FavoriteObsession (31 page)

Josh sat in the middle of nowhere and tried to connect with
Mira. Deep, controlled breaths slowed his heart. He conjured her face and let
his love for her consume him. Minutes passed before the first whiff of spring
rain drifted on the unnatural breeze that whipped strands of black mist around
him. He stretched his psyche out, latched on to her scent and followed it back
to the woman he loved.

Her sadness washed over him first, followed by defeat. She
was giving up. His heart rate kicked up. No. She couldn’t stop fighting. They’d
finally made their own rules.

Mira!
He let his mind sink deeper into hers.
Kitten,
it’s me. Open up and reach for me.

Instead of her rich voice, chirping birds echoed in his
ears. The world brightened. Hundreds of shades of red and purple streaked
across the midnight sky. Grass spread out from where he sat in a roaring rush
of growth that shook the ground. Trees rose out of the quickly developing
landscape. The sounds of a gurgling stream and the singing of cicadas offered a
natural symphony to the quiet world.

He swept his gaze over the area and focused on the swing
that hung from a thick branch near the soothing water. Mira sat there dressed
in black track pants and a gray t-shirt three sizes too big—the same outfit
she’d worn the day she’d licked his wounds.

“Mira.”

She swung her head. Her eyes widened. “Josh?”

She jumped from the seat and ran toward him. He met her
halfway and wrapped his arms around her solid, warm and familiar body. “My kitten.”

“This isn’t just a dream.” She skimmed her fingertips up his
spine. “You’re really here. How is this possible? You died.”

“I came here to heal. I’m your mate, the one the goddess
allowed you to choose, and this realm belongs to us and our children. It’s our
refuge.”

She sucked in a rough breath and leaned back. “Our
children?”

He reached between them and placed his palm over her lower
belly. “Hybrids. They’ll be immortal and tied to this realm the same as I am.”

“I’m pregnant?”

“Yeah, with triplets. Two boys and a girl.”

A small smile graced her mouth. She covered his hand with
trembling fingers. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to his. Stark terror
flared in her wide eyes. “Please, Josh, you need to save us. The lion shifter
on the Council, Rosco, will be arriving soon to mate me.” Tears welled in her
eyes. “They used jagged bindings so I can’t fight him. If I do, I’ll die.”

His heart raced. He forced the fear aside before it consumed
him. “Where are you?”

“I don’t know exactly. I was unconscious but Abby said from
the glimpses she got she thinks they’d driven toward Snyder’s farm.”

The neglected farmland bordered Zeb’s property. He ran his
hands over her arms, hoping to soothe her. “Okay, baby. I’m coming.”

“Josh?” She waited until he met her eyes. “I don’t know if
I’ll be able to stop my cats from emerging. They understand the threat but
sometimes instincts overrule intellect. They’ll want to protect me from being
raped.”

“Don’t let them.” He held her face between his hands. “You
need to fight for us and our babies.”

“But—”

“No buts. I will come for you. I promise you, kitten.
Remember, he can’t mate you and if he…” Josh swallowed hard. The colors in the
world around them dimmed. He ignored the washed-out haze and focused on Mira’s
agonized expression. “If he rapes you, come here. I’m your path to reach this
realm. Reach for your link to me and will yourself to fade here. You
understand?”

Her tears spilled over. She nodded but he felt her doubt
resonate along their bond.

“Don’t.” He gave her a little shake. “Live for me, Mira. No
matter what. You live for me.”

The world faded around them, but they held each other’s gaze
until the last possible moment. “I’ll try, Josh. I’ll try.”

He slammed back into his physical body and woke choking on
chocolate-flavored blood. He yanked the royal’s wrist out of his mouth and
blinked Devin’s concerned eyes into focus.

“Mira.” Josh coughed. “Need to save her.”

“Josh!” Jazz’s tear-stained face replaced Devin’s. “My god,
we thought you’d died. You heart stopped and—”

“I’m fine. I’ll explain later.” He jumped up and ran for the
nearest car.

Devin jumped in his path. “No, explain now.”

“You were right. I was blessed but it won’t do me much good
if I lose the woman I love. Let’s go save her. I’ll explain the rest on the way.”

