Southern Shifters: Purred Promises (Kindle Worlds Novella) (10 page)

“The older one is Levi
, my arranged mate’s father. The other two are from his chain.
”

“Why would they have come for you?” Veron asked.

“He was pissed when I chose exile over mating him after Marco died, but I had no reason to expect him to come after me
,” she said, leaning around Jair to look at the males. “Are they dead?”

Bhric nodded.

She sagged against Jair, unable to stop t
rembling. “Why would they come?”
she whispered.

“The better question is,
what do we do with the bodies?” Veron asked.

“I’ll handle it,” Bhric
said. “Get your mate home
, Jair
. I’ll send some patrols out to make sure they were alone and to get rid of any trace of them.”

“Thank you,” Jair said, as he lifted Genesis into his arms. “Thank you all.”

“We’re family,” Veron said. “You look out for family. I’m just glad that we were at the bar when it happened, and that
Felix
happened to be out roaming. You’re a ways from home.
Let me drive you back.”

Grateful for her mate’s friends and family, she held on tight to Jair
. He carried her to
Veron
’s SUV and settled her on his lap in the second row.
Felix
promised to check in on them later. “I’m going to see if
Bhric needs help.”

“Thanks,” Jair said.

Felix nodded.
“You bet.
Don’t worry about work tomorrow. Even if you are perfectly healthy, it’s a trauma
,
and I know you won’t want to be separated. I’ll see you the day after. No excuses.
”

After Felix shut the door, Veron drove them home, and when he’d parked in front of the house he said, “Do you two need me to find someone with medical training?”

Jair looked at her and she said, “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” he said. Then he turned his attention to Veron and said, “
Thanks, Dad.”

Genesis didn’t miss the look of surprised pleasure that passed over Veron’s face. “Take care of each other.”

Genesis opened the door and slid off of Jair’s la
p onto the grass. She shivered
despite the heat.
Jair spoke quietly to
Veron
and then shut the door.
Her mate
gathered her against him in a tight hug and said, “Are you sure you’re okay? You were unconscious for about a half hour.”

“Shifting helped. I just…wish I knew why
Levi came for me.”

“Asking your dad is out of the question,” Jair said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Mona can get in touch with Geraldine. I’ll call her and ask her to discreetly reach out.”

“Let’s do that, and then I need to get you into a nice, hot bath.”

She arched a brow. “Seriously? We were just assaulted on a run through the woods and you want to take a bath together?”

He snorted, lifting her into his arms and heading to the house. “I am definitely always thinking of ways to get you into bed, sweetheart, but right now we both smell like sulfur and dirt. I’m personally exhausted as hell, and the only thing I want to do is get clean, make sure you’re
really
okay, and then hold you all night. Does that sound okay?”

“It sounds perfect.”

* * *

Genesis woke to the sound of low voices. She was alone in bed, and sunlight peeked around the edges of the blinds. Glancing around for a clock, she found one
on
Jair’s nightstand and saw it was after nine in the morning. Jair had made good on his promise to get her into a hot bath
after she called Mona, and then once
they’d washed each other and made sure they were uninjured, they’d tumbled into bed and promptly fallen asleep. It was the first night since they’d been together that they hadn’t made love, but she hadn’t actually cared about that. They were safe and together, and nothing was sweeter than Jair’s breath on her neck as he held her close.

She slipped from the bed, tugged on a pair of leggings and a long shirt,
and headed out to see who Jair was talking to. She found Mona, Dillon, Veron, and Felix sitting in the family room. Mona stood and hurried to Genesis, hugging her tightly.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, really. Thank you.”

Mona peered at her suspiciously and then nodded. “Okay. I sent a message to Geraldin
e after you called
. She got back to me this morning. Here’s her note.”

Mona turned her phone to face Genesis and she could see a text message on the screen:

K and Levi
got into big fight after G left.
L
said she shouldn’t have had choice in the matter. K banished him from our territory.
L
swore retribution. Clearly
L
meant he was going to get G. I’m thankful G is safe and glad
L
is dead. Will alert you if I hear more. Give G my love.

Genesis’s eyes stung with tears. Jair moved to her, wrapping his arms around her. “Sorry
, sweetheart.”

“How do you get in touch with her? Is it just texting? Can I send her a note?”

She shook her head. “It’s not really texting. I send a message to her through a chain of people that we know and she sends it back that way. I said it was urgent. Normally our messages take a week or better to get back and forth. I can send a note back from you, though, if you want.”

“I’d like that.” She turned against Jair and closed her eyes, thinking about Geraldine.

“It’s good news,” Veron said from the couch. “It means your father didn’t send that asshole to get you.
Your father was angry enough with him to sever their contact and exile the chain from his territory.”

Felix nodded. “You were the retribution, clearly, so it’s a good thing he didn’t get away with you.”

Jair’s body tensed, and she knew he harbored guilt over her being nearly taken.

“Hon, put your note in here to Gerry,” Mona said after clearing her throat.

Genesis took the phone from her and brushed the tears from her cheeks before typing,
Miss you so much. Have found other half of my heart. Love you. G.

Jair’s wolfy purr vibrated against her side,
and she handed the phone to Mona and looked up at him. “You are.”

“You’re mine, too,” he said.

“How about some breakfast? I brought provisions,” Mona said after pressing a few buttons on her phone and then tucking it into her back pocket.

“Sounds great. Can I help?” Genesis asked. Jair’s arms tightened around her
, and she looked up at him as he made a face at Mona.

“That’s okay, Dillon will help,” Mona said with a chuckle.

“I will?” Dillon asked.

