by Becca Van
“She’s alive,” Tarik said, hoping to relieve his sister’s fear, but they wouldn’t know how badly her friend or Jarvis were hurt until Serge and Ward examined them.
“Put her on the stretcher,” Serge said, pointing to the portable gurney ready and waiting outside the ambulance.
Tarik eased the woman down onto the bed and when he saw her face he sucked in a noisy breath. She was so fucking beautiful. Her face was covered with streaks of dirt and blood marred her left cheek. He followed the path of the blood and saw she had a cut on the side of her head just above her left temple.
“Shit!” Serge muttered as he studied the unconscious woman. When Serge began to run his hands over her limbs, Tarik’s sabear protested. A low warning rumble started from deep in his chest and out of his mouth. Serge glanced at him with wide shocked eyes and then began to explain what he was doing. “I’m just making sure she doesn’t have any broken bones.”
Logically, Tarik knew what his friend was doing, but his inner animal was having a hard time dealing with seeing Serge’s hands on her slim, sexy body. He inhaled deeply but couldn’t catch the woman’s scent—only the stink of aircraft fuel. Tarik didn’t know why his sabear was acting up just yet but he had a suspicion. He wouldn’t be able to confirm his beliefs until he was away from the crash site.
“Is she all right?” Tammy asked as she stood next to Tarik, leaning into his side. Tarik wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulder to offer her comfort.
“She doesn’t have any broken bones, spinal injuries, or whiplash,” Serge explained. “What’s her name?”
“Celeste,” Tammy sobbed, before taking a deep breath and speaking again. “Celeste Marsden.
“She does have a hell of a knot on the side of her head.” Serge grabbed a penlight from his bag, lifted Celeste’s eyelids before shining it into first one eye and then the other. “Her pupils are reacting sluggishly.”
“What’s that mean?” Tammy covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
“She has a concussion.”
“Is it a bad one?” Tarik asked, needing to know how severe her head injury was.
“Not sure yet.” Serge cleaned up the cut with antiseptic wipes.
Tarik sighed with relief when he saw that the cut didn’t seem too bad. He realized that head injuries tended to bleed like a bitch, but he hadn’t been able to see how deep the gash was. “Will she need stitches?”
“No. A couple of butterflies should be enough.” Serge glanced over to Ward. “How’s Jarvis?”
“Lucky to be alive,” Ward replied. “He’s got a broken arm and a concussion, but otherwise seems fine.”
“Let’s get these two to the clinic,” Serge said.
Tarik moved to the end of the gurney and helped his friend get Celeste into the back of the van. Hodge helped Ward with Jarvis.
“We’ll meet you there,” Tarik said and turned to face Tammy. “You okay, sis?”
Tammy nodded as she wiped the last of her tears from her face. “She’s going to be okay.”
“Yes, she is. Come on. You need to be there when she wakes up. I don’t want her freaking out when she opens her eyes to strangers.”
Tammy nodded as she grasped his hand. Tarik glanced over at the crashed aircraft, pleased to see that Hopper and Phelan had doused the spilled fuel with foam retardant, circumventing the chance of a fire and or an explosion.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen Celeste?” Tarik asked glancing at his sister as they walked toward the clinic.
“Six months. We spent my last break from college together having fun.”
“Why didn’t she finish college?”
“A model scout offered her a contract.”
Tarik frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that because he believed a college degree was important. However, he didn’t know Celeste’s circumstances so he would keep his opinions to himself, for now.
He glanced back when he heard pounding footsteps coming up behind them. Hodge slowed his pace when he drew close and after ruffling Tammy’s hair he met Tarik’s gaze. His friend’s eyes were glowing, his inner beast close to the surface.
“What’s wrong?” Tarik stopped at the bottom of the steps to the clinic.
Tammy glanced from Tarik to Hodge and frowned before shaking her head and hurrying inside to the clinic.
“My sabear’s acting up and from how your eyes are glowing, yours is, too.”
