by Vella Day
Reawakening Their Bears
Weres & Witches of Silver Lake
Book 12
Vella Day
Copyright © 2019 Vella Day
His Rogue Bear
Copyright © 2019 by Vella Day
Kindle Edition
www.velladay.com
[email protected]
Cover Art by Jaycee DeLorenzo
Edited by Rebecca Cartee and Carol Adcock-Bezzo
Published in the United States of America
E-book ISBN: 978-1-941835-99-9
Print book ISBN: 978-0-9899759-5-7
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief questions embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Catching Her Bear was just the start of Kalan Murdoch and Elana Stanley’s story. Follow along as Vella Day revisits this couple from Book 2 of the Weres and Witches series.
To say werebear Detective Kalan Murdoch is stressed out would be an understatement. Between trying to solve murders, muggings, and miscellaneous crimes in Silver Lake, he wants to spend time with his two adorable kids and beautiful mate. Too bad he fails most of the time. If only he could learn to juggle the job and his family, he’d be totally content.
Elana is also frustrated. While her floral shop is going well—okay better than well—things at home are not. Her super sexy mate, Kalan, works late almost every night, and their three-year old son keeps asking why his father isn’t home—and she can’t blame him for being upset. Elana wants more of Kalan too.
It isn’t until their home is broken into that Elana and Kalan have to work together to bring down the group responsible and to help save a friend who’s been taken by the Changelings. But will their journey be enough to save what connection they’ve lost?
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Book
Epigraph
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Other Books by the Author
About the Author
Beneath the calm and shimmering surface lie intrigue, power, magic, and danger.
Welcome to Silver Lake—where appearances can be deceiving, and what you see isn’t truly what lies below.
Chapter One
‡
“Do I look fat in this dress?” Elana Murdoch asked as she stood in front of the bedroom mirror, running her hands down her chunky body. She told herself her weight gain was because she’d delivered her second child eight months ago, but she knew that wasn’t the only reason. The stress at work and at home was making her eat too much and too often. Running her own flower shop while trying to take care of two rambunctious kids—okay, one kid who’d just learned to shift—along with a husband who worked overtime almost every day, was doing a number on her energy level and happiness.
Sure, Kalan was the lead homicide detective at the sheriff’s department, but the small town of Silver Lake, Tennessee didn’t have a lot of murders. He shouldn’t have to be on call all the time. She understood if it was Clan business, as Kalan was the Beta, but work should end when his shift was over. Right?
That little voice in her head told her she was being selfish, that a lot of people depended on Kalan, and while that was true, she needed him now more than ever.
Aiden, her five-year old son looked up at her with huge brown eyes. Her little boy looked so much like his father, she wanted to pick him up and hug him forever. If she did though, he’d mess her hair that she’d just spent twenty minutes trying to tame.
Elana spun around. “The proper answer,” she said, “is to say no, Mommy, you look great.”
His lips pressed together, and his chubby little hands fisted. “Do I gotta go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house tonight?”
He probably hadn’t even paid attention to her question. Crap. Elana could tell when a tantrum was about to start. “Yes, but you’ll be asleep for most of it. I thought you liked being with them.”
“My toys are here.” His lips turned into a pout.
They’d been through this argument too often. “You have a lot of toys at Grandma’s house.” Kalan’s parents bought him way too many. “It’s Anna’s birthday tonight, and your daddy and I are going out with her and Dalton. We hardly ever go out, so can you do this one thing for me?”
Instead of answering, he narrowed his eyes and then shifted into his tiny bear form. Crap. Before she could grab him, he rushed out of the room, waddling from side to side. “Aiden Murdoch, you shift back this minute. What did I tell you about being in your bear form in the house?”
She ran after him. As Elana rounded the corner into the hallway, her foot slipped on the hardwood floors, and she slightly twisted her ankle. Just what she didn’t need. His tiny feet pounded as he ran toward the kitchen. A crash sounded and was then followed by silence. When she reached the living room, the table lamp was on the floor, the light out and the shade bent. “Aiden Daniel Murdock!”
He shifted back, standing before her in all of his naked glory. “Sorry, Mommy.”
She inhaled, trying not to yell. “Please go into your room and put on a new pair of pajamas. And next time, strip first. We can’t afford to be buying you new clothes every time you shift.”
“’K,” Aiden said, his head slightly bowed.
Her cell rang. Crap. If Kalan canceled tonight’s dinner, she would scream. Elana rushed into the kitchen and picked up her phone. It was Kalan. “Hey.”
“Hey, babe. I really hate to do this, but there has been a murder.”
Her shoulders sagged. Kalan always seemed to be the first one called in to investigate. As much as she realized he didn’t want to go, it was a huge disappointment. “Can’t someone else take the call? Dalton, maybe.” As soon as she said his name, she realized that Dalton was Anna’s mate. He was the one who’d organized the dinner celebration. “Never mind. How long will you be?”
