Waking Her Bear: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy with Witches, Werebears, and Werewolves (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 8)

by Vella Day

  Missy couldn’t live without him. Before she could even think, she rushed out of the cave, completely forgetting about the force field. Only this time, nothing happened. No sparks, no shock. She was free! She ran directly at Raymolt, and her sudden impact was sufficient to cause him to drop the knife.

  He whipped around and shot a lethal glare at Vinea. “Why did you let her out?” he spit out as he charged the goddess, leaving Zane huddled on the ground. Stunned, Missy just stood there.

  Vinea’s eyes widened, and she held out her hands. “I…I didn’t.”

  The demon spun around toward Missy. “It doesn’t matter. You’re next to die.” Raymolt looked at where he dropped the knife.

  Her muscles froze, and her breath caught in her throat. The urge to run kicked in, but there was no way she’d leave Zane.

  Out of options, she stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out the potion Ophelia had given her. After seeing the demon’s abilities, she doubted it would do anything, but she had to try.

  What was that curse Ophelia had taught her? The seed of the earth will… Oh, shit. She couldn’t remember.

  Oh, no. He strode forward, picked up the knife, and faced her, his eyes sparkling, as if he would relish killing her. With trembling hands, she opened the drawstring on the burlap pouch. “Don’t come any closer.”

  That sounded weak, but she didn’t know what else to say. She glanced over at Zane, who wasn’t moving, and her will to live almost disappeared. He was lying on his back now and while she couldn’t see his chest rise, she refused to believe he was gone. If he were, wouldn’t her heart stop too?

  Raymolt laughed. “You gonna stop me with your bag of tricks, little girl?”

  The man slowly stepped closer. For Zane and his brother, she had to do something. Missy emptied the powder in her palm and rushed toward him. Knowing she was going to die, her last wish was to cause him some pain.

  She first cast out a wave of calming energy toward the beast, and while he stopped advancing toward her, his eyes still held seething hatred.

  When she was within three feet of him, she threw the powder in his face then stepped back, waiting for him to kill her. She quickly recited the rest of the spell, but the words came out so soft, she barely heard them.

  “What the—” the demon cried, clawing his face.

  Vinea looked between the two of them. She too seemed paralyzed and in shock. His skin turned red, and his hands blistered. Raymolt dropped to his knees, his screams of agony so horrifying that she dropped the cloth sack containing the remainder of the power. Some had landed on her arm and she brushed it away. Why hadn’t it burned her?

  The demon’s eyes turned black, and as he crumpled to the ground, smoke lifted off his body as he turned to ash. Missy just stared. How was that even possible? He’d just evaporated. All that was left was a heap of ashes. Just like Teagan had predicted.

  Vinea stepped back. “Who the hell are you?” she said, fear coloring her tone.

  Missy wanted to say she wasn’t anyone, but even those words wouldn’t come out. Every muscle seemed to have frozen.

  Vinea looked over at Zane, whose arm jerked. He was alive. Missy’s muscles finally shot to action, and as she rushed over to him, Vinea managed to block her path.

  “He’s mine,” Vinea said, her lips in a sneer.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I have to make sure he dies.” Vinea shoved Missy so hard that she tumbled on her already sore butt, scraping her elbows and banging her head again.

  Pain shot through her, and her vision blurred. Missy had to stop her. She didn’t care if Vinea was some goddess. Zane couldn’t die.

  “Missy, I’m sor—” Zane telepathed.

  “No!” She tried to rise, but immediately lost her balance and fell back down.

  A knife appeared in Vinea’s hand and she raised it above Zane. Missy rose to her feet and stumbled toward her. “No. Please don’t kill him.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

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  As if someone commanded her from above, Vinea dropped the knife and turned toward Missy, her body shaking. “I can’t do it. Why can’t I kill him?” Vinea looked at her hands and then back at Zane. “I am so sorry.”

