Rhythm made her way out to the kitchen, where Ben was scooping generous helpings of scrambled eggs and strips of bacon onto two plates. He looked up when he heard her coming, and smiled.
“Hey there,” he said, his voice sounding deep and smooth as he glanced up from the food. “You’re just in time. Coffee’s ready, too. Feel free to help yourself while I finish loading up these plates.”
Rhythm smiled at him, walking up to him and wrapping him in a hug from behind. She stood on her tiptoes to lean over and plant a kiss on his left cheek, then went to look for coffee mugs.
“Good morning, Sexy,” she said. “A man who is good in bed and good in the kitchen? How did I get so lucky?”
Ben laughed. “You might want to save your applause until you’ve had a chance to actually taste the food.”
Rhythm shrugged. “It smells delicious. I’m sure it tastes the same.”
Ben set the plates down on the small kitchen table. “I guess you’re about to find out,” he said.
Rhythm grabbed coffee for both of them, and then they sat down together to eat. Ben eyed Rhythm up and down, an appreciative look in his eyes.
“You look amazing,” he said. “I love that you don’t feel the need to get all dressed up and put on makeup just for breakfast. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
Rhythm blushed with pleasure at his compliments. “Thanks. I guess I figured since I looked like a drowned rat the first time you met me, that you had already seen me at my worst. No need to pretend that I always look perfectly made up.”
“I didn’t think you looked like a drowned rat,” Ben said, shoveling a big forkful of eggs into his mouth. “I thought you looked beautiful. I never dreamed I’d be lucky enough to call you my girl.”
Rhythm’s blush deepened, and she also stuck a forkful of eggs into her mouth to avoid answering.
Ben took a long drag from his coffee and then glanced over at her. “So, we talked about my life story last night. What about you? What’s your story? Let’s start with your name. What kind of name is Rhythm? Were your parents really into music or something?”
Rhythm laughed. “Not exactly. They were hippies who believed that the whole universe had ‘rhythm’ and that we were all part of its big plan. They wanted to honor the fact that the rhythm of the universe had brought me to them, so they named me Rhythm. They were a trip, but they were great parents.”
“Were?” Ben asked, raising an eyebrow. “They’re not around anymore?”
Rhythm shook her head sadly. “No. I lost both of them to cancer several years ago, within six months of each other. It was really tough.”
Ben reached over and covered Rhythm’s hand with his. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. Their death is what inspired me to start working as a pharmaceutical scientist. I wanted to do something to help create medicines that would make people’s lives better. I had a hard time finding work that paid well, though, which is why I jumped at the chance to come up here and work for the scientists. I should have known that something fishy was going on, with the outrageous salary they were offering. But I figured they were just having a hard time luring people up to Alaska.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Ben said. “Maybe the fact that you worked for them will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. You might have information that will help us find them and save hundreds of bear shifter lives. I have a meeting with Sawyer this afternoon, after the funeral, to talk about strategies to stop this threat. Why don’t you come with me? You can start getting your feet wet in our operations. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have ideas or information that will help us. You still have the opportunity to save lives, Rhythm. Don’t discount that just because the opportunity looks differently than you thought it would.”
Rhythm nodded. “I know you’re right. It’s just maddening to think about how I was working for the scientists all that time, thinking I was doing something good, when really I was contributing to something awful.”
“So don’t think about it. Think about how you can help us stop them. And think about hurrying up and finishing that food because we don’t want to be late to Evan’s funeral.”
Rhythm nodded, and quickly polished off the food on her plate. Then she pushed back her chair and gathered up the plates and mugs to put in the sink. She didn’t need long to get ready. She quickly put on her new dress and a touch of makeup while Ben took a shower. Then she pulled her hair into a tight, neat bun. When Ben got out of the shower to get dressed, he whistled.
“That dress,” he said simply, shaking his head in wonder. “That dress.”
“You like it?” Rhythm asked, twirling around for his benefit.
