Grizzly's Bear (The Holloways Book 5)

by Lacey Thorn

  “You’re not seeing her,” Tony snapped.

  “She’ll come find me eventually.” With that cryptic remark, Talbot laughed. The sound was tinged with madness.

  “Um, what did you guys do to him?” Slade asked as he rose from his crouch and faced Tony.

  “Nothing to cause that. Fucker’s completely mad. Never flinched when we beat the hell out of him. You can’t see the other side of his face from this angle, but Tah caught him pretty good. Going to leave a hell of a scar.”

  “Tah didn’t mention anything about him being mentally unsound,” Jensen replied. Slade moved to circle the cage they had Talbot in.

  “Tah hasn’t seen him in a week. After the shit Talbot spouted about little Regan, it was best to keep the alpha away. Talbot was fine when we got him here, but he’s been declining mentally. It was slow, at first. Enough so I thought it was stress. Maybe fear. But the last five days, he’s gotten much worse. He talks to people who aren’t there as if he’s still in a lab. He’ll say something completely random and off the wall then start laughing. Other times, he’s completely engaged in the conversation. I think he may have been medicating himself with something, but I can’t find anything in his bloodwork to give me a clue as to what it might have been.”

  “And you didn’t think this was something you should share with your alpha?” Jensen demanded.

  “Tah isn’t my alpha,” Tony stated firmly. “I respect him, and yes, I have let him know but not the full scope of what we’re dealing with. I was hoping it was a fluke. It’s not.”

  “Well, this is just fucking great,” Slade snapped. How were they going to get answers, now? Even worse, what if Blaine and the other hunters were already in the process of shutting down Talbot’s labs and killing off any survivors still being held?

  A bleating sound filled the room, and the lights in the corridor flashed.

  “What the hell is that?” Slade demanded.

  “Someone’s breached the perimeter,” Tony snarled as they all moved quickly back the way they’d come. “Bastards are getting ballsy. It’s still daylight out.”

  “They must not know his condition, either,” Jensen said with a growl, but all Slade’s focus was on one thing. Finding his mate.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rissa and Ariel ended up walking along the drive while they talked. Rissa wanted air, and as long as they stayed within sight of the house and the ones guarding the perimeter, they were cleared to enjoy the outdoors. Hard to believe, but Rissa found the security on the ranch tighter than it was on Holloway land. Or at least tighter than it had been before her attack. Since then, Slade or one of the other Holloways were always with her.

  “Sometimes, I wonder if it will ever end,” Ariel said, bringing Rissa’s attention to her. “Will we always have to live in fear of being hunted? Killed? Will our children?”

  Rissa dropped her hand to her belly where she wanted to carry Slade’s child someday. A child she didn’t want to know fear. “I think we’ll always have to watch out for those whose souls are filled with hate. Doing that means we teach our children what to guard against and how to defend themselves if placed in a situation similar to what you and I faced.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Ariel agreed. “Just as you and I have found love, others feed on the hate. They feed and still their hunger grows. There was a time when I was one of them. I hated the world.” She paused then shook her head. “Mostly, I hated my place in it.”

  “We all have those moments,” Rissa admitted. “Why is it that we can be so forgiving and understanding with everyone but ourselves? Or is that just me?”

  Ariel laughed. “I’d say that describes me pretty well, too.”

  They walked for a bit before Rissa spoke. “So… besties, huh?”

  “Absolutely.” Ariel nodded. “No taking it back.”

  Rissa laughed and nudged Ariel with her shoulder. “No way. I traveled all this way just to see you.”

  “I came to Wyoming, first,” Ariel reminded her.

  “And holed up in a cabin with that man of yours for days. I wasn’t sure if I’d see you again or not,” Rissa teased.

  Ariel laughed even as she blushed. “It was a long time coming.”

  “I’m sure you both enjoyed it when it happened,” Rissa joked and set them both to laughing again. “Seriously, though, it’s easy to see how much you love one another.”

  “I’m grateful he never gave up on me. He could have. Hell, he should have, but Daniel’s stubborn.”

  “And he loves you,” Rissa added.

