by Julia Mills
Taken off guard, Brannoc’s hold on Noah slipped and the male bear jumped to his feet, laughing out loud. “Now, we’ll see who should just give up and walk away.”
Annie immediately knew that her honorable mate had been trying to give Noah a way out before the useless bastard of an ursa called the wizards. Brannoc had been trying to save the stupid bear’s life, but just as she had suspected all along, the man she now thought of as a traitor to her kin was willing to use any means at all to get his hands on her and leadership of their sloth.
Fighting against the magic, screaming Brannoc’s name over and over in her head, Annie watched as one of the wizards stepped forward, touched Noah with the tips of his fingers, and uttered, “Iompródh,” before simply disappearing.
Bright flashes of magic danced all over Noah’s bare torso. Annie gasped as his muscles tensed and flexed, pushing the limits of his human skin as his eyes took the shape of his bear’s. Movement from the sidelines had the female bear’s eyes darting as far as they could to the right just as Cyrus, whose hands were that of his bear with long sharp claws and immeasurable strength, along with two other male bears who had completely taken their animal forms, ran to Noah’s side.
Sneering, the traitor ordered, “Keep your eyes on the scaly one,” as he walked toward his brother. Once in front of Jackson, who was also being held captive by the wizards’ dark mysticism, Noah slapped the leader across the face and spat, “You are a disgrace. Taking the female’s side. Dad always said you would be the great male leader, the one to bring the sexes back together.” He laughed sarcastically. “The old man was wrong, just like he was wrong about so many things. The day he died was the best day of my life and as soon as I’ve put this dragon down,” he poked his brother in the chest, “I’m coming back for you.”
Spinning around, the cocky son of a sow sauntered back across the Circle with his hands held high, egging the male bears on as they cheered and chanted, “Let there be blood! Let there be blood!”
With her eyes trained on Brannoc, unable to reach him, unable to move, Annie watched her mate take everything in, look for an angle, trying to figure a way to defuse the situation that was already so far out of hand it made the atom bomb look like a firecracker. Praying he would come up with something, she wanted to cry as the four male bears with Noah at the lead moved in for the kill.
She knew from instinct that they would try to form a circle around him. They wanted to trap him, to give Noah a chance to take him down and claim the victory, but Brannoc was too quick and too smart. Stepping back, her dragon spun on one foot and with a stunning display of grace and power, did a flying roundhouse kick that perfectly connected with Cyrus’ jaw.
“One down, three to go.” Annie let the thought float through her mind while watching two full grown grizzly bears advance on her mate. She wondered why he didn’t call his dragon. The bears had broken the accord. It was now a matter of survival.
Looking inward, she followed the connection she shared with Brannoc to a dead end she immediately recognized as the wizards’ black magic. She wouldn’t have believed it possible if she hadn’t experienced it for herself, but the bastards were even tampering with the bond she shared with her mate. It wasn’t that her dragon was still blocking her; it was them. The worthless zealots had blocked their communication.
Then she had an idea. Backtracking their link, Annie changed the direction just a bit. Although not able to communicate with him, she could see Brannoc’s dragon, fighting against the evil magic, attempting to break free and help his Guardsman. It seemed impossible, but they had even tampered with the mighty beast. Furious at the events taking place and even more livid that she was left to watch in utter helplessness, Annie’s heart ceased to beat as she watched a bear she recognized as Smith, from the patch of black hair on his stomach, stand on his hind legs and lunge with outstretched claws toward Brannoc.
Her Guardsman swerved to the left, spun on one foot and then swerved to the right, missing most of the grizzly’s claws but still having one treacherous talon slash across his midsection. Blood wet her mate’s torso and the front of his jeans but her dragon fought on. Annie watched in revulsion as the other bear, Adam, came at her Guardsman from behind, swiping his huge paw down the back of Brannoc’s leg, ripping denim, skin, and muscles until it resembled a bloody mass of raw meat. But he still fought on as if nothing had happened.
