by Kim Fox
My head is pounding. I can’t see. There’s warm blood pouring down my temple.
I try to move away from his relentless fists, but my legs are woozy and I can barely stand up.
Offensive, Caleb. Let’s go.
I throw some blind punches but hit nothing but air.
I’m breathing heavy. My body is burning. My lungs are on fire.
Mack has laid off for a second and I wipe my watery eyes just in time to see his foot coming at my head with a devastating roundhouse kick. It connects right to my temple with a crack. My legs give out like a cheap piece of furniture and I collapse to the ground with my head pounding.
Tito is shaking his head. “Not even one punch. I’m embarrassed.”
I have to do better than this. My mate is watching.
Mack is on the other side of the circle, pacing around with his fists raised in the air like the fight is over.
The fight should be over. If I was smart it would be, but I have to get at least one punch in. Bryce and Abigail are watching.
With a painful grunt, I push to my knees and shake out the haze from my head.
“Want more?” Mack says with a grin. He pounds his fist into his palm and smiles. “Perfect. I got more for you right here.”
Abigail is watching from the car, begging me to stay down with her watery eyes.
Seeing her crying gives me the boost of adrenaline I need. My bear is itching to get out, but the alphas said no animals, so he’s got to stay locked inside.
Mack comes flying forward, closing the distance between us in a blur. His fist flies forward, but this time, I’m ready. I jerk my head out of the way, and throw a punch back, connecting with a crack on his chin. It stuns him.
“That a boy!” Tito shouts from the sidelines. “I knew he had at least one punch in him.”
I leap to my feet and throw more punches, hitting Mack with everything I got. Jabs, roundhouses, uppercuts—I’m hitting him with them all as my crew cheers me on.
The pain in my body is almost gone with the thrill of being on the brink of victory. I push forward, throwing combination after combination just like my father taught me when I was a kid.
My lungs start burning and my fists go numb. I stand back, breathing heavy with exhaustion when I’m sure that he’s had enough. No. My stomach drops when he doesn’t collapse. He’s standing taller than ever. And he’s smiling.
Fucking smiling!
My muscles quiver as he turns to me with a grin on his face. “Is that all?” he asks with a smirk.
He was toying with me all along.
I don’t stand a chance against this guy.
“Now he’s in for it,” I hear Ryder say from the sidelines. “Now the real show starts.”
Mack grins at me and then pounces. His fists move in a blur, hitting me everywhere at once. I can tell he was holding back the last time, now he’s not.
A grunt shoots out of my mouth as he blasts a fist into my stomach, and quickly follows it with a hard elbow to my face.
I fight back, throwing punches but the few that do land, don’t do nearly as much damage as his do to me.
His hand strikes out like a snake and he grabs my neck in a fierce grip. My head is pounding and I can’t breathe.
Mack grins wickedly as he lifts me off my feet and pulls his other fist back. I’m holding onto his thick forearm and kicking my legs as he unloads a devastating punch, slamming it right into my face.
The bright blue sky goes dark. The tight fingers are no longer on my neck. I crash onto the dirt, with my head spinning. I don’t know know what the hell is going on or where I am.
My eyes are watering. My brain is burning. I pry my eyes open just in time to see Mack coming.
He’s got murder in his eyes and he’s charging forward with the finishing blow.
14
Abigail
I can’t watch. Caleb is getting destroyed by this guy.
This is all my fault. I brought my problems to Caleb’s door and now he’s paying the price for them. I should have gone to Colorado when I had the chance.
Nausea creeps up my throat when Mack grabs Caleb by the neck. He’s squeezing so hard as he lifts him off the ground.
I leap off the hood of the pickup truck and rush over to the circle to pry his hand off myself. But I’m too slow.
Mack hits him with a crushing punch to the face that has his eyes rolling to the back of his head. He drops him and Caleb collapses to the ground.
He’s almost out, but I can tell that Mack is the kind of guy who won’t let him off that easily. He wants to finish him completely.
I scream as the huge lion shifter rushes forward for the final blow. His fist flies forward, but Caleb gets jerked out of the way and barely misses the fist in time.
Bryce is standing in the circle with Caleb in his arms. He darted into the ring and pulled him away just in time.
Mack’s eyes narrow on my little brother as Bryce steps in front of Caleb’s limp body with his fists in the air.
My breath catches in my throat as I watch him. It’s so brave what’s he’s doing. But also so freaking stupid.
“I’ve been waiting for you, twerp,” Mack says with a satisfied grin as he lifts his bloody knuckles up.
“Wait’s over,” Bryce says, staring back at him.
My mouth drops. When did my brother become so confident? Or so reckless?
One night with the twins and this is what happens?
Mack cocks back his fists and charges forward. If one of those punches hit my brother, he’s not going to need me to drive him to Colorado. He’ll fly all the way there.
“That’s enough!” Grant shouts. “Fight is over!”
Bryce’s eyes are closed and he’s wincing as Mack’s fist comes to a stop an inch in front of his nose.
It’s only when the big guy drops his fists and storms off to the cooler that I realize I’m practically biting my fingers off with worry.
