Reawakening Their Bears: Hidden Realms: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 12)

by Vella Day

  Kalan tapped the side of his head. “You’re right, which is why Ronan will be opening the basement window and climbing down to save Sean. That reminds me: I’ll need to borrow the station’s heavy-duty bolt cutters. You don’t need to worry. We’ll have Coms, which will enable us to communicate not only with everyone else, but with Jackson who will have backup should we need it. Kip will be there too to help.”

  “If you do find Sean and manage to free him, what happens to this Sanchez guy? You told me he was a Changeling.”

  “We’ll escort him to Harden Prison and then tell the chief it was a false alarm.”

  She crossed her arms. At least her anxiety had lessened somewhat. “That does sound pretty good. I just want this to be over. Silver Lake doesn’t usually have so much crime all at once, and I miss you.”

  Her heartfelt words nearly made him cancel tonight’s mission—but he couldn’t. Not when a life might be at stake. He stepped closer. “How about after we wrap up these crimes, you and I go on a vacation?”

  She chuckled. “It’s Christmas, you goof. We can’t leave our family during this important holiday.”

  He wanted her to have something to look forward to—a little R&R. “I meant that we’d go the week after the holidays.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You have a date. But first, we need to wrap those presents and then figure out where to stash them so our inquisitive child doesn’t find them.”

  He smiled. “I have just the place. My parents’ garage will be perfect. I’ll instruct them not to let Aiden anywhere near it for the next few weeks.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  *

  Sean must have imagined hearing someone tap on the outside window this afternoon, because no one had come to rescue him. Most likely it was just some animal scratching the glass. Damn. For that first hour after what sounded like a human tapping, his hopes had soared. With his powers and body so weak though, his only chance of getting out of there was for someone to release him from these chains. Then at least, he’d be able to create a distraction—assuming the man who was holding him captive wasn’t telling him the truth about stealing Sean’s powers.

  Normally, he would have rubbed his hands together, said a chant, and created fire. With the walls being cement though, that talent wouldn’t do him any good. Sean could also teleport people short distances using his mind. While he had thought about it many times, especially when his captor had entered his basement cell, he couldn’t teleport him far. The man would return, and when he did, the Changeling might be more convinced than ever that his kind needed to take advantage of Sean’s considerable talents. He just hoped that if those Changelings succeeded, they didn’t know how to use his abilities.

  No, he’d have to come up with a better plan. If only his eyes didn’t keep going in and out of focus, he might be able to think more clearly.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Sean stilled. It sounded like a bird was at the window above him. Or was it a human? He looked up but could see nothing. It was night, and only faint light was streaming in from a small source nearby. If he yelled, he might wake his captor and foil any rescue attempt.

  Sean slumped. If it had been a bird, there would be no rescue. He clearly was losing his mind.

  No, wait. There it was again. The scraping noise was too regular to be a bird. If he hadn’t heard footsteps above him on several occasions, he might have thought he was alone in this building. Once or twice he was convinced he’d even heard cars nearby, but then dismissed it as yet another delusion. He knew he had been hallucinating when he saw two women standing in front of him who then disappeared as soon as he spoke to them.

  Scrape, scratch, tap.

  There it was again. Sean blinked several times, trying to figure out if what he was hearing was real. Even though he was chained to the wall and couldn’t stand because of the short link lengths, he was able to lay down so he could look upward. Hold on. The paper over the window was crinkling. The only way for that to happen would be if there was a hole in the glass. A moment later, a light shown through the pane, and it took a second for his drugged brain to believe that someone had come for him.

  “Hello?” he called out, his voice a croak. He cleared his throat. “Hello.”

  “Sean?” came the response.

  His pulse soared. “Yes, I’m down here.” Of course, he was down there. Focus!

  “Move away from the wall. I’m going to lower some bolt cutters to you.”

  Okay, this had to be a dream though. After being chained for so long, all he could think about was freeing himself. While he didn’t recognize the voice, he didn’t care. All he wanted was to be rid of these restraints.

