by Tyler, Jules
"I mean, I get why you're worried hon, but I can't keep hiding up here forever and never venture into town once in a while. Don't get me wrong, this place is definitely sanctuary for me and this is our home, but sometimes a girl just needs to do some girly things to make her feel better. I'm sure it's going to be fine. If Alaric was going to come after me, I'm sure he would've done so by now," Stella countered as she tried to focus on applying her eyeliner without jabbing herself in the eye.
Brady sighed, running a hand through his hair before speaking again, "I'm not going to be able to talk you into staying home, am I?"
Stella set her eyeliner down and grinned at him in defiance, "Definitely not. This girl has a need that borders on the excessive to get her hair touched up and her toes done, and I definitely need to get into Barnes and Noble and pick up some books to keep me busy while you're at work."
"Stubborn little thing," Brady gruffed as Stella reached up to plant a playful kiss on his lips.
"Sure am. Take me as I am, my love, because I'm not planning on changing any time soon," Stella winked before turning back around to finish putting on her face.
"Alright," Brady resigned. "But please stick close to Mama while you're down there, okay? She may be a crazy old bear, but she'll still protect you better than anyone else can."
Stella rolled her eyes as she promised, "I'll never leave her sight. What's the worst can happen in somewhere as public Boise?"
"You're probably right. I just don't like that I'm not going to be there to protect you. Since we haven't sealed the bond with my mark, it's just hard to trust that other shifters will keep their hands to themselves," Brady said, trying to stress he was being patient.
Stella felt a twinge in her heart at the mention of the mating mark. Brady had been extremely understanding that she didn't want to move too fast in that department. She was still getting used to the idea that he was essentially the man she was destined to be with forever. Of course she loved Brady with everything in her soul, but she was so afraid that something could change in the blink of an eye on his side that she wasn't ready for him to put his mark on her yet. In her experience growing up in the foster system, men had a tendency not to stick around. While Brady definitely seemed different, it was just an adjustment that was taking an extended amount of time to make. She knew eventually she wanted to bear his mark and show the world that she was his, but she wanted to feel completely positive that they were both secure in their relationship first. She was damaged. Not many would stick around for that.
"You're doing it again," Brady chuckled, pressing his lips to hers in an effort to bring her back to the present.
"Huh? Oh… Yeah. Sorry. Have I ever told you thank you?" Stella asked as she pulled her brain from the mental fog she was in.
"For what, beautiful?" Brady asked, amusement tinging his voice as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear and pulled her close.
"For being patient with me. I know that it can't be easy — finally getting me back after all of this time, only to have to wait for me to feel okay with completing the mating," Stella explained.
Brady brought his lips to hers, sipping at them slowly for a moment before leaning back so he could look into her eyes, "All of this is new for you, and I understand that it's a lot to take in. I promised you before and I'll promise you again, I would wait a lifetime for you to be okay with my mark if it meant that you were happy here."
"I don't think I'll make you wait a lifetime," Stella stated. "I just need to sort through some personal stuff and make myself the best I can be emotionally before I step into that portion of this commitment."
A horn sounded outside of the cabin, causing both of them to burst out laughing. Mama Ally was obviously ready to go.
"Go have fun," Brady said, giving her a tight hug before patting her butt and pushing her towards the door.
Stella twisted around and leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek, then turned to run out the door. Over her shoulder she called, "I love you!"
She watched Brady wave from the porch as she hopped in the blue pick-up Mama Ally was driving. It was strange feeling like she was leaving him behind, but it would be nice to get of out the mountains for a few hours.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brady tapped his pencil impatiently on the calendar in front of him, trying to force himself not to check the clock on the wall for the umpteenth time in the last four hours since Mama and Stella had left. He knew he needed to calm down because worrying only made it worse, but something in his gut said he needed to be concerned. It didn't help that the cell phone they kept for when Mama or he took trips to Boise just in case of emergency got left on the counter upstairs.
"Damn it, Mama, why'd you have to go and talk her into leaving today?" Brady growled before flinging his pencil across the room in frustration.
The landline rang and Brady reached to pick it up, pausing for a moment to let it ring three times just in case it was Mama so she didn't get on him for stressing while they were gone.
"Silvercreek Campground, this is Brady. How can I help you make Silvercreek part of your travel plans today?" Brady oozed charm as he answered the phone.
"Hey, brother, it's Jesse," Jesse's voice came over the other line, immediately put Brady on alert.
"What's going on?" Brady snapped before reminding himself he needed to calm down until Jesse could give him a heads up.
Another voice was saying something to Jesse on the other end, so Brady waited a moment before Jesse spoke, "He's on the move."
"When?"
"Since this morning. We think he knows that someone's been tailing him because he's made some pretty elaborate arrangements to try and throw us off of his trail," Jesse muttered.
