“I’m so sorry,” he said, leaning forward to put his knee on the mattress. Mary Grace’s panther growled in warning. “I need you to change back, sweetheart.”
Change back?
“Push your panther back and picture yourself human again,” he whispered, touching the side of her face. His scent wrapped around her, making her eyes close. “Focus, Mary Grace.”
Focus…she had to focus. How the hell was she going to focus?
Mary Grace squinted as she thought about what was happening to her body. The push against her mind was strong, but she wanted out of this furry body. She wanted to talk to Savage so she could have answers to what happened and why the hell he’d changed her.
Just as the push against her mind receded, she cried out in pain when her bones began to break and reshape. A blanket was pulled up over her body as she felt the hair tickle her skin. Her body was transforming back into her former self and it fucking hurt.
“Ow,” she whined, releasing a breath as the pain fled from her body. “Oh, God.”
“It won’t hurt next time,” Savage said, moving back from the edge of the bed. “I promise.”
She stayed in the same spot for several minutes, trying to adjust her breathing. At least she could try to get her thoughts together as Savage waited patiently for her to open her eyes.
“What happened?” she moaned, snuggling down into the soft bedding. “Where am I? Where are my clothes?” Shit! She was naked. How embarrassing!
“I want to know who hurt you,” he snarled, amber sparks filling his eyes.
“Can I please have some clothes?” she asked, not wanting to talk about what happened. The fact that she was basically naked with nothing but a blanket over her body, right next to Savage, made Mary Grace very uncomfortable.
“Tell me who stabbed you!” he snarled, his eyes glowing amber.
Mary Grace whimpered as she pulled the blanket up to her chin. She didn’t know if he would hurt her, but the thing inside her pushed against her insides as if it wanted to touch him and let him know that everything was going to be okay.
“What is wrong with me?” she whispered.
“Nothing is wrong with you.” He frowned, the amber in his eyes still glowing.
“Where’s Liberty? Nova?” she asked, honestly afraid.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, moving forward to reach for her face, but Mary Grace cowered down into the bed, hoping he wouldn’t touch her. “Let me touch you. I want to make sure that you are okay.”
“I’m fine,” she sighed, refusing to get close to him. “Please, Savage. I need clothes, and I want to speak to Liberty.”
His hand froze out in front of him and he frowned at her request. She could tell that his mind was waging some sort of war, but she just couldn’t understand what the hell was going on because she was so confused.
She was saved when a soft knock sounded on the door and Liberty poked her head into the room. “You’re awake.”
“What’s going on, Liberty?” she begged, looking around the big Guardian who was perched on the side of the bed. “I need clothes. Please?”
“Have you not told her?” Liberty snapped, looking at Savage with sparking amber eyes.
“I haven’t had a chance,” he growled, running his hand through that long hair.
“May I give aid to your mate, Savage?” Liberty asked, taking a hesitant step forward.
“Mate?” Mary Grace gasped, her eyes frantically looking back and forth at the two of them. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“No,” Savage growled, slashing his hand through the air. “I will handle this.”
“Okay,” Liberty nodded, turning to look at Mary Grace. “I will bring you clothes, but first, you need to talk to Savage.”
“Clothes!” Mary Grace barked, panic evident in her voice. “I need clothes!”
“Let me get them,” Liberty said, ducking out of the room only to return a few minutes later with a bag. “I went to your place and grabbed a bunch of clothes for you.”
“Can I have a moment alone, please?” Mary Grace blushed. Jesus, she felt like the walls were crumbling around her.
“I will be right outside the door if you need any help,” Savage said, looking at her one last time before leaving the room with Liberty.
What just happened?
Mary Grace threw the covers off and climbed to her feet. She looked down and was surprised to find the stab wound gone. The skin on her side was smooth and undamaged. Unfortunately, the scar that ran between her breasts was still visible and a reminder of how she’d almost died from a horrible fall when she was just a teenager, causing a tear in her heart.
She hated that scar.
Hell, she hated everything about her body. Somedays, she felt as if she were in a horror movie and the starring character in a once in a lifetime role.
Quickly, she pulled on the pair of sweatpants and a soft cotton shirt over her bra and panties. She could hear Savage pacing the floor outside of the room, but she wasn’t ready to call him back. So much had happened and she needed a minute to herself.
He’d changed her into a panther. She could feel it moving around inside of her body…inside her mind. The sensations were strange, to say the least. The pain was completely gone, only a bit of exhaustion was left. How long was she sick? What happened to Frank? Did Savage find him again?
A thought sent her heart into a frenzy, wondering if Savage had killed her ex. She’d been arguing with Frank before she finally took a knife out and demanded that he leave. Frank lunged for her and they scuffled in her house. She lost hold on the knife and Frank lost his balance, hitting the knife and sticking it in her side. He’d pushed her down as she screamed, leaving her there to bleed out and die. A tear trailed down her cheek as she remembered him forcing himself into her home and refusing to leave until she talked to him. He kept saying he was going to sell her to someone.
