by Thorne, Elle
“Fuck,” Kane added.
“Shift,” Doc said. “Now.”
All four of them shifted immediately, and began at a loping pace in the direction of the shots.
Sara found that she couldn’t breathe. She was too worried about Joe. She backed up and surrendered her body to her bear, if only for a moment or two while she tried to grab control of herself.
They found the first four bodies. Dead for a few minutes at least. Sara looked at them closely and pawed at one, turning him over so she could see his face. She knew that face from Crossroads.
These men had been dead a lot longer than the brief time since the shots rang out.
There were more.
Was Joe okay? How many more were there?
Doc growled for them to keep on the move. The four of them started to move quickly through the forest. Doc took lead, Kane was next, then Sara, while Teague brought up the rear.
A few moments later, they found another body. And another. Pistols were in their belts, blood still pouring out of their bodies.
They all shifted back to their human skin with the slightest creaking and crunching sounds.
As soon as he’d shifted, Kane put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t know how to sync?” he asked.
“What?” Sara was confused.
“We were trying to sync with you and couldn’t. Have you never done that?”
“No. I don’t know if I can. No one ever taught me how, though.”
She’d have to find out more about that one day. Wait. What the hell am I thinking? There won’t be that one day. Ever. I need to get away from here.
She heard a branch crack. Evidently they all did at the same time, for they all turned toward the area it came from.
A camouflaged, face-painted Joe came down from the tree, landing softly near them. “Guess it’s easier than I thought to hide from shifters.” He smiled, but Sara could tell his smile was strained.
“Had to kill them. Or they’d go back to Crossroads.”
“I’m not mourning.” Sara drank in his appearance. She had to contain her thoughts for fear the other three shifters would know what she felt for Joe.
“There are four more,” Joe added.
That had the opposite effect of an aphrodisiac on her. Sara’s blood ran cold.
“We’ll get them.” Kane began to shift.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hey. No one invited you three—four—to my party.” Joe hitched the rifle over his shoulder.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Sara. Her dark hair was wild, like it had been when he first met her, first talked to her, that day, in her gloriously naked skin. Her face was flushed from running, she was panting, and he couldn’t help but remember the sex.
Damn if that didn’t work.
His cock twitched. Christ. Bad time to get a hard-on. This woman had some crazy kind of hold on him. He shook his head to clear it.
“Your party?” Her dark rose lips curled into a smile, but beneath the smile was a measure of melancholy. She was leaving him.
He wasn’t about to let that happen. Clearly she had no idea who she was dealing with.
“The last four are mine.”
“There are five of us,” Kane added. “Sucks to be them.”
Teague smacked him in the shoulder.
Sara’s smile vanished. “I think I deserve the pleasure, after everything I’ve been through.”
Knowing her story, Joe couldn’t argue with that, but what if she were hurt?
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“It’s my battle. I think I should be able to claim the pleasure of taking them out.”
“I’ll be right behind you,” Joe told her.
She nodded.
“We will too.” Doc shifted.
Kane and Teague shifted too.
Sara shifted into her bear and took off searching for the scent of the men. She could smell their fear. She could smell each one individually, and her bear recognized their scent. Their block must have worn off, because the first ones Joe had killed had had no scent.
Their scent was getting stronger. She was getting closer. Joe was behind her, moving almost completely silently through the undergrowth.
Behind him Kane, Teague, and Doc were taking no measures to hide their approach.
There. She saw one. He was the last one in the line. Then the others came into view. They were heading toward the cabin.
They were heading toward her son, her innocent little boy, and her two unprotected new friends.
She roared her anger and took off for the men, her vision focused on killing them. Her rage made everything appear in shades of red.
All four men turned on her, drawing pistols. Her bear laughed inside at the threat that pistols would pose.
They fired at her. Then she realized those weren’t bullets.
At the same moment, four darts sank into her flesh, stinging.
She snarled and pulled at them with her claws, dislodging them. But it was too late. Her vision started to blur, then close in, slowly, like a black kaleidoscope.
* * *
Joe resisted the urge to run to Sara. First he had to eliminate the danger. He took the two tomahawks from his belt. Like his grandfather had taught him, long ago, he took aim and released the first one. It landed soundly in the skull of the nearest thug and felled him immediately. He released the second one with equally deadly intensity and knocked the second one off his feet, at the same time killing him.
Behind him, Kane, Teague, and Doc roared and ran forward.
Roars and growls filled the air as the three shifters rushed the two remaining men while they were reloading their drug-carrying pistols.
Joe pulled his rifle and took aim at the man who was too close to need a scope for anyway. With an ear-deafening shot that was louder than the bears’ roars, the man fell, his shirt quickly blossoming with red.
The three shifters were on the last man before Joe could turn on him. They swung, digging claws into the thug, ripping his arm off. His scream was cut short as Kane bit down on his neck, severing his spine and arteries.
The man collapsed, dead, shredded, bloody.
Chapter Seventeen
Sara’s world was groggy. She wanted to rub her eyes but couldn’t. She opened them. She couldn’t shake her head. Was she back at Crossroads? Why couldn’t she move? What about Ivan?
