Ursa Unearthed (Scourge Survivor Series Book 2)

by JL Madore

  Give me strength, keep my bagel right where it is and let me focus.

  With my toes set for the next move, I stilled. Either by prayer, my connection with the Earth Mother's grace, or some bizarre twist of fate, a sudden sense of calm engulfed me. The rush in my ears silenced, my muscles coiled with kinetic energy, ready to spring. I would have sworn my fingernails stretched to strengthen my grip as a new sense of confidence took hold.

  I can do this.

  I reached into the small crevice close to my right shoulder and swung my left arm along the rock face. My heart leaped. I held my weight without strain and without fear. I moved my right foot to a small ledge and shifted my weight again. Where my hands moved, my feet followed, and after another twenty minutes, I stepped onto the grassy ledge of the forest, my pants filthy and my blouse ripped and sweated out.

  Huzzah!

  Under the damp umbrella of the forest, my body surged. This was my element, the earthy smell of the moss and bracken, the chirp of the chipmunks playing in the undergrowth, the whisper of the wind dancing in the canopy above. I sank to my knees while I caught my breath. "Thank you, Earth Mother. Thank you, Creator."

  With no path, and all the forest looking alike, I wondered which way to go. Then a strange sense of déjà vu hit me. I considered the direction of the mid-morning sun and breathed deep. Lifting my nose to the breeze, my skin tingled as I caught a scent.

  Somehow, I could smell that Aust was close by.

  On a run, I pushed my way through the brush, startling two red squirrels scurrying over the forest floor. After their initial start, they kept pace with me, chasing one another, darting under brush, over fallen branches, and leaping from one tree trunk to another.

  Where the undergrowth thinned, I manoeuvred through the branches and brush. Effortless. What was happening? In spots, where the growth grew thick or the ground gave way to steep crevices, I used overhead branches to span the distances. Without missing a stride, I jumped up, caught the branches and moved hand-over-hand to the other side.

  I cleared another gap in the terrain and dropped down softly to the pads of my feet. Right behind my Highborne friend and the wolf by his side. Aust jumped and Faolan yelped.

  "Did I startle you two?"

  His ears flushed to the tips of their gentle peaks. "You are a quiet one."

  I smiled as he teased me with my own words and ruffled Faolan's scruff. He looked none the worse for his encounter with Bruin earlier and that was a relief.

  The small groups of students he was with were on some sort of horticultural outing—gathering plants, clipping leaves and dusting off roots—all of them studiously working with their partners and engaged in private conversations. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I need a favor. I need to get back to the castle. Bruin's in a heap of trouble and about to do something stupid . . . well, even stupider than the last stupid thing he did."

  Aust looked up and I recognized the student with the Mohawk and the crescent shaped tattoo marking his cheek and temple. "Nash," he said, "might I ask that you escort the group back to the castle once everyone has their specimens gathered?"

  "Sure, man . . . I mean, yes, sir."

  Aust held up a hand and addressed the group. "Apologies everyone, but I must take my leave. Nash is in charge in my stead and should you have any questions about our lesson, I will be at the Hearthstone this afternoon."

  Aust took my hand and jogged toward a sandy path. Faolan's silver coat caught the morning sun as she ran alongside us. With a sideways glance, he looked me over. "Are you well, Mika? When Bruin Flashed you from your suite . . . he was very angry. I feared for you."

  "Bruin would never hurt me, please know that. His temper is more about him being hurt and afraid than anything." I sighed, thinking about the eloquent entries in his journal. Jade had told me as much, but I hadn't listened. "I'm not saying he wasn't angry, he was, but he's desperate to protect me. Did you know his family was killed by a Scourge raid when he was young?"

  Aust broke stride and faced me. "Has something happened? You seem different."

  I bit my lip and exhaled. "I don't know. Maybe it's adrenaline, but my body seems stronger and my senses sharper. And I feel different . . . about a lot of things.

  Our winding path met with a wide dirt trail and we altered course, making our way through the forest ahead. "How long will it take to get back to Jade's compound?"