  “Give me a sec.” It wasn’t easy to move far considering the chain length, but he did the best he could. “Lower away.”

  The window creaked open and then something big scraped down the wall. “I’m sending down the cutters. Next, I’ll lower my light.”

  His pulse soared. “Who are you?” Sean wanted to do something special for this man once he was free.

  “Name’s Ronan. I work with Kip.”

  Ronan. Ah, yes. Kip had spoken of him. “Thank you.”

  “You getting free will be thanks enough.”

  “Just so you know, my hands are chained, so I can’t cut anything.”

  The window squeaked once more, letting fresh air in. “Oh, okay. Give me a sec to get through this opening,” Ronan whispered.

  After several curse words and eventual ripping of metal, his rescuer was able to wedge his body through the small opening. Using what looked like a lot of strength and dexterity, he dropped to the ground and then landed on his butt. If Ronan had been able to take a step without running into him, he wouldn’t have had to fall.

  Ronan picked up the light and placed it in Sean’s hand. He thankfully was able to close his fist.

  “Keep it steady while I cut this thing.” He tapped his ear. “I’m about to free Sean. Okay. I don’t know. We’re in the basement. We’ll do our best to exit via the stairs. Later.”

  “You have backup?” Sean asked. He couldn’t believe this. Then again, Kip worked with a security firm.

  “Kip and the others are with me.” He tapped his earpiece again. “Standby. If we can leave without engaging Sanchez, it would be best. Okay.”

  “What did they say?”

  “If we can get out of here unnoticed, all the better.”

  Sean nodded. “I’m really weak right now, so I doubt I’d be of much help.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.” Ronan clipped one of the chains near Sean’s wrist, and when he lowered his arm, the release was almost painful.

  “I can’t believe it.”

  Ronan snapped the other one. While Sean still had on the cuffs, he didn’t care. It was time to go—assuming he had the strength to stand.

  *

  Kalan, Sam, Kip, and Dalton were ready to enter Sanchez’s house.

  Given they had confirmation that Ronan had found Sean, Kalan had no problem picking the front door lock and going in. However, if the place was alarmed or booby-trapped, he thought it wiser if he let Ronan decide if he needed the help. The waiting however was killing him. All these years on the force should have taught him patience, but it hadn’t.

  “Door to the upstairs is locked,” Ronan said into their earpieces.

  “You can’t pick it?” Ronan always had his tools of the trade with him.

  “Let me rephrase that. The knob turns, but it appears to have been dead-bolted from the outside.”

  “Guess we’re going in.” Kalan was only partially disappointed.

  Dalton motioned that he and Kip would secure the back of the house in case Sanchez tried to escape—assuming he realized what he was up against—and Kalan gave him a thumbs up.

  With practiced skill, Kalan unlocked the front door and held his breath. Jackson claimed he’d scanned the house for an alarm system and found none, but his methods weren’
t always foolproof.

  When Kalan pushed open the door, he breathed a sigh of relief that not only didn’t the door squeak, no alarm sounded. It was always possible the alarm was silent, but those companies who responded weren’t always fast. While Sanchez would be able to sense other shifters, Kalan could only hope he was sound asleep.

  The TV’s LED helped light the way. Having excellent shifter vision was a big bonus too. Unfortunately, he didn’t see any door leading to the basement. “Sam,” Kalan said as quietly as possible. “Head toward the kitchen to see if you can locate that basement door, and I’ll check in here.”

  Sam nodded. Kalan chose to speak instead of motion with his hand so that Dalton and Kip would be aware it was Sam instead of Sanchez entering the rear of the house.

  Kalan spotted an armoire on the far wall. He wouldn’t have thought anything of it had Ronan not mentioned it in passing that someone might want to hide the fact a basement even existed by placing furniture in front of the entrance.

  While he wasn’t hopeful, Kalan moved closer, careful to make as little noise as possible. When he was near the armoire, Kalan spotted the door rim on top. Well, he’d be damned. It was the old furniture in front of the door trick. The problem he faced though was moving the heavy object without waking Sanchez.

