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

looked at her and she said, “I’m fine. Are you okay?”
    “I’m good,” he said. Then he turned his attention to Veron and said, “ Thanks, Dad.”
    Genesis didn’t miss the look of surprised pleasure that passed over Veron’s face. “Take care of each other.”
    Genesis opened the door and slid off of Jair’s la p onto the grass. She shivered despite the heat. Jair spoke quietly to Veron and then shut the door. Her mate gathered her against him in a tight hug and said, “Are you sure you’re okay? You were unconscious for about a half hour.”
    “Shifting helped. I just…wish I knew why Levi came for me.”
    “Asking your dad is out of the question,” Jair said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
    “Mona can get in touch with Geraldine. I’ll call her and ask her to discreetly reach out.”
    “Let’s do that, and then I need to get you into a nice, hot bath.”
    She arched a brow. “Seriously? We were just assaulted on a run through the woods and you want to take a bath together?”
    He snorted, lifting her into his arms and heading to the house. “I am definitely always thinking of ways to get you into bed, sweetheart, but right now we both smell like sulfur and dirt. I’m personally exhausted as hell, and the only thing I want to do is get clean, make sure you’re really okay, and then hold you all night. Does that sound okay?”
    “It sounds perfect.”
     
    * * *
     
    Genesis woke to the sound of low voices. She was alone in bed, and sunlight peeked around the edges of the blinds. Glancing around for a clock, she found one on Jair’s nightstand and saw it was after nine in the morning. Jair had made good on his promise to get her into a hot bath after she called Mona, and then once they’d washed each other and made sure they were uninjured, they’d tumbled into bed and promptly fallen asleep. It was the first night since they’d been together that they hadn’t made love, but she hadn’t actually cared about that. They were safe and together, and nothing was sweeter than Jair’s breath on her neck as he held her close.
    She slipped from the bed, tugged on a pair of leggings and a long shirt, and headed out to see who Jair was talking to. She found Mona, Dillon, Veron, and Felix sitting in the family room. Mona stood and hurried to Genesis, hugging her tightly.
    “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine, really. Thank you.”
    Mona peered at her suspiciously and then nodded. “Okay. I sent a message to Geraldin e after you called . She got back to me this morning. Here’s her note.”
    Mona turned her phone to face Genesis and she could see a text message on the screen:
    K and Levi got into big fight after G left. L said she shouldn’t have had choice in the matter. K banished him from our territory. L swore retribution. Clearly L meant he was going to get G. I’m thankful G is safe and glad L is dead. Will alert you if I hear more. Give G my love.
    Genesis’s eyes stung with tears. Jair moved to her, wrapping his arms around her. “Sorry , sweetheart.”
    “How do you get in touch with her? Is it just texting? Can I send her a note?”
    She shook her head. “It’s not really texting. I send a message to her through a chain of people that we know and she sends it back that way. I said it was urgent. Normally our messages take a week or better to get back and forth. I can send a note back from you, though, if you want.”
    “I’d like that.” She turned against Jair and closed her eyes, thinking about Geraldine.
    “It’s good news,” Veron said from the couch. “It means your father didn’t send that asshole to get you. Your father was angry enough with him to sever their contact and exile the chain from his territory.”
    Felix nodded. “You were the retribution, clearly, so it’s a good thing he didn’t get away with you.”
    Jair’s body tensed, and she knew he harbored guilt over her being nearly taken.
    “Hon, put your note in here to Gerry,” Mona said