I gasped and covered my mouth when I saw her condition. My mom was beaten and bloody. Her hair, which had been down to her waist, was shaved. She was naked and frail. If she was even alive, she was barely hanging on.
“MOM!” I yelled, running to Six. Tears slid down my cheeks as grief overtook my soul. For so many years I’d wanted us to get out—I’d tried to get us out. Guilt ate away at me, telling me I shouldn’t have left her, and if she didn’t survive this… I was going to have to live with that for the rest of my life.
“Twistie, baby, you gotta move. I have to get her inside.” His voice was calm, but it didn’t register. I felt arms wrap around me and pull me back. I fought, but the arms tightened like a boa constrictor.
“Please,” I cried out. “My mother!” I sobbed, but whoever was holding me didn’t loosen their hold. Slowly, I felt an overwhelming wave of calmness seep into me. I knew then that it was Kitty holding me back; he was taking away my worry and fear. As he drained my emotions, I felt my energy slipping away.
Kitty swung me up into his arms, carrying me into the club. I closed my eyes, my body relaxing within his hold. “I hate your gift,” I muttered around a yawn.
“So do I.” He surprised me with his confession. “It’s for the best, though. You can’t help her if you aren’t calm.”
“I’ll stay calm now. Let me go.”
He took me to one of the spare rooms. Mom was on the bed, a shirt draped over her body for modesty. Nudity wasn’t a big deal among shifters, but Mom was human, and she wouldn’t have wanted to be nude around Six or Papa, who was accessing her injuries.
“The bruises are mostly superficial, but this head injury worries me. The bloodshot veins in the eyes say bleeding in the brain. She needs a real doctor, or…” he let his words trail off.
“What if she was a shifter?” I asked quickly. If there was anything I could do to save my mom, I was going to do it. Even if that meant asking my mate to bite my mother and make her a leopard. I couldn’t lose her, not when we were so close to finally being free.
“If she was a shifter, she’d probably heal herself in a couple days, but changing her when she’s this bad off? That’s a risk.”
“Fuck!” Six threaded his fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reaching out and taking hold of my mom’s hand.
I moved to his side, quietly taking his hand, linking us together. There was no way I’d know if my being there would help or hinder his ability. Hell, his ability shifted when we mated, so who knew at this point, but taking his hand comforted me.
“I’m going to change her,” he whispered, squeezing my hand gently, not really looking for an answer, and I didn’t give him one.
“Did you see something, Pres?” Papa asked, worriedly looking down at my mom.
“No, but with the extent of her injuries, this is the best shot she’s got at surviving.” He clenched his jaw before looking over at me. “I’m sorry, baby. We can’t take her to the hospital without exposing them to the world of shifters—too many questions would be asked.”
“Have you ever changed someone before?” I questioned.
“Never had a reason to. Everyone here are already shifters. It’s your call, Twistie. Would she want to be a shifter, a leopard?”
I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. Dad could’ve turned Mom long ago, but she’d wanted to stay a human. I’d asked her once why, and she’d told me, “Don’t change yourself for any man, Camilla. They will love you more for it.”
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I pulled away from the comfort I felt being next to him. It was the hardest decision I’d ever had to make, but I had to make it.
“Do it. Change her.”
96
Six
I wished like hell for a vision letting me know that this would work, and Twistie’s mom would be okay with it, but my visions weren’t something I could just conjure when I wanted. If this was going to save her, we had a small window that was shrinking by the second.
I’d never given much thought to changing a human before. I figured if my mate was a human, I’d have no issue changing her, but it wasn’t something to take lightly. Someone that was at their best had a hard time accepting an animal. Twistie’s mom was far from her best. She was broken mentally, emotionally, and physically from years of abuse. This wouldn’t be easy for her if she survived it at all.
I took a deep breath and moved away from my mate. Before I bit her and changed her, I whispered in her ear, “Your daughter is my mate.” I didn’t know if she could hear me, but I wanted to think she could, just in case she didn’t make it through this. “Thank you for taking care of her for so long. Now, I’m here to take care of you both. If you were strong enough to survive what you have, you’re strong enough to survive this.”
I rested my head against hers and moved to her shoulder. This was going to hurt, and the last thing I wanted to do was cause her any more pain. It was time. Every second could mean the difference between losing her and saving her life. I moved the sheet off her shoulder, my canines elongated in preparation for what I was about to do.
The taste of copper flooded my mouth, and her scream of pain rang in my ears. Twistie’s mom