  Missy sent out more calming thoughts. “That’s good, Vinea. Now step back.” Missy edged closer. She didn’t trust her not to change her mind.

  “But he’s supposed to die. He has to. I can’t go back a failure.” Her eyes widened, and an ugly scowl marred her face. “What is happening to me?”

  Missy had no idea what Vinea was talking about, but the woman seemed to have lost it. As long as the goddess moved away from Zane, Missy would be content. “No, he doesn’t need to die, and you’re anything but a failure.”

  Vinea’s skin paled. Before Missy could reach Zane, the goddess turned around and ran down the path. Seconds later, she vanished.

  Stunned, Missy kicked the dropped knife out of the way and ran to Zane. His amulet lay on the dirt, the leather strap broken. She picked it up and rushed over to him.

  “Zane, can you hear me?” He didn’t respond. His eyes were open and unfocused. “Can you hear me, Zane? You need to wake up,” she telepathed, hoping to reach him that way.

  When he didn’t move a muscle, Missy choked out a cry and dropped to her knees. With her hand on his head, she placed her face on his bear’s chest.

  Please Naliana or anyone up there who can hear me. Help me. Please. He can’t die.

  Even as she said the words, she knew he was gone, and the grief staggered her. Her vision turned black and pain tore through her body. The world spun, and it was as if her whole body exploded. When her vision returned, she was lying next to Zane. Only the hand on his face—or rather the paw—was covered in fur.

  It took a few seconds for Missy to realize that she’d shifted. Only how was that possible? It wasn’t the white moon yet. While she should be reveling in the experience, her agony over Zane’s demise only made the shift more painful.

  “Zane, I love you,” she telepathed.

  She returned her head to his chest. A minute later, sheer determination to save him made her sit up. Missy might not have powers like her sister, but she was a healer dammit. If anyone could help Zane, she could. Unfortunately, she was in her bear form and didn’t have any candles, crystals, or potions with her. However, she did have her thoughts. Closing her eyes, she telepathed all of her love into healing him.

  Using the rest of her energy, she rubbed her muzzle against Zane’s face, careful not to press too hard. She placed her hand over the burnt fur, sending her magic through him. Where Raymolt had hit him with the rock on top of his head, a slow trickle of blood oozed out.

  Missy stilled. Pumping blood meant Zane was still alive. “Zane?” As much as she wanted to shake him, she had to be careful. “I love you. Please wake up.” She pressed the amulet against his throat, hoping it carried some recuperative powers. It flickered. Yes! As she held it close, the burnt orange glowed more brightly, giving her hope he’d live.

  Shouts sounded far away, one of which sounded very much like Rye. Not wanting to leave Zane or shift back, she huddled as close as she could. Needing them to find her, she roared. The sound came out tinny and light, but it was her first attempt.

  “This way,” one of them shouted. “The caves are over here.”

  Thirty seconds later, four men appeared: Rye, Kalan, Connor, and Devon.

  Kalan had clothes in his hands. They must have guessed Zane might shift and be in need of them.

  “There they are,” Rye called. He placed a hand on her back. “Missy, is that you?”

  She roared and then bobbed her head.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Rye assured her.

  That was what she used to say, even if she didn’t know for sure, but it always seemed to help soothe the loved ones.

  Rye peeled off his shirt. “If you want to shift, you can put this on.” He handed it to Kalan. “Put it in the cave for her.”

>   Missy glanced around and spotted her tattered shorts and ripped top. The strap on one of her sandals had broken, but they were probably wearable. As much as she didn’t want to leave Zane, even for a few minutes, she’d be able to help him more if she were in her human form. Lumbering over to the cave, she waited for Kalan to leave before concentrating on returning to her human form.

  Izzy had told her that all she had to do was concentrate on being human, so Missy pictured herself standing in front of the mirror. Then everything happened in reverse, only faster this time. Her vision however took longer to restore than she’d hoped. When she tried to walk, she must have leaned too far to the right and fell to her knees. “Ow.”