Mack opens the cooler with a grunt, takes two beer cans, and chugs them both. He crushes each one on his chest and then grabs two more.
The twins are holding up Caleb as I rush over. He’s woozy and incoherent.
“Oh, no,” I whisper as I touch his swollen face. His eyes are both black and the left one is completely swollen shut. His lip is split and blood is dripping down onto his ripped shirt.
His face is a mess. I can hardly recognize the man I love underneath.
He tries to stand up on his own, but his legs give out and he falls back down into the twins’ arms. “Did I win?” he asks in a shaky voice as he looks up at Tito with a wobbly head.
“You sure did, Buddy,” Tito answers. “He slipped on a puddle of your blood, fell down, and hit his head.”
“Did you hear that, babe?” he says, showing me his red teeth as he smiles. “I won.”
I lean forward and kiss his bloody lip. “You did good, yoga boy. Not too bad at all.”
Tito and Ronin drag his limp body under the big maple tree and drop him into the shade. His body collapses onto the grass in an unmoving heap.
“Are you just going to leave him like that?” I ask, staring at the twins in shock as they walk away.
They look at each other and shrug. “Give him about thirty minutes,” Ronin says.
Tito nods. “He’ll be as good as new.”
I stare in disbelief as they leave their wounded friend to go and get some beers at the cooler. I have a lot to learn about this place.
Caleb is groaning and moaning as I drop to my knees and take him in my arms. “I love you,” I whisper to him. I’m not even sure if he can hear me but his bloody lips do curl up into a faint smile.
Maybe he will be okay. The cut on his lip is already healing. It’s no longer split.
I look around for Bryce to make sure that he’s okay. He has a huge smile on his face as Grant talks to him about something. I try to hear what he’s saying, but they’re too far away.
“Abigail,” Maximus says as he walks o
ver. “Can we talk to you for a minute?”
I look up at him and swallow hard. “What about Caleb? I don’t want to leave him.”
Maximus glances down at Caleb’s bruised body and shrugs dismissively. “He’ll be fine. His healing power is kicking in. It’s about Bryce.”
My heart stops when I hear my brother’s name. What’s going to happen to him now? Is he going to be okay?
“Is everything okay?” I ask as he helps me to my feet.
“Everything is just fine,” he says in a smooth controlled voice. “We all like Bryce’s spunk and heart and we all want what’s best for him.”
I hold my tongue as we walk over.
Bryce looks thrilled surrounded by Logan, Grant, and Ryder.
Grant smiles at me when I arrive. “Abigail,” he says. “We’d like to welcome Bryce into our crew.”
My mouth drops. “What?”
Bryce jumps to my side. He’s radiating excitement. “They’re going to train me as a bounty hunter! Isn’t that cool?”
“But… wha—” This is all happening so fast. One second they wanted to kill the kid, now they want him to join their crew?
Maximus is watching me with a knowing look on his face. “This is going to be the best thing for Bryce,” he says.
“Why can’t he stay with us?” I ask, feeling a panic start to rise. I’ve grown quite protective of my little brother.
“Bryce has an overly aggressive lion,” Grant says.
Like I didn’t already know that.
“He won’t fit in with a crew of bears,” Maximus says. “His lion will always be on the offensive. He’ll never be able to calm down long enough for Bryce to be able to work with him.”
Grant nods. “He needs a crew of lions to help him live in harmony with his animal. It’s going to be the best thing for him and his lion.”
Bryce looks thrilled.
“But,” I say, glancing around. “This is crazy.” I point to Mack who is walking over with a beer in his hand. “That guy wanted to kill him a few minutes ago and now you want him to move in? This is insane!”
“Mack isn’t going to hold any grudges,” Grant says. “Are you, Mack?”
Mack shrugs, looking completely disinterested. “I got no beef with the twerp anymore.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to process all of this.
“Abigail,” Bryce whispers as he touches my arm. “This is what I want. These guys can help me live with my lion. Look at them. They’re incredible. They actually like living with their animals. If they can teach me how to do that, then I want to stay.”
I take a deep breath and look around at all of the strong confident men. Bryce has a point. Only these shifters know what he’s going through. Only they can help him become the man he wants to be.
“I’ll only be a quick drive down the road from you,” he pleads. “I’ll see you all the time. I promise.”
My mind is racing as I glance back at Caleb. He’s sitting up and holding his battered head in his hand. Mack walks over, helps him up and hands him a beer. Caleb says something and they both laugh.
This place really is different. The normal rules don’t apply.
“All right,” I say, turning back to Bryce. “We can try it out.”
“Yes!” Bryce shouts as he wraps his arms around me. He’s getting so muscular so fast. I never noticed until now.
“But I’ll miss you,” I say, hugging him tightly. I really am going to miss him, but I know this is the best thing for him.
“I’m going to miss you too, sis,” Bryce says, hugging me back. “But we’ll be neighbors and I’ll come see you all the time at the beach.”
“Oh no you won’t,” Grant says, laughing as he wraps his strong arm around Bryce’s neck. “You think your training is going to be a relaxing beach vacation?”
Bryce gulps as he gets pulled away.
