by R. E. Butler
“How is he still breathing?” James asked no one in particular.
“He’s got to live, Dad, please?” Henry lifted his eyes and looked at John, and then he stared at James. “Uncle James?”
Henry’s fingertips rested on the top of Dom’s head. There was some kind of supernatural connection between the two, but he didn’t know what that meant.
“Let’s get him unlocked and carried back to the house. The Popes might be able to help him,” James said.
Wyked crouched down next to them and pulled a small pouch from his back pocket. Lock pick tools. James raised a brow, and Wyked smiled tightly. “I always keep them with me. You never know when you might need to pick a lock for someone you care about.”
It was a veiled reference to when Jilly had been kidnapped by the females. James nodded and Wyked went to work, deftly unlocking the chains. James and John eased the chains from around Dom, and James tugged off his dress shirt and laid it over him. “I’ll carry him,” he said, lifting the heavy cat into his arms as gently as possible. Dom made a soft, pained noise, but didn’t appear to be conscious.
As James strode through the woods in the direction of the boarding house, John and Rue walked beside him, and the pride joined them. No one spoke, and that was okay because he wasn’t sure what he would say.
It took ten minutes to walk to the yard behind the boarding house. By the time they arrived, Don, Sarah, and Ethan were waiting for them.
“Put him on the table, and let me take a look,” Sarah said.
James laid Dom on top of an empty picnic table and pulled the shirt away from him. Sarah let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. “Who did this?”
“A panther,” James answered.
Sarah’s eyes narrowed when she looked at James. “I hope he’s dead.”
James nodded once, and Sarah turned her attention back to Dom. “Good,” she muttered. The pride was gathered around the table as the minutes dragged by. Dom’s wounds bled freely, pooling around him on the table and dripping onto the grass. The sun was beginning to rise, coating the area in an amber glow. Rue’s paws were on the seat of the picnic table as she watched over her son.
Slowly, Dom’s breathing grew erratic, and Henry sobbed quietly next to John, who wrapped his arms around his son.
Rue began to shift back into her human form. She seemed to struggle with shifting, but she wrenched herself back and braced her hands on the top of the table.
“I’m sorry,” Don said.
“No. No. No!” Rue’s voice rose steadily until she was screaming, the heart-wrenching sound tearing James apart.
John took off his dress shirt and laid it over Rue’s shoulders as she curled over top of Dom’s body and wept.
Chapter 11
Domino was feeling pretty good. Weightless. Pain-free. Darkness engulfed him, but the whipping had stopped and he figured that meant he was dead. Which sucked on a number of levels. But given that he was coming off a torture session with a bunch of twisted panthers, he thought being without pain, even if it came at the hands of his death, wasn’t such a bad thing. There was a lot he wanted to do, though, and it bummed him out that he wasn’t going to get to finish his life the way he’d wanted. Find a pretty mate and settle down, have some babies, watch his mom find love finally and let go of her fear of them being found out. That damn clan had certainly put an end to that dream.
His cat perked up and he concentrated, hearing a faint cry. It was a scream of pure heartbreak, and it made Dom’s cat yowl mournfully. He felt someone touch him and knew somehow that it was his mom. He wanted to tell her that it was okay, because the pain was over and she could move on with her life. He’d taken her punishment, and the clan had killed him, so they couldn’t hold her responsible for his life anymore since he was dead.
Someone else put his hands on him, and Dom felt a connection snap into place. A blond cat appeared in his mind — a young cat, with white fur on his muzzle and ears and a tail that whipped angrily back and forth. Dom decided the cat was someone he should know, but didn’t. The cat’s mouth opened and he snarled, the tone encouraging and berating at the same time.
“I’m dead,” Dom thought, directing his words at the cat.
The cat snorted and shook its head, striding toward him and butting its head against his hindquarters. The cat began to fade away, and Dom wanted to follow him, but he wasn’t sure how to do that. And then he heard a voice shout angrily at him, the hands on his body squeezing hard and demanding action: “Shift, damn it, shift!”
* * * * *
John was shocked at Henry, as he tugged on Dom’s fur and shouted at him to shift. Rue didn’t seem to notice as she straightened from where she’d been hunched over her son’s body and now stroked Dom’s ears.
John put his hands on Henry’s shoulders to pull him away, still not sure what was going on with his son who was acting uncharacteristically out of control. Henry shoved John’s hands away and grabbed Dom’s tail.
“Shift, damn it, shift!”
“Henry,” John said, but then Rue gasped and everyone froze as Dom’s whole body twitched. Dom’s body shuddered and his chest heaved as he breathed deeply. His eyes blinked open, the blue color dull at first but then turning the same brilliant green as Rue’s as his bones cracked with the force of his shift.
James grabbed Rue as her legs went out and pulled her tightly against him. Henry continued to cheer Dom on through his shift as the whole pride watched in surprise as Dom’s body shifted from nearly dead panther to very wounded human.
Dom rolled to his back with a loud groan. His skin was streaked with blood, the wounds healing but still deep. Sarah, Don, and Ethan rushed forward and began to talk to Dom hurriedly, asking him questions and checking him over.