  Ariel nodded. “He does. Just as Slade does you.”

  Rissa sighed. “I’m not sure anyone can be as arrogant as a Holloway male.”

  “Ha! Just ask any of the mated women here, and they’ll tell you differently. Maybe, it’s a shifter thing.”

  Rissa thought about that then shook her head. “No, Holt is human, and he’s as possessive of Jaeda as any of the Holloways are of their mates.”

  “Well, Holt was part of the pride before he joined the Holloway den. Maybe, being around all these shifters wore off on him,” Ariel suggested.

  “Lucky for Jaeda,” Rissa quipped, and they both grinned at each other. Shifters might be arrogant and possessive, but they were also amazing lovers if Slade was anything to go by. The man was insatiable when it came to her.

  “Do you remember everything now? Or is it still coming back in bits and pieces?” Ariel asked.

  “It’s there, but not fully intact if that makes sense. I can remember some things so clearly and others… some are more sensory. Like the way something smelled or how the air felt on my skin. Things like that. The memories are there, but incomplete,” Rissa offered. Jensen had warned her again not to force things when he’d driven her and Slade over for breakfast. He’d also warned her the rest of her memories might never fully return. She was still working on making her peace with that.

  “I wish there was something I could do to help.” Ariel gave Rissa’s hand a squeeze.

  “If it wasn’t for you, I might not have any memories, yet. It was your words that brought them back. Seeing you. Being around you.” Rissa paused, turning to hug Ariel close. “I’m so glad I met you.”

  “Besties for life,” Ariel agreed.

  “Just a bear and a tiger,” Rissa deadpanned.

  “An unlikely pair, I’m sure. I can’t wait until we can shed skin and go for a run together. But with the attacks happening lately, everyone’s even more cautious. Daniel and I have a house in town, but we’ve pretty much moved here temporarily to help.”

  “Did they start right after Talbot was brought here?”

  Ariel nodded. “Tony flew in Quinn then ended up in Wyoming, carrying Talbot back here. Probably a week later, the first group tried to get in. They headed for the medical center. They don’t know where Talbot’s being kept, but I guess that seems like a logical choice. Even after we dispatched the first ones, more keep coming. Tah’s got the coyote shifters helping guard the boundaries of the ranch, and Jess and her mates are sending help until they can get here.”

  “I’m sure Laramie will send more bears, if needed,” Rissa said, feeling in her gut that it was true. She couldn’t imagine him and Em not wanting to help.

  “Tah discussed it with Gabriel and Daniel,” Ariel admitted. “But you already have some of your den up in Washington state, and how many pregnant mates are there right now?”

  “Three.” Em and the twins, Sidia and Jaeda.

  “We have three here, right now, also. And from what I understand, bear shifter’s gestation is longer than most of ours. You guys are more along the lines of a human, correct?”

  Rissa nodded. “Around thirty-two weeks on average.”

  “Ours is half the time. Quinn is due in the next five to six weeks. Laura should be due around the same time, but Kenzie still has about ten weeks.”

  “So I need to get pregnant at least four to five months before you if we want our kids to grow up close
in age. How soon are you and Daniel planning?”

  Ariel laughed. “Whenever it happens. You and Slade?”

  “Same.” Hell, it wasn’t as if there was birth control for shifters. No pills or shots or foreign objects placed in the body for a shifter female. And condoms? Definitely not made to fit a male shifter who, according to Rissa’s cousin, had more girth and length than their human counterparts.

  Rissa had just opened her mouth to add another quip when an alarm pierced the air. Ariel reacted immediately, grabbing Rissa’s arm and whipping her gaze all around them. Two coyotes ran toward them and hustled them toward the gate.

  “Shit! Someone’s breached the perimeter,” one of the men said. “Stick close. We’ll be sitting ducks on the road to the main house. It’s too open. We’re going to follow the fence line to one of the back paths and take that to the house. Once we get there, you two need to get inside quickly and head to the basement with Abby and Professor Mueller.”

  “Where’s Daniel, Adrian?” Ariel asked, and Rissa had a name to put with one of the two coyotes, leading them at a steady jog.

