Page 13 of Shifter’s Promise (Devourer of Magic)

Chapter

Ten

T he night was nearly over when the triplets took their leave.

We said our goodbyes in the living room, promising to meet again tomorrow.

They swore not to say a word of our conversation and I believed them.

Now that I could see the men behind the masks, I knew they weren’t bad men.

Stupid, childish men, yes. But bad people? Not entirely.

Once the door closed behind them, my father hovered speculatively for a long minute before finally excusing himself—only after making sure most of my wounds were healing properly.

With Leona’s promise to look after my injuries, he finally went upstairs, only looking back twice for my reassurance.

He was such a sweet father. I couldn’t begrudge him taking his time—especially in the state we’d shown up in.

I couldn’t imagine what he thought answering the door to the five of us, myself doused in blood, while the others were merely spattered with it.

If we hadn’t spoken so quickly, I was sure he would have attacked them. Thankfully, the trio got away unscathed. This time.

Left alone, our closeness felt more… intimate. Less of a comfort and more of a rising current. I clenched my thighs together and attempted to calm myself. I might be exhausted but my mind raced with all I had learned.

“I promised your father I’d take care of these.” Leona gently laid a hand on my stomach. Blood drenched the shirt wrapped around me. My wounds had stopped oozing my life fluid, but they hadn’t closed entirely. They’d heal faster once treated.

“A promise is a promise,” I joked in an attempt to hide my awkwardness.

Leona smiled knowingly, the curl of her luscious lips capturing my attention. How had I not noticed how full and pretty her lips were before? Or that freckles spattered her nose? Or the green flecks in her orange eyes?

The lioness stood first. She offered me her hand and I gladly took it. When she paused, I realized she had no idea where to find supplies.

“Follow me,” I said. Despite the buzzing beneath my skin, I squeezed her hand.

Her calloused palm mirrored my own. My thumb skated across the softer skin atop her hand before I gently tugged her after me.

Not wanting to disturb my father or Kara upstairs, I ushered her into the smaller downstairs bathroom on the opposite side of the hallway, directly across from the living room.

I pushed inside first, warmth rising to my face once again.

Oh Gods . This bathroom is so small!

It had no bath; only a toilet and sink alongside a cabinet of linens and medicine. With Leona’s broad form and heavy armor, there was even less space between us. She leaned her already unbuckled greatsword against the wall outside before squeezing in after me.

“Where can I find some cloths to clean your wounds?” Leona asked upon entering. Her brow set—all business. Gaze scanning the small area, she sought what she needed.

Once the door shut behind her, we could both maneuver in the small space, about a foot remaining between us.

I plucked the medical basket from the bottom of the cabinet before grabbing a handful of cloths and even a towel, just in case.

I’d barely set the items on the counter next to the sink when Leona flicked the tap on and began soaking one of the rags.

“Take a seat,” Leona instructed.

I glanced around the small space—not much room to sit—and finally slid onto the one remaining corner of counter space. Clutching the blood-crusted shirt around me I risked a look under my lashes at the tall female.

She craned over me with broad shoulders that rivalled my father’s, golden blonde locks falling in waves over one shoulder while the rest was shaved or braided back. Her orange eyes filled with focused determination, full lips pressing into a concentrated line.

Leona straightened as she wrung out the cloth before focusing back on me. She blinked as if seeing me for the first time. Her breath fled her lungs in a long sigh.

“I’m so glad you’re all right.” Her lips curled in a soft smile that sent my heart racing. A light flush filled her cheeks while heat flooded mine.

“Thanks to you,” I said. Though it was a fact, it also made my leopard ridiculously happy.

She’d been lounging, a satiated kitten in the back of my mind since Leona split our enemy in two and carried us in her arms. I couldn’t decide which was more attractive—the violence she showed in our protection or the care that came once I was safe.

“It was my pleasure.” Her voice dropped a little, a husky edge to it.

With her legs inches from my own and her towering form filling the space, I could no longer form words. Her citrus scent filled the enclosed room, making me nearly drunk on its sweetness.

Leona stepped forward, holding up the cloth. “May I?”

Her ask was entirely gentle, and yet it sent nerves shooting through my entire being. I opened and closed my lips several times before simply swallowing and nodding.

