Healing Their Mate (The Love of a Shifter) (6 page)

“
Give me my mate,” Jonas huffed. 

Reece turned around and stared at the wolf. 
“Mate?  Shit, she is my mate too.” 

Larken laughed aloud. 
“Wow.  Now this is going to be interesting.”  Ash hit Larken on the arm.  “Ouch, Ash.  Baby, why did you do that.” 

Ash just ignored her mate and his comment.  He must have forgotten how they met. 

Larsen continued to hold River up in his arms.  “Bring her over here and lay her down on the floor in front of the fireplace.  When she wakes up, you both need to be over there.  She is scared to death right now.  I mean damn it, guys, didn’t you see the girl shaking like a leaf falling from the tree?  Let her get used to the fact we’re shifters and vampires before you go telling her that you both are her mates.” 

Jonas and Reece didn
’t want to walk away from her but they knew they had to do this so she would get used to them.

Larsen laid River on the floor and Ash sat beside her as she rubbed her hand.  River could feel how warm her body was.  She thought she must be dreaming, but reality slammed into her as she jerked her eyes open, blinking, then looking around her.  Ash was the only one sitting with her. 

“
What happened?  Where did the vampire go?” River whispered.

“
You fainted again.”  River tried to sit up, but Ash told her to lie there for a few minutes before she sat up. 

“
Listen!  Look at me, River.”  Ash waited until River focused on her.  “I want you to know that nobody is going to hurt you.  I didn’t know until two years ago that I was part shifter—Tiger to be exact—and part vampire.”  The look River gave Ash was pure comedy.  Her eyes widened as Ash explained she was also part vampire.  “It was a shock to me and a lot to get used to.  So I understand that it must be a real shocker to you too.  But you are different too, River.  You can see shifter’s animals inside of us and nobody can do that.  Not even me,” Ash explained.

“
I thought I was crazy.  I tried to ignore it but when the Sheriff walked toward me he was more animalistic then a normal human.”  River cleared her throat, hoping she just didn’t piss off the hybrid. 

“
Well I have to agree with you there that he is more animal than man.”  Ash looked up at Larsen and winked.

 
“I watch everything and everyone now.  I can’t let them find me…I can smell the vampire, but not in you.  All I see is your tiger,” River suggested to Ash as she started to get up.

“
Who is after you?” Reece and Jonas asked at the same time.  They were tired of waiting.  They wanted answers to who was after their mate.  

Ash looked over at the two men and frowned at them for bringing her attention to them again.  River shakily got up with Ash
’s help.  Ash pulled a chair over to her and told River to sit down in front of the fire.  Larken pulled another chair out and placed it in front of the fireplace for Ash to sit in. 

“
Thanks, baby.”  Ash loved her mates and how patient they were and how they loved to protect people. 

River continued to pe
ek back at Reece and Jonas to make sure they weren’t moving toward her.  Why was she attracted to them? 
I’m just crazy.  Yep, I attract the crazies.
  Jonas smiled back at her then winked.  River blushed immensely then looked over at Ash.  She pointed at Jonas, “H-he just winked at me.” 

Ash laughed aloud. 
“Yeah, he does that to people he likes so I guess he has taken a liken to you, but he would cut off his own arm before he ever hurt you.”  River glanced back at Jonas who winked at her again.  The vampire just stared at her.  But even now her body was doing funny things to her.  She was attracted to the two men and they made her feel even more fear.  She couldn’t allow anyone, especially a vampire or shifter, to get near her like Paddock did. 
What was going on in her life?  Why does this always happen to me,
River shouted in her head.

“
Tell me about the vampires you are scared of,” Ash asked. 

River didn
’t know if she should tell them anything but for some reason she felt safe with Ash and the Sheriff.  She took a deep breath then explained how she met Paddock and how he was so nice to her.  “It was Jacky Boy who saved my life.  I would have ended up like that man I heard screaming in the basement.  I have never heard anything like that.  I was so scared, but Jacky Boy got me away from Paddock. 

“
Did you say Paddock as in Paddock Reed?” Reece asked harshly.

