by JL Madore
Bruin held up his hands and sobered. "I apologize. Your . . . Orville is charming, in a unique, only-a-mother-could-love sort of way. I wonder how he hid from the jackals?"
"They probably got thrown off by his scent," I said.
Another chorus of laughter erupted.
Bruin quieted his men. "Sorry. It's just, even as stupid as jackals are, any Were could sniff out a bintur-thing, no problem.
"Really? Okay, big-guy, can you or Cowboy tell me what his scent is?"
Cowboy lifted his nose and sniffed, long and deep from where he stood by my overturned sofa. "I’ve got nothing, Alpha."
Bruin did the same and shook his shaggy head. "All I smell is buttered popcorn. Do you have some kind of weird snack fetish I should know about?"
Now it was my turn to act smug. "No. I have a binturong. Boys, meet Orville Redenbacher."
Bruin leaned in. "He smells like popcorn. Cool. Where'd you find him?"
"Caged in a warehouse on the Canadian side of the border. I followed a lead about the illegal trafficking of bald eagle feathers into the United States and there he was."
"You stole him?" He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.
"Liberated." I corrected. "I couldn't just leave him there with criminals. There was no telling what they would do to him."
Bruin looked at me as if I was nuts. "What about what they would do to you? Were you alone in this warehouse of criminals? At least tell me you had more than a Taser with you."
When I said nothing, he cursed. "We are going to have a discussion about personal safety, you and I."
When he made to reach forward, I raised Orville higher against my chest. "He doesn't like strangers."
"Smart dog," Kobi said. "Probably saved his skin."
"He's not a dog. The layman term for binturong is Bearcat."
"So, is he a bear or a cat?"
"Neither." I huffed, my head starting to pound.
Bruin ended Kobi's taunts by bending in front of me. A guttural grumble vibrated from Orville's chest as he sniffed the bear and held Bruin's gaze. Great, a staring contest. Orville stopped grumbling and—moving more like a sloth than usual—rubbed his wiry silver muzzle against Bruin's chest until the two became thoroughly acquainted.
When he uncoiled his tail from my wrist and climbed onto Bruin, I held up my empty hands. "Okay. Stop the ride cause I'm getting off. How did you do that?"
"I'm good with animals."
Kobi snorted. "Sucks with people though. Can't do shit with anyone walking on two legs . . . well, unless he's naked."
The scowl Bruin threw at his Goth friend was interrupted when his phone rang. He barely spoke a word, but by the time he ended the call, he looked like he'd just been nailed in the gut with a Louisville Slugger.
"What?" Kobi asked.
"Lucas and Amy are dead," he said, the animalistic rasp of his bear distorting his words. They were skinned."
Cowboy reeled. "Son of a bitch. What about the cubs?"
Bruin expression hardened. "I don't have any details. Cowboy, take Orville, Mika's things and the bag from her grandfather's and Flash to the Portal gate. Ask Galan to meet you and have Aust watch Orville until we get there."
"Where are we off to?" Kobi asked.
"African savannah." Bruin moved to hand off Orville who seemed determined not to go. As he grumbled, his tail wrapped tighter around Bruin's wrist. He peeled him off and shoved him at Cowboy. "Luke's place is on the southern tip of the Serengeti. Follow my vapor." He grabbed my hand and tugged me to his side.
"Wait." I straightened and pulled my hand free. "I'll go with Cowboy and Orville and check on my grandfather."
"Not an option. You're with me." He nodded to Cowboy. "Go."
Cowboy didn't even look my way before he disappeared.
"Hey. Don't dismiss me."
Bruin's hand tightened around my wrist and I knew he was about to Flash. I yanked my arm from his grip and came back full throttle at his face. He caught my fist mid-air and gave me a look so scathing I shrunk back. "You struck me once and I allowed it because you weren't aware of who or what I was. That is no longer the case."
Heat burned in my veins and I leaned closer. "Let. Go. Of. Me. If you honestly believe you can bully me into submission, you know nothing about me."