“Mary Grace,” Savage gasped as he pushed the door open wide. His body took up most of the doorway, his dark hair hanging across one glowing eye. His hands were fisted at his sides and he looked about as menacing as a predator could get as he marched forward. “Why are you crying?”
“Did you kill Frank?” she asked, wiping away a few tears.
“Not yet,” he snarled, his canines thickening in his mouth. She took a step forward when that thing inside her forced her feet to move. She reached out without thinking and touched the side of his face like she’d been wanting to do for months. The tension released from her shoulders when he purred and nuzzled the palm of her hand. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for your touch.”
“Touch? Wait!” she squealed, yanking her hand back. “I’m not supposed to touch you!”
“Shh,” he cooed, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. His sharp teeth were still visible and that look alone sent heat to her core. “It’s okay. I touched you first.”
A scent swirled around her, causing a rumble to bubble up out of her own chest. The new life inside her kept demanding she wrap her arms around him, but she was too scared. She barely knew him!
“What happened, Savage?” she asked, somehow already knowing what he was going to say.
“We are mates,” he said, stepping forward and wrapping a muscular arm around her waist. She started to squirm, but he just shook his head in a tight jerk. “You are mine, Mary Grace.”
And then he kissed her.
“Wait,” Mary Grace gasped, pushing Savage back. He growled low in his throat because he wanted her touch. His mating scent swirled around them, and he knew the moment she smelled it, too. With her enhanced abilities, she had to know that his scent was for her alone. “I’m so confused.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he said, touching the side of her face again.
This woman brought out a softer side to the Guardian, and that alone gave him pause. His name was Savage for a reason. He was lethal and a predator, but when he was around her, all of that melted away. Even before he�
�d touched her, he’d felt at ease when she was near.
“Where’s Frank?” she asked.
“That’s what I want to know,” Savage replied, clenching his fists at his sides again. Now, his anger was back and the predator wanted blood. “So I can kill the son of a bitch.”
“It was my fault,” she confessed, sending Savage’s heart straight into his gut. She shook her head, allowing all of the blonde locks to flutter around her face.
“What?” he gasped, returning to her side. “What are you talking about?”
“He was hiding and forced his way into my house,” Mary Grace started, walking over to take a seat on the bed. She looked exhausted, but her voice was soft as she spoke. He’d never heard her raise her voice to anyone at the bar, and he had to admit that he loved the way she sounded. He could listen to her speak forever and never tire of it. “He kept saying that he was going to sell me to someone.”
“Who was he going to sell you to, Mary Grace?” Savage snarled. Sell her? What in the hell was this human up to?
“I don’t know,” she answered, shaking her head. “I ran into my kitchen and grabbed a knife from the block on my counter, thinking it would scare him away. He lunged for me and he slipped, causing the knife to twist out of my hand and into my side. I don’t think he meant to hurt me.”
“He came at you,” Savage reminded her as he moved closer. “Any male that puts fear in the eyes of a female is at fault. For a man, human or shifter, to touch a woman in any other way than to give comfort and love is wrong, Mary Grace. He was there to harm you.”
“Yeah,” she sighed, sliding her bottom backwards so that she could rest against the pillows. He sat at the edge of the bed, just so he could be close to her. Savage knew she was confused, but she shouldn’t be making excuses for that asshole. “I guess he was, but I still want to know why he wanted to sell me.”
Savage didn’t say anything, because he knew. He had a feeling that somehow the scientist and Frank’s appearance at Mary Grace’s home in the middle of the night was related. He would get to the bottom of this.
And he’d kill anyone who got in his way.
“We will find out why,” Savage promised, hiding his fears. “But for now, I want you to rest. You’ve had a lot of stress on your body and it needs time to heal. Are you hungry?”
“No,” she answered, avoiding eye contact with him.
“I’ll bring you some food,” he said, standing up from the side of the bed. “After you eat and sleep, we will talk more about us.”
“So, we are mates?” Mary Grace’s eyes roamed over his body and Savage felt pride in the way they heated.
“What does your panther tell you?” Savage asked.
“It feels…something.” She frowned. “It’s weird.”
“We have plenty of time.” Savage paused. “I want you to get your strength back and then we will talk more about what happened when I touched you.”
Mary Grace started to say something, but Savage walked out of the room, closing the door tightly as he left. Once he reached the kitchen, the females were already piling food onto a plate for his mate.
His sister, Sofia, was among the women who were frantically preparing dinner for the pride since they’d all gathered at the alpha’s home. Whenever someone in the pride was injured or in any amount of discomfort, they all banded together as a family. It was in their nature to nurture everyone, and the women were great at keeping the pride fed in times of stress. Mary Grace’s change was affecting the entire pride.
“When can I meet her?” Sofia asked, drying her hands on a dishtowel.
“Soon,” Savage answered. “I want her to rest for a few days.”
“She’s very pretty, Sav.” His sister smiled.
“She’s beautiful,” Savage said, taking a plate of food from Talon’s mother.
After a nod and a mumble of thanks, Savage returned to the room to find Mary Grace fast asleep. Her angelic face was soft in sleep and he wanted nothing more than to slide in the bed and pull her close. His panther rumbled in agreement.
