by JL Madore
"It was Bruin who said for us to meet here for a mid-day repast. Besides, where is your sense of adventure, neelan? Lexi once told me the Hearthstone is like fungus on a rock . . . it grows on you."
"That is so not encouraging, Aust."
Aust arched a golden brow and tugged me toward the entrance. "Fash not, Mika, the food is delicious and I shall protect you."
"I'm counting on that."
He laughed and reached for the handle of the oversized wooden door. "The tavern is owned and run by the Were-Lion Prime, Hugh, his foster daughter Bree, and his six sons. They are a landmark on this mountain and command a great deal of local respect."
"Oh, I met Hugh yesterday. He and two of his sons took custody of the orphaned cubs."
"Yes. I aided Bree with the cubs this morning. They are too young to shift, but they seem to understand me when I speak to them. I tried to ease some of their confusion."
"Do you think they'll be safe here?"
He took a moment to consider my question. "Verily, from what I have seen, nobody crosses Hugh or his cubs."
"Weres are a protective bunch, eh?"
Aust smiled. "They would tear anyone to shreds if they even considered making a move on those cubs. I heard, a few years past, a drunken traveller got overly flirtatious with Bree while she served him. Hugh snapped both his wrists without blinking."
My mouth dropped open. "Is that normal behaviour?"
Aust's ice-blue gaze fixed on me. "Yes. Were males are dangerous when it comes to protecting their family and more so when protecting their females. From what I understand that aggression becomes lethal when there is a mating involved."
He heaved open the door and escorted us in. As the door bumped closed behind us, I paused, waiting for my eyes to adjust. It smelled like the midway at a country fair crossed with sweaty dance club. Yum.
One of the lion cubs from yesterday sat between the double set of doors. With his arms crossed over his chest, his t-shirt struggled to cover the heavily banded bulges of his biceps. When he met my gaze, he tapped the side of his headset and nodded. "Afternoon, Ursa."
I stiffened, but tried to return what I hoped was a regal look. "Afternoon, Lion. Please, call me Mika. You are . . . Liam, right?"
"Aye, I'm impressed. Most cannae tell one of us from the others. Good on ya, Ursa." He tipped his head and sniffed the air around us.
"Liam!"
Liam dropped his gaze as Hugh stormed from inside the tavern and glared at his son. "S'cuse the bairn, Mika. Yer scent is none of his concern, but he's a cub yet."
My scent? Really? Did I smell that different?
Liam reeled. "I'm no cub, Da. Dinnae we three turn twenty-one months ago?"
"Aye, I remember, but it seems just this spring past the three of ye were throwing mud-balls at each other and making the lassies scream."
Liam's cheeks flushed and his dimples showed.
"That was this spring past, Da." A petite brunette came to meet us and patted Liam's belly. Tiny as she was standing next to the lion, I got the sense she could hold her own. When she settled in with the group she dropped her gaze and bowed. "Afternoon, Ursa. I'm Bree. What a blessing our Alpha found you. Congratulations."
Bree kept her eyes lowered and didn't straighten. She was a Were, obviously . . . but not a lion, I could tell that much. Dark to their fair, short to their towering height, athletic to their strapping builds, and she didn't have the dark eyeliner look around her eyes like the lions did. What the hell was the protocol for finding out?
My cheeks burned as my empty stomach churned. "Forgive me, Bree, I realize I'm supposed to address your species, but I don't know what that is. I'm likely the worst Ursa in the history of Weres and I apologize."
Hugh stepped over to his daughter and laid two massive, scarred hands on her shoulders. "Nothing to forgive, Mika. You huvnae been born with the nose to tell who's standing before ye. And your bonding's so recent you huvnae learned it yet neither. Bree here, is a coyote."
"Well then, it's good to meet you, Coyote."
Bree straightened, smiled at Aust and flattened her apron against her jeans. "Would the two of you like a table?"
I nodded, and as Bree led us to our table, I leaned close to the brooding lion cub. "Don't worry about it, Liam. I've been known to let loose and fling a bit of mud myself on occasion. You should see my truck after a warrior weekend."
