Night of the Wild Stags

by Golden Angel

  Frenzy had definitely been the right word to describe the state he’d driven her doe to. His upper body was covered with scratches from her nails; they scored his shoulders, back, and chest. They were healing, as shifters did, but the red lines were still clearly visible and probably would be for the next few hours.

  Feeling both mortified and smug, Kiara followed him into the room, blushing and averting her gaze. She shouldn’t have worried. The other males were far too interested in inspecting how much damage she’d done to their leader.

  Gavin let out a low whistle. “Damn. I mean, I thought what you two were doing sounded hot but… damn.”

  “I want to watch next time,” Alec said grinning, turning towards Kiara and catching her eye so he could wink at her. “If that’s okay with you, sweetheart.”

  “Um, I guess so?” she said, although it came out more as a question. Blushing, she picked up one of the plates of eggs, bacon, and toast Riley had left on the counter, so he could go inspect Dorian’s sex wounds. The idea of being watched definitely wasn’t a turn off so she didn’t object, but she also didn’t really know what was considered ‘normal’ either. Now that her doe wasn’t driving her with an implacable desire to mate and claim the men she felt a lot more awkward.

  Although still horny as she looked them all over, especially when she thought about them watching her in bed with each other. So apparently her doe hadn’t been responsible for everything.

  Before she had even made it to the table, all four men were surrounding her, reaching out to touch and soothe her.

  “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

  “We don’t have to watch.”

  “We can take turns if you want.”

  Kiara couldn’t help but start giggling, they were so adorably concerned—not to mention sexy as all heck and they definitely hadn’t understood why she had sounded so hesitant.

  “Really?” She couldn’t help but tease them, looking up at Dorian with wide eyes. “What if I’m not comfortable being spanked anymore?”

  All of them relaxed at her tone, realizing they had misinterpreted and that she was just fine.

  Leaning over, Dorian whispered in her ear, sending little shivers up and down her spine. “You’d be lying, little girl. Which is very naughty, and you already know what happens to naughty girls.”

  Making a little ‘eep’ noise, still giggling, Kiara broke free of their little huddle and headed to the table with her breakfast. It only took a few moments for the men to join her—and immediately there was some jostling for who was going to sit next to her. Dorian didn’t jockey for position. He sat down across from her, still grinning smugly, as the other three tried to push each other out of the way. She ended up with Riley on one side, Alec on the other, and both twins across on the other side of the table.

  After that she felt much more natural. It was like nothing had really changed except that she didn’t feel as unsure of herself anymore. They each wore her mark, proudly and where it was visible even though everyone except Dorian was wearing a shirt. Not a single one of them had a collar covering up his mate mark.

  Gavin took her for a run after eating, to show her his favorite spot in the forest, a little nook under a tree where he’d made a kind of nest. When they returned Kiara spent some time with Riley in the garage, learning about the project he’d been tinkering with. He was building some kind of “battle robot” as he called it for a club he was in with some of the other soldiers at Lakewood.

  She was helping Alec put lunch together when Dorian came into the room, cell phone in hand and a serious expression on his face. “Kiara. Dr. Tran is on the phone for you.”

  “For me?” Startled, she held out her hand to take the phone as Dorian and Alec exchanged one of their looks. Lifting the phone to her ear, she did her best to ignore them. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Kiara, I’m so sorry to bother you, we’re having a bit of an incident here at Lakewood. A Pudu deer shifter who says his name is Sebastian is here, demanding he see you and kicking up quite a fuss about us kidnapping and running experiments on his mate. Is there any way you could come back here this afternoon to help clear this up?”

  Kiara dropped the phone from nerveless fingers, her heart racing as fear clogged her throat.

  He’s found me.

  He’s come to take me back.

  No! Her deer was fierce in her rejection. Not going! Staying here with mates!

  She was so trapped in immediate panic that she didn’t even notice Alec had caught the phone until she heard him speaking to Dr. Tran.

