Page 8 of Jordan

Burns and cuts in varying stages of healing were revealed.

Marisa gasped, thrust Eli into Bradi’s arms and rushed to her.

“Gods above, Nina, what have you done to yourself?”

Pheebes refused to unhand her. “When the fights she picks with others do not yield the desired results—injuries—she does it to herself. It is the only thing, besides lying with another, that dulls the pain of her cycles. She wishes to go off-world in her condition, and it will only worsen the farther away from those like her she gets. She knows this. It is a suicide mission!”

Bradi shook his head and stared at his wife. “Fix her.”

Marisa sighed. “Bradi, I can’t. From what I’ve studied of the people here, Nina needs to couple with a shifter male—her mate would be ideal.” She cast a questioning look in Jordan’s direction. “But since no one knows who or where he is, she’ll need to take another.”

Tears threatened to fall and Nina held them back with all her will. “Not just another,” she whispered.

Marisa touched her cheek. “What?”

“One will not fix it, Marisa. One never does.”

“Bloody hell,” Pheebes said. “I helped you through at least two cycles in the past, Nina.”

Nina met his gaze. She hated revealing what she’d spent so long hiding from him. “Not alone, Pheebes. You’ve never helped me through one by yourself. It has always been with me using others. Many others.”

Marisa sighed. “Oh, honey, you’re trying to tell us delicately that until you lie with your mate, you have to use many men during your cycles to make the pain go away.”

She nodded. “Our mother passed before she could fully explain the whys, but Christian believes it’s because the other males cannot make me with child, and my body knows it.”

Bradi held his son close and let out a pained growl. “No. The rumors of what happens to a female shifter who denies her cycle are horrific, Nina. They go mad. They take their own lives to end the pain and suffering.”

The pain of her cycle picked then to surge through her. Nina bit her lip to the point it bled and dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. Pheebes tried to pull her into his arms. The pain intensified tenfold, causing Nina to cry out and rip away from him.

She let her claws emerge from her fingertips and prepared to dig them into her forearm to blind the pain.

A strong hand clamped over her arm—and she stopped just short of cutting it. The mating pain subsided substantially, and she glanced up to find Jordan holding her, his green gaze full of concern.

A slight purr escaped her as Jordan pulled her against his massive chest. He stiffened, and Nina knew he could smell her arousal. Not only that, his cat was somehow answering her own.

He swallowed hard and the cords in his thick neck worked as his heated gaze raked over her slowly. It was on the tip of her tongue to beg him to kiss her, to end her longing. Too proud, she refused.

Thankfully, Jordan had a mind of his own. Immediately, he had his mouth pressed to hers. She gasped, giving Jordan the opening he needed to add his tongue to the mix.

The moment their tongues touched, Nina’s willpower left her. She melted in his arms, allowing him to lead their kiss. He drank at her mouth and tiny moans escaped them both. Each swipe of Jordan’s tongue chased the pain associated with her cycle further from her.

When he finally drew back, no pain remained.

He stared at her, his lips swollen from their kiss and tiny beads of sweat evident on his brow. Instead of slapping him for daring to kiss her, she went to her tiptoes and planted a gentle, chaste kiss to his lips. She remained there, her lips curving upwards. Jordan smiled too, his lips brushing hers in the process.

She wanted him to repeat his actions and kiss her again. He did, and she trusted him fully, allowing him to set the pace. When they next separated, she felt like a lovesick whelp, unable to even pull her gaze from his.

“Nina?” Marisa asked, snapping her fingers in front of Nina’s face. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

She nodded, unable to step out of Jordan’s embrace.

“Look at me.”

She did. Marisa assessed her quickly and smiled as she stepped back. “Bradi.”

“Yes?” he said, his voice deep.

Marisa grinned. “Let your sister go off-world but with two conditions. She must agree to allow Jordan to not only accompany her, but lead the mission himself, and no one other than the two of them may go.”

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