The Mate Challenge (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Sassy Mates Book 4) (14 page)

“You will one day, princess.” Chantal laughed diabolically. “One day you won’t be able to stop the thirst.”

Mason had his arms wrapped around one of the vampires, holding the bloodsucker down when Emma started shooting at Chantal. He wanted to tell her to stop. To not call attention to herself, but the vampire wiggled and elbowed him in the gut. Mason’s grasp loosened. Ellie and Nic tore one of the guys’ arms’ off and moved on to another.

Trevan fought one of the vampires while his friends had two others in their grasps. Mason flipped the vamp, slamming him down on the ground and flinging him over his head to do it again.

The ground shook as Aria tossed Chantal across the shack again. Another wall came down, leaving the thing precariously standing on a few beams.

“I’m older than you, Aria,” Chantal hissed, tearing a tree and flinging it at Aria.

“You’re a turned, Chantal. You’ll never have my strength.” Aria jumped straight for Chantal, but the other woman moved lightning fast.

Mason slammed the vampire on the ground again, and tossed him at Nic and Ellie who had disposed of yet another between the two.

Mason searched out Emma and watched in horror as Chantal continued moving too fast for Emma to shoot. To his horror, Chantal stopped behind Emma, curled a hand around her throat and another on her chest.

“You can’t protect everyone, Aria,” Chantal grinned, showing her extended fangs. “Not this time. I made a deal with Rahound. We get blood and he gets our help to fight the shifters he wants out of the way.”

“My clan is not yours to run, Chantal!”

Mason ran, but he wasn’t fast enough. Chantal jumped with a struggling Emma, her nails turning into long claws dug into Emma’s chest. Chantal did a quick long tear and the sound of Emma’s scream froze his heart in his chest.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I got blood. You can’t beat me.” Chantal dropped Emma seconds before Aria reached them. Aria grabbed Chantal by the neck and squeezed.

Mason’s breaths pounded hard in his ears. When he reached Emma, she was drenched in blood. Long deep slashes gushed blood from her chest. He checked her pulse. It was weak but still there. He tore off his shirt to cover her wounds. Then he glanced up where Aria had been fighting Chantal. Chantal’s head flew off her body as Aria tore it off in anger.

The other vampires were also tore to pieces by Trevan and his friends and Nic and Ellie.

Aria rushed to his side, dropping down to the ground beside him.

“Bite her. Get her to change!” She ordered.

“It’s not that simple,” He argued.

Aria’s eyes were blood red. “Either you bite her, or I will. And if I do, she’ll be one of mine.”

Mason’s heart ached, watching his shirt soak in Emma’s blood. “I thought you didn’t bite humans.”

“I’m not going to let her die!” Aria yelled.

A loud, pain-filled scream tore from Emma. She twisted in his arms, her arms flinging and breaking.

“Mason, is she—?” Ellie asked, shifted back into human. She and Nic both wore T-shirts too large for either.

“Come on, brat!” He encouraged her. “Shift, baby.”

Emma screamed again. The sound sent chills down his spine. Being hurt and shifting for the first time had to be one of the most painful experiences. Emma’s eyes fluttered open. There it was. The ring of gold he had hoped to see in her days ago.

“Mason?” She frowned and screamed in pain. “God, it hurts!”

Limbs twisted and broke. Fur sprouted down her body. Then it stopped. Mason cupped her face, caressing her cheeks. “Emma, listen to me. You have to let the wolf take over for a little bit.”

Emma shook her head. “Make it stop!”

Her limbs flailed. She gasped. Her eyes opened and the gold turned brighter. “That’s it, baby. Let the wolf have control.”

Her limbs twisted again. Bones cracked and reorganized. He’d been so used to shifting that he’d never stopped to pay attention to how painful it sounded. The anguish on Emma’s face pushed his own animal to the surface. He had a hell of a time biting back the beast and keeping control of his wolf.

He continued encouraging Emma to allow her animal free when all of a sudden the shift took control of her and she went from his sexy, curvy mate to a beautiful golden and brown wolf laying on her side. Her wounds were still bleeding, but not as much as they had been while she was human.

“Stay this way, Emma. The longer you stay in the wolf, the faster you’ll heal,” he explained.

The cleanup crew arrived a short time later. He waited until an ambulance arrived to get Emma home. The chest wounds had been bad, so it would take a while for her to heal.

Aria tapped his shoulder as he readied to leave with Emma.

“Thank you for your help,” she said.

He nodded. “Caleb took care of the guys they’d hired for the girls. I don’t know if the southern vamps were in on it, but we’ll keep track of them.”

She pursed her lips. “I’ll go deal with them soon. It’s time they realized there will be no union between me and their leader. I also need to know if any of their people had the same deal with Rahound. I’m calling a raid on Embraced. I’ll clean up the clan of rule breakers.”

Mason nodded and glanced around, caught Trevan watching them and turned back to Aria. “If you need anything, just call us. We are happy to offer back up.”

She smirked. “Thanks but my guards can handle it. Now I can’t call you her pet anymore. She’s one of yours.”