“I’d like to rip it off of you,” Ben said. “But, unfortunately, we don’t have time for that right now. Don’t worry, though, I’ll be sure to make time later.”
Rhythm grinned, then watched Ben as he put on a pair of black dress slacks and a soft gray button-down shirt. His tall, confident stature took her breath away. She wouldn’t have minded having him rip her clothes off right now, either. But at the moment they had more somber matters to attend to. As soon as they were both ready, they headed out the front door of the cabin and started walking toward the meeting hall where Evan’s funeral would take place.
When they arrived at the building, Rhythm was surprised at the number of people who had shown up. The inside was standing room only, with solemn-faced men and women packing the room to capacity. As soon as Rhythm arrived, though, the crowd parted and several of the attendees urged her to go sit in the front row.
“You deserve a place of honor,” more than one person told her. “We wouldn’t even be able to have this funeral and give Evan a proper burial if not for you.”
Rhythm felt self-conscious at all the attention, but she walked to the front as she was directed, where two seats had been saved next to Sawyer for Ben and her. As soon as she sat down, a woman with tears streaking down her face came up to Rhythm and grasped her hands.
“You must be Rhythm,” the woman said. “I’m Jessie, Evan’s wife. Thank you for what you did for Evan. I’m heartbroken that I’ve lost him, but thanks to you I at least had the chance to see him one last time before he died.”
Rhythm felt her own eyes filling up with tears at the woman’s grief. She squeezed Jessie’s hand and told her she was so sorry for her loss. The words felt hollow and empty. Nothing she said or did could ease the pain that Jessie felt over losing her husband. And yet, Jessie had somehow found the strength to come over and thank Rhythm. Rhythm felt like she had done so little. She had just acted by instinct in a tough situation. But obviously she had made a difference, however small, for Jessie. Rhythm vowed anew to do everything in her power to make sure no more bear shifters suffered the fate that Evan had.
The funeral began with a beautiful, haunting song played on a piano by someone introduced as Evan’s cousin. For the next hour, several more songs, speeches, and tributes continued. At one point, Rhythm leaned over and whispered in Ben’s ear, “I can’t believe how many people are here, and how many tributes they are giving. Evan was obviously well-loved.”
Ben nodded, and whispered back, “This is how things usually are with shifter clans. They are tight-knit groups, and everyone feels it deeply when a member of the community is lost.”
Rhythm glanced at Ben’s face, and her heart clenched up at his sorrowful expression. If a clan of shifters was this torn up about the loss of one of its members, she couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Ben to lose his entire clan from a single virus outbreak.
Next to Ben, Sawyer’s face looked grim and sorrowful as well. As another tribute song ended, Sawyer stood and moved to the podium to address his clan. He spoke for several minutes about the amazing man that Evan had been, and assured everyone that Evan’s memory and legacy would stay with them always. Then his voice grew impassioned, and he promised the clan that he would not rest until the scientists were stopped, and had been forced to pay
for the death and destruction they had brought to the shifter community.
“I am not afraid of them,” Sawyer said. “They may have power to harm our bodies, but they cannot take our spirit. Up until the very end, Evan kept his fighter’s spirit. No matter how long it takes, we will hunt down these scientists, and bring an end to their operations once and for all. They will pay for the lives they have so senselessly taken. I will make sure that Evan’s children grow up in peace, and never have to suffer the kind of harm their father did. I will stop these men, or die trying. I will do it for all of you, and to honor Evan’s memory.”
Sawyer pounded the podium for emphasis, and cheers rose up from the crowd.
“For Evan!” they chanted, showing their support for their alpha’s plan.
“For Evan,” Rhythm whispered, her heart filling with hope as she looked around at the fired-up crowd.
Those scientists better watch their back.
* * *
Several hours later, after the funeral and surrounding events were finished, Rhythm and Ben made their way to Sawyer’s cabin. The cabin was large enough for two full families, but Sawyer lived there alone.
“What’s the matter?” Ben teased. “Out of all the women in your clan, you can’t find one willing to shack up with you.”