River
’s breathing started accelerating as she nodded yes to Reece.  “Damn it.”  Reece got up and started pacing.  River immediately jumped up and stood behind her chair.  She needed something in between her and the vampire in case he tried to get to her
.  I wonder if I could break this chair and use it as a stake.  

Ash asked,
“What is it, Reece?  Who is this Paddock Reed?”

Bending over taking in deep breaths, Reece tried to calm down to tell Ash how he knew Paddock Reed. 

“Well as Jonas would say, he is bat shit crazy.  I met Paddock twenty-five years ago.  He helped my father hunt down your parents.”  Ash jumped up.  “What…who hunted my parents down?  I thought your father killed them?” 

“
He did, but he had help finding them with Paddock Reed.  He wanted to be my father’s second in command and he thought by hunting his daughter down would help him bypass me.  But when I found out and killed my father, Paddock ran like the gutless vampire he is.  When I find him, I will kill him.  So don’t you worry about him, River.  I will protect you,” Reece commanded. 

“
You mean we will protect her,” Jonas challenged.  Reece looked over at Jonas realizing that he would have to share a mate with Jonas—a werewolf. 

Tensing up as they spoke, River watched the interaction between the vampire and werewolf. 
Why were they so interested in me?  If they continued to stare at me like that, I’m going…what are you going to do?  You haven’t run yet.  Stupid!

“
River, please continue with your story.”  Ash patted her hand, bringing her back to her storytelling.  River explained about the man screaming in the basement then about vampires coming into the places she worked asking if they knew her.  “What about the murders in the newspaper clippings you had?” Ash asked.

River looked up shocked. 
“You went through my pocketbook?” 

Ash smiled. 
“Yes, River, I did.  I knew you were hiding something and I needed to know if we could trust you.  The job you will be doing is very sensitive and nobody can know who we are or what we are doing.  So I had to make sure.  I had a feeling that I could trust you, but I had to be sure.” 

Good God the woman hacked her
pocketbook and took her stuff.  “What have I gotten myself into,” River muttered, she couldn’t blame Ash for checking her out.  She might have done the same thing if she was in her shoes.

“
River, what is it about the newspaper clippings?” Larken asked, bringing her attention back to the newspaper clippings.

“
I knew those women who were murdered.  I…I worked with them and they were murdered because of me.”  Tears pooled in River’s eyes as she inhaled sharply.  Thinking about the women who died because they helped her out brought all kinds of emotions she couldn’t control anymore.  She glanced back at Jonas and Reece.  All she seemed to do was cry and pass out in front of these people.  Her emotions were becoming more intense as she got to know them.  River wanted to hit something.  All the anger toward Paddock, the life on the run, and the poor women who were killed because of her was taking a toll on River.  She knew she was a strong woman, but when was enough enough. 

Jonas wanted to go over to his mate and console her, but he couldn
’t touch her right now.  She was too spooked and would only run from him.  ‘
Run,
’ his wolf said.  Jonas’s wolf loved to chase and who better to chase than his mate.  By the looks of her clothes, River had been running a long time.  Jonas would make sure she didn’t run from him.   

“
I…the last woman in the Branberry newspaper was the woman who lied to the vampire who came in asking if I worked there.  I was picking up my check in the back and overheard the man asking about me so I ran out the back door and left the area.  Later I got on the Internet and found out that Merissa had been killed.  Her blood had been drained from her body.” 

Ash leaned forward and patted River on the hand. 
“How long have you been running, River?” Ash asked, concerned.

“
A year and five days,” River admitted.  All the men looked down, shaking their heads.

Reece started fuming knowing Paddock almost had his mate and would bleed her dry when he got the chance.  There was a reason he wanted her.  Reece needed to find out what it was about her that made Paddock want her so much that he would kill anyone who stood in his way.

“You said this Jacky Boy helped you escape and he told you Paddock wanted you for your blood?” 

River nodded then shook the frightened look away from the gorgeous vampire. 
“He said my blood called to him.  Jacky told me that my blood would make him stronger.  Jacky Boy was scared of Paddock.  They made fun of him and used him as a punching bag he said most of the time.  He was turned when he was seventeen years old.” 