  Kalan tapped his earpiece. “Sam, I found it.”

  As if the man could teleport, he arrived at Kalan’s side moments later. “Where?”

  Kalan pointed above the armoire. Sam nodded. Having a former military man on his side helped with communications. He immediately moved to one side, while Kalan took the other.

  “On three,” Sam whispered and then held up his fingers. One finger, two fingers, three fingers.

  They slightly lifted and then slid the heavy piece away from the wall. Shit. The scraping noise on the floor was enough to wake the dead. Hopefully, Sanchez was a real sound sleeper. Being a wolf shifter though, Kalan doubted it.

  Footsteps sounded above. Not good. Now that they had been found out, he and Sam didn’t bother being quiet. They finished moving the piece just enough to reach the basement door. He unlocked the bolt and pulled it open. Light spilled out from Ronan’s flashlight.

  “Sanchez is coming,” Kalan whispered. “Get Sean to safety. Take him to McKinnon’s Pool and Pub. They will just be closing, but they will have food. Molly also has a back bedroom where Sean can stay the night.”

  From the way Kip described the man, he would insist on going back to his cabin in the woods, but he’d be too vulnerable there right now. Kalan normally would have suggested Ronan take him back to McKinnon and Associates, but Sean would appreciate Molly fussing over him—or so Kalan hoped.

  “Understood.” Ronan turned to Sean.

  “Is he okay?” Kip asked, the voice coming through the coms.

  “More or less. Stay with Dalton, please. Sean is in good hands.”

  “Roger that,” Kip said.

  With an arm around the man’s waist, Ronan led Sean toward the front door. Kalan almost smiled when he noted the former prisoner was holding the bolt cutters. Even Kalan had to admit they would have made a great weapon.

  The stairs creaked. Sanchez was near. Having sensed shifters in his house, Kalan wouldn’t be surprised if Sanchez hadn’t already called his rabid wolf friends. Both Kalan and Sam kept their focus on the stairs until Ronan and Sean were safely out. While he and Sam could escape before Sanchez even rounded the corner, they couldn’t afford for Sanchez to go after Sean. After all, Kip’s friend held the key to their power—assuming the Changelings were able to get his hands on more sardonyx.

  Kalan motioned he would wait on the porch. When Sanchez entered the living room, it would be better to let Sam do his magic by himself. Sam nodded and pointed to his head, indicating he’d try to mentally convince Sanchez that John Bass had told him to release the prisoner. The fact the armoire was almost in the middle of the room would imply he had.

  Kalan watched Ronan half carry Sean down the street toward his car. They’d driven separately in case their mission succeeded, and Ronan had to take Sean to a different location. While keeping one eye on those two, Kalan kept the other on Sam.

  Sanchez came downstairs with what looked like a weapon. Without revealing himself, Kalan couldn’t quite tell if he was carrying a gun or something else. Normally, Kalan would enter the house at this point, but he wanted to see if Sam could calm Sanchez enough before he arrested the bastard. Without Sam’s help, Sanchez would no doubt deny any knowledge of having anyone in his basement, but Kalan was sure Sean could testify as to the identity of his captor.

  A small part of Kalan wanted to rush inside and force Sanchez to shift. A wolf would not stand a chance against a bear, another wolf, and a tiger. But killing him wouldn’t solve the Changelings’ need for sardonyx. Kalan also had no idea if Brother Thomas was their newly appointed leader or just following orders. What Kalan did know was that Sanchez would never turn against John Bass. If nothing else, Changelings protected their fellow clan members.

  Sam opened the door. “Come in.”

  Kalan stepped inside having no idea what had transpired. He waited for Sanchez to say something, but he seemed frozen to the spot. Kalan tapped his Com so that Dalton and Kip could listen in too. “What’s going on here?” he asked Sam, hoping Sam had performed the miracle.

  “Mr. Sanchez thinks he is standing on a very tall tower in the middle of the sea. There is no way down. If he moves, he’ll fall.”

