“Stupid human!” the demon hissed. He closed his clawed hand around her throat. Lindy gasped and scratched at him but she was no match for him.
He slammed her head on the dashboard and Lindy heard a sickening thud. Blood spurted from her forehead and down her face. As blood dripped into her eyes, she flailed weakly and tried to hold on to consciousness even as she felt everything slipping away from her.
She didn't want to die. She couldn't die. She had a date this evening. She finally had a date. And she liked him a lot, more than a lot in fact.
She would like to see him again.
She thought she had time. Time to take it slow, time to grow older, wiser.
She thought of Baxter and wished she could have told him what she'd truly felt the moment he touched her.
So much to do, so much to say, so little time.
His name escaped on a painful breath as she slumped down in the passenger seat. “Baxter...”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Baxter felt the sharp, searing stab of pain as Lindy's voice whispered in his head. She was calling his name.
“Lindy!” he roared as he neared the building that housed the offices of the Behavioral Analysis Department. But even as he ran, he already knew that she wasn't in the building.
She was gone.
His Lindy.
Baxter stumbled to a stop at the bottom of the steps leading up to the imposing office building. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to block out all the noise and that terrible roar in his head. He had to grab on to her voice. Her voice was fading, but it was there. The echo of it. He could still hear her, feel her, feel the pull of her.
“Thank fuck,” he muttered to his bear. His bear had been right to claim and mark her last night. He had stupidly tried to wrestle his bear down when he took Lindy last night but the bear would not be held back from his mate. His big, stubborn bear had done the right thing.
His bear had saved his life on numerous occasions, and now, his bear would save his mate. He had claimed Lindy as his, and there was a mate bond between them. His bear would be able to track his mate to the ends of the earth and beyond. He could still feel her, even though her voice had faded in his mind. He could feel her heartbeat, her pain, her fear. She was hurt, but she was alive.
A Harley motorcycle roared up to the side of the curb. Two Black Bears leaped off the bike and removed their helmets.
“Bax!” Aidan and his brother waved and hollered to him. “We were on patrol two streets away when we got your alert. What do you need?”
Baxter glanced down at his watch. He had punched in a Code Red and activated the tracking function on his watch. His Black Bears had found him in under two minutes.
“I need your bike,” he yelled, running to them.
“You got it!” The two brothers stood aside as Baxter jumped on the Harley. Baxter caught the helmet Aidan tossed at him and revved the engine.
“We'll call for backup! Keep your tracker on!” Aidan shouted after him.
Baxter only nodded over his shoulder as he roared away.
His blood was roaring louder than the motorcycle engine as he zipped between cars and trucks and raced up the steep highway. The mate bond tugged him unerringly towards Lindy, and he could feel himself moving nearer and closer to her.
He could feel her and now, he could scent her.
Her scent made something fierce rise in his chest. The predator and protector rose to the fore, as Baxter gunned his bike towards a tall, secluded condo building.
The condo was an expensive, upscale development and was nestled in a very quiet part of the city. Baxter circled to the back of the development and killed the bike engine.
With a running leap, he scaled the wall surrounding the condo building and landed among the manicured trees and bushes soundlessly. He had the strength of a bear, but he could move like a cat.
Crouching, he ran along the wall, staying hidden behind the trees and flowering shrubs until he reached the condo building. He pushed through a narrow door into the stairwell and bolted up the stairs, three at a time.
He knew exactly where Lindy was. His bear guided him, and the mate bond pulled him towards his mate. That, and the overpowering scent of her blood drove him faster, harder up the stairs, towards the corner unit on the tenth floor.
The stench hit him the moment he stepped out of the stairwell. His hand flew to the hilt of the silver dagger.
“Demon,” he hissed.
The sulfuric stench was unmistakable. The demon hadn't bothered to mask his scent here.
Baxter's blood chilled.
The demon had Lindy.
His mate was in the hands of a bloodthirsty, vicious demon.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lindy opened her eyes and recognized Ross's apartment immediately. He had invited her to dinner once at his place. She felt a sharp, throbbing pain on her forehead and lifted her hand to feel the dried blood on her head.
She was lying on the sofa in Ross's living room. At the corner of the room, she thought she saw a raw, reddish lump lying on the floor. Her vision was still blurry and when she tried to sit up, the whole room tilted and spun in front of her.
Lindy pushed herself up and blinked repeatedly until her eyes could focus again. She stared at that lump on the floor until she could make out the exact shape and size. She stuffed her fist in her mouth to stopper her scream.
It was a human body.
The skin had been stripped from the body, exposing raw muscle and bone. The face was gone and the eye sockets were hollow.
Lindy took a deep breath and forced herself not to retch. She closed her eyes then forced them open again. She would not show fear and revulsion. That was Ross's body. There was nothing repulsive about Ross. She would not be sickened by her friend's body. The demon had left the body there so that she would see it once she opened her eyes.
The demon wanted fear. She would not give it to him.
“Oh, Ross,” she whispered. “How long...”
She turned away. She didn't want to think about how her friend died and how long he suffered before he died.
