by Zoe Chant
Hal tried to lay him on his back. Shane grabbed his arm and used it to haul himself up until he could sit up with his back against a tree.
Ethan turned to Hal, his military background evident in the crisp manner of his report. “Rafa, Lucas, and Fiona radioed in right before you got here. They’ll be here in a few minutes.” To Shane and Catalina, he said, “The team had planned to rescue you two and do as much damage as they could on the way. But Rafa said the lab was already destroyed when they got there.”
Everyone looked at Shane. He turned toward Catalina. “My mate helped.”
“Stop moving around.” She put her hand on his chest, gently holding him in place. “You saved me. We won. We’re done. You can relax now.”
Catalina and Ellie began to examine him. He could see their long partnership in the smooth way they worked together, often without having to exchange a word. It was like the way the Protection, Inc. team worked. Or...
A flicker of movement caught Shane’s eye. Justin stepped out of the forest. Instantly, the team and Ethan moved protectively between Shane, Ellie, and Catalina, their guns drawn.
“Friend!” Shane said. “Lower your weapons!”
Justin came forward as the team stepped aside, allowing him to pass. He crouched down beside Shane, examining him with a medic’s practiced eye.
“Forgot to duck?” That sounded more like the old Justin.
“Come with us,” Shane said. “I have to tell you—”
But Justin was shaking his head. “I can’t. I’m supposed to be dead. I’ll make trouble for you. You need help, right now, no interferences. I only came back to make sure you were all right. You’re safer without me.”
“No! I never had a chance— I never told you— ” Shane spoke too quickly, leaving him coughing and breathless. He forced the words out. “They lied to you. I did do the ultimate predator process. I did need the treatments. There’s a cure— I can take you—”
He couldn’t get enough air to go on. Bright specks floated before his eyes.
“Easy.” Justin laid a hand on his shoulder. “Tell me later. You need to get to a hospital now. I don’t want to delay that. You’re in good hands, right? You trust the people you’re with?”
Shane managed a nod.
“We’ll take care of him,” Catalina said. “Ellie and I are paramedics, and we’re taking him to a shifter doctor.”
“Good.” Justin squeezed his shoulder, then stood up and stepped back. Before Shane could stop him, he vanished into the forest.
Shane struggled to get up and go after him, but a heavy weight pressed down on his chest. Something must have fallen on him— maybe he’d been caught in an explosion. He could see movement all around him, but could make no sense of it. People were shouting, but he couldn’t catch the words.
Breathe, hissed his panther.
That, he understood. Shane focused on his breathing as everything else faded away.
When he next opened his eyes, he was in the back seat of a moving car, lying with his head in Catalina’s lap. His chest hurt. He instinctively moved his hand toward the pain.
Catalina caught it before he could complete the movement. “Are you back with us?”
He nodded. As his focus returned, he took in more of the scene. His legs rested across Ellie’s lap. Hal was driving on a twisting mountain road.
“We didn’t give you much for the pain,” Ellie said apologetically.
Shane wasn’t surprised. He had a gunshot wound and they were transporting him in the back of a car. Since they didn’t have any electronic monitors, Shane needed to be able to notice and inform them if the pain suddenly got worse. It might be their only chance of treating a complication before it was too late.
“You see, if it suddenly starts to hurt a lot more,” Ellie began.
“He knows, Ellie,” Catalina interrupted, but not rudely. “He used to be a PJ.”
Ellie looked down at Shane in surprise. “You never told me that.”
You have a lot of explaining to do, his panther remarked.
Ellie leaned forward and poked Hal in the shoulder. “You never told me that. And I bet you knew.”
“It was Shane’s secret,” Hal replied.
Shane suddenly realized that he’d never told Justin how he’d survived running away. If Justin didn’t have any doctors he trusted...
Catalina squeezed his hand, catching his attention. “If you’re worrying about Justin... You were right, he should have come with us. You’re a panther and Hal’s a bear and I’m a superhero and Ellie’s got a gun, of course we could handle anything! But you did tell him that you had a cure. And I don’t know if you noticed, but when he touched your shoulder, he put his hand right where your shirt was ripped. He has to touch your skin to track you. He was making sure he could find you when he needs you.”
