Her Warriors by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online Page A

stilling her inner turmoil a little bit.
    “Thank goodness you’re here,” Jacki said
with true feeling.
    “You seem so conflicted, child.” Bettina
looked at her with concern. “I hope I haven’t brought such chaos to
your life.”
    “No, it’s not you at all, milady. It’s…”
Jacki felt so stupid thinking about the two tigers and their
reactions to her when her brother was so very ill. Her personal
stuff could wait. Tom was so much more important. “My brother is
very sick. He was injured in the battle at the lake, but it wasn’t
really a physical injury. He keeps losing strength and I’m afraid
he’s in a state I’ve never seen before. It’s like a coma, but on
the magical plane.”
    “Where is he?” Bettina was all business now,
her fey eyes filled with unease.
    “Back at the house. At Master Geir’s house,”
she clarified. “We’re all staying with him for the time being.”
    “Then there’s not a moment to lose. Let’s go
see about your brother. Selkies are susceptible to many forms of
magical attack, but if we catch it in time, we may be able to save
him.”
    Her voice, as well as her words, were music
to Jacki’s ears. They took off the way she had come, walking
briskly through the woods, not speaking much as they made haste
back to the big old farmhouse.

Chapter Four

    Beau had stayed to look after Tom when Jacki
took off. Truth to tell, Beau was just a little too stunned to do
much of anything after she left him. She was his mate. He had
confirmation now. But she didn’t seem all that happy about it.
    He couldn’t really blame her. Her brother
was looking worse all the time and it was obvious she cared deeply
about him. This wasn’t exactly the time to be thinking about
mating, but apparently the Mother Goddess had other plans. Beau
wouldn’t argue with the Mother of All’s plan, but he could wonder
at Her timing.
    Beau could back off a bit, of course, if his
inner tiger would let him, but in the end, he would claim her for
his own. That thought gave him a bit of security and a sense of
purpose. First though, he had to help her and her brother through
this crisis. He didn’t want to start off their life together with a
tragedy. Beau vowed to do all in his power to help Tom recover,
though he had no idea really, where to start.
    Sitting with the guy was a small enough
thing he could do, making sure Tom didn’t get any worse while Jacki
took a moment to regroup. If Beau was any judge, their reaction to
each other had surprised her more than anything. She had looked
really overwhelmed when she ran off, which was a bit of a relief,
in one way.
    If she had been overwhelmed, she had felt
the same intense reaction he had. Right? That thought gave him
comfort, even as his tiger demanded they go hunt her down.
    He shushed the beast and did what the human
side of his mind counseled—proceed with caution. Women were
unpredictable in Beau’s experience. He had to tread lightly,
especially with a woman he fully intended to spend the rest of his
life with. A little caution now might help them have a fantastic
future. He could be patient. Somewhat. He’d do his best to tamp the
cat’s instincts down as much as he could, and do this the more
human way. For now.
    The door to Tom’s bedroom opened with a
small crash and Beau was instantly on his feet, ready and willing
to defend the unconscious man in the bed. But it was Jacki, and she
wasn’t alone. A petite woman followed on her heels, and Geir was
bringing up the rear, his brow furrowed in concern.
    “How is he? Did he wake up at all?” Jacki
asked Beau, her gaze on her brother as she took up a post at his
bedside.
    The other woman went to the other side of
the bed and began checking Tom over with a professional air. Was
she a doctor? She didn’t look like any kind of doctor Beau had ever
seen.
    “No. Sorry. He’s been out since you left,”
Beau reported.
    “You stayed with him?” Jacki looked up at
him as if he had committed some