Mona just
stared at her mate with an inscrutable look. He did nothing for a moment
,
and then sighed loudly as he stood. “Yes, dear.”

“Wow, teach me that,” Genesis said under her breath.

“Thanks a lot,” Jair said.

Dillon laughed as he passed them and followed his mate into the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,”
Jair said, turning her to face him completely. “I’m sorry I wasn’t aware of the danger. I failed
, and I don’t know how to make it up to you.”

“I don’t think you failed,” she said.

“If Felix hadn’t been roaming, by the time I came
to you would have been gone. My senses wer
e obliterated by the explosion;
I wouldn’t have been able to find your scent to track you.
Felix and Veron killed your abductors while I lay there unconscious.”

“You shielded me from the blast,” she pointed out.

She felt the growl in his chest and
knew that he was struggling with guilt and anger. She was angry herself that the male had come for her, planning to do who
knew
what once he took her. He’d known just where they were, and she didn’t think it was a guess, so she suspected he’d been watching them
while they were unaware.

She stared into her mate’s eyes, seeing the war within the blue and green depths.

“I forgive you,” she whispered. “Because I love you and I feel safe with you. Nothing has changed for me since we left this house to shift. You’re still my mate, you’re still the one perfect male on the planet for me. If you want to make it up to me, then you have to forgive yourself.
”

His eyes brightened with emotion and he crushed his mouth against hers, sliding one hand into her hair and angling her head to deepen the kiss. The blood rushed in her ears as her cat made happy purring noises and rolled under her skin. As soon as possible, she wanted to go out in their shifts again, to see her mate’s pretty fur and to watch him stalk through the woods like the predator he was.

They both seemed to remember at the same time that they weren’t alone, ending the kiss all too soon.

“Thank you,” he murmured, easing his bruising hold on her.

She slid her arms around his neck and hugged herself closer. “For what?”

“For everything.”

Any seriousness left in the moment disappeared when Mona called from the kitchen, “If you’re done molesting each other, breakfast is ready.”

She and Jair both laughed and hugged each other once more before heading for the kitchen, with Veron and Felix close behind. Jair pulled her chair out for her and then took his seat next to her, keeping one arm around the back of the chair. She wasn’t surprised he fel
t
the need to be close to her. After nearly losing him, she was feeling
the same way
. Dropping her hand to his thigh, she squeezed lightly and smiled at him.

“It’s going to be a good day.”

“Oh?” He placed his other hand on top of hers. “How can you tell?”

Glancing out the kitchen window, she saw the beautiful blue sky and the sunshine
. “The sun is
shining
, we’re together, and someone else made breakfast. That’s the trifecta to start a good day.”

He kissed her briefly, and grinned. “Let’s start every day that way.”

“Um, no,” Mona said, the metal spoon she wielded clanging in the large bowl of scrambled eggs. “You two can make your own breakfasts from now on. I’m no short
-order cook.”

Genesis laughed. “Two out of three isn’t bad.”

Chapter 11

Jair hated work. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He didn’t mind hauling wheelbarrows full of rocks, dirt, and plants, spending hours placing pavers in intricate patterns, or digging holes in hard ground. What he hated was being away from Genesis. Even after two weeks together, he
dreaded the moment his alarm went off, resenting the buzzing that snatched him from his mate’s warm embrace.

Cody, one of the crew members, stopped next to Jair and looked down at the
sidewalk he was laying. “When are we going to work on your place?”

“Hmm?”

“Girls like pretty yards, right? Your place is a bachelor pad, inside and out.”

He brushed the dust from his hands on his jeans and stood. “It’s not so much on the inside anymore. She came home from shopping with Mona a few days ago
, and the bedroom is now a color she refers to as ‘powder blue.’”

Cody chuckled. “I’m sure it
’s no hardship to give your mate what she wants.”

It was true. She could have wanted to paint pink roses all over the exterior and he’d have been happy to hold the paint bucket. To say that he would do anything to make her smile was an understatement.

“It’s hard to even describe, but I can’t imagine not giving her everything she wants, even though she never asks for more than my love.”

Cody made a face. “I feel like I’m living in a romance novel.”

Jair laughed and clapped his friend on the sho
ulder. “When you find your
mate, you’ll do anything to make her happy, too.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Cody said as he walked away, shaking his head.

Pulling his cell from his pocket, Jair texted Genesis.

Miss you
.

A brief moment passed and she replied,
Miss you too, xxoo

* * *

Jair sat on the bed and waited for Genesis to finish getting ready. When he’d come home after work and asked if she wanted to go up to the bar for a bit, she’d jumped at the chance. He was content to stay home with her, but he didn’t want her to feel like she never got to leave the house.

She walked out of the bathroom, her hips swaying provocatively as she moved to him. Her eyes were bright with happiness
, and the subtle rumble of her cat’s purr made his fangs tingle in his gums and parts south turn rock-hard
. Her sweet scent washed over him as she moved between his legs, sliding her hands into his hair and lowering her head to kiss him.

He grasped her hips, where her low-riding jeans accentuated
the curves he loved so much. She
’
d paired the jeans with a t-shirt tied at the side to reveal the smooth expanse of her stomach. He pushed his hands up her sides, gathering the shirt in the process.

She twisted away with a laugh. “Your hands are dangerous.”

“I can’t get enough of you.”

She bit her bottom lip and then smiled. “Waiting a little will make it hotter.”

“Says who?
” He reached for her
, and she jumped back with a giggle.

“Come on. Take me out. Let me show off my sexy mate.”

“I’m the one who’s showing off.”