Golden Binds

“Oh, thank fuck, you’re both human again.”

“Joseph Bjorn, you just swore twice within the space of a minute,” Garret said with exaggerated shock. “We’ll corrupt you yet.”

“What happened? How did you manage it?”

Sawyer shrugged. “Don’t know. Guess it just happened while we were sleeping.”

“Well I know we don’t have to sleep each time to change,” Joe said thoughtfully. “But maybe it’s being relaxed enough, dropping your guard that did it.”

Yeah, it was a good theory. But it wasn’t going to be a lot of help the next time their bears broke free.

“Jesus, Garret, think you could put that thing away?” Joe’s lip curled. “Could you both get dressed. The last thing I need is the naked image of you two burned on my brain when I go to see our mate.”

“You’re not going to see her,” Garret said quickly.

Joe and Sawyer turned to him. A rumbling warning came from Sawyer. Garret gave him an impatient look.

“You think you’re going to keep her to yourself?” Joe asked.

“Of course I don’t.” He shrugged. “I mean, I can fantasize, but that’s not the way it’s meant to be, right?”

Right.

And, actually, Sawyer was grateful for it. If he had a mate of his own, he’d have no idea what to do with her. He didn’t know anything about females. How to care for them, how to shield their delicate emotions. Physically, he would guard her with his life. He would make sure she was the most protected person on this earth. But emotionally, he was lost. That’s where he would rely on his brothers.

“What happened? You obviously found her, why did you leave her there? Was it because you changed?” Joe fired out the questions.

Garret sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Then he grabbed a throw off the end of the sofa and wrapped it around himself. Sawyer sat on the sofa. He wasn’t self-conscious about his own nudity. Although he’d admit to being relieved Garret had hidden Mr. Happy.

“Oh, I found her all right.” He sat, looking weary.

Looking more impatient than Garret had ever seen him before, Joe sat on an armchair, leaning forward. “Well? Did you tell her? What happened?”

“Who is she?” Sawyer asked. “And why did she come here?”

Garret looked pensive, which alarmed Sawyer. Garret was rarely serious.

“I caught her trail. It wasn’t hard to follow her. Those damn tunnels go all over the place. She could easily have gotten lost in them.” And have been wandering around for days, if not longer. That wouldn’t be happening anymore.

“But the one she used came out on the outskirts of Oldstown. So, I followed her through the city.”

“Yeah? And? Who is she?” Sawyer asked.

“Well, that’s where it gets tricky. She’s Georgina Blake.”

“Blake?” Disbelief filled him, chased down by a big helping of horror. “She can’t be.”

Garret nodded. “She is. I had to sneak into his compound. I had to hide and wait until I saw her at one of the windows so I could work out which room she was using. Then I set up a diversion to distract the guards.”

“You walked into Carlin Blake’s house?” Joe gaped at him.

“Uh, no, not exactly. I threw pebbles at her window.”

“What the fuck where you thinking, Garret?” Sawyer exploded. “Do you know how dangerous that could have been?”

“Relax. No one saw me.”

“If Blake had captured you, he would have bled us dry for the ransom,” Joe told him.