  "At this pace, I would estimate a good hour's time."

  "An hour? Dammit, I don't have an hour. Can you Flash, Aust?"

  "No. Apologies."

  I hopped over a gnarled root jutting up from the ground and upped our jog to a run. "Where's a Talon when you need one. We could Flash there in two seconds."

  After a moment, Aust pulled us to a stop, his jaw tight, the furrow between his brow pronounced. "I may have an alternative, though I'm not sure how long I can hold my form."

  Form? "What are you talking about?"

  Aust pulled his hair free from its leather tie and shook it loose around his face. "I believe the reason I have stripes is because of an incident a few months ago . . . it is a very long story which I will tell you at another time. The important point is that I now have the ability to change into a white tiger."

  "And this is the first you thought to mention it?" I wished I had the time to go over all the reasons that should have come up earlier, but I didn't have the time. "Okay, we'll talk about that later. Let's see this tiger of yours and get back to Jade's place."

  Aust released the clasp of the belt holding his thigh sheath. With a speed and gentleness that was unique to Aust and the Highbornes, he buckled the weapon around my hips and tied the tip of the sheath around my thigh. "If we encounter Scourge, I want you prepared. Oh . . . I must undress and given Bruin's mood earlier. . ."

  Good point. I nodded and gave him my back.

  "Would you carry the pack with my clothes as we travel, then set them out when we get to the forest surrounding the compound?"

  I made out the faint rustle of fabric as he removed his clothes and heard him pack his rucksack. When the air around me surged with electrical energy, I couldn't help myself. I turned, catching a beautiful glimpse of Aust's naked backside right before his form shimmered and disappeared. In the flash of a moment, he morphed into a sleek, muscular white tiger.

  "Unbelievable. Aust, you are the coolest friend I've ever had. I swear."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  "Where is he?" I stormed into the main foyer of Jade's house and almost bowled Julian over as he came out of the dining room. "Your brother. Where?"

  "I'm . . . uh, not sure, one sec." Julian set his plate on the round table in the middle of the space and pulled his phone out. After pressing a few buttons, he lifted his head. "Reign's office, but you should—"

  I was down the hall before I realized I hadn't thanked him. Damn. The closer I got to Bruin the crazier I felt. My earlier fury about being abandoned was back in full force. As I pushed the office door open I realized this was Reign's office. I should have knocked.

  Bruin's eyes widened. "How the hell did you get here?"

  "You mean, how did I escape the cave you abandoned me in? How do you think, Bruin? I scaled the fucking rock face back to the forest."

  Bruin had the decency to look stricken. "You could have fallen. What the hell were you thinking?"

  "I was thinking I figured out what the slaughter of your people and the attempts on my life were about. I was thinking I needed to tell you, but was left in the wilderness alone and with no way to call you. I was thinking there was no bloody way you were going to get yourself killed when I wanted the honor of killing you myself."

  My vision had quite literally gone red. I stopped just inches before him. "How dare you cage me like an animal."

  "It wasn't a cage. I left you with food and comforts."

  I stared at him in complete disbelief. "You left me on the edge of a cliff knowing I'm afraid of heights."

  He growled and loomed closer.
"Well you seem to have conquered that fear."

  "Never underestimate a pissed-off female, Bruin. That was your first mistake."

  "And what was my second—"

  A whistle pierced the office and I caught my breath. Reign lowered his fingers from his mouth. "Okay you two, back it off. This isn't going anywhere. This situation is difficult—"

  "Difficult?" I snapped, my chest tightening as his glower zeroed in on me. I drew in a deep, hard breath and fought back the sting of angry tears. I would not cry in front of these two. "Your son doesn't value my arrangement to go to Vancouver and we had a deal. Could you please arrange for someone else to take me through the Portal Gate?"

  "You're not going."

  I whirled on Bruin, his eyes alight with the animal writhing within.

  Reign tightened his lips and looked like he was fighting back a smile. "It's only eleven now. Why don't the two of you cool down and talk this out. We'll meet back here at one."

  Cool down? Not likely. "I will make this appointment, we have an arrangement, right?"

