by Becca Van
“Me, too,” Olivia replied with a sigh then gave a grin. “But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
Olivia watched as her three mates laughed, the tension easing from their muscles. It looked as if everything was going to be all right in her world for once. She should have known better.
Chapter Twelve
Olivia and her mates had spent a wonderful week getting to know each other. She would have equated that week to a decadent honeymoon spent on a tropical island, without the beach, of course. The only water she’d seen was in the garden. She knew there had to be rivers and maybe even beaches but hadn’t gotten around to asking. She was spending her days with April and baby Jade now that her mates had returned to their duties. She was happy with her three mates, but she needed more. She was used to working, being independent, and to find herself idle just didn’t sit well. She was back to snapping at her mates but hadn’t gotten around to explaining to them she needed something to occupy her time. When she wasn’t with April and Jade, she found herself wandering the expansive gardens. She even began to maintain the garden to prevent boredom from sending her into depression.
Olivia sighed, sitting back on her haunches as she pulled another weed from the surrounding garden near the tranquil pond. As much as she loved April and Jade, she couldn’t spend all her time with her friend and her new baby. She needed to find her own niche in this new world but had no idea what she wanted to do, or even how to go about getting what she wanted once she had decided. Maybe she should offer a hand in the kitchens. She had always loved to cook but had never really bothered much for herself. Sure, she’d often cooked for her brother, but even cooking for just two didn’t seem worth the effort. And then there was the chance she would be stepping on someone else’s toes if she asked to help out in the kitchen. She just didn’t feel as if she fit into this new world besides in the bedroom. She needed so much more. She needed to feel wanted, needed, besides in bed with her mates.
Olivia felt the hair at her nape rise. She sensed she was being watched. She looked about but couldn’t see anyone. Now she was becoming paranoid. She rose to her feet, sauntered over to the large hammock, and slid onto the soft, stretchy material. She let the gentle sway of the hammock soothe her, closing her eyes as she breathed in the scents of the blooming flowers and clean, humid air. She let her mind drift, grasping on to then tossing away things she might want to do. She didn’t even hear footsteps approach.
A shadow alerted her to a presence, as the sun’s rays were blocked from her body. Her eyes flew open, but she didn’t get the chance to scream. A large male hand clamped down over her nose and mouth, effectively blocking any noise from escaping. She looked up to see eyes so dark they were black staring at her with lecherous intent.
Olivia struggled against the man’s hold, but her efforts seemed to be totally ineffectual. She scratched and clawed with all her might, but he was too big, too strong. He had her body clamped to his great chest, both her arms pinned at her sides as he wrapped a large, muscular arm around her. She fought like a wild woman, using her feet, knees, anything she could, to try and escape his hold. It was totally useless. He was too strong. Spots formed before her eyes, lack of oxygen making her feel faint because he was still covering her mouth and nose. Her struggles became pitiful until finally she passed out.
* * * *
Olivia came to slung over a massive shoulder. She was being carried through the humid forest by a strange male. She was so scared and had no idea why she’d been kidnapped. He must have felt her awaken, because all of a sudden her world turned upside down and then she was placed on her feet. She backed away from the man as she stared into his pale blue eyes.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Olivia demanded, still backing away slowly.
“I want you. You’re very lovely,” the strange male replied.
Olivia felt shivers of fear work up and down her spine. There was something not quite right about this man. He was staring at her, but his expression was totally blank. No emotion whatsoever showed on his face. He gave her the creeps.
“You can’t have me. I’m already mated.”
“I can have you. I already have you,” the man said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Please, just leave me here. My mates will come for me. I don’t want you to be harmed when they do,” Olivia lied, hoping to reason with the strange man.
“I won’t be harmed. They will.” He growled, his eyes flickering from blue to gold.
Oh, fuck. He was a shifter, too. She was in deep shit.
