“Okay,” Chase said, keeping his eyes on the television.
“Have fun,” Ranulf said, also not looking at her.
She rolled her eyes and sighed but decided to leave them in the living room for now. It was easier to go and get ready for bed than to try to kick them out, especially when they didn’t seem to even notice as she left the room.
Taking her time, she lingered in a long shower and lotioned her body before slipping on her most comfortable pajamas. She flossed and brushed her teeth, and when she was finally done, she hoped the movie was over.
But when she walked into the living room, she found both Chase and Ranulf had fallen asleep in their recliners.
Now, what am I going to do?
They looked so peaceful, and they were her friends. It seemed awfully mean to wake them up and kick them out. And it probably wasn’t the safest for them to drive while drowsy. She might as well let them stay the night. She could kick them out in the morning.
Picking up the remote, she said, “It’s a good thing you two aren’t out patrolling tonight since you’re so tired.”
Neither moved, so she knew they were really out. Neither one of them would let a comment like that fly if they were only half-asleep.
She smiled and shook her head at the two males. They both had perfectly good beds at home, and they were going to sleep in chairs in her parents’ living room.
Raven picked up the half-eaten pizza and the plates. She took them to the kitchen, put the pizza in the fridge, threw away the used plates, and put away the clean ones.
Then, she went to her room, took a sleeping pill, crawled into bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Even though Ranulf and Chase had only come over as friends and had accidentally fallen asleep, a part of her liked knowing they were there and she wasn’t alone.
By this time tomorrow, things would be completely different, and for some reason, that made her a little sad.
Seven
Siya had refused to leave with him. Ram was still wearing down the enamel on his teeth as he waited for the infuriating human to get off of work.
When he’d told her it was time to leave—for her safety—she had lifted her nose up at him, spun around, and walked back toward the hospital.
He’d been ready to go after her, but Vance had shaken his head.
“She’s safer here, surrounded by all these people and security, than her own home. It will give her time to come to terms with what happened and that she’s in danger. We don’t want to force her if we don’t have to.”
Vance might not want to force her, but Ram did. Siya was no match for a shifter, especially one like Monica. The female was most likely desperate now that she and her criminal activities had been exposed.
Which was why Siya needed to get off work, so he could take her to his home, where she’d be the safest.
He’d spent the last few hours patrolling the outside of the hospital for the most part. He’d gone inside a few times, but he hadn’t wanted to alarm security by having a strange, large man walking around, not visiting anyone.
But it was finally time for Siya to get off work, so he lingered by the door. He gave her a few minutes to clock out and say good-bye to coworkers, but after ten minutes, he was tired of waiting and headed to the ER registration desk.
The lady behind the counter looked up at him and swallowed.
He forced a smile so as not to scare the woman and asked, “I am supposed to be picking up my friend.”
“Is she a patient?”
“No, she’s a nurse, and she’s working in the ER tonight.”
The nurse picked up her phone. “What is her name? I’ll call back there.”
“Siya Patel.” Ram nodded once. “Thank you.”
He stepped away from the counter, so the woman could make her phone call without him hovering over her. But as soon as she hung up, he moved right back up.
The lady was frowning, and before she opened her mouth, he knew he wasn’t going to like what she had to say.
“I’m sorry, sir, but Siya left early, hours ago. Maybe she forgot to tell you?”
Ram ground his teeth together. “She must have.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” he muttered as he pulled his phone from his jeans and headed for his car. He dialed Saxon’s number.
“Everything going okay?” Saxon said without a hello.
“I need to speak to Demi.”
A pause.
“No.”
“Saxon, I do not want your mate. I just need to speak to her.”
The cat-shifter sighed, and Ram heard him tell Demi that he wanted to talk to her.
“Hello?”
“Demi, I need Siya’s phone number.”
“Why?”
“What is it with you and your mate? Why can’t either of you just do what I ask?”
“Technically, you commanded.”
He groaned in frustration. “Fine. Can I please have Siya’s phone number?”
“Yes.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll text it to you.”
“Thank you.”
“But she should be off work now. Why do you need her number?”
Ram hung up the phone without answering even though he was risking Demi not following through on her word.
A few seconds later, his phone beeped.
Saxon: 651-555-3633
Saxon: Asshole.
Ram smiled and wondered which one of them had sent that. It could have been either Saxon or Demi.
Ram: Thanks.
He added Siya to his phone and called her.
He wasn’t surprised it went to voice mail.
She was in so much trouble.
Siya tried to ignore whatever it was that was pulling her from her slumber. She had been lucky enough to get off of work early, but it had taken her some time to fall asleep. First, she’d had to convince herself that Ram wasn’t coming to her house. Then, she’d had to convince herself that Monica wasn’t coming to her house. And then she’d had to tell herself to shut up because if she was scared of Monica, then Ram was right to want to keep her safe.
