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

by Vella Day

  Christmas shopping had stirred something deep in her. Some might say she was greedy, because she wanted more of his time, and they would be right. It didn’t matter that she understood his job prevented him from always being with his family. Life was all about compromise. Elana had decided that she would make sure that when Kalan was home, she would make the most of their time together.

  Kalan held her tight, and when he kissed her, he begged for entrance. When she opened her mouth, his tongue darted in, causing a rush of pleasure to shoot through her. Her nails sharpened—nails she then scraped down his back. His muscles bulged, as did another rather prominent body part.

  Without much preamble, Kalan rolled on top of her and pressed his cock to her entrance. While she adored having him suck on her nipples and lick her clit until she came, sometimes she just wanted him hard and fast. Elana lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. “Take me.”

  “You don’t have to ask twice.”

  He plunged into her, and the relief and excitement catapulted her to another place. Kalan closed his eyes, leaned close, and kissed her again. The combination of his demanding thrusts, together with the way his tongue seemed desperate to be totally one with her, made Elana soar even higher.

  While the sudden growth on his face tickled her cheeks, the intense pleasure made her practically claw his shoulders. Needing air, she broke the kiss and dragged her lips to his strong neck. Elana hadn’t planned on biting him, but just as his cock slammed into her back wall, she was unable to stop herself, and that connection almost erased all past separations. Her climax exploded and then pulsed, thrilling her to no end. Kalan grunted and held her tight as he came a second later.

  Saying nothing, he rolled them over and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her shoulder and her neck. “I love you,” he whispered.

  Her heart melted. “Love you right back.”

  Just as she almost fell asleep, Kalan rolled her off of him and slipped out of bed, most likely to find something to clean them up with. Even though she’d be rising in a few short hours to get the kids up, she would be content to enjoy lying next to him, listening to his soft snores. Sleep was highly overrated anyway.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead.” That was Kalan’s voice, but there was no way it was morning already.

  She cracked open her eyes. Kalan was dressed, looking ready for work. “What time is it?”

  When she checked the clock, she groaned. Only then did it register that this was her other day off. The kids would spend the morning with Kalan’s mom so Elana could grocery shop and do a few other things a bit quicker than if she had the kids with her. That way she could spend the afternoon with the boys, enjoying some quality time.

  “Don’t worry. I got the kids up, dressed, fed them, and even dropped them off at Mom’s.”

  Was this to make up for leaving her last night? “That’s amazing. Thank you.”

  Elana eased out of bed. Being naked in the cold room had her shivering. “I need some clothes.”

  “But you look so nice naked.”

  She chuckled. “Thank you, but it’s no fun in the winter.”

  “I have a favor.”

  “What is it?”

  “Come to McKinnon’s Pub with me?”

  While she was happy to go, if only to spend more time with Kalan, she didn’t know why she was needed. “It’s not even open yet, is it?”

  “No, but Sean is there, and I want to make sure he is okay. I also want to pick up something for him to eat. Ronan is with him now, but he said he would like a break so he can clean up. I thought Sean would appreciate having you there.”

  “By all means. I’d be happy to help out.”

  “Sean will need a set of clean clothes. His cabin is a little far out of town, so I thought I’d lend him something of mine.”

  “That sounds good. All I had planned for today was some grocery shopping and a few other errands, but I can do that later.”

  He grinned, leaned over, and kissed her. Then he patted her butt. “Can’t go naked to the Pub though.”

  “Funny man.” Elana dressed quickly. Since they would be picking up breakfast somewhere, she’d eat when they arrived. “Have you spoken with Molly? I’m wondering what she thought of her new guest.”

  “I called her last night, but I haven’t touched base with her today, which is partly why I want to go.”

  “Should we take any first aid supplies? I mean the man was chained up for quite a while.”

  “Trust me. Given the occasional bar fight, Molly is well stocked.”

  After Elana dressed, she brushed her hair and washed her face. She then returned to the bedroom. “Ready.”