Olivia prayed to God. She hoped whatever animal the strange male before her was, wasn’t of the large lion species. She’d had enough of those vying for her attention already. She had no idea what to do, nowhere to go. She was lost in an unfamiliar world with a stranger. The only place she had to go was up. Olivia stumbled over a thick branch but kept her feet beneath her. Her back thumped against the rough bark of a large tree trunk. No one knew where she was. She only had herself to rely on. She had to keep this beast-man calm until she could get her panicked brain in order. She needed to keep her wits about her and use anything and everything she could to escape. Maybe, just maybe, if she kept him talking, he would relax, back off, and become complacent.
“What are you?” Olivia asked, relaxing her muscles, preparing for battle.
“I am a bear-shifter.”
“Why did you take me?” Olivia asked.
“You are a beautiful woman. What is your name?”
“Olivia. Why did you take me?” she asked again, trying not to become too forceful.
“Because you were there, alone. You are so pretty to look at,” he said, taking a step closer.
“Please, I’ve done nothing to warrant this. Can’t you let me go?” Olivia asked, trying to reason with him.
“No. I don’t think I will. I am tired of being alone.”
“Don’t you have any family? What is your name?” Olivia asked again.
“My name is Bradford. My family has all died. Bear-shifters do not convene with others of their own kind unless it’s their own immediate family. My parents died of an unknown disease years ago. My sister died giving birth to her first cub. Her mate killed himself, unable or unwilling to live without her. I have been wandering the forest for many days and nights. I caught your scent on the air and followed it. Once I saw you, I knew I had to have you.”
“But I’m already mated. Bradford, I’m sorry for the loss of your family, but you can’t go around kidnapping women just because you’re lonely. It’s not right.”
“You are not a shifter. Where are you from?” Bradford asked, still staring intently.
“I am from Earth. I don’t know how I got here, but here I am. My friend April arrived here on Terra-form twelve months ago. She is mated to the Alphas of the panther clan and Ben Koku. As far as we can figure out, she and I have traveled to an alternate plane of our Planet Earth,” Olivia summarized, breathing a little easier as Bradford’s stance began to relax and become less predatory.
“No one from your Earth can shift?” asked Bradford.
“Not that we’re aware of. There are lots of myths, legends, and stories regarding shape-shifters, vampires, and such, but there has never been any evidence to prove their existence. But who knows? Maybe some of the shifters from this planet have made the crossover from Terra-form to the Earth realm,” Olivia said.
“Hm. How many females are on your planet Earth?”
“Too many to count. The female population is higher than males, last time I heard.”
“There are many unattached females on your Earth?” Bradford asked with avid interest.
“Yes.”
“Tell me how you got here to Terra-form, and maybe I will think about letting you go.”
Olivia spent the next fifteen to twenty minutes telling Bradford about her experience when she had traveled from one plane of Earth to the next. Bradford asked her so many questions, prying every little bit of information out of her.
She was beginning to get a headache. She couldn’t stop the yawn that formed but covered her mouth quickly, not wanting to anger him by making him think she was bored. Even though she was. The last thing she needed was for him to sling her over his shoulder and take off with her again. The longer they stayed still, the more chance her mates would have of catching up with them and rescuing her. She hoped they didn’t think she’d tried to run again.
“Can you remember where you converged on Terra-form?” Bradford asked, his stance aggressive. His hips were thrust forward, his arms crossed over his chest. She hoped he wasn’t going to come on to her again. He seemed to have his beast under control once he’d listened to her explain her arrival and asked her in-depth questions. She had no idea what had calmed him, but as long as he kept himself under control, she didn’t really care.
“Uh, well, I wish I could, but my sense of direction is terrible,” Olivia answered, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
Olivia’s eyed him with trepidation when Bradford stalked toward her. He reached out, grasped a handful of her hair, and tilted her head back so she was looking at him.
“If you’re lying, I will not be happy, and if I find out you are lying, you won’t like the consequences either.” Bradford growled.
