Claiming His Lioness (Shifter Wars)

by Kerry Adrienne

  “Yes. I’m ready to get out of here, but I’m not sure my foot will cooperate.”

  Lara glanced at Marco, who shrugged.

  “You’ll heal quickly and be out of here in no time.” Marco’s voice warmed. “Alicia will make sure of it. She’s a great Dr. Bear.”

  “I hope so. This place is claustrophobic. So dark and...rocky.”

  Lara nodded. “I agree. But what do you expect from a cave?”

  “Point taken.”

  “Did you eat?” Marco asked.

  “I had dinner a little while ago. Alicia brought me some soup and a peanut butter and honey sandwich.” Mason paused. “What time is the meeting?”

  Marco looked at his watch. “Soon. We should probably head that way in a few minutes.”

  Alicia breezed back into the room and Marco swept her into his arms, showering her with kisses, her hair falling over his arms, and he held her tightly.

  This time, Lara didn’t hold back. She rolled her eyes. “Get a room.”

  Marco winked at Lara but didn’t let go of Alicia. Lara scowled. The display of affection was awkward for her. She’d never act that way—if she ever had a boyfriend.

  “I heard Elijah come in a few minutes ago.” Alicia tugged at her red locks. “We should get to the meeting room.”

  “I’m ready.” Mason leaned up on his elbows. “Do you have any crutches or a cane I can use? Not sure this ankle is healed enough to walk on yet.”

  “I brought a wheelchair and left it in the corridor.” Alicia checked Mason’s pulse. “You’ll heal in no time.”

  “Have you heard anything from the wolves?” Lara set her mouth in a line. She couldn’t stand the wolves but agreed that the bears and lions needed them to help this time. Too bad.

  “Nothing.” Alicia tugged Mason’s covers down. “Guess we’ll find out if they think the threat to Deep Creek is serious enough to warrant their presence.”

  “More likely that they’ll show up to snoop what’s going on.” Lara leaned against the cave wall, the cold seeping in through her shirt. “If there’s nothing to gain for them, I doubt we’ll get their help.”

  “Agreed.” Mason sat up. “Right now, let’s get to the meeting. I have a few things to say to the group and a few ideas that might be useful. We’re going to end the human’s plan, one way or another.”

  “Let’s go then,” Marco said.

  The pants on Mason’s injured leg had been cut back to the knee, and a bruise bloomed above the bandage on his ankle. Lara stood back out of the way. Poor Mason. He winced as Alicia helped him swing his legs over the side of the bed.

  Marco moved to help.

  “Lara, can you bring the chair in?” Alicia asked.

  “Yeah. Just a second.”

  With a glance back to Mason, she stepped into the hallway to get the wheelchair. Voices filled the corridor, echoing off the stone walls. Were all the bears coming to the meeting? It was supposed to be the leaders only. She frowned. Not many lions would be in attendance.

  But Mason could control a group of bears and straggly wolves.

  Shadows moved across the corridor opening as shifters filed into the cave. She smelled it. The wolves had arrived. The mangy mutts must’ve thought the meeting was important—or they were happy to get their snouts in the cave. Regardless, she’d have to watch them closely. The bears might trust them, but she didn’t.

  For good reason.

  She rolled the wheelchair into Mason’s room. Hopefully, he would be better soon. The lions were at a big disadvantage with one of their leaders wounded. After what she’d seen of how the humans treated shifters, she was even more concerned.

  They weren’t going to tolerate any animal incursions on their pipeline. They’d do what it took to get the line in safely.

  And the shifters would do everything they could to stop them.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mason and Elijah stood at the front of the room. Mason had conducted the meeting, and Griff waited for his next words. So far, the get-together hadn’t gone particularly well.

  The wolves didn’t think much of the human threat, and wanted to know how they could monetize the situation, which was ridiculous. The lions agreed there was a threat but offered no viable means of stopping it yet. The wolves muddied the situation.

  Griff sighed.

  Maybe the bears and lions should’ve handled the situation on their own, without the wolves. To make matters worse, even though the wolves weren’t worried, they wanted their share of the patrol duties and reconnaissance. If they didn’t bother to show up for their turns, the shifters’ plan would fail. Basically, they wanted their snouts in the pot but only at their own convenience.

  That wasn’t going to work.

  “The last two days, the humans have worked on the pipeline around the clock.” Derek folded his arms and leaned against the cave wall. “They are moving into Deep Creek quickly.”

  “How can they see what they’re doing in the dark?” Marco asked.

  “They brought in large spotlights and generators. My guess is that oil will be flowing in the pipe by August if they keep up this rate.” Derek pulled his hair back and put an elastic around it. “I can’t believe how much pipe is in already.”

  Groans echoed in the cavern. August wasn’t far away and there was a lot of work that needed to be done. Griff’s head was starting to ache. So much stress with the humans, the lion Mason in the cave, and Amy’s pregnancy. Would life ever settle down?

