Their pack mates’ thoughtfulness touched her, even if she was just ready to be alone with Rick. The way he was still looking down at her told her he felt the same.
“I hope you’re not too attached to that dress.” His deep voice grazed over her ear, sending chills down her body.
“It does hold some sentimental value to me now. Why?”
“Because I’m going to rip it from your delicious body as soon as we run everybody out of here,” he growled.
“I can just take it off.”
“That takes too much time. Patience has never been my strong suit.” He grabbed her arm and led her to the back of the house to his home office.
He shut the door and immediately spun her around and shoved her up against it. His body molded over hers. She welcomed his lips on hers as they ignited in a passion-fueled kiss. He lifted one of her legs up and then slid his hand up to cup her ass.
“Fuck, you don’t have any panties on, do you?” he breathed.
Not sure she could speak, she simply nodded. Rick lifted her up and took her over to his couch and laid her down. He spread her legs wide and sat back, admiring his view. She squirmed under his dark gaze. Then he leaned down and pulled her clit into his mouth, causing her to scream his name.
His arms snaked up her sides and freed her breasts so he could tease her nipples. His mouth continued to work her over. Sucking, teasing, and licking her until she couldn’t contain a single thought. Her body tightened, and then she soared through her release, shaking in his arms.
Rick pulled her up and sat her on his lap. Stella finally came back down from her orgasm high, and relaxed in his arms.
“I love you, Rick.”
“I love you, too, Stella.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rick
Austin’s number lit up Rick’s phone. He was at the casino frantically trying to deal with losing Dave as his manager. Rick didn’t feel any remorse over what he had done to Dave. He felt betrayed, and was still angry especially now that he was knee-deep in applications for a new manager. Not to mention he had to make up for the workload that Dave usually handled. More than anything, Rick was nervous he would hire another chameleon. Austin called again.
“Yeah,” Rick answered, continuing to read the resume in front of him.
“I think Greg’s my chameleon,” Austin said, his tone dark and void.
Rick tossed the resume down and leaned back in his chair. Greg and Austin were as close as Rick had been to Dave. He felt the betrayal rip through his body for his friend. Rick’s bear growled, more than ready to fight on Austin’s behalf.
“What do you need from me?” Rick asked.
“Meet me at the bar. Call the others. Call everybody.” Then the line went dead.
Rick immediately started to dial his phone and ring the others. Then he put Justin in charge of contacting the others in the pack that weren’t immediate pack members. His assistant, Danielle, stuttered and begged for him not to leave. He knew she was taking the brunt of people’s annoyance at his absence. He would reward her with a handsome raise once his life calmed down. He told her if there was a decision she felt comfortable making, to make it. He’d sort it all out later. With that, he left.
He thought to call Stella, but decided against it. The healer in her would want to help Greg, or at least keep him alive. Rick knew Austin had other plans. He hit the gas, urging his truck faster on the interstate. When he finally skidded into The Kamp parking lot he saw the others’ trucks there as well.
When he walked inside, they were all huddled at their table. Rick grabbed a beer and then joined them.
“I called Greg and asked him to come over. He’s been sick for a while now. I don’t think it’s that. I think whatever Stella did to the bar, it’s keeping him away.”
“Do you think he’ll show?”
“I told him I had lost my key and I just needed him to bring me his.”
Rick nodded, taking a long drink of his beer. The ice-cold liquid felt good against his body, which was warm with anger. Stella called him, but he ignored it.
“Does Kate know you’re here?” he asked, knowing that eventually Stella would start calling the women.
“Yes, she knows my suspicions. She’s at home with the baby.”
Rick nodded again. Kate could fill Stella in on what was happening. Hopefully by then they would be done, and she wouldn’t be needed. A crack of thunder sounded outside. It had been beautiful when Rick walked in, but that was New Orleans. One minute it was beautiful, the next the rain would pour down for days.
“He’s here,” Austin said.
Austin stood and walked to the door. He motioned for the others to stay behind. They did as he asked, but they kept the door open and stood close. Chameleons were tricksters, and they couldn’t be trusted. If Greg had been suspicious of anything he could easily have other chameleons with him. As soon as Greg got out of his car, Rick’s bear growled. A growl rolled through the room as he realized they were all uneasy.
Rick felt that something bigger was around them. He felt Stella through their mate bond.
“Rick, you cannot let Austin confront Greg,” she pleaded.
Rick tried to shut the mate bond down. Stella surged through, pushing her power into him. He could feel her fear.
“Greg is a chameleon. He chose his own death.”
“Greg’s not the chameleon, Rick. He’s the handler. He’ll kill Austin. He’ll kill you all!”
Rick stumbled forward just as Greg roared to life in his true form. Then all hell broke loose.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Stella
“What do you mean they’re confronting Greg?” Stella yelled through the phone at Kate.
“Austin said he’s the chameleon. I’m so upset. Greg’s practically family, but I understand that he’s really not.”
Stella hung up without another word. She quickly dialed Emma.
“Emma, go to the bar immediately!”
