by R. E. Butler
She smiled warmly. “I’m so proud of you, honey. Have I told you that?”
“You tell me all the time, but I never get tired of hearing it.”
“Good. I’m not sure I could stop at this point.”
He waved at his parents and walked out to his truck, taking a deep inhale of the crisp spring air. His cat paced in his mind, and Dom wondered if he was still worked up from Sara earlier or if something else was going on.
Maybe, just maybe, he’d meet their truemate soon.
Now wouldn’t that be something?
* * *
“Um, I like the black shoes,” Ehrin said as she looked at Zelda’s feet. She was wearing two different shoes, trying to pick one to wear for date night with her husband.
“They’re both black.”
“I mean the solid black one.”
“Oh, the peep toe. I’ll have to paint my nails.”
“Then wear the other one.”
“No, I should probably paint my toes anyway. I have some sparkly polish that might be cute.”
Ehrin had arrived at Zelda’s the day before, cheek still aching, and feeling like the whole world had upended on her. Zelda, her husband Todd, and their daughter Julie had been happy to see her, and Zelda had invited her to stay as long as she needed. Ehrin didn’t plan to stay long, though. Being a mooch wasn’t in her nature.
After unpacking in the guest bedroom, she’d found a local branch of her bank and gone in and updated her information. She’d also removed her parents from her account. She’d been a minor when she opened it, and her parents had helped, but that wasn’t the case any longer.
“How’d the interview go today?” Zelda asked as she sat down and shook a bottle of polish. Having seen a ‘help wanted’ sign in the window of a diner, Ehrin had called the number to set up an interview for that morning.
“I don’t know. Okay, I guess. The diner needs a waitress, and I need to do something so I can get a place of my own.”
Zelda gave her an understanding smile. “You’d rather be making and selling clothes, not waiting tables.”
“A lot of my customers were in the nest, so it’s not like I can count on them to keep asking me to make them things.”
“Bird shifters are crazy.”
“Maybe not all of them, but definitely hawks.”
“Oh, what others are there? Are their seagull shifters? That would be awful. They’re like flying rats.”
“I’ve only ever met hawks, but I believe there are owl and eagle shifters, and ravens, too.”
“Well, I’ll just enjoy being human.”
“Ehrin, we need to go!” Julie, Zelda’s daughter, called from downstairs.
“Okay, okay,” she answered.
“Thanks for taking her to the art show.” Friday night was the only time Zelda and her husband had been free for the last few weeks. When they’d made plans, they’d been unaware of the parents’ night at school and the art show, where Julie’s painting was going to be on display along with her classmates’. Ehrin had happily offered to take Julie to the show in Zelda’s place. Not only because it would be nice to explore Ashland, but also because she didn’t relish being stuck in the house all night with nothing to do.
“Have fun on your date,” Ehrin said.
“Have fun at the school,” Zelda replied with a smile.
Ehrin walked downstairs and found Julie bouncing on the balls of her feet at the front door. “What’s the hurry?” Ehrin asked.
“I want to show you my picture!”
“I know.”
“And I want you to meet my music teacher. Her name is Mrs. Fallon, and she’s so nice!”
“You bet. Then maybe we’ll find an ice cream shop?”
“Yay!” Julie twirled in a circle, her skirt swirling with the motion.
Julie climbed into the back seat and buckled herself into the booster that Zelda had loaned to Ehrin.
Ehrin entered the school’s address in the GPS and said, “Ready, Freddy?”
“My name’s not Freddy,” Julie said.
“It’s just a saying. Like ‘later alligator.’”
“Oh.” She giggled. “I’m ready.”
The parking lot was packed, so they parked on the other side of the school and made their way to the main entrance, where they were squished against other parents and kids like sardines as they slowly walked to where the artwork was being shown. The closer they got to the cafeteria, the stranger Ehrin began to feel, as if something was stirring inside her. Her skin felt flushed and her fingers and toes tingled. Her back was throbbing, and there was a strange whistling sound in her ear.
“Are you okay?” Julie asked, tugging on Ehrin’s hand.
“Yeah, I think I just need to sit down.”
Ehrin blinked, and her vision blurred. She was feverish, and her muscles felt like they were stretched tight over her bones. She stumbled into the cafeteria and nearly collided with a display of artwork, but someone grabbed her at the last second and kept her from falling.
“Hey, are you all right?” a masculine voice said.
Ehrin’s body jolted with awareness, and she opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was an odd trilling sound. Her back burned and her skin tingled. The sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on spoke again, but she couldn’t hear him over the roaring in her ears.
Something pierced her back painfully, like she’d been stabbed, and she couldn’t stop the scream that tore from her throat. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body shook uncontrollably. She had no idea what was going on, but she desperately wanted the man who had stopped her fall.
He was the key to something.
* * *
Domino’s cat, who was only vocal whenever he hadn’t shifted for a while, had been banging around in his skull like some great caged beast since he walked back into the school to get ready for the art show. There was a hum of excitement in the air, though aside from his cat doing cartwheels in his brain, he couldn’t explain why he was filled with hope.