  “Hi Dr. Tran, it’s Alec Walker. We’re about to eat lunch but we’ll head over right after,” Alec said calmly. Obviously, he’d overheard everything the doctor had said. With shifter hearing it wasn’t exactly hard to hear an entire phone conversation.

  Shocked, Kiara stared at him, her eyes going wider as her heart sank into her stomach. Seeing her expression, Alec frowned at her.

  “Don’t look at me like that, beautiful,” he said. “You can’t possibly think we’re going to let you go anywhere now.”

  “Definitely not,” Dorian said, stretching out his arms and cracking his neck from side to side. “On the contrary, I am very much looking forward to meeting your ex and having a few words.”

  That was when it finally hit home for her—she wasn’t alone anymore. She wouldn’t have to face Sebastian alone, she was no longer powerless or completely ignorant to what the rest of the world held, and she didn’t have to go back.

  And you have me. Her doe bared her very sharp teeth.

  All of the sudden Kiara was rather looking forward to seeing Sebastian too.

  ******

  All of the men came with her, although by the time Gavin and Riley were told what was going on she wasn’t surprised when they immediately declared they were going to be there too.

  Still, the closer the car came to Lakewood, the more her anxieties began to rise. She was still in her human form, and she’d run from him after he’d beaten her while she was human. Her doe hadn’t been able to do anything but help her heal. Of course the men were with her now, so she didn’t need to fear Sebastian’s violence, but…

  He could be so convincing. There was a reason he had become one of the leaders of the community, even at his younger age in comparison with the rest of the elders. Sebastian had a charisma and charm innate to his person.

  Was it possible he could convince the people at Lakewood that he really was her mate? Yes, she wanted to be with her herd, but was it possible they could be separated from her? After all, Dr. Tran had already requested Kiara come to help straighten things out with Sebastian. Which meant people were already listening to him.

  Had been listening to him while she’d been eating lunch.

  “Calm down, gorgeous,” Gavin murmured in her ear. “I can feel your anxiety. It’s all going to be okay.”

  Startled, she blinked, turning her head to him. “You can feel my anxiety?”

  “Of course, sweetheart, we’re mates,” he said with a cocky grin, leaning over to plant a kiss on her forehead. “You can feel us too. Just think about it.”

  Staring at him for a moment, she closed her eyes, prodding inside of her head.

  Sure enough, there were four little spots of calm emanating from somewhere in her head. It was kind of like having her doe in her head, but different. The four spots were separate from her and yet they could affect her. No wonder she’d been so calm during lunch.

  “You can do this,” Riley said from the other side of her. His hand was resting on her thigh. “We will not abandon you. Ever.”

  Dorian parked the car in front of the hospital. Everything looked totally normal, there was no angry ex-mate waiting outside of the doors, no condemning group gathered to glare at her, nothing out of the ordinary.

  Both he and Alec turned around to look at her, sitting between Gavin and Riley.

  “You can do this, sweetheart,” Alec said gently. “We’ve got you.”

&n
bsp; Giving her a once over, Dorian nodded his head. “Are you ready?”

  Taking a deep breath, Kiara gathered her courage. Her doe curled her metaphorical lip in a sneer, flashing fang.

  “Let’s do this.”

  Chapter 8

  Walking into the main entrance of Lakewood’s hospital, Kiara was surprisingly close to having a giggling fit. Her mates had spread themselves around her like a phalanx of guards, two in front of her, two behind her. They were so much larger than her she could barely see any of the other people when trying to peer past Dorian and Riley’s broad shoulders.

  She was definitely still feeling nervous, but most of her anxiety had been soothed by the men and their possessive, protective stances. It was clear that they weren’t going to give her up to anyone without a fight.

  Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that though.

  The idea that it might was mostly what had her nerves on edge.

  “Kiara? Kiara, honey, is that you?” Sebastian’s smooth, concerned voice grated over those same nerves like nails on a chalkboard, making her wince. She could just barely see him coming toward her through the tiny space between Riley and Dorian’s arms. “Oh, thank God you’re okay.”