“Where…” She couldn’t even get the words out fully to ask where she was.
Ivan. Where was he? What had happened to Ivan? She couldn’t breathe. She fought to get air into her lungs.
Her bear roared in her head. Sara couldn’t hear anything else because of her bear. She tried to ignore her, and finally her bear stopped.
“Sara.”
Joe’s voice? She couldn’t turn her head to see.
“Joe.” Her voice sounded like a frog’s croak.
“Sara. You’re with us. You’re fine. Ivan’s fine. He’s sleeping next to you. They shot you with drugs. They’re going to wear off. Doc said you’ll be fine within a few hours. All of the Crossroads team is dead.”
Sara’s vision became blurry. She knew it was tears. She felt Joe wiping them away from her cheeks. He leaned in, close, and his mouth alit on hers in the most tender, lightest of touches.
“You’re both safe.” He brushed her hair off her face.
Until the next Crossroads team decides to arrive. Now, more than ever, she knew she had to get out of the area. She couldn’t endanger the shifters here. They’d be captured and taken to Crossroads.
She couldn’t keep her eyes open. She allowed them to close. She’d think of things later. Right now her head was too fuzzy.
* * *
Sara sat up. She recognized Joe’s home. The same room they’d… She shouldn’t think of that. Joe was sitting across from her in the chair. This was like déjà vu. “How long was I out?”
“Few hours.” He looked haggard.
She felt guilty for his strained and pale expression. “Yo
u look like hell.”
“Been through it before.” His face was stoic, not giving away any emotions. “Still going?”
He wasn’t wasting any time jumping to the subject on his mind, was he? “I have to.”
His jaw worked, the muscles clenching, the tendons stretching clear to his temples. “You can’t protect Ivan alone.”
“I can’t put you all in danger, and I don’t want anyone to have to fight my battles.”
“What’s yours is mine.”
“Nice in theory. I’m leaving in the morning.”
“So all I have is tonight.” Joe’s eyes were hooded, his emotions hidden.
She nodded and looked away, at the picture of him and his grandfather. At the intricate carving on the bedposts, at the knickknacks on the dresser. She looked at anything but him. Looking at him would destroy her resolve.
She threw her legs over the side of the bed and put her feet on the floor. Once she was certain she was able to stand on her feet without losing her balance, she made a slow, deliberate pace toward the bedroom door. “I need to see Ivan.”
“He’s in the front room, on the sofa. Kelsey’s watching him.”
Sara made her way to the living room, managing to gain lucidity with every step. Ivan was stretched out on the couch, a blanket over his legs. Kelsey was sitting next to his head, her fingers in his hair, her own head flung back as she catnapped while he slept.
She opened her eyes when the board Sara stepped on creaked.
“Sara. You’re awake.” Kelsey’s smile was sleepy. “He’ll be happy to see you.”
“We’ve never been apart as much as we have the last few…” Had it been days or hours? It was a blur for Sara. “It’s been difficult.”
“I can only imagine.” Kelsey rose. “Take my spot.”
Sara impulsively hugged her before she sat down. “Thank you for caring for my baby. You have no idea how much it means to me to know he was safe with you.”
“We love him. He’s such a darling.”
Sara held him and closed her eyes. She’d need the rest. She had a long journey to face.
Chapter Eighteen
Sara put her fingers over Ivan’s lips. They were still on the couch, where she’d fallen asleep. “Shhh. Don’t say a word.”
She picked him up and carried him to the front door. She opened it slowly, careful not to make any sounds, then slipped out and pulled it just until it touched the jamb, without letting the latch click.
She released a slow sigh of relief that she’d made it outside without detection. Then came the longer sigh. The sigh of heartbreak. She’d never see Joe again.
It’s for the best.
Her bear grumbled, disagreeing.
In the night’s cool air, she made her way through the trees, using the slight moonlight to guide them, though she didn’t really need it.
When she’d judged they were far enough away, she put Ivan down on the ground.
“We need to be bears again.”
“Always? Like before?” His voice was sad.
“I’m afraid so.”
* * *
They’d traveled for what felt like forever. Ivan looked tired, his little bear eyes drooping, his legs shuffling, struggling to make the journey.
She’d shift and carry him. She stopped and sat on her haunches. Ivan stopped and looked at her, a question in his eyes.
She shifted into her human form. He followed suit.
“I know you’re tired.” She hugged him. “I’m sorry.”
“Why do I have to be in my bear?”
“It’s safer for us that way. No one questions seeing a mama bear and her baby in the woods. But they’d question seeing humans. You understand?”
“I do. But why are we leaving Joe? And Uncle Kane and Uncle Teague? They said I’d get to see Dominic this afternoon, Mama. Did they lie to me?”
She was crushed. She sat on a log and heaved a breath, her shoulders slumped. She pulled her little son, who was way too perceptive for his age, into her lap.
“Oh, no. They would never lie to you. Never.” She hissed the words with vehemence.
