by Amelia Jade
“What is it?” Gabriel asked.
Ajax looked rather pointedly between the two of them, then glanced down.
Gabriel followed his gaze, and saw that his hand had inadvertently reached out to clasp Caia’s as they talked about the danger facing them.
“I hadn’t realized you had found a mate, Gabriel. I’m happy for both of you,” he said, a beaming smile blossoming on his face.
Chapter Twelve
Caia
A mate?
Ajax thought that she was Gabriel’s mate. Yet they had only been together in his presence for a matter of minutes. How could he judge their relationship that quickly? She wondered if it was just a bear thing. The whole concept of a mate, that one person that a shifter identifies as their sole partner for life, was foreign to her. She understood it was tied to the idea of a soulmate and being married. Or rather, that the institution of marriage had risen because of shifters and mating, somewhere in the murky past, but that didn’t mean the concept had hit home for her until recently.
A quick glance over at Gabriel showed her that he was just as stunned by Ajax’s proclamation as she was. He’s a bear shifter though! How could this not have occurred to him? Unless, she thought, unless he’s more stunned that someone else saw it, and said it before he had a chance to. That would be much more like him, she thought, smiling internally.
“You can’t tell anyone,” she said sternly, fixing Ajax with her best stare, though she knew it would likely just wash over him.
“If that is your call,” he said, not putting up an argument.
“It’s not exactly what I want,” she said, looking down at Gabriel’s hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “But right now, I think it might be for the best. With our bosses somehow being forced into doing someone else’s bidding, we don’t want to give them any concern to split us apart. Or any leverage over one of us,” she finished harshly, acknowledging what the true reason for their caution was.
Ajax looked thoughtful. “So what do we do?”
Caia felt Gabriel squeeze her hand, giving her the lead. “We’ve also come to the conclusion that the Sapphires are somehow peddling a new drug.”
Ajax nodded. “Yes, Gabriel called me earlier about that. I think one of my former crew were either addicted, or part of the scheme.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, but he waved it away. “The problem is, we’ve searched their apartment complex thoroughly. Nothing was there. Besides, they have two liaisons with them at all times. Unless they’ve been bought, there’s no way the Sapphires could have gotten away with it. And, come to think of it, the liaisons have rotated since the first incident with the Onyx crew.”
Ajax nodded. “Perhaps the Sapphires aren’t the ones making it then?”
“But who?” she responded. “We’re sure Evan of the Ridgebacks is involved somehow, but we’ve been tracking him for a while now, and nothing out of the ordinary has come up besides him showing up at Ben’s place.”
All of a sudden, the light went on in Caia’s head.
How could we have been so blind?!
The Sapphires had been granted special dispensation to live in the city. They were the only crew with that allowance. But the apartments weren’t their only property. It was just the property that they happened to actually use. But the crew had a huge swath of land outside of the city, so that they could exercise their bears outside of the public eye. Which would conveniently allow them to hide a drug lab with relative ease. She wanted to smack herself for not considering the possibility earlier. It was just that everyone knew that the Sapphires lived in town. They caused such a nuisance that folks tended to forget they had other land.
She opened her mouth to interrupt Ajax and Gabriel, who were hashing out theories of their own, but then closed it abruptly. Ajax and Gabriel were bear shifters. She remembered what he had said about trespassing onto shifter territory when they had approached Ajax’s place. Neither of them would be willing to break the rule, not even when it came to the Sapphires. They would drive right up to the front door and politely ring the bell, though she knew they would be seething about it the entire time.
That meant if they had any hope of catching the Sapphires red-handed, that she would have to scout it out. If she could bring back concrete proof, then they could hopefully do something about it.
Her stomach tightened at the idea of sneaking into a bear shifter stronghold. She had few doubts on what the Sapphires might do to her if they caught her away from Gabriel. It wasn’t a pleasant thought either. But if she didn’t do it, the noose would continue to tighten around the entire Valley, and Caia had a disturbing feeling that unless she cut and run now, the overall ending wasn’t going to be any prettier. She couldn’t leave, either. Not without Gabriel, who she knew would never abandon the Valley while there was still a chance it could be saved.
“Whenever we act, we’re going to be need more muscle,” Ajax mused, interrupting her thoughts.
“Who can we trust?” she asked, rejoining the conversation.
“Raphael and Uriel will help if we need them, but I can’t distract them from their daily tasks to assist with the investigation.” Gabriel’s voice was filled with the fierce loyalty for his brothers that she had come to expect.
“Garrett.” There was no hesitation in Ajax’s voice, nor was there room for argument either, which was something she was prepared to do.
“He’s too close to everything,” she said firmly. “Evan is his second-in-command. Besides, Garrett can’t remember anything. Who knows, he could be working for them.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Ajax said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Gabriel was instantly focused.
“This does not leave this room, you understand?” Ajax fixed the two of them with a stare that promised trouble if they betrayed him.
She looked at Gabriel, then the two of them nodded. “Understood.”
