Page 23 of Finding my Shifter Soulmate

Chapter Fifteen – Gede

The jungle has an eerie stillness as I make my rounds in my Barong form. The further westward I prowl, the quieter it gets. Deep in my belly, a coil of worry begins to tighten. I can sense that something isn't quite right, and the closer I get to home, the stronger it grows.

Then a gentle breeze carries a scent with it, one that doesn't belong here. It's a hint of wildness with a woodsy base, the smell of shifter. A tiger shifter. Rama.

Without hesitating, I pick up pace and head back to my home, back to Sabrina. I should never have left her. While I trust the shifters I've asked to watch over her, she doesn't hold the same meaning to them as she does to me. And if Rama found her once, he can certainly find her again. I was confident he wouldn't dare encroach on my land, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

With an all-out sprint, I burn the energy from my muscles in hot puffs of breath. My feet almost don't even hit the ground as I fly like the wind. Fear for my mate squeezes my heart in a vicious grip. I can't lose her, I can't. I have to protect her.

An invisible thunderstorm rushes through my skull as my mind goes wild with a hundred different fears and uncertainties. Is he in my home? Did he lay his filthy paws on Sabrina? As a pulse of rage rips through me, heat cascades up and down my spine, a telltale sign that my control is wavering. I'm getting closer, and I feel more dangerous. An approaching storm that is about to break.

I bound over fallen logs and wild flowers alike. My feet move without me having to think about it, because my missionis clear: get to Sabrina. Everything else is an obstacle to be surmounted, if necessary, destroyed.

When I reach the curve leading to my home, a noise reaches me. Not the wind or the sound of the creatures of the night, not the singing birds, or the owls. It's a low and almost inaudible purr of contentment, and it makes my stomach roll.

Bursting through the opening into my yard, I round the side of the house, following the sound until an orange and black form comes into view. Rama is sitting there on my patio, tail swinging idly in front of the transparent wall as he watches Sabrina, who is wandering around the house as if she's looking for something. He thinks he has her, and the serenity in Rama's movements makes the rage in my gut only grow hotter.

Leaving the protection of the trees, I move across the flat lawn until I'm right next to him, watching, making sure his attention doesn't turn to Sabrina. When I'm too close to conceal my movements, his eyes meet mine. It's too late for him to move. Rearing back, I bare my teeth, and my roar rips through the night.

The tiger stumbles back and hisses before pivoting and running for the bushes. The muscles in my legs twitch, eager to pursue, but when I catch a glimpse of the fear on Sabrina's face, that desperate expression draws me to a stop. Rama is making a tactical retreat, but he'll be back with reinforcements now that he knows where to find her. Still, I decide to go to Sabrina rather than pursue him into the night.

I shift onto two legs as I move the sliding glass door out of the way and enter my home. As I cross the threshold, Sabrina looks up at me with frightened eyes, staring.

"Was that you I saw out there? I thought I was losing my mind."

Taking her into my arms, I hold her tighter than I've ever held anyone before. "No," I tell her. "I just got here. Rama was out there. I scared him away, but we have to leave now."

"What?" she asks, disbelief stark in her tone. "I thought you said he wouldn't come here."

"Apparently, I was wrong. But don't be afraid. He won't get to you. I won't let him."

She gives a sharp nod. "Okay, what's the plan?"

So calm, cool, and collected. After the last few days together, I know she's not as unaffected by this as she acts. Her quiet strength astonishes me, and it's easy to see why the universe chose her for me.

"I need to get dressed. I'll pack a bag with some supplies, and then we should go to the cave. The one with the hidden Barong temple I showed you. I

Sabrina chews her lip and then pulls out of my arms, and looks through a window nearby. "What makes you think he won't find us there?"

"He will," I admit. "I'm going to call to some friends. We have to stop this once and for all. Rama has terrorized this jungle long enough. It's time we all took a stand."

With renewed haste, she hurries up the stairs to my bedroom and begins gathering up the few belongings she brought with her from the resort. I grab two changes of clothing for myself and some small clothes that should fit her, stuffing the garments into a canvas hiking pack. I throw o food, bottledwater, batteries and flashlights. I throw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, using what's within easy reach and going for speed over fashion.

From the bedroom, I lead her back down the stairs and then outside, skirting the boundary of my yard. My eyes scan constantly, looking for signs of another beast or tiger shifter. Fortunately, we reach my moped without incident, and I lead us toward the forest in the direction of the hidden temple.

As we drive, I call out to my shifter brethren with an unmistakable cry. It's a deep hum inside me that starts as a vibration in my chest, like music, wordless but full of meaning, calling to the others of my kind. It's a battle cry. A rallying call. I've never used it before, but now I'm calling for aid and for the end of Rama terrorizing this jungle and all of the shifters in it. I have a mate to protect. I will not allow him to hurt Sabrina. This has to end.

By the time we reach the clearing surrounding the entrance of the Barong temple, we're among more than a dozen different animals, all shifting up to their human forms. Even the Komodo dragon heeded my request. With my hand holding Sabrina's, we lead the pack of shifters into the cave entrance. Without waiting, I lead the group toward the interior, a collection of glows erupting as flashlights come out and I push aside the hidden barricade of stones, exposing the tunnel where the statue lies.

Leading the clan inside, we make a circle around the sacred totem, all our eyes moving over the stone Barong, a fitting icon to connect us all. While I am their protector, and the statue is the symbol of that protection. I only pray that our solidarity is enough to ward off Rama.

"Thank you for coming, brothers. As I'm sure you have all gathered by now, Rama has gone against the norm of our species. He's challenged the ancient laws by forcefully trying to claim Sabrina as his mate."

Some murmur, and others shake their heads in annoyance. Already their allegiance to me is obvious. But I wish I could be sure that their fealty would carry us all through this.

"We must stand united against him and fight."

None of the others dispute my statement. None deny their loyalty, But suddenly a voice rises up. "And who is this human you're asking us to fight for?"

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