“Generally there is only one, but you two are twins so the rules are a little different. Besides Erin wants to reestablish…” His head snapped up and his gaze went blank for a moment then worry darkened his expression. “Something’s wrong with Kyle. Come on.”
Without further explanation, he scooted out of the booth and hurried across the restaurant, leaving her little choice but to follow. She had to jog to keep up with his long strides, but his intense expression or some telepathic warning sent people scurrying out of their way. He took the stairs three at a time, a feat her shorter legs wouldn’t accommodate, and reached the bedroom several seconds ahead of her.
Jake had already crossed the room and was standing beside the bed by the time Ava reached the doorway. Kyle had returned to his human form and was sprawled on his back across the bed. The sheet was tangled around his hips, barely covering his groin as he thrashed and twisted in obvious delirium. Enya knelt on the edge of the mattress, doing her best to calm Kyle down. Much to Ava’s relief, the only thing Enya had removed was her high-heeled boots.
“He won’t accept my energy.” She panted. Her face was pale, features tense, arms shaking.
“Then how did he shift back?”
She shrugged, straightening enough to glare at her brother. “I don’t know. He roused long enough to switch, stumbled to the bed and collapsed. I’ve tried everything. I’ve narrowed the stream to a trickle, tried to sneak it past his sensors, and he still fights like I’m trying to poison him.”
“Maybe you are.” Jake’s sharp gaze shot to Ava. “You said he fed from you right before the soldiers found you. How far did things go?”
Heat suffused her face, but she refused to shy away. “Second base.” She couldn’t think of a less embarrassing way of explaining the situation.
Enya crawled off the bed and Kyle quieted. His breathing grew harsh and irregular, but he gradually stopped thrashing. “It usually takes more than that for a couple to sync.”
“But he’d healed her a couple of hours before,” Jake reminded. “His energy would have been all through her already.”
“What are you talking about? Did I do something wrong?” Tears blurred Ava’s vision and she wasn’t sure why. She was angry and she was terrified.
Jake placed his hand at the small of her back and Kyle made a growling sound deep in his throat. Snatching his hand away, Jake quickly explained, “Your energy mixed when he healed you and then again when you fed him. This might have triggered synchronization.” Jake motioned Ava closer to the bed. “What exactly did you feel when he—”
“Don’t be an ass, Jake.” Enya saved her from more embarrassment. “You know what she felt and this is all new to her. She’s not going to be able to decipher what did or didn’t happen. There’s only one way to tell if they’re in sync or not.” She shifted her gaze to Ava. “Get on the bed and see if he’ll let you touch him.”
Ava crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her hardened nipples. Just thinking about what she felt when Kyle “fed” from her made her core melt and her skin tingle.
“He’s not going to bite you.” Enya was starting to sound impatient. “Didn’t you enjoy it before? Oh Creation, you’re not a virgin, are you?”
Without responding to Enya’s questions, Ava approached the bed. She reached for Kyle’s arm. She certainly hadn’t been this tentative in the woods, but she hadn’t had an audience then. Her fingers brushed Kyle’s forearm and he moaned. Then he rolled toward her and frantically reached out for her with both hands.
“Guess that solves the mystery,” Enya muttered. “You’re definitely in sync.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means you’re the only one who can feed him,” Jake told her. “At least for the next three months.”
She took a step back. “I don’t mind feeding him, but I’m still feeling a little woozy myself.”
“She’s right. We should saturate her and then give them some room,” Enya suggested.
They moved toward her with obvious intent and a weight dropped into her belly. A surreal haze wrapped around her brain and she suddenly wanted to scream. Yesterday she’d been curled up in front of a fire reading a trashy novel and now tiger-shifters were about to “saturate her” so she could feed the cougar-shifter who had saved her life. Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary in that.
Except her sister was now an Omni Prime, some sort of super shifter who had taken on the animal nature of six different men in an attempt to free her true potential. A potential that existed in Ava as well, if she was able to set aside reality as she knew it and embrace this strange new world.