RICHIE: New Orleans Wolf Shifters with plus sized BBW for mates (Le Beau Series Book 6) (18 page)

She was grinning too, and had an equally sated expression on her face. A surge of male pride roared through him, he’d put that expression there.

“Wow,” she panted, reaching blindly for his hand.

“Double wow,” he panted and wound their fingers together.

Finally able to catch his breath, he growled, “I love you, Piper Majors.”

“I love you, too, Richie Majors,” she growled back. Then she sucked in a breath and whispered. “That’s freaky.”

“What’s freaky?” He propped himself on one elbow to look at her.

“My wolf growled through my voice and I felt her emotions.”

He grinned and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Cool, huh?”

She grinned back. “Way cool.”

Piper had only nodded off when she woke with a start. She didn’t feel well. Not well at all.

Richie tucked her closer to his side. “Are you okay, cher?”

“Not really. I feel strange and achy.”

“I think that’s the conversion starting,” he said with a very concerned expression. “What can I do to make you feel better? Is there anything I can get for you?”

“I don’t know. What do shifters do for the mate to help them through a conversion?”

Richie wouldn’t look her in the eye. Her heart pounded and she started to become alarmed when a tear rolled down his cheek.

“I should have been more adamant about your discomfort when I explained the conversion to you. From what I’ve been told, there isn’t much I can do to ease your pain.”

“Shit. This is going to suck, isn’t it?”

All he could do was nod.

“You said you were injured a few times on the job. I’m trying to remember if I’ve heard any stories of other mates besides Rose, who endured the healing of such things.”

She placed her hand over her stomach, as the cramps rolling in her belly, began to build. Then she felt a sharp pain that slowly eased. She looked at Richie in horror as her mid-section began to twitch and push up in sections, like something alive was trying to break out. Good lord, was the alien from those Sigourney Weaver movies in there?

Piper rubbed circles over her churning stomach. The only thing she could think to do was breathe like in the movies when a woman was in labor. Which was stupid, she’d never had a baby and had no idea if she was doing it correctly. All she accomplished was near hyperventilation.

She came up on her knees, clutching her stomach with both hands as what must have been the hundredth wave of pain in the past hour racked her body.

Richie leapt from the bed and searched for his phone. “This doesn’t seem right. You’re in too much pain and this is taking too long. I need to call Emma Le Beau.” He searched his brain for stories of a mate not surviving the conversion. Thank Goddess, he couldn’t remember hearing any.

A few minutes later, Richie skidded into the room and found her crawling across the floor. “Goddess, what are you doing?” he asked in a panicked voice.

“I’m going to throw up.”

He swept her into his arms and rushed her to the bathroom. Then watched helplessly as Piper hung her head over the toilet.

“I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”

Silently, he held her hair aside while she retched over and over. He was unable to bear the pain for her, so he sent her love and comfort through their bond.

When she felt well enough to go back to bed, he scooped her off the floor and carried her. Very gently, he laid her down before sitting next to her. “Mon amour, what have you failed to tell me? What happened to you between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five that would affect you this way?”

Piper screwed up her face in annoyance. “I told you, I was shot and stabbed twice.”

“Where and exactly what were your injuries,” he demanded in an overly tight voice.

She let out a resigned breath, then admitted. “All in the stomach. And I lost my appendix and spleen to the stabbings.”

Richie scrubbed his hands over his stubbled face. “You should have warned me. As a human you were obviously given medication to dull the pain. No wonder it didn’t hurt too badly. For Goddess sake, Piper, you had to have gone through several operations. Now the damage from those wounds is healing and your organs are regrowing without painkillers. That’s what’s causing the excessive pain. Emma suspected something like this. She said if we’d known ahead of time, I could have had a hypo on hand and given it to you after the ritual. You could have slept through this, mon amour.”

She nervously chewed her lip. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t think of that when we talked about it.”

Piper rolled to her side, and began rocking back and forth.

Before he could think of a way to help her, pain etched her face again. He could see it. He sensed it. And damnation, he felt it like it was his own.

He saw the sheen of sweat dampen her hair and running down her face. That at least he could help with. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with damp clothes and dry towels. As tender as a mother with a newborn, he bathed her face and dried her hair.

“Thank you,” she said weakly.

“You’re welcome, mon précieux. Is it getting any better?” She seemed to be resting more comfortably and hadn’t doubled over in the last ten minutes.

“I think the worst of the pain is over. Now all I feel is dull aching in my joints and muscles. And a weird tingling all over my body.”

“Normally, the regression is rather short. Hopefully, you follow the norm and it’s almost done.”

“That would be nice. At least I have an idea what to expect when we have a baby.”

“Goddess, woman, are you trying to kill me? Let me get through this before you talk about something like that.”

Piper chuckled at the dismay he evidently had displayed on his face.

Then a grin and fascination pulled at his lips, but he tamped it down and didn’t say a word.

“What?” she asked, gingerly touching her face. “Why does my skin feel tight?”

“Your skin just smoothed out like Saran Wrap pulled tight over a bowl of food.”

“Is that what I just felt? Because I’ll tell you, if felt freaky.”

He grinned for the first time since the conversion began. “It looked freaky.”

Piper sighed and lay back on the pillows.

Suddenly Richie scowled darkly.

“Good lord! What now?”

He glared at her body. “How thin were you when you were twenty-five?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe fifty pounds lighter.

Richie bared his teeth and snarled louder. “When this is over, you’ll take a shower while I prepare a high calorie meal for you. I will not have a skinny mate.”

Piper was astounded by his reaction. “Are you kidding? Most men want a thin, attractive woman.”

“I’m not most men, I’m a shifter, and I want my mate soft and curvy with meat on her bones.”