  “Does he admit that he released the prisoner?” Kalan wasn’t sure how much Sanchez would understand.

  “He believes he did. How he ended up in the sea, however, still seems to befuddle him.”

  Sam’s extensive powers were highly impressive. “Once I cuff him, I assume you can return him to normal?”

  Sam smiled. “My specialty.”

  Kalan whipped out his cuffs from his back pocket, walked behind Mr. Thomas Sanchez and cuffed him. “Sam, before I tell him what’s happening, please bring him back to total awareness.”

  Sam pressed his fingers to his forehead and closed his eyes.

  Sanchez jerked and looked around. “What are you doing in my house?” He jerked his arms but was unable to move them.

  “You are under arrest, Mr. Sanchez.” Kalan read him his rights and told him why he had been arrested.

  “This is preposterous,” Sanchez said. “I have no one in my basement.” Kalan almost smiled when Sanchez’s gaze shot to the open door that led downstairs. “I want a lawyer.”

  “Our pleasure.” Where he was going, he’d need one.

  Dalton and Kip entered through the front door. The back door was probably locked. His partner was flapping his arms to warm up, but Kip appeared unaffected by the cold. Being outside for so long in the cold would not have been pleasant—at least to Kalan—and he was a bear. “Can you drive this scum to Harden Prison?” Kalan asked. Dalton’s mate would want him home too, but someone had to deliver Sanchez.

  “I certainly don’t relish the long drive, but I’ll do it,” Dalton said.

  “You’re a good man.” Kalan turned to Kip. “I hate to ask since I know you have other things to worry about, but we need someone to go with Dalton to make sure Sanchez doesn’t try to escape.”

  “What happens if he shifts while in the backseat?” Kip asked.

  “I have a stun gun in my car. You can take that.”

  Kip saluted. “How’s our friend doing?” Clearly, he couldn’t mention Sean by name or Sanchez would know they’d been the ones to save him.

  “Doing better. I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Sanchez called out as Dalton and Kip escorted him out.

  It’s what all criminals said. As much as Kalan wanted to question Sean right now, tomorrow would be soon enough. However, he would touch base with his cousin.

  “I’m going to call Molly and explain why I’ve sent Sean her way, and then I’m heading home,” he told S
am. “I know Elana will be worried if I don’t return soon.” Kalan held out his hand to Sam. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Sure you could have. Most likely Sanchez would be dead though. Just to be clear, he would have been no match against you.”

  “That may be true, but there will be fewer questions this way.” Kalan smiled.

  “You’re right about that.”

  Once he dropped Sam back at his car at the station, Kalan went to be with his mate. There were still a few hours before he had to rise and shine for the day. After what he’d gone through today, a little snuggling and loving from his mate was in order.

  Chapter Seventeen

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  Elana sensed rather than heard Kalan enter the bedroom. She’d fallen asleep and had no idea what time it was. “How did it go?” she asked as she rolled over to face him. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Wow. It was nearly morning.

  “Good. We saved Sean and arrested Sanchez, but you should go back to sleep. It’s late.”

  “It’s late for you too.” Her eyes had already adjusted to the dark and could see almost everything as he undressed. Kalan was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants, and black boots instead of his usual attire. She loved that mysterious, stealthy look on him. So sexy.

  Seconds later, he was gloriously naked, and her body tingled in delight. “Climb in, and I will warm you up.”

  Kalan stalked toward her as if she was his prey.

  “Oh, things are going to get heated sweetness, don’t you worry about that.”

  Kalan pulled back the covers and slipped under them. He reached out and drew her near. “You’re naked. What happened to your usual pajamas?” he asked.

  Elana pressed her breasts against his chest. “I missed you. You know I worry when you go on one of your missions. I thought you’d appreciate the homecoming, whether you found Sean or not.”

  “Thank you, but you didn’t need to worry this time. I had four others with me.”

  “Even if you had an army, I’d worry.” She leaned in and kissed him. Normally, she was so tired at night that they didn’t indulge in these kinds of sensual activities, but tonight—or rather this morning—she needed the connection.