It was a good thing her brain had put her to sleep, so she wouldn’t have to listen to her wild thoughts anymore.
And now, something was trying to steal the peaceful bliss from her. It was probably her bladder, and she was going to have a strong talking-to with her kidneys when she woke up.
She didn’t know what had bothered her before, but the feeling of a heavy weight dipping her mattress fully woke her.
Her eyes popped open, and then she froze. Her room was still dark, and all she could make out was a figure sitting next to her.
Monica found me. She’s going to kill me for telling the shifters she was at the hospital.
“Relax. It’s me.”
Every muscle in her body unclenched, and air whooshed out of her lungs.
“You scared me,” she told Ram.
“I called your name several times.”
She rolled away from him. “I was sleeping. Duh.”
“Yeah, and I was able to get into your house without any trouble. I could have been someone else.”
A cold chill ran down her spine. Even though she had panicked about Monica, the reality that Ram had broken into her house without any trouble registered heavily.
“How did you get in?”
“That’s not important. The important part is, I did.”
She hated that he was right.
“And that’s why you need to come with me.”
Siya knew she would be safer with the cat-shifters, but she didn’t want to be around Ram.
When she had met him, he had taken the responsibility of protecting her, and she’d thought they had become friends. No, that wasn’t quite right. She had thought they were becoming more than friends. He was the one who had brought up having sex with her sometime in the future.
Yet when she had tried to kiss him, he had pushed her away. Then, just an hour or so lat
er, she had seen him being intimate with another woman.
Not only had he led her on, but then he hadn’t even been nice enough to tell her he had changed his mind and was no longer interested. She’d had to catch him with someone else. She often wondered if she had caught him or if she had “caught” him. Because if he’d done it just to send her a message, he was an even bigger jerk than she’d originally thought.
Demi had pointed out that at least she hadn’t slept with him before she found out he was an ass. She supposed her friend was right, except she hadn’t had sex in way too long.
She looked over her shoulder at Ram now that her eyes had adjusted to being open. He was sexy and brooding, and Demi was right. If they’d screwed and he’d done what he did, she would have been more embarrassed to be around him.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she told Ram. “Can’t Demi just come and stay with me?”
“Demi isn’t a sentinel. So, no, she cannot be the one to protect you.”
Siya turned away again with a sigh. “Then, I guess I’ll stay here alone. Thank you for your concern, and have a nice day. I want to go back to sleep.”
“You are not staying here alone,” he roared.
Because she knew it would piss him off, she looked at him again and yawned. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”
Sure, she knew that Ram didn’t want her to die, but he didn’t want anyone to die. Not any of the good guys anyway. But why he had taken it upon himself to try and get her to come with him, she didn’t understand.
“Listen, I am about through with being patient with you. You have two choices. Either you come with me now or I drink your blood in order to keep tabs on you.”
Eek. She cringed. Neither sounded good. She didn’t want to stay at the place he lived, having to see him every day. But on the other hand, having him drink her blood would be too intimate. She couldn’t do that again. On the plus side, Demi lived where Ram did. And now, with them having extra rooms, she wouldn’t have to stay with Ram.
“Fine. I’ll go with you.” She flung back her covers. “But I want you to know I’m doing it begrudgingly.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if you do it with the intention of murdering me. At least you’ll be safe.”
She turned away from him and curled her lip. “Don’t tempt me,” she muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s what I thought.”
She spun around. “I hope your dick gets gangrene and falls off.”
Ram threw his head back and laughed. “No, you don’t,” he said as if it were obvious. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to properly fuck you.”
Eight
Ranulf Shaw took the pan off the stove and loaded scrambled eggs onto three plates. Just as he was pulling the bacon out of the oven, Chase walked into the kitchen.
“Smells good,” he said as he scratched his belly. “What’s with the food?” He looked at his watch. “And all before dawn?”
“Did you catch Raven’s scent last night?”
Chase closed his eyes and groaned. “Did I ever. Our girl has never smelled so fucking good. I had to force myself to act nonchalant. I can still smell her, and she’s not even in the room with us.”
“Exactly. She’s so close to her heat.”
“Yeah, she is. I’m surprised we fell asleep last night.”
“I’m not. Once she left the room, our bodies knew we needed to store up the energy for what’s about to happen.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Chase walked over and snagged a piece of bacon off the plate Ranulf had been setting them on. “So, all this food is to build up our reserves?”
“You got it.”
“Smart.” He shoved the entire length of bacon in his mouth.
“Do you think you can go get Raven?”
“Sure.”
Chase left the kitchen, but it was barely a minute before he came back with a very groggy Raven. If Ranulf had thought she smelled good last night, she smelled even better now. He was hard before she even entered the room, and he swiftly adjusted himself.
