Blackwing Defender

by T. S. Joyce

  Everything hurt, but that was okay. She would rather feel pain than nothing. God, that had been so close.

  Above them, a pair of raven shifters flew, and a great snowy owl circled up near the clouds. Three giant bear shifters loped out of the woods to the west, and suddenly, the sky was blotted out by an enormous green dragon with gold scales along her stomach. Harper and her Bloodrunners were here. She landed in the clearing, clicking her firestarter in warning as she circled Kane and Rowan’s limp bodies, shaking the earth with each step. Logan roared his own warning to back the fuck off, and Winter crouched over their bodies protectively. She’d heard of the Bloodrunners, but she didn’t know them, and right now, the Blackwing Dragons were at their most vulnerable. A black sports car pulled up, and Emma, Beast and Dustin piled out, looking around the clearing in shock and wariness.

  Harper shrank into her human form. Straight-backed, naked, and furious, she glared at the piles of carnage in a trail that led to the woods. “Change back,” she demanded.

  Logan was pacing now, bumping Winter’s side on each tight pass

  “It’s okay,” Rowan whispered, her eyes wide. “Harper, they saved us.”

  A long horrifying rumble emanated from Kane, but his eyes were still closed, his breathing still steady. The air cracked with dark power that hurt Winter’s stomach, and Kane’s skin cracked on his arms, then cinched together, then cracked again wider, like his dragon would force his way out of him at any moment. Whatever was happening inside of Dark Kane was bad.

  Winter Changed back in a rush, and behind her, Logan tucked his bear away, too.

  Harper knelt down near Rowan and lifted her head in her lap. “What happened?”

  “The A-Team… They weren’t here to join our crew. They were here to end it.” Rowan was shaking badly, from the meds or from adrenaline, or maybe both. A tear slipped from her eye as she rolled her head and looked at her mate. “They put our dragons to sleep. Harper, The Darkness doesn’t like being put to sleep. Not after being dormant for so long. Everyone needs to leave.”

  “The Darkness?” Dustin asked, his eyes glowing as he paced, gaze locked on Kane. He was snarling, like he wanted to attack. “He calls his dragon The fucking Darkness?”

  “Get in the car,” Beast told Emma.

  When Dustin stayed, glaring at Kane’s limp body, Beast grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him toward the car.

  “What about you?” Winter asked Rowan in a worried whisper. “Will he hurt you?”

  “No,” she said. “But I’m the only one who can keep The Darkness from burning the mountains again. Winter, thank you for staying. For fighting. For keeping us safe.”

  Winter looked at the claw marks on Rowan’s arms and shook her head, disappointed in herself for not being better, bigger, more dominant. Rowan would have scars like her now.

  “Go on,” Rowan said. “Kane will be eating ashes today, and I don’t want any of you around when he does.”

  Winter looked up at Harper and backed away, exposing her neck. And when she reached Logan, Winter slipped her hand into his offered one. He’d been silent except for the constant growl in his throat. All Winter could feel was his bear.

  “See you soon, Rowan,” Winter promised over her shoulder.

  “Winter,” Rowan called weakly, stopping them in their tracks.

  “Yeah?” Winter asked, turning.

  “My friends call me Roe.”

  Winter smiled and swallowed down the thick emotion in her throat. “See you soon, Roe.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kane’s Mountains smelled like fresh soot and smoke. The wind whipped Winter’s hair around as she stood near a long scorch mark where Logan had dropped the A-Team two days ago.

  Two days? It felt like so much longer. Winter cuddled her jacket closer. All of the worrying and the nightmares over killing that tiger shifter made every minute feel like ten. She’d stopped trying to sleep completely, but that hadn’t lifted the concerns over Kane’s threat.

  He could still kill Logan.

  Logan slipped his strong hands over her shoulders and kissed the back of her head. “You ready?” he murmured against her hair.

  “Why do you think he only called us here?” she asked in a whisper.

  “Come on now, you aren’t a scaredy cat, are you? I saw you, little brawler, going to war with grizzlies and tigers to protect dragons. You turn killer when someone you care about is threatened. Everything is going to be okay.” But his voice wavered on that last part.

  Winter turned and kissed his knuckles, then let him lead her to Kane’s cabin. Logan knocked so hard the door rattled, but that was just him. Big, dominant man who didn’t know his own strength sometimes. Except with her. He turned gentle when he touched her.

  “Come in,” Kane clipped out.

  Logan pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing Winter in first.

  Rowan and Kane sat at the kitchen table facing them with a pair of blue folders in front of them. When Kane had invited her to be a part of the crew, he’d pulled her registration papers from one just like those.

  Winter inhaled sharply with hope.

  Roe was smiling, and her eyes were dancing like she couldn’t wait to spill secrets.

  “Have a seat,” Kane murmured.

  Logan pulled out Winter’s seat for her, then took his own right beside her. He took a deep inhale and rested his palm on Winter’s thigh under the table to help steady her. Or perhaps he was trying to steady himself. He’d been touching her a lot over the last couple of days. Touching her, holding her hand, stroking her hair, brushing her cheek, neck, shoulder… It all seemed to settle his bear.

  “Ben called me,” Kane said low as he fingered one of the folders. “He asked me a favor. He asked that I spare Logan’s life, and he said he thought in doing so, I would be sparing your life.” He lifted dragon green eyes to Winter and gave her a small smile. “I know the feeling, Winter. I know what that mark on Logan’s arm means, and I know what you asked my mate. You’re bonded, as I’m bonded to Rowan, and the thought of losing your other half is unbearable. Am I close?”

