Primal Attraction (Shadowlands Bear Shifters Book 2)

by Olivia Harp

  “Yes.”

  Faith laughed and slapped his arm, “I love it when you get so worked up. I’m gonna be great. By the way, that store sells the most delicious Argentinian empanadas this side of the country.”

  “Faith,” Mav said gasping, “I almost shifted right now, don’t joke like that!”

  “I don’t know man,” she said walking out the door, “you oughta relax from time to time, not even vampires are that serious.”

  He took a deep breath and watched her go inside the Cadillac. He couldn’t see inside but he recognized Faith hugging the driver, whoever it was. Her contact was obviously important to her. She’d explain when the time came. In the meantime, he wouldn’t be jealous. Oh no, he wouldn’t be jealous at all.

  Five minutes turned into ten, then twenty, then an hour. He had the radio on, but Mav couldn’t pay attention. He tried playing on his phone but it was useless.

  Then the car’s lights turned on and Faith got out. She went inside the store and just as quickly as she went in, she was outside, jogging to Mav’s pickup truck.

  “That’s it, sorry about the wait,” she said.

  “What happened?”

  “Well... I was gone for a few days, I had to explain a lot of things.”

  “Okay,” he said. He wasn’t getting any answers so why push it? He was curious but wasn’t going to force her.

  “If I told you I’d have to kill you,” she said laughing, “but don’t worry, it’s not a threat to you.”

  Maverick rolled his eyes and smiled as he started the truck.

  “I bought empanadas,” Faith said, “I brought a lot, I know you eat like a monster.”

  “You wanna look like a monster, you have to eat like a monster,” he said flexing his bicep. She’d only seen arms like those on action movies, it was ridiculous.

  “I’m not complaining at all,” she said, winking.

  She was in a great mood now. Amazingly good mood. Seeing her like this made him almost too happy. He was supposed to be a tough guy, not this sappy dork. But it didn’t matter.

  “Mav, could you drop me at my house now?”

  His stomach clenched.

  “Aren’t you coming back with me to the mountain?”

  She was silent.

  “I want to, but I’ve been a burden these past few days.”

  “You haven’t been a burden at all. Besides, we need to check up on your... condition tomorrow. You have to come back.”

  “I know but—”

  “But nothing. Listen, if you really want to stay, okay, I won’t stop you. But I won’t let you use that as an excuse to run away. So I have to ask, do you want to go back home with me?”

  She looked at him.

  “Okay,” she said, “I’ll go back. Just another day or two, to see what the heck is happening.”

  “Perfect.”

  “But I do need to go back to my place, at least to get some clothes, I can’t be wearing Zoe’s forever.”

  “Ok, understood.”

  Mav nodded. The memory of her, screaming in pain after Gerard trapped her inside her house lingered in his head.

  He wouldn’t let that happen again.

  Chapter 19

  “How did you do it?” Faith said entering her home.

  This was the second time she asked that, the first time was when they’d arrived and there was no damage to be seen. Another door was reinstalled, the frame fixed and painted just as before. It was as if nothing had happened.

  “I thought this was going to be like, a crime scene or something like that,” she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice, “I can’t believe it! It’s as if I went on vacation!”

  The special lights Gerard used were there, laid against the kitchen’s wall. The people sent to fix everything thought it belonged to the owner, apparently. It had a huge battery on its side and a custom made rack, the fucker wasn’t playing around.

  “We got some contacts that can help in these sorts of things,” he said, reminding himself to thank Thomas again for the job he’d done, “the neighbors gave their statements, they didn’t even know it was you. They heard a woman screaming and two guys duking it out. They didn’t see anything, I guess, they called the cops but our people pulled some strings.”

  “I thought I was going to have to leave, you saved my ass.”

  “I know, I’m your hero.”

  “Shut up, hero,” she said giving him a kiss.

  He smiled and sat at the dining table as she went upstairs to pick up her stuff. The air was still. Every window was closed and had sun blocking shades, but there was an oppressive silence there.

  There was something strange, but he couldn’t define exactly what it was.

  His bear roared protect mate! His skin prickled, but he kept calm.

  Everything was fine. He took a big whiff of air and he picked up this faint acrid smell that still lingered around. Maybe that’s what it was.

  No, it wasn’t just that. He had to make sure. He walked slowly, each step up the staircase as silent as possible. His senses told him to be wary, to not let his guard down.

  But I killed him. I saw him draw his final breath.

  He reached the top of the stairs. It was a small house, the bedroom door was open, Faith was in there, humming to herself, packing a small suitcase with clothes.

  There was another half–open door, a small office space. He walked to it, there was a bookshelf laid against the wall, a small sofa, and a big, mahogany desk.

  Mav eased the door open. The light from the hall reached inside, but there was no one there. That smell. He switched the light on. The room was smaller than he thought, besides the desk and bookshelf, it was mostly empty.

  And then there it was.

  A small plastic bottle on the far corner of the room. He picked it up, it was stained with dried blood. There was no seal. It can’t be the same container she filled when I got here last time. There was nothing on the table downstairs. She’d left it there, in plain view.