At the furthest end of the single Guardian’s dorm was a room they’d built on for training. There were blue mats covering every inch of floor and a few heavy bags hung from the ceiling. In one corner was a rack that held barbells of various weights and along one wall were several benches that were obviously for working out.
Evie ran her fingers over the cool leather of a red punching bag that was twice her size. There was no way she was going to be able to do this. Would Ranger laugh at her if she couldn’t even throw a punch? A female wasn’t required to defend herself and there was absolutely no reason for Ranger to waste time teaching her anything. Protecting the females was a job for the males and the Guardians of the pride, and they took their job seriously. It was an honor for them to protect the pride.
Being able to protect herself was the one thing Evie had wished for during those days she’d been held against her will. If she’d just been able to fight those wolves, she might have been able to save the alpha’s mate when she’d been kidnapped and held in the cabin. Maybe Evie could’ve fought them the moment they had tried to take her off of the pride’s land.
“Are you ready?” Ranger asked as he walked through the door. Evie spun around, her heart fluttering in her chest. No one walked up on her unannounced anymore. “If you want to learn to protect yourself, the first thing you need to do is learn to control your fear.”
“I don’t like being surprised.” She frowned, watching as he reached into a bag that was slung over his shoulder.
“Then you need to learn to watch your surroundings,” he said, tossing her a pair of gloves. “That way, you won’t ever be caught off guard.”
Evie pulled the first boxing glove over her hand, frowning when she couldn’t tighten the strap on the second one. Ranger dropped his duffle bag in the corner and approached her with a determined look on his face.
“This is your last chance to walk away,” Ranger smirked, taking her hand and tightening the strap. He frowned and grabbed her other hand, tightening the other one until he was satisfied. “In here, you are going to be treated as a Guardian in training, Evie.”
Her eyes widened at his confession. He wouldn’t hurt her, would he? She sure as hell hoped he wouldn’t. She’d seen how beaten and bruised these guys had been after a morning of their training, but this was her last resort to have a chance at surviving her ordeal.
“I’m in,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “Show me what I need to do, Ranger.”
“Get on the pads,” he ordered, pointing to the floor. She kicked off her shoes and made her way to the center of the room. Ranger dug around in his bag and when he turned around, he had square pads on his hands that sort of looked like boxing gloves, but not really.
“What are those?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Focus mitts,” he stated, walking over and dropping them at his feet. “We will get to those later.”
“Is that when I get to punch you?” she asked.
“You won’t be punching me,” he snorted, pointing to the ground. “You’ll be punching those.”
“Well, when do I get to the punching?” She smiled, looking up at the big Guardian.
“Fuck, you’re vicious,” he chuckled. “First, we need to work on your stance.”
“My stance?” she asked, raising a brow.
“Yes, Billy Badass,” he sighed. “Your stance.”
Evie nodded and waited for Ranger to tell her what to do. For the next hour, he basically moved her around like a doll.
Dominant hand back.
Front heel and back toe lined up straight.
Weight evenly distributed.
“Keep your head behind your gloves,” he instructed, holding his fists up in front of his own face. “Keep your chin down so that your eyes can see just over the top of them.”
“Okay, like this?” she asked, making sure she ran the list of instructions through her head.
“Yes,” he smiled. “Now, relax and breathe.”
“Relax…yeah…okay,” she mumbled. “Can I hit you now?”
“We are not ready to start hitting just yet.” Ranger rolled his eyes. “We still have some more of the basics to go over before you start pounding on me.”
Damn, she was impatient. Now that she was here, Evie was ready to learn how to thoroughly kick someone’s ass.
Chapter Five
Mary Grace sat up slowly in the bed and it took her a moment to realize that she was still in the spare room at Liberty’s home. For a second, she thought all of her memories had been a dream, but when her eyes met Savage’s, she knew this was her new reality.
“How are you feeling?” Savage asked, approaching the bed. Mary Grace quickly looked down at her body, making sure she wasn’t furry. A soft chuckle rolled off of her lips, but she gritted her teeth to keep from embarrassing herself.
“Fine.” She smiled. Inhaling deep, she moaned when the scent of chicken and potatoes drifted from a covered plate on the dresser across the room. She didn’t want to eat in front of Savage, but she was so hungry.
“I brought you some food,” he said, bringing the plate over to her.
“Savage?” she asked, looking up at him through her lashes. The food was going to have to sit there for a little while longer because she needed some answers.
“Yes, sweetheart?” he replied, his voice softening. Her body relaxed at the endearment.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “I’m so confused.”
Taking a deep breath, Savage set the plate on the nightstand and took a seat on the edge of the bed. His eyes flashed amber for a moment before he looked down at his lap. Mary Grace wanted to push that long hair out of his eyes, but didn’t make a move. The animal inside her rumbled its happiness when the scent that he carried drifted across her nose.
“You are a panther like me now,” he began. “When I found you, I had no choice but to touch you, Mary Grace. When I did, I knew…my panther knew that you were mine.”
Savage (Rise of the Pride, Book 3) Page 5