Page 85 of Shrouded in the Dark

“Why don’t we move back to our place and get food for everyone?” Jasper, the voice of reason, reached forward and brushed some hair out of my eyes. “I’d like to get a better look at your hand. It looks like it’s mending, but fuel will help it heal all the way.”

“Safer, too.” Seth moved and I was lifted up into his arms. I squeaked, my good arm instantly wrapping around his neck. “Does your car have room for us?” He glanced at Wyn.

Jasper moved around the bed to stand in front of us and started tucking the blanket that was covering me. My heart melted.

“Thanks.” I tried to offer a smile but a yawn broke out.

“Go to sleep, Becs.” His almond shaped eyes were gentle. “We’ll wake you up when we get there.”

I didn’t need any prompting. My head rested on Seth’s chest as my eyes closed and I sank back into the darkness.

* * *

Something delicious was being made. My nose twitched as consciousness returned. As I blinked awake, my arms stretched above my head as I curled my toes.

Looking around me, I was in the boys’ house. Specifically, the second floor game room where we’d played video games on the couch under several blankets. My head was in someone’s lap.

Axel stared down at me, his eyes tracked my movements before I brushed my good hands fingertips along his brow.

“Hi, big guy.” My voice sounded like a frog's croak. “Why so serious?”

That got me a small lip twitch. “We almost lost you, baby.” The pain in his voice stabbed through my heart. “We just got you and you died in front of me.” His shoulders curled as he leaned forward. He pressed his forehead to mine. “Don’t do that again.” Tears leaked from his closed eyes onto my cheeks.

Whatever that other presence was inside of me, it whined at me to comfort our mate. My arms went around his neck as I tilted my lips to meet his. It was the most natural move, I didn’t hesitate.

He froze against me, but only briefly. His hands moved. One gripped my cheek while the other wrapped around my hip as his tongue pressed into my mouth, touching mine in a brief cordial moment, before a growl rumbled from his chest, and he let loose.

Oh man. His tongue dominated my mouth, leaving me a whimpering mess. The other presence purred loudly. She wanted more. I opened my mouth further to Axel, letting him take over.

A groan came out of me as he pulled back, leaving just a breath between our lips. I looked up into his eyes that looked at me as if I were something precious.

“If you kiss me like that, I might have to.” My joke just made him shake his head and fell flat.

“I’ll kiss you whenever you want if you promise to not do that again.” He kissed my nose and my heart melted. “You taste better than honey.”

“Wait, is that really a thing with bears?” I giggled as Axel huffed above me. His fingers brushed some hair from my face.

“Who doesn’t like honey?” He pulled back, helping me sit up from his lap. He patted the top of my head. “You feel alright? Dizzy? Do you need any water?”

Taking stock, I ran a hand through my hair, snagging on tangles. My hair must look a mess, but I felt fine. Hungry. Really hungry. Other than that, I actually felt better physically than I had in a long while. Glancing down at my injured left hand, I blinked.

“I’m healed.” I brought my hand up to look at it, turning it every which way. There was only a faint pink scar from the middle of my forearm to my pinky finger. “This is really happening.” I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and blew it out. “I can feel something.” I pressed my hand to the middle of my chest, between my breasts. “Right here. There’s like this other being, or a person?” I looked over at Axel. “Is it what I think it is?”

Axel patted my head gently. “Yes, your animal. We all have the same thing with ours. Mine is a grumpy asshole most of the time.”

The being within me purred again. This time, I relaxed and opened up myself to it. It was weird, I hadn’t moved from where I sat, but I was suddenly in my center, facing a very large shadow that came into my line of sight.

Beautiful. My animal was huge. Her head came up to my shoulders. She was a tiger, then suddenly, a bear, only slightly smaller than Axel in his bear form. Then a black wolf with a white starburst on her face, and finally, a large fox with the fluffiest tail. She butted her head against my legs.

My fingers buried into her fur and her purr radiated through me. I could understand her without words. I knew what she wanted.

She wanted our mates. To claim them and mark them as ours.

“I want that, too, but you’re just going to have to be patient until I work all of this out in my head.” Staring into her cobalt eyes that matched mine should have been weird, but it wasn’t. “This is new to me, so please.”

She changed back into the stunning tiger. She agreed with me, rubbing her face against my shoulder right before my awareness left my center and I was back on the couch.

“Becca?” Axel waved a hand in front of my face. “You alright?”