Page 45 of Their Shared Mate
He walked to the windows at the front of the cabin and pulled open one side of the shutters. “The horizon is just starting to glow. I’d guess it’s about five-thirty.”
She nodded and glanced toward the door. “Should we?—”
“No,” he insisted. “You’re safest right here, and I’m going to make sure you stay that way.”
Her eyes widened and filled with fear, her hands trembling. “Maybe there’s something we can do to help. I can’t just stay here and do nothing.”
Victor closed the distance between them and pulled Claire into his arms. Despite her brave words, fear pulsed off her so powerfully that he didn’t need to scan. “You’re safe, love. No one will ever harm you again.” Her reaction was understandable. This was the third wolf attack she’d endured since arriving on Rydaria. Anyone would be terrified.
Claire clung to him, face buried in the side of his neck, arms clutching his back. “I can’t do this again,” she whispered. “I just can’t.”
“You’re safe.” He held her tightly and stroked the back of her hair. “I promise.”
For several minutes she just stood there, allowing his embrace to soothe her. Gradually her fear decreased, though it didn’t disappear. “It’s never going to stop, is it?” She eased back and looked at him. Her features were tense and pale, her expressive eyes filled with shadows. “They’ll keep attacking until they have all the women they need.”
Victor framed her face with his hands and looked deep into her eyes. “The wolves are desperate, I won’t lie. But all the femalesare safe now. They’re either with the cats or with us. You’re no longer alone. You’re surrounded by males who will die to protect you. And I mean that literally.”
She shivered then swayed toward him again. “I wish I could see what’s going on up at the bunkhouse. The others must be terrified.”
He hesitated. Raphael could easily show them what was going on, but her emotions were so volatile right now. Victor wasn’t sure she could deal with any more trauma.
“Can you please check in with Raphael?” she prompted after a long pause. Her tear-bright gaze beseeched him, making refusing all but impossible. “I know your mind is linked with his. I just need to know that my friends are okay.”
Rather than answer with words, Victor flowed into Raphael’s mind, quickly taking in the situation surrounding him. Victor fed the images to Claire while keeping his presence shielded from Raphael. He would likely know they were watching, but Victor did everything he could to minimize the distraction.
There were a dozen or more raptor hybrids on the main floor of the bunkhouse. The females were nowhere in sight. Neither was Gabriel. He was likely outside with more raptors, creating a protective perimeter and ensuring that the wolves didn’t reach the females.
“You four, upstairs. No one goes in or out of those bedrooms.” Raphael motioned to the hybrids closest to the stairs, his tone confident and commanding.
“Are all the women in their bedrooms?” Claire asked, clearly receiving the images Victor was sending her.
“That makes the most sense,” Victor agreed. “Raphael didn’t have time to stash them anywhere else.”
As the four Raphael indicated took the stairs two at a time, the other eight shifted toward the doors and windows watching for the first hint of invasion. Every expression reflected determination and anger. Each raptor represented an immovable obstacle standing between the wolves and the females.
“Have you seen enough?” Victor asked. “I don’t want to distract him.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Victor eased out of Raphael’s mind and brought the cabin back into focus. Claire hadn’t been able to see her friends, but the situation was under control. Apparently, that was all she’d needed to feel more secure.
She pulled back until she could see him without straining her neck. “Are you telepathic with everyone or just Raphael?”
Unable to break contact completely, he moved his hands to her hips. She’d stopped trembling and her fear had lessened to anxiety. “I can communicate with anyone in my tribe.” He narrowed his eyes and searched his memory. Had anyone told her about the six raptor tribes? “Do you know what that means?”
“Raphael mentioned that there were six distinct patterns used among the raptors. Who decided to call the groups tribes?”
“We did. We can sense those in our tribe and speak mind to mind so it’s similar to a family. But many of those in the same tribe are also biological brothers or cousins. That’s why we call the transformation groups tribes. Anyway, I can also create alink with people from other tribes, but the connection must be established intentionally.”
She started to say something then closed her mouth and averted her gaze.
He brushed her cheek with his knuckle, drawing her attention back to his face. “What were you going to say?”
“I know bonded mates can speak mind to mind, but is there a way to do it that doesn’t establish a permanent link?”
Before he could answer, the tinkling sound of glass breaking snapped his head toward the back of the house. “Stay here,” he ordered as he hurried toward the sound. His fingers lengthened, joints popping as they curved into lethal talons.
A louder crash whipped Victor around just in time to see the front door splinter and a wolf shifter charge into the living room. The back door flew open a millisecond later and a large gray wolf bounded up the narrow hall. Victor sprinted toward Claire and positioned himself in front of her. His heart thudded wildly as he watched both adversaries approach.