  “Adrian, look! Someone’s down.” The other coyote took off at a lope, a low mournful sound spilling from his lips.

  Rissa couldn’t help but wonder how the hell Ariel and her pride had been living like this? And an attack in the middle of the day? That made no sense. Why would someone be that desperate to get their hands on Talbot? Didn’t hunters prefer lone shifters?

  “Heads up,” Ariel whispered.

  Rissa glanced ahead and saw the coyote down. There were several darts in his body, but the scent of blood finally registered and had her worried. The second coyote already knelt beside his friend when they reached him, angry growls spilling from his throat. The hunters had darted the downed coyote then slit his throat as they moved by, and from the tracks, they were looking at a group of about six. How had they managed to get close enough to take the coyote by surprise? “Oh, God. Adrian.” Ariel reached for the coyote she’d spoken to earlier, gripping his arm.

  Rissa knew from earlier conversations that Adrian was the alpha of the coyote pack that lived near the pride’s land. He was also a close friend to Ariel’s mate Daniel and his brother Gabriel. He was like family to them.

  “Adrian?” Rissa questioned. He didn’t move or respond in any way to Ariel. “We need to get to the main house.”

  If Slade knew she wasn’t at the house where she’d been when he’d left, he’d go out of his mind. Who knew what he’d do? She and Ariel didn’t exactly have the best track record when it came to the two of them heading off to talk. She had to get to him.

  “We’re behind them,” Adrian said with a snarl. “The safest thing to do is stay that way.”

  The other coyote howled then shifted from skin to fur in seconds before tearing off into the woods.

  “Shit!” Adrian growled then turned to them. “Stay behind us. If anything happens, get your asses to the house. I texted Tah. He and some of the others are on the way.” He looked torn. “I can’t lose another brother.” With that, he turned, shifted and was off.

  “Oh, my god,” Rissa breathed, glancing down again. The fallen shifter was Adrian’s brother.

  “Rissa! Focus. We need to go. Now. We need to shift, or we’ll never catch up. I can’t let anything happen to Adrian.”

  “Let’s go,” Rissa agreed then offered with a forced smile. “Just a bear and a tiger.”

  “Neither of us is getting taken this time.” Ariel’s voice was hard.

  “No, we’re not,” Rissa agreed.

  They stripped and shifted quickly with a quiet efficiency born of years of knowing who and what they were. Together, they trailed the path beaten into the scrub grass that had been stomped down by the passing of feet. Ariel stuck to one side while Rissa took the other. They were gaining ground when a roar of pure anger split the air, sending birds fleeing the tree branches as they took to the sky. Another roar followed closely on the heels of the first. No need to wonder who those belonged to. Daniel and Slade. She felt a touch of guilt for what they must be thinking. Knowing there were intruders, and she and Ariel were missing. It was too much like déjà vu for her. Probably for all of them.

  “Load up,” someone called. “Shoot to kill. We’re not fucking around this time. Get the target and get out. You get taken, you’re on your own. Let’s go.”

  All hell broke loose. There was gunfire and roars, and a blur of motion from all sides. Rissa stumbled on her feet when she saw a huge grizzly rounding the corner and charging the firing men with no show of self-preservation. Slade! The damn fool was going to get himself killed. She roared as she charged from the rear intent on getting to her mate, the Bengal tiger keeping pace as a lion’s roar echoed again. It was enough to have several of the gunmen turning toward them.

  Ariel launched herself at a target, giving a snarl as she sunk her teeth and jerked. Rissa swiped at the fatigue-clad figure closest to her, knocking the gun free and eliciting a cry of pain before she turned to the next one. She’d just taken him to the ground when she heard the retort of a gun, and Slade went down. Her heart stopped in that moment, and everything went into slow motion. Slade tried to stand but went down again. Still, he tried to get to her. The man who’d shot him let out a chuckle as he aimed once more. Rissa wouldn’t reach him in time to save Slade. Instead, she was going to watch him die.

