The Bear Claw Tales- Complete Series

by C. D. Gorri

  The Clinic catered to Shifters mostly, but the odd group of normals did come in from time to time. As Luisa irrigated the wound, she became concerned. The flesh was ragged and torn as if with a serrated blade, but that wasn’t as troubling as the fact that the patient was missing about a pint of blood.

  “What was it that bit you, Jimmy?” Luisa asked as the boy’s foster father who’d been reluctantly called in sat in a chair nearby.

  Apparently, the boy was the child of the man’s late stepdaughter. Both the boy’s mother and grandmother were gone, taken by the same hereditary heart disease that plagued the boy with chronic fatigue and less than average physical strength. He had no living relatives save the unkempt looking older man who reeked of beer and stale cigarettes.

  “You almost done here?” Mr. Green’s voice interrupted Luisa’s train of thought and she glared at him with barely concealed hostility.

  “Your son’s condition is serious, Mr. Green. I had to call in an expert if you would please wait-”

  “Hell, the boy ain’t mine! Nothin’ but a damn bother. If it wasn’t for those checks I get from welfare he’d be out on his ear, wouldn’t you boy?” He sneered and little Jimmy shuddered and closed his eyes.

  “Wait outside, you’re upsetting my patient!”

  “Fine, I gotta take a leak anyhow, missy.”

  The rest of the troop had long since left and the sun was setting outside. Luisa went through the motions of slipping on sterile gloves and donning protective glasses, though truth be told nothing in this boys blood could hurt her. Except for maybe some Vampiristic virus?

  “Shit, I mean pooh,” she mumbled.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, but did you just use a curse word?” The boy asked.

  Luisa blushed under his wide-eyed stare. Little bugger was cute with his blue eyes and short brown hair. She’d have to watch her language even more if she was going to be a mom someday.

  She’d never thought about having kids before, but now that she’d accepted Nate into her heart, she could almost hear their cubs laughter in the near future. Sigh. He was going to be a wonderful father.

  “I’m sorry, buddy. Now just sit down,” she began and looked up when the sound of someone coming in from the front door met her ears. Nate was here! Thank goodness.

  “Luisa?” His mossy green eyes found hers as he came into the examination room to find a crying child without a caring parent in the room, and a worried mate.

  “Nate! Um, so this is Jimmy. He’s here with his foster dad who, uh, had to step outside,” her eyes explained the rest to him, and he nodded his understanding, a silent plea for her to continue, “His Bear Scout troop brought him in.”

  Luisa explained the situation best she could with the tiny normal listening in. Jimmy listened and filled in the blanks when it came to what exactly had occurred.

  “Nana signed me up for Bear Scouts before her heart whispers got badder,” the little boy said. Luisa nodded and listened.

  After talking briefly to Mr. Green she soon inferred what the boy had meant. His grandmother’s “heart whispers” was in fact a serious murmur which was part of a genetic defect that plagued little Jimmy Nielson, not Green, and both his mother and grandmother.

  He was often on medication and needed plenty of care. Care she was certain he wasn’t getting from Mr. Green. A growl escaped her lips as she left the old man in the chairs reserved for waiting family. The jerk. She went back to listen to more of Jimmy’s story.

  “Mr. Bobby, our Scout leader, he’s nice but he’s not very good at woodsy stuff. He’s a ‘countant. I think that means he counts things. We walked into a bunch of leaves and they made us itch and some of the kids cried. I was brave so I kept walking up ahead to find the road.”

  “You did? All by yourself?” Luisa couldn’t believe that an able-bodied adult had let this child wander off. Of course, Mr. Bobby had been covered in the worst of the hives of the bunch, so he was probably a little preoccupied at the time.

  “Yeah except, I heard noises and I ran into a cave. That’s where the meanie got me,” his voice dropped to a whisper.

  “Meanie?”

  “Uh huh. He had black eyes and a smushed up face and he took my arm and he bit me! Biting is not allowed in Bear Scouts!” Jimmy said.