She heard a cough and saw a blond, young man leaning against the kitchen doorway. He was wearing only a pair of track pants and his upper body was bare. He had the physique of a surfer, toned and tanned. He smiled easily at her as he strolled towards her.
But Lindy saw the uneven texture of his skin and the cruel twist of his lips. She could see the ripple on his face, as though there was something slithering slowly just under his skin. “Palli,” she said without inflection.
“Clever girl,” Palli smiled. “But it's not so hard to see through this disguise. Nothing beats real human skin. It's uncomfortable, but it keeps me hidden longer.” Palli bent and picked something hanging off the back of a chair.
Lindy realized with a shudder that it was Ross's skin. Palli began to put on Dr. Manolo's skin, shrugging carelessly into it as though he were pulling on an outer coat.
The demon spread out his arms and turned around. “There. Much better.”
Lindy forced her face to remain impassive as Ross walked towards her. The demon was very convincing. He managed to imitate Ross's gait and manner of speech perfectly.
“Miss your friend?” Palli said, pushing his face in front of her. Lindy stared into Ross's kind face and scowled.
Palli laughed. “You'll join him soon enough. He was a good man. They were all good, so full of goodness and courage and strength. But their strength has become my strength. And when I kill you,” he curled a finger under her chin. “I will become even more powerful.”
He chuckled and began ripping off Ross's skin violently, viciously. The demon used his claws to rip and shred the human skin off him, making Lindy watch him tear Ross's face into ribbons.
He kicked away the shredded skin with his clawed foot. Lindy kept her eyes on him, staring at the boils on his red skin and the pus running down his bald, misshap
en head. He walked on two legs, adopting human posture, but his features were beastly and his mouth were filled with gnashing, pointed teeth.
Those black eyes were like the darkest pits of hell. Lindy saw nothing in them, no light, no spark, not even her own reflection.
Palli turned to her, and something that looked like amusement flickered across his hideous face. “I think I'll enjoy walking around in your skin for a while,” he said. “I'll be able to lure more good men to their doom if I wear your soft, female skin.”
He laughed and stalked towards her. “Let's get started. I'm sure your eyes and tongue taste delicious.”
Lindy grabbed a vase and hurled it at him. The vase broke over his head but it didn't slow him down.
Palli lunged at her but Lindy had already scrambled to the other end of the room. She grabbed a pen off the table and held it out like a knife. The demon smiled and prowled slowly towards her. His movements were slow and deliberate. He wanted to see the growing fear and helplessness in her eyes. Her terror and desperation amused him. She would fight him. They all did. They would go down fighting, and it made his victory all the sweeter. Cowardly humans were worth nothing. It was the defeat of the brave that was priceless.
Palli crouched and crawled towards her. Lindy backed away, raising the pen to stab him in the eye.
With a cry that sounded like a scream and a roar, the demon rushed at her. Lindy tried to run but those clawed hands held her fast. She kicked and stabbed the pen wildly, but the demon's thick, red hide was impenetrable. When those vicious jaws clamped around her arm, she dropped the pen and screamed in agony.
“I'll let you watch while I tear out your tongue,” Palli said. He pressed his mouth to hers in a grotesque parody of a kiss. Lindy pressed her lips tightly together and thrashed madly, crazily.
Palli reared up and pressed a hand down on her chest. “I can feel your heart, Lindy. Your strong, brave heart. Beating wildly against your chest. Perhaps I should take your heart first.” He smiled and raised his claws.
Lindy saw no chance of escape. She closed her eyes and braced for the shock and pain.
An explosive roar, and she felt the shock.
But there was no pain.
The weight lifted off her chest and she gasped as someone grabbed the demon and slammed the fiend into the far wall.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Baxter threw his entire body against the demon and pummeled the demon's red, snarling face. The demon covered his face with his hands and when the demon lowered his hands, Baxter blinked in disbelief, his fist suspended in the air.
He was staring into the innocent face of a young child. “Please, please don't hurt Palli,” the child whimpered.
Baxter began to lower his fist, but he heard Lindy scream behind him. “Palli is a liar! He's a demon! He killed Ross, and he wore his skin to fool everyone. He killed all those innocent people...” Her scream broke into hysterical sobs.
The sound of his mate crying, the scent of her tears, fear and rage pushed his bear to the fore. He shifted into a big, black bear and attacked the demon relentlessly, mercilessly with his claws and teeth. But the demon's hide was thick and tough, and despite using all his strength, he only managed to inflict thin scratches on that blistering red hide.
Palli laughed and kept changing faces to confuse and taunt Baxter. When the demon took on Lindy's appearance, Baxter staggered back. Then he shook his head hard, and charged. That wasn't Lindy. It was the demon who had hurt Lindy.
The demon was a cunning, cruel and remorseless killer. But he seemed to be indestructible. Every blow and bite glanced off his tough hide, inflicting only minimal damage.
Shit! Baxter suddenly remembered the dagger.
He had to use the dagger to destroy the demon.
Baxter shifter swiftly back to human form and reached for his dagger on the floor. But Palli kicked it out of his reach and skidded forward to snatch up the dagger.