  Dipping her emotional gaze to the table, Winter nodded. “He’s mine to protect.”

  “Is she yours to protect?” Kane asked Logan.

  “Yes.”

  Rowan shoved a folder toward her. “Winter, you already have your invite to the crew. Here is the rest of what you need. And a gift.”

  Kane said softly, “The gift isn’t much, but it’s a big deal for me.”

  Winter opened the folder where there was another copy of crew registration paperwork, as well as mobile home options. One was a singlewide trailer with a porch and wooden shingles covering the outside. It looked homey. The other was a doublewide trailer that looked just the same, only bigger. And stuffed into a clear plastic sleeve in the center was a black keychain. It had a bear paw cut-out.

  “Is this a bottle opener?” Winter asked, plucking it from the folder. It had an inscription. Blackwing Crew.

  “We have matching ones,” Rowan said excitedly.

  “Look, I didn’t want to be an alpha,” Kane said, frowning. “I know I was hard on you, but look at what the A-Team did. They almost ended my mate’s life.” He didn’t mention his own, like it didn’t matter. “The rest of the D-Team is still under consideration, but I’m not ready to pull the trigger on anyone but you two. Winter, you stood over us and took blow after blow just to keep us breathing. And Logan, you came in and saved us all. That’s the kind of loyalty I want in my mountains. I thought I could just get away with it being Rowan and me for always and fuck the world, you know? But it seems a crew would offer us protection I didn’t realize we needed. And also friendship. Rowan needs that, and maybe so do I.” Kane cleared his throat and flicked the other folder across the table to Logan.

  Logan looked completely stunned. Slowly, he opened the folder, and there was a copy of registration paperwork, the same mobile home plans, and the same keychain.

>   Winter’s face crumpled, and her eyes burned with tears. In this moment, it felt like all of the dreams she didn’t even realize she had were coming true. “You won’t kill him then?” she asked in a broken voice.

  “Never.” Kane leveled Logan with a look. “Do you understand? Never will I, or my mate, kill you. If you join my crew, you try. You get steady. You gain control of your bear, and no excuses either, because I know what it takes to get a monster back under control. It’s hard every day, but Rowan keeps me fighting.” Kane tipped his head toward Winter. “Let your mate keep you fighting, too. Sign that paperwork, and you will be agreeing to never bring up an honorable death again. It’s an oath to keep going, and to own your life again. I don’t give a shit about temporary crew members. I care about the future of my mountains, of my make-shift family. I care that you and Winter will be there for our future children as they grow up. I care about being there for your future cubs. I care about building a community I can depend on. I haven’t had that before.” Kane blew out a steadying breath. “Winter Donovan, do you accept our terms?”

  How could she not? How could she turn down such a beautiful promise? No longer would she be Winter of Nowhere. From here on, she would be Winter of the Blackwing Crew. She would have a home, a family, a steady future, and most importantly, she would have Logan by her side for always. “Yes, Alpha. I would be honored to be a Blackwing.”

  “And you, Logan Furrow?” Kane asked. “Do you accept our terms?”

  Logan was watching Winter, his eyes so full of emotion it threatened to overwhelm her. “Day by day?” he asked her softly.

  Winter melted against his side, right under his arm where he always made her feel safe and warm. She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “Day by day.”

  Logan swallowed hard and dragged his silver gaze to Kane. “Yes, Alpha.”

  A slow smile stretched Kane’s face. “Logan and Winter, welcome to the Blackwing Crew.”

  Up Next in this Series

  Dustin will get his story in

  Blackwing Wolf (Kane’s Mountains, Book 2)

  Coming October 2016

  New Release Newsletter Sign-Up

  For new releases, exclusive sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for T. S. Joyce’s Bear Shifter Romance Newsletter HERE.

  More Series by T. S. Joyce

  Bears Fur Hire

  Husband Fur Hire (Book 1)

  Bear Fur Hire (Book 2)

  Mate Fur Hire (Book 3)

  Wolf Fur Hire (Book 4)

  Dawson Fur Hire (Book 5)

  Chance Fur Hire (Book 6)

  Fire Bears

  Bear My Soul (Book 1)

  Bear the Burn (Book 2)

  Bear the Heat (Book 3)

  Wolf Brides

  Wolf Bride (Book 1)

  Red Snow Bride (Book 2)

  Dawson Bride (Book 3)

  Saw Bears

  Lumberjack Werebear (Book 1)

  Woodcutter Werebear (Book 2)

  Timberman Werebear (Book 3)

  Sawman Werebear (Book 4)

  Axman Werebear (Book 5)

  Woodsman Werebear (Book 6)

  Lumberman Werebear (Book 7)

  Gray Back Bears

  Gray Back Bad Bear (Book 1)

  Gray Back Alpha Bear (Book 2)

  Gray Back Ghost Bear (Book 3)

  Gray Back Broken Bear (Book 4)

  Lowlander Silverback (Book 5)

  Last Immortal Dragon (Book 6)

  Boarlander Bears

  Boarlander Boss Bear (Book 1)

  Boarlander Bash Bear (Book 2)

  Boarlander Silverback (Book 3)

  Boarlander Beast Boar (Book 4)

  Boarlander Cursed Bear (Book 5)

  For more books by this author

  Visit www.tsjoyce.com for a full reading list.

  About the Author

  T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. Experienced at handling an alpha male of her own, she lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.

  Bear Shifters? Check

  Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check

  Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it’s gonna to be a wild ride.

  For more information about T. S. Joyce and her work, visit her website here.