Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) (23 page)

Every human changed differently. They’d
found that Nova would still for the first hour after a dose of pain
medicine, but the next three hours, she would scream and tense up
as the blood created a new life inside her. Winter’s muscles ached
from the constant hold he’d had on her strengthening body. With
each hour that passed, his mate was getting stronger.

He reluctantly released her and slid off the
bed, looking over his shoulder as he entered his bathroom just to
make sure she was okay. Mrs. Shaw had left a plastic tub, cloth,
and a bar of soap on the counter, but he had no desire to give his
mate a sponge bath. He was going to care for her completely. She
still hadn’t showered from her encounter with Perry and Winter
wanted that son of a bitch’s scent washed off of her skin.

He turned on the water in the large tub,
checking the temperature. It wasn’t too hot or too cold by the time
it was almost full. He set her shampoo and conditioner on the edge
of the tub and walked back into the bedroom. She wore his favorite
gray shirt, but it was stained with dirt and sweat. He stripped her
of the shirt and her pale pink panties, tossing them in the hamper
by the closet door. His lounge pants followed.

His panther rumbled as he lifted her
carefully from the bed, carrying her toward the awaiting bath. The
water was soothing to his own muscles as he nestled Nova against
his chest. She was so tiny curled up in his arms. His mating scent
was heavy in the air as it mixed with the steam from the bath.
After several minutes of just relaxing, he inhaled deep and finally
caught a bit of Nova’s natural scent.

“I love you, little one,” he whispered
against her hair as he moved the soapy cloth over her body. She
would occasionally twitch. Her eyes would flutter open, revealing
more blue and amber, but her stare was still glazed over. He knew
that she wasn’t seeing anything, but she could possibly hear
him.

“You are twelve hours in,” he told her,
using a cup to wet her hair. He continued to talk as he washed her,
informing her of everything he knew. He just hoped that his voice
soothed her as her body accepted his blood. “You are already
showing signs of advanced healing. Your cast was removed and I
haven’t left your side.”

He rinsed the conditioner from her hair and
toed the switch for the drain, only standing up once the water had
receded about halfway. He held Nova against his chest as he wrapped
a towel around her body. Once he had her in the bed, he used
another towel to wring out the excess water in her hair. He walked
back into the bathroom to get her brush, stopping off to grab
himself a clean pair of shorts.

When he returned, Winter spent the next
twenty minutes combing out her hair and praying the next two days
would fly by so he could have his mate back. He dressed her in
another one of his shirts and a clean pair of cotton shorts she
used to sleep in.

He settled down, holding Nova against his
chest, and closed his eyes, drifting off to a light sleep. Now,
they would spend their time waiting for the moments when the
medicine would wear off and they would start all over again.

An ear shattering scream echoed throughout
the house as Nova’s body twisted in agony. Winter jerked awake, his
arms circling his mate to hold her still. There was no need to call
out for the healer, because he would’ve heard the scream from his
own cabin across the property.

The door opened and Winter rolled slightly
to see who had entered. Savage, Booth, and Dane were sitting
outside the door. Winter nodded as the healer closed the door,
shutting out his brothers who were there guarding him and his mate.
Or were they there to come take him away when he snapped?

Harold injected Nova again and reached for
his stethoscope. Winter held her still while the healer listen to
her heart between the shouts of pain. It took about ten minutes for
the spasms to slow and her breathing to even out.

“She’s doing fine. She actually held out a
little over two hours before the pain returned,” Harold explained,
returning his things to his bag. “I’m worried about you, son.”

“I’m fine,” Winter snapped.

“You need to eat,” the healer replied. “If
you get weak, you won’t be able to protect her from herself as she
grows stronger. You know this.”

“I know,” he sighed.

“The females have made a huge lunch,” he
stated, not giving Winter a chance to argue. “Is there a Guardian
you’d like to sit with her until you return?” The thought of
another male in the room with his mate sent his panther into a
snarling frenzy, knowing that they would have to touch her if she
started thrashing around in pain again.

“I can leave a pair of my gloves if you’re
worried about one of them touching her,” Harold offered. The doc
always used a thick latex glove whenever he had to touch a mate to
examine her or to deliver young. He’d been a healer for so long, he
never accidently touched a female without the gloves on.

Winter reluctantly slid out of the bed and
walked toward the bedroom door. When he opened it, three of his
brothers were there, asses planted in the hallway. All three of
them jumped up as soon as they realized it was Winter at the door
and not the healer.

“How is she?” Savage asked.

“In and out,” he sighed. “I need to eat. I
need one of you to stay and protect my mate.”

“I’d be honored to stand in your place while
you grab some food,” Dane offered, stepping up to hold out his
hand. Winter took it in his strong grasp. Even though Dane had
teased him before over the fact that he could touch Nova, the
Guardian was all business. And for that, Winter was thankful for
his friendship.

“Harold left a pair of his gloves on the
dresser,” Winter told him. “I’ll be back soon.”