“A dragon dagger,” Palli mused, turning the dagger over. “You carry a powerful weapon, bear shifter. And you came here thinking to destroy me.” The demon bared his serrated teeth in a smile. “But I'll use this to cut out your bear heart. This blade will cut through your bear skin like butter.”
Baxter snarled, crouching slowly. He had to get the dagger back. Without it, he couldn't destroy the demon.
And what the hell was taking Dylan and the rest so long?
They would have gotten his alert and location by now.
From the corner of his eye, he saw that Lindy was crawling to the broken door. She seemed to have twisted or broken her leg, and she couldn't stand. He could hear her panting in pain as she dragged herself along the floor.
Hurry, he urged her silently. Go, Lindy.
Baxter turned at the flash of silver. The demon flew at him, with the dagger raised high above his head. He was aiming for Baxter's heart.
Baxter rolled away and the blade stabbed into the marble floor. The demon wrenched the blade out and spun to attack again.
Baxter let Palli pin him down and let his body go limp. When the demon howled in triumph, he slashed his claws quick and hard across the demon's face. The demon jerked back and Baxter used all his strength to throw him to the ground.
Palli turned the blade towards Baxter's throat and pushed. Grunting, Baxter fought back, twisting the silver blade slowly, tortuously towards the demon's chest.
The dagger shimmered and shivered between them as they wrestled furiously.
Baxter heard footsteps and voices, and he smirked. His backup had arrived.
“Now!” Baxter yelled.
Two blades flashed above him and plunged down.
With a forceful shove, Baxter pushed the dagger straight down.
The three silver blades pierced the demon's heart together. Baxter looked up into Dylan and Luke's grim eyes as they held on firmly to the hilt of their daggers. They weren't going to let go until they were sure the demon was thoroughly, completely destroyed.
The demon's body arched off the floor. With an eerie, high-pitched wail the body disintegrated into smoke and ashes.
“What took you so long?” Baxter snarled at Dylan.
“Traffic was a bitch,” Dylan deadpanned as he picked up the three daggers from the pile of ashes.
Baxter turned and saw Thor and Aidan supporting Lindy between them. A team of Black Bears stormed into the apartment, weapons drawn.
“It's done. We got him,” Dylan told them. “Call off the other teams.”
“Yes, sir.” The team leader barked his command into his watch immediately.
Baxter took a dazed, weeping Lindy into his arms and held her tightly. “It's over now. You're safe,” he said, kissing her face, her hair.
She was shaking but she managed to give him a smile. “I thought of you the whole time,” she said. “I never stopped thinking of you.”
He smiled back. “I love you, Lindy. I...” He closed his eyes briefly. “I could have lost you. I don't...”
“Shh.” Lindy pressed a finger to his lips. “You could have, but you didn't. I could have forgotten you, but I didn't.” Her voice was soft, and it seemed to be fading. “I could have said I love you last night, but I didn't. You didn't lose me, Baxter. You found me. And I finally found love.” She smiled as her body began to sag in his arms. “So little time, Baxter...so little time...” she whispered.
“Lindy...” Baxter roared. “Get out of the way! I have to get her to the hospital! Lindy, hold on, just hold on!”
“I love you,” she said just before her eyes closed.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lindy felt something warm and heavy in her hand. She turned and saw Baxter's cheek pressed against her palm. He seemed to be sleeping but he kept her hand firmly pressed to his face.
Lindy studied his handsome face for a long while. Was this real? Was Baxter really here, holding her hand, murmuring indistinctly while he slept? Was he dreaming? Or was she?
Lindy reached out and smoothed over the furrow between his thick brows with her fingertips. At her touch, Baxter stirred and muttered her name.
“Lindy...” He blinked and met her eyes. “Lindy!” He jerked upright. “You're awake...how do you feel? Can I get you something? Tell me what you need. Anything...”
She laughed. Her voice sounded scratchy and unused, but it was a laugh nevertheless. He looked so flustered and relieved and bewildered. His huge hands were shaking as he poured her a glass of water and helped her sit up.
She took a sip and felt better. She looked around and realized that she was in a hospital.
“The doctors said you hurt your ankle, and you got some nasty cuts but you're okay,” Baxter said, answering her silent question as he took the glass from her. “You just need to rest. Lots of rest, and lots of good, healthy food and fluids.”
She nodded and took a good look at him. Baxter's hair was in a mess and there were dark circles under his eyes. His clothes were rumpled and there was stubble shadowing his jaw. He looked like he hadn't slept in days or weeks.
“Are you sure you're a Black Bear?” she teased, trying to chase away the worry in his eyes. “You look like a panda bear!”
He smiled. “Oh, Lindy,” he murmured, kissing her palm. “I love you so, so much...”
“I love you too, big bear.”
His smile grew shy suddenly. “I...I hope you'll love the little bear too.”
“What little bear?”
“The one...growing inside your tummy.”
Lindy blinked at him. Then she gasped as the meaning of his words hit her.
“Are y-you saying...that I'm pregnant?” she stammered.
“Yes. The doctors said so.”
“Oh...” She had to close her eyes for a long moment.
“Lindy.” Baxter took her hand tenderly.
She opened her eyes to see him kneeling at her bedside. “Baxter...”
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