by Haley Weir
“Then why did you accept the order to protect me?”
“Because I’ve never been able to stomach the thought of you being hurt.”
Destiny rolled her eyes as she walked over to her closet and pulled on a robe. She tied her raven-black hair atop her head and sat on the edge of the mattress. “You were perfectly fine with leaving me in the hands of my father when I was fourteen,” Destiny retorted. “I was in danger then and you didn’t seem to care. We were supposed to be friends, but you abandoned me.”
“I was barely three years older than you were at that time, Des. Your father was a powerful man and he made it clear what would happen to me if I ever helped you.” Logan set his helmet down and sat beside her. “He wanted you to be the princess in the tower. I was of no use to anyone, not even myself.”
“Why work for him? Why put yourself back under his control?”
“Because it was my last connection to you and he knew that.” Logan ran a hand through his blond locks and then put his arm around her. “You know I’ve always loved you, Des. It won’t ever change, but I know the only way for you to be happy is if you’re with someone else.”
“I had no idea that you loved me,” she gasped. “There was a time that I suspected we had a connection, but why didn’t you ever say anything?
Logan laughed bitterly while shaking his head. “Why do you think?”
Destiny lifted her head and stared into Logan’s eyes. “Father.”
“He was controlling your life even when you thought you had gotten away.” Logan pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “It wasn’t until you came here that he lost track of you. And I honestly don’t know how he found you…”
A knock sounded on the front door.
“Someone must have heard the gunshots,” she grumbled. Destiny made her way downstairs with Logan close behind. She tightened her robe as he hid around the corner. Destiny answered the door. “Hello?”
“Miss Collier? My name is Sheriff Benjamin Stevens. We got a call from one of your neighbors that gunshots were heard coming from your flat.”
Logan holstered his weapon and Destiny felt the tense atmosphere ease a bit. She reached her hand out to the lawman. “Oh! I’m so sorry, that was the television. I should have paid more attention to the volume. You must be Lori’s husband. We’ve missed her at the book club meetings.”
Sheriff Stevens shook the proffered hand. “Sorry about that. With the baby coming soon, we haven’t had much time socializing.”
“Of course. I’ll stop by and see her soon.”
“I’m sure she would like that. Take care, Miss Collier,” Sheriff Stevens said as he turned to leave. “And be sure to keep the television down.”
Destiny flashed a polite smile and closed the door softly.
“He doesn’t believe you,” Logan said from the shadows. “Benjamin Stevens might be a small-town sheriff, but he isn’t a fool.”
“When I first came to Haden Springs, no one spoke to me. The townspeople isolated newcomers like they carried the plague. But, even though the fires caused a lot of damage, it was a tragedy that united all of us. We protect one another in any way we can.”
“So he may not have believed the lie, but he believed you had everything under control?” Logan asked. “Smart. But what would an entire town have to protect from outsiders? Keeping things from me won’t help you, Des.”
She hated how handsome Logan was and how easy it was for him to worm his way back into her life. Destiny shook her head. “You won’t tell me how my father found out I was in Haden Springs. You won’t tell me why he wants to shield me all of a sudden. What makes you think I’ll tell you anything? These people trust me now and I won’t throw that away. I’ve got friends and a community. I belong somewhere.”
Logan moved closer, crowding her space until all she could smell was gun oil and fresh scented aftershave. “You’ve always belonged with me.”
“But I could never be happy with you, remember? The only way for me to be happy is with someone else.” Destiny crossed her arms and leaned against the door. “Don’t come here and think that you can manipulate my emotions. Something you and my father might not be aware of is that I’m seeing someone.” She didn’t wait for a response.
Destiny walked around Logan, but his arm shot out to block her path. He pressed her against the wall and snarled into her ear. “I was your first friend, your first love, and the first man to ever see those pretty eyes roll into the back of your head. There was a time when I could undo you with a single kiss.”
“That was before you held a knife to my throat and told me that my father sent you to eradicate me,” she hissed. Destiny ducked under his arm and headed for the bathroom to shower. Nerves caused her stomach to twist and clench as waves of nausea ripped through her. She had to find someone before Logan realized that there was no other man.
When she emerged from the steaming bathroom, Logan was perched on the edge of her bed. His gaze slid over her curves like a caress, eyes so intense they caused her to shiver. “You’re more beautiful than I remember.”
Destiny snorted humorously. “I’m not as thin as I once was, so there’s no need to lie, Logan. Losing weight has been hard enough without you making fun of me…”
“I’m not,” he replied. “You look better…softer.” The last word was more of a growl than anything and Destiny stepped into the closet to change, aware of his presence even after she closed the door. Logan was trouble. She didn’t need trouble in her life when the town was still healing from the fires.
Destiny picked up her phone and finally replied to the email she received months ago from the Kodiak Dating Agency. With any luck, she would be paired with one of the legendary protectors like her friends had. Both Jenny and Sapphire were fortunate enough to be the mates of Haden Spring’s infamous bear shifters.
If Destiny could find one of her own, then it would be like living out an adventure from one of her favorite books.
