by R. E. Butler
“I know, love,” he said. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I trust you with my whole heart. You’re mine and I’m yours.”
“What did you mean when you said you didn’t claim me properly?”
“Gorillas like to bite their mates on the neck. It leaves a scar and it’s a permanent reminder that the person is mated to someone who will kick their ass if they try to cause trouble.”
She chuckled. “Sounds painful.”
“I promise you will feel really, really good when it happens.”
Her eyes got a little darker. He liked that she liked the idea.
She finished the tea and handed him the mug.
“Would you like another cup? I have lots of tea bags.”
She shook her head and then yawned, blinking slowly as if she was trying to stay awake. There was a knock at the door, and he blew out a breath. “That’s probably Novi and Cael.”
She nodded. He went to get the couple and brought them into the bedroom, where Lori was still sitting on the edge of the bed looking like she was having a hard time staying awake.
“Oh, Mom!” Novi shouted. She rushed forward but slowed as she met her, sitting gently and hugging her tenderly. “I’m so sorry you were taken and hurt.”
Novi cried and Lori held her. “S’okay,” Lori whispered, her voice cracking even with the simple phrase.
“It’s only okay now because you’re safe,” Novi said as she leaned away and brushed at her wet cheeks. “Damn it, I was so scared for you.” She glanced at Atticus and added, “Thank you for getting her back.”
“Of course. It’s my duty and honor.”
Novi grinned. “I love shifters. They’re so dang noble. Well, most of them, anyway.”
“At least the ones here in the park,” Cael said.
“Definitely,” Novi said. “Mom, do you need anything?”
“Rest,” she whispered.
“Yeah, you look like you’re going to pass out. What did the doc say?”
Atticus gave her a quick rundown. Novi hugged her mom once more. “Text me tomorrow and let me know how you’re doing. I’d like to come back for a visit.” She rose to her feet and said, “This means we can move down into the elephants’ area. It’s a silver lining to the terrible ordeal.”
Lori looked confused, so Novi said, “Mom, we had to stay in the apartments because you didn’t know the truth. You would wonder where I lived if we weren’t staying in the apartments.”
“True,” Lori whispered.
“I hated lying to you. It was just an omission of the truth of shifters, but I hated it with every fiber of my being. Because of…the male who is my biological father, I’m half shifter, which is why I’ve always had those strange reactions to emotional situations like my eyes changing color or growling.”
Lori’s eyes went wide and then it was as if things finally clicked for her.
“You’re…?” Lori squeaked out.
“No,” Novi said. “I’m not a real shifter like Atticus. I’m half shifter, which they call a hybrid. So I can’t become a full polar bear, I just have some attributes. Cael knew I was more than just human, and he was so great with getting me to see the truth.”
Lori looked at Cael. “What?”
“Elephant,” Cael said with a smile.
Lori nodded. “I’m glad,” she said.
Atticus knew he’d need to explain more about their life underground, but not now. She needed to sleep.
“Love you, Mom,” Novi said. “We’re going to get out of your hair and let you sleep.”
Lori whispered, “I love you too.”
“Walk us out?” Novi asked.
“Sure,” Atticus said.
“So she can stay now, right?” Novi asked. “Because she knows the truth.”
“Yes, but she’ll still need to speak to the alphas.”
“Why?”
“Because,” Cael said, “they need to know that she understands how serious our need for secrecy is.”
Novi snorted. “They don’t have to worry about my mom keeping secrets. She’s the most loyal person on the planet and she’d never do anything to put me in danger, let alone herself, you, or anyone else here. She knows when people need protecting.”
“I know she’ll keep the secret,” Atticus said. “It’s just a formality.”
“I’m going to help out with the pyre,” Cael said.
“I was going to head up there after I got Lori settled.”
“Nope, no way,” Cael said, shaking his head. “You stay with Lori for tonight. I’ll take your place. You did more than enough, let the rest of us take care of it.”
Atticus was humbled. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Take care of my mom,” Novi said. “Oh man! When you guys get mated, I’ll have a dad for real! I’ve got like twenty-four years of back birthday presents for you to catch up on.”
Novi snickered and then fell into a fit of laughter that was entirely contagious. When they’d all laughed their fill, Atticus said, “I promise to take care of your mom. And we’ll see about the presents.”
Novi gave him a quick hug and the two left. He shut the door and returned to the bedroom. “How about you get some sleep? The pain pills seem to be kicking in.”
“You’ll stay with me?” she wrote.
“Definitely.”
Wild horses couldn’t pull him away from her side.
Still wearing the scrub bottoms and nothing else, he waited for her to get comfortable, then turned off the overhead light and climbed onto the bed next to her. In moments, she was wrapped up in his arms, her cheek on his bicep and her breath fanning his chest, and he was in heaven. Nothing felt as good as his soulmate in his arms, and knowing she was now one hundred percent safe and all his was the icing on the cake.
