Southern Shifters: Purred Promises (Kindle Worlds Novella) by R. E. Butler

arms and she made a whimpering, pained sound but didn’t wake.
    “ Does she have a problem we need to know about?” Bhric asked, looking pointedly at the males on the ground.
    “I don’t think so. She was exiled from her chain.”
    “They don’t have identification on them, but they’re lynxes,” Veron said.
    He wanted to take her home, but he needed her to wake up to identify their attackers, if she could. He had a strong suspicion that she knew who they were. Curling her close, he buried his face in her furry throat and said, “Wake up, sweetheart, please.”
     
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 10
     
    Genesis’s head throbb ed and her body ached. Her mind was muddled and she couldn’t remember why she was hurt or what had happened. The last thing she remembered was running in the woods with Jair and then…nothing.
    Her cat woke up suddenly as fear and dread slithered through her. Someone was holding her tightly. She couldn’t smell anything but sulfur, and her vision was blurry. What had happened to Jair? She jerked her body to roll away from whoever held her, and heard a hiss of pain that was very familiar. Jair!
    Her vision cleared and she saw that she’d struck her mate on the chin with her claws. He pressed his finger to the small, bleeding cut and gave her a wry look. “Sorry, sweetheart. I should ’ve been watching your claws.”
    She let go of her cat and shifted, feeling herself heal as she did. The aches disappeared , and so did the throbbing in her head. Launching herself at him, she wrapped her arms around him and he caught her easily, chuckling. “It’s okay, we’re okay.”
    “What happened?”
    He stroked his hand down her hair and said, “What do you remember?”
    “Just hunting, and then nothing.”
    “Some lynxes attacked us.”
    She leaned back, startled. “Lynxes? Are you sure?”
    Behind them, Bhric cleared his throat. She looked over her shoulder and found the large male standing in front of a pile of bodies. Her heart leap ed into her throat as she recognized them : Levi and two of his chain members.
    “You know who they are?” Bhric asked, his brow arching.
    Her hands tightened on Jair’s neck and he growled softly, standing and pulling her up with him. He turned her away from the scene and lifted her chin until she was looking at him. “ Who are they?”
    “The older one is Levi , my arranged mate’s father. The other two are from his chain. ”
    “Why would they have come for you?” Veron asked.
    “He was pissed when I chose exile over mating him after Marco died, but I had no reason to expect him to come after me ,” she said, leaning around Jair to look at the males. “Are they dead?”
    Bhric nodded.
    She sagged against Jair, unable to stop t rembling. “Why would they come?” she whispered.
    “The better question is, what do we do with the bodies?” Veron asked.
    “I’ll handle it,” Bhric said. “Get your mate home , Jair . I’ll send some patrols out to make sure they were alone and to get rid of any trace of them.”
    “Thank you,” Jair said, as he lifted Genesis into his arms. “Thank you all.”
    “We’re family,” Veron said. “You look out for family. I’m just glad that we were at the bar when it happened, and that Felix happened to be out roaming. You’re a ways from home. Let me drive you back.”
    Grateful for her mate’s friends and family, she held on tight to Jair . He carried her to Veron ’s SUV and settled her on his lap in the second row. Felix promised to check in on them later. “I’m going to see if Bhric needs help.”
    “Thanks,” Jair said.
    Felix nodded. “You bet. Don’t worry about work tomorrow. Even if you are perfectly healthy, it’s a trauma , and I know you won’t want to be separated. I’ll see you the day after. No excuses. ”
    After Felix shut the door, Veron drove them home, and when he’d parked in front of the house he said, “Do you two need me to find someone with medical training?”
    Jair