  “You’re right about that, buddy,” Nate gave Jimmy a pat on the head, but his eyes met Luisa’s and she didn’t like what she saw in them.

  Fear. For the boy. She released a frustrated sigh as she walked out of the room in search of a snack for the child. Nate agreed to stay with him until she came back, his kind eyes and smile earned the child’s trust instantly. Luisa’s too. He was telling jokes when she walked back in with a glass of milk and a few sugar cookies someone had left in the break room.

  “Okay, Jimmy, now you just sit tight and do what the pretty doctor here tells you to,” Nate smiled at the boy and slid past Luisa, touching the small of her back in an intimate caress that made her heart flutter.

  He was on the phone almost immediately with Marcus. She heard the steady, calm voice of her Alpha through the cell phone and smiled at Jimmy as he attempted to eat.

  Her worry increased when he spit out the cookie and said it tasted bad. Uh oh. Nate appeared in the doorway his face solemn as he watched the boy try the milk with the same results. Not good. If she wasn’t mistaken, a certain tall, blonde Vampire needed to be called immediately. As if he read her mind, Nate started the call.

  Anger coursed through her at what she suspected. Jimmy had been bitten by a Hunter Vamp. Little was widely known about Vampirism as they tended to stay out of other supernatural affairs, but the stories had gotten one thing correct. Biting was key in turning someone. Maybe now they could put an end to those nightmarish creatures.

  Minutes turned to hours before the cavalry arrived and it was all Luisa could do to placate Mr. Green and stop him from leaving the premises with Jimmy. The jerk really wanted to get home to his couch and TV.

  “Look lady, I’m getting’ hungry and my dog is expectin’ his dinner,” he started, and Nate sidled between her and the increasingly angry normal.

  “Your dog? You haven’t even asked if your son was hungry, Mr. Green, and you expect me to believe you’re worried about a dog?” Nate growled.

  “I told the girl he ain’t my boy. Wife got custody of her grandson when her daughter died. Then she got sick too. Damn weak family and now this little shit gets himself bit-”

  Before he could get another word out Nate had him hauled off the floor by his collar. Marcus arrived at that moment. Without his wife for the first time in memory and Luisa realized he must have argued long and hard before his stubborn good-hearted mate agreed to stay at home.

  “Nate put the man down,” Marcus ordered and Nate listened though she could see it was with a great amount of reluctance. Not that she blamed him. The guy was a total jerk.

  Taylor and Daniel were with him, which also led her to the conclusion that they wrangled both Krissy and Lacey into staying behind as well, probably with the very pregnant Leya. Her eyes widened as Iggy Devlin, the old Alpha and father to the four men crowding her waiting room entered.

  He was still powerfully built and had an edge to him despite the gray hair and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His natural dominance seemed to have muted in deference to his son’s position as Alpha. That alone was a testament to his strength and generosity of spirit.

  “Luisa,” he inclined his head and she smiled at him, seeing for the first time the resemblance between him and Nate. It was there alright. She warmed inside as her eyes darted back to her mate.

  The Devlins’ were definitely as clever as they were powerful and good-looking! Of course, she preferred the newest addition to the family. A certain green-eyed Texan with his Spanish nose and panty-wetting smile.

  She practically melted every time he flashed that grin at her. At the very least she should start bringing extra undies in her pocketbook. The little bathroom escapade had left her dr
awer-less as it were. Heat suffused her cheeks and she took a breath to calm herself.

  The Shifters in the room would be able to pick up on her emotions. That was not something she wanted to discuss at the moment. More than one perfectly arched eyebrow raised in her direction and she cleared her throat. Not now. Not with everything that was going on.

  She heard a commotion outside and started towards the door. Suddenly, Bal himself entered with one of the enormous Polar Bear Shifters slung over his shoulder.

  “Does this belong to anyone?” He said in a bright, slightly accented voice.

  “Ah, bellissima, we meet again,” he tilted his head towards her. Italian, she thought and couldn’t help but return his charming smile. The Vampire was movie star gorgeous, but he didn’t make her heart speed inside her chest. Only one man did that.

