Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume III)

by Sarah J. Stone

  The bus stopped in Ross Cove, the end of the line. He had no choice but to get off. He found a bar down the street from the bus station, but he didn’t bother to get a hotel room. What would he do when the sun went down—sleep under a bridge? That would be the perfect capper to the worst week of his life. That would be the ultimate expression of where his life was going.

  Yes, that’s what he wanted. He wanted to turn his life into trash. He wanted to destroy himself rather than face one more day of this misery.

  He went into the bar. He didn’t really think about it. Did he really want to become like the drunks around him? He certainly didn’t want to start drinking. That would be too much even for him to bear, though he wouldn’t mind finding some way to drown his sorrows.

  He sat down at a table. A cute waitress sashayed over and smiled at him. “What can I get you?”

  “Do you have anything to eat in this place?”

  She handed him a menu and disappeared. He looked it over, but nothing appealed to him. Finally, he settled on the spaghetti. He never had that before. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as anything he got at home, but it would be better than sleeping outside on an empty stomach.

  He waited around for what seemed like hours before the waitress came back to take his order. Then it took another eternity before the food came. When she set it down in front of him, a cloud of steam hit his nostrils. He was right. It wasn’t as good as home-cooking. Nothing ever could be. He stuck his fork into the noodles

  “Do you mind if I join you?”

  Abel looked up to find a young man standing across the table from him. The guy rested one hand on the chair opposite. He smiled down on Abel. His sandy hair tussled on top and buzzed around his ears on the sides. His brown eyes twinkled.

  Abel frowned. “What do you want to do that for?”

  “You just look like you needed some company.”

  Without asking permission again, he pulled out the chair and sat down. Abel glared at him. “I didn’t say you could sit down.”

  The guy looked around the bar. “I don’t think Sandy’s much of a waitress. I asked her to bring me a Mai Thai, and I haven’t seen her since.”

  Abel grunted and bent over his food. The best way to get rid of this guy was to ignore him.

  The guy watched him eat. “Where are you from? Did you just roll into town?”

  Abel nodded without looking up.

  “I thought so,” the guy remarked. “You don’t look like you come from around here. I don’t come from here, either, actually. I’m just here on business. I’m catching the bus back north in an hour. What about you? What brings you down this way?”

  Abel shrugged. “Just traveling.”

  The guy cast a glance down at Abel’s bag on the floor. “You’re traveling mighty light. You look like you’re on the run somewhere.”

  Abel looked away. He tried to focus on the spaghetti sauce, but it didn’t inspire much interest. The juke box wobbled in the corner. The guy looked over at it and grinned. “All the more reason to get on the road, eh?”

  He didn’t get on the road, though. The more Abel ignored him, the tighter he stuck to his chair. Frustration and resentment brewed in Abel’s heart. How could he get rid of this interloper once and for all? He would have to get direct about it.

  He set down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He leaned back in his chair. “Look, man. I don’t know who you are, but I don’t want company. I actually came in here to be alone. I don’t want to talk. Why don’t you go talk to one of the guys at the bar and leave me be?”

  Instead of getting mad or leaving, the guy only smiled bigger than ever. “I noticed you when you first walked in that door. I don’t see many of you around, and I travel all over this area on business. I would have noticed you before. That’s how I knew you weren’t from around here.”

  “One of me? What do you mean?”

  The guy waved his hand. “Come on. You don’t have to play hard to get. You’re alone. That must be tough. I know all about it. You’re alone, but you don’t really want to be. You’re looking for something, so why don’t you tell me what it is?”

  Abel stared at him in wonder. Who in the world was this guy? How could he know so much about Abel just by looking at him? That’s when Abel noticed something strange about the guy. He lived his whole life on Renegade Ridge. Ash Dunlap was the first outsider he ever laid eyes on. In the last week, Abel saw a bunch of Midnight on Midnight Moraine. Just this morning, he saw his first humans in Burkes Road.

