Embracing Fate: A hot paranormal shifter book (Hidden Hills Shifters 4) (13 page)

“Really? You didn’t mean it when you said you only wanted a shifter for a mate?” She held her breath, awaiting his answer.

He swiped a finger under her eye to wipe away the moisture. “Never. I want you to stay just the way you are.” From the way he kissed her, she believed him.

“Thank you for trying to help,” she said.

His smile came out lopsided. “Didn’t Cheyenne ever tell you about what happened to Storm after she bit him?”

“No.”

“He told me he didn’t shift right away either. In fact, he felt sick for a few days until his future father-in-law made him angry. Since you seemed so eager to shift, I wanted to try to bring out your ire, too.”

She hugged him. “Thank you.”

“But if you never shift, it’s not your fault. It just means I’m truly different.”

Not wanting him to take the blame, she placed a finger on his lips. “No more talk of you being inadequate. Okay?”

“Inadequate and different are worlds apart. My dick still works, proving my point.”

She leaned back and punched him. “You know what I meant. Now, how about that ride? I do have the early shift and I didn’t think to bring my uniform.”

“Sure.”

Perhaps with a few more bites, and a lot more sex, she’d be successful.

Chapter Twelve

P
iper stood at
the window and watched Cord’s headlights fade as he pulled out of her drive. When they’d arrived home, the patrolman assigned to watch her house said that the hardware store had replaced the window, but that no one had stopped by. Cord had thanked him and said he was no longer needed since the men who were responsible were now in jail.

She sagged against the wall. These last few hours had been incredibly emotional—from worry to elation. Not only had Cord saved her brother from further attacks or possibly death, he’d also mated with her. She still couldn’t believe Cord had chosen to be with her.

She touched the spot where he’d bitten her but felt no lump or mark of any kind.
Interesting
. She stepped back, and the sound of glass underfoot forced her to look down. The hardware store workers had apparently missed a piece when cleaning up. She bent down to pick up the shard and yelped when she cut her index finger. Damn. She sucked on her wound and then dumped the piece of glass into the trash. She should have been more careful. Clearly, her mind was going in too many directions at once to pay attention.

It was quite late, and she needed to take a shower then head to bed. As much as she wished Cord had agreed to stay, it was better that they have some time apart to think about how their lives were about to change.

*     *     *

When Piper’s alarm
went off the next morning, she grunted and patted the bed next to her to feel for Cord. It took a few seconds to realize that she was alone, and emptiness filled her. As she sat up, a sudden yearning to be with him caused her heart to flutter, surprising her in its intensity. It was almost as if the bite had shifted her thinking and caused this need to surface. Was this what Cord experienced every day? If so, she wasn’t sure she could fully function like this. Yikes. These changes were happening too fast.

Yes, they belonged together, but her rational side said it wouldn’t be wise to rush things. She had planned to wait before suggesting they move in together, but now she wasn’t sure she could keep away from him. Cord surely understood more about this mating situation than she did.

Piper eased out of bed and headed into the bathroom, forcing her mind off the lust pooling in her groin. Christ, she had to stop thinking about him or she wouldn’t be able to stay focused at work.

Once she stripped off the bandage from her finger to wash her face, she checked out her injury. Confused, she ran her thumb over the spot she thought had been cut, not quite believing she’d healed overnight.

“That’s a first.” Perhaps in her state of mind, she’d overreacted the severity of the slice. “Whatever.”

She quickly dressed in her scrubs, made a cup of coffee, and grabbed a power bar before heading out to the hospital. This week she had the seven-to-seven shift, which suited her fine. She and Cord might even be able to grab a late dinner together, assuming he was free. He’d told her that his hours were
complicated,
which meant he could never be sure when he’d be needed to work on a case.

Piper’s first patient of the day was Jill Everson who was nine months pregnant and ready to deliver at any moment. As soon as Jill walked in, Piper sensed something was wrong. She rushed over and helped her onto the exam table. Jill was sweating, her respiration was high, and she looked to be in a lot of pain.

“Tell me where it hurts,” Piper said.

“Everywhere,” she huffed out.

Piper needed to find Jill’s obstetrician to make sure nothing serious was going on. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” Jill reached out, and when she grabbed Piper’s hand, it was almost as if a strong current passed between them. A flash of fear crossed Jill’s face but then her breathing slowed and her muscles relaxed. The poor woman let go and stretched out on the exam table, as if her ordeal was now over.

Jill placed a hand on her belly and sighed. “I can’t believe it. The cramping and pain have almost completely disappeared. The doctor said my baby was breech, but I think she just turned around.” Her smile radiated joy.

Piper was happy for her, but now she was the one who was a bit shaken and rather faint, as if she were in labor. Perhaps this wooziness was what Storm had experienced after Chey bit him. A bit of excitement trickled in at the idea that she might be able to shift after all.

Working hard to focus, Piper picked up the gel. “Let’s see what my magic wand can detect today.”

Piper donned her rubber gloves, opened Jill’s gown, and spread the goo on her bulging belly. Passing the instrument over her skin, the image of her baby girl appeared, her head pointing downward.

Jill smiled. “She did move! You must be my lucky charm.”

