One Deaf Mate and Two Shifters

Ch 20

Finally she relaxed. As I looked over her feet, Mathew continued messaging her hands.

"She needs bandages on her ankles and legs, but not much damage has been done to the pads of her feet." I said.

"Good. She's also asleep. Do you want to bandage her or look for more injuries?" he asked.

"I will look for more injuries." I don't want to think about the stiches she will need to get. We thought she would have healed a little more now that she had eaten and was resting. Something was wrong.

"Do you think she is a default?" I asked as I looked over at Mathew. He was looking at her hands until he heard me.

"If you ever suggest such a thing again, I will hurt you Brandon. You know expressly how I feel about that word." he whispered angrily. I remember how our family yelled the word in his face because his shifting ability hadn't manifested in our childhood.

"Matt, I know you hate it, but it's the best I could think of. It would explain why she was a slave and isn't healing. Her mystic powers should be kicking in. Being near us should even help with that even more. She's healing almost as slow as the humans once did! I mean, she didn't even know what a mate was! For gods sake Matt! She was even able to link with us! You heard her screams too!" My voice was raising from its previous whisper. My muscles were tightening and twitching. Signaling that my shift was about to occur, whether I want it to or not.

"Better yet Matt! If she has this much trauma triggering how will we ever be able help her? You saw what he did to her and she was just a child! What could we ever-" My hands were twitching uncontrollably. "do to help?"

"Dammit Brandon! If you shift in here and she wakes up, we'll never get her trust! Just brea-" His words were interrupted by my body changing.

I felt the instantaneous pain of an unwanted shift. It was quickly overcome by the warmth every shift creates within a shifter's body. I no longer was a man, but a snow leopard.

I also looked at the world with the mind of an animal and not the rational of man.

Mate! Blood! Protect!

[This was where I was going to end, but as an apology for late updates and not keeping my word, here is the next installment]

Brandon had just shifted. Into. A. Fucking. Snow. Leopard. Great, just great! He stood on four legs covered in a layer of thick fur. He was primarily a light grey with lighter areas. Black spots covered him. He was looking at our mate, his whole body tensed. His three foot tail was fluffed up as big as it could be, and was rapidly swishing back and forth. Not only was he a lethal feline that could easily maim a man, he had lost his reasoning as a man. I stayed still on the bed. I could hear my mate's breathing was in a slow rhythmic pace only reserved for those in deep sleep. The problem was we had taken off quite a few of her bandages from her back before her memories came, and she had opened many of her wounds when she had moved. And better yet, she was now bleeding everywhere. Great, maybe I can get to Brandon before he fucks this all up even more.

"Brandon, I need you to listen." As I began he whipped his furry head my direction, his ears swiveled to focus on me.

"Brandon, my brother. My twin. She will be alright. The feline does not rule you. We do not need protection." The cat was focused on me. Its fur was no longer standing on end.

"I know you can smell her blood and you may feel that licking her will make it all better, but we have not marked her yet." The problem with Brandon's current state of mind was not that he would attack our mate, but that his instinct to protect her would take over. After marking our mates, shifters have an ability to heal wounds with body fluids. His feline must be in a mode to protect at all cost, not thinking about the fact that licking her right now would only make her wounds worse without the mark to kick start the healing.

As I had been thinking, the leopard had slowly been focusing on her again, specifically her back that was faced in its direction. When she had fallen asleep, she had curled her body facing me on her side. I needed to get its attention back.

"Brandon, do not make me remove you. If you have enough control, lay down beside her and give her your healing presence, but do not lick her. I will continue to bandage her and look for further injuries." With my words the feline laid down on the bed. He had curled into a ball with his tail wrapped around him. He wasn't touching her, but he had not taken his attention away from her or her still bleeding back.

Great. I have a fucking snow leopard shedding fur all over my bed. My mate is injured, bleeding, and I don't even know her name! Next thing I know the sheep will get out of their pasture and be eaten!

"Don't you dare eat my sheep!" I said in a whisper as I stood up from the bed. The leopard tilted its head and gave me a curious look.

"I mean it, you stupid leopard!" The leopard just chuffed and looked back at our mate. Guess that was the best answer I was going to get.

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Welp, here we are. Sorry for the long over due update!

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