Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 115: brought to you by catharsis

Today on "Don't Lick That Man!": Shay doesn't want to leave the afterglow cuddles. There's blood, but it's just annoying. Warm water. Reassurance to the weird one. We're all broken, okay? We need a chapter with more babies. Who doesn't like the babies? #allthebabies!

....I'm so glad I only have one husband.

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Afterwards, Shay couldn't bring herself to let go of Harvey. Something in her had cracked open, leaving her feeling raw and exposed, and Harvey's clean spice and musk warmth was the only balm for it. He felt like hers. Truly hers. She felt like she had finally hammered in the last stake of home after traveling for a very, very long time.

At the same time, it hurt she had known more about mating than he had. She didn't realize that would have bothered her. But she still found herself wishing they had started out the same, or that Harvey had been her first.

"If I ever have to go back to my world," she whispered. "I have to have you with me."

Harvey's breathing, which he was just catching up to, shook. He kissed the top of her head, long and lingering. He tried to pull away to continue down her face with his lips, but she clung even tighter, burying her wet face into the dip of his collarbone.

"Shay...what's wrong?"

"I...I love you too much. It scares me. I don't know why."

His breath caught again on that. But he squeezed her a little tighter.

"Dearest, it's okay. I'm right here. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm yours to love as much as you want."

She sniffed hard, only because she had to.

The leather door flap rustled.

"You've gotten her covered in blood, cat."

Harvey's arms around her flinched and loosened, but didn't let go of her completely.

"I'll get a bath going."

"Don't bother. I already filled it. It's warming up now. Get the smell of her heat off you before Ryan smells it. He's already been intolerable today. Shay, my love, come here."

Only then did she loosen her arms around Harvey's chest. The raw something within her whined in protest.

As she looked up to meet Harvey's face, she saw his gaze flicker to her chest and everything in his expression go slack. He froze, but seemed to quickly shake himself back to shoot Curtis a wary look. Even as he sat up, Shay could feel the coiled tension in his sinewy muscles, as though readying to leap. Blood from her period caked his groin, thighs, and lower stomach.

Before she could ask what was wrong, or apologize for making a mess of him, Curtis had his arms beneath her knees and waist. In a blink he had her tucked tightly against his chest and had left the bedroom for the bathroom next door.

She had already been feeling vulnerable, but on seeing the tightness about Curtis's eyes a fresh wave of tears pricked her eyes.

"Curtis?"

He looked down at her, and just like Harvey his gaze flickered to her chest. His mouth tightened as well.

Only then did she finally look down.

A golden leopard spread across the entirety of the skin over her heart, from the right side to the center. The roaring black panther's head screamed down at it from the space just above, nestled between the front of her shoulder and collarbone.

A wave of fear, cold and heavy, flooded over her.

"Curtis--Curtis, don't hurt him, please, don't."