“I’m not. I promise. I get lost in that mansion of a place all the time. Ask anyone,” Olivia wailed.
“Now that would be a bit difficult, since there is no one around to ask. Don’t think I won’t find out, though. I always find out the truth.”
“I. Am. Not. Lying,” Olivia said through clenched teeth. Now she was getting downright pissed off. No one questioned her, especially a stranger who had had the gall to kidnap her. “Back off, you bastard.”
“Hm, so much indignation. Do your mates know how to deal with you?”
“What? Fuck you. Let me go,” Olivia commanded.
She was surprised when Bradford released the hold on her hair. The move was so unexpected she stumbled and fell on her ass. She stared at Bradford warily, getting to her feet as she dusted off her butt.
“I’ve had enough of your macho shit. I’m leaving,” Olivia stated then turned and stomped away.
Bradford’s laughter halted her in her tracks. She looked back over her shoulder and scowled at him. “What the fuck is so funny?”
“You’ve just proved your statement correct. You’re going the wrong way.”
“Fuck you.” Olivia scowled. She just turned her head back to the front and kept walking. She didn’t care where she ended up, as long as it was away from this asshole.
Olivia screamed as her world turned upside down. She landed over a broad, hard shoulder with a loud oomph. It took her several moments to get her breath back, and when she did she screamed at the top of her lungs, pounding on Bradford’s back for all she was worth. What pissed her off more was the fact he didn’t even seem to notice her struggles.
Chapter Thirteen
“Where the fuck is she?” Cedric roared, his beast trying to take over.
“The last time she was seen, she was in the garden. Let’s see if we can get her scent. You don’t think she tried to run again, do you?” Hugh asked.
“No, she’s been taken. Come over here. Her scent is strongest at the hammock, but it’s intermingled with an unfamiliar scent.” Tony growled.
Cedric felt the hair on his nape stand on end as Tony struggled with his beast. He sniffed around the area, breathing in their mate’s scent. The distinctive aroma of an unfamiliar male made him growl and hiss along with Tony.
“Bear,” Cedric managed to spit out before his beast took over. He let his animal have control and saw his brother and friend change forms as well. He bounded off through the gardens and into the forest as he followed their mate’s and the strange bear’s scents. He felt his muscles ripple as he ran faster and harder than he ever had before. Three furious, raucous roars echoed throughout the forest. Cedric and his brother and friend were calling for backup and he knew they wouldn’t have to ask for help twice. They were hunting, and no one was going to get in the way of getting their mate back.
* * * *
“Hey, where are we? This place looks familiar,” Olivia stated from her perch over Bradford’s shoulder. She’d resigned herself to the fact she wouldn’t be walking anywhere. She propped her head up on her hand, her elbow sticking into Bradford’s muscled shoulder. She hoped her bony elbow was hurting him.
Bradford stopped walking, removed Olivia from his shoulder, and placed her on her feet.
“What do you mean this place looks familiar?”
“Well, it looks like where I came in. Where I found myself on Terra-form for the first time,” Olivia stated, looking around her. “You know what? I think it is. See that track? I’m sure that is where I first saw the bear staring at me and April scared the shit out me when she walked right up to the bear and hugged it.”
“Hm, well I suppose it could be, but you can’t be really sure, can you? Your sense of direction is terrible.”
“Ha ha, yeah, laugh at the dumb female. I can’t help it, you know. I don’t know why I have so much trouble remembering where I’m going or where I came from.”
“I’m not trying to insult you, Olivia. I just want you to be really sure this is where you came in,” Bradford stated earnestly.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll ever be really sure, but that looks like the tree April’s Panther guys were lounging in. I remember the branch was twisted and gnarled nearly the same as that one. I doubt we’ll ever know for sure. Not unless you ask one of my mates, or the Alphas from the panther clan.”
“Not going to happen. If they get within ten feet of me, I’m dead.”