He grinned, eyeing the ambulance. “I know. Don’t tell her that though. She’ll say I’m still a mutt.”

Aria laughed and marched off. Ellie and Nic marched to his side. “You ready to go?”

He was beyond ready to go. All he wanted was to take Emma home and wait for her to heal so he could make sure she was fine again. Then he wanted to kiss her from head to toe and hold her for days. Listen to her heart beat. Listen to her breathe. Just know that she was okay.

* * *

“I’m sorry about Maria.”

Emma glanced up from the socks she was folding to smile sadly. Aria had done a raid in Embraced. They’d found Maria being used as a blood slave. She hadn’t been turned, but the experience had been traumatizing for her. Her mother and family had moved away and taken her to get help in another state.

“I’m sorry too,” she mumbled.

“You did your best, Emma.” He said, picking up one of her curls and pushing it over her shoulder.

“I know. I still feel shitty over what happened to her though,” she admitted.

“I know, babe. But at least we found her. And she wasn’t one of them.”

True. That was a positive. She didn’t know how much it worse it would have been for Maria to also be turned into one of the vampires. Emma smiled, watching Mason fold socks to her specifications. “You got it down pat, mutt!”

He lifted a brow and threw a pair of socks at her. “Most people fold socks one into the other. But you had to be one of those fanatics that actually folds socks.”

“If you shove them one into the other, then one will get wider than the other and it’s going to look weird when you wear them.”

Mason growled. “Who has separate drawers for colored and white socks?”

She laughed. “Me. I like being organized.”

“It’s called insane, brat.”

She choked on a giggle, watching him place her socks neatly in the drawers. “You like how organized I am with my toys.”

He stopped and glanced at the bedside drawer. “That one is actually a good idea. It’s easier for me to find stuff when I’m in a rush.”

She lifted a finger and motioned him toward her. “Come here.”

“Am I going to be compensated for the pain of having to fold socks?”

She pouted. “Maybe.”

He lay over her on the bed, ignoring the pile of socks he’d messed up. “This sounds promising. When you put your lips like that all I want to do is watch you suck me off.”

She took a deep breath and stared him deep in the eyes. “I’ll do it.”

“Awesome, let me take these pants off,” he said pulling away.

“Not that!” She chortled, slapping him on the shoulder. “I’ll marry you.”

“Baby, I already knew you’d marry me,” he said, lowering to kiss her.

“Full of yourself much?”

He shook his head. “No. But you love me. So you’ll marry me. Just like I love you.”

She blinked, her heart soaring in her chest. “You love me?”

He frowned. “You act like I’ve never said it before.”

“That’s because you haven’t!” She curled her arms around his neck. “Say it again. More romantic this time.”

He cupped her face with his hand. “I love you, Emma. I love you from the tip of your gorgeous hair down to your cute little toes. I love your snark, your bossiness, and your need to debate. I love your loyalty and how hard you care for people.” He nuzzled his lips over hers. “I love your body. I love every single dip and curve. I love how hot and wet you get for me and how fucking good you smell when I turn you on.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I really like how romantic you can be.”

“If you like that, you’ll love what comes next.”

Emma’s heart sang. She’d fought accepting Mason as her mate for so long and now all she wanted was to be with him forever. The wolf inside her told her there was no more second thoughts. It was him and her all the way. Emma couldn’t agree more. Mason belonged to her. Forever.

Emma lifted the glass of wine to her lips. It was her favorite. Mason had made sure to buy it for her for the girls’ man bashing night at their place. He truly was a great mate. And as soon as things calmed down, she’d tell the others they went to the justice of peace and got married. For now, she’d it keep their secret.

“I’m tired of this,” Ellie exclaimed. She ran her fingers through her new cut. Ellie’s hair grew so fast that she could give it a buzz cut and have a bob in a month. She’d gone with the spiky cut again. This time adding hot pink chunks.

“What are you going to do?” Nic asked. She’d been quiet so far. Much like Emma, she’d been listening to Ellie’s arguing over Caleb pushing her away.

Ellie met Nic’s gaze and then Emma’s. “I’m going to do what I should have done from the beginning.”

Uh-oh.

Barbara grinned. Her blue eyes flashed with wolf power. “What’s that, baby?”

“I’m going to help him fight. I’m going to stand by his side and help him get his land back.”

“Sounds like the smartest thing you’ve said all night,” Barbara mused. “You’ve got my blessing.”

Ellie blinked. “I do?”

“Honey, no matter how strong he is, you can’t let him do this alone. You both know you’re a team.”

“But mom, I didn’t think you’d want me to put myself in danger.”

Barbara sipped her wine and put it down after a moment. “He’s your mate. Do what your heart and your wolf feel is the right thing to do.”

Emma and Nic gasped.

“He’s your what?” Emma asked.

Ellie glanced down at her glass. “I didn’t tell anyone. It’s not like he bit me.”

Barbara lifted a brow. “No. You only went and married him thinking we wouldn’t find out.”

Holy shit! Emma blinked at Ellie. “You married Caleb?”

Ellie grinned sheepishly and lifted her wine glass. “Surprise?”

THE END

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