A demanding knock banged against the door and Destiny nearly jumped out of her skin. “Patience was never something you were any good at,” she shouted.
“I’m not paid to be patient. I’m paid to protect you.”
“And who’s going to protect me from you?” The laugh that followed her words caused her lips to curl into a slight smile. Deep inside, she had missed the playful banter, but she knew they could never go back to being friends.
Chapter Two
Brock Wasting clutched the sweat-soaked sheets with a white-knuckled grip. Perspiration beaded on his forehead as he thrashed, limbs tangled in the comforter. The bed squeaked in protest as his back arched painfully, mouth opening in a silent scream as the nightmare…no, the memories wreaked havoc on his mind. Brock shot out of bed and tumbled to the floor. Eyes like molten silver blinked in the darkness as his screen of his phone illuminated suddenly.
“Hello?” he grumbled.
“We need to talk.” The line went dead, but there was no mistaking who had dialed his number. Brock had made many mistakes in his life, but there was one in particular that never failed to bite him in the rear. In an attempt to pay back a debt that he owed to some extremely dangerous men, Brock had contacted a conspiracy theory podcast and sold photographs and videos of himself shifting into his bear form. At first, the transactions had been innocent and no one had gotten hurt.
But three years ago, a group of hunters arrived in Haden Springs because of his foolishness. A man named Corey Reed led the hunters. He was a super soldier that left his work with the military to capture what they called abnormal human-animal amalgamations for an enigma known as Hydra. Though Brock had never met Hydra himself, he had the pleasure of being tortured at Sector A—a facility owned and operated by the elusive figure that fancied himself a “collector of oddities.”
Brock swallowed down the taste of bile that crawled up his throat and climbed to his feet. He walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light, flinching at the sight of the many scars that littered his b
ody. Brock knew that his friend Anders McKinney had experienced the horrors at Sector A, but the only person who Brock felt understood his pain was the man who had put him there.
An hour later, Brock arrived at the small grove in the mountains where Corey and his crew had set camp. A few months back, Sapphire White—Brock’s best friend and Anders’ mate—had nearly taken out their entire operation on her own. Sapphire’s actions forced Corey to relocate their camp, hidden deep into the mountainous terrain that surrounded Haden Springs.
“You’re late,” Corey snarled.
“I didn’t know I had a deadline.”
“That sarcastic mouth of yours will get you killed.”
Brock tilted his head and gave Corey a childish pout. “I think you of all people know I’m not that easy to kill.” He sat beside the super soldier and accepted the proffered flask from those strangely pale fingers. The shockingly symmetrical and almost pretty face of his unlikely ally never failed to amaze him. In fact, on their way back to Haden Springs from Sector A, Brock had teasingly called him Snow White even in his near-death state.
“We need to talk about what happened.”
“You sent me off in a helicopter while I was dying and I woke up in the last place I wanted to be,” Brock sighed. “You stood and watched as those doctors took me apart and put me back together again before they shoved me into a hole in the ground. Did I miss anything or would you like to fill me in?”
“You conveniently forgot the part where I broke you out of the facility.”
“Only to save yourself.”
“Still,” Corey began. “You only survived because I made it so.”
“And why did you break me out? You never said.”
“That…is something we’ll have to discuss another time. What I need you to do is keep my involvement in your return a secret.”
Brock turned to face Corey and shook his head. “Absolutely not. I can’t lie to my brother and my friends anymore than I already have.”
“I need you to do this…”
“Why? So you can set fire to the forest again?” Brock asked accusingly. “You came here to accomplish a mission for the first time, but your tune changed at the facility for reasons you won’t tell me. I allowed you to return to Haden Springs so that you could lay low until Hydra’s men left the area. But I won’t lie for you.”
“Your brother will kill me if he found out—”
“It wouldn’t be anything less than you deserve.” Brock felt a hard blow to the chest. It was so powerful that it knocked him out of the chair and sent him sprawling backwards. He rolled into a crouch. “Think that’s a smart thing to do while I’m on edge?”
“I’ve fought bigger bears than you. Don’t forget that I saved your life. You owe me.” Corey stood over him, casting a shadow upon the harsh planes of Brock’s face.
“Oh, I won’t forget,” Brock drawled. “Just like I won’t forget that you put my best friend in a coma and that you’re the reason a lot of good people are dead.”
“Casualties of war.”
“One only you are fighting.” Brock jumped to his feet and stood toe to toe with Corey. Neither man swung at the other, but a silent challenge passed between them, crackling like a livewire. “I won’t tell Michael you’re here or that you helped me, but not offering information isn’t the same as keeping a secret. If he asks…I will tell him.”
The super soldier stomped away, kicking up dirt with his boots. In the distance one of Corey’s mines went off, signaling someone approaching the camp. Just the sound of the minor explosion sent Brock hurling through an onslaught of vicious memories. He could hear the noise of broken screams in the air as though he was still at the facility. Hands gripped his shoulders and forced him to the ground.
“Breathe,” Corey demanded. “There you go…slower! Don’t hyperventilate.”