Several quick steps backward brought the bears to the front of the Guardsman and the Guardsman to the edge of the Hallowed Circle. The wizards rushed back, still chanting but very careful to stay as far from the fighting as possible. Noah screamed for them to hold their positions, but the ones closest to Brannoc disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
Stepping out of the ceremonial fighting arena, the Guardsman continued to duck and weave, avoiding the bear’s claws and teeth while watching Noah keep his position behind his compatriots, snarling orders but not entering the fight. Stumbling over a large branch, Brannoc did a backward somersault, grabbed the piece of wood on his way over, and jumped to his feet holding it like a staff before him. Annie had no idea how he was even still standing, much less fighting, but she thanked every deity she could think of for his strength.
With both hands chest-width apart and the branch parallel to the ground, Brannoc began moving the ends of the staff in a figure eight, using outward thrusts to push back the snarling grizzlies and extend the distance between them and their claws. Noah shouted for the bears to advance, or at least hold their positions, but the ursa stayed back. He kicked them both on the hind quarters, ordering them to attack, but Smith and Adam took another step back, keeping a close eye on Brannoc and his newly found weapon.
Finally losing all control, Noah took a step back and ran toward Smith, jumping into the air and landing a flying high kick right above his tail. The bear howled in pain as he stood on his hind legs and turned to retaliate. Noah, however, who was quicker and infused with black magic, threw an overhand left, smashing into the bear’s stomach and pushing him onto his back with gut-wrenching sounds of cracking bones and howls of pain.
Turning to his left, he ran toward Adam, still in bear form and looking on in shock. Never known for his courage, the bear turned tail and ran, disappearing into the night. “Go on, you fucking coward. Run away and never let me see your face again. You are not welcome here and if you return, you will be killed on sight and your carcass left for the vermin.”
Noah’s total loss of control had not only shaken the male bears, who although under the spell of the wizards had still been able to continue their jeers and taunts, but it also unnerved the warlocks, who were no longer chanting but instead, slowly backing away. Too far gone to notice, the traitor lunged for Brannoc, hitting him squarely in the chest. Both men hit the ground; the Guardsman on his back with the bear on his chest.
Using his knees, Noah pinned the branch Brannoc had been using as a weapon to the ground along with the dragon’s left hand and began ruthlessly punching at the Guardsman’s face and upper body. Blow after blow battered her mate as Annie watched on, unable to help, and fearing for his life.
Tears ran down her face. Her vision blurred. All she could do was listen to the sound of Noah’s fists brutally beating against Brannoc’s flesh. Wailing in her own mind for her mate to somehow gain the upper hand. Praying he would find the strength to overpower Noah, the breath froze in Annie’s lungs as the unmistakable sound of metal hitting flesh forced its way into her consciousness, immediately followed by the loud crack and crunch of shattering bones. Silence swept through the meadow as a sickening death rattle echoed through the moonlit night and in its wake, the miserable wheeze of a last breath.
Instantly, the magic holding her hostage disappeared. The bear swiped the tears from her eyes, fearing the worst for her mate but blinking in disbelief to see Jackson standing over his brother’s dead body holding a huge piece of the railing that only a few seconds ago, had separated the Hallowed Circle from the risers.
> Noah’s corpse rolled to the side as Brannoc pushed it off his chest and crawled to his feet. Searching the stands, his eyes met hers at the precise moment a huge wind kicked up and overhead, shadows of wings covered the shine of the full moon. Looking up, Annie could not believe her eyes. There, coming in for a landing, were three full grown dragons in various colors of brilliant blue.
Quickly looking back at Brannoc, she laughed out loud as he yelled, “Where were you lot five minutes ago?”
Chapter Nine
“Better yet, what the hell are you doing here?”
Brannoc was glad to see his brethren but feared the bears might think he had called them. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Annie all but tackled him from behind and asked, “Friends of yours?” With a wicked, knowing gleam in her eye, immediately adding with a concerned look, “Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down.”