  There was a blur of fur as a lion launched, landing solidly on the male and taking him to the ground. A quick jerk of the lion’s head, and the figure beneath him lay still and silent. Her first thought was Daniel, but she knew the truth when his massive head lifted. Tah. They closed ranks, surrounding the lone survivor, who watched warily. A coyote sprang into the circle with him and was on him before he could bring his gun around and fire. Screams filled the air for long moments until they were cut off with a gurgle.

  Rissa watched it all even as she moved to Slade. She couldn’t lose him. She reached his side and shifted, falling to her knees beside him. There was blood on his fur. Too much blood. She couldn’t see where he was hit or how badly.

  “Jensen!” she screamed for her brother-in-law even as she ran her hands over Slade. “Don’t you leave me! Don’t you dare leave me, Slade. I love you. I need you.”

  “Move.” Jensen pushed her aside as he knelt beside her, and she moved so she could cradle Slade’s head. Jensen leaned close to Slade. “Shift. It’ll help push some of the bullets out. I need to see where you’re hit.”

  Slade groaned, and watching him switch from bear to man was slow and painful. Seeing it let her know how badly he was hurt. Minor injuries barely slowed a shifter down, but major ones required a lot from the body. He was covered in sweat and blood when he was done.

  “Don’t you leave me,” Rissa begged as she stroked her fingers through his hair, trying to stay close without getting in Jensen’s way.

  “Over here.”

  Rissa glanced up to see a man with long, dark hair on an ATV.

  “Hurry,” he urged. “Diane’s prepping the O.R. for you.”

  “Go with Gideon,” Tah urged Jensen as he moved closer to them.

  Jensen stood, and Tah helped him lift Slade so they could carry him to the waiting all terrain. Rissa walked along with them, but she knew there’d be no room for her to ride with them. Tah held Slade while Jensen hopped on, then Tah handed her mate to his brother.

  “Reno will meet you there to help get Slade inside,” Tah assured Jensen.

  “Here put this on.” A shirt was shoved at Rissa by a tall blonde woman with short hair. “I’m Vic. We’ll follow my mate so you can be there.”

  Rissa jerked the shirt over her head as the woman led her to a second vehicle.

  “Hold on.” The order was no sooner given than they were moving at a fast clip, falling in behind the one that held Slade.

  “I can’t lose him,” Rissa murmured.

  “You won’t,” Vic called back. “He drew all the fire on himself. Fucking crazy, bu
t still. He kept anyone else from getting hit. Your brother-in-law will have everything he needs to make sure Slade survives. Between him, my mate, Diane, and the professor, your mate will be up and around real soon, chewing out your ass for running off without him and parading around naked with a bunch of male shifters, who were equally naked.”

  Rissa knew the woman was trying to make her laugh, to ease the tension that had a death grip around Rissa. Instead, all she could do was picture Slade lying in the grass covered in blood. If he’d felt even a fraction of what consumed her now when he’d found her in a similar position, then she understood his need to keep her close at all times.

  “He was trying to get to me,” Rissa whispered.

  “That he was,” the woman agreed. “You’ve got a fiercely protective mate.”

  “Yes,” Rissa agreed.

  “Here we are.”

  They pulled up, and Rissa hurried to follow as Jensen disappeared into the medical center with Slade.

  “Follow me,” Vic said as she dodged around Rissa. “I know where they’re headed. I’m Vic, by the way. In case, you didn’t catch it earlier. I know there’s a lot of faces here.”

  “Thank you, Vic.”

  “No problem. I’ll show you where you can wait. The other’s will be here soon. Don’t let them overwhelm you. They care. Slade and the rest of the Holloways are well liked here.”

  “Thank you,” Rissa said again, feeling as if she were stuck on repeat. She wanted her mate. God, she wanted her mate.

  “Please don’t let me lose him.” She whispered her prayer to the universe over and over until it became a mantra in her head. “Please don’t take him from me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  There wasn’t a part of Slade that didn’t hurt. He groaned even before he opened his eyes. Then groaned again as a solid weight hit his chest.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you really awake? Slade, are you awake?”

  “Mmm,” Slade moaned as he wrapped an arm around Rissa and held her close to his side. “Lie still. Let me feel you.”