Stella hung up on her, too. She quickly changed her clothes and sought Rick out through their mate bond. He tried to shut her out, but her anger and her fear pushed through.
“Rick, you cannot let Austin confront Greg,” she pleaded.
“Greg is a chameleon. He chose his own death.”
“Greg’s not the chameleon, Rick. He’s the handler. He’ll kill Austin. He’ll kill you all!”
Then she focused on Rick and The Kamp and was able to transport herself. She watched as Greg towered over Austin and shot his power out, easily throwing the giant alpha across the parking lot. Stella raced upstairs and grabbed the few things she needed. She ran back downstairs and shoved past the rest of the men now in their bear forms. Rick’s bear caught the back of her shirt with his mouth and tugged her back.
Austin had rallied, and was headed straight back towards Greg. Emma’s car flew into the parking lot then. Without breaking, she ran her car into Greg, catching him off guard. Stella saw her opportunity. She ripped out of Rick’s grip and ran. She could feel the men hot on her heals. Jumping on top of Emma’s hood, she tossed out her mixture and began to chant. Greg roared back to life and tried to rid himself of her magic. He hit her with a blast of power, sending her flying backwards.
Rick shifted and caught her, setting her down on the ground. He put her behind him.
“Greg, whoever you are. We have unfinished business.”
“Yes we do, shifter.”
“Tell me my offenses to you.”
“You touched what was mine. You took what you thought you could have because you could. I was always the runt, I was always the underdog. That was then. Now you cannot defeat me. Austin and the rest of this pack, always getting what they want. No more, I won’t stop until you’re all dead.”
“She’s not yours. She’s never wanted to be yours. How does it feel to know the only woman in your life is there by force and not by choice?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Greg said as he raise
d his hands and let his power build. “Did you expect to tell me my offenses against you?” he sneered. “There are too many, and they are too great to list. Just know that they will be playing over and over again in my mind as I rip your throat out with my teeth.”
Rick shifted then and lunged towards Greg. Stella fed him her power through their mate bond. Rick was able to take Greg’s blow and keep fighting forward. Stella followed behind him, keeping him close so that he was stronger. Austin came up on her left side, and Jasper flanked her other. Justin was behind her. They all rested their snouts on her, somehow feeding Rick their power as well.
Rick’s pack, his mate the healer, and the pack’s mates all focused their power on him. Greg landed several seemingly crippling blows, but Rick continued to rise. Greg continued to as well. They battled, Greg with magic and Rick with his teeth. Pack members continued to arrive, all of them following suit and touching another member, all leading back to Stella.
Rachel appeared in the parking lot along with Arriell. Hatred shot through Stella’s body. She turned to Arriell. The woman immediately descended on Stella. Stella yelled as she threw her magic against the woman. Austin followed Stella as she ran towards the woman who had tried to take Rick from her. Austin lunged in front of her, and the woman slashed Austin with her long nails. Austin whimpered and hit the ground, black blood running down his fur.
Stella yelled for Emma, as she continued towards the woman.
“You turned out to be a worthy opponent,” the woman called over the sounds of Rick and Greg thrashing at each other. “Rick will be mine, though.”
Stella had no words for the woman. She shot her magic towards the woman, paralyzing her, while Jasper leaped on top of her and with one powerful swipe of his paw, the woman was dead. Jasper went back to Austin, who was still lying on the ground. As much as Stella wanted to help Austin, she had to get back to Rick.
Greg had finally managed to get Rick pinned to the ground. He raised his hands as he called for power from the storm. Stella threw herself on top of Rick and rolled so she was facing up at Greg. For a moment, she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She could hear Grandma’s smooth voice telling her what to say. Stella could hear herself repeating every word. Then Grandma chuckled, and was gone. Stella watched as Greg’s eyes grew wide, and then he withered into an old man. Small and vulnerable, he started to back away.
Rick shoved Stella off of him and went for the final kill. As he stood over his kill, he let out a deep, victorious roar. He shifted into his human form and pulled Stella up and into his arms hugging her tightly. A cry of pain seared Stella straight to the heart.
“Austin!” she cried out as she ran over to him.
Emma was kneeling next to him, and was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Stella knocked her hands away and smelled the black ooze.
“It’s not blood. It’s poison. Go wash your hands. Any of you that have it on you. Go now.”
Emma and Jasper both hesitated, not wanting to leave their alpha.
“Go!” Stella shouted. “I need to go upstairs and get some of my medicines. I can’t heal him otherwise. Stay here, but do not touch him,” Stella told Rick before she ran upstairs, praying she had brought the primrose herb.
A shifter had come to Grandma once with the black poison coming out of him. Grandma hadn’t had any of the primrose that day, and by the time they had gotten it, the shifter had died. Stella couldn’t let Austin die. She tore through her bags, frantically searching. She cried when she finally found it. Running back down, she skidded to a stop next to Austin and immediately dropped down next to him to administer the herb.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rick
Rick watched as his friend and his alpha finally rose to his feet. Relief swept over him, and he pulled his mate into his arms. He needed the reassurance of life. His battle with Greg had been tough, and for a time he didn’t think he would win. Rick looked down at Stella, his mate, his lover, and his savior.