  “We can’t let that happen.” Lara spoke up. “Once oil is flowing, any sabotage will spill crude on our land.”

  “But wouldn’t they simply rebuild if we sabotaged a section? What’s to stop them from continuing to try?” Derek shook his head. “We need a better plan.”

  Lara stood behind Mason, her hands on his shoulders. Griff studied the pair. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put a paw on what it was.

  “Destruction of the pipeline is only part of the solution,” Mason said.

  “And getting rid of the traps. Reporting them to the National Park Service.” Lara spoke loudly. “And we’re going to march against the pipeline and see if we can get a lot of media coverage.”

  “The media could be the key to this whole thing,” Mason said. “They can spread the word farther than we can. We need to give them news to talk about, though.”

  “What’s the issue? Once the pipeline is built, there won’t be much more of a human presence in the forest. Maintenance, that’s all.” Claude, the pack leader of the Green Glen Wolves, spoke up, his voice high and faint. “They’ll leave us alone then. Maybe we should just let them build the damn thing.”

  “The issue is oil from up north could ruin our forests if it leaks. We could face widespread ecological damage.” Griff grumbled at having to state the obvious. “And they plan to kill any animals they feel are threatening them, so none of us is safe as long as AllOil is in Deep Creek.”

  If he didn’t know better, he’d say the wolves weren’t very smart. Yet, when they wanted something, their cunning was notorious.

  I don’t trust them.

  “The wolves don’t want to die,” Claude mumbled to the wolf at his side.

  “No one wants to die.” Lara scowled.

  “We’re going to stop the humans, hopefully before they complete the project.” Elijah spoke, and everyone turned their gaze to him.

  “How?” Claude asked.

  “People are coming into my store and talking about the pipeline. No one thought it would get approval, and I suspect AllOil wants to make sure their permits aren’t revoked. The townspeople have been talking about picketing the company. They’d be great allies.”

  “I’ve already put up posters in both Oakwood and Henredon. Going to get those humans to march and sign a petition. Oakwood is the perfect spot.” Lara put her
hands on her hips. “It’s a start.”

  “It’s a great start, but I doubt marching and petitioning will be enough to change the company’s mind. Maybe it will get the politicians involved, too, though.” Mason’s voice held a slight tremor, but the strength of his conviction was clear. “AllOil needs the pipeline. They have permission to build it. We have to get that permission revoked.”

  Griff nodded. The lions understood what could happen. Mason and Lara had a lot of good ideas. The question was, could the shifters work together well enough to implement everything. The pieces of the puzzle were intertwined and that meant everything needed to go off without a hitch.

  Mason looked over the room. “We’ve talked to our lawyers. It appears there was a lot of backroom dealings getting the approvals needed. If we can put the press spotlight on what’s going on here, maybe the regulators will step in, too.”

  “If we can bring it to their attention, the regulators will have to address it. Between the march and the news coverage, it will be hard for them to ignore.”

  “Sounds like a great plan,” Griff said. “What else can we do?”

  “We need to get every network and newspaper and blogger around to cover the march.” Mason paused. “Start asking questions about why this thing got approved. The more people that know about it, the better our chances are of stopping it.”

  “I’ve got a few networks to cover the march in Oakwood. That will help spread the news, too.” Lara raised her voice. “I’ll get more. I want to contact the national news, too.”

  “I’ll help.” Derek spoke up. “I have connections with a couple of environmental groups. I’ll see if any can join the protest.”

  “That will help a lot,” Lara said.

  “Great. Are the wolves in agreement that the pipeline must be stopped?” Mason looked directly at Claude. “We all need to be on the same page.”

  “I guess so. I don’t want to reveal our existence to the outside world, and I don’t want the humans to decide that it’s open season on hunting us either.” Claude bared his teeth. “It’s only going to become more and more difficult in this day and age to stay hidden. No point in making things easy for the humans.”

  “That’s another reason to take this thing out.” Lara’s voice was stern. “The more that humans invade Deep Creek, the more likely it is we’ll be discovered. We’ll lose our homes. Our forest. The cave.”

  Claude nodded. “Yeah.”

  Lara shrugged.

  She clearly had no love for the wolves. Griff smiled. He liked the tough lioness. It was the twins he didn’t trust. Mason was taking over the planning against the Deep Creek Pipeline and that made Griff a little nervous.

  “All of that is great,” Mason said. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I propose we plant an explosive device on the actual pipeline. It’s partly a symbolic gesture, but with the increased coverage of what’s going on in Deep Creek, I think the press would love to report that AllOil is not welcome.”

  “A bomb?” Powell gasped. “I didn’t know the sabotage would be with a bomb. That’s a big deal.”