As the parents and kids began to arrive, he spoke to everyone who approached, happy to chat about the artwork. Each grade had a unique project, from the older kids who made painted masks, to the younger ones who created watercolor butterflies.
His cat snarled in worry, and he turned to see a woman stumble into the cafeteria. He rushed to her, catching her just as she was about to tumble into an artwork display. The moment he touched her, everything within him roared to life. He knew in that instant that he was in the presence of his mate. Two thoughts crossed his mind: call Henry, and take her home.
But before he could even process those thoughts, he realized that something was wrong with her.
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked. He brushed her gorgeous red hair away from her face and sucked in a breath at how beautiful she was. Her eyes were kelly green and flecked with gold, and her lips were a perfect cupid’s bow. He could feel the heat from her skin emanating from her through his clothes, and his cat made another worried noise.
She opened her mouth and made a call like a bird, a musical trill that reminded him of the sound a hawk made when it was circling in the sky. Then her gaze locked with his and she wrenched free of his arms, falling to the ground with a scream that was so full of pain he could feel it to the very depths of his being.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
She sobbed in answer, as if whatever was causing her pain was too great for her to even form words.
“Ehrin!” Julie, one of his students, shouted as she rushed to Dom. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Is this your mom?” he asked.
“She’s my mom’s friend Ehrin. Is she okay?”
He didn’t want to make the little girl worry any more than she already was. “She’ll be okay, Julie. Do you know your mom’s number? I need to call her to come get you.”
“I don’t… I don’t know it.” She crouched, pushing her hand into Ehrin’s purse. She pulled out the woma
n’s cell phone and clicked the Home button. “Oh, it’s locked.”
Ehrin leaned heavily on Dom and reached for the cell, pressing her thumb on the Home button and unlocking it.
Dom tilted Ehrin’s head until she was looking at him. Her skin was wet with perspiration, her eyes glossy with pain. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? What hurts?”
“My back,” she said, her voice so low he almost didn’t catch it.
He saw the principal at the door and motioned for her. “I’m going to call my brother. He’s a police officer.”
Principle Carmine’s eyes widened. “Did she get hurt here? Did she fall or something?”
“I don’t think so.”
Julie held the phone to Dom and said, “It’s my mom.”
“I’ll take that,” Mrs. Carmine said.
Dom whispered into Ehrin’s ear, “I’m going to carry you to the nurse’s office.” To Julie he said, “I’m going to take good care of her. You stay with Mrs. Carmine until your mom comes for you.”
Julie nodded. “Get better, Ehrin.”
Dom carefully picked Ehrin up, and she clenched her teeth together so hard that he heard her molars grind. “Sorry,” he said as he drew her close and walked swiftly from the cafeteria. He maneuvered through the throng of people to the nurse’s office. The school nurse wasn’t on duty, so the door was locked, which made Domino want to curse.
“I’ve got it,” Paul, one of the custodians, said. “Mrs. Carmine called on the walkie and told me to unlock the door for you.”
“Thanks,” Dom said.
Paul unlocked the door, turned on the light, and held the door open. Dom carried Ehrin to one of the cots and laid her down, angling her so she rested on her side and not on her back. He thanked Paul, who then left, closing the door behind him. Then Dom crouched next to her, keeping his hand on her shoulder as he pulled his cell from his pocket.
“Henry,” he said when his stepbrother answered. “You need to come to the school immediately.”
“Are you okay?” Henry demanded.
“Better than okay. I met our mate tonight.”
There was a brief pause, and then Henry whooped. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not even a little. But something’s wrong with her. She’s in pain, and I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“I’ll call Ethan. He’s on duty.”
“I’m in the nurse’s office with Ehrin.”
“Ehrin Fallon,” Henry said, and Dom could hear the smile in his voice. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too, man. Hurry.”
Chapter 4
Ehrin wanted to talk to the man who was keeping the worst of the pain at bay, but she couldn’t think past the agony in her back that was radiating all over her body. She felt like her bones were on fire and her skin was being attacked by biting ants.
“I’m Domino Fallon,” her rescuer said. “My brother, Henry, is a cop and he’s on his way. He’s bringing his cousin, who’s an EMT.”
She swallowed hard and tried to focus on talking. “Hurts.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Are you a shifter? Can you shift?”
Her eyes watered as a bolt of pain lanced through her. “Can’t. Can’t shift ever.”
He hummed. “Okay, Ehrin. It’ll be okay, I promise.”
Her hands ached, and she looked at them, surprised to see that her nails were now black.
There was a sharp knock on the door before it opened and shut swiftly.
A police officer with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen took off his hat and locked gazes with her.
“Ethan’s on the way.”
“I think she needs to shift,” Domino said. “She smells like she’s a shifter, but she said she can’t do it.”
The police officer strode to the cot, his shirt pulling taut against his muscular shoulders and his brow lowering as he frowned. “I’m Henry.” He dropped to one knee and laced his fingers with hers.
The moment their skin touched, awareness pulsed through her. These two males were her mates. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. She’d been right when she felt like Domino was a key to something, but now she knew he was part of the key to her heart – him and Henry.
