Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume III)

by Sarah J. Stone

  The she-bear tired of this game of cat and mouse. She hopped off Onyx and clubbed her across the shoulder with one massive paw. She knocked Onyx sideways. The instant the panther rolled on her side, the bear drove in for her throat. Onyx slithered back the other way, but she only wriggled into the bear’s jaws.

  That hideous snapping mouth closed on her throat and clamped shut. Onyx squirmed all down her lithe body, but she couldn’t get free. Only her body moved while the bear’s jaws pinned her neck to the ground. That mouth tightened its grip, and Onyx struggled for every breath of air.

  Blood rushed to Onyx’s eyes. This was it. Abel warned her what would happen if she came to Renegade Ridge, and now it had. She would die up here, and Abel would never know about Hadison. He would never find out there was a place they could live their lives in peace.

  Onyx’s heartbeat pulsed in her ears. She wheezed between her teeth, and foamy spittle collected around her lips where her tongue flopped out. Through the thumping beat, she distinguished a man’s voice shouting in her ear. “Get off! Let go, I said. Let her go now!”

  Onyx blinked. The bright sky overhead blinded her. Then a dark outline blocked her view. She found herself staring up at the woolly blond head of Ash Dunlap. His voice boomed into her ear. “Let go before you kill her. Are you listening to me? Don’t make me have to tell you again. Let her go before I make you regret it.”

  He jammed his hand against Onyx’s neck. He wrenched the she-bear’s jaws apart with his bare hands, and the air rushed into Onyx’s lungs. Her panther body evaporated. She contorted on her side and gagged into the dirt.

  A woman’s voice split the forest stillness. “What are you doing? We warned them not to come up here if they wanted to live. We can’t let even one of them trespass on our land after what they’ve done.”

  Onyx forced her eyes open. She saw that black woman arguing with Ash. He waved his hand toward Onyx. “I know all that, but just look at her for a second, June, and think. She didn’t come up here to capture any bear for their ring. She must have some other reason for coming up here all alone.”

  “I don’t care what she came up here for,” June replied. “She’s Midnight. She deserves to die.”

  Ash lay both hands on her shoulders. “I know. Believe me, I know. Just wait a second until we find out what she’s doing here. If she did come up here to attack us, she’ll pay the price.”

  June stiffened. “Do you promise?”

  He kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll kill her myself and you won’t have to get your claws dirty.”

  He turned around to see Onyx listening to their conversation. Onyx met his bright blue eyes. If she could talk to anybody on this mountain, it was him. She lurched onto her knees, but her voice would make only a rasping noise. “Please help me. I have to find Abel Black. I have to.”

  Ash frowned. “You’re Onyx Archer, aren’t you?”

  “I swear I didn’t come up here to cause your people any trouble. I only want to find him. I…” Her voice broke. “I love him. I only want to be near him. Please help me. I only want to talk to him. I won’t bother you. I promise.”

  Ash sighed. “I thought so. He told me about you.”

  Onyx’s eyes widened. “He did?”

  Ash nodded. “He asked me to keep an eye out for you. He thought you might come up here looking for him. He asked me to do what I could to stop them killing you.” He waved at June.

  Onyx fought her way to her feet. “I have to talk to him. I have to tell him something really important.”

  “I would take you to him, but I don’t know where he is. I already told Jordan everything I know about Abel leaving.”

  Onyx dared take a step toward him. “You have to help me find him. I’ll search the whole mountain if I have to. It’s a matter of life and death.”

  Ash cracked a smile. “I’m sure it is. I wouldn’t want to separate anyone from their rightful mate.”

  June growled between her teeth. “You can’t seriously be thinking of helping this match. A Bruin mating with a Midnight is one thing—but this?”

  “I know it’s out of the park,” Ash replied, “but if they’re destined to mate, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. The sooner we get them together, the sooner we can all go back to our normal lives.”

