STORY EXCERPT

Tatum had just exited the hotel when he heard a car coming into town. He glanced toward the small, dark-green sedan and frowned when he saw how slow the car was moving. But that wasn’t the only reason he frowned. The driver had to be intoxicated or high on drugs because they couldn’t keep their vehicle in a straight line. It was weaving all over the place.

He glanced up and down the street to make sure no one was about in case the idiot crashed into something, and then he sucked in a breath and held it as he prayed the fucker didn’t drive into one of the buildings.

Thankfully, the car slowed even more, and when he saw the person behind the wheel, at first, he thought she was a kid. How the hell she could see over the top of the steering wheels was beyond him. She was so fucking small, she had to be having trouble seeing. Maybe that was the reason for the dodgy driving. He sighed with relief when the woman turned into an empty parking space right outside the diner.

Tatum began walking across the road toward the car, intent on giving the stupid female a piece of his mind. He was going to sniff her out, and if he smelled alcohol or drugs he was taking her keys off of her.

She rolled the window down just as he reached the back of her car and groaned softly. The hair on the back of his neck, and the rest of his body, stood on end when he caught a whiff of her scent. His mouth watered for a taste and his lion roared with approval.

However, the closer he got to her, the more his internal alarm bell started ringing. There was something off with the way she smelled. Her feminine fragrance drew him like a moth to a flame, but there was also a slightly acidic aroma wafting from her.

The second he was standing outside the driver’s side door and open window, he knew she was his. His lion roared again and leaped against his insides, trying to get out, but Tatum shoved his animal back down hard enough to set him on his haunches. This small woman was his mate, but there was something drastically wrong with her. He locked his knees when they threatened to buckle and shifted on his feet when his cock went from flaccid to full attention in less than a minute.

Tatum wanted to tear the door off its hinges, reach in, and scoop her up into his arms, but he didn’t want to scare the living shit out of her. After asking her if she was all right and getting a negative response, he shouted for Broden Higgins. The Kodiak bear shifter was their one and only doctor, and right now, he thanked whoever would listen that they even had a doctor in town. He just hoped that he could diagnose and fix his mate.

“What’s going on?” Shaffer asked as he and Rex came out of the diner.

Tatum ignored his brothers, bent down, undid her seatbelt, and carefully lifted his mate into his arms. He wasn’t a moment too soon either. Just as he shoved an arm under her knees and supported her back, she slumped over as she passed out. He straightened and turned to face his brothers and knew by the awestruck expressions on their faces that this small, delicate woman was their mate, too.

“What have you got?” Broden asked as he raced toward where Tatum was holding his mate.

“She’s sick.”

“Bring her next door into the clinic,” Broden ordered. “Archer, Airen, I’m going to need your help. Now!”

Tatum was never more glad that all the men in this town were shape-shifters. Even though Archer and Airen were probably in the pub where Broden had been, they would have no trouble hearing their brother.

Broden hurried toward the four-bedroom house, which also doubled as a clinic and hospital in case of emergencies. Tatum raced after him, being careful not to jostle his mate too much.

“What’s wrong with her?” Shaffer asked as he held the door open.

Tatum didn’t bother to answer as he stepped inside. He wasn’t a doctor, so he had no clue.

“Put her on the examination bed.” Broden pointed. Tatum eased his woman onto the bed and brushed her shiny brown hair from her face while Broden scrubbed his hands at the sink across the room. “Tell me what happened.”

Tatum began recounting what he’d seen just as Archer and Airen entered the room. Shaffer and Rex had moved to stand at the head of the bed, both of them staring at their mate.

“She was doubled over holding her stomach?” Broden asked. He walked toward the bed while donning surgical gloves.

“Yes. She was also sweating, panting, and shaking.”

Broden glanced at his brothers. “Get the operating room prepped.”

“You’re not cutting my mate open,” Shaffer shouted.

“What the fuck for?” Rex yelled.

Tatum ignored his brothers’ anger and met Broden’s gaze. “I need to lift her shirt and lower the waistband of her jeans. I think your mate has appendicitis.”

Tatum nodded. “I’ll do it.” He gently lifted the hem of her sweater, tugged the button on her jeans open, and lowered the zipper. It was going to be difficult to see another man touching his mate, but he was going to have to keep his shit together. Their woman was in a bad way, and if he wanted Broden to help her, he couldn’t let his animal rage get a hold of him.