Sawyer rolled his eyes but didn’t reply, and Ben laughed. He had quickly switched over into being one of those annoying shifters who teases single guys about their lack of a lifemate. He had hated people like that just a day earlier, but he had to admit that, now that he had found his own special someone, it was kind of fun to jump on the teasing bandwagon. Besides, he had to get in some jabs of his own while he could. He was never going to hear the end of it once his crew found out that he had let a woman into his life, after all his swearing that he didn’t need one.
Ben glanced over at Rhythm and smiled. Whatever teasing he had to endure for her sake was more than worth it. The way she moved while she walked around Sawyer’s living room, admiring the artwork on his walls, was nothing short of poetry. She was beautiful, and she was all his. Ben couldn’t believe that he had found someone so perfect. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he had always just assumed that his fated lifemate must have died along with everyone in his clan during the virus outbreak. He had resigned himself to living the bachelor life, and he had come to peace with that. But now, he never had to be alone again. Funny how quickly things could change.
“I didn’t realize you two were together, by the way,” Sawyer said. “You could have said something last night instead of letting me blabber on like an idiot about how the cabin had two separate bedrooms.”
Ben exchanged a glance with Rhythm, and then they both just smiled and shrugged. No sense in explaining to Sawyer that they actually hadn’t been together the night before when he had been blabbering on. That would only give him fodder to tease them with, the last thing Ben wanted to do after sending out several jabs of his own.
Sawyer didn’t seem interested in continuing on the teasing game, however. One look at him told Ben that Sawyer was ready to move on to business matters. His expression had turned serious, and he was spreading a series of large maps across his kitchen table.
“What’s this?” Ben asked, leaning over the maps.
“These are maps showing the geographical location of most of the bear shifter clans in Alaska,” Sawyer said. “The ones we’re sure of, anyway. Some of the clans are nomadic, and some are very secretive and private, so it can be hard to know for sure where those clans are.”
“Wow, these are really detailed,” Ben said, peering over the meticulously drawn charts.
“Yeah, well, this isn’t the first time we Alaskan shifters have had hard times,” Sawyer said. “A few years ago, one of the clans up here, the Blizzards, went on a killing rampage. They wanted to eliminate all the clans except their own, so that they could rule the Arctic completely, or some bullshit like that. Their alpha had basically become a crazed lunatic. But he was a smart lunatic, and he actually made some significant progress on killing off clans. We got worried, and some of my shifters started mapping out where the clans were, to set up a unified alliance against the Blizzards. It turned out not to be necessary, though. The Northern Lights Clan, way up in Glacier Point, managed to stop the Blizzards before they got close to Frost Peak. We kept the maps, though, just in case. You never know when you might need them.”
Ben felt his heart leap. “Sawyer, this is huge. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to get a watch system set up among the Alaskan shifter clans, but I’ve been overwhelmed at the sheer amount of work involved in figuring out where all the clans are. Especially since I just moved here a few months ago and I’m not really familiar with most of the clans in the area yet. Are these maps still accurate?”
Sawyer nodded. “They should be pretty accurate. Most of the clans up here don’t move around a lot. Why would they? They’ve been here for centuries, and they’ve all got their little portions of Alaska that they’re familiar and comfortable with.”
“But how do we keep in touch with everyone?” Rhythm piped in. “My understanding is that many areas in Alaska, especially the northern locations, don’t have much in the way of phone service.”
Sawyer tilted his head sideways to look at Rhythm. “That’s sort of true. The cell service is pretty bad or nonexistent altogether outside of the major cities. Some areas have satellite phones, but in some areas the weather is so bad that it interferes with the satellite phones. And even in areas with satellite service, the cost of a satellite phone is so high that most people don’t have it. The good news, though, is that almost everywhere on this map has landline phone service now. And most of them have internet, too, even though it’s not high speed. We should be able to communicate with virtually every clan on this map.”