  He slipped an arm around Elana’s waist. “I can’t believe we will be spending a few extra hours together.”

  “I know, right?”

  After bundling up, she rushed out to his rather cold car. The snow was gone, but the air was still damp and chilly. They headed downtown for some pastries and hot coffee. While it wouldn’t be a nutritious breakfast, Elana was sure to enjoy it.

  After that, Kalan drove them to the Pub. No surprise, there was only one car in the lot and that belonged to Ronan. Kalan helped Elana out and led her around to the back where there was a separate entrance that led to two spare rooms. Finn had told them that one of the rooms was used for anyone too drunk to drive home. The second room was for any employee who needed to take a break. Each room had two doors—one that led outside and the other that opened up to the interior of the bar.

  “He’ll be in the room on the left,” Kalan said.

  Once there, he knocked, and Ronan answered. His gaze shot to her. “Nice to see you, Elana.”

  “You too, Ronan.”

  Ronan stepped outside, presumably to talk in private. “How is he?” Kalan asked.

  “He’s a stubborn SOB. At first, he refused to stay here, but I told him the Changelings would not stop searching for him. He quickly gave in after that.” Ronan held up a hand. “To be fair, the man was weak from hunger and too many drug ingestions.”

  “Did they take his magic?”

  “They tried, but Sean is strong. He said the Changeling only had a small amount of sardonyx, so they might have done some damage. I told him to rest before he tests it out.”

  “I’m betting he’ll be fine. According to Kip’s brother, they needed a lot of sardonyx to steal his powers. It’s why they were searching for more.”

  Elana pulled her coat tighter with one hand and then lifted the bag of goodies with the other. “We brought breakfast, if you want some.” She nodded to the rich smelling coffee Kalan was holding.

  “That’s nice of you,” Ronan said. He looked over at Kalan. “If you don’t mind though, I’ve been up all night keeping watch, and your sister is missing me. I’m going to head out and grab a bite at home.”

  “Sounds good,” Kalan said. “Thanks for your help. Please say hi to Blair for me.”

  “Of course. I’m happy that Sean is safe and in good hands.”

  Ronan trotted away. It was time to check on the rescued prisoner. Their injured Warlock/Wendayan was sitting up. He yawned, leaned his back against the wall, and rubbed his head. He then lowered his hands. “Kalan?”

  “Yes, and this is my mate, Elana.”

  She opened the bag and handed him a ham and cheese croissant. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  His smile was brief. “You are so right, though I did have a small bite last night.” He took the offered croissant. “Thank you, but you might want to keep your distance. I’m sure I stink. I was too whipped to shower after I had a bite to eat last night.”

  Kalan placed a pile of clothes on the bed. “I figured that would be the case, so I brought you some clothes for after you clean up. The pants might be a bit short, but everything else should fit. Please excuse all the paint stains.”

  Sean gave them a real smile this time. “I appreciate it. I’ll eat and then shower. By the way, the coffee smells amazing.”

/>   She and Kalan pulled up two chairs that were against the wall and shared the meal with him. The croissant was divine, and the coffee richer than she usually made it. They were halfway into their meal when a knock sounded on the interior door.

  A second later, Molly poked her head in. “Hey. I just came to see how Sean is doing. I also come bearing gifts.” She held out a razor, some shaving cream, and a bottle of shampoo. “I’ll set them in the bathroom. Clean towels are in the linen closet.”

  His eye’s widened. “That is so nice of you, but who are you, again? I’m sorry; I was really out of it last night.”

  She smiled. “I’m Molly McKinnon. My family owns the Pub.”

  “Hello, Molly. I appreciate you letting me crash here. As soon as I’m strong enough, I’ll be out of your hair.”

  “You don’t need to leave. You can stay as long as you like. Ronan said the Changelings held you captive and might try to get to you again.”

  “True, but the next time, I’ll be ready for them.”

  “How? I thought you said they might have taken you magic.”

