“Guess we might as well wait together,” Anna muttered.
“I don’t know why. Cyan messaged to say he couldn’t come.”
“They have a lead on Sky. They’ve gone out to try and find her.”
Alex let out a shaky breath, the thought that Cyan was out there and could be in danger left him feeling shaky inside. He bit his lip and stared at his coffee. What if Cyan was hurt? What if something serious happened to him and Alex wouldn’t be able to tell him how he felt? How much he cared.
“Did he tell you?” Alex asked.
“Who you are to him?” Alex blushed but nodded. “Yes, he did.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“You needed time; he knew that. It’s hard on him though as he’s driven to be with you. It’s in his nature as a shifter.”
“I thought he was a vampire at first,” Alex confessed. “I was scared.”
“It’s not easy for you. You’ve gone through something no one should ever have to experience, but you’re family now.”
“What if I can’t?”
“You’re still family.”
“What’s it like? Being a shifter, I mean.”
Anna smiled. “It’s hard to explain. I’m a Siberian tiger. I’m as much cat as the cat is me. We’re not two entities in the same body. We’re one and the same. The same needs, the same instincts. We have enhanced senses, just like a domestic cat does. I don’t change into my tiger form and suddenly become more tiger. I’m both. Our eyes are different though. That’s the only thing I can think of that distinguishes one from the other. Everything else is the same in either form.”
“The reflective bit at the back of your eyes?” Alex knew a little about it but not a great deal.
“Yes, it’s because of a layer called the tapetum lucidum just behind the retina. This layer reflects light because that’s exactly what it’s meant to do. It allows us to see in low light levels. We can still see more in our human form than everyday humans, but when we shift that part becomes even more prominent.”
“I guess evolution did it so you wouldn’t be seen as different,” Alex mused.
“Possibly. Whatever the reason, we’ve been able to live our lives quietly and not be outed as freaks. We do our part for society: we work, we’ve defended this great nation, and we’ve supported our vets. We are the same; we just have an animal under our skin.”
“When will they get there?”
Anna pursed her lips. “Soon,” she answered quietly. “Soon, we’ll know.”
Chapter Fourteen
Bullets whizzed past, and Cyan cursed. He glanced over at Indigo in his tiger form, seeing his lips pulled back, sharp teeth exposed. No one was supposed to know they were coming, so why were they being shot at?
Someone told them. Indy’s voice whispered in his mind.
How? He shook his head. He trusted everyone on their team. Roman who was the only unknown quantity, and he had been with them the whole time. He looked at Indy. A bug.
Indy growled. A fucking bug. Has to be. How else could they stay one step ahead? Why didn’t we think of it before?
Cyan passed the message to his brothers, and the fighting between the shifters and guards increased. The bullets slowed, and Cyan got up and ran toward the lab. Indigo ran beside him, and when a guard jumped out in front of him, Indy reacted swiftly, tackling him to the ground and ripping his throat out.
Cyan carried on, knowing his brother could handle the threat. He needed to get inside. He needed to find his sister. He ran through the now open door that led inside, jumping over the body of a dead guard. He felt nothing for the dead man. If he was willing to turn a blind eye while shifters were experimented on, he got what he deserved.
He headed in the direction of the shouts and screams. Bullets were still firing in the area around him, so he kept one eye out for any other guards heading in his direction. He checked each room as he passed, finding them all empty except for files and equipment. No matter what happened in the next few minutes, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip; they would have some more information to go through at least. And they would go over all of it once they sorted this shit storm out.
Suddenly, he was flung forward and bounced off the wall at his side. He spun, finding a guard behind him, and attempted to raise the gun in his hands. But his shoulder refused to operate as pain sliced through his arm. He slid down the wall and saw the glee in the guards eyes as he leveled his gun at Cyan’s head, thinking he had the upper hand.
What the guard didn’t see was a blood splattered Indigo pad up silently behind him. The guard had just a second to process that something was behind him before Indigo’s jaws crushed his neck. Cyan watched Indigo shake his head from side to side, blood splashing everywhere until the guard stopped moving. He dropped him and padded over to him.