  You’re being paranoid. The people who fixed the mess probably put the sample bottle in the fridge, or Gerard took it before they’d arrived. This had to be a different one. But that unearthly feeling didn’t go away. It was as if her house wasn’t hers anymore. As if it had suddenly changed and this was an imitation of it, a mirrored copy.

  He looked at the plastic cylinder. It was her blood in there.

  “Everything okay?” Faith said.

  Her words took him out of his thoughts.

  He didn’t respond immediately, he didn’t want to scare her, besides, there was nothing to fear, really.

  He looked at her, “Yes, I just found this and thought it was strange to see it up here.”

  She grabbed the bottle, “it’s my—”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s it doing up here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you think he’s still—”

  “No. We saw him die.”

  She nodded, “yes.”

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  Mav grabbed her suitcase and went downstairs.

  “Almost ready, let me take some of that plasma from the fridge.”

  She opened the door and looked at Mav, “there’s nothing here.”

  “They took it?” he asked, “that’s weird, I’m gonna call Thomas, they shouldn’t—”

  Then he stopped.

  “Maybe Gerard took it. He was here before we did. He had time to set up those damned lights and everything.”

  It was true. He wouldn’t have wanted her to keep the blood bags, that way even if he failed. She couldn’t use them to heal faster.

  He held her hands and looked at her straight in the eyes.

  “I know it’s scary to be here again. But you’re safe. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  That reassured her. She was terrified but with Maverick by her side, she could face anything.

  “Let’s go,” she said, hurrying to the door. She cou
ldn’t wait to leave.

  ***

  She hopped on the truck, Maverick was a gentleman, as always, opening the door for her. The brief seconds she was alone in the cabin while he walked to the driver’s side were too much for her to handle.

  Maybe I’m suffering from PTSD. She hoped that was it. The mere thought of Gerard surviving the fight send shivers down her spine. Would she be able to come back here and feel safe?

  Maverick hopped in and turned the ignition on. The truck roared but did not start.

  “What the hell?” Mav said.

  Her gut clenched hard. Don’t. Don’t let the fear control you. You’re safe. Everything is fine.

  He tried again and this time it roared to life. Mav arched his brows, turning to her, his face was a question mark.

  “That’s strange, it never gives me any problem.”

  He turned to the house. Ominous now, as if staring down at them. What had happened in the few days she was gone? Why did it feel so different now?

  It didn’t matter. She’d deal with it when she came back.

  There’s nothing to worry about, she thought, but she couldn’t convince herself.

  Chapter 20

  The sinister feeling in Faith’s gut did not fully disappear on the way back to the mountain. Maverick talked about the White Paws, how they protected the land. About Damien, becoming the Primal Bear and how it was a gift from nature itself. A reminder that it would not go down so easily against the Shadowlands.

  Mav was proud of his clan. He was a fighter, but he hid it too well. He was a social person, in control of his bear. She’d seen him turn into a bear back when he fought Gerard, and she thought it was a monster. But the way he described Damien’s was more than she could imagine.

  She tried to relax, knowing Mav talked about the clan because he wanted her to know that she was safe, that she had nothing to worry about. Her mind kept going back to the house, to feel what was going on. She felt it too. The presence. Something imprinted itself in there.

  They parked the truck in front of Mav’s cabin. The rhythmical sway of the trees on the cool autumn’s breeze calmed her. It was late now, Mav wanted to stay with her but she made him sleep upstairs. She’d brought a book from her house. No way he’s staying down here instead of in his own bed, I’m not that needy. She turned on the light and laid on the sofa, opening her book, but she couldn’t concentrate. There was still something bothering her. Nagging her in the back of her mind.

  Let’s recap: fight outside the house, Mav sent people to fix things up, we go back, the power light’s there, then the bottle. The god damned bottle. It doesn’t make any sense. What was it doing up there? Maybe she’d forgotten it from a previous day. Maybe it wasn’t her blood in there. But how?

  “Faith, wake up.”

  She opened her eyes, Mav was there.

  “Did I fall asleep?”

  “Yes,” Mav replied with a smile.

  “You got to go into the rec room, sun’s about to come out.”

  She nodded, still drowsy.

  He helped her up and walked ahead of her, opening the door to the rec room.

  “Do you want to try again today, just before nightfall? Go out into the daylight, I mean.”

  “I was thinking... I could try right now? If I can handle the evening light, I can handle the early morning light.”

  “But right now, every second that passes, daylight gets brighter.”

  He was right. She should be patient.

  She would wait for the evening and go out a bit earlier than yesterday. Then rinse and repeat until they find out exactly how much she can tolerate. She was excited and scared, all at the same time.

  “I’ll come back later, wait for me, we’ll see how you fare, and then go see Enzo.”

  She nodded and walked downstairs into the rec room, the horizon already colored purplish blue, morning already here.

  ***

  Faith was shivering.

  Something was out there, in the forest. She was sure of it. There was a constant reminder on the back of her mind, faint, but it was there. A call masked in white noise. It came in waves and then receded. Like the far away sound of the sea, or a distant highway.