“What are we going to tell people, though?” Rhythm asked. “Just to keep an eye out for the scientists? I would assume most of them are already doing that.”
“Well, yes. We’ll ask the clans to let us know if they have any helpful information. And we’ll set up a phone tree for the purpose of sending out emergency alerts if there are any major developments that shifters should be aware of,” Sawyer said. “But we’re also planning to send out an initial email, or make an initial phone call, to talk to all of the clans. Some are actually not aware of the threat of the scientists. News can travel pretty slowly around here, and the severity of the threat wasn’t really apparent until very recently.”
Ben nodded. “Yeah, he’s right. A lot of the shifter clans don’t even know about the danger. We need to make everyone aware, and get a unified front organized. With all of us working together, we’ll have a good chance of stopping them. Sawyer, I can’t thank you enough for these maps. They’re a huge time saver. We want to stay one step ahead of the scientists, and that means we can’t waste any time.”
Sawyer nodded. “Of course. I’m glad to have them. I’m also planning to send out some of my bears as scouts. They’ll go talk to the clans in person after the initial email or phone call. It will take a lot of effort and time, but I think sending out a bear in person will help these clans feel reassured that they can trust us. We need everyone’s trust and cooperation for this project.”
Ben felt his heart fill with gratitude. “Thank you, Sawyer. That’s very generous of you. Although I’m very sorry about Evan, I’m glad that the circumstances of his death brought us into contact. You’ve already proved an invaluable help to our efforts.”
Sawyer shrugged. “I’m happy to do whatever I can. You know my number. Call anytime.”
Ben nodded. “Will do. By the way, we know the Northern Lights Clan. We’ve been meeting with their alpha, and he’s very keen on eliminating the scientists as well. We have a meeting in a few days, at my place in Kodiak. You’re welcome to attend. In fact, I think you should attend. Getting you together with the group we already have assembled is sure to bring up even more ideas.”
“Just tell me the
time and date and I’m there,” Sawyer said. “Those scientists lit a fire under me when they killed my clan member. I’m ready to see them gone once and for all.”
Ben reached out to shake Sawyer’s hand. “I’ll send you an email with the details. In the meantime, call me if you have any new information. I’m going to spend some time over the next few days picking Rhythm’s brain about anything she knows that might be useful. With all of us working together, I have a feeling we’re about to make big progress.”
“Good,” Sawyer said, shaking Ben’s hand and then turning to shake Rhythm’s hand as well. “I’m ready for big progress.”
Ben bid his final farewell to Sawyer, and then took Rhythm’s hand for the walk back to their cabin. They would be spending one more night in Frost Peak, and then flying back to Kodiak first thing tomorrow morning. He was looking forward to being back home with Rhythm, now that they were officially together. But he was also nervous about what the future held.
Having someone to protect again had kicked his alpha instincts into high gear. The scientists didn’t just pose an abstract threat to the shifter community at large. They posed a very real threat to the person who had become more important to Ben than anyone else.
Ben’s heart tightened as he looked over at Rhythm, who was nonchalantly looking over at the mountains in the distance, and occasionally commenting on the beauty of the landscape around them. Nothing mattered more to him than keeping her safe. She had quickly become his everything.
Ben furrowed his brow and his eyes darkened. The scientists had taken everything from him before. He’d be damned if they did it again.
Chapter Ten
Rhythm watched Ben carefully out of the corner of her eye. His mood had darkened considerably over the course of the day, and she wasn’t sure exactly why. He had been upbeat this morning, but had quickly turned somber during the funeral. That was to be expected, of course, but he had remained somber and sad most of the day. He had seemed to lighten up again for a bit when they went to Sawyer’s cabin, even throwing teasing jabs at Sawyer here and there. But, as they discussed the business of finding the scientists, Ben’s mood had plummeted once again. Now, as they walked back to their cabin, he seemed almost angry. And the sadness in his eyes hurt her heart to see.
An Alpha's Tempest (Water Bear Shifters 4) Page 9