Chapter 18: Chapter Eighteen: The Twin’s Surprise

“Good, good. Now try it while you’re running the opposite direction,” Vectore said as he watched Riley.

Riley ran away from them, then turned and pointed at the coyote who was still bleeding. She whispered a couple of words, and the coyote whimpered, then shook himself and shifted.

“All healed,”the coyote shifter said with a smile.

Riley was still running as she smiled at him. She hit something hard and would have fallen backward if two strong hands hadn’t reached out and grabbed her.

“Sorry,”she said out of breath as she looked up at her mate’s grinning face.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” He said, still grinning.

She smiled, “thanks, love. How long have you been watching?”

Mark chuckled, “long enough to know you deserve a break. Right, Shaman?” He said without looking at Vectore.

Vectore chuckled, “right, you are. Go ahead, Riley. Meet me back here in two hours.”

Mark groaned as he leaned down and whispered into Riley’s ear. “That might give us enough time to cuddle after.”

Her eyes opened wide, then she giggled as he lifted her over his shoulder and headed into the cabin.

Laila smiled as she watched Mark take off with Riley.

“She’s the best healer I’ve ever worked with,” Vectore said from her right.

She turned and looked at him. “Do you think she has overcome her jealousy?”

Vectore shrugged, “we can only hope it’s enough to protect herself from the Dark Wizards.”

She nodded, “I hope so.”

Laila has been through with her training for some weeks now, but she stayed to help with Riley’s training. She is incredible and learns quickly. She has a good range on her healing and can heal up to five at a time. And now she can heal while on the run.

“I think she has learned all she can with healing,” Vectore said.

Laila nodded. “What’s next?”

“Protection spells and incantations,” Vectore said.

Laila nodded, “I have a feeling she will ace those too.”

Vectore chuckled, “so do I.”

“Hey, sexy.”

Laila turned as Paxton’s arms wrapped around her.

“Hey there,”she said with a grin as she looked up at him.

“Are you done here?” He asked, looking into her eyes with his beautiful sky-blue eyes that always turned her insides to mush.

“For a couple of hours,” she said with a nod. “I want to be here when Riley comes back from her break.”

“Good,” he said with a wide grin.

She smiled, and he took her hand, then led her away from the cabin.

“What’s going on?” She asked her mind full of curiosity.

He grinned down at her. “You’ll see,”he said as he moved behind her and placed his hands over her eyes.

She sucked in a breath but trusted him to lead her safely to where ever he was taking her. She knew they were in the woods; she could smell the trees and moss. Sun shined down on them when they came into a clearing. She knew they were in the secret clearing the twins have been working on for the past few months.

“This is for you,” Park whispered into her ear.

She turned her head towards him, she hadn’t even heard him walk up to them. Paxton removed his hands from her eyes, and she blinked a few times, then sucked in a breath. Before her in the middle of the clearing was a beautiful house. It wasn’t as big as some of the houses she has seen in town, but it was big enough for a family of Bears.

“Ohmigod,”she said as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“We wanted to build you something that is ours. We know you like the cabin, but it’s too small. You’re having our cubs, and we would like to have more with you. After all, we do live a long time,” Park said as he watched her elated face.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“It’s also big enough that you can let the tamer animals in your clinic run around wild,” Paxton said.

She sucked in a breath as tears ran down her cheeks.

“We also plan to build you a new clinic and fence off a large area for the animals to run around in for exercise,” Park said.

“Oh, you two are wonderful,” she cried as she threw herself against Park, then turned and did the same with Paxton.

The brothers grinned at each other. They had done something right for their mate.

“Can I see the inside?” She asked excitedly.

The twins laughed, “of course,” they said at the same time.

They led her through the front entry, and she squealed.

“I guess she likes it,” Paxton said with a laugh.

Laila ran around the house in total awe. “I LOVE it,”she said with excitement. “When do we get to move in?”

The twins grinned at each other again then at their mate.

“Whenever you want, the house is ready for us to move in. It will be another week or so before we can move the animals in, though.”

She skidded to a stop in front of them. “Where’s our bedroom?”

The twins looked at each other than at her. Park picked her up and carried her to their room. The fact that she had asked for their room turned them both on so much, they didn’t take the time to undress as they each took her on the brand-new bed.

Their room christened.

~🐾~

It only took them a couple of days to get fully moved into the new house. Riley helped and squealed with Laila at everything new thing they found in the house.

“Park and Paxton said that they plan to give you and Mark the cabin,” Laila said as she unpacked the last box and tossed it out the back door.

Riley gushed. “Really?”

“Yep,” Laila said with a grin, “he’s their right-hand man, and you’re our healer. Not to mention my best friend. I will need help when these two come along,” she said as she placed her hand over her slight bulge.

“Of course!” Riley said excitedly as she hugged Laila.

“You guys gave up your apartment when you moved here, right?” Laila asked as she looked at her friend.