Liam looked skeptical, but smiled.
As Aust tucked my chair beneath me, Bree set menus down on the table. "Are you here to check on the cubs, Ursa?"
Aust picked up his menu, but never took his eyes of the coyote. "First, we shall nourish Mika, then we shall check on them. Are they upstairs or out back?"
"In the yard." Bree tilted her head toward a hall leading to the back of the building. When a whistle sounded from the corner, Bree excused herself and hustled off.
I had to remind myself yet again that I had fallen down the rabbit hole. The tavern looked like your average rough and tumble roadhouse. Booths along the back and side walls framed a wooden dance floor and stage, while pool tables sprawled across a mezzanine situated over the long bar with the usual tin signs displaying the meads and spirits the bar stocked. What made my heart thunder were the patrons.
A woman with glowing peach skin and sapphire eyes sat opposite a table of what I could only guess were Centaur's standing at a highboy near the back, clopping their hooves to the music. There was also a tiny winged couple about a foot tall kneeling on the table across from us, sharing a plate of something that looked like nothing I wanted in my mouth.
"Sprights," Aust said as he followed my gaze. "Those are Lightning Sprights, the largest species of their race."
What do you say to that? Nothing came to mind.
Aust didn't seem to notice my lack of focus, or if he did, he was gentleman enough not to mention it. He pointed to the stage. "It looks like the house band, Thunder Roar, is setting up for tonight. The band is made up of Hugh's three older cubs, plus Nash, and Bruin's brother Julian. Julian said the band is gaining quite a following on campus."
"Actually," Bree said, laughing as she set down two glasses of water with lemon. "He said the band might one day rival the Highbornes for groupies. Aust is just too modest to quote him."
Aust sat back in his chair and ducked his head. "Mayhap, my brothers attract that kind of notoriety, neelan, but not I."
Bree laughed again. "Please. Why do ye think yer nature expeditions and wildlife workshops are filled to capacity? Do ye really think that many women are interested in honing tracking skills? You and Tham are the only Highborne bachelors on campus. Yer a hot commodity, Aust. There's even a website."
I held back laughing as Aust's ears blushed right up to the tips, but couldn't let that go. "Really? What's the site name, I'll have to check it out."
Bree licked her finger then made a sizzle noise as she touched Aust's shoulder. "HighbourneHotties.Fair."
After we teased Aust a little more, Bree left to put in our order. Aust watched her until the kitchen doors closed. When he caught me watching him, his ears flush pink. Again.
I patted his hand on the table. "She's adorable, Aust—"
Wooden chairs scraped the floor and I turned toward the door, the nape of my neck prickling. Three men wearing black fatigues strode inside and stalked straight toward our table. The tavern's social hum fell silent.
The leader, a tall, olive-skinned man with slicked, black hair and even blacker eyes offered me a seductive smile that had my senses reeling worse than ever. His smooth gate gave off the illusion of nonchalance, but his body language, and the way he assessed the room, said different. The closer he got, the stronger my urge to run grew.
The two brutes backing him up were—oh, god. The stench of fetid death hit me like a wall. My mind stumbled on the rotting features, the reek of the air, the unnatural energy—Scourge.
Aust drew a long knife from his belt, pulled me out of my chair and behind him.
Be
fore I caught my breath, Bruin appeared in front of us both. He didn't step in front of us. He Flashed. The muscles of his arms and shoulders flexed as he clenched his fingers into fists. "That's close enough. Back the fuck off, asshole. And leash your mutants while you're at it."
The Scourge soldiers curled their lips and bared jagged teeth. A chill shot down my spine.
The leader moved to sidestep Bruin, but found his path blocked. His ebony gaze glittered with coy amusement. "I simply want to meet the new Ursa, Bruin. Won't you introduce us?"
I shook my head, his voice echoing in my mind. There was something waaay wrong with this guy. The cadence and tone of his voice seemed charming on the surface, but there was an edge to it. Magic maybe? Whatever it was, it felt invasive and I knew enough to fight it.
Bruin rolled on the balls of his feet and shook his head too. "Who the fuck are you?"