"Why didn't you call sooner?" Brady ground out.
"We had to make sure he was actually headed your way. What're you so worried about? Stella is there with you, right?" Jesse asked.
"No, I let her go with Mama to Boise about four hours ago."
Jesse hissed, "God damn it, Brady. You'd better lock up the lodge and head to Boise."
"What're you trying to tell me, Jesse?" Brady demanded.
"I mean the asshole is probably already there. Tyson just got word from his friend at the airport's air traffic tower that a private jet owned by Grizzly Imports left about two hours ago for Boise. We're checking into our flight right now and are headed your way, but it's going to take some time for us to get to you," Jesse explained, trying to maintain a calm tone as he did so.
"You had one job, Jesse. You'd better pray to the Fates my mate is okay when I get to Boise, or I'm taking it out of your hide," Brady growled before slamming the phone down onto the counter and racing to lock up the lodge.
Running around locking doors, Brady sent up a silent prayer to the Fates himself. I will do anything. Please protect her and Mama until I can get to them. Please. Slamming the door to his own black truck, Brady cranked the key and revved the engine. He was going to get his girls back, and if that sick bastard touched one hair on either of their heads, he was going to rip him to shreds.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Stella and Mama Ally came walking out Barnes and Noble laughing hard with two big bags heaping with books.
"Did you see the look on that cashier's face when you whipped out enough cash to pay for all of these in full? I thought he was going to shit himself when he realized it was all ten's and one's!" Stella howled as she pulled open the truck door and slid inside.
"Making people uncomfortable by making them think you're a stripper is one of the perks to getting old," Mama laughed in agreement as she turned the key in the ignition.
The old pick-up truck whined as it tried to come to life then died. Mama's face screwed up tight in confusion as she tried several more times to crank the engine over again. Stella felt a small bit of panic slip into her mind before she shrugged it off. Just a dead battery, probably. They'd get someone to give them a jump and everything would be fine.
"That's
so weird," Mama pondered as she leaned against the steering wheel. "I swore that Brady just put a new battery in this last week for me."
"Maybe he forgot? He's been pretty busy," Stella suggested, trying to keep her mind calm.
"Yeah, maybe. I'll go see if I can ask that gentleman over there to give us a jump," Mama gestured towards the man getting out of the black Escalade next to them as she slid out of the pick-up.
As Stella's eyes connected with the man, the panic that had been creeping into her veins was in full swing. Alaric was here.
"Sheyit," Stella swore under her breath as she tried to get Mama's attention. "Hey, Mama, I think I can figure this one out. Just get back in the truck, I'm sure this nice man has better things to do than help us."
Not taking Stella's hint, Mama continued to chat Alaric up. This was not good, this was not good at all. Stella started checking around the truck for something, anything, that she could use to try and get him away from Mama Ally so they could make a run for the store to hide from him.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Why the hell isn't there anything in here? Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! This is so not good. What do I do? What do I do?
Taking a deep breath as Alaric walked towards the pick-up, Stella tried to figure out what she was going to do. Studying him, Stella was surprised to see nothing had changed about him except his eyes looked crazier. They were tinged with more gold than green, telling her that his bear was close to the surface. Maybe she could provoke him or something. She just needed to get Mama away from him so she could be safe. Be the dragon, Stella.
Opening her door and climbing out of the truck, Stella put on a polite smile and walked over to Mama, "Mama, why don't you go sit in the truck and rest? I can help this man hook up the jumper cables."
"Good idea, Stella. I'll go read while you figure this situation out. You're so good to me," Mama said, patting her on the shoulder as she walked away.
Stella turned to Alaric and glared, "What are you doing here, Alaric?"
"I've been worried sick about you, Princess. I've had people looking all over for you since the night you disappeared. Come home with me, and I'll forget all about the stress and worry you've put me through the past few months," Alaric said, making sure to lay it on thick in case someone was listening to their exchange. "I promise to be better."
"You're such a liar, Alaric. I ran away from you because you're nuts! I left Seattle and went into hiding to keep myself safe. Why the hell can't you take a hint?" Stella argued, trying to keep control of her temper.
"You're my soul mate, Stella. Come back to Seattle with me. You'll never have to lift a finger for the rest of your life. I'll keep you happy and pampered. I can provide for you," Alaric promised, his eyes glowing more gold with each word.
"Careful, Alaric. You wouldn't want the whole world to know that the owner of Grizzly Imports isn't just a bear to deal with figuratively, would you? Oh, I know, maybe I should go show the media what your furry friend did to me when you lost your temper," Stella taunted, tugging at the hem of her t-shirt to reveal just a fraction of the scarred flesh beneath.
"I didn't…. I didn't do that," Alaric snarled, shaking his head as he struggled to maintain control of the bear that was lurking just beneath the surface.