Chapter Seventeen
Lori slept like the dead. Or, rather, she slept so soundly and so dreamlessly that she woke up wondering if she had died for a while and just hovered in some weird in-between.
But then she felt Atticus’s arms around her and touched his warm skin with her fingertips. There had been fur on his skin before, but it was gone now. She could feel his breath on her neck and the way he curled around her like he was protecting every inch of her body.
It was heavenly.
And she had to pee.
Maybe sleeping like the dead made you have to pee.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Atticus’s low rumbling voice tickled her ear, and she shivered as goosebumps rose on her skin.
She wasn’t sure she could talk, but she thought she’d give it a shot. “Just thinking about death and pee.” Her voice was scratchy like she hadn’t used it in a while, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had the day before.
“Uh, what?” He lifted his head and she wiggled to her back to smile at him.
“I have to pee. And I woke up thinking I slept like the dead. My whole train of thought was really weird.”
“Well, far be it from me to stop you from peeing.”
He let her free from the warm cage of his arms, and she climbed from the bed. If nature hadn’t been calling, she would’ve been happy to stay there.
Her phone was on the nightstand and plugged in. She touched the screen and saw that it was after nine in the morning. She’d slept a long time.
“How do you feel?” he asked. “Your voice sounds tons better.”
She straightened and let out a low groan at the aches that sprang from every joint and muscle in her body. “Sore. Better though.”
She smiled at him and winced when her lip ached sharply. She went to the en suite bathroom and shut the door. She flicked on the overhead light and squinted at the brightness. And then she really winced.
She looked like death warmed over.
Holy crap, she couldn’t stop thinking about death. It must be what happens when you almost die.
Both of her eyes were ringed with purple, the left one badly swollen. Her lip was split and her nose was swollen too.
But she was alive, and damn it she was going to hold onto that.
She used the toilet and washed her hands, then splashed some water on her face to freshen up a little bit. She’d take a shower after she got something to eat.
The bedroom was empty when she walked out, but she followed the noises to the kitchen and found him at the fridge looking in.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said without looking at her. “There’s tons of food in here, but if you don’t want any of this we can order from the market.”
She joined him and he straightened to let her inspect the interior. It was packed from top to bottom with everything she could think of. She remembered Adriana said she’d stocked it for them and was thankful for that.
“Yogurt,” she said.
“That’s it?” He gave her a raised brow.
“I don’t know if I can eat more than that,” she said with a shrug.
“You got it.” He pulled out the container she’d pointed at and had her sit at the small two-person table while he set the yogurt in front of her and grabbed a spoon from the drawer. He heated up a mug of water and steeped one of the special tea bags in it.
After he thawed a breakfast sandwich in the microwave, he brewed a cup of coffee and joined her.
The yogurt didn’t bother her throat, and neither did the tea. She’d been worried it might hurt to swallow. She took a pain pill to help get her through the morning but was hopeful she wouldn’t need to take them too long.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m great. It’s one of the benefits of being a shifter.”
“I can see your wounds are mostly better. They were pretty bad.” It was clear that Atticus was a fast healer.
He gave her a wry smile. “Shifting into one form or the other accelerates the healing. But even without shifting, I have accelerated healing anyway. An injury has to be super severe to not be able to heal it quickly. And there are things we can’t heal fully, like losing a limb.”
“That would be handy to be able to heal quickly.”
“You feel better than last night, though? The tea and pain pills are helping?”
“I do. Even if I look like I got run over by a truck.”
“Not a truck, a very determined polar bear.”
She chuckled and finished her last bite of yogurt.
When they’d finished in the kitchen, they took a shower together and he washed her very gently, taking such care to clean her skin as if she were made of glass. He patted her dry and gave her one of his shirts to wear even though some of her things had been brought over.
“How about we hang out in bed and watch a movie?” Atticus asked. He started piling the pillows up against the headboard.
“You can go to work if you need to,” she said, her voice a little stronger.
“Nah,” he said. “I’m the alpha, I can stay with my mate if I want to.”
“Alpha is boss?”
“Yep. There’s an alpha for every group in the park. Joss is the wolf alpha; Caesar is the lion alpha; Alistair is the elephant alpha; and Marcus is the bear alpha.”
“Five groups?”
“Yep. We all have private living quarters underneath the park, as well as a central marketplace that serves food for every meal and does deliveries too. And there’s also a general store, a nail salon, and a makeup shop.”
“Wow. I had no idea.”
She climbed into bed, feeling the pain pills kick in and her aches easing. Thank goodness for modern medicine.
“Well, it’s a serious secret.”
“I understand why you have to keep it secret. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
“I trust you.”
“Good.”
He joined her, wearing a pair of track pants, his muscular upper body on display. He was so sexy. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have found him despite her years of running and hiding. Fate had certainly smiled on her.
“Get that sexy look off your face, sweetness,” he chided with a grin. “You’re injured. No nookie.”
She snuggled against him, his strong heartbeat in her ear. “Did you just say that?”