  Reign rubbed his eyes and sank back into his oversized chair. "I will honor my end. This office. Two hours."

  Hot fury raged in Bruin's eyes as his fingers curled around my arm. "Make all the plans you like, my love, but you're not going."

  Reign sat forward and leaned over his desk. "I made my call, Bruin. Mika goes."

  The monolithic desk flew to the side and hit the wall like it was made of paper. Bruin lunged forward, dagger drawn and pressed against Reign's Adam's apple. His shoulders tensed. "You don't make those decisions, old man. She is mine."

  Reign's lips moved in a silent curse. He waited, breathing, sampling the tension in the air before speaking in a slow and soothing tone. "Yes, my son. She is yours."

  Bruin's claws extended past his nail beds and against the flesh of Reign's throat. "I am the Were-King, Alpha of those under my rule and Mika is my mate. Don't you fucking step between me and what is mine—"

  "Enough," I hissed, shifting so Bruin could see me. "You've lost control, Bruin. Get a grip. Reign is your father. You don't want to hurt him."

  "It's not him, Mika," Reign crooned. "His body is laced with adrenaline and those damned hormones. His bear has ascended. Look at his eyes. I'm surprised he's holding his form."

  His form?

  The possession of his bear flowed over me and warmed my body. How was that possible? Whatever was happening with my senses, this pull between us, it couldn’t be real. The fact that he abandoned me in a cave was real. The fact that he glared at me like I was the one who'd crossed the line—that was real. Again, my emotions bombarded and almost choked the breath from my lungs. I fought. Struggled to stuff them deep and lock them away.

  Bruin's lips curled to a cold smile and he turned, distracted from his hold on his father. "Tell me, Mika, what's your secret?"

  "For what?"

  He breathed in deep, his nostrils flaring as he leaned closer. "For cutting off your arousal. When you look at me like that, the scent of your desire hits me. It's sweet and hot, then, suddenly it shuts off. Tell me how you do it and maybe I can control my own hunger as well."

  I swallowed. "I think about how you boss me around—how if we were mated you'd protect me to the point of controlling my every move. You'd tell me I can't investigate any more. I'd do it anyway. You'd lock me in a cage. I'd be forced to shoot you."

  His head canted to the side. "You've got us all figured out, have you?"

  "I'm right. Your actions today prove it." God, he smelled good. I couldn't think so close to him. I stepped back, but he stalked closer. My heart pounded, my fingers aching to brush his skin. He lumbered slowly, pressing forward until I felt the heat of his body warm my skin.

  Pushing away, I stomped out of the office, across the main floor and up the steps of the grand staircase two at a time. I felt him follow, his presence more animal than man. Stalking. Down the hall, past the grandfather clock, and to my door. I didn't look back. I didn't have to.

  My hands trembled by the time I stepped into my room. I wasn't sure if I was about to be strangled or stripped and thrown to the hardwood floor.

  "Mika?" The husky uncertainty in his voice stole my breath.

  I spun, my hands landing flat on his chest. He didn't seem to register the force I used to push him back, which just pissed me off more. "Don't do this. I'm not your property."

  "You are mine."

  I didn't object. This was his bear and Jade had said his bear had claimed me. No sense arguing semantics. "If you don't want me hurt you need to listen. Every time you lock me in a glass house I'll throw rocks until I shatter it. You can't cage me. I won't live like that."

  He growled. "I don't want you to feel caged. I try to keep you safe. You're so reckless."

  "I'm not reckless."

  His brows disappeared behind his bangs and his mouth quirked in a gesture that spoke of the man regaining control. "You scaled a rock-face and climbed out over a lethal drop."

  I caught his exasperation and glanced away to avoid smiling. "Spirited. I'm Spirited."

  Bruin strode away and leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest. As we stared at each other from across the room, the corners of his mouth twitched. "You drive me crazy."

  "You mentioned that."

  "There are moments I want to strangle you."

  "Right back atcha."