"Yes, you did. You're a toxic asshole, Alaric. Now go back to Seattle and leave me alone. My place is here. Not in your soulless apartment," Stella sneered, hoping to God he took her bluff and left her be.
Alaric sighed and muttered, "I was really hoping this was going to go so much better, Stella. Now it has to go the hard way."
Stella backed away from Alaric slowly as an arm wrapped around her middle and the assailant's hand covered her mouth with a funny smelling cloth. The world around her began to swirl as her body went limp and faded to dark. The last thing she could hear was Mama's scream.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brady dialed Jesse's phone number his cell phone as he pulled into Boise, "C'mon, Jesse, answer the phone. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."
"This is Jesse," Jesse answered.
"Where are you?" Brady demanded, trying to keep his bear at bay the best he could. Driving and trying not to shift was the worst kind of torture when you were pissed off and worried about people you cared about.
"Landon was able to ping Alaric's cell phone to Barnes and Noble over by the mall, we're working on trying to track his phone again from here. Tyson is on the phone with the rental car company by the airport trying to see if Alaric picked up a car. We're trying the best we can to find your girl," Jesse explained, Brady could tell there was something Jesse wasn't told him.
"I'm on my way there now, but Jesse, what aren't you telling me?" Brady asked.
"Your Mama's truck was on fire when we got here, Brady. There wasn't anyone in it luckily, but unless your Mama has some major bladder issues, she's not here," Jesse said somberly.
Brady slammed his hand against the dash of his truck, denting the stereo in slightly, "God damn it, Jesse, are you telling me that fucker has my mate and my Mama?"
There was hesitation before Jesse spoke again, "It's hard to say since there are no witnesses to say what happened to her, but my instincts say yes?"
Losing control of his bear, Brady pulled his truck in the parking lot of a gas station and roared at the windshield. After a minute or two, Brady took a steadying breath and pulled back out onto the main road. Brady's mind was made up; when he found Alaric, he was a dead man.
"Brady?" Jesse's confused voice came through the speaker on the phone.
"Yeah?" Brady asked, trying to focus his anger into driving as he picked the phone back up and put it on speaker phone.
"We found him. They're out at an abandoned house up towards Bogus Basin," Jesse explained.
"Good. Send me the address, then meet me there," Brady ordered as he hung up the phone.
The address popped up on the phone's screen, and Brady hit the navigation option. The bastard didn't know it, but Brady was coming for him and hell wasn't far behind him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Stella's head felt like she had been beat over the top with a brick as she slowly started to come to. The air wherever she was musty and smelled like mothballs, and she was freezing. Her coat had been removed, and whoever had removed it made sure to handcuff her hands together above her head to a pipe. Slowly opening her eyes, Stella had to squint to get her eyes to focus. The room was dark, the floorboards looked as though they were rotting through from what she could make out of them, and there was something that resembled a body slumped over in the corner.
As Stella struggled to recall what happened that caused her to end up in a place like this, and it all came flooding back to her. Alaric had found her, and someone had knocked her out. Mama's screams filled her ears as she remembered the final moments that led up to the point of her passing out.
"Shit, Mama, Mama are you okay? Mama, is that you?" Stella whispered, urgency tinging her voice.
A pain-filled groan came from the body in the corner before the voice responded, "Stella, is that you?"
Stella breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes, Mama, it's me. Thank God you're okay."
"W-where are we, Stella? Why do I feel like King Kong knocked my head in?" Mama Ally's tired voice inquired.
"I'm not sure Mama, but that man that you asked to help us? That was Alaric. He must've taken you when his helper, whoever that is, knocked me out," Stella explained.
As Stella finished, there was a creaking sound to her left. Casting a sideways glance, Stella could see a set of glowing silver eyes getting closer to her. In the dark room, she could barely make out what appeared to be Alaric's frame as he came to a stop in front of her. She could feel his breath on her wrists as he leaned forward and sniffed at her wrists before glaring down at her.
"You've been cheating on me, lover. You smell like another," Alaric rumbled angrily.
"Hard to cheat on someone if you aren't with them, don't you think?" Stella sassed, resolving that if she was goin
g to die, she was going down in a blaze of glory.
The back of Alaric's hand connected with her cheek, causing Stella to feel the metallic fluid run across her tongue as her face burned with pain. "You've always been mine, Stella. The Fates brought you to me. You. Are. Mine. Then you betrayed me and ran away."
Glaring up at him she sneered, "I don't belong to you. I belong to Brady. He's my mate. He's my intended, not you, Alaric. Mates don't work the way you want it to, you sick fuck."
"You belong to me, you bear my mark," Alaric growled.
Mama coughed in the corner, "Clawing up a young woman's body so she'll never carry babies is not the way you seal a mating bond, and you know it."
Alaric strode across the room and kicked Mama hard. As his foot connected, it made a sickening sound.