  June grimaced. Ash faced Onyx. “I don’t know where he is. I don’t know where to begin looking, but I’ll try. Go home now. I’ll find him, and I’ll send word to you when I do. Don’t come up here again. It will only make it harder for everybody.”

  Onyx hesitated. She didn’t want to leave the Ridge.

  “Go on,” Ash urged. “You hanging around here is only stopping us from finding him. Go home to your own people. I’ll tell Jordan as soon as I find Abel.”

  Onyx caught June scowling at her and turned away. “Thank you, Ash. Thank you so much.”

  She set off down the hill. She looked back once, and Ash and June were gone. Her heart lifted so light and free she would have skipped back to Midnight Moraine. Ash would find Abel. He would tell Jordan, and then Onyx would tell Abel all about Hadison. They would live there together, happily ever after.

  33. Chapter 13

  Abel jumped off the bus in Burkes Road. He hurried through the streets, but when he got the forest path, he broke into a run. He ran all the way up to Renegade Ridge. Azer filled Abel’s head full of tales about shifter couples and their hybrid children living in Hadison. He spun him a wild tapestry about dances and restaurants and businesses and planning committees—all shifters.

  If even half Azer’s stories turned out to be true, Hadison would be the best thing that ever happened to Abel and Onyx. He could mate with her. They could live in peace and raise children and do all that stuff mated couples did. Nothing would stop them. They didn’t have to be enemies anymore. He didn’t have to hold himself at a distance. He didn’t have to stop himself from looking at her for fear he would fall for her.

  On the long, slow bus ride back to Burkes Road, he reversed all the doom and gloom with which he left it. He let himself fall for her the way he should have in the first place. She captivated him. She populated his hours with wild dreams and fevered fantasies. He let himself revel in her scent.

  He replayed over and over the sight of her fighting in the basement to save him from the Midnight. How magnificent and black and ferocious she was! Her yellow eyes met his in the gloomy dark. She bared her fangs and yowled at her own kind to protect him. She raged and slashed and gored to defend her mate.

  Her mate! That was him. He was her mate, and she was his. All he had to do was find her. He would explain all about Hadison. He would take her there and live happily ever after. Azer said so.

  He followed the Ridge’s rocky spine to the cabins dotted along the northern side. He trotted down the path. He looked forward to seeing his family again, but mostly he looked forward to talking to Ash. He would send Ash to find Jordan to send word to Onyx to come and meet him. What a great day that would be, when Abel could hold Onyx in his arms. He never had to worry about fighting the Midnight again.

  He got halfway down the Ridge when he spotted Ezra Stark’s cabin. Maybe Ash would be there. Then Abel could spill his guts in one excited gush. To his surprise, June and Ash came out of the woods right in front of him. They held hands and talked in low tones. June’s eyes flew open when she saw him coming.

  Abel ran up to them. He couldn’t hide the silly grin on his face. “Hey! Guess what?”

  Ash cut him off. “Onyx was just up here looking for you.”

  Abel started. “She was?”

  “She’s a mess, man,” Ash went on. “She says she has to find you. It’s a matter of life and death.”

  Abel exploded in laughter. “I have to find her, too. I have the best news in the world. I found a place where we can be together.”

  “Where have you been, man?” Ash asked. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Jordan came looking for you first, and now Onyx was up here. She almost got herself
killed. I had to pry her and June apart. I almost didn’t get there in time. Your parents are going crazy. They’re worried the Elders will find out you left.”

  Abel waved his hand. “None of that matters now. Get down the mountain and dig up Jordan. Tell him to bring Onyx to meet me. I’ll go down to my parents’ house and wait for you.”

  Ash nodded. “The sooner you two get yourselves fixed up, the better. Then I won’t have to do all this racing around.” He kissed June and left.

  Abel walked the rest of the way down the path, but he paused when he came to his own house—his old house. He would never call this place home again. At least his parents wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.

  While he stood there thinking about it, the door opened. His father came out on the porch. Noah frowned when he saw Abel. The two men regarded each other for a moment. Ever so slowly, Noah took a step, then another. He took a step down. He started coming faster. He moved faster and faster until he flew down the steps. He called over his shoulder. “Amelia! Come quick!”