Changing forms swiftly, he hissed. “That’s a big fucking hole.”
Cyan looked down, seeing blood spreading over his shirt. Suddenly, the pain hit him, a deep burning sensation that had him gritting his teeth.
“Vir’s on his way with the med kit now.”
“Sky,” Cyan managed to get out through gritted teeth.
“Not yet, but we still haven’t searched the whole place. We have found some shifters, and we’re gonna move them. You need to listen in.”
“I didn’t want to get distracted.” He glanced down and winced.
“Yeah, really worked well for you.”
“Fuck off. This bitch hurts.”
“I need to assess the wound. Find the exit and check it out.”
“Fuck, it hurts.”
“Yeah, I bet it does. Vir’s the one who knows all about that.”
“I do.” Viridian squatted next to him and between them, managed to help Cyan sit up.
“Shit. I can’t believe how much this hurts.” He moaned when Viridian moved his arm so he could lift his shirt out of the way.
“Sorry,” Vir muttered.
“Why? You didn’t—” Cyan stopped talking and almost cried out when Vir probed the wound.
He was panting heavily, sweat coating his body and tremors running through him.
“Keep breathing, Cy, I’m almost done. Just have to wrap it and put a sling on to keep it stable. The bullet passed straight through, but you’ll need an x-ray and possibly surgery.”
“Will I get drugs? I really want drugs.”
Vir grunted, and next thing Cyan knew, Vir was stabbing him with a needle in his other arm. “Morphine. Give it minute or so, and the pain will dissipate.”
“Sky?”
“We’ve got her, Cy. She’s alive.”
Cyan shuddered and felt his eyes itch as tears threatened. “Think I’m gonna cry.”
“Well, you won’t be alone.”
He looked up at Indy, seeing him smile through his tears. Indy reached out and grabbed him by his good shoulder. “We got her, Cy. We’re finally bringing her home.”
Cyan tried to nod but ended up groaning in pain. “More drugs.”
“Let the ones I’ve just given you work first.”
“My lips feel funny.”
“And there you go. Morphine is great.”
Indy frowned. “Why?”
Vir grinned. “It sends us to our happy place. Cy’s gonna be giggling soon, and he’ll have some great dreams.”
“Man, I’ve got to try some.”
Cy heard a tiny cry behind him, and he tried to turn around but ended up falling onto his side. The pain didn’t feel too bad, and he giggled as he lay on the floor.
“Cy.”
“Come on, Sky. Let’s get you home. Mom’s waiting.”
“Sky!” Sapphire’s scream echoed down the corridor, and Cyan smiled as the two sisters embraced.
He barely made a sound as he was picked up. “Alex,” he mumbled.
“We’ll make sure he’s at the hospital, Cy.”
“Alex?” Sky asked.
“His mate,” Sapphire whispered. Cy watched his sister wr
ap a coat around Sky. “Let’s get you checked out, and then we can all go home.”
❊❊❊
Alex was still sitting with Anna, having his fourth coffee, when her cell phone rang. They both jumped, and he watched Anna pick it up.
“Hello?” she asked in a shaky voice. Suddenly, she cried out, and the shop went silent. “Oh god, Sky, baby. I missed you so much. I love you, baby.”
Alex looked up when he heard others in the shop also express their joy. It truly brought home how much of a community Salutem was.
“Okay, baby. We’ll meet you there. I’ll see you real soon... okay?”
She put the cell down and burst into tears. Alex looked around, stumped. He had no idea how to comfort her when suddenly she flung her arms around him. He hugged her back, patting her back awkwardly. “She’s home now.”
“She is, but we need to go to the hospital.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“Oh, Alex, yes, we need you. Cyan’s been shot.”
He shook his head. “No. He said he doesn’t get hurt when he does this. He promised me.”
“A guard got past them, but Cyan’s going to be fine.”