  “He tried. The man who kept me chained up did cut open my arm with a rudimentary looking knife and a blade made of what looked like steel and some red stone—which I assume was sardonyx.” He ran a finger down the wound. “The stone part was very small. As for my magic, I haven’t really tested it. I’ll wait until I’m fully back to feeling like myself again before I do.”

  “I’m sorry,” Molly said moving closer and running her gaze down his arm. “I tried to clean it, but it still looks raw and appears to be rather deep. Maybe we should have a doctor look at the cut.”

  “We’ll send someone over later today,” Kalan said. “Sean should get a physical too. No telling what kind of drugs Sanchez used.”

  He held up a hand. “Nonsense. I’ll be back to normal with another day’s rest.”

  The man’s face was pale, but it was difficult to tell just how much with his scruffy beard and straggly hair. Considering he spent time outdoors chopping wood and hunting for his food though, this could not be his normal coloring. “Sounds good,” Elana said.

  Sean inhaled and pressed his lips together. “You’ve all been so kind to take the time to find me.” He looked over at Kalan. “Can I ask how you tracked me down?”

  Kalan detailed everything that went into the search. “We believe the men who took you broke into four different places looking for more sardonyx. From what you’ve said, they found a very small amount. That implies your power is probably intact—or at least most of it is.”

  Sean smiled. “Considering this place is wood, I didn’t want to test my ability to set something on fire. That could have dire consequences. I’m not at full capacity, but I guess I could try something small.”

  He looked over at Molly. His eyes seemed to glaze over as his lips moved slightly. Out of nowhere, Molly disappeared, and Elana’s heart nearly stopped. “What the hell?”

  “Don’t worry,” Sean said. “I just moved her to the other side of the door.

  Sure enough, the door to the room opened. Molly stood there looking rather dazed. “What did you do?”

  “Just executed one of my smaller talents. Are you okay?”

  Elana was amazed. Izzy could part water and make plants grow, but move a person from one spot to another? No. Or if she could, she never mentioned it. That being said, Elana had heard of a woman by the name of Ivy Woodson who supposedly could teleport, though that could just be a rumor.

  “Yes. I’m fine. I’m happy the Changelings didn’t take your powers—or at least all of them.”

  “There was a red moon a few days ago. That was when your Changeling must have tried it,” Kalan said.

  “I have no idea whether the moon was full or red. I wish I had a calendar, but I can tell you I was in that hellhole for at least two weeks.”

  Kalan nodded. “That is tough. Listen, why don’t you clean up and rest. If you need anything, have Molly call me. One of us can drive you home.”

  “Will do. If there is anything you might need from a hermit who lives in the woods, let me know.”

  Kalan shook his hand. “Deal.”

  After they said their goodbyes to Molly and Sean, she and Kalan left. Kalan drove to their house to drop her off, keeping the engine running. “As much as I’d love to come in, I need to get to work. We have to find some evidence as to who might be behind the pawnshop murder and the attempted murder of the antique dealer.”

  “It could be the man who came to our house. He told me he tried to rob my store. What I would like to know was who tried to kill you?”

  “My money is on our robber, but it could have been Sanchez, Bass, or another Changeling. I figure they didn’t like me investigating.”

  “I’m glad they didn’t go after Dalton too.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. I plan to either eliminate Sanchez and Bass as suspects or prove they were involved.”

  “Good luck.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “Thanks. Wear those red sexy undies for me tonight.”

  She smiled. “Feeling festive?”

  Kalan waggled his eyebrows. “If you’re good, I’ll let you sit on my knee.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  ‡

  When Kalan entered the station, Dalton motioned him over.

  “Hey,” Kalan said. “Did the package get delivered?”

  Dalton yawned. “Sorry. Yes, but we need someplace to talk.”

  They both knew the drill. If the Changelings were involved in a discussion, they didn’t need any humans overhearing their conversation. Cops often used the conference rooms to discuss sensitive cases.