My chest tightens until Grant winks at me over Bryce’s head. “It’s going to be hell on earth. Twenty-two hours of grueling training a day, every day.”
“Is he joking?” I ask Logan as panic bubbles up inside of me.
“Yeah,” Logan says with a shrug. “Mostly. Don’t worry. The kid is in good hands. Grant trained all of us.”
I glance over at Mack who is lighting a cigar from the campfire. “That’s what I’m worried about,” I mutter under my breath.
Logan sees where I’m looking and laughs. “Mack is one in a million. Bryce won’t turn out like him. Hopefully.”
Caleb has recovered enough to walk on his own wobbly legs so I run over to check on him.
“Abigail,” he says with a smile. His teeth are no longer red with blood. That’s a good thing I guess.
“You fought for my brother,” I say, feeling breathless as I say the words.
“Of course,” he says. “I’ll always fight for you. You’re my mate.”
I jump on top of him and pepper him with kisses until he winces.
“I’m sorry,” I say, jumping off him. “Are you in pain?”
He grabs me and pulls me back close to his hard body. “Totally worth it,” he says with a grin before kissing me again.
Caleb’s face is back to normal when we wake up in his bed the next morning. I don’t know how many times I kiss it in relief.
“You’re going to bruise it back up again,” he says with a laugh as he squirms away from me.
I feel so light as I lay back down on the bed, watching him as he walks around the room in only his boxer briefs. It feels like all of the weight on my shoulders has been lifted off. “Where are you going?”
He grins as he grabs a t-shirt and pulls it on, depriving me of the beautiful view of his muscles. “I’m getting your stuff out of the car. You’re moving in.”
“I am?”
He nods as he walks over, staring at me with a smouldering look. “You’re my mate,” he says as he climbs back on the bed. He stops his mouth an inch from mine. “And you’re staying with me forever. Got a problem with that?”
I shake my head and smile. “That sounds pretty good to me.”
He kisses me long and hard, and although we had sex all night, and once this morning, I still feel a rush of heat between my legs.
“What about the guys?” I ask. “Are they going to be okay with it?”
“Of course,” he says, jerking his head back in surprise. “You’re my mate.”
“I like it when you say that.”
He kisses me again.
I know I’m going to be really happy here. At first, I was disappointed to leave my job in New York City, but really… who needs that kind of stress? Life is different out here.
Caleb sits up, pulls off his shirt and tosses it across the room. I grin as he comes back down on top of me.
I can get used to different.
Epilogue
Abigail
A few weeks later…
“Don’t spend it all in one place,” my boss says as he hands me my paycheck.
“I won’t,” I say, grinning as I hurry back to Caleb who’s waiting in his pickup truck. I stop at his door and give him a quick kiss before hurrying around the hood and climbing back inside.
“Is it all there?” Caleb asks as I count the bills.
“It’s all there,” I repeat. “And it’s about to be all gone.”
He laughs as he starts the truck and pulls onto the quiet mountain road. It’s a gorgeous summer day and the wind is breezing in through the windows, tickling my hair. I try to play with the radio dial, but it only gets the station that plays baseball.
“…and it’s hit high in the sky for an easy out. Daniels catches it and that’s two outs here in the bottom of the sixth inning…”
The past few weeks have been amazing. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Caleb, and I can’t imagine going back to life without him. He treats me so well, and we’re always laughing and having so much fun.
Bryce is also doing well at the Clayton Rock Ranch. He’s actually training to b
e a bounty hunter like the rest of the crew. Mack has even taken him under his wing and is teaching him how to fight. The twins were teasing Caleb, saying that maybe Bryce can give him some lessons when he’s done.
Bryce still has some slip-ups with his lion, but he says they’re starting to communicate better. He’s going to do well on that ranch with those guys. I’m glad he finally found a place where he could be himself.
“Want to go hiking after this?” Caleb asks. “I know a beautiful trail that you’d like.”
I squeeze his arm and smile. “You bet. I’ll race your ass to the top.”
He looks down at me and grins. “I’ll let you win so I can enjoy the beautiful view of your gorgeous ass on the way up.”
I giggle as I feel my cheeks heat up. “Fine,” I say with a grin. “If I can watch yours on the way down.”
We sit in a comfortable silence, listening to the baseball game as we drive through the mountains roads, admiring the spectacular scenery. Montana really is a beautiful place. I love it here.
A few minutes later, we pull into Frank’s ranch.
“Want me to come with you?” Caleb asks.
“You stay here, yoga boy,” I say, kissing him on the lips. “I’ll just be a minute.”
The last time I was here was the worst day of my life. I feel so different now that it’s hard to even remember what that day felt like.
I can hear Frank shuffling to the door after I knock.
“Well,” he says as he opens the door. “Didn’t expectin’ to see you again.”
He looks just the same as ever. Dirty overalls with his shotgun resting on his shoulder.
“I owe you money,” I say, flashing him a smile.
“That’s why I wasn’t expectin’ to see ya.”
“Well,” I say as I stuff the money I owe him into the front pocket of his overalls. It’s my last few paychecks along with some extra money that Bryce earned helping Grant with a bounty. “This is my home now and I’m not going anywhere. I love it here.”