“A lie?”
Rafe glanced at the house where she was no doubt reconnecting with her kids, probably soothing their fears. “Yeah, the lie soured her scent but so did fear. Whatever she’s involved in has terrified her and made her fearful of shifters.”
“Do you think she stole them?”
“No. It doesn’t fit with her protectiveness of them. If she’d kidnapped them, she would’ve sold them, not raised them as her own.”
“True. She loves them. I saw that in her expression just now.”
Rafe motioned toward the older human with a jerk of his chin. “What’s your take on Mr. Wilkins? Any threat there?”
He doubted it’d be an intentional one, but a loose tongue could be just as devastating.
“Maybe, he was quite talkative after he learned I was a shifter, but once we stress the need to protect our secret, he’ll be trustworthy.”
“What did he have to say?”
“Seems he’s the only other person who knew about Seth and Levi. He also mentioned she’s had a rough time raising them.”
Rafe tensed. Had their lives been threatened? “What does that mean?”
“It means Jasmine has had some near misses with humans almost seeing her kids in their animal forms.”
One slip would’ve exposed not just her boys, but all shifters. Secrecy was a must. That was something both single shifters and Royals understood.
“He also said she’s struggled being both father and mother to her boys,” Kade added. “But I don’t know. From the way those kids treated Mr. Wilkins, I’d say she did a fine job.”
Rafe grinned. The sense of pride swelling his chest left him eager to get his hands back on his female—the one his cats had helped him find. Without their interest in her, he might’ve focused on the danger she posed and not taken the time to touch her. To learn she might just be the woman he’d been waiting his entire life for.
Of course, she might not be his perfect match. There was always the chance possessiveness had swayed his cats, but the more he interacted with her, the more he suspected she was his one true mate.
“Jasmine and I are going to head back to her place before the others arrive. If you don’t see us when you get there, keep the kids occupied and in the house.”
“Plans for your little human?”
“Lots. One night with her wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy me.”
Kade’s amused expression faded. “Careful, brother, or your fascination will turn into an obsession. They say that’s how it starts. Enthrallment. And once our instincts kick in, there’s no denying it. You’ll start thinking about mating her.”
Rafe already had. Actually, thoughts of mating her had crept into his mind within minutes of meeting her. He wasn’t ready to admit that to Kade. Or Jasmine. If Rafe did, there’d be no escaping the talk of just how dangerous loving a Royal could be.
Chapter 20
Jazz tightened her grip on Seth’s hand and rubbed soothing circles into Levi’s palm. They each reacted differently to things, but both had the same fear—that the three adult shifters in the yard would kill them.
Hearing the reason why they were barricaded in the bedroom cut at her heart. Had she instilled such a profound fear into them? She hadn’t meant to. She’d only wanted them to tell her immediately if they sensed another shifter. It wasn’t as if she could tell the difference. Look at how she’d messed up with Rafe.
She’d tried everything she could think of to convince Seth and Levi that Rafe, Kade, and Devin weren’t going to hurt them. After an hour of talking, she felt fairly certain her boys understood. It was the animals they housed that had doubts. Both boys told her how their cats paced inside them, but she couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer.
She peered out the small window at the top of the front door. Devin and Mr. Wilkins sat at the picnic table with Megan, a bag of cookies between them. The little girl studied Devin with open curiosity, no fear. At least one kid was handling the situation well.
Rafe and Kade stood, talking, several feet from the porch. As if Rafe sensed her gaze on him, he turned his head. He offered her a small, comforting smile. He’d assured her they had plenty of practice in similar situations. She shouldn’t worry. Easy to say, hard to do. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly released it.
She glanced at her kids. “Ready?”
They nodded.
“Levi, get the door.”
The door swung open but nobody moved, inside or outside the house. Silence stretched until finally Rafe walked toward them. He approached cautiously, stopping at the porch stairs. He crouched and clasped his hands loosely between his thighs.
“Seth, Levi, my name’s Rafe.” He motioned behind him with a tilt of his head. “That’s Kade. He’s our alpha, the one who leads our pride. He might look tough but don’t let it fool you. He’s a softie at heart, just doesn’t want to let the other pride leaders know.” Rafe lowered his voice. “Can you keep his secret too?”
She peeked at her boys. Both frowned but neither responded. Rafe glanced between them. “He has another secret. Want to hear it?”
Levi nodded.
“He’s been known to cry at movies,” Rafe whispered.
She looked behind Rafe to Kade. Kade’s lip quivered as if he thought about smiling, but he cracked his jaw after a moment and pressed his thinned lips in a hard line. “Don’t listen to my idiot brother, boys. I have never shed a tear over any ridiculous movie.”
Rafe braced his body with a hand on the ground and peered over his shoulder. “Oh yeah? What about that dog movie? You know where the boy’s dog has rabies and—”
Kade’s brows scrunched. “Old Yeller?” He ran a hand over his skull. “I don’t think I’ve ever watched that movie.”
“Right.” Rafe looked at her boys who’d taken a couple of steps onto the porch and winked at them before facing Kade. “Or Star Wars with that carbonite scene and—”
“For the love of