He didn’t want to waste any more time. Mira had said she’d
try to live but it sure as hell sounded like goodbye to him.

* * * * *

Josh sat in the passenger seat of Devin’s car with his hands
balled into fists to hide the tips of his sharpened nails. Devin had noticed
them but hadn’t commented. Ella who sat in the back would’ve if she’d seen
them. Josh didn’t want to deal with her questions at the moment. It was taking
all of his concentration to keep his inner animals under control. The predators
he housed were afraid for Mira. Like the animals they were, they wanted to
eliminate the threat to her. The only problem—their version of protection would
kill him.

He reminded them for the hundredth time that they couldn’t
emerge in the human world. Their rage drowned out his placating words.

Dammit, the goddess had to give him stubborn cats, didn’t
she?

“Look,” Ella said.

He glanced out the windshield. A dozen fully shifted lions
waited in the overgrown grass outside the dilapidated home.

“They’re from Jeremiah’s pride,” Devin said.

The name stirred the rage simmering in Josh’s gut. Jeremiah,
the lion shifter who’d arranged for Molly to be kidnapped, had disappeared
along with his pride when Shifter Affairs had started investigating Molly’s
botched abduction and the murder of Lena’s parents.

He let the fury consume him and poured it into his inner
spirits along with the promise that he’d stop Jeremiah from hurting Mira but
they had to trust him. Josh’s tiger was the first to concede. The other two
followed suit. Their determination flowed along the tether linking them to him.
The emotion resonated into an understanding. They’d help him too. They sent him
flashes of images—him with claws and fangs, him running faster than a normal
human ever could. Josh breathed a sigh. He’d won the battle with them.
Now
to secure the next.

Josh peered over his shoulder and captured his cousin’s
gaze. “They die. Do you understand, cuz? They’re going to die. Pride law rules
here, not yours.”

Ella leaned forward in her seat. “Oh yeah, Josh, they’re
going to die.” She patted her holster. “I might not have fangs but Shifter
Affairs told me a bullet between the eyes or in their heart will work just as
well on those single-shifter bastards.”

Josh nodded at the second small victory. One more and he’d
have his kitten back.

He opened the car door and ran toward the house. A lion
charged him. He let his claws extend and slashed the deadly nails across the
animal’s neck. Blood arced, but the wound didn’t slow it down. It roared and
lunged at him. Josh shoved the shifter back. It stumbled under the force of his
push, but the big predator rose on its hind legs and snapped its teeth. Josh
ducked to avoid the bite and rolled. The lion followed. He waited until it
reared over him then reached up and fisted its throat. A rough yank and its
garbled growl ended in silence. He bent his legs and knocked its lifeless body
away.

The sounds of fighting and gunshots surrounded him. Worry
rose for Ella and the Shifter Affairs members behind him, but he resisted the
urge to turn around. Devin would protect his cousin and the others were trained
to deal with shifters. Josh had to find and rescue Mira before it was too late.

He stopped with his foot on the porch of the old house. A
scream rang out followed by a shrill shriek. He swung his head in the direction
of the barn.

Mira.

He pivoted on his heel and ran.

* * * * *

Blood dripped from around the chains holding Mira immobile.
Another cry reverberated in her ears. She glanced toward where Abby lay balled
on the floor. Rosco kicked her again. The sound of bone breaking added to
Abby’s screech. Another kick and she fell silent.

“There. Now we won’t have any disruptions.” Brownish-yellow
eyes focused on Mira’s exposed chest before he raised them. “We do want our
first time to be special.”

Rosco yanked his shirt off and reached for the button of his
jeans. His erection sprang free. Her gaze zeroed in on the sight. Pre-cum
already leaked from the tip. Her breaths quickened.

“Do you like what you see?”

She flicked her gaze to his face. The lion shifter’s short
brown hair lengthened and darkened. His face thinned. The small smirk on it
turned into a leering grin.

Do you like how it feels, little whore? Next time your
cream will bathe it. You’ll want it, any way I give it to you
, Edmund’s
voiced echoed in her head.

Her cats roared. They slammed into her sternum, clawed at
her stomach. Her body jerked under the force of all three predators trying to
tear her apart.

No! She couldn’t let the memory surface. She squeezed her eyes
tight. A crack against her cheek popped her eyelids open. Rosco’s angry
features filled her vision.