ADULT EXCERPT

He caressed his hands from her hips up her sides, mapping her delectable, feminine curves, and then moved them around to her back. He flicked the clasp on her bra open and skimmed the straps over her shoulders. He broke the kiss, reached toward his neck, grasped her wrists, and pulled her arms from around his neck. The moment he glanced down, he groaned. Her breasts weren’t overly large, but they were full and lush and the dusky rose-colored nipples were hard, little points. His mouth watered for a taste, but first he needed to make sure Pixie was comfortable. He’d planned on covering her body with his while he made love to and claimed his mate, but he quickly rethought that since he didn’t want to put any pressure on her incision site. He could take her on her side facing him, but if he got a little too aggressive he could hurt her. Whatever he decided, he needed to make sure she was comfortable.

While he’d been thinking of the best position, his hands hadn’t stopped moving. Her bra had dropped to the floor, and he was kneading and cupping her breasts. He watched her face, and even though she had her eyes closed she was enjoying his touch. Her cheeks were flushed and she was panting. He flicked his thumbs over her nipples and she moaned. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Tatum nearly lost it when he saw the desire hazing her beautiful green eyes.

“Help her onto the bed,” Tatum ordered as he stepped back from her.

Shaffer and Rex hooked their arms under her pits and lifted her. They got onto the bed on their knees and then eased her down onto the mattress. Tatum shucked his clothes faster than he’d ever removed them before, even when he shifted into his lion. He glanced down at his hard, aching cock and gripped the base when pre-cum bubbled to the tip. He squeezed his dick, cutting off the blood supply, and sighed when the throbbing eased some.

Once he was naked and had his hunger under control, he crawled up onto the end of the bed and stared at Pixie’s green panty-covered mound. He licked his lips and salivated after inhaling her delicious sweet-smelling musk. He couldn’t wait to get his mouth on that hot, wet cunt.

Rex cupped her face and turned her toward him before covering her mouth with his. Tatum growled with approval when he saw her open to him as they tangled tongues and kissed rapaciously. He glanced at Shaffer to see his brother staring at Pixie’s gorgeous breasts. He sucked in a breath and held it when Shaffer enveloped one breast in his hand while lowering his head to the other.

Tatum’s lion roared with impatience and charged at his belly trying to escape. He shoved his beast back down and tried to calm his feverish desire. He needed to make sure his mate was as hot as he was before penetrating her pussy and claiming her for all time. He just hoped that he was able to keep his fervor in check.

Her legs jerked when he placed his hands on her shins just below her knees and then he caressed his way higher. Her legs relaxed and parted slightly, and he took the offering slowly, moving his big hands to the inside of her thighs and smoothing them up higher still.

Rex released her mouth and they both gasped in air before he started kissing and nibbling his way down her neck toward her chest.

Tatum hooked his fingers in under the sides of her panties at her hips and tugged them down. His heart flipped in his chest and his breath hitched in his throat when her cunt came into view. His mate was a la natural, and seeing the similar hair color on her mound had his hunger ratcheting up another notch. He loved that she didn’t remove the hair from her pussy. He didn’t get why women did that. He didn’t want to see a nude pussy. Having pubes assured him that she was a mature female and not some kid playing around. The thought made him shudder with revulsion.

Once he had her panties off, he flung them toward the floor, slid down to his belly, and drew the scent of her cream into his nose. He purred and licked his lips.

He was a feline and cats loved lapping up cream.

He glanced up her body when she cried out and arched her chest upward. Both Shaffer and Rex were suckling on and playing with her nipples.

Tatum lowered his gaze back to her cunt, wrapped his arms around her thighs, and spread them further apart. He growled when he saw all those creamy dew drops caught up in her pubes and couldn’t resist finding out what she tasted like. He flicked his tongue out and moaned when her sweet essence exploded on his taste buds. Wanting, needing more, he didn’t hesitate to swipe his tongue up from her cunt entrance and up through her soaked folds. He groaned as her delicious flavor coated his tongue and then he laved over her engorged clit. She whimpered and bowed her hips up from the bed, but when she gasped, Tatum cursed. The slight scent of pain drifted to his nose.

He shoved up onto his knees and gripped her hip bones, making sure to keep the hand he had on her right hip away from the wound, and he held her down onto the mattress. He hunched over and then licked up through her pussy lips. She moaned and this time when she tried to move her hips closer to his mouth, he didn’t let her.

Tatum swirled and twirled his tongue around her sensitive nub and then he licked his way down to her pussy and dipped his tongue into her creamy well.