"We who? Should I get my gun?"
"No, your scalpel."
"Brie Victoria Wilson, if you don't start making sense…"
She winced. She hadn't heard her middle name since high school. "I shot a lion, Dad. We need you to remove the bullet."
"Why in the hell would you shoot some poor lion?"
She rolled her eyes. "What happened to defending your baby girl?"
"How far out are you?" her father asked, ignoring her.
"A little under twenty minutes. We're coming from the warehouse district."
"Please tell me you didn't find some exotic animal dealer hoarding animals. Is the lion the only one that needs medical attention?"
"No, nothing like that. It's just the one lion," she looked around the car. "I think."
Aiden grinned at her. "Bear."
Priest bumped her shoulder from the seat beside her. "Eagle."
Rathais caught her eye in the rearview mirror. "Wolf."
"Bastard," she muttered.
"Brie?"
"Just the incoming lion, Dad."
"Okay, I'll get the table ready. Head straight to the back."
"See you soon." She hung up her phone, then kneed the driver's seat. Rathais grunted. "Seriously?" she demanded.
"Yes, seriously. I told you, there are things you don't know, the existence of shifters is just one of them."
"You also said something about fae, witches, and vampires."
"Let's focus on Ari first, then I'll lay everything out for you," he promised.
She rubbed her chest. She felt as if her
heart was breaking. She had a hard time swallowing around the knot in her throat. "His name is Ari?"
"Ari Lionhart, lion shifter obviously." The youngest looking of them answered from the back where he was keeping Ari mobilized. He pointed to his own chest. "Kincaid Bayberry, witch."
The man on right gave her a small salute. "Priest Vi'Aerdan, harpy eagle shifter."
The man on her left nodded his head. "Gage Fabre, vampire." He winked at her, making her smile.
"Okay, let's get him well, then I'll face everything else." She heard her own voice break. "What in the hell is wrong with me?" She hunched over a bit, trying to ease the pain in her chest. Behind her, she heard a low growl.
"She's fine, Ari, just reacting to your injury and the pull. She's your mate, isn't she?" Kincaid asked.
A happy purr filled the cab. She found that the very sound eased the tightness in her chest, allowing her to breathe easier.
"I would say that is a yes," Gage said, a smile on his face.