John looked at James who stared at Henry. James met John’s eyes and said, “What the hell just happened?”
John shook his head. “I haven’t the foggiest.”
Henry let out a soft sob and buried his head against John’s chest. “He’s my brother. I couldn’t let him die.”
Rue began to cry, pushing away from James and leaning over Dom. She tipped his chin until she was looking into his eyes and said, “I thought you were dead. I thought I had lost everything.”
Dom wheezed and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “Cat saved me.”
“Cat? What cat?” Rue asked.
Dom squeezed his eyes shut as a shudder wracked his body and said with a scratchy voice, “Feels like family.”
His eyes rolled back in his head, and Ethan pushed Rue back gently, smacking Dom on the cheeks to rouse him. “Don’t pass out on us again, kiddo. You need to shift and let your cat heal you.”
Henry let go of John and pushed forward to Dom’s side, grabbing his hand lightly. “Shift. I’m not going anywhere brother.”
Dom’s head lolled back and forth and then he arched up from the table and shifted back into his cat form with a shout that turned into an angry snarl. The white cat stood on all fours, the wounds healing even further with the shift. Then he collapsed, and the picnic table creaked as if it might break.
Sarah pressed her ear to his chest and listened for a moment. “His heartbeat is strong.”
James said, “Can we take him in the house and make him comfortable?”
Sarah nodded with a smile. “He’ll probably sleep for a long time. When he wakes, give him plenty to eat and tell him to shift again to human form and then back to cat form again at least two more times.”
Rue rubbed Dom’s head. “I thought he was dead.”
Don frowned. “I thought he was, too. He sure had one foot in the grave, but he managed to come back. Henry clearly had something to do with it, but how can two strangers have a connection so strong that it defies death?”
“It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that Dom is alive,” James said. He reached underneath Dom and lifted him into his arms and carried him into the house. Rue and Henry followed quickly, opening the
doors and talking quietly. John watched them go, knowing he needed to be there for Rue and Henry. But first, he needed to know what was going on with the panthers.
Before he could open his mouth to talk to Eryx about the clan, Hanai, Dag, and the offending clan came striding through the woods and into the yard. The pride snarled as a collective, fangs and claws baring immediately.
A young male panther growled and pointed toward the edge of the yard. “Kneel over there until the decisions have been made.”
The clan, which on quick count had fifteen members, moved stoically to where the male pointed and knelt as one, bowing their heads. Hanai, Dag, and the male came forward.
The young male looked to be in his late twenties, and he stopped a few feet away from the pride with Dag and Hanai on either side of him.
“My name is Race. I am the new leader of this clan. My uncle was Gerarli, a name that from this point forward will not be spoken again. I have claimed my rightful place as leader. I was banished, the same as Veruka, but the clan is mine now that my uncle is dead. I offer my humblest apologies for what happened to Veruka and her son. Is the boy dead?”
John cleared his throat and moved away from the pride. Ethan and Eryx came with him, standing on either side of John. “He’s alive, but only because he has some kind of connection to my son.”
Hanai said, “I’m glad to hear that.”
Race cleared his throat. “Those who hurt Veruka’s son have been dealt with.”
John’s brows rose. “What do you mean?”
“We do not condone kidnapping or using the dekray on defenseless, innocent children. Those who participated have been branded as agunte, traitors of our people. Our clan will be leaving by noon today, and the traitors will be with us. Our clan will never bother Veruka or her son again. She and her son are spariso, freed cats. The weight of the banishment is lifted, and she and her son can live their lives as they choose, mate with others and have children if they wish. They are of no concern to us any longer.”
Race turned, signaled to the clan, and they rose, following him into the woods. Hanai and Dag said goodbye and left with the clan. John stared at them until the last one disappeared and he could no longer hear the sound of leaves and twigs crunching under their feet. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders, even though he was somewhat confused about what had happened. He’d ask Rue about Race’s words later.
John patted his nephews on the back, grateful they had stood with him in support, and walked to Sarah and Don. “Thank you for coming.”
Sarah said, “We didn’t do anything but nearly watch him die. I didn’t think anyone could come back after such extensive injuries.”
John didn’t understand it either. There was some kind of mystical connection between Henry and Domino. Was it as simple as he and James being mates to Rue that brought Henry and Domino into connection as stepbrothers, or was there something else going on? He’d seen enough occurrences he couldn’t explain through the years – males who could sense when their mates were in danger, females being under a goddess’ curse, mates finding each other despite difficult circumstances – that he decided not to question what happened between Domino and Henry. Henry said they were brothers now, and that was okay with John.
“I’m going to take care of my mate and her son.”
“He’s your son now, too,” Ethan said.
“Yeah, I guess he is.” John smiled. He said goodbye to Don and Sarah and told Eryx that the mates and kids could come home from their exile at Rhett’s house whenever they were ready. He shook hands with each male in the pride, making sure they knew how thankful he and James were that they had stood behind them.
Walking quickly inside the house, he headed up to the second floor, following the sweet scent of his mate to James’ room.