  He ran the last few steps and flung his arms around Abel. He slapped Abel on the shoulders and his gruff voice puffed against Abel’s ear. “You’re back! You’re okay!”

  “I’m okay, Daddy.”

  Amelia rushed out of the house. She froze on the porch. A ragged cry burst out of her mouth, and she rushed Abel to hug and kiss him. She and Noah wept all over him. They petted his cheeks and exclaimed at his return.

  Abel held his mother at arm’s length. “I’m sorry, Mommy, but I have to go again. I only came back to get something I left behind.”

  Noah took Abel by the arm. “Come inside and tell us all about it. Get the boy a cup of tea, Amelia.”

  Abel let his parents escort him inside, but when they all sat down at the table, Abel leaned his elbows on the table. “Listen to me, Daddy. I have something important to tell you. I’m mated. I found my true mate, and I can’t live without her.”

  Noah grinned. “That’s wonderful, son. Are you going downstairs to live with her, then?”

  “I’m not going downstairs, Abel replied. “That’s why I had to leave, and I only came back here to get her. I have to leave again. I have to take her somewhere away from here so she doesn’t find out about Arion.”

  Noah’s grin turned into a frown. “Arion? Isn’t she NightShade?”

  Abel stared down at the table. “No, she isn’t.”

  “Is she Bruin or something? Maybe she could come live here like Ash.”

  Abel shook his head. He could never get his parents to understand about Onyx. He better let them believe he mated with a Bruin. Anything would be better than them finding out he mated with a Midnight girl.

  “We can’t stay here. It’s complicated, and I don’t want to worry you with the details. Ash just went to tell her to come and meet me. Then we’ll leave here. I just want you to know I’m safe. That’s all I care about.”

  Noah squeezed his hand. “That’s all right, son. As long as you’re happy, we can all live with it.”

  Abel spent the rest of the day hanging out at home. He helped his mother with the laundry. He worked with his father to patch up the roof. He did all the jobs he used to do when he lived here, but he kept glancing down the path toward the Starks’ cabin. When would Ash get back? What if he couldn’t find Onyx? What if something happened to her, and Abel got left alone? Losing his mate before he even got her would be worse than death.

  His mother tried to ask him about his mate and his plans. He answered as well as he could, but he couldn’t tell her about plans he didn’t have. He hated to admit even to himself how shoddy his plans really were. Azer promised him the moon if he came to Hadison. He promised Abel and Onyx an apartment to stay in and a good job. He said Hadison always needed good, keen men like Abel.

  Maybe Azer just blew a bunch of sunshine up Abel’s skirt, but why would he do that? Why would he lie, just to get Abel to bring Onyx to Hadison? None of it made sense. Either way, Abel couldn’t get with Onyx any other way. It was Hadison or nothing for a couple like them.

  Abel didn’t return until almost dusk, and he barely looked Abel in the eye. “She’s gone, man. No one knows where she went. No one has seen her since Jordan told her you were gone. She ran off and didn’t return.”

  Abel jumped up. “Gone! How can she be?”

  “She must have left right after I talked to her. I told her to go home and wait for me to find you, but she never went home. She could be anywhere.”

  Abel spun away. “I have to find her.”

  “Hey, wait!” Ash called out.

  Abel didn’t listen. He bolted into the woods and barreled down the mountain. He had to find Onyx. He had to. He couldn’t come all this way, only to miss her by a whisker. He traced his way back to the spot Ash told him Onyx got in a fight with June. He would track her scent from there. She couldn’t give him the slip now.

  He found the spot and shifted. He put his nose to the ground and let that scent push every other thought out of his mind. Where was she? Where could she go? He couldn’t face a world without her in it. He came all the way back here to find her. He build up all his hopes on the chance of getting together with her. Now all his hopes crashed around his feet.

