Beauty and the Bear (Redwater Shifters Book 2)

by B. N. Kasner

  When his cell began to ring, he really didn't want to answer it. Maybe it's not Mason. It was Mason.

  “Hey.” He dragged the word out just to stall. “How's Ella?” The best way to avoid his alpha's anger was to distract him with his mate.

  “Finally calmed down.” He sighed, and Gene could imagine him running a hand through his hair. “She already knew about the photo shop idea, but I hadn't said anything about using her as bait.” Mason groaned. “Bad move on my part, but Ella wants to go through with it.”

  “What a coincidence, because Lani said to set it up.”

  “Alright. I'll call around and let you know when.”

  “Mason?” Gene asked before he lost his confidence.

  “Yeah?”

  “We'll be able to keep 'em safe right? Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Gene hated showing how afraid he was, but he needed to know that Lani would be safe. It was the whole reason they were going through with this in the first place.

  "Do I think this is the right thing?" Mason paused. "Fuck no, but we're going to keep them safe and when this is all over, not only will our mates be safe but the whole territory. Then Grace and those damn brother-in-laws of mine can find mates for themselves. Have faith, Gene, because right now? That's all we have."

  Chapter Twenty

  "I still think this is crazy and stupid." Annie hissed, looking around the store the girls were in like Jeremy was going to pop out at any time.

  “That's because it is crazy and stupid.” Grace growled. Neither one of them had been on board, but there was no way they were going to let Ella and Lani go by themselves. “Why did you two agree to this again?”

  "Jeremy and Noah threaten not only us but our way of life. If we back down, they win." Ella stated calmly. There was that alpha personality, and she could handle almost anything thrown at her. Hell, Lani was pretty sure Ella was more cut out to be alpha than Mason. Although, she was biased where Ella was concerned.

  "Ella's right." Lani picked up a shirt and held it up to Grace. They needed to actually look like they were shopping, and not standing around arguing. The whole point of this was to lure Jeremy or Noah, or hell, if they were lucky, both. "At least pretend to like the shirt, Grace." She rolled her eyes at Lani but looked down at the top.

  “I, personally, need to take back control over my life. There's no way I can keep my sanity if I'm always wondering when another photo is going to show up at my house.” She laid the shirt down and grabbed another. It was something to keep her hands from shaking. As much as Lani knew this needed to be done, she was still scared shitless.

  How could she not be? A man who she knew wanted her for his own sick pleasure was more than likely getting ready to kidnap her. It wasn't something that inspired happiness inside of her. Anyone who said they wouldn't be scared was a fucking liar in her mind.

  “Whats this guy look like anyway?” The other girls had gotten the message on pretending to shop. Annie was trying on sunglasses, while Ella looked through dresses.

  “A slimy asshole.” Ella supplied with a laugh. At least they all still had their sense of humor.

  “Again, Ella's right.” Lani rolled her eyes at Ella's smug smirk. “He also has sandy blonde hair, brown eyes that turn yellow, and yes it's creepy, and he's about six foot. Did I miss anything?”

  "Nope. His eyes always did give me the hebe-jebes." Her whole body noticeably shivered. "Oh, and he's quick and quiet. William used to brag about it, then complain Alex was too loud to be a tracker." She scoffed. According to Ella, her brothers were the best at everything and anything shifter.

  "We should probably go to other stores. Jeremy's been watching me for months. If we stay in the same store, he'll know something's up." The next shop was right down the street. To make it seem like the girls were alone, they'd went to New Westward. Since both the sighting and logo from the photo were from the same town, they'd been sent straight into the wolf's den.

  All the shop's lined the main street, so it was easy for the guards to keep an eye on them. There were also a lot of trees, which made Lani nervous. Jeremy could be right there, and we wouldn't even know it. She looked around at her friends. Ella had always felt more like a sister, and now, so did Annie and Grace.

  Annie was the conservative older sister. Grace, the sarcastic and stubborn one. Ella, the calm and reasonable one, and Lani? She was confident and outspoken, always saying what the others were thinking. Right then, she was thinking how dumb it had been to drag them into her mess. Of course, Ella and the others had issues with Noah, but she had a feeling it would be Jeremy that showed up.