  We stood there staring at each other while the current in the air settled and I could see clearly again. It was Bruin who finally broke the silence, his voice once again his own. "Tell me what you figured out. What's this about the Were slaughters?"

  I moved over to my desk and pulled out the folders tucked in my bag. This was my wheelhouse. This I could handle. "I think it's all connected. We assumed I've been under attack because of our bonding. What if I've been targeted because of my case against the Nimithic Group. The first men came at me at Spankz and that was before we had anything between us."

  Bruin's brow lifted. "What has one to do with the other?"

  Grabbing the thick blue folder from the top, I opened it and grabbed the photos. "Three weeks ago, I tracked the sale of large quantities of pelts and exotic animal organs to a warehouse outside Abbotsford. At first, I thought the Nimithic Group headed up a highly organized black market, exotics ring working both sides of the border, but that's wrong."

  I spread out the eight-by-tens. "You said that Abaddon coming here was out of character, right? That the Scourge raids are escalating?"

  "I'm listening."

  "So, how would Scourge sneak up on Luke and Amy and kill them in their own bed?"

  "They couldn't. Luke and Amy would have smelled them coming the minute they neared the house. If they couldn't Flash, they would have at least called for help or fought."

  "Right, but what if they couldn't smell them, or for some reason, they couldn't change form, or maybe they were drugged? That would change the odds, right?"

  "Sure, but how—"

  "A shitload of money and a pharmaceutical lab working with the knowledge of Were biochemistry." I fingered through the pictures and tagged one that had confused me from the get-go. Half a dozen scientists in lab coats and masks hovered over tables of pharmaceuticals.

  "I think they're gathering DNA from the bodies of your missing species and selling the pelts as a way to fund their dummy corporation. I think the Nimithic Group fills their coffers to fund the creation of some pill or weapon that's going to give them the edge while they systematically wipe out Weres. It's not poaching . . . it's genocide."

  Bruin looked through the pictures, then looked at me. "How did you figure this out?"

  I threw up my hands and walked around the table to face him. "That's what I tried to tell you. This is what I do. And whether you like it or not, I'm damn good. My truck, the weekend rallies, my job. I like an adrenaline rich lifestyle."

  "You are going to get hurt."

  I sighed, trying to think how to say this without setting off his
bear again. "I'd rather get hurt than be wrapped in cotton, hating you."

  "Better to hate me than be dead."

  "I would be dead, Bruin." I lifted his hand and pressed our brands together. The discomfort eased and I laced our fingers together and squeezed. "Locking me away will kill me faster than a bullet ever could. I need to live, not just exist. If you want me to stay here for the next three weeks, I have to be a full partner or I'm nothing."

  Bruin pulled his hand away and shoved it deep into his pocket. There was so much fear and worry in his expression it stole my breath. I didn't need the Earth Mother to tell me how his spirit struggled. He was just as lost as I felt.

  I held my hands up in the air between us. "Let's try a compromise."

  "Compromise how?"

  "For the next three weeks, I'll make every effort to let you keep me safe if—and this is non-negotiable—you promise we can work as a team. I'll take part in the investigation of what's going on with the Weres and then, when we find the bad guys, I promise to stay in the house under guard, all snug and safe, while you go get them."

  He bit his lip and scrubbed a hand through his brown, floppy hair. Bracing his weight on his palms, he leaned over the table. The vein in his jaw clenched and twitched as he looked over the coloured photos. Shit. He was going to shut me down. Again.

  It shouldn't have been a surprise but it still stung.

  "Fine. We work as a team," he said, his words more a curse than a statement. "But when things heat up, you do what I say. I don't want so much as a scratch on that pretty little body of yours. Deal?"

  I shook his hand and nodded. "Deal."

  He kept his hold on my hand and grew serious. "Now, let's discuss how you scaled that rock-face."

  I swallowed, my mouth watering for his kiss. "Let's not. Let's mend some hurt feelings."

  Bruin's lips dropped to meet mine, but he recoiled, his nostrils flared. Gold flecks appeared in his eyes as his bear ricocheted back to the surface.

  "What?" I snapped. "What now?"

  "You smell like . . . him."