Chapter Eighteen
Sebastian was excited when Aeslyn rushed at him to attack him with kisses. He heard the whiz of the bullet at the very last second, it was too late to move her. The force of the bullet slammed her body against his. The look of surprise on her face crushed him, she literally took a bullet for him.
Every ounce of training he had kicked in, “Hang on sweetheart, we need to get inside.” Sebastian didn’t know why someone shot at them or if they would be back. He reached behind him, opened the door then stayed low and pulled her inside.
He squashed the fear down as deep as he could and started triaging her. Blood was pooling underneath her left side. He lifted her shirt and found a hole. He rolled her gently and found the entrance hole on her back.
Her eyelids fluttered closed, her breathing was shallow but steady. He ripped his shirt off and stuffed it underneath her to block the hole. He pressed down on the exit wound and reached for his cell phone. He fell forward as her body started convulsing, at least that’s what he thought was happening. The phone fell from between his shoulder and head, “What the…” Sebastian threw himself back against the door. “What the hell,” Aeslyn was gone, in her place was an eight-foot-long tiger. He sat frozen for a minute, he knew there were shifters out there he had just never met one. How did he not know she wasn’t human? His mind reeled with questions, were there other shifters around him and he was clueless? Shouldn’t she have told him what she was before she slept with him?
The animal whined in pain, regardless of the hundred emotions running through him he still had to help the creature. He picked his phone up off the ground and called Connor.
“Hey, can you get here now. Something happened, I need your help, bring your med kit.” He could hear the panic in his voice but didn’t care enough to hide it.
“I’ll be there in ten.” No questions asked that’s what was great about the military, your unit always had your back.
He hated that his hand shook as he reached out to touch the cat, were they dangerous in animal form? Did he have to worry about her attacking him? She whined again, his heart broke knowing it was Aeslyn lying there and it was supposed to be him.
A car door slammed out front, Sebastian peaked out the window next to the door, it was too fast for Connor to be there so the shooter had to be back to complete the job. His gun was locked away in his bedroom, he had to think fast on how to protect them. He reached into the hall closet and grabbed the only object inside that may be of any use. He held the umbrella at his side, hoping the pointed end would be able to do enough damage to slow the killer down.
The footsteps thundered onto the porch, he swung his arm up ready to attack as the door opened. “Seb, where are you? Holy shit, Connor called saying you needed help but this,” Sebastian dropped his arm in relief, Jackson was standing in the doorway looking shocked. “What happened to Aeslyn?” Sebastian glanced down to see she had shifted back into a woman, her clothes were nonexistent, they had torn apart when she had changed into the cat.
Jackson kneeled beside her, “What are you doing, she is bleeding everywhere.”
“She was just a cat.” Sebastian reached down and went back to putting pressure on the wound. He glanced up and saw Jackson looking at him like he had two heads. “I’m not kidding, she was seriously eight feet long, she looked like a tiger but different, but that’s not the point, she was a cat.”
Another car door slammed outside, Jackson peeked outside, “Connor’s here.”
Within seconds Connor was in the doorway, out of breath from running. He cursed at the scene in front of him. “What happened?” He kneeled down, checked her pulse while he waited for an answer.
“I don’t know, we were standing on the porch when a bullet hit her. I didn’t see where it came from but I can tell you it was coming for me. She jumped in front of it.” His voice hitched, it hurt him to think about her doing that for him.
“Why would someone be shooting at you?” Connor and Jackson were shocked. “Did you call the cops yet?”
“Well something else happened, I hadn’t even thought about the cops yet.” Sebastian paused, saying it again didn’t make it sound any more real. “She...she turned into a lion or tiger or something then shifted back into a woman.”
Connor didn’t seem surprised by the announcement. He pulled back the blood-soaked cloth to inspect both holes. “The shot went clean through, shifters heal fast, all they need is time. If she’s fazing in and out she must be in a lot of pain but unfortunately, Morphine isn’t going to help her.” He dug in his medical kit and pulled out rolls of surgical tape. “We can’t stitch it if she is going to shift again, let’s tape them up as best we can. Jackson can you grab warm, soapy water and washcloths so we can clean her up. While we sterilize the wounds and take care of her can you put towels down on the guest bed so we can move her in there.”
Both Jackson and Sebastian sat frozen, staring at their best friend during his dissertation.
“Now’s not the time for questions, let’s get her taken care of then we can talk.” Sebastian knew Connor was trying to put them off but his mind was reeling. How did he know so much about shifters, why was he not surprised to hear she was one, and if he knew why didn’t he tell Sebastian before he slept with her?
“What about the boys? Are they safe here with her?” Connor snarled at Jackson’s questions.
“She’s not a feral creature. She won’t attack any of you.”
Jackson held his hands up defensively, “I wasn’t being an asshole. Animals attack when they are hurt, you can’t blame me for asking.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. Seb, the reality is, someone shot at your house, that is more dangerous to your sons than she is. Can they stay at your moms for a couple of days?”
Sebastian’s entire world was upside down, he was numb trying to process everything that has been happening for the last thirty minutes. “Let’s get her in bed then I’ll take them over to my mom’s. Jackson can you get the water, I’ll call her real quick and let her know she’s having guests.
He glanced around the entryway, now that everyone had calmed down he noticed how much blood she had lost, his phone was lying in a pool of it on the floor. He reached for it and saw her blood was covering him too. “I’ll be right back.”
He rushed to the bathroom, he couldn’t get clean fast enough. Twenty-four hours ago she was lying in his bed and now he was wearing her blood. His mind was finally starting to slow down and he was quickly realizing he didn’t care that she was a shifter or that she had hidden it from him. He trusted his gut and it was telling him she was his.
He peaked in the boy's room and found them fast asleep, how nice it was to sleep so deeply and undisturbed. He sat on his bed with a heavy sigh, picked up the house phone and dialed, “Hey mom, sorry to call so late. I need a favor, Jackson showed up on my doorstep, he’s a mess, his latest love affair broke it off with him and he’s devastated. Connor’s coming over and we’re going to cheer him up. Do you mind if I bring the boys over and they can stay with you?”
“Sure honey, I’m always delighted to have company. GIve Jackson a hug for me and I’ll see you when you get here.”
He hung up the phone, feeling only mildly guilty about lying. He opened the drawer next to the bed and pulled out the small lock box. He punched the code in, the lid popped open. He grabbed the gun out and put the box away. He kept the ammo on a shelf in the closet, he loaded the gun and tucked it behind his back.
He did not survive three tours of duty to be taken out by a thug in his own home.