Riley nodded, “our stuff is in storage.”

“Good,” Laila said with a nod, “we’ll get you guys moved in by this weekend.”

Riley grinned from ear to ear. “I love you, you know.”

Laila smiled, “I know. And I love you like a sister. You’re going to be an Aunt, you know.”

Riley squealed. “I can’t wait!”

Laila chuckled. “So, Aunt Riley, what do we do next?”

Riley looked around the kitchen and grinned. “Let’s make dinner to celebrate your new home.”

Laila smiled, “I have a better idea.”

“What’s that?”

“Let’s have steaks. The guys have been dying to use their new grill.”

“Ooooh, have the men cook. I like it!”

They laughed as they grabbed their coats and headed out the kitchen door.

“I’ll drive,” Riley said as she pulled her keys from her pocket.

Laila nodded, “all right.”

They drove to the store and gathered the items for a large cookout. They laughed and chatted about everything good in their lives.

Unknown to either of them, a stranger watched from the shadows, his eyes squinting as he peered at them. They couldn’t be the ones he was sent to kill. They’re just a couple women, and one was pregnant...

Kill them, kill them both. A voice hissed in his head.

He held his hands to his head. “Stop it, leave me alone,”he said with a groan.

He’s a sniper with the U.S. Military, not a mercenary. Why was he even thinking about killing these two women and whomever else he sees with them...?

Do it! Do it now! The voice shrieked.

Without realizing what he was doing, he pulled out his gun and fired two rounds at the women then took off out of the store.

God, what has he done?

~🐾~

“Laila!” Riley screamed when her best friend hit the floor.

She hadn’t even heard the shots. One had barely missed her head and sunk into the shelf beside her, and the second had hit Laila. Blood was everywhere, and she didn’t know what to do. She knelt beside Laila and felt for a pulse. She was alive, thank God. But she was bleeding, and she couldn’t let anyone take her to the hospital. There was no way they could explain the cubs. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Park’s number.

“Park,”she cried into the phone when he answered. “Something happened, please you need to get to the store before someone sees us.”

“What happened?!” Park demanded.

“Someone shot at us, and Laila was hit,” Riley cried.

“What the fuck are you two doing out alone?!” Park bellowed with an angry growl.

Riley cried harder, “please,” she begged.

Park snarled, “don’t move; we’ll be there in five,” he said, then hung up.

Shaking, she searched Laila for where the bullet had hit her. It had hit just to the left of her heart, oh God...

“Move!”

Riley squealed as Paxton or Park she can’t tell them apart pushed her aside and lifted Laila into his arms.

“Clean up the blood,”he said with a snarl as he looked at one of the coyote shifters.

“Yes sir,”the coyote said, then disappeared down the aisle.

Park or Paxton, turned to Mark. “Get your mate out of here in case the shooter comes back.”

Mark nodded and grabbed hold of Riley’s arm.

Riley shook her head as she pulled from Mark.

“Riley, we need to get out of here.”

She shook her head again. “If he was still here, he’d have shot at us again when he saw I was still standing. I want to go with Laila.”

Mark looked at the twin that was walking out of the store carrying her best friend then looked back at her.

“All right,”he said with a nod then dragged her out of the store.

Riley turned and watched as the coyote shifter returned to the aisle with a mop and bucket and cleaned up Laila’s blood.

They followed the twin into the woods, where the other twin waited for them still in his bear form.

“She’s alive, but barely breathing,”the twin holding Laila said to the bear. “We need to get her to the Shaman and see what he can do.”

“I don’t think there’s enough time,” Riley cried as she ran up to them.

“I thought I told you to get her out of here,” the twin said with a growl, glaring at Riley and Mark.

“Please,” Riley begged.

“You’ve done enough,” the twin snarled.

Riley took a step back. “What does that mean?”

“Why the fuck are you two in town without an escort!?” Park, or Paxton or whoever the fuck he was, screamed at her.

Riley cried, “she wanted to get stuff for a cookout so you guys could use your new grill.”

The twin holding Laila froze, and the bear whimpered.

“She’s right though from the look of her she wouldn’t survive the ride back to the cabin,” Mark said.

The twin holding Laila looked down at his mate. They were right; she looked so close to death.

“Have her shift!” Riley shouted with excitement.

“What?” Park or Paxton asked.

God, she needed to find a way to tell them apart.

The other shifted into his human form and stared at her. “What do you have twirling in that mind of yours, Riley?”

Riley smiled. That one is Park.

“If she can shift into an animal, I can heal her,” Riley whispered.

The twins looked at each other than down at their mate.

“Lay her on the ground Paxton,” Park said.

Paxton looked at Riley, then sucked in a breath and laid their mate on the ground.

“This better work,” Paxton said with a growl.

Riley took a deep breath. She hasn’t tried healing Laila before, but if she can shift into an animal, it should work- she hoped.