Her logic made sense. Shane was relieved that she’d known what he was thinking.
Of course she does, his panther hissed, exasperation audible in every rasping word. She’s your mate.
Shane gazed past Hal’s broad back and out through the windshield at the brightening sky, the occasional flake of snow drifting by, and the streaky granite cliffs. Hal was driving much faster than would normally be safe on these roads, but Shane trusted him not to go off a cliff.
Hal glanced into the rear-view mirror, his hazel eyes meeting Shane’s in reflection. “Everyone’s safe. They’re driving separately. Except Lucas. He’s flying.”
Hal too had known what Shane was thinking without him having to ask. Shane nodded again. Even a single word felt like it would require strength that he might need for something more important later.
Catalina stroked his hair with a steady touch, as if she was petting a cat. If it hadn’t been for the pain, his panther would have purred.
“Hang in there,” Catalina said. “It won’t be long now.”
Shane relaxed into her caress. Like he’d told Justin, he was in good hands.
Chapter Fourteen
Catalina
Catalina hurried to Shane’s bedside and bent over him anxiously. He’d been in surgery for a much shorter time than she’d expected and Dr. Bedford had assured her that he’d make a complete recovery. The monitors assured her that his vital signs were good and stable. But it was still frightening to see him lying unconscious and pale, his intense eyes closed.
Her leopard’s purring voice sounded within her. Your mate needs you. Lick his wounds and make him better.
Catalina hoped her leopard didn’t mean that literally. But the big cat was right that Shane needed her touch. She reached out to stroke his hair.
“You might not want to get that close,” said a deep voice.
She turned around. Hal was standing in the doorway, with Ellie right beside him.
Ellie started forward, but Hal waved her back. “Wait in the lobby, Ellie. The team will be here any minute now. Don’t let them come in till I give the go-ahead.”
Ellie’s eyebrows flew upward. “You think I can stop them?”
“I think you’ve got a better chance than Dr. Bedford,” Hal replied.
“I’ll do my best.” Ellie went out, closing the door behind her.
Hal turned to Catalina. “Like I said. You’d better step back. Let me handle this.”
Catalina shook her head. “No. He’ll want me close when he wakes up.”
“Shane’s panther isn’t like my bear,” Hal said. “It can take control of him. And this is exactly the sort of situation that makes it go berserk. Just back off to the other side of the room, and stay there until I say it’s safe.”
Hal had seemed friendly before, but his rugged features were grim as he stepped forward. He loomed over her, taller than Shane and twice as burly. His size, which had been reassuring when they’d been fighting side by side, now seemed menacing.
Stay with your mate, her leopard hissed, but Catalina didn’t need any prompting.
She wrapped a protective arm around Shane’s chest. “Shane’s my mate. He wo
n’t hurt me, and neither will his panther. You back off. I’m not going anywhere!”
A startlingly sweet smile softened Hal’s face. He stepped out of Catalina’s personal space, and walked around to settle down into a chair on the other side of Shane’s bed. “Good. But keep an eye on him. He really might lash out when he wakes up.”
She stared at Hal, puzzled by the instant shift from threat to approval. “Were you deliberately trying to scare me away from him?”
“I was trying to see if it was possible to scare you away,” Hal replied.
“Why?”
Hal gave an embarrassed shrug. “Ellie’s going to kill me when she hears about this. But Shane’s been through a lot. I had to make sure you’d stand by him, no matter what.”
“Oh,” Catalina said, enlightened. “You were testing me to see if I was good enough for your buddy. Forget Ellie, Shane’s going to kill you when he wakes up.”
“Probably,” Hal admitted. “And speaking of testing, I should warn you—”
Shane woke abruptly. The monitors all beeped their alarms, but it was drowned out by his snarl. His eyes were wide open but unfocused, his features twisted in the feral rage of a wild beast.