  It was the same feeling that told her to turn around. Scanning the road, she didn't see anyone. She breathed a sigh of relief. No one's there. Once inside the store, the light bulb went off in her head. Wait..no one was there. No guards. Nobody.

  “Run.” Lani yelled, pushing Ella as the bell over the door went off. She didn't turn to look, but Grace did, and the look on her face? Pure terror. “Now, Grace!” Where the cashier was, Lani didn't know, but she was thankful no one was there to witness the scene unfolding before her eyes. Annie was holding the back door open, helping Ella as best as she could.

  It was then that she knew. There was no way Lani was making it out of that store. Not if she wanted her friends to get away. Ella was already breathing hard and holding her very pregnant belly. Annie was a submissive bear, and even though she would be bigger than Jeremy, he'd tear her apart in a heartbeat.

  Grace could probably take him on, but Lani wasn't willing to risk her life. Ella must've seen the look on Lani's face.

  “Don't you dare.” Ella sobbed, trying to get back in the shop. “Grace, grab her.” But it was already too late. A hand wrapped around her throat and pulled her back until she hit his chest. Just from his scent, Lani knew it was Jeremy. She swallowed hard, willing her tears not to fall.

  “Take Ella and go.” Lani yelled, the lump in her throat making her voice hoarse. It took both Grace and Annie to drag away a kicking Ella. With her eyes clenched shut Lani prayed. Please, Goddess, let my child and me live. Gene needs us. All she had now, was faith, and she hoped it would be enough to keep her safe until her mate got to her.

  ****

  Jeremy couldn't believe his luck. He fucking had her in his arms. She's ours for the taking now. Oh, he'd take her, just not there. In some random place. When Jeremy fucked her, it would be in a place that meant something to her. Anything that meant something to her was going to be ruined by the time he was done with her.

  "It's been so long. Mate." He snarled. Jeremy scented the bear all over her. "I saw you've been busy being a whore for that bear." Tightening his grip around her throat, he wasn't satisfied until she tried to claw at his hands. A smile spread across his face. It was only a matter of time before he broke her. He turned her around to face him. Her tits had always been her best asset.

  “Tell me.” Jeremy traced a finger around the edge of her neckline. “How does it feel spreading your legs for someone who isn't your mate?” He punctuated his question with a small shake. A whimper escaped between her gritted teeth. She's making me hard on purpose.

  “I'm not yours.” Lani spat in his face. “And I never will be.” She jerked, but his grip tightened on her throat.

  "You're going to regret that, and I'm going to enjoy making you pay." Lani was turning out to more of a pain in the ass than he'd anticipated. He needed to get on the road if they were going to make it to their destination without being interrupted. "Are you going to cooperate or do I need to force you?" It would be more fun for him if she struggled. Instead, though, when he tugged her forward, she willing got into his car. Well, this has been no fun at all.

  ****

  Gene could tell something was wrong through the bond. His mate was terrified, and that set off alarm bells in his head. No sooner had he began to rub his thigh, Mason's phone was going off.

  "Hey litt-" He was cut off by someone, and the look on his face read murder
. Something is definitely fucking wrong. “Ella calm down, I can't understand what you're saying.” He nodded his head before handing the phone to Gene. “It's Grace. Ella's too shook up to talk.”

  “Where's Lani?” Gene didn't mean to bark the words at his sister, but he couldn't help himself.

  “She's gone.” Grace let out a cry. “He took her. I'm sorry I didn't stop him. I should've-”

  “It's not your fault.” He swallowed hard, but that didn't stop his hands from shaking or the tears from falling. “Just tell me what happened.”

  “I don't know how but Lani knew when he was coming.” She took a few deep breaths before continuing. “We ran for the back door. Annie was helping Ella, but then Ella started screaming at Lani. I was supposed to grab her, all of us weren't going to make it. He was too quick. It should've been me, but she lagged on purpose.”

  The fact that his mate had let herself be caught was stupid. In the same breath, Gene felt enormously proud of Lani. She'd saved the others. He was sure about that.

