by Lauren Wood
He didn’t want to bring Matthew in the actual territory. That made sense. Tara quickly got dressed and headed outside.
The air was crisp and cold, and Tara shivered, but her mind was far from the weather. If Brent had Matthew, then they could finally move on from this mess. And Tara and Brent could finally move on.
But where they would move on to, she had no idea.
The clearing was easy enough to find. She opened the gate. Tara peered through. “Brent?”
“You made good time.” Tara turned around when she heard Cassie’s voice, but she couldn’t see her.
Suddenly, she felt someone shove her from behind. She hit the ground hard and gasped. Matthew was closing the gate.
“Hello, Tara.”
She froze as Matthew imitated the female voice. It melted away into the familiar voice that she once knew. It was raspy and cold. She pushed up from the ground and stared in horror as Matthew approached her.
“You. You’re responsible for all of this. What the hell do you want?”
He chuckled. “All in good time. You are a bit of a kink in my plans, but we’ll deal with it soon enough. First, I need you to do something for me.”
She stared into his eyes and gasped when they turned bright red. “You will kill the alpha, second-in-command, and security agent.” She felt him press a gun into her hands. “You will kill the alpha, second-in-command, and security agent. They are going to harm the human population. They are staging a coup. They must be stopped.”
“They must be stopped,” she repeated. “They’re going to hurt people.”
Matthew bent down and picked her up from the ground. Suddenly, she heard people yelling at them from all different direction. Tara gripped the gun and watched as Micah, Jackson, and Brent came into view.
“Shoot them,” he whispered. “Kill them.”
“Kill them,” she murmured.
“De’Massier!”
“I found her here with the gun,” Matthew yelled. De’Massier? “I can’t talk her down.”
“Tara.” She heard Brent’s voice penetrate the fog that was around her. “Tara, put the gun down.”
Her hands shook as she raised the gun. “Must be stopped. Going to hurt people.”
“Shit. Micah, get down!” Jackson yelled as he dove for the alpha.
Tara stared at Brent. Horror bloomed on his face, and she smiled. When she saw a mix of confusion, she winked. Suddenly, she whirled around and pointed the gun at Matthew. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
He hissed as the bullet struck him, but she should have known it wouldn’t stop him. In an instant, he grabbed her and whirled her around. “Move, and I’ll bite her,” he threatened.
“Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted peace?” Brent said in a neutral voice. He held his hands up.
“I don’t give a shit about peace,” de’Massier hissed. “For too long, the vampires have been the low man on the totem pole. We can’t even reproduce. We’re dying.”
“Dying? You guys live for centuries,” Micah pointed out.
“And then you turned a human, and no one blinked an eye. Do you know how unfair that is?”
“Okay,” Brent said. Tara clawed at the vampires arm, but he didn’t move. “But that doesn’t explain the tunnel. Or Tara.”
“I needed a way into the grounds. I tried the tunnel at first, but without an invitation, I couldn’t get in. I couldn’t manipulate a shifter, so I tried a human. You followed her trail effortlessly, but I couldn’t get close to her again.”
“Why? What the hell do you want?” Jackson asked.
“I want to prove that we’re on top,” de’Massier screamed. “We are the more powerful force. I want to kill each and everyone one of you!”
“No!” Tara heard Brent scream before she felt the fangs bite into her neck. Immediately, she felt her life force leaving her. She sagged limply against the vampire as he continued to suck her.
“Power,” de’Massier said as he threw her to the ground. “She tastes like power. Come on boys. Let’s see if the three of you can take me. I’m far older and stronger.”
Tara whimpered as she saw the three men attack the vampire. It wasn’t long before all three shifters were flying through the air. The vampire cackled, and Tara suddenly knew without a doubt that they were going to die.
Suddenly, a bear came flying out of nowhere and attacked the vampire. He howled as the bear tackled him. She watched as a beautiful woman emerged from the woods, chanting.
“The waning moon has come to dark, but let its powers not depart. Give your strength to these bears three, so they may defeat the enemy.
Tara turned over and started crawling. She could feel the blood draining for her body, but she couldn’t just lie there and do nothing.
Under the witches spell, the three men shifted. Now, four bears advanced the vampire, and his screams were horrible as they devoured him.
The witch held up her amulet. “Reverse,” she whispered. “Reverse.” She knelt down next to her as the four bears shifted back to humans. “Shh. My name is Natalie.”
Another woman scrambled by her side. “Brent,” she called out. She pressed a hand to Tara’s wound. “She’d dying.”
Dying. Yes. She was dying.
Brent looked at her helplessly. “Micah,” he said harshly. “Please.”
The alpha nodded, and Tara saw Brent shift just before the darkness took her.
Chapter Seven
“Let me get this straight. You three faced the vampire leader and got your ass kicked. It took the empath witch and the alpha female to help you kick some ass?” Gratsky asked.
Brent narrowed his eyes. “Not the point,” he hissed.
“Right. Well, I will say this much. You three bring me the most interesting women,” Gratsky said with a sigh. “A newly turned bear. A witch. And now a human bit by both a vampire and a bear. I should probably consider asking for a raise.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Brent asked tightly.