“Russell, another bear in the Ridgebacks, revealed last week at their wedding that he is actually Garrett’s stepbrother. Garrett was on his way to visit Russell when whatever happened, happened.”
“We still don’t know what happened though,” she pointed out.
“My guess is that Garrett stumbled upon something he wasn’t supposed to. I’m not sure how he did that, but it would make the most sense.”
“Why not kill him then?” Caia didn’t like voicing that suggestion, but it would have been the logical action if Garrett had been somewhere he shouldn’t have.
“I don’t know, but perhaps someone intervened.” Ajax wasn’t backing down from his support of the Ridgeback Alpha.
“Okay, Garrett it is. Who else?”
“There are a few in my crew that are trustworthy enough for this, as there are a few in Garrett’s. I will speak to him, and ensure that they are ready to move at a moment’s notice if we call upon them.”
“Is that going to be enough to counter the Sapphires, and possibly the remnants of the Opal crew too? We can’t forget that they’re out there somewhere.”
“We need more.
Gabriel looked back and forth. “I think I know where to find a few more hands. Let me handle that, okay?”
She frowned at him, but he didn’t elaborate. “You’re sure?” she pressed.
“I’ll let you know well enough in advance if they aren’t available.”
They talked for a few more minutes before Ajax rose, signaling the end of their meeting. They said their goodbyes and the two of them headed out. She didn’t fight it as Gabriel’s hand sought hers as they walked to his truck. His constant warming presence felt far more reassuring than the thought of what they faced.
“My place,” she told him when he asked if she wanted to go back and get her vehicle from the bar. “And step on it, driver.”
To prove her point, she leaned over and caressed his jaw, her teeth nibbling at his earlobe. Caia needed one thing that night, and it wasn’t a lonely drive home in her vehicle, left alone to contemplate
what they were walking into.
“Roger that,” he said, and he flew back down the road toward the town of Origin and her small little one-level ranch bungalow.
“Are we there yet?” she whispered in his ear several minutes later, one hand resting on his shoulder, the other dipping below his stomach and between his legs.
“Much to my dismay, it pains me to report that no, we haven’t arrived yet,” he said, trying to use formality to counteract the distraction of her hand and its motions.
“That is a shame,” she agreed flirtatiously. Sitting back into her seat, she savored the look of regret on his face as her hand retreated from where it had been gently playing with his cock through his jeans.
He brightened immediately, however, as she took his right hand off the wheel, and placed it between her own legs. She watched his left hand tighten instinctively, keeping the truck aligned with the road, while fingers from his right began to press at her through her pants.
She spread her legs wider for him, enjoying the look of fiendish delight on his face, illuminated as it was by the lights from the dash.
“I really want to get home,” she told him huskily, grabbing his hand and forcing him to press harder. A slight moan left her lips as he hooked his finger just right across her, catching all the sensitive spots.
“We’re almost there,” he said, turning the truck down one street and then another.
“Good,” she said, sitting up and placing his hand back on the wheel. “Because when we get there, you’re going to fuck me. I want you all the way inside of me,” she commanded, watching his body shudder in anticipation.
“We’re here,” he managed to get out, the truck coming to an abrupt halt in her driveway.
Gabriel all but flew out of the truck, coming around to her side and snatching her from the seat. He held her still, closing and locking the truck behind them, before he set her down. His hand never left hers, his massive paw engulfing her completely. She smiled. Despite the persona he displayed to the public, Gabriel was her big teddy bear, and he took every chance he could to act like it—as long as he was positive no one was watching.
Still, she didn’t want someone to cuddle at the moment. Caia needed more than that. She needed passion and fire. A display of his strength and sheer, raw desire. Thankfully, the moment the door closed and their eyes met, Gabriel seemed to pick up on that need.
“Come over here,” he commanded, stepping away from the door and off to the left, into the living room.
“Coming,” she replied meekly, obeying his crooked finger as she wondered what he had in store for her.
He didn’t speak. Instead, his eyes devoured her body before his fingers started removing her clothing. In seconds, he had her stripped down and naked in front of him while he was still clothed.
“Turn around,” he ordered, and she obeyed. “Close your eyes.”
She heard a rustling sound and seconds later Gabriel’s naked body pressed up against her from behind, the searing heat burning her skin as he held her tightly. Hands wrapped around her, dragging up her sides until they cupped her breasts, while his mouth carved a line of delicious pain-filled warmth from her skull down to her neck.
His hard cock was pressed firmly between her cheeks, and Caia took advantage of that, shifting her hips in different directions, teasing him as best she could. Her own hands slipped behind her, grabbing his thighs and pulling him tight against her. Warm honey pooled between her legs in anticipation of taking his cock deep within her, and she hoped he wouldn’t make her wait much longer.
They didn’t speak with words, instead allowing their bodies to do the talking for them. Eyes met eyes, fingers touched and danced across each other, and skin pressed against skin. Their desire and passion gave way to a raw, visceral yearning that both of them longed for. She cried out not in pain but in ecstasy when his hand connected with her ass as he bent her over, taking her from behind with long, smooth strokes that resulted in his hips crashing into hers. Caia fought to keep herself supported as she leaned over the couch, her hands grabbing fistfuls of leather as Gabriel’s hands squeezed tightly around her waist, sending shivers up her spine.