  This guy definitely wasn’t human. He looked remarkably like Ash, though Abel couldn’t exactly tell how. Abel studied him. Now that he took a closer look, it seemed so obvious. He was a Bruin. He had to be.

  Abel opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

  The guy leaned his elbows on the table and nodded. “What made you leave home? Did you get into trouble or something?”

  Abel lowered his eyes to his plate. “How did you know?”

  “I can tell. You learn to tell, being out here on your own, away from your family and your people. It’s not easy. You start to develop a radar for picking up others of your own kind.”

  “Why did you leave home?”

  The guy laughed out loud. “I asked you first. No, wait. Let me guess. It had something to do with a girl. Your face is all bashed up. Did you get in a fight with someone over her?”

  Abel’s head shot up, and his eyes widened. Then he looked away. “Don’t joke about that, man.”

  “I’m not joking,” the guy replied. “I’m very serious. I’m trying to help you, but you’re not making it very easy. All right. If you really don’t want to talk to me, I’ll leave you alone. You can go your own way and be as miserable as you want.”

  He started to get up. Abel’s hand darted forward. “Don’t go. I don’t really want to be alone. I’m….I’m not very good at this. I’ve never been away from home before. I’ve never talked to any strangers in my life before.”

  The guy sat down again. “I know how it is. I went through the same thing.”

  Abel started talking fast. He had to get all this baggage off his chest before he exploded. “I didn’t get in a fight, at least not over her. She belonged to another group, an enemy group. There’s no way we could ever be together. I had to leave….Well, you don’t want to hear all about that.”

  The guy nodded. “That’s got to be tough. Our kind weren’t meant to part from their mates.”

  “What do you mean by ‘our kind’?” Abel asked. “How could you tell what I was?”

  “Well, I could tell you were some kind of bear, although I never saw one like you before—a black one, I mean—except one time….” The guy cocked his head to study Abel. “Have we met somewhere before? You look familiar somehow.”

  “I don’t see how that’s possible,” Abel replied. “I’ve seen one of your kind before, but you’re not him. Like I said, I never went away from my family before. I don’t know where you would have seen me.”

  The guy waved his hand. “Never mind. I know what it’s like, though, falling for a girl from the other side. The same thing happened to me.”

  Abel stared at him. “It did? What happened?”

  “I never thought we could be together. I gave it up. I thought I would just slink off into the forest and wait to die, but it worked out in the end. She’s waiting for me back home. I’m on my way there now.”

  Abel’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t see how that could ever happen to me. There’s not a place on Earth where we could be together. I had to break her heart, leaving her behind. I don’t guess she’ll ever forgive me for that. I won’t forgive myself.”

  “You’d be surprised,” the guy countered. “I thought we’d be outcast and never see our kind again, but I was wrong. We found a place we could be together, a place full of love and laughter and all kinds of shifters. Nobody cares if a bear and panther walk down the street holding hands. No one is going to turn you agai
nst each other. It’s all normal.”

  Abel’s jaw dropped. “Did you say a bear and a panther?”

  The guy nodded. “My mate’s a black panther. We found this place by a stroke of sheer luck. I’m telling you, it was like a beacon in the night for both of us. We both fell into it, heart and soul. We found a safe haven we never thought we’d have. It’s the best place in the world for any lost and broken soul walking the Earth alone.”

  Abel shook his head. His throat ached thinking about Onyx. “I wish I could believe in a place like that. I would give anything to find a place where I could be with my mate. It seems too good to believe.”

  “It’s as good as that and better,” the guy replied. “It’s a magical place where dreams come true. I’m not the only one who thinks so, either. It’s a home away from home. It’s the only place in the world where forbidden love can find a safe harbor to blossom.”

  Abel clamped his eyes shut. “Don’t talk like that. I can’t stand it.”