* * * * *
Rue followed James upstairs to his bedroom. He laid Dom on the bed and then reached over and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. While James and Henry went into the attached bathroom, Rue sat down next to her son and put her hand on his head. The soft fur tickled her palm as she rubbed back and forth. His ear twitched and she smiled, a tear tracking down her cheek.
She’d made so many mistakes. Dom had encouraged her to come to Ashland for closure, but all she’d done was nearly cost him his life. Aside from Gerarli being dead, nothing had changed about her situation. She was still banished, still a freak of nature in the eyes of her clan. But now, she’d added on to the list of things wrong with her…she’d nearly gotten Dom killed. After spending his entire life being careful, she’d nearly drawn her clan a map to find him. He’d been tortured, whipped for being her son. The wounds were healing quickly now, but he’d still have scars, inside and out. She wasn’t sure she could look at him without seeing his body broken and bleeding.
Dom’s eyes opened for a moment and he purred at her.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” she whispered thickly.
He blinked slowly, purring softly, and then closed his eyes. Running her fingers over the curve of his shoulder, she counted her mistakes in her mind, angry with herself for taking a chance with his life. She had thought she would die at dawn, had hoped to be able to give herself over willingly so they would allow him to live. It had never crossed her mind that Gerarli would attack Dom before she even got there. She didn’t deserve to be a mother. She’d failed at the one thing she’d sworn all these years to do – to protect Dom from her people. The weight of guilt and sorrow was heavy.
“I’m gonna fix this, baby, I promise,” she whispered. When he was healed completely, they would leave, go back to Michigan, pack up, and head to Canada. She would find a place where no one cared what they shifted into, change their names, and whatever else she had to do to make sure he was safe forever. Her cat yowled in her mind and she shushed the creature. She was not thinking about the two males who had marked her neck and stood beside her, taking care of Dom and her without hesitation. They deserved a mate who didn’t make fucked up choices and put herself and her son in grave danger.
No matter what they said about being mates, they didn’t understand that the only safe place for her and Dom was far the hell away from the states, and she’d get them there, too, as soon as Dom was well.
James and Henry returned from the bathroom with damp washcloths. James gave one to her and the three of them cleaned the blood from Dom’s fur. Henry looked exhausted, his eyes ringed with dark circles and his face blotchy from crying. He was tenderhearted. Whether that was part of being a mountain lion or just part of his personality, she didn’t know, but she appreciated all that he’d done to help Dom. Guilt pricked at her for taking Dom away from Henry when they clearly had a connection of some kind, but she had to do whatever was necessary to keep Dom safe forever, even if it meant walking away from the first place that had felt like home.
* * * * *
James could tell that Rue was thinking hard about her current situation. Her eyes never strayed from her son for long, even after they’d washed the blood from his fur as best they could. The boy slept soundly, most likely exhausted not only from the whipping and near death, but also from shifting so quickly between forms. Most shifters needed several hours between shifts or they became so physically exhausted they would pass out. Rue hadn’t had much time between her shifts, either, but he had a feeling she would fight to stay awake.
John came into the room and stopped next to the bed. He took in the scene quietly – Henry curled up on the bed next to Dom, their bodies close but not actually touching and Rue kneeling next to Dom with her hand on his shoulder. John jerked his head toward the bathroom, and James followed him inside, shutting the door.
John quickly explained what he’d learned from the new leader of Rue’s former clan. James rubbed his chin in thought.
“She’s free now, so that’s good news.” Possibly the best news they’d heard since they discovered her in the woods.
John glanced toward the door with a frown. “Tell me that she doesn’t lo
ok like a scared doe about to bolt. I don’t think it will matter to her one bit that she’s no longer banished from her clan. She’s been running for twenty years. I don’t think she knows anything else.”
James wanted to argue, but he knew his brother was right. It was going to take a while before Rue relaxed enough to accept that she didn’t need to run any longer. Hearing that she’d been released from the banishment would go a long way, but he wanted to believe that being with him and John would also help her relax. Give her a reason to want to stay.
James opened the door and saw that Rue was in the same position, watching over her son. He didn’t think she would leave his side voluntarily, so he didn’t ask her to. He and John silently joined her on the bed, watching over both boys, until she finally dropped off into an exhausted sleep.
Henry’s eyes opened when James and John got off the bed, and John whispered, “We’ll be next door.” Henry nodded and closed his eyes again with a deep sigh.
James lifted Rue into his arms and John walked ahead of him to open the bedroom door. Easing through, James carried her into John’s bedroom and laid her down on the bed. John shut the door quietly and joined James, who was unfolding a blanket to cover her with.
James rolled his neck and sighed as he stared down at their mate. She didn’t look peaceful in her sleep like he thought she might. If she weren’t so exhausted, he doubted she would have slept at all. She’d been through the wringer during the last twenty-four hours.
“She’s safe now and sleeping. I say we join her and rest as much as we can. I think we have our work cut out for us in getting her to open her heart and let down her guard,” John said, tugging off his undershirt and dropping it to the floor. James followed suit, the two of them keeping their slacks on but stripping off everything else before they climbed up onto the big bed on either side of their mate and stretched out.