“I don’t know, but please go out to dinner and celebrate. If I get off early, I’ll meet you at the Lake Steakhouse, okay?”
She couldn’t say no. Some poor soul had been murdered, and that person’s family needed answers. A knock sounded on her door. “Your dad is here. I have to get the kids ready.” The last thing Kalan needed to hear was that Aiden had shifted in the house and broken a lamp.
“Sure. Love you.”
“I love you too.”
As soon as Elana hung up, she rushed to the door and pulled it open. “Daniel. Come in.”
“Are the kids ready?”
She huffed out a laugh. “I’m hardly ready.” She spun around.
“Can you zip me up? Kalan just called and had to cancel our dinner plans.”
“Again?”
She couldn’t tell if there was disapproval in his tone. Most likely there hadn’t been. She just wanted to hear it, not that it would make her feel any better. “Yes. Something about a murder.”
“Murder, huh. That’s a shame. Makes sense he’d have to cover it considering my son is a homicide cop,” Kalan’s dad said with pride.
Kalan did a lot more than solve murders, but she didn’t have time to get into a lengthy discussion about his job description. Today, had been trying enough. “Let me get Aiden and Ian.”
“I can help.”
Handling both kids was tricky. “I appreciate that.”
For the time being, the boys shared a room. For all of Aiden’s current belligerence, he adored his little brother. Inside the room, Aiden was dressed in a fresh pair of pajamas and was sitting on his bed playing with some of his stuffed animals.
“Grandpa is here,” she said.
He slipped off the bed, ran over to his grandfather and held up his arms. Daniel picked him up. They were sweet together, which made Aiden’s anger all the harder to understand.
“Hello, tiger,” Daniel said.
Aiden scrunched up his nose. “I’m a bear, not a tiger.”
“I stand corrected.” Daniel smiled.
She picked up a sleeping Ian and wrapped him in a blanket. “Aiden put on your shoes and jacket. There’s snow on the ground.”
“I’ll help,” Daniel said. He seemed to understand how stubborn her son could be.
Ten minutes later, Daniel, Aiden, and Ian were all strapped in the car. “Can I drop you off somewhere?” he asked.
“Thanks, but I’m good.” She didn’t believe Kalan would make it to the restaurant, and she didn’t want to make Dalton and Anna go out of their way to take her home.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at five then,” he said.
That was when she had to pick up the kids after work. Aiden went to day care until three, and either Felicia or Daniel would pick him up and take him back to their house. As much as Elana wanted Aiden with her all day, she had a business to run. “Yes and thank you.”
“It’s our pleasure.”
Elana rushed inside. As much as she appreciated Kalan’s parents’ willingness to babysit Ian four days a week, it was hard on her. Being away from her family was getting her down. She loved Kalan and wanted the two of them to be together more often. And it would happen soon. If she kept telling herself that, it was sure to come true.
*
“What have you learned?” Kalan Murdoch asked the coroner who was on his knees, examining the man. From the looks of it, he’d died from a gunshot wound to his head.
“On first glance, I’d say he died about an hour ago. Rigor hasn’t set in. The gunshot to the head was most likely the cause of death.”
“I figured. Thanks.”
Kalan turned to the department’s new hire, Wes Sheffield. Chief Smythe had asked Kalan to show the guy the ropes. Apparently, he’d been a cop in a small town, just south of Memphis for ten years and had recently relocated to Silver Lake. Kalan was more than happy for the extra set of eyes and hands.
“I’ll check to see if there are any security tapes,” Wes said, pointing to the offices in back.
“Good thinking.”
As Wes went to work, Kalan surveyed the scene. About the only thing disturbed in the pawnshop was one smashed glass case near the cash register. Something—perhaps the murder weapon—had broken it. Unless the man on the floor had knowledgeable employees, the sheriff’s department might never learn what had been stolen.
Phil Smythe, his boss, said the owner’s daughter had come to pick up her dad from work thirty minutes ago and actually had the wherewithal to call it in without disturbing the scene. Kalan couldn’t imagine experiencing that kind of horror. Smythe said some friends had escorted her home. Tonight, she would grieve. Tomorrow would be soon enough to question her.
Wes came out from the back, waving a flash drive. “I’ve got the footage. I’m going to look on the victim’s computer to see if he has a list of employees. I’m hoping they’ll know something.”
“Great.” Kalan had to admit that Wes’ skills were excellent.
Kalan stepped behind the counter and opened the cash register. Interestingly enough, the cash was still in the drawer. Why kill the owner if it wasn’t to take any money? If all the thief wanted was something in the case, why not just buy back the item and avoid killing someone? Considering the other stuff in this shop, nothing appeared to be worth a lot, though it was possible that Kalan sucked at judging the value of the items in the store.