Tarik nodded. “When Serge had his hands on Tammy’s friend, my inner beast wanted to tear him apart. My sabear’s feeling very possessive right now.”
“Mine, too.” Hodge scrubbed a hand over his face and tilted his head back to look up at the sky.
“You have any idea why our inner animals are acting this way?” Tarik frowned.
“There’s only one hypothesis that I can think of.” Hodge crossed his arms over his chest.
Tarik stared intently at Hodge. A slow smile curved his lips up and then he grinned outright at the same time as his best friend.
“Mate!” they said simultaneously.
“Let’s go find out.” Tarik skipped the stairs and stepped up onto the porch. He sucked in a calming breath and tried to push his beast back down. If Celeste was awake he didn’t want her seeing his glowing eyes or scare her if his sabear started growling.
He was hopeful that Tammy’s friend was the woman he and his beast had been waiting for. He just wasn’t sure how his sister was going to take the news. And if she was, how the hell was he going to explain to a human woman that they were shifters, let alone a mixed-hybrid shifter derived from the legendary extinct saber-toothed tiger and a polar bear?
Chapter Two
Celeste groaned as she surfaced to consciousness. Her whole body was aching, but it was the agony in her head that was making her feel ill. She could hear several deep voices talking as if they were a long way off, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Celeste, can you open your eyes for me?”
She frowned at the stranger’s voice but even though he’d asked a question, his tone was more of a command. She forced her lids up and gasped when pain shot into her head, exacerbating the pounding drumbeat inside of her skull. Her vision was slightly blurry and even though she blinked a few times her eyesight didn’t clear.
“I’m Serge Moss. Do you feel sick, have blurry vision?”
“Yes, to both.”
Serge frowned. “Pain anywhere else?”
“Everywhere.” Celeste sighed and closed her eyes again. It was too much of a strain to keep them open, and having them shut lessened the pain in her head slightly. “Where am I? What happened?”
“Celeste?”
She blinked her eyes open at the sound of a familiar voice and tears of happiness burned her eyes when she saw Tammy.
“Tammy? What are you doing…oh shit!” Celeste groaned, and clutched at her head as her memory returned in a rush. “Jarvis! Is the pilot okay?”
“He’s going to be fine.” Tammy moved closer and pulled Celeste’s hands away from her head. “Jarvis has a concussion the same as you and a broken arm, but he’ll make a full recovery.”
“Thank God.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Tammy clasped one of her hands. “I’m just sorry about the plane crash.”
“S’okay,” Celeste slurred. She was so tired all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sleep for a week. She knew that was a symptom of her concussion and hoped that it wouldn’t take her too long to get back to normal.
“I’m going to give you a shot for the headache,” Serge said.
Celeste nodded and then groaned, wishing she’d answered verbally when her head pounded harder. She flinched when a cold antiseptic wipe swabbed her arm and then she felt a slight prick in her flesh as Serge injected her with the medicine. She sighed when the pain was alleviated almost instantly and she felt as if she was floating, the aches in her body dissipating and then a weightless feeling had her giggling.
“Celeste?” Tammy’s voice drew her attention.
She lifted her heavy eyelids and even though her vision was still blurry she couldn’t miss the two gigantic men standing on either side of her best friend. Her gaze wandered up over a slim waist to a thick barrel-shaped chest, broad shoulders, and handsomely rugged face. She eyed the short, dark scruff on his square manly jaw, lingered on surprisingly full perfectly bowed lips, over a straight nose and met startling green eyes. He towered head and shoulders over Tammy and was so muscular he reminded her of a linebacker. She had the oddest urge to reach out to him.
“This is my brother, Tarik and his best friend, Hodge Holmes.”
Celeste glanced to Tammy’s other side, the breath in her lungs backing up when it landed on the brown-haired, brown-eyed Hodge. He was a couple of inches shorter than Tammy’s brother but at least a foot taller than her five-foot-seven. He was just as muscular as Tarik, but it was his soulful brown eyes that drew her attention. His gaze was locked with hers, but they seemed to have a faint inner glow. When the urge to reach out to him struck again, she curled her hands into fists to stop herself.