  “Who was it?”

  “Jeremy. Noah wasn't there. I don't know what happened to the guards. We lost Lani's scent, but we think they were headed south, back towards home. We're half way there, now. Ella's still sobbing. I'm shaking and Annie hasn't spoken a word.” Shit, what the fuck had they put them through.

  “Where are you exactly?” Gene, Mason, Isaiah, Alex, Nathan and Carter were forty minutes from New Westward and thirty minutes from home.

  “About twenty minutes out of New Westward. I'm fuckin' goin' eighty.”

  “Pull off at the next rest stop. We're here with my truck and Nathan's Hummer.”

  "Love you brother." She had whispered before the line went dead. All the men were staring at him.

  "Jeremy's got Lani." Curses went around the group. "Grace doesn't know what happened to the guards, but they're gone, and my guts tellin' me they're dead. The women are shook up. Bad." He looked right at Mason. Gene had been worried about this very thing happening. Now not only was his pregnant wife in the hands of a deranged psychopath, but his sister and his friends mates were fucking traumatized.

  It should've taken Grace another fifteen minutes to get to where they were, but five minutes later Lani's minivan came to a screeching halt two spaces down from them. The back door flung open to show a hysterical Ella rocking back and forth. Holy fucking honey. Mason ran forward taking Ella into her arms. Instead of calming her, she started babbling incoherently.

  He'd never seen Mason look so lost in his life. Not even when he had to put down his own dad. Annie had at least gotten out of the van, but she looked as white as a ghost. Nathan was murmuring in her ear, but she was staring straight ahead at nothing. Grace was still sitting in the driver's seat. Before he could move, Carter was there, prying her hands off the steering wheel. As much as Gene wanted to give the females the time they obviously needed to recover, he needed to get to his mate.

  Squatting down, Gene buried his head in his hands. He needed to concentrate on Lani and their bond. Her fear was still crippling, but it had let up a little. The most important thing, though, was he could still feel her. Focusing, he closed his eyes and thought only of Lani. Her soft smile and violet eyes. The way she swayed her hips when she knew he was watching. Anything and everything about her.

  His eyes snapped open when he realized what the bond was telling him.

  “I know where she is.” He snarled, rising to his feet.

  “Where?” Mason growled, holding Ella as closely as possible.

  “At home.”

  “In Redwater?” Carter asked a few feet away from Grace, but close enough he could reach out and touch her.

  “I mean in our house.”

  “How do you know?” Ella was looking at him like he had three heads.

  “The bond. Mason can feel where you are.”

  “I can only tell what direction Ella's in, not her exact location.”

  “Hell, it doesn't matter as long as we can get to her.” Grace was finally looking like his sister again and less like a shell of herself.

  “You're staying here with Nathan, Ella, and Annie.” There was no way he'd be able to look out for her. Not to mention he couldn't handle it if something happened to the two women in his life.

  "No. Lani saved all of us back there, and I'm not going to leave her with that shifter. You didn't see him, Gene!" Grace screamed, flinging her arms out. "He's sick. On the verge of going feral. I could scent it. Lani is my sister now, and you're not going to stop me."

  There was no stopping Grace once she set her mind to something. It was both a gift and a flaw. One his sister had perfected in her twenty years on this Earth.

  “I'll-” Isaiah started, but Carter cut him off with just a glare.

  “This is going to be different from last time. You stay behind me at all times. If I tell you to run, you fucking run. Do you understand me?” Grace nodded, completely absorbed in what Carter was saying. “If that wolf goes feral, take Lani and get out of there. Don't try and fight, just go. Promise me.”

  “I promise.” That seemed to mollify whatever Carter was feeling.

  Now that there were only six of them, they all piled into Gene's truck. It was only supposed to hold five, but Grace had squeezed in between the door and Carter. Although, Gene suspected she was more on Carter's lap than the seat. For once, he was glad Grace was leaning on Carter. He was the beta of Redwater and a damn good fighter in both human and bear form. He'd be able to protect Grace while Gene made sure his mate was safe.