  He ran faster. He had to leave all this hopelessness behind before he lost his mind. He closed his eyes and let that scent lead him. It would take him to her or it would take him to death. He ran so fast he collided with something soft before he knew what happened. He stumbled and fell. His eyes flew open in time to see a panther tumbling the other way.

  Both Abel and the panther leaped to their feet at the same moment. The next thing he knew, he was standing face to face with Onyx, talking, laughing, crying, kissing, and touching her all at once. Abel started to tell her about Hadison, but she couldn’t hear him over her own frantic explanation. Abel paused to hear what she said. She paused at the same moment, and they stared at each other in stunned silence. Then they both burst out talking again.

  Abel couldn't keep his hands off her. He touched her face and stroked her hair while he talked. He was never so happy to see anyone in his life. He thought he’d lost her, and here he was, talking to her and laughing and kissing her between exclamations.

  She talked so fast he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “And there’s this really nice guy who told me all about it…”

  “Azer Mackenzie…” he stammered. “Apartment for rent…”

  Onyx jumped up and planted her lips on his mouth to silence him. Then they both exploded in excited kissing, holding, and touching. No more talking. No more explanations. They were together. They would be together always. Nothing could stop that now.

  They were in the woods somewhere between Midnight Moraine and Renegade Ridge. No one could tell them to hate each other. No one would dare drag them apart. He could kiss her as much as he wanted. He tasted her sweet lips, and his arms compressed around her ribs. He lifted her off her feet to clutch her against him.

  She felt even better than he imagined on the bus ride home. He never let himself believe it could be this good to embrace her and kiss her and to hold nothing back. Her tongue touched every nerve down his chest and stomach. Her hair smelled flowery and delicious. Her soft flesh set his blood on fire.

  All the doubt and pain and fear vaporized out of his mind. Her dark eyes hovered there in front of his face. He took a second to realize he was looking at her so close, so alive and present. He didn’t have to look away. He could enjoy this moment. He never had to leave her again.

  Then he remembered. He broke away from her kiss and set her on the ground. He started to say, “I found a place for us,” but she started talking at the moment. They talked at once, paused again, and started up. Then they both burst out laughing.

  He bit back a grin. “You go first.”

  “I found a place for us,” she began. “It’s called Hadison. It’s a haven for hybrids and their families.”

  He nodded. “I know all about it. I was coming
to get you to take you there.”

  “Really?” She laughed. “I was coming to get you, too.”

  They both laughed until they cried. Abel bent down to kiss her again. “Never mind. We’re together now.”

  Onyx caught her breath. She stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder.

  He froze. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “I never thought I’d hear you say those words. I never thought we would ever be together.”

  He folded his arms around her. “Me, neither.”

  She rose on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. She pressed her perfect body against his rock-hard frame. He buried his eyes in her shoulder and sent up a silent prayer of thanks to God for this moment. He would die rather than give this up. He would never turn away from her again, no matter the consequences.

  Some forgotten instinct hidden in his heart nagged at his thoughts, though. Even now, when all his dreams came true, it told him to take her away, to lead her away from the Ridge. Above all else, he had to protect Arion. Not even loving her could get in the way of that.

  He stood back and took her hand. “Come on. We’re going.”

  She looked around. “To Hadison?”

  “Not yet. There’s something we need to do first.”

  34. Chapter 14

  The sun fell behind Midnight Moraine, but Abel showed no sign of turning toward town. He wandered deeper into the woods, into territory Onyx never saw before. The sunbeams angled between the trees and eventually disappeared. The forest fell into dusk, but she let him lead her by the hand.

  Nothing made so much sense as walking through the woods with this straight, strong man. She never wanted anything else. Whatever he had in mind, she would accept it. As long as she faced it holding his hand, she could face anything.

  He walked a long way until darkness shadowed the mountains. The stars came out, and still he walked. He wound his way around the south side of Renegade Ridge until he stopped under a heavy overhang of solid granite. He ducked all the way back underneath where no light penetrated. He bent over to avoid banging his head.