  “Get your damn eyes off my mate,” growled Nate and he moved in front of Luisa, “and put him down.”

  “Of course,” Bal shrugged as if he’d done nothing wrong.

  He dropped Bowie unceremoniously on the linoleum floor and winced as the man’s head made contact with the corner of the wall.

  “Oops,” the Vampire grinned unrepentantly.

  She’d recognized the downed Polar Bear once she was able to see his face. He was breathing steadily, but his eyes remained closed. Her doctor instincts kicked in and she went about checking his pulse and looking for any obvious signs of injury.

  “He seems fine though I don’t know why he’s unconscious.”

  “Ah, dottore, that would be my fault. You see he objected to my entering this fine public building, so I used certain methods of persuasion available to me, but in light of events I thought it better to bring him inside,” he flashed a smile and Luisa shuddered slightly. Those needlelike teeth were on display lending a slightly lethal air to the otherwise friendly Vampire.

  “Will he be alright?”

  “Yes. He may have a headache, but it was unavoidable. Now, take me to see the boy,” he moved forward, but Nate was there again, hand raised to stop his forward progress.

  The other four Devlin’s in the room watched the interaction, ready to step in if needed. This was a different Nate than the one she was used to. The jovial, sexy as hell, smiling Texas artist was gone, and the Enforcer took his place.

  Luisa had to admit he looked pretty damn serious just then. The she-Bear inside of her approved wholeheartedly of his display of dominance and the way he sought to protect the boy. The woman didn’t mind it either. Grrr. Mine.

  “Hold up here a second. First, I need your word the he will be unharmed,” his eyes narrowed.

  “Marcus, are you going to instruct your brother to move out of my way or shall I remove him myself?”

  “Think you can do that without help?” Nate drawled.

  “Easy as pie, as you Americans say,” Bal hissed.

  “Okay there, boys, were on the same side,” Marcus growled.

  A whine coming from the examination room had everyone’s head turning.

  “Jimmy?” Luisa ran ahead. She heard the men talking and following her, but her concern was for the injured boy.

  “My tummy hurts,” he cried, and she went to him.

  “Move out of the way, please” Bal inserted himself between Luisa and the boy.

  Instinct made her want to push the Vampire out of the way, but she was obviously dealing with something she couldn’t quite comprehend. She watched with Nate standing right behind her as Bal looked directly into the boys eyes.

  “Ciao, Jimmy,” he said in his accented voice, “I want you to calm down now. Calmati. Si. Very good, I know it is hurting you, sleep now, it will soon be made right,” and just like that the boy was asleep.

  Bal extended one pale hand and lifted Jimmy’s damaged arm, peeling the bandage back. His smooth face and beautifully chiseled features revealed no emotion as he bent his head and sniffed the wound. The only affectation that Luisa noted was the small frown beginning at his perfectly proportioned lips.

  “He has been bitten,” Bal announced.

  “Who the hell are you people? What are you doin’ in here? I told you we need to leave now, little boy is more trouble than he’s worth,” Mr. Green came stomping into the room and moved to grab the child. Before he could get to him, Bal smoothly intercepted the horrible normal.

  “You are tired from your day. Why don’t you take a nap?”

  Everyone stood still and watched in awe as the man simply nodded and smiled at Bal like they were best buddies. He walked to a chair and sat down heavily. Seconds later, he was snoring.

  “Who is that man in relation to the child?” Bal asked.

  “His guardian. No blood relation,” Luisa answered.

  “Good. The child will need to be removed from his care. I will have a friend who is a social worker get on it immediately.”

  “Wait, what is happening to him?” Luisa asked.

  “He has been bitten. Hunters do not normally turn others as their appetites are so uncontrolled.”

  “In other words, they usually kill their food,” Nate murmured.

  “Yes,” Bal agreed.

  “But I thought that was a myth? The whole biting thing,” Luisa frowned.