“I... don’t.” Alex shook his head. Not Cyan. Not his Cyan.
Anna shook him and gave him a stern stare. “Stop it, right now; we need to go. I need to see my daughter and make sure my son is all right.”
Alex slowly nodded and let Anna pull him up. As they left the shop, other customers stopped to hug Anna, and it took several minutes before they were finally outside.
Anna took a deep breath then strode toward her car. “Get in,” she ordered in a no-nonsense voice, and Alex immediately complied. He suddenly knew what Cyan had meant when he’d said Anna was the boss, and they all did what she told them to. Whatever stupor he’d been in was well and truly gone now.
She pulled away from the curb, tires squealing, and Alex winced, holding the ‘oh shit’ bar above his head. Anna side eyed him and raised an eyebrow, and Alex released his hold on the bar, pursing his lips and staring out of the windshield.
Anna muttered, “Good boy” and carried on driving at high speed. They arrived at the hospital within ten minutes, and Alex would have kissed the ground if he could. Anna could drive, but she’d done a number on his nerves.
He followed her into the ER, and the nurse smiled. “Room three.”
Anna carried on walking with Alex following until she reached room three. She suddenly stopped outside the door, and Alex noticed her breathing speed up. He reached in front of her and pushed the door open.
Anna lifted a shaky hand and covered her mouth with it.
“Mommy!”
“Baby,” she cried and was suddenly running into the room and pulling the young woman inside into her arms.
Alex stood in the doorway, feeling tears spill over his eyelids, and his eyes found Teal’s. Teal came over to him and pulled him from the room and into the long corridor.
“Cyan’s in surgery. The bullet nicked the bone or something. He’s fine, Alex. He’ll pull through this. We shifters are resilient.”
“Do you heal quicker?”
“A little. He won’t be able to shift for a while though, and that’s gonna piss him off.”
“How did it happen?”
“We thought we had them all, but one of the guards was hidden. It’s our own fault. We just didn’t check properly, not when we caught Sky’s scent. Cyan came in behind us and assumed the way was clear. He’s gonna make us pay for it.”
“He’s alive.”
“Yes, thank god, but he lost a lot of blood and will need to stay here for a few days while they monitor him. He’ll come home after that though.”
“I want to stay too.”
Teal smiled. “Thought you would. I can make up the spare room for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Come and sit with us. Meet your sister.”
“Sister?”
“You’re family, Alex.” Teal gave him a small smile. Alex felt fresh tears spill, and Teal hugged him. “You’re not alone. Not anymore.”
“Damn, if it isn’t your mom, it’s you.”
“Yeah, we’re good at making people cry.”
“I’m scared,” Alex admitted. “What if something happens during surgery? What if he dies, and I never got to tell him how I feel?”
“He knows.”
“How?” Alex whispered. “I haven’t told him.”
“You have an expressive face. I know you care deeply for him. Come and be with us.”
Alex sat in the room with Cyan’s family, waiting for news on Cyan. He watched them spoil Sky, the constant touches and hugs they all needed.
Sky was dirty, wearing hospital scrubs, with cuts and bruises all over her, along with numerous puncture wounds up and down her arms, but she never stopped smiling.
“When you get home, I’m going to bake that pumpkin pie you love. I need to fatten you up.”
“I’ve missed your cooking, Mom.”
Alex tuned the conversation out, feeling a little like a fraud for being there. He wasn’t really family, no matter what they said, but he would be soon. As soon as Cyan was awake, Alex was telling him the wait was over. They were going to mate. He never wanted to be in this position again. He never wanted to be on the outside in the dark again, not knowing how his mate was.
Cyan was his, and Alex was taking him. He couldn’t lose him; he wouldn’t lose him.
He sat and waited and, at some point, fell asleep. He woke up, only to find himself on a sofa in another room, and as he sat up, his eyes were immediately drawn to Cyan where he lay asleep on the bed.
He got up and stepped over to him, tracing his fingers over Cyan’s eyebrows. Cyan’s lids fluttered, and he opened his eyes slowly and fixed them on him.
