Free Captivation: Shifters Forever Worlds (Shifters Forever After Book 4) by Elle Thorne

beginning to stir.
    Giorgio, in his leopard form was still losing blood.
    A commotion outside made Bain whirl around and look for a weapon because he wouldn’t be able to shift so quickly. His shifting energy needed time to recuperate.
    He picked up the chain from one of the shackles. This was the best he could do.
    The door handle turned.
    He wrapped the chain around his fist and locked his legs into position to have the best leverage possible.
    The door opened.
    The breath pushed out of Bain in a whoosh.
    His shoulders relaxed.
    “Mikhail.”
    Bain didn’t think he’d ever been this happy to see a face before. Okay, maybe once. Or twice. Carina and Dominic came to mind.
    Mikhail strode in, carrying himself as if he owned the place.
    He was followed by a menagerie of shifters. He pointed to Braden. “Get him off that wall.” He approached and studied Bain. “You okay?”
    Bain nodded. “He’s not.” He pointed to the Italian. “And he needs help, if it’s not too late.” He indicated Giorgio.
    “Get him to the nearest shifter clinic.” Mikhail pointed to Giorgio. “Him, too.” He took in Braden’s appearance. “He doesn’t look so good.” Then he glanced down at the Italian. “Get rid of this bastard.”
    “Thank you,” Bain said. He’d never meant those two words as much as he did right now.
    “And you,” Mikhail gave him a stern look, “get your ass back to Bear Canyon Valley. It seems there’s a little girl who woke up insisting she see the man she calls Daddy. I’m guessing from Carina’s tone this is you.”
    “She’s awake?” Even more relief and joy took hold of Bain.
    “Yes. By the way, you have hell to pay with that woman. For some reason, she thought you’re with a group of shifters in Oregon, not on a solo mission in the den of this black bear piece of shit. I suspect what she has in store for you would make what the Italian did to you look like nothing.”
    Bain looked at the unnecessary chain, then dropped it. “Will that kid Giorgio be okay? He tried to help me.”
    “I’ve got the best shifter doctors on the way to that clinic, though I really thought they’d be headed there for you.”
    “Sorry to disappoint.”
    Mikhail laughed. “Looks like your blood debt is cleared up. What was that about?”
    “Vey killed one of the Italian’s cousins.”
    Mikhail scoffed. “No doubt deservedly so, though your brother was…”
    “Yeah, I know.” And Bain did know. He knew exactly what his brother was.
    “Your father wants to see you when you get back. Seems he’s having a change of heart.”
    “What? Not my father. He’s pretty damned hardheaded.”
    “Then I know where you get it.” Another hearty laugh from Mikhail. “Seriously, he wants to talk to you.”
    “I wonder what changed his mind.”
    “I wouldn’t know,” Mikhail said, but there was a twinkle in the depths of his eyes that made Bain wonder if Mikhail hadn’t orchestrated that, as well.
    “I bet you don’t.”
    “Have I ever told you how persuasive an Arctic fox can be?”
    Bain frowned, not getting the change of subject. Then it hit him, Miriam was an Arctic fox shifter.
    So Miriam did this. Whatever this is.
    “I’ll see my father when I get back from Bear Canyon Valley. Thank you for coming out.”
    “Wish we’d been here earlier.”
    “No. I’m glad you weren’t. His blood didn’t need to be on another’s hands.”
    “How’d you like a new job? Security for the Romanoff organization?”
    “I’m not wild about fighting. The only security I like is creating systems on a computer. That’s what I’ve always done. I’m not interested in changing that.”
    “Fair enough. Why don’t you do that for me?”
    “How about I make a decision after I see Carina and Bree?”
    “My plane will get you there. It’s at a private airfield nearby.”
    “I owe you a lot, all that fuel of yours I’ve burned up.”
    “This is what we do, Bain.”
    Bain tried to bear that in mind, he’d not