“Yes, they are, as you are well aware. And yes, I am, but I’ll be better in a second,” he kissed her soundly, grinned to find her breathless as he pulled away, and added, “See? Lots better and no, I’m not sitting down.” Nodding to her family, minus her mother who was tending to Jackson, who had just joined them still in shock, Brannoc turned toward his brethren.
Introducing them to Annie’s family in the order where they stood, the Guardsman grinned. “This goofball with the crew cut is Lennox, Lenn for short, and he likes anything that goes boom.” He shook the mad bomber’s hand then motioned toward the next.
“This guy here, with the serene look and constant smile, is Pearce.” The Guardsmen fist bumped at the same time that Brannoc said, “And last but not least, this is Declan, but we call him Dec. He’s our medic and resident Joe Friday. If you’re looking for just the facts, he’s your man.”
“And he’s the one who thinks you need to sit down and let me have a look at those scratches,” Dec responded in his usual matter-of-fact manner, pointing toward the risers.
“I agree,” Annie chimed in, physically turning Brannoc as she called over her shoulder, “Hey, guys! Good to see you again. Follow us over here. Maybe you can convince my mate to at least sit his ass down before he falls down.”
“Yeah, Brann. Listen to your mate,” Lenn chuckled. “She knows what’s best.”
“I concur,” Pearce agreed, and although Brannoc couldn’t see his Zen brethren as Annie pushed him toward the seats with Tabby on his other side and the rest of her family leading the way, he could hear the smile in Pearce’s voice.
“All right, all right, but what are you doing here and how did you know where I was?”
“Well, I kinda got my ass chewed for leaving you to do all the work by yourself. So, when I got sick of listening to everyone’s bitchin’, I headed back to the cabin.” Lenn looked more guilty than usual, but before Brannoc could ask what was really going on, Pearce started to speak.
“Yeah, that’s about half the story. Doofus over there was messing with a new detonator and almost turned the Grande Hall into a pile of kindling and since Rian and the Enforcers are back, he decided it was better to cut and run than let them know why Wolfe and Callum were installing a new back door.”
“And he convinced us to come along,” Declan added.
“Once we got to the cabin and you were gone, we tracked the scent of,” Pearce looked at the people in attendance and then pointed to Tabitha saying, “You,” with a smile before adding, “but that only went so far. It had rained and I have a feeling the trail was covered up.” He gave Tabby a questioning look before grinning as she nodded. “But never fear,” he patted Brannoc on the back. “You are still the worst ever at shielding your thoughts. All I had to do was concentrate and there you were, like a beacon, showing us where to go.”
Brannoc looked over his shoulder, worried Pearce had picked up thoughts not meant for him. But his brethren winked and using their unique mental link chuckled, “I only followed you. I didn’t poke around.”
“Thank you,” Brannoc sighed at the same time that Annie snorted, “So, basically you’re hiding out in bear country?”
“I guess you could say that,” Lenn snickered as they reached their destination.
“Well, I’m damned glad to see you and thanks for taking care of the wizards. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” Annie smiled.
“Thanks, we may need to stay away from the lair for just a bit longer,” Lenn nodded, his eyes wide as he looked anywhere but at his brethren.
“At least until someone screws up in an even bigger way,” Declan added, opening is worn medical bag.
Once seated, Brannoc reluctantly let Dec check the gash across his stomach and the wounds on the back of his leg. He had to admit they hurt, but he could also feel his dragon pouring white healing magic into them from the moment the wizards’ black magic had ceased. There was no doubt he would be fit as a fiddle by morning. But, if getting everything checked out made Annie feel better, than it was what Brannoc would do.
Looking up as Jackson finally arrived and it had been decided by all involved that he would live, Brannoc stuck his hand out to the bear and once they were shaking hands said, “Thank you. I know what you did couldn’t have been easy.”