“Is Mama mad at me?” Ivan wrapped little arms around her, pressed his lips to her cheek. “Mama? Why are you crying?”
“I’m sad.” Christ. She couldn’t keep yielding to her emotions like this. She’d never be able to take care of her son if she was an emotional mess, for Pete’s sake.
“I’m sad too.” He sniffled.
“Why are you sad?”
“I don’t want to leave my new family.”
A sensation gripped her heart, pushing her into an abyss of wretchedness. She held on to him fiercely.
“Mama. Too tight.”
“I’m sorry. We should get back into our bears and get on the road.”
“Why are we moving again?”
To think she’d been thrilled when he’d first shifted into his human form. Now she couldn’t deal with the questions that came from him.
“It’s safer for our friends. Our family that we’re leaving behind.”
“Joe, Uncle Kane and Uncle Teague?”
“Yes, and Doc, and Astra, and Kelsey…”
“And Dominic?” His voice was choked up. He clearly had been looking forward to meeting another little shifter like himself.
I’m denying my child happiness.
Her bear grumbled.
But I’m assuring his life. And I’m protecting our friends. And Joe.
Her bear snarled.
I know. If they can knock me out like that again, they can take Ivan from me.
She screamed inside her head, furious with her bear for pointing out the flaw in her plan. Furious with herself for coming up with such a flawed plan. But what else could she do?
She heard a sound. Faint. But not far away. Damn.
She wished she had learned how to sync so she could shift and talk to Ivan silently. She put her hand over his mouth and a finger over hers, ordering him to silence with her gestures. She pushed him low, parallel and against the log.
Rising quickly, she lunged for a tree, ready to shift into her bear.
She found herself facing a tomahawk, inches from the point right between her eyes.
She gasped.
“It’s me, Sara. Chill.”
“Joe.” She whispered his name, relieved. Then she shoved him. “You could have killed me with that thing.”
“You shouldn’t have left.”
“What the hell are you doing out here?” She kept her voice low. In her peripheral vision she noticed Ivan had risen and was watching them.
“I can’t make you stay.” Joe took her hand in his. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you and Ivan leave my life.”
Ivan came running toward them and wrapped his arms around Joe’s leg. “I missed you.”
Traitor.
Then again, Sara’s heart and Sara’s bear were being just as traitorous as Ivan, for they had leapt with joy when Joe appeared.
She frowned at Joe, crossing her arms over her chest. “So this is it? You’re just going to follow me? That’s your plan?”
“Forever. Wherever.”
“We need to talk.”
“No. you need to come home with me, where the Bear Canyon Valley shifters and I can make sure you’re safe.” His face was impassive in the dark, but his pulse sounded a strong primal beat and was already synchronized to hers.
She looked at him. His eyes were indiscernible, blending with the night’s dimness.
“No strings,” he added.
“I have strings.” She pulled him closer, taking his other hand in hers. “If you think I’m going to be a submissive, little Miss Betty Crocker…”
He laughed, his teeth white in the dark, his face the same sexy face she’d fallen for. The same face she loved watching in the heat of passion.
“Not a damned chance.” His lips touched hers with the gentleness of a summer breeze, then he pulled away. “I think you’re going to be
a handful, and I can’t wait to try containing that handful. It’ll be more fun than herding cats or balancing Jell-O on a butter knife.”
Ivan tugged on her dress and Joe’s pant leg at the same time.
“Does this mean we’re going home?”
“It does,” she said, looking directly in Joe’s eyes.
“There’s one more matter,” Joe added.
She nodded. There sure was.
Chapter Nineteen
Several days later…
Sara woke in the crook of Joe’s arm, cradled, the way they always slept, her back to him. The silence of the night air greeted her. It was still except for the sound of his pulse and hers. Ivan was spending the night at Marti and Tanner’s with his newly discovered cousin, as he called Dominic.
Joe’s defined abs lay against her lower back, his hard chest on her spine. His treasure trail, that sprinkling of hair that led from his navel to his cock, tickled her back. Joe didn’t wear anything to bed.
His sinewy, muscled leg was thrown over her, as always. He made sure he was protecting her, even when he was asleep.
A hardness pressed against her ass cheek, insistent and in need, even while her man slept. She felt the pulse of his cock, even through her panties, as it pressed against her ass. She moved slightly, allowing his hardness to settle between her ass cheeks.
Joe’s breath was warm on her neck. She held her breath, half from anticipation, and half from desire. She should go back to sleep. She shouldn’t disturb him.
Tell that to the wetness in my panties. She’d felt the moisture seeping out of her, a telltale sign of her desire. And here he was, right behind her, with the one thing that could completely cure her desire. The muscles in her channel began to flex and release on their own, responding to the ache.
Sara budged again, just a bit, for it was hard to lie still with this level of desire rushing through her body with the speed of a river she’d gone white water rafting on.
As if responding to her restlessness, though still asleep, Joe moved his arm from her waist to her breast, cupping it, his thumb resting on her nipple, creating a current of electricity that traveled clear to her clit and left her buzzing. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton, like it couldn’t concentrate on anything but the pureness of the longing she had for him.