“Alex,” he croaked.
Alex quickly poured him a glass of water and put a bendy straw in it. Holding it, he helped Cyan sit up and held it steady as he sipped the cool water.
When he nodded, Alex put the drink down, and they stared at each other.
“When you’re better, will you mate with me?” Alex asked in a hushed voice.
Cyan’s blue eyes glowed, and he growled softly. “Oh my god, am I dreaming... god, I hope not. Yes, yes I will.”
“Then you need to heal quickly, Cy. I don’t want to wait, can’t wait any longer.”
“I love you, Alex.”
Alex nodded. “Love you too.”
Chapter Fifteen
A month later and Cyan was fed up with his shoulder. It was healing well, but he hated not being able to do what he wanted. He wanted to shift, to run and feel the ground beneath his paws, feel the wind through his fur again.
Dr. Alvarez had told him only another day or two, but he was itching to get out there and let the change flow over him. The only ray of sunshine was Alex, who had been amazing and everything in a mate that Cyan had dreamed of.
They’d progressed from sharing hot passionate kisses and gentle touches, to skin on skin action. He’d even stroked Alex, using his hand to make him come, and Cyan wanted to do it again, and a whole lot more. He was desperate to feel Alex’s naked body on and under his own.
Waiting a month when he knew Alex wanted to mate with him had been a form of torture. Well, enough was enough; he’d decided this morning that he was fit enough. He was now on his way to Alex’s to follow through with his promise.
He jogged up the stairs, whistling happily, and rapped on Alex’s door. As soon as Alex opened it, Cyan stepped in and kissed him.
“Hi,” he whispered against Alex’s lips.
“Hi.” Alex smiled and grabbed his sweater, pulling him farther into the apartment. “Well?”
“Got the all clear.” Alex arched a brow, and Cyan rolled his eyes. “I’m good to go.”
Alex crossed his arms over his chest. “Really?”
“Who have you been talking to?”
“Cyan.”
“Okay. He sa
id I should wait another day or two, but please, Alex.” Cyan pouted. “I want you. I want to mate with you, make you mine, so I can be all yours.”
“Well, when you put it like that.”
Cyan whooped, clapping his hands together, and completely failing to hide the wince of pain.
“Slowly, Mr. Dubois.”
“I can’t wait until the doctor clears me. I love you.”
Alex chuckled. “I love you too.”
Cyan grabbed Alex’s hand and dragged him to his bedroom. “What? No 'Do you want a drink? Are you hungry?’” Alex asked.
Cyan glanced back at him, his eyes glowing. He stepped up close to Alex and whispered in his ear, “Are you gonna come for me, Alex? Can I taste it?”
“Jesus, Cy,” Alex muttered breathlessly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
He stood next to Alex’s bed and tried to pull his sweater off, but his arm didn’t want to work. Laughing, Alex helped him take it and his T-shirt off so he stood bare-chested in front of him. Cyan could admit he was showing off a little for Alex, but clearly, Alex appreciated it.
He ran his hands over Cyan’s pecs and down his abs. “You’re so hot.”
“You now.” He almost jumped up and down on the spot. He couldn’t wait to be naked with Alex.
“You’re such a little kid,” Alex added dryly.
Cyan kissed him. “You love this little kid.”
“That I do.”
Alex stepped back and bit his lip, staring at Cyan. He pulled his T-shirt off and let it drop to the floor then folded his arms across his chest.
Cyan touched Alex’s cheek. “We can stop if you’re not ready.”
“I want this. I want you. I’m just...”
“Scared? Nervous? Horny?” Cyan smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Alex nodded. “I want this, Cyan.”
“We’ll go slow, and you can tell me to stop at any time.”
Alex nodded, closed his eyes, and lowered his arms. Cyan ran his hand over Alex’s chest, his fingers tracing a long scar that ran from one nipple to the other.
What He Needs (Salutem Book 1) Page 9