  Confused, Kiara stopped walking, jerking back and slamming into Gavin—thankfully he caught her before she could tip over completely. Dorian and Riley both glanced over their shoulders to see what was going on, but Dorian quickly turned back to face Sebastian, holding up his hand to indicate the other man should halt.

  Looking both worried and confused, Sebastian stopped moving a few feet away from Dorian and Riley trying to peer past them. Everyone in the hospital lobby was now looking at them curiously, more than one of the women blatantly checking out all five of the men. With his dark, curling hair sprinkled with just a bit of grey, soulful brown eyes, and tanned skin, Sebastian was just as physically attractive as any of the other men. He wasn’t attractive to her anymore though, not now that she’d glimpsed beneath the mask.

  “Who are you?” he asked Dorian. “Why are you keeping me from my mate?”

  Immediately the tension in the air heightened, all four of her males shifting their postures from defensive to ready-to-attack.

  “She’s not your mate,” Dorian growled back at Sebastian.

  “Of course she is,” Sebastian said, drawing himself up to his full height, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. Kiara clung to Gavin, feeling a bit like cowering as she recognized the stance. Both he and Alec pressed in on either side of her, making soft soothing noises. “Kiara, step away from those men.”

  “No, she’s going to stay right where she is,” Riley said calmly but implacably. “You’re not getting anywhere near her until you explain to us why you’re here.” Looking at him, Sebastian seemed to recognize the other man wasn’t going to be moved by passionate emotion. He looked around at the four men and their implacable faces and came to some kind of conclusion, but Kiara wasn’t sure what. Immediately his own posture changed, his demeanor shifting—Sebastian at his most genial, his most convincing.

  Kiara found herself holding her breath, waiting to see what he would say, what claim he thought he could make. Especially since he didn’t even know who these men guarding her were.

  “I’m here to collect my mate,” Sebastian said somberly, the very picture of an earnest, caring man just trying to do the right thing. “She’s… well, her health is rather delicate. She’s quite harmless but she does occasionally put herself in rather dangerous situations. We’re in the middle of getting her help, but she didn’t want to take her medications and…”

  He spread his hands helplessly as cold fury washed through Kiara. Seriously? He was implying she was mentally unstable? Her doe snorted in fury, snarling with all the fury of a provoked jaguar.

  Granted, she was a little different from the rest of the Pudu females—always had been—but that didn’t make her crazy!

  “How dare you?!” she shrieked, trying to dive forward, between Riley and Dorian, at him. Gavin caught her again, but this time he was holding her back rather than keeping her from falling over. “I am not mentally disturbed, and I do not need medication!”

  “You see?” Sebastian said, ignoring her completely and appealing to the men in front of her, making her even more furious. She wanted to pound the falsely sincere expression off of his face. “She flies off the handle at even the mention of her illness. I don’t believe she would hurt anyone…” But he made it sound as though he was uncertain of that statement. “As her mate, she’s my responsibility. I can take over her care from here, she won’t bother you again, you can be sure of that.”

  Kiara had thought she couldn’t get any angrier, although she also realized her rage was at least partially driven by fear as well.

  Fear that Sebastian would be believed.

  Fear that her herd would turn away from her.

  But even through that fear, she suddenly felt something else too.

  Righteous indignation and anger—on her behalf.

  Utter disbelief—aimed at Sebastian.

  Love—directed at her.

  Emotions pulsing through the bond between her and her herd, and she realized she didn’t need to worry about them believing a word of Sebastian’s lies. She didn’t need to worry about their reactions.

  She could already feel them.

  Straightening up, she leaned against Gavin’s side, enjoying the startled expression on Sebastian’s face as he took in her abrupt change in demeanor as well as the falsely sweet smile on her face.

  “I’m not your mate,” she said, calmly and confidently. “And I’m definitely not going anywhere with you.”