  Missy remained still for another minute until she was positive she could make it out of the cave. Not needing any of the men to see her naked, she quickly pulled on Rye’s shirt, which thankfully covered her butt but not much more. She gingerly stepped out of the cave and slipped on her sandals.

  When she looked over, Zane had returned to his human form. Had he woken up and shifted? If he had, he was unconscious now. Someone had placed a T-shirt over his chest and the pair of pants over his hips most likely on the off chance they came across someone. The four men lifted him up and carried him down the path. Missy trotted after them, holding her shirttail close to her body, praying Zane would be all right.

  *

  Zane’s body ached as he struggled to open his eyes. A strong scent entered his brain, but he couldn’t figure out what it was or identify where he was. The image of Raymolt kicking his younger brother surfaced, and then the face of an angel appeared.

  “Zane, you need to wake up,” the soft voice pleaded. Someone lifted his head and placed something small and uncomfortable underneath it. Immediately, a sense of calm enveloped him. He wanted to fall back asleep and stay that way for a long time, but a hand stroked his chest and then his face. He had to see what was bringing him such pleasure.

  “Open your eyes,” said the voice in his head. “I’m here, waiting for you.”

  It was a woman. A very sweet woman, but one who seemed so far away. He wanted to please her, to be with her, to see her face. His leg twitched and then his fingers. Images floated in his head, but he wasn’t able to put them in order—Raymolt, the ground, a woman, and then pain. Lots of pain.

  What felt like sand landed on his chest, and Zane sneezed. His eyelids finally worked, and he opened them. And there she was: the most beautiful redheaded woman in the world. With a smile on her face, she hovered over him.

  “Welcome back.”

  Zane wet his lips, not sure he could talk. This was déjà vu all over again. “Missy?”

  Her eyes sparkled. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten who I am already?”

  “No.” Just for a few bad moments. He looked around, noticing he was back in her bedroom. “How did I survive? What happened to Raymolt and that woman?”

  “I’ll answer your questions later. Right now you need to rest.”

  Zane pushed up on his elbows, but Missy planted a hand on his chest. He lay back down. “I can’t rest until you clear up a few things for me.”

  “Why don’t you shift? You’ll heal faster.”

  “I thought I told you I can do it myself, though I’ll admit my bear is faster. Remember, shifters on Cargonia are built differently.

  She smiled. “I know one part that’s definitely not the same.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?” He reached toward her breast.

  She swatted away his hand. “I’ll show you later. Right now you need to keep quiet.” Missy sighed and placed a hand on his forehead. “Your fever broke about an hour ago, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods.”

  “I am out of the woods. I’m in your house!”

  She chuckled. “Sorry. I keep forgetting.” She explained what that phrase meant.

  He raised his hand to his neck. When his fingers grasped his amulet his eyes widened. “You found it?”

  “Yes. It broke when you shifted, but I retrieved it off the ground. I placed it on your chest and when the center flickered, my hopes soared.”

  “But why didn’t the leather thong break?”

  She smiled. “It did, but Rye found me a replacement.”

  He must have been asleep for a while. “I’ll have to thank him.”

  “What do you remember about what happened?” she asked.

  She must have forgotten about her warning for him to rest. “I remember shifting and fighting Raymolt. After that, things are a blur. Care to fill in the details?”

  “I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “Start with who was the woman? She said she was Vanessa. I vaguely remember the face.”

  “We sat next to her at the regatta.” Missy told him about the fake phone call from Vanessa aka Vinea. That led to a ten-minute story about how she was a goddess from the dark realm who’d lost some of her powers along the way. It was why she’d come to Silver Lake some time ago—to steal Sam’s powers. She posed as Vanessa probably to find out about him.

  “Who’s Sam again?”

  Missy waved a hand. “He’s my cousin, and he can manipulate minds.”

