you something.” The quiet female voice was
insistent.
She blinked her eyes to try to focus on the creature who
spoke to her. She replied slowly. “Omega bitch.”
A face came into her line of sight. “My name is Hallie. I
would prefer to call you something other than ‘Omega bitch’, though. Do you
mind if I call you ‘Jane’?”
Jane? The cat was giving her a real name? Her nod was again
almost imperceptible. The idea of having a real name made it hard to swallow. Why
are my eyes watering?
“You are in my home, Jane. Do you know who—and what—I am?”
She blinked rapidly. “A cat.”
“I am a Seronta leopard shifter, Jane. You are here as my
guest, but if you do anything to endanger my family I will tear your head off
without a second’s hesitation. Do you understand me?”
She swallowed tightly, her dry throat throbbing from Jock’s
abuse. The words came from her aching throat. “I…won’t…hurt your cubs.”
“The reason you are alive right now is because you didn’t
try to hurt my sons.” The voice was still soft but held a hint of steel.
“Jock wants to kill me,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Jock is the one who tore you up like this?”
“Yes.”
“Your wounds are healing but you are suffering from
malnutrition. You need to rest and eat. Can you swallow some broth?”
Her eyes flickered open again as she caught the
mouthwatering smell of something delicious. It was her instinct to shift to eat
but she was too weak. She felt hands lifting her and something soft being
shoved behind her shoulders. Then a hard, warm object was pressed against her
lips and she opened her mouth to bite down. Warm liquid dribbled into her mouth
and down her chin onto her chest.
“Don’t try to bite it. Just let the broth trickle into your
mouth and swallow. That’s it.”
She caught on quickly, as if the odd activity were somehow
familiar. She began to drink thirstily and the delicious salty liquid warmed
her belly. The meat at the bottom was ruined by heat but it still tasted good.
After a second try she didn’t allow a drop to escape her, and she smacked her
lips, licking the broth from her fingers as she wiped it from her chin and
chest.
“If you eat too much too fast, you’ll vomit. Just rest and
I’ll get you some more in a few minutes.”
She closed her eyes wearily, and then the small female who
called herself Hallie was gone and another presence was in the room with her.
It was hot…electric. She ran her tongue over her dry lips once more and cracked
her eyes open to see dark-gold eyes regarded her narrowly, and the sight of the
menacing dark shifter male in his human form made her give a yelp of terror and
scramble up from the soft nest she lay in. She tried valiantly to shift but
failed miserably. She didn’t care to die as her weaker human half. A sob of
frustration tore from her throat. “Kill me fast…” She clutched her arms over
her thin breasts and lowered her head, waiting for the mortal attack.
The deep, rough voice that answered her sent chills through
her ravaged body.
“I have no reason to kill you yet, little one. But I would
like to know more about you, since you lie in my house with my mate and
children within striking distance should you decide to revert to nature.”
“She’s harmless.” The golden male’s quietly assertive tones
brought her head up with a jerk to see him stepping into the room. Her pulse
exploded, and she gave a little whine of submission, lowering her eyes
respectfully from his gaze.
The dark one spoke firmly. “I’ll determine whether she’s
harmless, Cal.”
Cal? The golden male’s name was Cal? She rolled it around on
her tongue and savored it. It was a good, strong name. She liked it.
“I know neither Hallie nor you want her here with the boys,
so I will take her somewhere she will be safe until she heals.”
“And where might that be?”
“I’ll take her to the old Halleran place. I’ll make certain
she’s not a danger