“Absolutely. I said it as much to myself as I did you. You’re very tempting.”
“You are too.”
“I’m so glad you’re in my life.” He gave her a one-armed hug as he grabbed the remote from the nightstand. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Something light and fun, nothing scary.”
“Got it. I saw a trailer for an animated movie a while ago. Hope you like movies that take place in cold, imaginary places.”
“I do.”
The last thing she remembered was the opening scene of the movie, and then she was asleep, safe and content in Atticus’s arms.
Chapter Eighteen
The following Tuesday, Atticus unlocked the door that led from the underground space into the employee cafeteria and held it open for his mate. It was her first day of work at the candy shop, where Lexy had hired her to run the cash register and help customers pick out gift items. He’d been fine with her keeping her job at the dollar store, but she and Lexy had talked a few days earlier and Lexy had said she needed a dedicated cashier. She and Lori were becoming fast friends, and it pleased him to no end that she was enjoying the situation, even though much of it was still new to her.
“So,” he said as they walked through the cafeteria, “I’d like to take you on a special date on Friday.”
“Oh? What kind of special date?”
He stopped at the door and smiled down at her. A week ago, she looked like she’d gone ten rounds with a prize fighter, but today she looked a thousand times better. One of her eyes was still a little bruised looking, but some makeup from Dani, Neo’s mate, had covered it so it wasn’t noticeable.
“I thought we could have dinner on the roof.”
“That sounds awesome,” she said.
“And then on Saturday, I want to shift in the paddock so you can see it without being freaked out.”
“I’d love to see you shift.”
“You can wear a zookeeper uniform and hang out with me. My gorilla really wants to spend time with you.”
“That’s so sweet. I’d love to do that.”
They walked through the park to the candy shop. It was run by Lexy, her best friend Trina, who was mated to a lion, and Jenni, a lioness mated to a human male. Lexy, Trina, and Jenni made the candy for the shop, which meant they weren’t always at the register when customers came in. It was a perfect job for Lori, and she’d been excited for days when she was offered it.
Lori gave his hand a squeeze. “This is the best gift.”
“What is?” he asked.
“Working here. I was jealous that Novi got to stay in the park and had found a place she fit in. I never thought that would happen for me.”
He smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re happy. It means the world to me that you’re working here too and we can see each other whenever we like.”
“Too bad you don’t need a cashier at the maintenance shed,” she said with a chuckle.
“Trust me, I tried to float that idea to Joss, but he said I was dreaming.”
“Did you really?”
“Sure! I told him that we really could use someone to keep track of the maintenance schedule and order supplies. He said that’s our job, and he wasn’t allowed to create a job for Jeannie when they got together.”
Jeannie, Joss’s mate, worked as a cook for the shifters in the underground marketplace. The bears handled the food for the park and employees, and they’d been happy to have an extra hand.
“This is a really good option, though,” she said. “Even if it’s not with you in the maintenance shed.”
When they reached the candy shop, he could hear the trio of females milling around in the back of the shop, which didn’t open to the public until later that morning.
He let out a grumbling sigh.
“What’s that for?” she asked.
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“I’m just gonna miss you. It was nice having you in the shed while I worked this last week.”
She’d quit her job at the dollar store immediately after she was healed up from her ordeal. She said going back there was the last thing she wanted to do, and even though they were certain it was safe with Keir and his people ashed and buried, she wanted to be in the park, and he was happy to help her find something to do. Before, when she hadn’t known the truth, there hadn’t been any jobs for her because there was always a chance she might see or overhear something she shouldn’t. Now that she knew about shifters, she could work anywhere. His gorilla, while disgruntled at her not being with him, was thrilled she was in the park where it was safe.
She went onto her toes and kissed him. “I’m going to miss you too. But absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?”
He made a face and she giggled. “We can meet for lunch in the cafeteria.”
“I’d love that. And then you can tell me more about being a zookeeper,” she said.
“It’s a date. I’ll pick you up on your lunch break.”
“Perfect. Have fun.”
She kissed him and moved away, but he snagged her around the waist and brought her back to him for another good, long kiss.
The door opened and a bell jangled. “Hey, you two smoochie-smoochersons,” Lexy said with a cheerful tone. “It’s getting a little PG-13 out here.”
“Sorry, Lexy,” Lori said, her cheeks pinking with blush.
“Hey, I know how exciting the new stuff is,” she said with a knowing smile. “We’re ready when you are.”
“On my way,” Lori said.
The door shut and Atticus said, “I could pull rank on her, you know. She’s part of our group and I’m the boss, and so are you.”
“Not on my first day,” she said. “Let’s just promise to miss each other terribly until lunchtime.”
“Promise.”
One more kiss, followed by two more “last kisses,” and he forced himself to let her go. It was monstrously unfair that he had to go to work after only being with her for a week. He wasn’t done kissing and holding her, listening to her cries of pleasure, feeling her body respond to his.