The male leader’s eyes shone with unshed tears as he shook his head, “No, you’re right. It wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do.” Jackson let out a long sigh. “I don’t know how I missed Noah’s decline. How he went completely off the deep end under my watch.” He rubbed at the stubble on his face. “I knew he was hellbent on claiming Annie. I mean, I even let the majority of the males come along tonight, got it okay’d with Niamh and everything, thinking it would help him realize what he was doing was wrong and his mates would be around to console him. I prayed he would realize that he could be a leader in other ways, that the men looked up to him, but…”
The crack of his voice and the way he refused to look up had Brannoc letting go of Annie’s hand, standing up, and grabbing Jackson’s shoulder as he continued where the bear had left off. “But it happens. It’s hard to see changes in the ones closest to us. We’ve all been there. It gets away from us and then, well, we’re the ones cleaning up the mess and picking up the pieces after they’re gone.” The Guardsman looked at his brethren, who all agreed with a nod or a quiet, “Yeah, for sure.”
Wiping his face on the sleeve of his shirt, Jackson finally looked up and just above a whisper said, “Thank you for all you did. I saw you trying everything possible not to fight back, not to hurt Noah. I have it on good authority that you were going to try to end the fight without death. I wish he would’ve heeded your example.” The male leader looked off into the distance and in a faraway tone said, “But he didn’t and worst of all, he involved those fucking wizards. Why did he involve those fucking wizards?” His last words were spat through gritted teeth as the bear glanced back at Brannoc.
“Did the other males know?” Annie asked, standing up and holding onto Brannoc’s arm.
Jackson shook his head. “Only Cyrus, Smith, and Adams, which doesn’t surprise me. They’ve taken Cyrus back to the village and I sent trackers after the other two. With any luck, they’ll find them before the wizards do so that we can dispense sloth justice and thwart any other attempts to overthrow our leadership.”
“I would say it’s a safe bet you get your boys back.” Lenn cleared his throat, looking really guilty as he winked at Declan and Pearce.
“And why would that be?” Brannoc asked, mentally preparing himself for the answer.
Raising his eyebrows, Lennox chuckled, “You wanna take this one, P?”
“Me?” Pearce pointed with both hands at his own chest. “Why me? It was your idea.”
“But…”
Lennox never got to finish as Declan said, “We saw the wizards fleeing. Thought about using dragon fire. Worried it was too close to the bears. Landed. Laid in wait and then killed all that crossed our path.”
Looking at the wide eyes on all the female bears, Brannoc tried to think of what to say ne
xt but thankfully, Annie spoke right up. “Thank the Heavens. I hope you got them all. Bastards deserve to die. Wish I could’ve been there.”
“Well, it was a little more complicated than that,” Lenn sighed. “Damn, Dec, show a little emotion, will ya?”
Declan looked confused, which made the dragons laugh and the bears shake their heads as Pearce picked up the explanation, “I recognized the magic, or rather the spell. It’s the same one those slimy bastards used almost a hundred years ago on that little village by the sea. You remember the one.” He sighed and Brann felt him searching for calm.
Brannoc was shocked at the vehemence in his brother’s voice. Known for his calm, cool demeanor even in the face of a battle, Pearce was letting all his anger out as he went on, “You were all frozen in place, right? Unable to move?” He continued when Annie and her family nodded. “I knew it. Frustrating as hell, isn’t it? It damn sure was for me. Just had to stand there and watch them massacre those people. I want them all dead. It’s as simple as that.”
Then pointing at Brannoc, he asked, “Did it affect you at all?”
“Oh yeah,” the Guardsman agreed. “I was basically human. No dragon, very little enhanced anything. But one of the bears was able to partially transform, two went full-on bear, and Noah was like Superman, still in human form but basically indestructible and fists like iron.”
“What about the other bears?” Lennox asked.
“We were all under the same spell as the females, but some could still speak. Followers of Noah is my guess. Ones he sort of trusted but hadn’t decided about yet.” Jackson answered, shaking his head. “It sucked. I have never felt so useless in my whole life. I only thank the Mother Ursa that the wizards are useless cowards and got scared when Brannoc took the fight outside the Circle. It’s the only thing that weakened their magic enough for me to break free.”