  Her instinct told her to stay put. Maverick and the crew were inspecting the forest as usual, she had nothing to worry about.

  She would stay there, concentrate on other things. Turn on the TV, do whatever else, anything to keep herself busy.

  Besides, it was just before noon now, the sun was almost at its zenith.

  But the call kept rasping, rasping, rasping in her head.

  It was maddening.

  But the sun. She couldn’t go out in the sun like that. Too much of a risk.

  No. That was nothing to her. There was a way to do it.

  She searched her suitcase and put on her thick, black leather jacket. Then tights under her jeans and sports pants over them. She wore leather gloves and covered her head in a towel. Finally, she put a thick bedspread over her head, like a cheap ghost costume.

  All in all, she looked completely ridiculous.

  She could move just fine, but the heat was unbearable. I’ll go and turn back as soon as I can.

  Daylight crept in as she opened the door, the furniture casting shadows inside. It was a glorious day.

  She was just behind the door, out of the light’s way. Here goes nothing.

  She was going to do it slowly.

  First, her hand. Did any light filter into her skin? No. She didn’t feel anything. Then her arm, then her leg. Everything was fine.

  Okay, time to do it.

  It wasn’t burning her face what scared her, it was her eyes. The only part of her body she couldn’t completely cover. She was wearing sunglasses but that obviously would not be enough.

  Enough thinking, she thought, and stepped outside the room, sunlight bathing her completely.

  She looked down to avoid direct exposure, but after a few seconds of minimum annoyance, she knew she was okay. At least here, inside the house.

  Next step. Go outside.

  Chapter 21

  So far, Faith hadn’t gone up in a puff of smoke. Her eyes could stand the daylight, and no light went through all the layers of clothing she was wearing.

  The call inside her head pulled her into the forest. She knew exactly where she was supposed to go.

  The terrain was rough, after the first few yards the ground had become very uneven, the undergrowth hard to navigate.

  Using her abilities was out of the question. Every time she used her powers, she felt the hunger. It was growing inside her, faint, but a constant reminder of what she was.

  Besides, if anything went wrong, if her body suddenly started reacting badly to being outside —in the sunlight— she would need everything she had to go back and save herself.

  The calling was stronger now; then she noticed.

  There were no animal sounds here. She was deep into the woods, far from the small bit of civilization the cabins represented. Where was the cool forest breeze? Or the chirping of the birds? The only thing she felt was an unnatural stillness in the air.

  The trees towered above her unmoving, as if frozen in time.

  She continued forward, each step bringing her deeper into the heart of the woods. The canopy closed above her, little by little she was immersing herself in the deep shadows of the great pine trees.

  She was very close now. Whatever she was looking for could not be very far; she felt it in her heart, an oppressiveness unlike anything she had felt before.

  It was as if she knew she was walking towards an accident, she knew she was going to see something terrible, but couldn’t stop herself from doing it. She had to make sure it was just a bad hunch. That she was just being paranoid.

  Up ahead she saw it, just above a small mound: a twisted oak grew tall and wide, its branches pointed down, like a hangman’s tree.

  She bit her lip and moved ahead. She was not going to be scared anymore.

&nb
sp; The way up the mound was harder than everything previous. Big dark roots emerged from the ground, the bushes were thorny and her blanket got stuck on them more than once. She was fighting her way up there, stepping back and trying another way because she didn’t want to risk exposing herself more than necessary.

  Until finally she made it. The trunk was close now, the path clear.

  The bushes and undergrowth near the base of the tree were putrefied. She took a whiff of air and almost gagged. The whole place was rotting. As if nature had died there and its remains did not take part in the normal cycle of life, but were left to fester.

  “Faith,” a faint whisper called.

  She stopped. It’s only the wind. But she couldn’t fool herself. The air was still as death.

  “I’ve found you,” the words said, impossible to miss now.

  She gasped, all her senses sharpened, her body went hard, ready for a fight.

  A fire lit inside her. She wanted to kill, she wanted to destroy this aberration.

  “Who the fuck are you?” she yelled.

  Nothing answered.

  The ground she was stepping on turned black. Every leaf, every speck of dirt turned to a goopy ash.

  “You... are... us.”

  “No!” she said jumping away but the bedspread got caught in the tree branches, jerking her back.

  She lost her balance and fell, the bedspread caught in the tree above her. She pulled and pushed to get it back but it was impossible. She had to let go, and as soon as she did it went up and up above the tree, slowly being ripped apart.

  Goosebumps covered her body, what she saw was impossible.

  “You... are... us...” the voice said, inches from her.

  She lowered her eyes to see the tree splitting itself open, its inner tissue moved inside, black and red... and in it, a dark face emerged.

  It was him.

  Gerard.

  She froze. She couldn’t even scream as every tree branch reached down and twisted around her arms. Suddenly, she felt ashamed. This thing was here because of her. Then shame turned to fury.

  This thing was here because of her. She would destroy it. She couldn’t hold the anger back. It had to die.