Healing Their Mate (The Love of a Shifter)

by Evans, Bryce

  Listening to him talk dirty was driving River crazy. He pushed into her so fast that she gasped as the force of it shoved her backwards. Her head fell off the desk as Jonas caught her before she could go any further. Before Jonas could tell Reece to take it easy, River muttered, “Harder, Reece. Harder.”

  Saying his name drove Reece wilder, shoving all the way in until his balls hit her ass. Her breasts jumped each time he moved her in and out of her. Picking up one of her legs, Reece dropped it on his shoulder, taking her from a different angel.

  “Yes, Yes, Yes,” River groaned out.

  Jonas was watching Reece and didn’t see that she had angled her head and took his erection into her mouth. Gasping in air between his teeth, Jonas just about jumped out of his skin. Her mouth was deadly. He had found out before that she was great at sucking him off. “Lick it, baby,” Jonas whispered.

  Licking him then sucking him deep down her throat drove Jonas quickly to shoot off in her mouth. “Drink it all, baby, then I want your pussy later.” After drinking every last drop, River kissed the end of him then let him fall from her mouth as her orgasm shot through her like a rocket. Yelling Reece’s name as she came made Reece pump harder. He had held back all the other times but not this time, and now she would know. He liked it hard, but River wasn’t like vampires or werewolves. Her body was more delicate and he could damage her. Reece tried to hold back but pounded into her more until he couldn’t hold off any longer. The orgasm stretched out longer than he ever had but the guilt hit him as he looked down at her hips, seeing the small bruises he had left as he held her. He didn’t realize he had been hurting her and she had never said a word. Reece pulled out of her slowly so he didn’t hurt her any further. He was so angry with himself for what he had done. He couldn’t stand the thought of hurting River. Her eyes were closed as Reece went over to her. “I’m so sorry, baby. I got carried away. I…I never meant to hurt you.”

  River’s eyes jerked open as she listened to Reece’s angry voice. She could see how red his eyes were and it scared her the way he was looking at her. Scooting back against Jonas, River looked away from Reece’s blazing eyes. All the times she was told she wasn’t good enough flashed before her eyes. Reece was looking at her the same way.

  Reece watched as River pulled away from him. He had hurt her and now she was pulling away from him. He couldn’t stand the way she was looking at him. Pulling his pants up, Reece slipped into Larken’s bathroom. Sitting down on the toilet, Reece placed his head in his hands. His biggest fears had come true. River was hurt because of him. She was a human and her body would bruise every time they made love. He could never let himself get rough with her. She acted like she didn’t mind but he could see the proof on her body. He didn’t know if he could take her fearing him. Splashing his face with water, Reece prepared himself on how River and Jonas would look at him now.

  Reece opened the door as Jonas zipped River’s dress back on. River didn’t make eye contact with him when she picked up her purse.

  “Are we ready to go to dinner?” Jonas asked. He looked at Reece but didn’t understand what was wrong with him. He went from hot to cold toward River and him.

  Without answering, Reece opened the door and walked out. He stopped at the end of the hallway and waited for Jonas and River. He showed no emotion when River looked up at him.

  Walking back to the table, River knew that Reece was acting strange. The cold shoulder he was giving her was harsh. What did she do wrong was all she kept asking herself. Maybe she had spent too much money and he didn’t want her anymore. Jonas held her close to him as Reece walked on ahead of her to the table. Her head began to hurt like she was having a migraine. Losing her balance, she leaned on Jonas more as they made it back to the table. She had migraines before but this one came on too fast. River watched as Reece wouldn’t make eye contact with her. He wouldn’t even acknowledge her and she wasn’t prepared at how that made her feel. The pain from feeling unworthy was now sitting on her shoulders as she remembered what Marty Wheaton had told her. You think you won him? You are nothing more than a sorry fuck. He feels sorry for you. Reece is the Prime of his clan. He could be over the Vampire Council but with you tied to him, he will be lucky to be Prime of this clan. He has status in our community. Look at him then look at yourself. Look at my family and me. From what I hear you have no family. You have no money. You’re not even in his class. Do him a favor and cut this off before you ruin him and mark my word, you will ruin his reputation. Her head ached from the stress of everything falling apart. She knew it wouldn’t last. She just knew it was too good to be true.