  “You should come with me, man,” the stranger insisted. “You should come back to my place and meet my mate. She would tell you the same thing. We’ve both been happier there than anywhere else in our lives, even at home with our families. You can come and stay with us until you can collect your girl.”

  Abel’s eyes popped open. “Really?”

  “Sure.”

  Abel shook his head. “I couldn’t do that.”

  The guy scooted back his chair. “Of course, you could. I’m ordering you to. Get your stuff. The bus for Hadison leaves in a little while.”

  Abel froze. “Hadison? That’s all the way back the other direction. I just came from there.”

  The guy sized him up. “Do you have anything else to do with yourself?”

  Abel wilted. “I guess not.”

  The guy threw a handful of bills on the table. “That should cover the bill.”

  Abel stared. “You can’t do that, man. Let me pay for my own meal.”

  “I already did it.”

  The guy moved toward the door. Abel had no choice but to hurry after him. The guy paused to wait for him at the door. Then the two men fell in side by side walking down the street.

  Abel stuck out his hand. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Abel Black.”

  The guy shot him a wide grin. “Good to meet you. I’m Azer Mackenzie.”

  32. Chapter 12

  Onyx burst through the door into Ebony and Jordan’s living room. “Quick, Jordan! You gotta help me!”

  Ebony and Jordan looked up from the breakfast table. “What on Earth has gotten into you, Onyx?” Ebony cried.

  Onyx dashed up to the table all out of breath. “You gotta help me. You have to go up to Renegade Ridge and find Abel. I have to see him. I have to see him now!”

  Ebony sank back in her chair. “Not Abel again!”

  Onyx slammed her fists on the table. “I found a way we can be together. You have to help me, Jordan. You have to help me find him so I can tell him.”

  Jordan glanced at Ebony. “Are we seriously talking about Abel Black—the NightShade?”

  Ebony closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. Onyx begged me to keep it a secret from you.”

  Jordan turned on Onyx. “You want me to go tell Abel Black that you want to be together?”

  “He already knows,” Onyx shot back. “I found a way. I found a place. Quick! There’s not a moment to lose.”

  Jordan didn’t hurry wiping his mouth and setting his napkin aside. “You’ll have to settle down, Onyx. It’s gonna take me a while to find Ash, and Ash will have to find Abel. This could take days.”

  Onyx leaned back. “I can wait that long. I can wait forever if I only know we’re going to be together.”

  Jordan shook his head. “I don’t know about this. It sounds like a disaster in the making.”

  “It can’t possibly be a bigger disaster than us being apart,” Onyx returned.

  Jordan climbed out of his chair. “If it means you mating for life, I’ll take whatever I can get. I’ll go up there and see what I can find. I’m not promising anything, though.”

  Onyx seized his hand. “Thank you so much, Jordan. I won’t forget this.”

  Jordan walked out the house. Ebony arched her eyebrows at Onyx. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Onyx paced around the house. She couldn’t keep still. “I ran all the way here from the bus station. I couldn’t rest a minute since I found out. Isn’t it wonderful, Ebony? We can finally be together. This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Ebony pursed her lips. “Let me guess. You’ll have to leave with him again. You won’t stay here, will you?”

  Onyx stopped in her tracks to look down at her sister. She was too excited to get back to Midnight Moraine to think of this. In the flurry of wanting to tell Abel about Hadison, she didn’t realize the simple truth. She would have to leave her sister and all her family behind.

  She could live with that when she thought she would never see Abel again. Now she faced that dreaded reality head on. “I’m sorry, Ebony.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Ebony murmured. “You’ll be happy with your mate. You’re going where you belong.”

  Onyx burst out laughing. She hooted to the skies. “I can’t believe it! I never thought I would find a place. You should see this place, Ebony. It’s…”

  Ebony held up her hand and closed her eyes. “Don’t tell me. It’s enough to see you this happy. I’m just glad it all worked out for you.”