“Hi.” She giggled.
Tarik glanced over to Serge. “Is it okay to get her settled?”
“Yes. I’ll come by in a couple of hours to check on her.”
Tarik moved closer to the bed, her gaze in line with his crotch and she closed her eyes, hoping he hadn’t seen her looking at the bulge in his jeans. Heat suffused her cheeks and even though she tried to stop herself, she giggled again.
“Just relax, baby,” Tarik murmured close to her ear, right before he lifted her up into his arms.
Celeste sighed, inhaling his delectable spicy fragrance and nuzzled her cheek on his chest. Something brushed against her neck and when she heard him take a deep breath she realized he was smelling her. Usually, she would never let a man close enough to touch her, let alone smell her, and though she knew she should take Tarik to task over his advances, she was too tired to care.
“Hey, where are you going?” Tammy asked from somewhere behind her.
“Our place.” Tarik’s deep voice rumbled against her ear sending shivers running up and down her spine.
“Why? Celeste is my friend. Mom and the dads helped me put another bed in my room.”
“We need to keep an eye on her with the concussion.”
“What’s really going on Tarik?”
“We’ll talk about it later, Tammy,” Hodge replied.
“Oh, we sure will,” Tammy huffed.
Celeste wanted to ask what was going on, but she was feeling woozy from the medicine Serge had injected her with. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to speak well enough to make sense.
What surprised her though was how good it felt to be in Tarik’s arms. If she had a choice she would remain where she was forever. He made her feel so warm, feminine, and safe. She hadn’t felt safe for such a long time.
Tears burned her eyes and though she tried to quell them, a couple slipped out from beneath her closed lids and rolled down her cheeks.
“Nearly there, baby. You’ll be fine. We’ll look after you.”
Celeste tried to shake her head but the medication was taking over and she could already feel herself sinking into sleep.
Her last thought before she drifted off was that she wouldn’t be safe until the creepy stalker following her was behind bars.
* * * *
Hodge stared down at the slumbering beauty in the spare bedroom. Celeste looked familiar but he knew he’d never met her before. There was no way he’d ever forget such a stunningly gorgeous face or sexy body. Her blonde hair was so light it was almost white, but there were strands of gold threaded through her tresses. Even though her pupils had been dilated from her head injury, when she’d had her eyes open he’d been mesmerized by the light sky blue-colored irises. She wasn’t too short, thankfully, standing at about five-six or seven, and though she was slim, she was healthy with curves in all the right places.
She was absolutely fucking perfect in his eyes, even with her hair in disheveled disarray from the plane crash, as well as dirt streaks on her face, arms, and clothes.
He glanced toward the doorway when Tammy stomped into the room, meeting first his gaze and then Tarik’s. They’d been sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her after getting her settled in under the covers in their spare room. He could tell by the scowl on Tammy’s face and the belligerence in her eyes that she was about to let her temper free.
Hodge stood and nodded toward the hallway hoping Tammy would take the hint and hold in her ire until they were out of the bedroom. He didn’t want her disturbing Celeste’s recuperative sleep. Thankfully, she took the hint and led the way to the kitchen. Tarik followed behind him but from the mournful sighs he heard coming from his friend, he wasn’t happy about leaving Celeste alone any more than he was.
Tammy spun to face them as soon as they entered the kitchen, her hands on her hips. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Watch your mouth.” Tarik pointed her finger at her.
“You’re such a fucking hypocrite.”
“She has you there, Tarik,” Hodge smirked.
Tarik glared at him before meeting Tammy’s gaze again.
“She’s our mate.”
Tammy shook her head, her eyes wide with shock. Her hands dropped back down to her sides and she stared at them with her mouth gaping open.
“We’d never joke about something so important,” Hodge said earnestly.