A guttural roar escaped Brock’s lips and he felt himself losing control. Corey held him down, pinning his arms to the dusty forest floor. “Run!” he tried to warn the hunter, but he foolish human did not heed his warning.
“In through the nose and out through the mouth. Come on.”
Slowly, agonizingly so, his vision began to clear. Brock gulped down a mouthful of air and nodded to Corey to indicate that he was under control again. The human stood up as Brock rolled over to expel the contents of his stomach into a nearby bush. “Go. I’m fine. Make sure no one got hurt.”
After Corey disappeared into the trees, Brock took his time heading back to his truck. He tried to let the serenity of the forest flow through him and sooth the tension in his body. Since returning to Haden Springs, Brock hadn’t gone back to work at the fire station. No amount of coaxing from his old comrades had persuaded him. Each time he looked in the mirror, he expected to see the burns that once covered his body, but whatever they did to him at the facility healed his old injuries.
The only things that marred his flesh now were the scars he earned there. He wanted to believe that they hadn’t fixed him just for the sake of tearing him to pieces all over again. Brock was lost in his thoughts when he climbed into the truck. He barely caught sight of the text message that lit his screen, but the Kodiak Dating Agency name on the contact never failed to make his stomach sink.
Brock had only joined the agency to help Michael when he was first launching his business after college. All of their friends had as well, but no one expected to ever get a response. The service was intended to match people locally and most of the people of Haden Springs were already accounted for. He slid his thumb across the screen and balked at the message.
BROCK, after careful deliberation, we think that DESTINY is the perfect match for you. If she agrees to the date, the two of you will enjoy a wonderful evening at BOOKS & BAUBLES tomorrow at 7 PM. Reply ‘YES’ to this message if you would like to go on a date with the match we’ve chosen for you.
He shoved his phone in his pocket without answering, but the message weighed on his mind. Brock pulled into the parking lot of Kodiak Dating Agency and walked inside of the impossibly modern building in the midst of an otherwise traditional town. Lori, his brother’s partner, followed him into the elevator. She looked at his clothes and quirked a questioning brow, but said nothing.
Even so, Brock felt the need to explain. “Hiking. I had to clear my mind.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Brock. It’s not my place to judge what you do with your life. But…what brings you here?”
“I need to talk to my brother about a few things. He’s been asking to see me, but I haven’t had time. Hey, do you know anything about the text I go from the agency today? It just seems sort of sudden.”
There was a cunning glimmer in Lori’s eyes as she leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Of course I know why you go the text. Don’t think too hard on it. There was never anyone compatible with you until this afternoon, a new candidate.”
Brock didn’t trust the knowing smile on Lori’s face, but he decided not to hound her about the text. They exited the elevator together and Brock finally saw his brother for the first time since Sapphire’s wedding. “You look like crap.”
“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
“Yeah, if that’s what you want to call it.” Brock sat in the chair in front of his brother’s oversized desk. “I’ve been busy with a few things, so I haven’t had time to come by until now. Sorry.”
“Busy with what?” Michael asked, his face forever impassive. “You haven’t been back to work and, from what I hear, no one else has seen much of you lately either. Dorian says you’re reckless and don’t pick up when he calls, Anders is concerned that you’re not taking care of your mental health, and I’ve got to say that I agree.”
“With the recklessness or Dr. Sensitive thinking I’m a nutjob?”
Michael smashed his fist down onto the desk, causing his coffee to spill. “Enough deflecting! If you don’t want to talk to me about this, then fine, but talk to someone. Hell, talk to Sapphir
e for all I care—”
“I can’t,” Brock said while hanging his head in shame. “I can’t talk to Sapphire, not when I feel responsible for what happened to her.”
“You are responsible for what happened to her. You’re responsible for what happened to everyone. It might have been Corey Reed leading those hunters, but you’re the reason they knew about us in the first place.”
“Don’t…don’t keep throwing that in my face, Mikey.”
Michael stiffened. Brock watched the muscle in his brother’s jaw twitch. He stood up and rounded the desk to stand beside him. “I know you’re disappointed in what I’ve done, but I’m back. I’m not the same man I was. The things that happened…”
“Anders was there too, you know. You aren’t alone in this.”
“But I am. Anders might have been held at the same facility and went through something similar, but it was like they hated me. It wasn’t just experiments and forcing me to submit. They hurt me because they liked it and because it was entertaining to watch me change,” Brock revealed. “I can’t tell you everything right now, but just know that I’m trying. Heck, I might even have a date this week.”
Michael’s head snapped back as he stared at Brock in disbelief. “You were always a helpless romantic while Anders and I ran from that part of life, but you…deserve love no matter what mistakes you’ve made in the past. I’m happy for you.”
“I’m glad that you’re supportive of my love life. I only hope that one day, I can make you proud to say that you’re my brother.”
“I have the same hope.”
Chapter Three
Destiny leaned over the counter next to the register. The morning traffic had slowed to a light trickle, allowing her some time to cram in a few chapters of the latest book assigned to The Ladies In Waiting Book Club. It was Sapphire’s cheeky idea to choose a series of smutty romance novels featuring an ancient clan of bear shifters similar to the legendary bears of Haden Springs.