The sadistic current of the guy's laughter made my skin crawl. Bruin's too, judging by the way his body stiffened in front of me.
"Well, that's a blow to my ego," the guy crooned. "Welcome into the mix, Miss Silverbrook."
The air crackled as a rumble tore from Bruin's chest. He seemed to grow larger . . . or maybe the room shrank around us. "You need to leave . . . I want you . . . gone, asshole."
The man crossed his arms over his chest and grinned as if something Bruin said amused him. The nauseating tingle on my skin ratcheted and when he spoke this time, I was thankful my stomach was empty. "Haven is a sanctuary, Alpha. A safe zone. My associates and I were merely passing through and heard the blessed news. We are welcome, aren't we Alpha?"
Claws grew out of Bruin's fingertips, long, hooked daggers that could tear a throat out in one swipe. I felt the rush of aggression as his bear surfaced, but something wasn't right. Bruin shook his head again and then fell still. "Of course," he said stiffly. "All are welcome at Haven."
The words were spoken as if dragged out of him and the man's grin grew. "Better. Now tell me, how is your mating progressing?"
Bruin growled. "Mika refuses me. She doesn't understand our world."
"Bruin, wha—?"
The man made a tsk-tsk noise as he waggled a finger. "Imagine. One chance to revive your heritage and reclaim your life and she doesn't even want you. That has to sting."
"Stop this." I stepped out from behind Bruin and grabbed his jaw. Neither he nor his bear were tracking. Aust was vacant too. I scanned the tavern. Whatever was happening had body-snatched everyone in the room. "Whatever you're doing to them, stop it and get out."
The two Scourge stepped closer, but the leader raised a hand and focused on me. "Relax, Miss Silverbrook, relax."
Did he really expect me to obey? Yeah, fat chance. Whatever coercion he was using didn't seem to work on me. It just made me want to throw up on him.
He took a step closer and Bruin growled.
"Hush, Bear," he commanded and Bruin fell silent.
Earth Spirits, please help me. Not knowing anything about the magic in this realm, I had no idea how to protect myself from falling prey to this man's evil. But if he could ensnare a creature as strong and willful as Bruin, I needed help. Earth Mother responded immediately.
My perception shifted. Calm washed through me as my vision focused and the sounds of the world grew quiet. And as my connection to nature strengthened, I saw the sickly, puce strings of magic stretching from the man's throat, ensnaring Bruin, Aust and the other Weres. Long, strands wove a web of dark control, connecting everyone in the tavern.
Either he didn't notice or didn't care that I hadn't fallen under his spell. He only had eyes for Bruin. "What a shame, Alpha, to find your mate only to have her killed. Mundies being so fragile and all. Same terms you were offered a decade ago—a ring for a life. Do you have it or know where to find it?"
A violent rage rumbled from Bruin and vibrated in my chest. "No."
"Pity, then I guess you have some serious searching to do, Alpha. You understand what's at stake, yes? What will happen the next time we meet if you haven't got what I want?"
"Yes," Bruin said.
And with that, the three men walked out and were gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I slumped down in my chair as the hum and chatter of the Hearthstone resumed. A range of emotions surged through Bruin, his bear so lethally wound I wondered if he'd have to shift to work off his mood. In the end, he sank into the chair across from me, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists, his eyes glowing amber.
"Are you all right," I asked.
When his claws receded, he used a napkin to wipe the blood from his fingertips and closed his eyes. "No. What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
He shook his head and winced as if his skull was splitting wide open. "It's there, impressions, a voice, my Bear raging inside me . . . but no. It's a violent, frustrating fog."
"Aust? What about you?"
Aust pulled his golden waves back and secured his hair with a leather band. "Apologies, neelan, I remember drawing my weapon . . . but I am unsure why. I am afraid my memory is no clearer than Bruin's. Do you remember what occurred?"
I recounted everything that happened from the moment the chairs scraped the floor until the three intruders strode out. Neither of them remembered any of it. Aust excused himself to speak with Hugh and Bree came over with a tray of drinks.
Bruin accepted the beer she handed him and downed it without pausing for breath. Then he pulled out his phone and held it to his ear. "Julian, something's happened."