  Jonas pulled out River’s chair so she could sit down. Mary could tell something was wrong with River as she sat down. Her face was flushed and she looked like she was sick. Reaching over and grabbing her hand brought River out of her thoughts. “Are you alright, dear?”

  Jonas looked over at River concerned. “What is wrong?” Jonas asked.

  River couldn’t take the cold shoulder any more from Reece. She knew how much this dinner meant to Jonas but she couldn’t concentrate. Plus she knew she wouldn’t be here much longer. She could tell that Reece was already trying to pull away. It wouldn’t be long until Jonas did the same.

  “Um…I have a migraine coming on and I’m getting sick to my stomach. I need to go lay down.” Getting up out of her seat, Jonas and Reece jumped up. “Sit back down and enjoy your family. I’m sorry to spoil your dinner, Kammy and Kerra. I was looking forward to getting to know you. Please forgive me but I need to go lay down for a while.” Reece was trying to get up further when River looked over at him. “Sit down, Reece, and enjoy this dinner with them. I need to be alone.” Saying nothing else, River walked away from the table. Her shoulders hunched over defeated with once again being alone.

  Reece and Jonas watched as their mate walked away. Reece knew she was disappointed in him. He had hurt her tonight. He knew he was too rough with her. He hurt his mate and that was something he couldn’t deal with. He looked over at Jonas who was quietly looking back toward the door where River had left. He had ruined Jonas’s dinner tonight. Controlling his sexual urges had never been a problem for him, but tonight, seeing River in that dress with those shoes, had messed with him. All he wanted to do was mate with her. He wanted to sink his fangs in her and drink her sweet blood as the velvety liquid ran down his throat. Now the table was silent taking in the demeanor of Jonas, which showed he was pissed at Reece too. He had hurt his mate tonight and he didn’t know if he could forgive himself for it.

  *****

  Walking toward the elevators, River knew that maybe sitting on the porch in the fresh air would help her head. River didn’t have a coat on so she wouldn’t be able to sit long but they had outdoor heaters lit all around the porch. River walked outside and sat on the far end of the porch next to a heater. Soft blankets were sitting in pine boxes for guests as they sat on the front porch enjoying the outdoors. River covered herself up with the blanket and laid her head back in the rocking chair.

  She knew she should have never accepted the credit card. They thought now she only wanted them for money. The shoes were all Reece could harp on. He said all he wanted to do was fuck her with the shoes on. She needed to leave all the clothes in the bags, and put the shoes and dress back in the bag. Maybe they would take them back. She didn’t have them on for long. If they wouldn’t then River would use her first check and pay them the money back for the clothes. She would take them in the morning on the way out. She would call Ash from the road and tell her that it just wasn’t working out for her. She would need to move on. Ash would hate her too probably. She would need to get another job and send money to Ash for the room and food she had eaten. Running was all she knew. Family wasn’t for everyone. She knew that now. Mary would be disappointed too. At least now, Mary would be safe and well. She could move back to Hawaii with her sister and live a happy life. She was cured and could travel now. Nothing was holding her back. She had it all figured out. The
stores would open around eight in the morning and she would be waiting for them and then send the money to Reece and Jonas. She would tell them she would pay them back just as soon as she got settled.

  *****

  Reece couldn’t take the polite chitchat anymore. He looked over at Jonas who wouldn’t make eye contact with him. “Jonas. I’m going home. I need to think about some stuff. I will meet you here in the morning.” Jonas didn’t even acknowledge him as he told the others he couldn’t stay and excused himself from the table. Then walked out the door.