“Holy crow, I had no idea you were so attached to my love handles. Don’t worry, a few days of cake and ice cream for dessert and all the weight will be back.”

“Really?” he asked, much calmer.

“Really. All I have to do is think about food and I gain weight.”

He crossed his arms and smiled broadly. “Excellent.”

“I think it’s over. I don’t feel any pain or tightness anymore.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

Richie pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. “Let’s wait a minute to be sure.”

After a few minutes, she wriggled to loosen his hold. “I need that shower you mentioned. I smell like a locker room.”

Richie stood and helped her from the bed. “Do you need my help or should I make us something to eat?”

“I’m good. You’re free to find something to fatten me up with,” she teased, and walked from the room.

Richie breathed a sigh of relief. Her suffering was over. That had been much more difficult to bear than any injury he’d ever sustained personally. He really disliked his mate in pain.

He’d just turned to leave the room when he heard a gasp of alarm. Rushing to the bathroom, he yelled, “What’s wrong!”

Piper stood before the mirror completely naked. A hand covered her mouth as she turned this way and that. “Is that really me?”

“Dang it, Piper, you gave me a heart attack,” he groused in relief. Then he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. “Yes, mon amour, that’s you.”

She reached up and touched her hair. “I don’t remember looking this good.”

“You’re stunning. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He turned her in his arms and kissed her breathless, then left her to shower so he could get the food ready. She was going to be starving by the time she joined him in the kitchen. Going through a conversion left a person with a large appetite.

*****

Twenty minutes later, he heard the shower shut off. Perfect timing. He turned the burner off on the stove, and grabbed his tongs. He grinned happily as he added a thick cut, medium rare steak to each plate and set them on the table. Now that he was taking care of his mate again, he felt better.

She entered the kitchen and took a deep breath. “What smells so good?”

“Steak just the way you like it, baked potato with lots of butter and sour cream, and as you requested cake and ice cream for dessert.”

“Wow! If you are going to cook like this, I should go through the conversion every day.”

“Don’t even say that out loud,” he whispered as if someone would hear them.

Piper laughed and took her seat. “I’m famished. Going through the conversion is a workout and brings on one heck of an appetite. This looks great, baby. Thank you.”

Richie smiled happily and sat across from her. “My pleasure.”

He watched as she took her first bite, waiting to see her reaction to food as a shifter.

“Oh. My. God!” she moaned, eyes closed in ecstasy.

“Good?”

“This is better than sex.” When she saw the horrified expression on his face, she quickly amended her response. “Almost, and only better than sex with a human. It’s not even in the same ballpark as you.”

He smiled and nodded in approval. “Much better.”

Her taste buds were dancing a jig in her mouth. And her sense of smell was off the charts. Shifter senses were the bomb!

“You’ll hear and see better, as well. And I don’t mean just in the daytime, you’ll have perfect night vision, as well. Did you notice you can smell and taste all the separate ingredients?”

“Is that the difference? This is great! I could have used these abilities as a bounty hunter.”

“You certainly would have had a much larger advantage.”

They ate happily in silence for a few minutes, and then he asked. “Have you noticed any change in your gift?”

“No. But I haven’t tried to use it yet.” She finished chewing then set her knife and fork aside and closed her eyes. For the first time, her spirit easily parted from her without effort and zoomed across the room where she directed it.

Piper opened her eyes and was astounded for a second time. She could use her gift with her eyes open. She’d always had to close her eyes to make it work. She watched as her spirit zoomed to wherever she directed it, and she could see everything from both perspectives at the same time. Then she tried something she’d never been able to do. She directed her spirit to the river and upstream where she’d never been. In the past, she’d only been able to view spaces she was familiar with. This was a whole new ballgame.

“Wow!” she breathed, and then told him everything that had happened.

They were cleaning up when a knock came on the door.

“Seth, what brings you back?” Richie asked drying his hands.

“I’m collecting my gear from the woods. Now that Qball is in custody, I’m not needed here. Plus, Dad told me this morning, there is a rogue in Minnesota that needs killing and he asked me to handle it before I retire for good. So, I came to say goodbye.”

“Shit. I’m sorry man. I know you’re really burned out and you didn’t want to hunt anymore. Isn’t there anyone else who can go to Minnesota?”

“According to Dad, I’m the only one he can send,” Seth said tiredly. “The request came directly from the Goddess. I’m to allow a human woman by the name of Sara Adams to help with the hunt and ensure she doesn’t get herself killed in the process.”

Richie’s eyes glowed angrily. Why were they pushing Seth when he was so close to ending his life? Couldn’t they see how ragged and depressed he was? “All you have to do is say the word and I’ll go with you.”

Richie’s fury brought a small smile to Seth’s face. “I’ve always been able to count on you to have my back. Thank you, but no. You have a new mate to see to and I’ll be fine. Besides, the female is a detective. I’m assuming she’ll know how to handle herself. Who knows, it might be entertaining. I can practice talking to a human while I clean up the mess.”

“If you get into any kind of a bind, you’d better call me,” Richie demanded. “I don’t have a lot of close friends and I can’t afford to lose one.”

“All right, I promise if I need back up, you’ll be the first person I call.” He grinned, then he pulled Richie into a man hug and pounded him on the back.

“See you soon, bro.” He turned to Piper and kissed her knuckles with a twinkle in his eyes. “Congratulations, cher, and welcome to the family.”

Piper gave Richie a confused look. She wasn’t aware all shifters consider each other family regardless of parentage.

Once Seth was gone, Richie scooped his mate into his arms. “Would you like to learn to shift or are you warn out from the conversion?”

Piper’s eyes lit up with eagerness. “Surprisingly, I feel great. What do I have to do?”

“Let’s go outside where there’s more room.”