“Will she live? Yes. Will she be a bear shifter? I don’t know.”
“Will she be a vampire?” Jackson asked. Brent glared at him, and he shrugged. “What? You don’t care?”
Honestly? Brent didn’t care. He didn’t give a damn how Tara woke up from the bed as long as she woke up, and she was happy. It didn’t matter whether she was a vampire, a shifter, or some freak hybrid of both.
“Doubtful. To change into a vampire, you have to actually die. And since Tara here is still very much alive, there is no way she can be a full-blown vampire. Now whether the vampire bite mingles with the shifter bite remains to be seen. What’s really interesting is that Tara was fairly immune to de’Massier’s charms.”
Brent’s head shot up. “What do you mean? Is that unusual?”
“De’massier is a powerful vampire. To have someone immune to him is quite intriguing. It’s more than just your relationship with her. She’s resisted his requests from the very beginning. That means that there is something very special about your Tara Schmidt.”
“What do you think it is?” Micah asked.
Gratsky shrugged. “Most likely, it means that humanity is evolving. They’re finding ways to defend themselves against more powerful species. It’s a fascinating thought. But what I can tell you is that between your three mates, absolutely no one is going to mess with this pack.”
“Sure. We have nothing to do with it,” Micah said sourly.
Gratsky grinned. “You do deserve credit. How you got Stacey and Natalie to fall in love with you two is beyond me.”
Brent tuned them out. He was watching the door to Tara’s room anxiously. Part of him wanted to be by her side right that very minute, but he knew she wouldn’t be happy to find her by her bed. She’d been perfectly fine in her life, and then he had to put her danger.
And turned her.
“I need to leave,” he said abruptly. “Keep me posted.”
“You’re leaving?” Jackson stared a
t him. “She’s going to want to see you when she wakes up.”
“I doubt that very seriously,” he muttered, and he slipped out the door. Deep down, he feared he would never see here again.
* * *
“It’s so romantic to wake up and find that your boyfriend isn’t there,” Tara said sourly. Brent’s head shot up from his desk, and he stared at her. “It’s even better when two whole days pass, and he doesn’t even send you flowers. Or a card.”
“Tara,” he breathed.
“It’s even better when a stranger has to tell explain things to you. You know, the part where the guy you were dating turned out to be the leader of the vampire clan and was trying to manipulate you. And the fact that you alpha female can shift at will. And that your second-in-command married a witch.”
He lowered his eyes. She was pissed. Of course. She had every right to be angry. “I wanted to tell you.”
“But you didn’t. That’s okay. I just thought that you should know that I’m alive and kicking. I thought I’d come by to say goodbye and tell that you I’ve leaving.” She waited a heartbeat which she watched his reaction. She was rewarded with the sad look in his eyes. “Except that I’m not leaving.”
“You’re not?” he muttered.
“So then, I thought I’d come by and say hi and give you a kiss, but I’m pissed at you. So that’s not going to happen.” Her eyes narrowed when he leaned back in his chair and regarded her with interest. She was not going to let him get the upper hand.
“I couldn’t figure out why you’d stay away from me. I don’t really take you for the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am approach. I think we both know that it was more than that. And you can’t be pissed about putting me in danger because de’Massier did that. Not you. And you can’t really be distraught over biting me because I’d be dead if you didn’t. But you’re a really hard guy to read. So tell me, Mr. Jenson. What’s going on through that head of yours?”
“Marry me,” he said softly.
Of all the words that she expected to come out of his mouth, those were not even in the top thousand. “What?” she whispered.
He scooted his chair back and stood. “I love you, Tara. I’ve loved you from the very beginning. I didn’t have one single reason for keeping you close to me except that I selfishly wanted you. And for the first time since I met you, I finally realized that you’ve had no say in this. So I gave you a choice. You’ve had days to leave. And you’re still here. By choice. No one is keeping you.”
She tried to hold her ground as he stalked her, but soon she was pressed up against the wall. “And you think that because I decided to stick around that I should marry you?”
“I think that you stuck around because you love me. And I’m going to marry you before you have a chance to change your mind,” he said softly. His hands skimmed her arms, and she shivered.
“Jesus, Brent. I do love you. But you have no idea what I’m going to become. When the full moon rises, I might be some weird bear vampire creature. I could be hideous.”
“You could four heads and still not be hideous,” he murmured. “And I don’t care what you become. You’ll always be you, and I’ll always love you. Marry me.”
“Once again, no flowers. No ring. No candlelight dinner. You know, at some point, I’d like to feel wooed and courted,” she pointed out. He frowned, and she reached up to stroke his face. “But nothing about this relationship has been traditional. So yes, Brent Jenson. I will marry you.”
He captured her lips, and she held him close. For the first time in forever, she finally felt at peace. “I’ll spend the rest of my life courting and wooing you,” he whispered.
“Oh, I know you will,” she said with a grin. “And I’ll protect you until the day I die.”
Three weeks later, when the full moon lit the Woodland pack and everyone stared at her nervously, she watched as everyone else shifted.