He didn’t even look back as Dane entered the
room, closing the door just enough for privacy, but not all the
way. His brothers clasped his shoulder tightly as he walked into
the living room and saw everyone gathered for support. It was the
moment he finally realized he had a real family…one where he was
destined to belong with a once human female as his mate.

Chapter Nineteen

Winter hovered over his plate, eating the
large steak the females had made for him. He’d already cleared a
few baked potatoes covered in cheese. He ignored most of the
whispers and listened for any sounds or movements from his
bedroom.

His panther was agitated he’d left his mate
in their bedroom with another male for as long as he had, but
Winter knew Dane would protect her with his life. Nova and the
Guardian had become good friends over the past few weeks and he
would never demand she stop talking to him. If something were to
happen to Winter, he knew Dane would step up to make sure his mate
was taken care of for the rest of her life.

“Eat as much as you can,” Savage said,
taking a seat next to him at the table. “You are going to need your
rest, too. Things are going to go from bad to a raging shitstorm in
the next twenty-four hours.”

Winter knew from his own experience that the
first day was painful, but the second and third days would be when
Nova’s body would start changing. Her limbs would thicken, the
panther would be alive inside her, fighting its way out.

Their animals were really the ones in
charge, their human body was only the cover for their true nature.
The panther ruled over all. His strengths and predatory nature were
a part of them, and during the change, the beast trained the human
body to respect that.

“If I have to be sedated,” Winter paused,
trying to control his temper. “Please put me next to her. I want to
be the first person she sees when this is all over.”

“I will honor your wishes.” Savage nodded.
“Anything else?”

“No,” Winter replied. “I…”

A blood curdling scream echoed throughout
the house and everyone tensed as Nova’s agony shot through the
cabin. Winter rushed to the bedroom, knocking over the chair as he
went. When he entered the room, Dane was up on the bed, his gloved
hands were pressing down on Nova’s forearms, holding her in place.
Her hands had shifted; sharp, lethal claws had replaced her human
nails. Blood seeped out of her human fingers and Dane had a gash
across his cheek.

“Get him out!” Dane snarled, looking over
his shoulder at Winter.

“What?” Winter barked, moving toward the
bed, but Savage was there to stop him. Other hands touched him, yet
he didn’t know who held him, because his worry was focused on his
mate. “What’s going on?”

“Go!” Dane ordered, his eyes glowing.

Nova thrashed, her head rolling from side to
side. Winter pushed a Guardian away so he could have a direct line
of sight to the bed. Everything happened slowly, like moving
through muddy water, but he saw it...the one thing Dane was trying
to hide from him.

“Nova!” he snarled.

Her eyes opened when her head rolled toward
him, and the first thing he saw was that her eye had turned blood
red and the entire right side of her face had been clawed, almost
as if she’d tried to remove her own skin. Her other eye was glowing
amber.

“What’s going on?” Winter demanded, pushing
another Guardian. His heart thundered in his chest and his panther
demanded to be released.

“Get the healer!”

“Get him out of here!”

“Nova!” Winter cried, his body vibrating. He
felt the pain she was feeling deep in his chest. A sharp pinch
registered in his arm and it only took a second to realize he’d
been given a sedative. This one was much stronger than the one
that’d been given to Nova. This dose was amped up for a Guardian in
distress, because he was about to lose his mind…he was about to go
feral, seeing his mate harmed.

As his body slumped to the floor, Savage was
in his line of sight. His lips moved but Winter couldn’t hear what
his brother was saying. He closed his eyes and let darkness take
him.

The hands on the clock in Nova’s mind
started to move, only ticking at a snail’s pace for an unknown
amount of time before gaining the needed speed to right itself with
the universe. Pain occasionally licked at her bones, and her face
ached as if she’d been struck again. The pain she was feeling now
was nothing compared to the horrible pain she’d felt some time ago.
No, that pain was excruciating and she only prayed that she hadn’t
screamed too loud when it was at its worst.

Familiar smells surrounded her. The most
important one being that of her mate. The masculine scent he
emanated whenever she was close reminded Nova of the forest and
something wild. It was uniquely Winter Blue, and that scent was the
most comforting thing she had to hold on to while the pains wracked
her body.

There had been times she was aware of the
pain and times where she thought she’d been asleep, but the
confusion she felt couldn’t distinguish when, or even if, that had
happened.

A pain rolled through her jaw, and when she
cried out, the sound was more of a yawl than a scream. She flexed
her hand and felt warmth radiate up her arm, but froze when she
opened her eyes and the room looked different…an amber haze had
coated everything.

Nova felt a push inside her mind and a snarl
echoed in response. And that was when she knew it was over. She
gasped when she realized she was looking through the amber eyes of
her panther and seeing her surroundings for the first time.
Everything was sharper, scents were easily distinguishable. A
panther paw came into her field of vision, causing Nova to
jerk.

He’d done it! He’d changed her! A purr
rumbled out of her chest and Nova’s human side laughed.

Her panther body was laid out on top of the
sheets of Winter’s bed. When she looked to her left, Winter was
there, sleeping soundly. His body was only inches away, and that
was probably why she’d scented him when she’d first woke up.