Catalina caught the hand that whipped up to try to yank the oxygen tube off his face. With her other hand, she stroked his hair. “Easy, Shane. You’re safe. I’m right here with you.”
He jerked his head to stare at her, then relaxed. The panic and fury faded from his gaze, leaving only the usual intensity of the man she loved.
“Sorry.” Shane’s voice was hoarse but calm.
Catalina had seen enough people wake up after surgery to know how dry the tube made your throat. “Want some water?”
He nodded. She helped him hold the glass steady as he drank through a straw. By the time he finished it, she could hear voices from outside the room, though she couldn’t make out the words.
“The team’s here,” said Hal. “Can I let them in? They’ll want to see you.”
Shane glanced down at himself. Catalina tried to see through his eyes: the wires clipped to his chest, the bandages, the oxygen, the IV, the machines. Lying flat on his back in a hospital bed. The post-surgery weakness that had made his hands shake just trying to hold a glass of water. He must hate feeling so defenseless and exposed, when he was normally so cool and combat-ready.
“No,” Shane said. “Not yet.”
His eyes took on a familiar inward-looking gaze. Now that she had a leopard, she knew his panther was talking to him.
“What’s he saying?” Catalina asked.
“He’s telling me to let my pack in. Weird cat. Panthers don’t have packs.” Then, looking exasperated, Shane added, “And nobody’s going to lick me.”
Catalina giggled. “I think your panther and my leopard are on the same page.”
“The team can visit later,” Shane said. Pitching his voice so low that only she could hear, he said, “I don’t want them to see me like this.”
Catalina also spoke softly, but said, “Shane, the rest of the team showed up just in time to see you pass out. It looked like you were about to stop breathing. Ellie and I got you stabilized, and then we loaded you into Hal’s car and burned rubber out of there. The team has got to be worried sick about you. Nobody cares what you look like. They just want to make sure you’re all right.”
“Let them in,” Hal said. “Do it as a favor to me. I asked Ellie to hold them off, but she’s way outnumbered.”
“So am I,” muttered Shane. Then he surrendered. “Fine. They can come in. Just let me sit up first.”
He struggled to sit up, but even with Catalina’s help, he was hampered by a rat’s nest of medical tubes and wires. They were everywhere, attached to his chest, his elbows, his wrists, even the tips of his fingers. While he was still trying to disentangle himself, Hal hit a button, raising the head of the bed until Shane was sitting up. Then Hal went to let the team in.
They piled in, along with Ellie and Ethan. Catalina looked at the team members curiously as they all came in. Hal was the only one she’d had an actual conversation with, though she’d briefly met Nick and Destiny. When the other three had shown up, Catalina had been so busy giving Shane oxygen and monitoring his breathing that she’d barely even glanced at them.
She checked Shane to make sure he really was all right with having everyone there. But once he’d gotten past his first reluctance, he seemed pleased to see them. She was glad to see that they didn’t crowd him, which she was sure he wouldn’t like, but instead stepped up one at a time.
A blonde woman came forward first. Her platinum hair was braided and pinned to her head like a crown, and she made black fatigues look elegant. “Good to see you breathing. I thought I was about to lose my best sparring partner.”
Shane shook his head, a half-smile hovering over his lips. Catalina could see that he and the blonde woman had the same easy camaraderie that he’d had with Justin. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Fiona. Someone’s got to keep you on your toes.”
Fiona’s sharp gaze raked over Catalina. Her eyes were green as emeralds, beautiful but cold. “Where were you when Shane was taking a bullet to the chest?”
It sounded like an accusation. Like she’d failed to protect him. Catalina wanted to defend herself, but there was truth in what Fiona had suggested. Meeting the woman’s gaze squarely, Catalina said, “I’d run ahead of him. I was excited and I wasn’t paying attention. He was hit protecting me.”
“Cut her some slack, Fiona,” Shane said. “It was her first time in combat. Don’t tell me your first time was perfect.”