After relaying my account to his brother, Bruin hung up. "I'm sorry. Whatever happened to me, I couldn't fight it. You were left you to defend yourself again. I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "Who was that?"
"I honestly don't know." But by the clench of his jaw I knew he had an idea. Fine. If he didn't want to speculate, I could let it drop. For now. He scrubbed rough fingers through his hair and grumbled. "No one should be able to do that. To make me obey a command like a cub."
After seeing how Bruin fought and how the other warriors treated him with both fear and respect, I believed the Were-King stood at the top of the food chain of this realm. And if not at the very top, then at least a long way up. Despite the bewilderment and fury bleeding from his pores, I had a feeling almost anyone would have fallen victim to that level of evil.
So why not me?
"What did he mean by . . . a ring for a life?" I asked.
Bruin scowled. "When my family was killed . . . when the Scourge came . . . father and I had been away. He'd Flashed me around the world and introduced me to the Primes of each species. We'd been gone over a week when he felt the first member of our sleuth die."
"Felt it?"
"Yeah, as the Bear Prime, his life source connected with the lives of all other Bears. When the slaughter began, he knew at once."
"But you're the Were-King, why didn't you feel when your friends were killed?"
His chair creaked in protest as he leaned back. "Lucas and Amy were Lion, not Bear. It's a Prime thing, not a King thing. Besides, I never assumed my role as the King."
"Why not? If you—"
Bruin rubbed his hand over his eyes and exhaled. "Mika, please, no questions. Let me get this out."
Shit. As a journalist, I knew when to let someone talk, but my nerves had gotten the better of me and there was so much about this I didn't understand. "Okay, sorry. Go on."
He didn't look at me. As he spoke, he stared blankly across the tavern. "So, at the time of the attack, my father left me behind. It took me two days to find another Were and get him to Flash me to our den. When I got there, everyone was dead, but a raid party remained. They'd ransacked our lives and demanded Father's ring. Apparently, he didn't have it on him when they killed him and they figured he'd given it to me before returning to defend the sleuth."
"Did he?"
He scrubbed his palm over his jaw. "No. He never took that ring off. Ever. The Scourge left me alive and told me to find the r
ing. Said that one day we'd try this again."
"Why would they want it? Is it magical?"
Bruin rapped his fingers against the wooden table and shrugged. "Not that I know of. I always thought it was symbolic of the Weres' commitment to unite under their King. I never understood why anyone would want it so bad."
"Never a dull moment." Bree placed my lunch and Aust's on the table. Smiling as she flipped the page of her crumpled notepad, she reached to the bottom of her apron from one corner to the other. Not finding what she was looking for she patted her pockets, then reached behind her ear and found her pen. "What can I get ye, Alpha?"
He looked over at me sinking in to my banquet burger and a little of the tension drained from his face. "Another dark ale, a salmon-burger with fries and a side plate of rings."
"Oh this is fabulous." I wiped a gob of sauce off my mouth as Aust joined us. When my stomach growled, I dipped a fry and popped it into my mouth. "But I don't think it's going to be enough. All of a sudden, I am starving."
Bruin smiled for the first time in ages. "Bree is here with her wee pad and pen. Tell her what else you'd like."
My stomach growled again at having the carte blanche. "Can we get an order of the feta bruschetta . . . oh and everything nachos with extra jalapeños."
Bruin chuckled and raised a brow.
"Oh and could we get a dessert menu to look at while we're eating, please."
Bruin's grin widened to full out delight.
After lunch, Bruin and I followed Aust down the back hall of the Hearthstone. Letting Aust go out ahead of us, Bruin stopped just inside the back door. "Hey, remember this morning when you asked if we could back things up a bit? Well, I was thinking that after I finish up a few things, maybe later this afternoon we could lock ourselves in my suite and have a movie marathon. You know, just relax and escape from the world for a few hours."
"And hide me away from the wacko creepy man and his goons?"
Bruin shrugged looking unrepentant. "Two birds. One stone. Besides, Julian will figure things out whether or not we’re hovering over him. Besides, it could still be nice."