  Since there weren't any pregnant females in his truck, Gene was willing to drive like a bat outta hell.

  “Carter?” He glanced in the rear-view mirror to make sure Carter was listening. “Keep my sister safe. We're going to take the trails to the back of my property.” One of Grace's hands immediately went to the handle above the window. The other hand gripped the back of the front passenger's seat.

  Carter's arms banded across Grace, pulling her flush against him. When they went over the first bump, Grace barely left Carter's lap. The second time, she didn't move at all. With his sister firmly in her seat, his driving may have went from reckless to dangerous. What should've been a thirty minute drive turned into ten minutes. Gene eyed the patio door of his home. The bond was almost burning from his anger. Once he got his hands on Jeremy, there would be nothing left of him. Nobody hurts my wife.

  "We're all going to go in through the back, then split up from there. Mason and I are going to check the family and dining rooms. Grace and Carter, you two check the office and downstairs bathroom. Isaiah and Alex, make your way upstairs. If you find them, do not engage Jeremy if you don't have too. On the count of three." He took a deep breath and tried to send calming thoughts to Lani. She was the bravest woman he'd ever met. Gene felt some of her anxiety fade away.

  “One. Two. Thr-” A scream cut him off. All plans went out the window as he barreled out of the truck at a dead run. I'm coming, sweetheart.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Lani made herself stay calm for the baby's sake. A baby she'd just learned was a little boy. Gene's face when Dr. Warren said a boy was seared into her brain. It was the mental picture she was using to keep herself under control. The last thing she wanted to do was angry Jeremy. He already scented a sickly smell, and his eyes were perpetually yellow.

  It wasn't a good thing and was the first sign of a shifter going feral. At least Lani was in her own home, but it felt tainted by Jeremy. He had her tied to a dining room chair he'd dragged into the living room.

  “Now that we're alone, what should I do with you?” Jeremy licked his lips like she was a delicacy that he wanted to devour.

  “How'd you stay two steps ahead?” Maybe if she kept him talking, it would give Gene enough time to get to her. Jeremy stopped pacing in front of her and gave her a wolfish expression. Stay calm.

  “Why should I tell you anything?” Shit, now he just looked suspicious. Lani needed to make this believable. Who knew how far aw
ay Gene was.

  “I've been impressed. It's hard to stay hidden for so long.”

  "It wasn't hard. We are superior creatures after all." Ah, that was it. She needed to stroke his ego and tell him how great he was. Hell, to make sure she and her son lived she'd say whatever he wanted to hear. "I had already followed you here when I met up with the old man. He had the intel on the guards and their movements. Then I noticed they were using some of our tactics." Jeremy snarled, then paced closer to her then before.

  "Since I helped invent some of those, it was easy to outmaneuver them. Noah hated the fact that I had shown my hand and left you pictures. Did you get my notes, sweet Lani?" He traced a finger down her neck, stopping at the collar of her shirt.

  “N-no.” She hated that he was getting through her armor. He smirked at her shaking form, and Lani hated that even more. No way in hell was she going to give him any satisfaction in this game they were playing.

  “The bear you're whoring yourself out to didn't tell you?”

  “No.” One word answers were all she was going to give him. That and she didn't want to say anything to set him off.

  “They were all about what I was going to do with you. Although, now, you're nothing but a slut that I can fuck at will.” A million curse words went through her mind. She'd claw his eyes out if he tried to undress her. The light touches to her face, she could handle, but anything more than that? Lani wouldn't hold back her fury.

  "Back to my story, though, and you wanted to know how I outsmarted your precious bear." Jeremy sneered at her, going from wanting to rape her to being disgusted with her. She'd take disgusted any day of the week. "The first step in being a good tracker is recognizing what your prey thinks is a familiar scent.

  "Once you know what they will and won't respond too, then, my lovely Lani, you're golden. And your bear? He thinks anything scented like honey must be safe, no surprise there, and you? Pretty, pretty wolf." Jeremy was so close she thought for a moment he was going to kiss her. "Pine. You always did love Christmas." He stepped back from her, taking the time to look around finally.