“Your daughter must have sensed your discomfort and moved on her own.” Piper didn’t know what would cause such a change, but she was happy for it.

“No. The moment I touched you, the baby seemed to feel your calm.”

She’d learned long ago not to argue with a hormonal woman. Neither Jill nor her husband were shifters, so the baby wouldn’t be like Cord who could sense feelings. “I’m glad I could help.”

After the exam, Jill thanked her again and left. While her patient’s energy seemed to have returned, Piper needed to sit down and rest. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her pulse was rather elevated. It was almost as if she’d absorbed Jill’s discomfort even though that was medically impossible. It had to be a reaction to Cord’s bite.

Before she could think more about it, Claire, a fellow nurse, rushed in. “There’s been a car wreck, and they need you in X-ray stat.”

Heart racing, Piper tossed off her used gloves, and rushed out. Halfway to the X-ray room, she could hear a little boy screaming and her heart ached for him. When Piper entered the exam room, a boy about eight was sobbing and holding his arm. The nurse with him looked up and shook her head, but Piper didn’t have time to ask what that meant. She hoped he wasn’t seriously injured.

“We need his arm X-rayed,” the nurse said.

The little boy raised his head, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t want you to touch me.” He then wailed.

Piper wouldn’t be able to do her job if he didn’t let her place his injured arm by his side. She turned to the nurse. “He needs to stand on this plate.”

He sniffled and whimpered saying he’d do it by himself. Even after she tilted the table, he kept crying. “I need you to let go of your arm,” Piper said as softly as she could. “Can you do that for me?”

As she reached to better position him on the table, he grabbed her hand to stop her. “It’ll hurt.”

The instant their fingers touched, a strong electric bolt staggered her, just like it had with Jill. What the hell was going on? Not wanting to cause him more pain, she stepped away from the young man.

The nurse rushed up to her. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.” Piper touched her cheek, and her face was flush. She didn’t want to mention her reaction could be the result of a bite.

“Let me see if there’s someone else who can help him,” the nurse said, guiding Piper over to a chair.

She glanced at the injured boy, and he was just looking up at her with the biggest, blue eyes. He was no longer holding his arm, nor was he crying, and relief washed through her. “Are you feeling better?” she asked him, not understanding how that was possible.

“Uh-huh.”

Piper waved off the nurse’s help. “I’ll take care of him,” she said despite waves of dizziness assaulting her.

“I’ll wait outside for him,” the nurse said. “Let me know when you’re finished.”

The X-ray would only take a few minutes.

Piper stepped up to the table. “May I touch your arm now?”

He nodded. With as much care as she could muster, she laid out his arm, and he didn’t whimper once. What a brave young man.

She stood in the control room, pressed the button, and then studied the image on the computer. She was no doctor, but she couldn’t even see a stress fracture. Most likely the little boy had been scared after the accident, and his doctor had merely wanted to be cautious.

The nurse who had brought him in helped him off the table and escorted him back to the emergency room. Not feeling well, Piper sat down and waited for her strength to return, assuming the reaction had to do with her mating with Cord.

This morning, she’d dismissed the idea that her wound had healed so quickly, deciding she’d overreacted. When Jill had touched her, it appeared as if Piper had sent some kind of healing thoughts to the woman, but babies were known to turn on their own. The little boy suddenly improved, too, when the two of them had connected. Most likely, he’d just been afraid. She decided these three events were mere coincidences.

She explained away her own wooziness by the fact she hadn’t eaten a good breakfast and she might be reacting to the bite. Add in that her stress levels had been off the chart these last few days, and it made sense she wasn’t feeling well. That had to be it. Her odd emotions this morning when she realized Cord wasn’t near had her almost in tears. In fact, she’d even considered driving over to his place just to see him before work, but then decided these reactions were all in her head—or were they?

Satisfied with the logical explanation, she printed the X-ray and sent it to the doctor.

Close to noon, she had a little break, and Piper decided to check on the little boy and his family. When she located the orthopedist in charge, he told her the little boy had checked out fine. His parents, however, were in critical condition. “I would’ve ordered another X-ray, but Sammy said his arm didn’t hurt much anymore.”

“I think maybe he was just worried about his parents.”

The doctor nodded. “I think you’re right. He was crying so much and seemed to be in pain that I wanted to err on the side of caution.”

As she headed back to her area, she decided to call Cord, hoping he could join her for lunch. Perhaps with a good meal in her, she’d perk up.

*     *     *

Piper spotted Cord’s
truck in Hidden Hills Café parking lot and pulled next to him. When she stepped inside the restaurant, a wave of lust hit her so strongly that she nearly bumped into a man who was leaving. Whoa. Needing to find out about her odd reactions, she found Cord quickly. He looked good—too good in fact, and she had to keep from thinking about what they might be doing tonight.

Cord held out a chair for her and she sat down. “As much as I was happy that you called and asked me to lunch, I’m sensing you’re confused about something. I’m picking up a strong attraction as well as dismay.”

For once, Piper was happy he was so intuitive. “Both are true. Things have been happening that I can’t explain.”

“Like what?” He leaned forward in his listening mode.

“I know this might be silly, but last night after you dropped me off, I picked up a piece of window glass from the floor and cut my finger.”