Once the coroner finished his preliminary examination, he and his assistant left with the body. The crime scene techs were cataloging the items remaining in the case and checking for fingerprints. Kalan suspected it would take them another few hours to complete the job. Whether they would learn anything about the identity of the killer was anyone’s guess.
Wes entered from the back. “I found the list of employees—all two of them.”
“Let’s hope one of them can figure out what was taken. That will be your job tomorrow.”
“Happy to see what they know,” Wes said.
“We’ve done all we can for now. Come on. I’ll drop you back at the station,” Kalan said. Once in the car, Kalan’s mind kept churning. “Tomorrow, we should talk to the owners across the street from the pawnshop to see if they saw anything.”
“Makes sense. They might even have security footage pointed at the pawnshop.
“I doubt it, but if they do, it would sure make our job easier.”
“Wouldn’t it though,” Wes said.
By the time Kalan dropped Wes back at the station, he doubted Elana, Dalton, and Anna would still be at the Lake Steakhouse, but he wanted to check it out. As he neared the restaurant, he spotted his mate’s car and let out a breath. Unfortunately, just as he pulled into a spot, Elana came out with Anna and Dalton. Damn. Kalan jumped out of his car. “Hey.”
Elana looked up and smiled. As he jogged up to her, his body went crazy. Her breath was crystallizing in the air, which meant she couldn’t chat outside for long, despite wearing her heavy coat.
“You made it,” she said.
“Kind of. I’m sorry I’m so late. I couldn’t get away any sooner. I even left before the techs finished processing the scene.” Kalan called out to Anna who was slipping into their car, “Happy birthday.”
Anna waved. “Thank you.”
Damn. Nothing was going according to plan. He turned back to Elana and rubbed her shoulders. “You look cold. Get in your car, and I’ll meet you back at the house.”
She shivered. “Okay.”
“I can’t wait to see what is under that dress,” he said in his most seductive tone before leaning over and kissing her.
Her brows rose as a small smile captured her lips. “Is that so?”
He loved it when she flirted back with him. Of late it had been rare, and Kalan wanted to change that. “Just you wait and see.”
The trip home, while only a few miles long, seemed to take forever. By the time he stepped inside the house, Elana was unbuttoning her coat.
“Need help?” he asked.
She chuckled. “With taking off my clothes or with watching your wild son?”
Uh, oh. Is that what had her agitated? He’d felt her frustration right before he’d called to cancel dinner. “Is Aiden acting up again?”
She blew out a breath. “He’s not bad, but he has no restraint.” She nodded to the lamp on the table, the one with the bent shade. “He shifted in the house again and knocked it over.”
The pain in her voice tore him up. He ran his hands down her shoulders. “I’ll talk to him. Look, as soon as this case is finished, I’ll cut—”
Elana placed a finger on his lips. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. How about we talk about this later? I’m tired.”
Crap. “Too tired to snuggle?”
“My bear is never too tired for that.” Her smile, while brief, reached her eyes.
Score! Tonight would be epic, or so he hoped. Kalan pulled out his phone and made a show of turning it off. “I don’t want anything to disturb us.”
Elana flashed him a genuine smile. “I like the way you think, Officer Murdoch.”
“That’s Detective to you.”
“Is that so? What are you going to detect?” Elana ran a finger down his chest.
He laughed. Kalan couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. “Just you wait and see.”
Chapter Two
‡
Kalan was up and out the next morning before Elana had even awoken. When she realized he’d already left for work, she was pissed that she’d slept so soundly. Not that it surprised her. Their lovemaking session had tired her out. How her mate had been able to work all day and then have the energy for amazing sex would always remain a mystery.
Elana had dreamt about snuggling with Kalan a bit before he left this morning, but that wasn’t in the cards. Between the hot sex and eating way too much food at dinner, she’d conked out.
Elana fell back onto the pillow and sighed, her thoughts racing back to last night’s unexpected adventure. It had been wonderful, almost as if Kalan was once more this carefree officer of the law and not the usual pre-occupied top-notch homicide detective.
When had their lives spiraled out of control? Either she was too exhausted for any creative sex, or Kalan worked late into the night. It wasn’t just the fact they had two kids. Both of their jobs had consumed them, and if something didn’t change…
She didn’t even want to go there. The last thing Elana needed was another bout of depression. Last night’s lovemaking had erased all doubts that there might be something wrong between them, and she wanted to enjoy the euphoria for as long as she could.
Needing to get to work, she crawled out of bed and jumped in the shower, letting the steaming water refresh her. Knowing her kids would be well taken care of today helped reduce her stress.