Her cries wove in and out amongst his groans, pushing the two of them to new heights as they relished the pleasure they took from each other. In the face of the unknown, the two of them reaffirmed the most basic instinct of life.
As she lay sprawled out on top of him on the floor some time later, Caia reflected that not only had it been a watershed moment in their relationship, but it had felt damn good too.
She smiled widely before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
***
She rolled over in her sleep, relishing the warmth of the person next to her.
Huh?
There was something off about that thought, she realized groggily.
He’s so warm.
Who was so warm?
Gabriel.
Caia smiled sleepily. Yes, warm, handsome, kind, giving, trusting. But most of all, he was warm.
She liked having him nearby in the morning.
What?
Sleep faded quickly as she sat up, realizing exactly what it was that had been bothering her so much. Gabriel was still in her bed. It wasn’t the concept of it that bothered her, though she wondered if he had been able to sleep at all in the cramped confines. But no, it was the fact that he was there at all.
“Hey,” she said tiredly, giving his arm a shake.
He groaned and rolled over.
“Wake up,” she told him, reaching down to pinch his naked rear end.
Gabriel yelped and rolled back over, eyes flickering open, focusing slowly on her.
“I thought you weren’t going to be staying over?” she said, jabbing him playfully.
He shrugged awkwardly from his side.
“Well, if you’re going to be around for breakfast, then wake up and join me in the shower,” she said, giving him a light touch designed to awaken his senses in just the right area.
“On it!” he said, throwing the covers on top of her and racing across the room for the shower.
“Not quite what I intended,” she said, giving him a fake exasperated look as she followed him into the shower after disentangling herself from the bed.
“Oh,” he said, looking innocently shocked. “I thought it was a race.”
Caia snorted and turned on the hot water in the shower.
“Get in first,” she ordered, moving to grab some towels from a closet for both of them.
Spying a chance for revenge as he began to sing lustily in the shower, she reached in and yanked the handle all the way from warm to the coldest cold.
A loud yelp a moment later told her that her plan had succeeded.
“I give in! No more! Mercy!” he cried a few seconds later, she assumed after reviving the heat.
“Good. Now do as I say,” she said, giving him a wink as she joined him in the water.
Sometime later, after mopping up water that had somehow spilled everywhere, they sat down for some breakfast.
“I have to get back to the office shortly,” he told her.
“Probably for the best,” she agreed. “I have a lead I want to check out anyway.”
His eyes narrowed. “What kind of lead?”
She smiled. “Nothing to worry over. I just want to follow up with some of the folks in town, see if any of us non-shifters have heard of anything. I’ll call you around three, and we’ll do dinner?”
“Okay,” Gabriel said, looking at her warily, though he didn’t call her out on it.
She could tell he didn’t entirely believe her, but she wasn’t planning on revealing where she was truly going just yet anyway. If she looked like trouble was coming, she would send him a pre-typed text to let him know where she was. Then he could come running and do his thing, she figured.
It was their best hope for figuring out what was going on in the Valley. Right then was not the best time for his protectiveness,
nor the rules that he had to play by when it came to the territory of others.
They parted after he dropped her off at the Tongue & Flame, where she could pick up her vehicle from the night before. Although she pondered the idea of trying to talk to Ferro alone, there was nobody there at the time, so she decided to just go take a look at the Sapphire property. As part of her job, she had been required to memorize the locations of the various Crews and where they lived, which made finding her way out there no problem at all.
It was getting in to see what was happening that would be the challenge. There was only one entrance into their territory. At least, that was what the official reports said. Unofficially, she’d heard of another way. There were some hot springs at the far side of the property designated for use by the Sapphires which could be gotten to without too much trouble. From there, she knew it would be a matter of hiking a mile or two in the woods. Not ideal, but not horrific either.
Assuming everything goes the way you want it to.
Caia ignored the voice, because she knew there wasn’t much else that could be done about it. The voice got louder the closer she got to her destination, and there were times during the hike in that it was so loud she thought someone else was around.
Now, as she crept through the brush at an agonizingly slow pace, Caia wondered yet again if she had made a terrible mistake in coming out here alone. The river that gave birth to the hot springs ran almost dead center through the Sapphire territory, so she had followed it all the way to the other side, where there was supposed to be a small cottage for them to use when they were out here.
There most definitely was not supposed to be half a dozen log cabins, she thought as the brush parted in front of her. They looked to her untrained eye to be fairly fresh cut as well. What use could the Sapphires possibly have for six new cabins?
She sank back onto her haunches and waited, watching the buildings from afar. She was hidden from the new buildings in a patch of bushes on the far side of a clearing. There was a car parked nearby, and as another truck pulled up, she realized that the reason there were no buildings on her side of the clearing was because it was being used as a parking lot.