  Once they stepped inside, Dalton closed the door. “Being the overachiever that I am, after I dropped Sanchez at the prison and drove Kip home, I went back to Sanchez’s house to dust for prints. Turns out, his matched the print we found on the bullet that you were shot with.”

  “I didn’t know they found a print, but that’s great. One mystery solved. Attempting to kill an officer of the law will put him in prison for many years.”

  Dalton nodded. “Yes, especially since the officer is a fellow shifter. I thought you’d like that good news. Not only that, the bullet found in you matches the one in both the dead pawnshop owner and the now recovering antique dealer.”

  Kalan’s pulse soared. “Merry Christmas to me, but what are we going to tell the chief? If we say we didn’t find Sean, then you wouldn’t have been able to go back and dust for prints since Sanchez in theory isn’t guilty.”

  Dalton leaned back in the chair. “I already thought of that. I spoke to the chief and told him that Sanchez wasn’t there when we arrived, but we did find Sean. I promised we would keep looking for the elusive Thomas Sanchez.”

  “You sly dog. That’s brilliant. With all three cases solved, the chief won’t put too many man hours into having us look for him.”

  “We’ll find him all right. We’ll say he was found in another county in the bottom of a lake. I’m sure we can have Jackson call and pretend to be from there.”

  Kalan laughed. “Good thing you don’t plan to be a criminal. What about John Bass? Can we tie him to anything?”

  “Unfortunately, no. We have no evidence to indicate he was involved, though I highly suspect he had his hand in much of it. Furthermore, we don’t have the resources or manpower though to keep daily tabs on him,” Dalton said.

  “I think we should be happy that Brother Daryl is dead, and Brother Thomas is in jail, soon to be convicted of one murder and two attempted murders.”

  Dalton pushed back his chair. “I totally agree. I am a bit concerned that if Wes and Sanchez are in the same compound, it could be bad for Wes.”

  “I know. While he helped the Changelings, it wasn’t totally his choice. I’d planned to give the prison a call anyway and ask that he be put as far from Sanchez or any other Changeling as possible. I figure when he gets out, if Wes wants to reform, then we can help him.”


  “Sounds like a plan. Ready to do some paperwork?” Dalton asked.

  Kalan gave him the finger. “Like I have a choice?”

  As they stepped back into the main room, the chief came out of his office. “Hey, Kalan. Can I have a word with you?”

  *

  Elana spent the rest of the morning Christmas shopping. She’d bought two awesome shirts for Kalan and wanted to find a really nice leather wallet that he’d been wanting, only she’d come up empty-handed. Maybe tomorrow she’d find it. His parents were a little easier to shop for—or at least Felicia was. Anything that involved cooking made her happy. Since Kalan’s mom had been talking about a Dutch oven for a while, Elana drove to Andersonville to find the one she’d had her eye on. Elana couldn’t wait to see the joy on Felicia’s face when she opened her gift. Of course, she deserved so much more, considering how much time she spent with Aiden and Ian, but the Dutch oven would have to do for now.

  Even though Elana believed she had found the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone, something still felt off. The old saying, you can’t buy love, kept coming back to her, and the phrase, actions speak louder than words, also deeply resonated with her.

  Elana mentally snapped her fingers. Instead of buying the wallet for Kalan, she would do something really nice for her mate. As in tonight. There were too many times when he would arrive home tired after a really hard day of work, and what would he see? An out of sorts mate, in part because Aiden had either broken something that day, ruined his clothes by shifting when she’d told him not to, or he’d whined about not getting his way. No wonder some of the spark had gone out of their relationship. Elana’s selfish attitude was the issue—not Kalan’s job.

  She straightened her shoulders. Starting today, she was going to do something about it. First thing? She would get organized by starting a To-Do list. No more procrastination. Instead of complaining about the house being a mess, she’d go into a work thirty minutes to an hour later each morning in order to have time to clean everything. They’d just hired an extra person, so staying home wouldn’t put a burden on Anna.