“Oh. My. God,” Tammy whispered, before spinning around and stumbling over to the stools at the counter. She climbed up onto a seat, rested her elbows on the counter and buried her face in her hands.
“You’re not crying, are you?” Tarik frowned as he moved toward his sister.
Tammy lifted her head and met Tarik’s gaze, a wide smile curving her lips. “No, I’m not crying.” She slid from the stool and hugged her brother. “I’m so happy for you. This is perfect.”
“Don’t go putting the horse before the cart, Tammy,” Hodge cautioned.
“What?”
“Just because she’s our mate doesn’t mean she’s going to leap into our arms.” Tarik rubbed the back of his neck.
“You’re right.” Tammy’s shoulders slumped with dejection. She released Tarik before giving Hodge a hug, drew away and then sat on the stool again.
Tarik sat next to his sister. Hodge moved to the other side of the counter, leaning a hip on the edge as he stared at the sister of his heart. Tammy was more than just his best friend’s sister. He’d seen her the day she’d been born and had vowed then and there to do anything needed to protect her. Even though she wasn’t blood-related, she’d always be his little sister.
Hodge had so many questions rolling around his head, he didn’t know where to start. Before he could pick which one to voice first, Tarik beat him to it.
“How old is she?”
“A year older than I am.”
“Twenty-three,” Hodge mumbled.
“What was she studying at college?”
“Photography and arts.”
Hodge clicked his fingers and was glad he was leaning on the counter because he probably would have fallen over if he hadn’t. Clarity hit him in the head like a lump of wood to the back of his skull. He’d just remembered where he’d seen Celeste. “She’s Celestial,” he said in a hoarse voice.
Tarik’s head snapped in Hodge’s direction but his gaze was locked on Tammy waiting for her confirmation.
“Yes.”
“The supermodel?” Tarik snapped.
“Yes.”
Hodge’s sabear burst to the surface as he imagined all the men around the world staring at her beautiful face and gorgeous body. A growl rumbled up in his chest and his claws burst from the tips of his fingers. When fur began to ripple over his arms he realized he was losing control. He closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath and held it as he shoved his anima
l back down and gained supremacy over his emotions.
“Knock it off!” Tammy snarled.
Hodge scowled at her but he was glad she’d spoken, breaking into his disconcerting thoughts because it was enough to help him get his sabear back under control.
“You can’t tell her what you are,” Tammy said.
“We can’t lie to her, Tammy.” Tarik clenched and unclenched his fists.
“No, you can’t,” Tammy agreed.
“You’re contradicting yourself short-stuff.” Hodge frowned.
Tammy blew out an exasperated breath, ruffling her bangs. “Give me a chance to explain without interrupting then.”
Hodge and Tarik nodded.
“You need to give her some time to become comfortable with you before you tell her you’re shifters, and that she’s your mate. The whole time I’ve known Celeste she’s never had a boyfriend, that I know of, or even mentioned someone she was interested in.”
“She hasn’t?” The surprise was evident in Tarik’s tone.
Hodge was just as astounded as Tarik. Celeste was one of the sexiest women he’d ever seen and she was a supermodel. She could have any man she wanted with the snap of her fingers. But he was quietly relieved she didn’t use her famous status the way other supermodels had.
“No. In fact, I think I’m her only friend. Tammy sighed.
“What about family?” Tarik asked.
“She’s all alone.”
“Shit!” Hodge straightened. “What happened to her parents?”
“They were killed when the yacht they were on capsized in a storm. Her dad’s mother took her if I remember correctly, and then she died when Celeste was ten. She was made a ward of the state and sent to various foster homes.”
“No aunts, uncles, or cousins?” Tarik stood and then began to pace.
“No. Her parents were only children and her father’s mother was her only surviving relative after they died.”
“Why did she take up modeling?” Hodge looked toward the kitchen doorway, wishing he could see Celeste again.
“She was struggling to make ends meet. She was at school all day and then working into the wee hours of the night. The poor thing was exhausted since she was only getting a few hours’ sleep.”