The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 72

Numb... that was what I was feeling when I "woke up" from whatever had happened to me in the span of... hours or for however long it had been since I was last awake.

I stared blankly straight ahead with nothing going through my mind and only felt this sense of numbness where nothing mattered, not even myself or my thoughts. My vision was blurry while my mouth felt dry as the desert, and my whole body was tense and waiting for something else to happen.

Someone shuffled near me and said something, but I couldn't hear what they were saying and didn't seem to care. They placed their hand on my shoulder before they moved in front of me, and all I could see was a flash of red and then something green that sparkled with mischief and relief.

The thing, a blurry person, smiled and bowed their head and said something else that I couldn't hear, looking very relieved to see something in my eyes, even though I had no idea what they saw or who they were before they disappeared again and removed the pressure from my shoulder once more.

The bed shifted beside me before I was pulled into the arms of someone else, and the smell of my mate filled my nose and "woke" me up from this dreamlike state that I had found myself in after I gained consciousness.

I gasped and blinked rapidly while I instantly wrapped my arms around the person that had me in their arms, and my ears went pop! as if a spell had been lifted from it so that I was able to hear a lot of "Kat's!" at once.

I buried my face into the crook between my mate's shoulder and neck and whined at the sudden loud noise that followed the popping sound, making sure not to hurt my mate with the gem that was still tucked in my hand. "Ooww," I whined while I grimaced and shook my head, trying but failing to make the sounds not hurt my ears.

"Kat?" my mate asked but didn't move me from the safety of his arms, and his heart pounded hard and fast in his chest. His chest rumbled while he spoke, and his voice cracked with pain and fear as if he was worried that I had lost memories of him or the time we had spent with each other. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

Do you know who we are and where we are located..?

"Give me a second, Brody," I croaked out and buried my face further into the crook between his shoulder and neck while I grimaced. I took a deep breath and released it with a small whoosh, while I stayed where I was. "Everything hurts and is loud."

My mate's whole body seemed to shake as soon as his name left my lips, and he took a deep, shuddering breath while he held me closer to him but not tight enough to hurt me.

"Oh, thank Goddess," he said, his voice cracking before he cleared his throat and licked his lips. "I thought we had lost you." He rubbed my back and pressed a small kiss to the side of my head.

I bit back a small chuckle and shook my head while I kept my eyes closed and tried to not hurt myself further. "I'm ok," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Everything is going to be ok."

My mate pressed another small kiss to the side of my head and pulled me closer to him, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from groaning out in pain. He rubbed my back some more and tried to soothe me, but for some reason, it didn't work, even though I didn't let him know because I knew how much he needed this, especially since I had almost died.

Someone cleared their throat from beside us, and Brody growled in annoyance while I bit my lip harder until I tasted blood. "Do you mind if I take a look at her, Young Alpha?" the person, a female, asked. "I believe that Her Majesty is in pain at the moment, but she doesn't want you to know."

Oh, Gods, please don't let me call that again until all of this is done, I thought while I bit back a tired sigh, praying that this person would be ok with calling me "Kat" instead of "Her Majesty" or some form of my title. Please, it's bad enough that I have to deal with Cornelius doing it.

Brody grew tense under my arms, and he gently moved me back so that I would look at him, even though I didn't want to. His whole face was covered with worry while he studied me, and I could tell that he wanted me to either confirm or deny that I was in pain and trying to save face.

I didn't say a word while I stared at him, noticing a few more lines around his eyes and him looking as if he had aged a whole century in the short span of time we spent apart.

My mate tucked his head closer to his chest and kept me at arm's length while he studied me. "Is what she is saying true?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he continued to study me, trying but failing to find the secrets that I may hold. "Are you in pain?"

I hesitated before I looked down, not able to meet his gaze any longer. I didn't say a word while I slowly nodded, silently indicating that I was indeed in pain and that I didn't want them to worry while I tried to figure out what was going on and if everyone was alive and safe.

But I couldn't do that with the way that I was feeling...

"Kat?" Brody asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please." He tucked his head closer to his chest while he stared at me, and I could tell that he was wanting me to verbally tell him how I was feeling, even though it felt like it was too hard.

I bit back a tired sigh and slowly nodded. "Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "I am still in pain, even though I had told you to give me a minute while I hugged you."

"And that is where I am sure I will be able to help, Your Majesty," the female said from beside me. "All I would like you to do is to look at me, though, so that I will be able to help without pissing off your mate further."

I hesitated but did what I was told to do and looked toward the female to see fiery red hair and a beaming face that looked too excited about something for some reason.

As soon as I looked at her, the female bowed, her curly red hair falling around her face while she looked at the ground. "My mate is Sinopa, Your Majesty," she said while she stood, "and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, even though I wish we could have met on better terms."

She smiled and cocked her head to the side while she raised her eyebrow in question. "Don't you agree?"