  “Sorry man,” Gavin said, grinning widely, but only his lips were smiling. His eyes were glaring at Sebastian, hard and unfriendly. In front of her Dorian and Riley didn’t move an inch, just stood there staring at Sebastian in imperious silence. “But the lady has spoken.”

  The other three men nodded. Dorian crossed his arms over his chest and even though Kiara couldn't see his expression, she could practically feel the menace coming off of him. Or maybe that was just the mate bond, because Sebastian didn't seem to be affected by Dorian's intimidating posture.

  “It doesn’t matter what she says!” Sebastian looked outraged, shocked out of his charming persona by the—as he saw it—outrageous statement. "What kind of men are you that you would allow her to dictate your actions? Are you weak? Stupid?"

  The sound of cloth ripping, and a large cat's snarl interrupted his tirade as Kiara threw herself forward. Her deer might be small but her now-very-dense muscles easily shredded the thin fabric of the shirt she was wearing as she shifted.

  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion then. Alec and Gavin both yelping in surprise, Gavin holding up the shreds of her shirt, as Dorian and Riley turned to see what had happened. Sebastian's eyes growing wide with shock as he got a look at her new doe form.

  "What the hell is wrong with her teeth?!" he shrieked, voice high with fear. "Why does she sound like that?”

  Now he was the one afraid.

  And his fear smelled delicious.

  Her doe snarled again, the sound loud and unnatural, and launched forward between Dorian and Riley. They both tried to catch her, but she was so small, and they were so large they ended up just getting in each other's way and missing her entirely. Sebastian had already turned tail and taken off down the hallway, sprinting away from her tiny, vicious doe. A few muffled shouts of laughter followed them, which she ignored.

  Later she would remember and realize how insanely ludicrous they must have looked—a tall, muscular dark-haired man running away from a miniature doe (even if she did have jaguar teeth), but as it was happening all she could think about was wanting to get some of her own back.

  Wanting him to know how he'd made her feel.

  Unfortunately, deer hooves were not meant for running on linoleum floors and it was obvious Sebastian was much faster than her as he pelted down the hallways yelling fo
r help.

  As he passed one doorway, it opened, and what looked like a person was stepping out, and suddenly a massive, white fluffy ball of fur filled the hallway and blocked Kiara from her prey.

  What the heck is that?! Kiara thought as she frantically tried to skid to a halt. She just barely managed to keep from crashing into the thing when it turned its big head and she saw the huge pink twitchy nose and long white ears. Holy... that is one big bunny.

  It was also between her and her prey.

  Her doe yowled, showing her teeth, hunching back as if to spring.

  The bunny growled back, the noise just as unnatural and strange as the ones Kiara made. It didn’t just smell like rabbit, it smelled like bear and something reptilian.

  Its teeth were also very sharp and a lot bigger than Kiara's doe's.

  Defeated, she sat down on her haunches as the pounding footsteps behind her finally caught up. She let out a little huff of surprise as a strong arm curved around her body and lifted her up by her midsection, leaving her feet hanging down. Swinging her head around, she wasn't even a little surprised to see it was Dorian now holding her. He wasn't looking at her though, he was looking at the bunny.

  "I know you're not Brady, Brock, or Brice," he said, tilting his head. "But you're bear sized, which means you must be Bethany."

  Kiara blinked. That was a lot of names started with the letter ‘B’. And they were all monster bunnies? That was just ludicrous.

  “Yes, she is,” said a stern voice from the other side of her. “Shift back, Bethany.”

  The bunny made a chuffing sound, but a moment later a gorgeous, completely naked, petite blonde stood in front of Kiara in its place. Behind the woman a very tall, very scary looking man had Sebastian by the scruff of his neck. With the bunny out of her way, Kiara could smell wolf. Their intermingled scents indicated the monster-bunny-bear-thing and wolf were mated to each other.

  The scary man gave Sebastian a little shake when he saw where Sebastian’s gaze had gone—right to the blonde’s naked body.