Page 17 of Sandro

“About that.”

“What?”

“I’ll be sleeping down here on the sofa because the upstairs is a loft with only one room.”

Leo’s eyes grew wide. “What do you mean there is only one loft bedroom?”

“Upstairs is one big open room. You can stand at the half wall that I thought led to bedrooms that were out of sight, but apparently, whoever built this cabin decided that there was to be no privacy if more than one couple were here. There is one bedroom and a single bed.”

“But why? Why would Rio do that to us? Can’t you ask him to add another bedroom? If he can use magic to bring us here, can’t he poof us a second bedroom?”

I chuckled. Rio absolutely could, but I had no intention of asking. He’d been gracious enough to bring us here away from the rest of the coven. To ask for a separate bedroom when there was a perfectly useable sofa wasn’t going to happen. Not only that, but I honestly didn’t wish for the rest of my coven family to know that it was going to take me some time to claim my beloved. I’d been honest with Leo from the beginning because it was the right thing to do. Now it was biting me in the ass. Leo made a noise, pulling me from my thoughts.

“There is no need to ask for another bedroom to be added,” I told him. “I’m more than happy to give you the loft, and I’ll take the sofa. I’ll leave you be so you can finish your sandwich and then explore the cabin. If you need me, I’ll be outside on the deck, trying to come up with ways that we can occupy ourselves while we’re here.” I winked at Leo and then took my water bottle with me outside. I needed to figure out ways to distract myself from my beloved before I pushed for things he wasn’t ready for.

It was beautiful outside, and as I walked to the end of the deck, I saw that there were other cabins not far from us. That was something important to know. Absolutely zero sexual activity outside unless Leo was into voyeurism. It wasn’t quite my thing, and the thought of anyone seeing my kitten in the throes of orgasm made me see red, literally.

No, that simply wouldn’t do. I placed my water bottle on the railing and pulled out my phone. I needed to locate the nearest town because being stuck in a cabin with only one bed was ideal for mated couples, but for us? Not so much. At least, not quite yet.

Chapter 8

Leonardo

The fact that there was only one bedroom in this cabin was crazy. Not only that, but it was open to the space below. So every move I made, I knew that Sandro heard. And the same for me. I heard the man down on the sofa moaning. What in the fates? Why? Why would the guy lie down there moaning while pleasuring himself when he knew I could hear him? That was so incredibly messed up in all ways. I was right here. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t take care of things for him. The man was hot as fuck, and I had nothing against a little mutual pleasure. But nope. The asshole decided that he was going to self-pleasure instead of spending time with his beloved.

I rolled my eyes at the situation. Not that anyone could see me. It was dark in the cabin except for the moonlight filtering in through the many windows. That was another thing. I didn’t like it to be so bright in my bedroom, but I didn’t have a choice here. The cabin was almost nothing but windows.

I was too busy being irritated with my mate to realize that something wasn’t quite right. That was, until he grunted, and then I heard it. It was faint, but I still heard it. I froze, held my breath, and then I heard it again.

“No. Please just end it,” he whispered out. Only I didn’t think he was actually whispering.

I tossed the covers back and was on my feet in a second. “Sandro?” I said out loud.

“No. Make it stop.”

I hurried down the stairs and was now thankful that the moon was as bright as it was. “Sandro?” I said again as I rushed to the sofa, where he’d insisted on sleeping. It turned out that the sofa actually folded out into a large bed, but it couldn’t be nearly as comfortable as the massive bed upstairs. “Sandro?” I said again as I reached his side. I reached out without a thought and touched his shoulder. It was soaking wet, and I was suddenly terrified that he was either sick or something was seriously wrong. “Sandro? Can you hear me?” I asked as I gave his shoulder a gentle shake. I placed a knee on the bed to get closer in hopes of waking him up, but that might have been a mistake.

I yelped when I suddenly found myself on my back and was staring up at deep red eyes and had claws pressing into my neck.

“Sandro!” I shouted before instinct took over and my leopard pushed himself out. It was the fastest I’d ever shifted, and my leopard let out a loud growl before hissing and then swiping at Sandro’s clawed hands.

I slowly backed up on the bed, hissing and growling low in my throat, completely in defensive mode. I growled again, this time a bit louder. I was crouched, ready to pounce and put Sandro on his back if needed, but I really didn’t wish to hurt my mate.

“Leo?” Sandro said, but his voice sounded scratchy and not really as it had all day. “What…” Sandro looked around, then lifted his hand and stared at it. I growled at the sight of his claws. Immediately, they disappeared, and Sandro held out a hand toward me. “Please tell me I didn’t hurt you. Please. I…” Sandro gasped, and then I heard him breathing heavily. “Please tell me. No, I can’t have hurt you. Please no.” He gasped again, then let out a sound that I could only describe as a torturous cry.

Instinctively, my leopard relaxed, and the desire to comfort our mate overcame me. I moved closer, pushing him back with my head. Sandro’s arms wrapped around me, and I let myself be pulled close to him. Sandro cried into my furry neck, and I was left not knowing what to do. Did I shift and talk to him? Did I let him have his moment of holding me in this form? I had no clue. I just knew that he needed me, and I was going to let him hold me as long as he wanted.

“Mi perdoni. Mi perdoni,” he said over and over. There was nothing I could do to communicate with him while I was in this form. I was still unsure if I should shift and talk to him or not.

“I would never hurt you, Leo. Never. I wasn’t here. My mind and body were back in that warehouse, and the pain. I…” Sandro’s arms tightened around me, and I heard him sob again. I let him hold me. I truly didn’t know what else to do.

We lay there on the makeshift bed for I don’t know how long. Sandro kept repeating over and over for me to forgive him and that he was sorry for what he’d done. Eventually, the crying silenced, and his hold against me loosened. It didn’t take me long to realize that Sandro had fallen asleep. My poor, traumatized mate. What had he gone through? He’d mentioned that he had been stabbed and shot. I’d heard those words, but I don’t think I realized just how absolutely horrible it had been for him.

I was dumb. Of course it had been horrible. Worse than that. And he’d been reliving that moment. Or moments. He’d said they’d tortured him. He’d been in hell and had wished for death. I could understand that more now.

So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and I wasn’t sure I knew how to process everything. Yesterday, I was still planning on my escape from the pride. Now I was on a completely different continent with my mate. I was in my leopard form while he held me as he slept. Had I brought him some form of comfort, or was he simply holding me because he’d felt bad about attacking me?

I knew now not to approach him when he was having one. I’d had close calls before. I was a shifter in a shitty pride. I’d been attacked before. But I honestly hadn’t expected it from Sandro. He was my mate. I didn’t think I’d ever have to defend myself from my mate, of all people. But if I thought about it logically, he probably didn’t think I was me. He wasn’t here in Banff with me. In that moment, he was wherever he’d been held and tortured.