His hands shook and she leaned out to take one in her own. “I’m here.”

He fell to his knees and buried his face in her lap. “Christ. You nearly weren’t. You nearly died. You don’t…I can’t…I’ve never in my life felt worse. Thank you for being alive and okay. Thank you for not being mad.”

She tipped his chin up. “Only you could manage to look gorgeous with smudges of blood all over you. Are you all right? I’m sorry, I should have protected you, it’s my job too, after all.”

He stood, pulling his clothes off and tossing them in a corner. That second consciousness inside her belly perked up as pride rushed through her. He was all hers. This beautiful, masculine, powerful male.

“In.” He pointed at the shower. Though all that sternness fell away when he put a hand at the small of her back and helped her in carefully. “I’m fine. I killed a few mages, but not all of them. But I will. There’s nowhere on this planet they can hide from me.”

“So some of them got away?”

“I’ll handle it all. So just stand there and look beautiful and let me do the work.”

“Are you mad at me?” she asked, her voice sleepy as he got her hair nice and wet. One of his arms was banded around her waist, helping her stand. Her legs were rubbery, and she kept going very hot and then very cold.

He gently soaped her hair. “Why would I be mad? I’m…I’m fucked up ten ways right now because you nearly died and I have this driving need to run with you. To grab you and run and never look back because I can’t bear the thought of actually losing you. I came close enough. People want to kill you and my wolf is really not down with that. And you have a wolf too. And my wolf finds that really, really hot.”

He shook again as he babbled, struggling to keep control. The talking helped keep the man in charge.

Her voice softened as she gave over to the way he touched her. “The bond is different now. More intense and I wasn’t sure that was possible. You’re feeling some really powerful stuff.”

He tried to remain clinical as he soaped the blood off her skin.

“I can’t believe I don’t even have open wounds.” She passed her fingertips over the pinked skin where she’d already healed so much.

“Just be glad it’s better. A few hours ago it was much worse.”

She hugged him, staying snuggled into his body even as his cock got so hard he felt he should probably apologize.

“You saved my life, Josh.”

“Cade did.”

“No, Cade turned me. You saved my life.” He realized she meant something more than just the gunshots, and tears flooded him again. She was the best thing in the world. The finest gift he’d ever been given.

“Um,” he tried to speak when she moved, slick from the soap, and her skin slid against his cock and he arched. “Sorry. You just…”

She tipped her head back. “Good to know I’ve still got it. We can take care of that, you know, before the room fills up with shifters.”

“You were shot sixteen times. I can wait to fuck you until you’ve had some time to recover. I’m a werewolf, not an animal.”

“Only you could make me laugh a sentence after you mention how many times I was shot.”

Through their link he felt her wave of dizziness, and he got her rinsed off while he held her up.

“Plenty of time for fucking when you’re recovered.” He turned the water off and helped her out, drying her off carefully, and then he assisted in getting her into soft yoga pants and a shirt.

“Come on, into bed with you, and I’ll let people know you’re ready. You’ll tell them what you saw and you’ll rest and that’s an order.”

“An order?”

“Yes. Don’t push me right now, Michelle. I’m on the edge. My wolf is not happy at all that anyone will be coming in here when you’re weak.”

“You’re here to protect me.” She said it so matter of fact that he knew she simply accepted it as fact. And that eased some of his anguish.

She continued. “Is everyone okay? I can’t believe I didn’t ask. Akio? Dave?”

“Ed, the wolf who was driving, was shot twice. He dove to knock you down as I was doing the same. But we were both too late. Akio is fine. He went off to eat because Cade ordered him to. He hadn’t left your side since we brought you in.” Thank God for his friend and their anchor. He might have lost it without Akio’s support.

He pulled the blankets back and helped her into bed before he went to the door and let the wolf just outside know Michelle was ready to talk.

Josh moved back to the bed and grabbed a chair.

“No.”

He looked up at her. “No, what, beautiful?”

“I need you to sit here with me. Please. I need…”

He understood and settled next to her on the bed. “You need to be touched. And I get it. I need to touch you so that works out just fine. Shifters, the whole lot of us, we find a great deal of comfort in touching and being touched. You’re on the mend and newly changed so you’ll need it more.”

She snuggled into his side, sucking in a breath. He sucked in his own gasp when she licked his neck.

“You taste so good. Even better now.” Her lips brushed over his skin as she spoke and sent shivers through him. “Wow, I can feel your arousal. I mean, here.” She squeezed his cock. “But through the bond too. It’s…wow. So wow.”

He smiled. “When you’re ready for it, I’m going to fuck the hell out of you. Just sayin’.”

Her arousal twined around his through the bond, and he had to put a pillow over his lap before everyone came in.

Akio entered the room first and moved right to them. He approached the side Josh was on, knowing how possessive and on edge he would be after his mate nearly died. Even with an anchor.

“Hey, little witch.” Akio kissed her forehead. “You’re looking a far sight better than you were an hour ago. Don’t fucking try to die again or I will kick your ass.” And then he settled in the chair Josh was going to sit in.

Grace came in next with a tray she handed to Josh. “Eat. There’s a mug of soup there for you, Michelle. If you feel up to it, just sip it here and there.”

Cade followed and smiled at Michelle. “There she is, my newest wolf. Welcome, Michelle. And congratulations on the bond with Josh.”

“Thank you.” Michelle cleared her throat. Josh knew how tired she was getting but she’d soldier through. “And I understand you’re the one who turned me to save my life, so thank you for that too.”

“Some years ago, a short while after Grace and I were mated, she was shot and seriously injured. Of course my very stubborn mate refused to change into her wolf before she knew my sister, who had been critically wounded, was all right. I know, first hand, what it feels like, that sick, helpless nausea as you watch the person you love more than life itself on the verge of death. So it was my honor to make sure Josh didn’t have to face the rest of his life without you at his side. And now you’re one of mine too.”

He sat at the foot of the bed in a chair Dave brought in.

“I’m going to ask Kendra and Renee to come in now, all right? Then you can tell us all what you saw at once and after that, get some rest.” Grace posed it like a question, but Michelle heard the steel in her tone. This was a woman used to being obeyed.

And really, sleeping in Josh’s arms was going to be her reward so she’d make it through.

Immediately, when the two witches came into the room, the wolf inside her seemed to press against her insides. Josh took her hand and squeezed it. “Drink some of that soup.”

She did, and the concentration it took to pick up the mug, sip it slowly and put it back helped her focus on something other than the fact that two beautiful women had just entered the space with her mate.

“I don’t even know how you get through every day feeling like this,” she muttered.

“You’ll get used to it. Things are very strong between you and Josh now. Your bond is new and you nearly died. Your wolf is establishing herself, and she and your human will have to find an equilibrium. It’ll come in time and then things will be easier. I promise.” Grace patted her foot.