Bruin pulled back, his calm mask as intimidating as his fury. "If you think I'd let you out of my sight when jackals are clawing after you—leave my mate unprotected when you're the only thing I have ever been given by a world that has taken everything from me—you know nothing about me."
Well isn't this a party.
I dropped my gaze and looked around. My living room was trashed, my life in chaos, and Kobi and Savage were studiously ignoring our domestic disturbance. My cheeks flared hot. How had this happened? When had I lost the right of choice?
"I don't want this." I swiped at the traitorous tears falling down my cheeks. "I want you to leave. And I want my life back."
Bruin dragged rough fingers across his jaw. "Look, Mika, I've got a slaughter on my hands and need to focus. If not for me, accompany me so that I can help the surviving family of two very dear friends of mine."
I made the mistake of meeting his gaze. Something told me Bruin didn't ask for what he wanted. He demanded. He took. The fact that he asked for my cooperation, no matter how arbitrary, meant something.
He offered me a tired smile. "Please, you have no idea what our enemies are capable of."
I leaned against the back of the couch and studied the debris cluttered hardwood. "Then tell me. You need to go, I get that, but take two minutes and explain it so I understand. All you've done since this tattoo appeared on my palm is growl and boss me around. Maybe if you tried talking to me, we might get somewhere."
"All right." He crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled. "About thirty years ago an evil sorcerer named Abaddon started seducing the vilest of my realm to create an army. They’re known as the Scourge and are malignant incarnate, death and hatred and rotting greed."
"So why do they want you dead?"
"Weres are the strongest race of our realm, by strength, by number, and by our sheer animal based instincts to survive . . . but we're also aggressive and we fight, even amongst ourselves. We're proud, dominant and more often than not—hot-headed. When my father was elected King, it united all Weres against our enemies. Abaddon probably wanted that kind of force off the table before he made his big moves to take over the realm. He had my entire race slaughtered."
"And you believe Abaddon and these Scourge sent the jackals after us?"
He nodded. "Scourge would be very noticeable in the Modern Realm. They can glamor their appearance to blend in, but they can't mask their stench. Once they give themselves over to evil, their souls decay and they reek like fetid death that got sprayed by a skunk."
"Charming."
Bruin lifted my hand and brushed his thumb over my mark. "I don't know how they found you so quickly, but these men are monsters. They brutalized my sisters. They killed my entire species. As a cub, I couldn't protect any of them, but I won't let them take you. Please don't fight me on this." He brushed my hair away from my face and cupped my jaw in his palm.
After a long, awkward silence, I set my hand in his. "All right. Let's go."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The effects of the Flash lessened the second-time round. By Flash fifty I should be good.
While the last of the buzz cleared from my head, I looked around the living-room of the sprawling ranch bungalow. The front of the house, constructed entirely from glass, extended the length of the building and a portico extended out from there, shielding the interior from the blinding golden light of the African savannah. With grey slate floors and leather and chrome furnishings, the interior felt surprisingly cool.
Bruin sniffed the air and strode toward a sunken billiards area. "Where?" He demanded of the stalky, thickly muscled man staring out the window wall.
The man turned. His flowi
ng mane of gold and russet hair reached half-way down his back. The bridge of his nose was wide and flat, and his eyes glowed a deep gold with what looked to be a natural Kohl guy-liner. "In there," he rumbled, tilting his head toward the hallway.
Savage Flashed in behind us and followed Bruin.
Kobi appeared in a burst of black smoke, grabbed hold of my elbow and escorted me down the two wide steps, past the pool table and to the man with the beautiful mane. When we stopped, he inclined his head. "Lion."
The two men met chest to chest, thumping backs briefly before stepping apart.
"Kobi, good of you to come." The lion man looked at me, his nose twitching almost imperceptibly. Taking a step closer he lifted my hand to his lips. "Welcome, beautiful lady. I'm sorry to meet under these—" His eyes flared wide as his lips touched my knuckles. Dropping my hand like a hot rock, he clasped his fist to his chest.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
His gaze remained glued to the slate tiles. "Ursa, my informality is unforgivable. I had no idea the Bear King had mated and found his Queen."
Well what do you say to that? "I . . . uh, that's all right. It's all been very recent."