Reece got up again pacing the floor.  They could see the anger in him as he paced. 
“Stronger?” Reece’s voice got higher as he asked again.  “He said stronger?”  Reece had to remember she was scared.  He wanted answers but she was talking so Reece let her keep talking.  He would come back to the stronger comment later.

“
What else can you see, River?” Larken asked.

Looking over at Larken, River shyly spoke. 
“You are a wolf.  I can see it sitting inside you and he is a vampire.”  River pointed at Reece.

“
How did you know that I was a vampire?” Reece asked as he stopped and stared at River.  This woman intrigued him without even knowing how she was affecting him. 

“
I can smell your scent.  You smell sweet like fresh gooey bread covered in syrup,” River explained as she looked back and forth between Reece and Jonas.  Reece grinned at the description she gave. 

Larken and Larsen loved this.  Now Reece and Jonas would get a taste of their own medicine.  They would have to work together to capture this skittish woman and they knew this was going to be a fight too.  Laughing to themselves, they watched as Jonas and Reece tried to make her like them. 

“Have you seen other people with animals inside them?” Larken asked.  He, too, was intrigued by River’s abilities.  She had more powers, he knew it.  “What else can you do?”

“
Well, I knew Mary had cancer in her stomach.  I could see it,” River informed Larken as she watched the surprised look come on his face.

“
Who is Mary?” Jonas asked, bringing her eyes back on him.  He wanted her talking to him not Larken. 

“
I bet she is a healer too,” Larken blurted out.  He knew she was special but her powers could be more then she even knew.

“
Mary…”  River smiled as she spoke of who Mary was to her.  “Mary is my mother.  Well the only mother I’ve ever had.  She is the only person who is family to me,” River whispered.

Ash could see how lonely River had been. 

“Have you ever tried to heal someone or thought that if you laid your hands on them then you could heal them?” Larken asked as River turned toward him.  Larken acted like a kid in a toy store and River was his new toy.  He was fascinated by River and wanted to know what all she could do. 

River
’s mouth was hanging open as she heard what he asked.  She was afraid to say yes but she did feel like that.  How could he know that?  “Can you read my mind?” River asked Larken. 

“
No but I have a feeling about you and I think you haven’t found out exactly what all you can do.  I think you can do more than anyone,” Larken replied. 

She was always too scared that people would think she was a freak if she asked to put her hands on them.  Like the preachers on TV would do and act like they healed someone.  Passing the tip jar around to the congregation.  River was always different but bringing attention to herself was not going to happen.

They waited for River to answer.  She felt like a freak now but she knew they would be able to tell she was lying.  “Yes, I have, but I didn’t want people to think I was a freak for asking to put my hands on anyone.”  River’s smile vanished as she spoke.  Her eyes narrowed as she spoke to Larken.  She never wanted people to feel sorry for her or treat her like she was a freak for asking to heal someone. 

Jonas and Reece were getting impatient sitting on the other side of the room away from River.  They wanted to touch her, be with her.  Jonas got up and walked toward River.  He bent down in front of her.  He could see the fear in her eyes when he approached her.   

“I just want to touch you.  I know you don’t understand this but I’m your mate.” 

Reece ran up to her and kneeled in front of her too. 
“I’m your mate too,” Reece added. 

River just about jumped into the fire trying to escape the two men.  She jumped as the two men kneeled before her.  Her body shook as she frowned down at them.  The fear that had resided had returned full force. 

“What…what is a mate?” River bellowed out as she looked at Ash for help.  Reece and Jonas leaned forward as her scent penetrated their senses.

Her eyes widened as she glared at the men who continued to move closer to her. 
“Please…back off.  Back off now, and I mean now,” River growled the words as she shook from the closeness of the men.  She didn’t like how her body was acting toward them.  She wanted to touch them too. 
What the fuck, River?  Get it together.

Jonas hated doing it but they inched back to give her some space.  Not a lot because he couldn
’t stand being too far away from her.  He could see her hands tighten on the chair as it creaked from the death grip she had on it.  She needed time to sit and think this over.  He knew he should give her time, but Jonas didn’t know if he could.  All he wanted to do was get close to her.  His body urged him to touch River and rub his scent all over her.  Mark her as his.  That way other shifters would know she was his.