  “I’d like to meet him,” Zane said. Witches, or rather Wendayans, were a novel concept to him.

  “That can be arranged. Anyway, after Vinea called pretending to be Izzy, I rushed to the cave where she trapped me with an electric force field.”

  “I remember her telling me that. How did you escape?” Zane wouldn’t be surprised if her magic could cancel the electricity. Rye had told him about Kip Landon, a witch who could have short-circuited the electric flow.

  “I think Vinea just wasn’t able to keep the force field intact. When I saw you’d been injured, maybe even fatally, all I could think of was getting to you.”

  He clasped her hand and lifted her knuckles to his lips. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

  She smiled. “Ditto.”

  His head hurt, and his thoughts were still not clear, but he wanted to know more. “Why didn’t Raymolt kill me?”

  “Because I killed him first.”

  That was outrageous. “How?”

  Missy glanced away then returned her gaze to him. “I previously met with Ophelia; she’s a very powerful witch here in Silver Lake, one who has been around a long time. I had asked her for a potion that would stop him, but I had no idea that it would disintegrate him.”

  “Disintegrate?”

  Missy went into detail about her ordeal, and how when she threw the powder on him and said a spell, he literally turned into ashes. She also explained that Vinea had been ready to kill Zane, but then changed her mind.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. She ran off before I could ask her.”

  “Then what happened?” Zane could guess, but he liked talking to her.

  “I ran to you. When I thought you had died, I was so distraught that I shifted into my bear form.”

  He studied her. “I thought you told me that humans could only shift for the first time on the white moon.”

  “I know. I think my intense fear of losing you caused the shift.”

  Now it was his turn to look off to the side. “You were stretched out next to me, weren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled. “You are such a beautiful bear.”

  She sat up straighter. “How do you know? You never opened your eyes.”

  “I didn’t need to. You’re my mate, and I was able to see you in my mind.”

  She leaned closer. “If you say so.”

  He sobered. “Just so you know; it was your heat that kept me going. I felt your life, and my body responded.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “You are an amazing woman, Missy Berta. I love you.”

  A pretty pink blush rushed up her face. “I love you too, and I couldn’t bear it if you left me.” She winked. “No pun intended.”

  Zane chuckled then sobered. “Without your help, I’d be dead.”
Zane had never needed a woman’s help before, but perhaps that was why she had been destined to be his fated mate. He raised his arms. “I could use a hug.”

  She smiled. “I could use one as well.”

  The moment Missy snuggled against him, the world seemed to right itself. He could finally put his brother’s death to rest and start living his life. Zane didn’t have to look to know his amulet was glowing red.

  “Did I mention that I love you?” he asked.

  She chuckled. “Perhaps a time or two, but a girl never gets tired of hearing it.”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to tell you everyday.”

  She lifted her head and kissed him, softly at first and then with more passion. Missy sat up. “We shouldn’t do anything. You need to gain your strength back.”

  “I might not be up for running a marathon or fighting a demon, but I always have enough energy to make love to you.”

  Missy lifted his red amulet. “If I’m to believe this stone, you want to, but are you ready?”

  He placed her hand on his very hard cock. “Does that answer your question?”

  “Mostly.” She turned his head to the side. “Your cut has healed I see—as well as your burns.”

  “I’m good as new.” He’d mostly healed, but he wanted Missy to believe he was one hundred percent.

  “How about we take it slow, and if you tire, we’ll stop?” she asked.

  Zane sat up, his energy gaining strength by the minute. Thinking about being with his mate again seemed to heal him from the inside out. “It’s a deal.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

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  When Missy had been trapped in the cave, she’d truly believed that her time with Zane had come to an end. To be here with him now was the greatest gift she could imagine, and she wanted to enjoy every single second of it.

  “I guess I’m a little overdressed.” Not wanting Zane to tire, she slipped off the bed and stood a few feet from him. Keeping her gaze on his face, she kicked off her shoes.