She smiled slyly, not making any quick moves as she reached for the shirt covering me.

My breaths came quicker with every gentle caress of her fingers.

She carefully pushed the shirt aside, tucking the tails of either side beneath my crossed arms so that I could retain my modesty.

Then she draped a towel across my lap—not that she could see much through the blood staining everything .

My entire body flamed as her fingers trailed across my belly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t follow you out right away,” she said, voice reverent enough to make me look up.

Her brows furrowed as she took in my wounds.

Her cheek twitched. A bite of cold had me hissing in a breath and looking down again.

She lightly pressed the damp cloth to the biggest, still healing stab wound just above my belly button.

Dark, dried blood crusted around the outside, signalling how deep the cut had been.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said finally. I swallowed around the lump forming in my throat. “You had triplets to guard anyway.” Though I tried to make it sound like a joke, it fell flat, even to my own ears.

Leona huffed softly. “Those idiots.”

I grinned. At least I wasn’t the only one who thought that. “They really are.”

“You have no idea.”

I raised my eyebrows. Was that gossip she had to share? Curiosity burned through me until my fingers itched, tapping along the edge of the counter.

“How long have you been their bodyguard?”

Leona continued her ministrations, making me wince with her next swipe. I tightened my stomach muscles in an attempt to lessen the pain but that only worsened it.

“About four years now. ”

This time my eyebrows shot into my hairline. “That long?”

“Mhm,” she hummed.

Come to think of it… “Why are you guarding jaguars anyway?”

It wasn’t exactly unheard of—beastkin intermixing.

But it was odd to have a lioness guarding three jaguar triplets.

None of them seemed to mind that she was twice as powerful.

While most men would sneer at a woman guarding them, the triplets had never appeared bothered by her presence—they might even respect her if I had to guess.

“It’s a long story,” Leona said, continuing to focus.

I scowled. I was hoping for more than that .

“A lioness walks into a den of jaguars… there has to be a good story there,” I tried again.

Orange eyes met mine for a brief second. “You really want to know?”

I tilted my head. “Of course.” Not only was she my mate, but she’d saved my life.

Her smile twisted ruefully. “I didn’t grow up with them,” she began.

My eyes widened slightly. Story time. I might be a twenty five year old woman, but I would never stop loving a good story.

Tales were some of our only entertainment among slaves.

Alone in our cages, we’d spend hours weaving stories.

Even when we found suitable ‘homes’, we’d tell our stories into the wee hours.

Spinning yarns was one of the few freedoms we had.

“I grew up with my father and later… my pride.” Ir ritation clouded her voice. Something was up with her pride. “But things weren’t… good there.”

I frowned. “Weren’t good… how?”

Leona sighed as she swiped at the blood covering my stomach. “The pride was okay but cowardly.”

Now I was even more confused.

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. Anyway, I ran away when I was a teenager, lived on the streets of Auroi for a time, until one day, Jeremiah found me.”

She lived on the streets while she had a whole pride out there?

What the hell had they done to her?

“I was a bit of a miscreant back then,” she admitted, pulling me back into her story.

“Always fighting, stealing… just generally causing trouble.” Leona’s smile melted my heart.

At least she remembered part of her childhood fondly.

Even if they had been days spent on the streets.

“One day, I took down this thief who tried to steal from my friend. I didn’t know it at the time, but Jeremiah was watching.

He approached me once the city guard took away the culprit and asked if I needed a place to stay. ”

Wow, that does not sound like the Jeremiah I know .

Did the man secretly have a heart?

“It took him a while to convince me, but once he showed me into Jaguar Clan, I was stuck.” Her smile told me it wasn’t a bad stuck. She’d finally found a reason to stay. “I met kids my own age, trained with the triplets and the rest of the guard. Before I knew it, a year went by. ”

Leona paused, her fingers brushing my skin. The soft touch had a shiver descending my spine. Lost in thought, she stared at my not-so bloody belly.

“And then?” There had to be a reason she stayed.

Returning to work, Leona cleared her throat. “And then I went to Ransa.”

I blinked in shock. “What?” I hadn’t been expecting that. Ransa, a kingdom of mostly human warriors, were known for their hand-to-hand combat and brutal displays of dominance. Strength alone ruled their people.