Cinderella's Guardian by Khloe Wren Read Free Book Online Page B

Dominic's one moment of poor judgment. He'll always feel guilty about it, but in the end, as a leap, a family, we got the girls out and safe. The same applies here. We will all pull together and help you get Tina out safely."
    Pulling free of his father's grip, Conner looked to the floor. He could feel heat rising in his cheeks as embarrassment from his childish words set in. He'd always felt inferior to Dominic, he wasn't sure why. His parents and his brother never did anything to make him feel less, but he did. As the second son of the current alpha he was overlooked publicly. With no real role in the leap, he often felt like a spare wheel. He kept it hidden most of the time, not allowing the feelings to surface. But every so often they would break through his control.
    He could sense his mother coming closer and he just couldn't handle what she would say to him. He was already on edge with worry about Tina. Without further thought, he turned and bolted up the hallway to the other end of the house where his bedroom was located. In his room, Conner quickly worked his way through his nightly routines. Once under the covers he forced his body to relax and his mind to clear of all thoughts except those of Tina, hoping she was already asleep.
    He found himself in a dense rainforest, dark and damp. The depressed tone of the place weighed down on him heavily. He began searching for Tina. She had to be here. Hearing a faint sob, he headed towards the sound. He found a waterfall and looked up.
    His breath caught in his throat. There she was, standing at the top of the waterfall, on a large smooth rock protruding out of the flow. Her back was turned toward the drop, and her body shook as she cried. He watched her stretch her arms out wide and step back closer to the edge. Panic overtook him as realization dawned; she was trying to kill herself! Even in a dream, the thought tore at him. He roared as he shifted and bounded up the side of the fall to get to her.
    She'd stopped and turned at his roar. She now stood frozen in place as he came closer. He strode through the water easily. Wound his body around her legs, forcing her further from the drop. He continued to herd her toward the safety of the bank as he tried to calm his racing heart. Once she was safely out of the water, he moved away and shifted to human. Thankfully, being a dream, he could also materialize some clothes. He didn't want his nudity to distract either of them.
    "What the hell, Tina? You can't do that! Not even in a dream. I need you. I can't live in a world where you don't exist! I'm trying to find a way to get you away from Robyn. Dad's helping me. It shouldn't take us long."
    "You- You were a cat. A really big cat."
    He dropped down to his knees in front of her. "There are things I need to tell you, baby doll. The fact I'm a snow leopard shifter is one of them. The other is about these dreams of ours. We're both here. I'm not a figment of your imagination. I am me."
    She shook her head slightly then began talking as if he hadn't spoken, hadn't shifted from animal to man, "I can't do this. I hurt, I hurt so much. I just want it to stop." Her gaze went to the waterfall, filled with longing.
    He tilted her face away from the drop and toward his. "It will stop, I'll get you free of Robyn. Then me and you can start the rest of our lives. Can you trust me to fix this?"
    She cupped his face in her soft palms. "How can I know you are really here? That my subconscious isn't trying to throw you at me as a last ditch effort to prevent what I want to do."
    "Ask me something. Something you don't know about me."
    "What year were you born?"
    "1988, tenth of September."
    Taking her hands from his face, she began to rub her temple, like she was getting a headache. "This really is too much, Conner. Okay, so you're really here with me. What about the snow leopard thing? Is that real or just here in our dream?"
    Conner couldn't bear not having her in his arms another moment. He