As soon as Chase helped Raven sit down at the counter, he pointed a finger at Ranulf and mouthed, You owe me. He used his hands to frame his crotch. I’m so hard that I would fuck you right now.
Ranulf snorted, and Raven looked up at him. He quickly dropped his smile and carried her plate over. “Eat.”
“I want to go back to sleep. I don’t know what time it is, but I know that not enough time has passed since I took a sleeping pill last night.” She looked around, but he wasn’t sure at what. “And why is it so hot in here?”
He met Chase’s eyes.
Ranulf slid a fork over. “I think you’re close to your heat, baby girl.”
She picked it up and stabbed at her eggs. “Don’t call me that.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
She shoved her bite of food in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Ranulf saw the questioning look in Chase’s eyes, and he felt the same, but he wasn’t going to push for an answer. Instead, he changed the subject. “Is the food okay?”
Raven looked up and around the kitchen. “Why am I the only one eating?”
He brought the other two plates over and slid one over to Chase.
“We’re eating, too,” Chase said.
“Why are you two still here?” Raven asked.
Does she not know?
Ranulf looked at Chase, who shrugged.
But before either of them could answer, Raven started talking about something else. “You probably figured it out, but I put the rest of your pizza in the fridge.”
Ranulf nodded. “I saw that this morning when I found the eggs.”
Raven snickered to herself. “Right,” she said as if she’d just realized the eggs came from the fridge. “You didn’t have to cook for me. My parents left me plenty of food in the fridge and freezer.”
He’d seen that this morning, and while it was enough food for her, it wasn’t going to be enough food for all three of them. Chase and he were going to have to figure something out. The smart and easy thing to do would be to get groceries delivered. He made a mental note to do that after breakfast.
“I think Ranulf just wanted to make sure you were fed well, so you’re ready for what’s about to come.”
Raven looked at both of them like they’d grown extra limbs. “You know this is not the first time I’ve gone through mating heat before, right?”
Chase chuckled. “Yeah, we know. But this time is different, don’t you think?”
She shrugged. “I guess. I mean, you both smell really good, and I can tell I’m close.”
Ranulf smiled. So, maybe she didn’t know what was going on.
They continued to eat, mostly in silence, and toward the end of their meal, Raven’s eyes were barely staying open.
“I think it’s time you went back to bed,” Ranulf told her.
“Yeah. My sleeping pill has definitely not worn off yet.”
Chase began gathering the plates and silverware. “Since Ranulf cooked, I will clean up.”
“Thanks. I don’t want to worry about a mess later.” She pushed herself up and wobbled, prompting Ranulf to sprint over to her side.
“Let me help you to bed.”
She put her arm around his shoulders. “Thanks. And thanks for breakfast. I do feel better.”
“Happy to help,” he said as he led her down the hall.
When they made it to her bed, Raven fell onto her mattress but didn’t remove her arm, so she took Ranulf down with her.
She started to giggle. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s perfectly fine.”
She made no move to let him go and buried her nose in his neck. “Why do you have to smell so good? Like the grass after it’s rained.”
“I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I know. Mother N
ature’s way of ensuring the next generation is born.” She released him and rolled away as her eyes closed. “Now, you and Chase had better get out of here before I jump the both of you.”
“You mean, fall asleep on us?”
A small smile passed over her lips. “You’re funny. I thought Chase was the funny one.”
“Baby girl, you are literally falling asleep on me as we speak.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he winced. “I’m sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Don’t tell Ranulf and Chase, but I actually like when they call me that.”
Ranulf’s eyebrows flew up at her words. This was news since she had just said not to call her that. But the fact that she had clearly forgotten she was talking to him made him think that she was telling the truth now.
“Why did you tell him to stop earlier?” he asked, referring to himself in the third person.
“They make me want things I can’t have.”
He slowly sat up, so he could look into her face better. “What does that mean?”
Her breathing had deepened. She had fallen asleep, leaving him wondering what the hell she had meant by that.
Nine
“I can sleep in the same room as Demi.” Siya looked over at her friend, only to find Demi wincing, and she already knew what the answer was going to be.
She’d gotten to the bunkhouse about fifteen minutes earlier, and it was suddenly a debate about where she was going to sleep. Everyone expected her to sleep in the same room as Ram, like she had the last time she stayed there. Only Demi knew why she wouldn’t want to.
With the room full of cat-shifters, she wasn’t about to say what the problem was out loud.
Saxon laughed for all of two seconds, and then his face went hard. “No one sleeps in the same bedroom as my mate but me.”
If Siya didn’t know him, she would be scared. She did know him, and she was still a little scared. But the alternative was worse. “Saxon, I’m not going to steal Demi from you. I knew her way before you did, and if I wanted her to be mine, she would be.”
Forbidden Hunger (Forbidden #8): Siya & Ram Page 4