  River was about to get up and go upstairs when she heard the front door open and watched as Reece walked outside. He pulled his coat tighter around him then walked down the steps toward his SUV. River watched as he got into his vehicle and drove off.

  “Well it is official, old girl. Go get your stuff together,” River whispered to herself. She couldn’t believe it. She was leaving the only place that felt like home. Running from Paddock never hurt as much as this did, then she wiped the tears that stung her eyes. Inhaling the cold air, River folded up the blanket, putting it back in to the pine box. She walked inside and rode the elevator up the stairs to her room.

  *****

  Mary could tell that Jonas was fighting himself wanting to go and check on River and staying here with his nieces and friend. Patting his hand, Mary leaned over toward Jonas. “Give her some time, Jonas. She needs some room to breathe. This is a lot to take in. Just give her some time then go to her tomorrow and this will all blow over.”

  Jonas smiled then nodded. He needed that assurance from someone who knew River a lot more than he did.

  *****

  River was thankful that Ash had put her car in the shop and had some of the problems fixed. She spent the rest of the night packing her car up while everyone else slept.

  Taking a shower did nothing to control the guilt she was feeling for leaving without saying goodbye. A feeling of belonging in her heart was telling her to stay, but she knew that if she told Ash she was leaving she would try to talk her out of it. River stayed up all night writing letters to everyone. Thanking them for all the kindness they had bestowed on her. She would never be able to thank them enough for it. River explained to Ash that she would be sending her money when she got her first paycheck. She would take the letters down before she left and leave them with the front desk. She decided to make an excuse if anyone asked why she was up so early.

  River took her to-go bag and took the letters to the front desk. A new girl was working the front desk. This had worked out better than she thought. She felt it was all working out the way it should since she walked right out the front door without anyone seeing her. Her heart ached as she cranked up her car.

  River looked up at the lodge one last time before she pulled out of the driveway. The snow had fell during the night and it glowed as the sun started to rise. Smiling to herself, she remembered listening to all the kids who played outside in the snow. This was a magical place that she would never forget. The lodge would always be the place she called home.

  She always seemed to cry around these people. She fell in love with all of them, but her heart broke when she thought about Reece and Jonas. She would love them until she died. River vowed to never love anyone again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Paddock and Rick pulled up in the town of Meadowland. Nothing was moving on the roadway this early in the morning as Rick pulled into the parking lot. Looking around, Paddock watched as a car pulled up in front of one of the stores.

  “Fucking unbelievable,” Paddock muttered.

  “What?” Rick asked.

  Looking at the vehicle, Rick watched the woman exit the car with a bunch of bags then go into the store.

  “That’s her.” Paddock laughed as he watched the woman go in the store.

  “Who?” Rick still didn’t catch on that the girl was the one they had been looking for.

  “That is River Channing and that is her car.” Paddock grinned as he looked over at Rick.

  “Too fucking easy, man. Are we going to take her now?” Rick leaned forward in his seat scanning the area.

  “Let’s see where she goes next and then we will get her there. I’ll get out and get her and you keep the car running then we will go back to the safe house. Contact Phil and get him to bring our little friend to the safe house. I feel that they should see each other one last time,” Paddock instructed. “I’m going to love this day. I’m getting hard thinking about it,” Paddock added as he smiled at Rick.

  A few minutes later, Paddock and Rick watched River come out the door unaware of her surroundings then get back in her car and pull out. Rick followed but not so close that she would get spooked. River drove down the road then parked at another store. Paddock told Rick to get ready that he was going to take her now.

  River waited for the sales clerk to unlock the front door then turn the open sign on. River got out of the car and walked into the store carrying all the bags with the clothes and shoes in it. “Can I help you?” River held up the bags to the lady.

  “I need to return these please.” Placing the bags on the counter, River paced in front of the counter as the woman counted everything then put it in the register.

  “It looks like you got these on a credit card. I will only be able to credit the card back the money. I can’t give you cash back since you used it to pay for them.”

