Page 124 of Savage Mates
My father was unfettered. “You three boys better take care of my daughter. I’ll be watching.”
“We promise to protect her with our lives. Sir.” Titus puffed out his chest and I’ll be damned if he didn’t salute my father.
It would seem I’d learn something new about my mates almost every day.
My father grinned, half laughing, but gave him a salute as well in return. “You about ready to get going? Long flight.”
“We’re ready, Daddy. All of us. It’s time to go home.”
EPILOGUE
Four weeks later…
Lauren
Mmm…
Yawning, I stretched as soon as I opened my eyes. The light breeze coming from the overhead ceiling fans created tiny prickles. Just like what Thor, Zeus, and Titus had done the night before, but for an entirely different reason.
Their hunger knew no bounds.
Early morning sunshine shimmered in through the windows. Mornings were my favorite time of day, and I was usually up by the crack of dawn to enjoy the quiet and peaceful moments.
Shifting, I managed to unwedge my body from Thor, who was nestled so closely I was surprised I didn’t wake him with moving. Zeus was sprawled out on his back, his light snore indicating a deep sleep. And Titus was curled up on his side, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
It had taken two king-sized beds shoved together to create a space large enough for the four of us. My father had graciously given me a house he’d had built, the space perfect for us with views to die for and a short walk to the clinic.
While they certainly enjoyed days of hunting as kings of the African jungle, almost every night since arriving at my father’s sanctuary had been spent with me.
Biting my lower lip to keep from laughing, I managed to crawl out of bed, grabbing my robe then tiptoeing to the kitchen.
My father had purchased several hundred additional acres since the last time I’d been home. He’d had several new buildings erected including a new large game veterinary clinic. All in all, the sanctuary could be called a little city and have a zip code of its own. Surrounded by thousands of acres of protected land, he’d successfully managed to lower the deathrate of lions, leopards, panthers, elephants, and giraffes through his tireless work with local law enforcement for poachers as well as disease control.
He had dozens of people working for him, men and women he called family, including two other veterinarians, but my father wasn’t getting any younger. By the time I’d been born, he’d been in his middle forties, retiring from the Army soon after to come to Africa. He’d managed to build his dream.
A dream I would continue alongside him and after he was gone.
Carrie was in heaven, happier than I’d ever seen her and I’d been right about budding love. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long until they made their relationship more formal.
Whatever that meant now that shifters and humans were comingling. The thought brought another smile as so many things had done lately.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee was welcome. If I could intravenously consume a gallon, that would be perfect. We’d work long hours together on what I’d learned from my earlier tests, identifying the contagious diseases.
Soon, we’d have an inoculation that would help save the lives of hundreds if not thousands of lions. Maybe one day we’d find a cure.
The lions formerly known as mutants were thriving, even enjoying their new environment. My twin, now named Hope after what she’d been through, was constantly asking questions, provoking my scientific mind. I liked having her around. She was also an amazing mother, managing to teach me a few things along the way.
I’d managed to locate a phone number for Dr. Savannah Morgan, even garnering the nerve to leave her a message. I was curious what she knew about Dr. Blackwell and if she’d seen him since basically going into hiding. As of yet, she hadn’t returned my call. I’d taken that as a sign to just let it go.
After several deep conversations, we’d made the decision not to make any formal accusations against Zimmerman. I’d heard through my father and his sources that he’d taken a leave of absence from Cornell and his company’s stocks had fallen.
As far as Blackwell, there were still no official sightings and no other makeshift laboratories had popped up.
Thankfully, there was nothing new on the internet about the appearance of shifters. Maybe it was just as well. They deservedto live their lives without interference, or being forced to endure additional experiments.
With a mug of java in my hand, I walked to the front porch. Almost immediately, I sensed a presence, but not because of my sleeping giants. This time from Jonas Junior. “Hi, buddy. How are you?”
The two-year-old lion was the spitting image of his father, Jonas. The moment my father had introduced us, I’d fallen in love. He was pure alpha male and while he would never become a shifter, at least not if I could help it, I had a feeling my mates were a tiny bit jealous of him.