She was theirs, and they were hers.
She’d heard Domino tell Henry on the phone that he’d found their mate, but she hadn’t been able to concentrate on what he’d said. Now, with her thoughts clearing and the pain ebbing in her body, she was positive that she’d left her nest for this one good reason – to find her mates.
She opened her mouth to tell them what she’d just realized when the pain that had backed off entirely with Henry’s touch suddenly ramped up, flooding her in pain that started at her back and flowed through her like electricity. She shrieked and writhed on the cot, unable to articulate just how badly she was hurting.
A piercing hawk call echoed in her mind, and her bones began to crack and reform. She was shifting! How was that even possible?
“Don’t fight it,” Domino said, his voice a soothing balm. “Let the shift come.”
“We’ve got you, baby,” Henry cooed. “Show us your beautiful shift.”
Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind and followed their direction. When she stopped focusing on the pain and instead focused on the two men hovering over her, she was able to let go. Really let go.
And shift.
Her body changed from human to hawk swiftly, her bones cracking and reforming as feathers sprouted from her skin. The pain of the shift was sharp but brief, and once she’d changed completely, it was gone entirely. Henry and Domino helped her get out from the tangle of clothes, and she peered down at herself. Her feathers were a pretty brownish red, slightly darker than her natural hair color. She turned her attention to her mates, who were both grinning.
“You’re gorgeous,” Domino said.
She stretched out her wings and ruffled her feathers. It felt so good to be in her shift. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she’d apparently needed both of her mates in order to change forms.
“So pretty,” Henry agreed.
If she could smile or blush, she would’ve done both.
There was a knock at the door, and Henry looked over his shoulder. “Come in, Ethan.”
A dark-haired man, wearing an EMT uniform, walked in with a medical bag. He smiled. “I take it you don’t need me anymore?”
“This is Ehrin,” Henry said. “When we both touched her, she changed.”
“It seemed like she was struggling, though, and she told me before it happened that she hadn’t ever changed,” Dom explained.
Ethan pursed his lips. “Well, when she’s out of her shift, she can tell you what happened. But in the meantime, congratulations to all three of you.”
“Thanks.” Henry stood and shook his hand. “And thanks for coming by so fast.”
“That’s what we do for family.”
“Speaking of family, I need to call Dad,” Henry said. “Otherwise he’ll wonder why I’m not on patrol.”
“You’re not going back to work, are you?” Domino asked.
“I wasn’t planning on it. But what about you? The art fair has like an hour to go.”
“Ah, damn it. I need to go back out there.”
Thoughts of Julie crossed Ehrin’s mind, and she made a soft sound of worry. Domino stroked her head gently. “I’ll check in with Julie and make sure her mom is coming to get her. We’ve been in here for a half hour.”
“I’ll stay,” Henry said as he grabbed his cell from his pocket. “I’ll call everyone and say we’re bringing Ehrin home with us after the show is over.”
“I have to clean up, too,” Domino said, “but it shouldn’t take too long.”
“No worries. I’ll keep our sweetheart company.”
Domino planted a soft kiss on Ehrin’s head. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can I didn’t say it before because of how much pain you’re in, but you’re beautiful and I’m so glad to meet you. We’ve both been
waiting for you.”
She preened at the compliments, wanting to tell him that she’d walked away from her nest just on the hope that she might meet a great guy, and now she had two. A cop and an art teacher. She didn’t expect to find her future so fast, but she was thrilled. When she could shift back into human form and talk, she’d tell them both how thankful she was that she hadn’t let herself get pushed into a mating.
Domino left, and Henry sat next to her on the cot. “My dad’s a police officer in Ashland, and so are my stepdad, my uncle, and one cousin. My dad, John, shares a panther named Rue with my Uncle James. Domino is Rue’s son, so she’s my stepmom. But we don’t talk about each other like we’re stepbrothers, because ever since we met it’s felt like we were family long before that happened. Like I don’t think of Uncle James as really my uncle, more of a second dad. I guess that’s the way of shifters when there are multiple mates.”
He pushed a few buttons on the phone. “Hey, Dad. I’m at the school. Dom and I met our mate, and she shifted in the nurse’s office, so I’m going to stay with her and then bring her back to the house, if that’s okay with her.”
He looked at her and winked.
“Okay. Thanks. See you later.”
He put the phone back in his pocket and said, “My dad’s going to finish my patrol duties so I don’t have to leave. I have no idea where your home is, or what’s going on in your life, but if you’re not able to shift back by the time Dom’s finished here, we’ll take you to our home until you can shift and tell us your story. Does that sound good?”
She cawed in answer and he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
About a half hour later, Zelda opened the door and said, “Julie just wanted to check in on you. She was worried. I’m Zelda, Ehrin’s friend.”
“Henry Fallon,” he said, shaking her hand.
“Holy sh-crap, you’re a bird!” Zelda said.
“She told Dom she couldn’t shift before.”
“I’ll let her fill you in on the details, but that’s right, she wasn’t able to shift before today. She came to stay with us because she was having some problems with her nest. Do you know how long she’ll be a bird?”