To Catalina’s surprise, the poised woman flushed pink. “You know it wasn’t.” Then, turning to Catalina, she said in a more friendly tone, “You’re honest. That’s good. Maybe Shane will take some lessons from you.”
“You should talk,” Shane replied. But he sounded more amused than annoyed.
Catalina could see that Ellie was trying to signal to her from across the room. But Catalina didn’t want to leave Shane’s side if his teammates were all going to call him out for the secrets he’d kept from them.
Ethan stood beside Ellie, making their similarities more visible than ever. Though he was muscular where she was curvy, they had the same dark blonde hair, the same blue-green eyes, and the same snub nose. Catalina could even see some of the same freckles on Ethan’s arms as he folded them across his chest, though most were obscured by his tattoos. He shot a glance at Catalina, then at Shane, and Catalina could see that he was trying to figure out whether he should defend one of them or both of them, or if interfering would make it worse. He glanced at Ellie, who shook her head and jerked her open hand at him, gesturing, stay out of it.
Sure enough, a handsome Latino man walked up, settled down on the edge of Shane’s bed as if he was relaxing on his own sofa at home, and said, “So you’re a PJ, huh? Well... That’s not bad if you can’t get through BUD/S. Seriously, it’s a great second choice.”
This time Shane did look irritated. “I never wanted to be a Navy SEAL, Rafa. I wanted to be the person who bails out the SEALs when they get in over their heads. And BUD/S is tough but it only lasts six months. The Pipeline takes two years.”
Rafa promptly replied, “That’s because you’re slow learners.”
Catalina wanted to take Shane’s side, but she couldn’t help laughing at that. She regretted it immediately when Rafa turned to her.
“So, Catalina the cat lady. How many do you have?” Rafa’s tone suggested that she was some elderly virgin who had scratching posts instead of furniture.
Doing her absolute best to keep a straight face, Catalina said, “Nineteen. Well— could be more now. Fluffy was pregnant when I left.”
For a fraction of a second, she saw that Rafa believed her. Then he burst out laughing. “Well-played.”
As the next team member approached, Catalina resigned herself to running the gauntlet of the entire Protection, Inc. team. But one glance at Shane showed that he wasn’
t resigned. His expression hardened as a young man with golden hair and chiseled features stepped up.
By process of elimination, that had to be Lucas. Lucas, the dragon shifter. Catalina stared at him. Like the rest of the team, Lucas wore simple black fatigues, but unlike the rest, his appeared to be tailored. His eyes, which she’d first thought were light brown, looked almost gold. And was that really a gold chain wrapped around his throat? Who wore jewelry into combat?
Lucas stared at Shane, then shook his head as if nothing he could say could possibly express how disappointed he was. Then he turned to Catalina. She braced herself for some cutting or snobbish remark— the guy was obviously wealthy and could probably spot her dirt-poor origins from a mile away— but instead, he said, “It’s unfortunate that Shane can’t test you himself. It’s very revealing of character. But since he’s too weak and helpless right now...”
Lucas paused deliberately, letting that jab sink in. Shane looked like he wanted to kill him. But before he could say anything, Lucas went on, “My people have our own ways of doing such things.”
The golden shade of his eyes deepened and brightened, turning almost metallic. His sharp features shifted subtly, becoming less aristocratic and more strange. Almost... inhuman. He opened his mouth and let out a terrifying, reptilian hiss.
The sound went straight to some primitive part of Catalina’s brain. She could almost see the shadow of vast wings, hear the roar of devouring flames. Instinctively, Catalina threw herself between Shane and the dragon.
Shane shoved himself forward, dislodging several wires. His heart monitor, which no longer registered a heartbeat, blared an alarm.
The glow in Lucas’s eyes faded, and his features relaxed. He once again looked like an aristocrat masquerading as a bodyguard, not a monster posing as a man. Feeling foolish, Catalina stepped aside and turned off the alarm.
In the silence that fell, Shane turned slowly to lock gazes with his teammates, fixing them one by one with his predator stare. “That is enough! Catalina’s my mate. I love her, and I trust her with my life. Anyone who has a problem with her had better go through me first.”