“Why did you have to kidnap me? I mean, I know what it’s like to be alone, to be lonely, but I’ve never hurt anyone else because of it. You didn’t have to take me away from my home.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I don’t know what came over me. It’s just, I’ve been alone for so long. I think I went a little crazy,” Bradford admitted.
“Well, maybe you could just let me go home now. If you point me in the right direction, I can make my way back,” Olivia said, her eyes squinting in hopefulness.
“You’d be lost within ten paces, Olivia. I can’t leave you out here to roam around by yourself. It’s too dangerous. I’ll just have to take you back and face the consequences of my actions. At least I’ll be with my family again. It’s said the Goddess’s home is a beautiful place to be.”
“No. I’m not letting you die because of me,” Olivia stated, hands planted on her hips.
“None of this is your fault, female. I made my own problems. I will deal with my actions like a warrior.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Spare me from the arrogance and pride of a male,” Olivia muttered. “Look, you and I both know my mates will be out looking for me. Why not just leave me here and go home? You’ll be safe from the wrath of my mates, which will make me happy. I’ll be safe once they get here and take me back home.”
“I can’t just leave you here. Another shifter species could find you, and then you could be in real trouble,” Bradford replied with another heavy sigh.
“Look, I just don’t want…What the hell?” Olivia squeaked as the air around them began to pulse with electricity.
Bradford leapt in front of Olivia, pushing her behind him as the air ten feet away from them began to shimmer. Olivia peaked around Bradford’s waist and stared in awe as little blue electric lights pulsed and began to converge into a ball. The sphere got larger and larger. Olivia stared in awe as the orb of blue converged into one large, glowing globe and then faded away. Standing in its place was a tall, voluptuous redhead. Her eyes looked unfocused, and her mouth was gaping open. She stared around her in awe, as if she were in a dream. Olivia watched as the woman raised a hand to her arm and pinched herself. She must have pinched hard, because she yelped in pain. The female’s eyes slid to Bradford and widened in shock. Olivia could see the heat s
he sent Bradford’s way from her hiding place behind him. Bradford’s bearlike roar made her and the strange woman jump.
“Mine,” Bradford yelled after he finished roaring then leapt the distance between him and the strange woman, slung her over his shoulder, and took off.
Olivia stood, her mouth gaping as she watched Bradford sling the woman over his shoulder. The woman hadn’t made a sound, and Olivia wondered if she had passed out. The two disappeared from sight. She fought back a giggle. That poor woman didn’t stand a chance. Olivia realized she was once again all alone and had no way to get back home. She sighed and sat down beneath a large tree. All she could do was wait.
* * * *
He doubled back. He’s heading to where we found Olivia when she first arrived on Terra-form. Wonder what he’s up to? Cedric asked his brother and his friend.
I don’t know but I don’t like it, Tony replied.
What if she’s convinced him to help her leave? Hugh asked.
I don’t know. I don’t think she will, Tony answered. She seemed pretty happy to me. But there is something going on in that hard head of hers. As soon as we find her, we get her back home and we ask her what’s going on. Agreed?
Agreed, Cedric and Hugh replied.
* * * *
Olivia was becoming worried that her mates wouldn’t find her before nightfall. The light was gradually fading from the sky, and the cacophony of animals and insects scurrying about made her nervous. She hated being out at night by herself, but she was even more scared since she was in a forest full of wild animals, men, and shape-shifters. Her breath hitched in her chest at every little sound and rustle of leaves. She wanted to be surrounded by her mates. Oh God. She was in love with them. Pain lanced through her chest, piercing her heart at the thought of being away from her mates. She wanted to be surrounded by their hard, masculine bodies. She wanted them to fill her every orifice and shower her with their love. She had no idea how they really felt about her, but they had vowed to protect and never hurt her. Surely they felt something for her other than a physical need to assuage their desire. The way they all looked at her with such hunger made her think that maybe, just possibly, they had some tender feelings toward her.