  Onyx settled down on the couch to wait for Jordan to come back. He didn’t come, and she kept glancing out the window. When would he come? Hours passed. Maybe he wouldn’t find Ash. Maybe Abel got lost or hurt somewhere. What if he was dead?

  She couldn’t quiet her mind. Ebony left her alone. The sisters said almost nothing to each other until Jordan returned late in the afternoon. He shook his head. “Sorry. It took longer than I thought to find Ash, and it took him ages to track down any information about what happened.”

  Onyx gulped. “What happened?”

  “Abel is gone. No one knows where he went. He left his parents’ house two nights ago.”

  “Two nights ago!” Onyx cried. “That means he left as soon as he got home. Two nights ago is when I helped him get out of the ring. He must have gone straight home and left right away.”

  Jordan nodded. “Ash talked to his father, and that’s exactly what happened. After Hunter and Cole kidnapped him, he came back all bloody and beat up. He got a few things, said good-bye to his family, and left. No one has seen him since.”

  “He must have left right after I did. Where could he have gone?” Onyx whirled around the other way. “I have to find him.

  Ebony held her back. “Be careful, Onyx. Don’t do anything foolish.”

  “Where are you going to go, anyway?” Jordan asked.

  “I’m going up to Renegade Ridge. I don’t care what happens. I have to find him, no matter what it takes.”

  “You can’t go up to the Ridge,” Jordan replied. “They’ll shoot you. They won’t even let me up there, and I’ve been meeting Ash all this time.”

  Onyx broke away from their grasp. She couldn’t think. Nothing mattered but finding Abel. She raced through the streets. When she hit the forest, she let her instincts take over. She shifted into a jet black panther in one springy bound and sailed into the trees.

  She gave herself over to her animal senses. The panther didn’t know anything about NightShade or Midnight. The panther wanted her mate—nothing more. If she got shot up on that Ridge, at least she wouldn’t have to live without Abel anymore.

  She skimmed through the canopy. Her blood and bones knew the way. Destiny led her on an unerring line toward him. She had to get him. She had to taste and smell him. She had to feel his body against hers if it was the last thing she did.

  When she crossed the borderland between Midnight Moraine and Renegade Ridge, she dropped to the ground. She scanne
d the territory flying under her feet for any trace of his scent. She would track him wherever he went.

  Her nerves prickled when she got to the Ridge. The place smelled of bear—and danger. She slowed, but she never turned aside. She would never turn aside again. She ran all the way up the hill. The bear presence got stronger. Were they watching her right now? Were they taking aim to shoot her down?

  She had no idea where she was. She only knew she headed straight into that overpowering bearness. It got thicker and more oppressive the farther she went. All at once, she trotted around a corner. The undergrowth parted. Standing right in front of her, a young black woman leaned over an open stream. Dozens of short, small braids covered her head. A simple cotton dress floated above her bare toes. She dipped a wooden bucket into the water.

  At that moment, the wind shifted to the other direction. It blew Onyx’s scent straight at the woman. The woman dropped her bucket and stood bolt upright. She spun around and locked her eyes on the panther standing behind her.

  In a fraction of a second, the woman let out a tremendous bellow. No body could contain a bellow as big as that. Onyx couldn’t react fast enough. The woman rocketed out of her willowy frame and charged Onyx. Her deep brown skin blew away in the wind. It left behind a raging black she-bear twice Onyx’s size.

  Onyx crouched where she was. The she-bear never hesitated. She pounced on Onyx with her mouth open. Onyx whipped over on her back to face the bear with her claws and teeth. She screeched and hissed, but she didn’t frighten that bear.

  The bear dove at her again and again. The terrible jaws snickered around Onyx’s face. Onyx barely had time to bat the bear’s muzzle away before the monster tore her apart. No matter how fast she fought, she couldn’t stand against the bear’s sheer power and ferocity.

  Onyx heard all about she-bears protecting their mates and their young. She never saw one in action before, and she certainly never planned to face one in a battle to the death. Would she live to see another day?