  “Great. That’s even better. Please credit it back to the credit card.” River waited as the woman printed her receipt. River hesitantly walked out the door with the receipt in her hand. Sitting in her car she took the envelope she had already made up that would be mailed back to Reece and Jonas. She couldn’t take the chance of running into anyone if she went back to the lodge. Her note and now the receipts were in the envelope. She only needed to take the shoes back to the store down the road and she could drop the envelope in the mail and leave the state. River decided she would go south this time and see about getting a job at the beach. They were always looking for cleaning ladies to clean the hotels. Then she could pay Ash back for the room and food. A clean slate was all she needed now. Why was her heart breaking in two? She knew she was taking the cowardly way out, but she couldn’t face them. She didn’t want to hear them say they had made a mistake and she wasn’t really their mate.

  Driving down the road, River pulled up at the last store. Getting out with the bag, River turned around and Paddock was standing in front of her. Her heart dropped as his hand came up so quick covering her mouth then knocking her in the head. As the bag dropped out of her hand, blackness was all she remembered as she fell.

  *****

  Jonas couldn’t wait any longer for Reece to get to the lodge. He grabbed his wallet and keys then opened the door. Reece was standing at the door with his hand in the air. “What took you so long?” Jonas growled out.

  “We need to talk before we go see River,” Reece said as he walked into Jonas’s room before Jonas could argue.

  “Talk? What is there to say? You were a little bit rough on her last night then you got cold as a fish toward her. You hurt her feelings and now she is probably in her room crying. I tried to call her but she wouldn’t answer the phone.” Jonas pointed at himself, “We shouldn’t be talking.” Pointing at Reece, “You should be apologizing to her. Begging her to forgive you. You asshole.”

  Reece looked up at Jonas, hurting as he thought about River crying over what he had done. “Maybe I shouldn’t be her mate. I was too hard with her yesterday. I couldn’t stop myself. I like it hard and she…” Reece couldn’t finish what he was going to say. Thinking about how he treated her crushed him. His heart hurt so much he couldn’t breathe.

  “Reece! Get it together man. She is your mate. She loved every fucking minute of it. Didn’t you hear her begging you to go harder? Made me want to fuck her hard too, but just starting out, we both shouldn’t do that. She loved it. What got to her was how you pulled away from her after that. She probably thinks you think badly about
her now. She is new to this stuff and relationships are foreign to her too. We have to take things slow with her. Pulling away was your mistake and me not going after her was my mistake. I listened to Mary who told me to give her some time by herself and now I know that was a mistake. We should have never left her alone to wonder what she did wrong when she did everything right.”

  Reece looked up relieved at what Jonas had said.

  “I left bruises on her hips from holding her too hard. I should have never lost control with her. She is a human and her body is frail, not like vampires and werewolves. God I can’t believe I did that to her. I’ve never lost it like that before. I wanted her so badly. Do you think she will forgive me?” Reece asked concerned.

  “Look, I saw the bruises but she loved it that way. I’ve never seen her so turned on. Remember, River isn’t just human. She has magic inside her and she heals quickly too. If she didn’t like it, she wouldn’t have told you harder. Fuck, I hope she will forgive us both. So let’s get out of here and go see our mate and get on our hands and knees and beg if we have too.” Reece went over to the door and opened it.

  “After you.”

  Jonas smiled then together they left and got on the elevator.

  Standing outside her door, Jonas and Reece knocked without any answer. “Where is she at?” Reece asked. He looked over at Jonas with concern showing on his face. Jonas grabbed his keys out with a couple of pins on it and inserted it in her door. The door popped allowing Jonas to push the door further open. The lights were off and none of River’s stuff was in the room. The closet door was open with no clothes hanging inside. Panic began to set in as Reece bowed his head looking at the floor.

  “Let’s go get her,” Reece said through clenched teeth. As they rode the elevator down to the lobby, Reece started getting angry about River leaving without any word at all. Just left without a fucking goodbye, kiss my ass, or stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.