But her. As she stood in the middle of the woods, surrounded by the most dangerous creatures out there, she never felt more powerful. She didn’t need to be a bear or a vampire. She had the strength of both running through her veins, and the love of a man devoted to her.
So she ran with the pack, human on the outside, and powerful on the inside. And she knew that this was where she was meant to be.
THE END
HUNTED BY THE BEAR
Chapter One
Usually, Jackson loved his life. He ran an outrageously successful business with one of his closest friends. He was rolling in wealth and power without actually feeling the weight of most of that power. As second-in-command, Jackson lived a pretty cushiony life. He took orders from Micah, but the life of a bear shifter was usually fairly quiet.
Until recently.
The local vampire clan had recently overthrown their leader, and Andre de’Massier was looking to tighten the alliance between vampires and shifters. It was a great idea, but the reality was much harsher. Shifter and vampires had notorious trust issues, and a treaty had to be signed by all.
Normally, pushing a new treaty on the pack was the job of the alpha. But Micah had recently married Stacey, his love and mate. They were off on their honeymoon, and Micah had three rules for Jackson. Keep the business running. Keep the pack running. Push the new vampire treaty.
Easier said than done.
Before getting married, Micah had put a huge dent in one of the older traditions of the pack. Shifters married shifters. But Micah fell in love with Stacey before she became alpha female, and so he decreed a new law. A shifter can marry whomever they pleased.
As with any new law, chaos ensued. The younger shifters eagerly embraced the rule and paraded humans, other shifters, and even witches on the territory. The older shifters were not pleased. Micah had only been gone for a week, and Jackson was fielding calls every day of people complaining. And if he had it bad, his friend and head of security Brett Jenson had it worse. He was doing his best to keep the peace and make sure no one truly dangerous entered the territory.
Jackson was tired.
Second-in-command was supposed to be a fun gig. He had dreams of impressing the ladies with his wealth and power, and responsibility wasn’t really his thing. Sure, he had Micah’s back anytime anywhere. But Micah could take care of himself.
Jackson was getting plenty of attention for the women, but none of it was quite the attention he was expecting.
“I’m sorry Sarah, but if Ronnie doesn’t want to marry you, there’s nothing I can do about it. Micah’s rule stands. No one can enforce the arranged marriage,” he said as he massaged his temples.
“We’ve been betrothed since birth,” she hissed. “And I know he loves me. We’re meant to be.”
“Yes, but if he’s called off the wedding because he’s fallen in love with someone else, there’s nothing the pack can do. Everyone deserves a fair shot at his or her own happiness. You are a lovely woman, Sarah. I’m sure you’ll find someone who makes you happy.”
A new wave of fresh tears carried through the phone, and Jackson shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was at work for fuck’s sake. “Sarah, please calm down.”
“Don’t you tell me to calm down! You have no idea what’s it like to have a broken heart. I’m well aware of your reputation. You don’t care about love. You’re just a heartless bastard!” she screeched before slamming down the phone.
Jackson sighed. Just how exactly had his life come to this? He glanced at the calendar. Micah and Stacey would be back in two days. And he wasn’t sure he would make it until then.
* * *
Natalie Mackleroy shivered. She was used to the warm sun of the south, and the northern winds were more than her thin windbreaker could handle. She would eventually have to stop at some point.
She’d been running for three days. She needed to put as much space between her and Paul as soon as possible. The problem was that the full moon would be up soon, and he’d be able to cover the entire distance in that night alone. Not only that, but he’d be able to tr
ack her. She needed to find safety.
She let down her hair in an effort to cover her neck. Pulling her baseball cap low, she put her head down as a few cars passed her on the lonely highway. One of their headlights briefly lit up the green sign. Two miles to Woodland.
Quaint name. Her destination had been the city just passed Woodland, but she hadn’t eaten in an entire day, and she’d found nowhere to crash. She had just enough cash to give herself one last meal and a night in a motel. So she’d just have to make it to the small town to hunker down for the night. Then she’d reach the city by the next afternoon. And she could reevaluate her situation there.
And just what exactly do you plan on doing, Natalie? You can’t hide forever. Paul is going to find you.
Her next shiver had nothing to do with the cold. She knew that once Paul got his hands on her again, that was it. There would be no one to save her.
She pushed the thought out of her mind and trudged the rest of the way into town. As she passed the town border, a strange sensation curled leisurely through her body. More than one species called Woodland their home. Natalie curled her lip in disgust. Of course she’d find shifters here. They were everywhere.
Natalie’s grandmother had been a full-blown empath. While her mother had shown no abilities at all, Natalie was able to get a few traces of humans. She connected best with shifters, and once she’d realized that, it had all gone down hill from there.
The sex had been incredible, but it overshadowed Paul’s true nature. And when she realized just how dangerous he was, it was almost too late.
A decent looking motel lay just ahead. She smiled with relief with she saw the red neon vacancy sign. She was exhausted. Deciding to save her last meal for breakfast in the morning, she paid cash for her room. The attendant was a bored little teenager who didn’t really look twice at her.
The energy of her room was faint, but there was nothing ominous about it. She fell immediately on the bed and was asleep in minutes.