Page 24 of Escaping Monsters

Lucas held his hands up like I was holding him at gunpoint. “I’m not saying that we would ever think that was going to happen. No one is going to pressure you into anything. All I’m saying is that Jasper would never have left you with Kane under any circumstance, but he believed that you had ten mates. Each swore to fight him to the death rather than give you up, and he wouldn’t do that to you. So, he left. I’m guessing that the reason he was so enraged was in finding out that your ten lovers were just another one of Kane’s lies.”

“Okay.” I leaned into the metal sink. “Now, that’s a lot to digest.”

Declan stepped into the doorway and leaned into the sill. “Did you guys forget to invite me to your shower party?”

I glanced back at the open shower and felt heat flushing up my cheeks.

“Declan, great sense of timing as always.” Lucas cleared his throat. “Like I said, Teagan, no one here expects that from you.”

I looked between Declan’s confused expression and Lucas’ nervous one. “You all know about this mate thing?”

“Lucas,” Declan growled, “Are you daft? You told her?”

Holy fuck. They all knew.

“Look…” I shook my head because I had no response to this ludicrous development. So far, Declan, Lucas, and Jasper had been very careful not to give me a single nonconsensual order, even when I was in danger. I didn’t feel like these men were going to hurt me, but I hoped they didn’t expect me to be their collective true mate. The room spun, and my stomach flipped. “I think I need to sit down… preferably not on something that was recently used in an orgy. And, maybe some food if you have it?”

Declan threw a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got steaks on the counter along with the cake.”

“Thank you.” I took one step, and the floor slipped out from under me. The whole room spun, and I grabbed onto the sink with my injured hand and sucked in a breath as pain radiated up my arm.

“Are you okay?” Lucas grabbed my shoulders. “Did you eat anything? You look like you’re about to collapse. Did you take anything?” He leaned in close, looking into my eyes, doing a quick assessment.

“That demon touched her.” Declan’s arms went around my legs and back, and suddenly I was hoisted up into his arms like I weighed nothing at all.

“Whoa, guys. I’m okay. I just haven’t been eating much in the past week—maybe three hundred calories a day, and even though I ate a lot yesterday, I don’t think my body was ready to change into a werewolf and back in a couple of hours.” I patted Declan’s shoulder and opened my mouth to tell him that he could set me down when my vision tunneled, and heat rose in my face.

Fuck.

I was about to pass out.

“I need to lie down,” I muttered before the whole world faded away.