  “All myths have some basis in truth, do they not, bella? Vampires are one of the most secretive of people inhabiting this world. A bite is merely the first step into what it means to become Vampire. Unfortunately, it is irreversible, but it can be managed.”

  “Managed? He’s just a boy! Not some kind of pest or problem!” She answered angrily.

  “I apologize if my words offend you. What I mean to say is we will care for little Jimmy. See to his needs and help him adjust. Have no fear.”

  “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I am a little afraid for that boy there,” Nate replied and stepped to Bal.

  “He’s right,” Marcus interjected, “We can’t possibly be prepared for what the boy will need.”

  Luisa left the room. Her she-Bear grumbled inside of her, protective instincts she didn’t even know she had, came charging forward.

  “This was an unfortunate turn of events, but I swear it will be better for him. He will learn to control his thirst. He will be with others who understand him,” Bal was speaking from inside the room, but she didn’t want to hear it.

  It irked her that this Vampire was calling the shots. Especially since he was the reason those Hunters hadn’t been killed to begin with! Just who the hell does he think he is?

  “He is the oldest, most powerful Vampire on the continent. Bal has been a friend to the Barvale Clan ever since my ancestors settled here,” Iggy Devlin stepped out of the shadows and took seat on the bottom step of the concrete staircase outside the clinic.

  “Oh,” Luisa said inadequately, “I’m just worried I guess.”

  “It is understandable. You and Nate have both been under a little bit of stress as I understand it,” the blush staining his cheeks made him look younger, she realized what he was talking about and felt her own cheeks heating up. He knows about our mating! They all do.

  “Oh, uh, Mr. Devlin-”

  “Please, call me Iggy, all my daughters-in-law do. I figured you are as good as one since Nate there is inside arguing over why they should call off this thing tonight. He doesn’t want anything to happen to you, my dear,” he stated that as a fact, not something that was up for debate.

  Warmth flowed through her just thinking of Nate inside the clinic, arguing for her safety. Good mate. Fine protector. Her she-Bear preened with the news and Luisa bit back a snort. Not in front of his father. She nodded and sighed, love for him filling every inch of her heart.

  “Look, uh, I know I’ve been kind of hard on Nate, but that’s all over now,” she faced him with her shoulders squared and her head raised high.

  Her old Alpha simply smiled. He opened the bottle of water he must’ve brought out with him and took a long sip. The night around them was quiet. Summertime could be fickle in the Garden State, but it
was clear and dry. The moon was almost full, but not quite. She exhaled slowly and waited for him to speak.

  Ignatius Devlin was never one to rush things. She recalled the times in her youth that he had offered guidance and shelter to the Sposa cubs. He’d been there for them after their own father had left town. She looked up to Mr. Dev-, er, Iggy. It was going to be strange to call him that, but she thought she’d manage just fine given time.

  “Matings,” he began, “even fated ones, are not easy things, Luisa. You did what you had to do. My relationship with Nate is still new, but I confess I love him as much as any of my other sons. You’ll do fine by him, I know it,” he rose from the stairs and walked away leaving Luisa with her thoughts.

  She turned to the nearly empty parking lot and looked out at the copse of trees that sat behind it. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. She stilled. There was literally no noise coming from anywhere. She stepped forward, her own curiosity getting the better of her.

  Before she could do more than scream, two thin, grayish arms tipped with curled claws reached out and grabbed her covering her mouth. The Hunter was so disgustingly happy with itself it tossed its bat-like face back and howled to the night sky.

  “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

  Chapter 12

  “We’d need more than your assurances, Bal,” Nate said.

  “Like what?” answered the Vampire while he studied his nails.

  “For one, Luisa gets to keep treating the boy. For another, we want access to whatever info you’re hiding about what it takes to become whatever the fuck it is that you are!”

  “You want to know what it takes to become one like me,” growled the Vampire and for the first time Nate caught a glimpse of the terrifying being that lurked within the pale man who stood before him.

  “Guys, maybe we could hold off on this pissing contest for a second and discuss tonight?” Daniel interrupted.