“You were reckless,” he said, feeling the anger seep in.
When she had thrown herself on top of him he had wanted to kill her himself.
“You’re welcome,” she said, walking off to send the bodies of Greg and the woman on to another life.
He smiled knowing she couldn’t see him. Her sass and determination were as sexy as they were a nuisance. He looked around at his pack members as they began to shift back to their human forms. Rachel stood off to the side, tears brimming in her eyes. Rick wanted to hate her for being a part of everything, but she seemed like a scared little girl to him now.
“What are you doing to do with your freedom?” he asked her.
She looked up at him, her eyes apologetic.
“I’m truly sorry, Rick. I never dreamed all of this would come of that night.”
“What did you think would happen?” he asked.
“Honestly, I knew he wanted me before I found you at the bar. He had made it clear that he would have me no matter what. You were my last act of rebellion.”
“I figured that out already. I’m glad you were honest with me, though.”
“How did you know?”
“It didn’t make sense. Them sending you to me as bait just to come after me for touching you.”
“I knew I could make you think I was your mate. He had taught me how to manipulate. I didn’t know that Arriell wanted you then. She was just another chameleon like me. Apparently they had struck a bargain. One that I don’t think Greg ever had any intention of fulfilling. He used it to manipulate and control her.”
“Greg said he was always the runt. I didn’t even know he was a shifter.”
“Yes, Arriell told me that he had been cast out of his pack for being too little and weak. He was a drifter that never found a pack. He found power in the dark magic, though.” She hung her head as the words escaped her lips.
“So, back to my first question. What are you doing to do with your freedom?”
“I guess see if Jasper will let me keep my job. Maybe find a place to rent. I have no idea. I’ve been under his magic for so long.”
Rick nodded, not saying anything. He wanted to offer her asylum with the pack, but it wasn’t his decision to make. He left her to her thoughts as he walked inside. The bar was full of the entire pack, most half-clothed. Austin sat at the bar looking pale, but alive. Rick figured he probably didn’t look much better.
Kate flew past Rick on her way to Austin, baby cradled in her arms. Austin wrapped one arm around his mate and tugged her close to him. Rick watched as the three huddled together. He looked down at Stella, wondering what was in store for their future. If they would be blessed with a cub of their own.
He shook off his thoughts and approached the table.
“I would like to offer Rachel asylum with our pack,” he said, casting silence throughout the bar.
“No,” Jasper said immediately.
“Not only is she a chameleon, she’s done a lot to this pack. I don’t think it would be wise,” Austin said.
“Maybe she did, but she also helped us. Had she not given me Greg’s name I wouldn’t have been able to cast the spells that hindered him. He wasn’t at full strength tonight, and that is thanks to Rachel.”
“One good deed does not make up for a multitude of bad ones,” Jasper said vehemently. Rick knew that Jasper would feel the strongest against Rachel staying.
“Jasper, I know you feel betrayed, but I think we must see if she’s truly changed before we cast judgment,” Stella tried to placate him.
“The other chameleons didn’t get that chance. We killed them. She should be dead,” Emma snarled.
“For now, let’s leave the discussion. We need to assign somebody to her, though, to make sure she doesn’t take off,” Austin said, looking around at the other shifters.
“What if she just manipulates their feelings like she did to me?” Rick thought out loud.
“I can cloak them. The cloak will stick for about a wee
k, and then maybe we can discuss this again?” Stella said to the group.
They all nodded their heads in agreement.
“Maverick, come here,” Austin called over the bar.
Maverick was the only shifter in their pack that wasn’t a bear shifter. He was a lion. Maverick didn’t talk much or spend much time at The Kamp. He kept to himself, but when they called for the pack he came, and was loyal. Rick didn’t know much more about him than that. Justin had brought him to Austin two years back to seek asylum with the pack. He walked over to their group, scanning each one of them as he came to a stop in front of Austin.
“Yes, alpha?” Maverick said. Austin hated being referred to as the alpha, but he didn’t correct Maverick.
“Maverick, I need you to take the chameleon and watch her for the next week. Where she goes, you go. Understood?”
Maverick was already shaking his head.
“It’s not a request, Mav. You’re the one person I trust to not get tangled up in the sheets with her. The rest of these young shifters would lose their heads,” Austin said, motioning to the bar full of shifters.
“Alpha, I do not wish to watch this woman. She’s a chameleon, is she not?” he asked, looking back to the doorway where Rachel stood.
“I’ll protect you with a spell. It’ll last the full week,” Stella offered.
“Maverick. Take the woman back to your place, keep her there for the week. I’ll be in touch,” Austin said firmly.
Maverick nodded. Stella took him upstairs to do her spell.
The beer had started to flow and the music kicked on. The pack always seemed to find themselves at The Kamp. It was their home when they were all together as one. Rick had never been more thankful for their sanctuary or his pack as he was then, standing there watching them all.
Saving the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 4) Page 8