The guy didn't move. I looked to Kobi who obviously had no intention of helping a girl out. What the hell? I stared at the Lion-man statue, fist clenched over his heart, eyes fixed on the floor. I swallowed, but my throat remained dry. "Man, I need a drink."
That did the trick. He almost broke into a run as he strode to the kitchen and opened the stainless steel Sub-Zero. "What can I offer you, milady: water, soda or spirits?"
"Water would be fine, thanks." He handed me a glass and I drained it without a breath. It was cold and deliciously wet. I set the glass on the granite counter and realized his gaze had returned to the floor.
Ah balls. "I'm sorry. I'm new to the Were world. Is there something I should be doing?"
He took a step back and cleared his throat. "It is customary for you to address me by my species before I make any direct contact with you, Ursa."
"Oh." I thought about what Kobi did when he walked into the room. I looked at him and tried to project some kind of regal formality. "Lion. Thank you for your kindness."
Amber eyes met mine and his clenched jaw lessened a little. "I am Sloan. It is a great pleasure to meet you, my Queen."
That was going to get old real fast. "Please. Call me Mika."
Sloan shook his head, looking appalled.
Whatever. I set my glass on the counter. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to join Bruin."
Sloan lunged into my path. "Oh no, milady. What's been left in that bedroom is not for your eyes. Best you stay here until the Alpha returns."
"Thank you for your concern. I'll be fine." Patting his arm as I passed, I headed down the hall toward the angry rumblings of male voices and the smell of old blood. A buzzing sound made me pause outside the door. Flies. I steeled myself and entered.
Oh god. My throat thickened and my gag reflex started flexing its will. The carcasses of two huge lions laid flayed to the muscle.
As Savage laid a sheet over the bodies, Bruin's fist flew and sunk into the wall. A shower of plaster bits pattered to the stone floor, his growing guttural roar exploding through the house. It vibrated in my chest and made my heart pound and my stomach sour. After the two dressers tumbled like dice across the room Bruin stormed out the patio door. Tipping his head back, he roared at the bluest sky I'd ever seen.
My heart ached for him. I'd discovered kill sites in my job . . . but these were his friends.
Savage pegged me with an obsidian glare, his hands balled in white knuckled fists, the veins in his neck so tight they looked like cables about to snap. It didn't matter that he was mute; His pledge of vengeance echoed in my ears. And I was intruding.
The hair on my nape stood on end. "I'm sorry. I'll wait in the living-room."
As I rejoined Kobi and Sloan, a wall of dust billowed up from the laneway at the front of the estate and then, settled as a Range Rover came to a stop.
Sloan slid the glass door open and we stepped outside. "The quads. They were staying with another pride. It will be difficult for them to understand. They are only cubs yet."
Stifling heat sucked the air from my chest. I pulled deep breaths, but my lungs wouldn't fill. Bruin rounded the corner of the house storming straight toward the driver of the vehicle. Low murmurings of their voices carried, but their words were lost.
After a long moment, Bruin opened the hatch of the SUV and waved me over.
Shielding my eyes from the blinding sun I stepped out from under the covered patio. I squinted and in an instant I wore a pair of dark tinted sunglasses. My footing faltered as I startled. Bruin's expression said everything was fine. Somehow, he'd used Were-magic to give them to me.
Ducking under the open hatch of the truck, I died a little. Four lion cubs the size of chubby house cats, roused in the air-conditioned luggage bed of the truck. Golden balls of stiff fur with bright blue eyes and tiny brown spots on heads and legs, yawned and mrowlled as they stretched awake.
"Mika, this is Corin, Dilan, Amra and Kiara." He pointed out each cub as he named them. Dilan trotted clumsily over and stretched his oversized front paws up to knead Bruin's chest. Bruin scooped him up, kissed the top of his head and scrubbed his ears.
I rubbed at the tightness in my chest. Their parents may have looked like lions, but like Bruin, they were people too. And these cubs wouldn't even remember who they were.
