He nodded, but cried harder. “I’m sorry I followed you,” he hiccuped between sobs. “You told me to stay away, but I heard someone crying and I was worried about you. Then I saw Mandy and I wanted to help her.”
“You were so, so brave, little one.” My boy, who was frightened of so many things, put himself in danger to help someone in need. I couldn’t be prouder or more in awe of him.
“Is she okay?”
“I don’t believe she was harmed. Let’s go see her.” I scooped Izzy into my arms as I stood up, and kept him cradled close to my chest when I walked over to the young lady. She was curled up much like Izzy had been, and weeping into her hands.
“Mandy, are you alright?” I asked in a gentle voice. She jerked at the sound, but when she realized it was me, she looked up and nodded.
“Are they gone?” At her question, I remembered the second shifter I’d knocked out. I forgot about him in the chaos and with my need to protect my mate. I whipped my head towards the brick wall, but found nothing but an impression of his head and dried blood. Apparently, he’d regained consciousness and bolted.
“They’re gone.”
“Did they hurt you?” Izzy asked worriedly.
“No,” she replied, wiping at her face. “They scared me and ripped my shirt, but I’m not hurt.” I offered her my hand and once she was standing, she surprised me by throwing her arms around the two of us. “You saved me; both of you. I don’t know what they would have done to me if you hadn't come.” She sniffled into my chest and I patted her back.
“Try not to think on it. You’re safe now and that’s what matters. Come; let’s get you back to your brother.”
Izzy stayed in my hold (right where I wanted him) as we walked back to the tattoo shop; he kept his arms wrapped around my neck and his body plastered to mine like a baby possum clinging to its mother. Mandy gripped my hand and didn’t let go, but it wasn’t a romantic touch. She needed comfort and reassurance, and I would gladly give it.
“What do we do with him?” Mandy asked as we passed the mangled body of the shifter. Her voice held no compassion for the creature that had attacked her.
“We leave him. His kind will collect his body.” In civilized packs, he would be given a proper burial with respects. I didn’t know how things worked with rogues and I didn’t care; they could fucking eat him as far as I was concerned.
When we returned to Ross’s shop, he took one look at us and leapt from his seat, rushing to his sister. “Oh my god, what happened?” His face went pale as Mandy gave him the details of the attack. “Thank you for saving my sister. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“That’s not necessary,” I told him with a smile. “I’m just glad she’s okay.”
“Still, I want to do something for you. Oh, I know; if either of you ever want any work done, anything at all, come see me. It’s on the house.”
“Thank you.” I offered him my hand and he shook it firmly.
“And I want to take you both out to dinner,” Mandy added. “I know my boyfriend Jack will want to thank you as well.” She jotted down her number and I put it in my pocket. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again, little hero,” she told Izzy before giving him a kiss to his cheek. He smiled sweetly and blushed as he nuzzled against me.
“For now, I need to get my boy home,” I told Ross and Mandy, and they nodded their understanding. Now that things had settled down, the reality of what just happened was hitting me hard. Izzy had been in danger. He could have been injured, or worse. Things could have ended when we’d just shared our wonderful beginning. My soul was in disarray and I needed to get Izzy back to our safe space and spend the afternoon nurturing and pampering him to settle us both.
We waved goodbye and I carried him back to our vehicle.
Chapter Eight
The whole drive home, Izzy didn’t leave my lap. Part of me wanted to buckle him into his own seat for safety, but I couldn’t part from him. I needed him close to me, so I drove slow and carefully while he cuddled against my chest.
He clung to me as we rode the elevator to the top floor and I held all of our grocery purchases in my free hand. Once we were in our place, I jumped into full throttle Daddy mode. I got Izzy settled on the sofa, wrapping him up in his soft blanket and gathering a few plush toys for him to hold, with Flopsy being front and center.
As I changed my clothes in the bedroom so that Izzy wouldn’t have to look at reminders of the attack, I called Jett and filled him in on everything that happened. He sent well wishes to Izzy, and offered to call security to have them keep tabs in the city to make sure everything stayed under control.
Once I was in fresh clothes, I fixed Izzy a bowl of Spaghetti-Os and turned on a movie for him to enjoy; this time choosing Lady and the Tramp. He watched attentively, but didn’t dance to the songs or copy any accents. I sensed he needed more care, so I fed him each bite of pasta as he stayed wrapped up in his fluffy cocoon.
Izzy had just finished his meal when there was a knock at the door. He watched nervously as I answered it, but smiled when he saw it was Jett stopping by to check on him. Even better, my friend brought Izzy a towering ice cream sundae to cheer him up.
My sweet boy invited Jett to stay and finish the movie with us, but my friend said he had work he needed to get done. I knew well enough that he was just giving us some space and time together, and I was grateful to him. I fed Izzy each bite of the ice cream, hot fudge and whipped cream mountain, and by the time the film came to an end, a smile was back on his pretty face.
“You look like you’re feeling much better.” Izzy nodded as he licked a dot of cream from his lips. “Did the dessert do the trick?”
“The ice cream was yummy, but that’s not what made me feel better.” He lay his head on my shoulder and added, “That was you, Daddy. You always take care of me and make me happy. I was scared when that creature came after me, but I knew you’d protect me. What scared me most of all was that you might get hurt. I can’t protect you the same way, and that made me sad.”
“Please don’t be sad, little one. My body was built for things like that, and I was made to look after you.” I kissed the top of his head and asked, “Is there anything else I can do to make you happy?”
Izzy looked up at me with those big, beautiful eyes I could never get enough of. “Yes, Daddy. Will...will you love on me?”
I slowly unwrapped him from his blanket and placed his animals on the cushion next to him. I took him in my arms and carried him into our room, where I lay him gently on the bed. I began undressing him at his feet, noticing there was only one shoe to remove; in my haste to get him home to safety, I must have left the other one behind. It didn’t matter; I’d buy him more.
I slipped the socks from his feet and kissed his sweet little toes before sliding his cotton pants down his legs. I kissed up his shins and thighs until I reached the waistband of his striped briefs. I snatched the elastic in my teeth and crawled backward, peeling his underwear off from around his feet.
“Daddy, you’re so sexy,” he moaned in a gravelly tone.
“You’re sexy, Israel.” I continued with my kiss trail, heading back up his legs before pressing feather soft kisses over his sack and along his stiff shaft. “I love your beautiful body.” I pushed up his shirt and licked up his pelvis before flicking his navel bar with the tip of my tongue. “So damn pretty, but you’ve got a naughty streak inside too, don’t you?” I licked the gem again and he moaned.