“You shift, you die.”

And kill my unborn babes.
She snarled at her inner
cats and showed them the same image they’d given her—Josh rubbing her extended belly
with love in his eyes.

Her tigress conceded first. She backed up, fangs bared and a
growl tricking from her throat. The other two followed, but she got the
impression none of them were happy about it. She only prayed they’d obey her
when the worst part came.

Rosco stroked the skin he’d hit. “Good, now let’s get your
body ready for me.”

He skimmed his fingers down her neck to her upper chest. She
bit her lip. A whimper escaped. Tears rolled down her cheek. She didn’t have
the strength to hide the weaknesses. She was afraid for herself, but what
chilled her blood was the stark terror settling in her soul. If she couldn’t
keep her cats contained, the three innocent lives she and Josh had created
would never see the light of day.

Rosco grabbed her breast and squeezed. Pain whipped through
her. She choked back a cry and yanked on the metaphysical tethers linking her
to her inner animals. She held them back with sheer will alone and closed her
eyes on the sight of Rosco’s fingers manipulating her nipple. She curled around
her inner spirits and allowed her mind to fade into the darkened realm she
shared with Josh. Maybe it was the cowardly thing to do, but she’d promised
Josh she’d live for him.

Dammit, for her mate and their babes, she’d try. She only
hoped he’d be able to heal her broken mind when the violation to her body was
over.

* * * * *

Josh slammed his shoulder into the door. The wood cracked
and he stumbled inside. He swept his gaze over the room. Mira was chained
spread-eagle on a bare mattress with a faraway look on her face. A naked
shifter stood next to her, fondling her breast.

Josh leapt the distance between them. He knocked the bastard
away from her and followed him to the floor. The guy’s claws racked Josh’s
sides, but he snarled and returned the swipe. The man’s eyes widened. His gaze
dropped to his mouth. Josh used the man’s shock at seeing his fangs against
him. He gripped the shifter’s head and tore it from his body.

“Josh,” Abby slurred.

He looked at her. Her bloody and bruised body lay on the
floor.

“Sorry. So sorry. I was…a fool. Micah promised me he could
help me win your love. I didn’t believe him when he told me about…about the
shifters but he started giving me these drugs and I…and I,” she choked back a
sob, “I couldn’t resist him.”

“Don’t, Abby. Just don’t.” He swept his gaze over her. None
of her injuries looked life-threatening but she’d suffered. He sighed. “Stay
still. You’re going to be fine. Shifter Affairs will be here in a moment.
Okay?”

She nodded. He turned his back on her and jogged to the bed.
Mira remained unresponsive, her blank gaze on some distant spot on the wall.
Good. He wanted the bindings off her before she came around.

He studied the cuff. It reminded him of a prong collar, only
these tips were razor sharp. Blood oozed from each contact point on her
delicate skin. He examined it from every angle but couldn’t figure out how to
get it off without hurting her. He needed a key.

“Bastard had better have it.” He grabbed the shifter’s pants
from the pile of clothes on the floor and dug through the pockets. His fingers
met something smooth. He pulled out the small key. “Bingo.”

He unlocked the cuff on her neck first then repeated the
process until she was free. She remained limp the entire time.

He captured her face between his palms. “Kitten, come back
to me.” No response. He bent his head and kissed her. After a moment, she
groaned and met him, stroke for stroke.

She linked her arms around his neck. “Josh, you’re safe.”

“I’m safe. So are you. He didn’t—”

The door few open. He shoved Mira behind him. The
brown-haired shifter standing in the doorway held a shotgun. He pointed it at
them. “Get away from the female, human.”

Josh tensed. He surveyed the distance between him and the
threat to Mira. A bullet probably wouldn’t kill her, but he didn’t want her
hurt any more. His instincts demanded he protect her. He firmed his hold on
Mira’s tense body. “Put the gun down. Shifter Affairs is outside. You won’t get
away.”

The guy grinned. “I don’t need to escape. Once I mate the
royal, they won’t kill me.”

“You can’t bind her to you. She’s…” Movement out of the
corner of his eye stopped his words. He cursed inwardly. Abby held a jagged
slat of wood in her hands. She crawled toward the doorway.