As each cub stirred awake we took them from the truck. Bruin handed two of the boys to Kobi, I took the third and he cradled the sleepy little girl, Kiara, in the crook of his arm. Walking back to the shade of the portico I realized why the temperature of the house remained so cool. It tucked almost completely into the side of a rocky plateau.
"What happens now?" I asked, as we sat in the outdoor lounge.
Bruin stroked Kiara and she drifted back to sleep. "I've contacted the Felidae Prime. He lives on our mountain and will take the cubs for safety sake. Our entire mountain is protected as a sanctuary. They'll be well cared for while we determine what happened."
"What do you think happened?"
"I'm not sure. Sloan says there were rumours of poachers in the area, so Lucus and Amy sent the cubs to stay with another pride. When neither of them called to check on the cubs it set off alarm bells. When they didn't answer the phone or their messages, he came back."
"Do you think it was poachers?"
Bruin scrubbed his hand over the days of bristle covering his jaw. "No. Poachers would have been no danger to Lucas or Amy, only to the cubs. They won't be able to shift forms for another few weeks. Until then, they are defenseless."
"But you said they were skinned. Poachers—"
"—would have killed Lucas and Amy on the grounds somewhere. They were left in the house and their pelts are gone. No. This was someone who knows about Weres."
"Could it be Scourge?"
Bruin shrugged. "Scourge don't come to the Modern Realm. And Lucas and Amy would have picked up their putrid stench long before they got to the house."
"They smell that bad?"
Bruin arched a brow and nodded. "There are no unusual scents in the house. None. Not human, not Were, not Scourge. I can't figure it out. The bedroom is a fucking Saw movie slaughter house, but whoever pelted them didn't leave one clue. I've called in the dogs. Maybe they can find a scent to follow."
I sat up straighter. "Jackals?"
"No. A local pack of African wild dogs." Bruin's voice was neutral, but his expression made me wonder what else had gone wrong.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
An hour later, Hugh, the Prime of the Lion species of Weres, and two of his sons left with the four cubs. The local pack arrived and oversized painted dogs began sniffing through the house and the landscape in animal form. The pack leader, Trace, walked with Bruin and me, calling out commands and directing the two dozen dogs sniffing the grounds.
"It's a fucking waste," Tr
ace said.
Bruin scuffed the toe of his boot through dry, rocky ground. "That it is."
As Trace's men searched the bushes and combed the courtyard, we walked through the out buildings and snooped through the two vehicles parked out front.
"I wish a breeze would pick up." I lifted my hair off my neck and prayed for a break in the oppressive heat.
"It's good that the air is still. Nothing to dilute the scents." Bruin handed me a hair elastic.
I tied my hair up and smiled at his magic trick. He was a handy guy on an outing.
Savage and several men from the lion pride carried out the bodies of Lucas and Amy and set them near a small mound of rocks at the side of the property.
"What are they doing?" I asked.
"The Were custom is for the bodies of our dead to be returned into the cycle of life. At dusk the local wildlife will come and Luc and Amy will be assimilated back into the food chain." Bruin stretched out his shoulders and rolled his neck for the twentieth time. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that he wasn't much for waiting around feeling powerless.
I slid a glance to Trace who stepped away to give us some space.
"Hey." I nudged Bruin's elbow and slid against his chest. He took my invitation and wrapped heavy arms around my shoulders. "I'm sorry about your friends."
He blew out a long gust of air. "It shouldn't be like this, Mika. Cubs deserve to know their parents and parents should get the chance to raise their cubs. Luc was so pumped about being a sire. It's all he talked about the entire time Amy was pregnant."
I pulled his stubbled cheek down for a kiss. "I'm sure they would be relieved to know that you're watching out for their cubs."
"Amy would kick my ass if I didn't." He lowered his face and nuzzled my neck. Every now and then Bruin's animal showed in the way he moved. Rooting his nose against my skin I felt his bear close. When he drew a deep breath the tension in his shoulders eased.
Relaxing into his embrace I let him hold me until his phone rang. "Yeah . . . No, we're still at Luc's." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair pulling his shaggy brown bangs off his face. "What do you mean missing? How long? Okay, I want a head count. Contact every pride, pack, colony and herd. I want every member accounted for—"