turning back so she could see them both, Francine muttered, “Bitch.”

“Skank.” They both burst into giggles accompanied with watery eyes that they both surreptitiously wiped, Francine by rubbing her face against the pillow case.