  “It’s a great idea,” Lara said. “But where are we going to get a bomb? I’m guessing the authorities keep a close eye on those.”

  Mason laughed. “We can make one. There’s information on the internet.”

  “Really?” Lara scowled. “I’m sure it’s not easy.”

  “Easier than you might think,” Mason said. “I’ve heard of all sorts of bombs being made by inexperienced people.”

  “I bet Bria could do it,” Derek said. “With her science background, it shouldn’t be hard. Can you make one, babe?”

  Bria looked at her hands and paused before answering. “I could. With the right materials. Like Powell said, it’s a big deal. If we get caught—”

  “We’ll make sure we don’t get caught,” Lara interjected. “A bomb would make a big statement. No one could ignore it.”

  “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Bria looked up at Lara.

  “No one does. One thing is for sure. If we don’t stop the pipeline, we’re the ones who’re going to be hurt.”

  “I understand,” Bria said. “I can do it.”

  “Tell us what you need. We’ll get everything for you.” Mason wrote the information on the board. “Lara, you’re in charge of helping Bria secure all the materials. Help her with anything she needs.”

  “Will do.”

  “I need to do a little research, but I’ll compile a list.” Bria spoke softly. “Though I’m not a fan of destruction.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Lara said.

  “I know. I’ll do it.”

  Lara nodded. “Whatever it takes to get rid of this abomination, I’m in.”

  “Good, so we’ve got a tentative plan for the bomb,” Mason said. “When’s the march?”

  “A week from Sunday.” Lara chewed her lip. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  Mason wrote the information on the board.

  “I think we need to plan to bomb the pipeline the same day as the march.” Mason paused before continuing. “I bet AllOil will be in Oakwood, talking to the newscasters and telling them how the pipeline isn’t a threat. It’s the perfect time to sabotage the line.”

  “I agree,” Lara said.

  “I hope this works. Once the march is on the news and we get sound bites from AllOil, we’ll be on the way to having regulators step in,” Griff said.

  “Someone needs to leak the trap information to the media. Preferably one of the rangers.” Anger wafted off Mason.

  “I’ll take care of that,” Derek said. “It will be easy. I’ll leak the information to the conservation groups that are showing up. They’ll make sure the news gets out to all the relevant parties. AllOil is going to look really bad.”

  Griff nodded. “What do we do in the meantime?”

  “We’ll have a schedule that rotates between bears, lions, and wolves. All of us will keep a check on the progress. A few need to help Lara get the march organized.” Mason winced. “We also need to have a team searching for traps. If one of our children gets caught in a trap, they won’t be as fortunate as I’ve been. Meanwhile Lara will work on the march and Bria will research the bomb. Once we have all that information, we’ll meet to firm up the actual order of operations.”

  “That all sounds great,” Elijah said. “We can’t go off half-cocked and screw this up.”

  Mason stepped forward, limping to the edge of the whiteboard. “Derek and I can make the schedule—I’ll need to talk to Marco and Griff, and Claude, to see what they are available to do and when. Sunday is go time.”

  “We’re ready, brother,” Marco said. “Just tell me what you need me to do and I’ll be there.”

  “Me, too,” Griff said.

  Claude grumbled. “You can count on the wolves to help. We’re trusting you that this is all needed. The last thing we want is Deep Creek taken over by the humans.”

  “It’s a monumental accomplishment, and I’m happy to have lived to see it.” Elijah scanned the room. “The shifters of Deep Creek working together. The gods must be smiling.”

  The room erupted in cheers. “There’s something else,” Lara said loudly. “I need to tell everyone.”

  All eyes turned to the lioness.

  Griff groaned. What else could be going on?

  “I was captured by the humans and then let go. I learned that they’re taking shifters they capture to a research laboratory. We have to stop them.”

  “The humans know about the shifters in Deep Creek?” Griff’s mouth went dry. “How is that possible?”

  “No. They have a shifter, Cara, who’s handling all the animal removal. She turns over any shifters to the lab. She’s the one who let me go, saying she wanted to meet with all of us. She claims she wants to stop sending shifters to the lab,
but I don’t know.” Lara slid forward in her seat.

  “If she’s working for AllOil, we can’t trust her.” Griff scowled.

  “Agreed.” Lara nodded. “But we have to free those who’ve been captured.”

  The information about the lab was not good. How many shifters were being held in captivity? They might be being tortured or subjected to medical tests. The situation had worsened and so had his headache.

  A young bear, Cindy, rushed into the room, eyes wide. The cub panted. Her hair hung about her shoulders in waves, tangled from running, it appeared.

  “Griff!” She held on to the wall and breathed heavily. “Amy needs you. She thinks the baby is coming. Hurry!”

  His heart fell to his knees. Amy had urged him to go to the meeting. She hadn’t been feeling any different. Nothing resembling labor at all.

  Nerve-racking didn’t begin to describe things.

  “Did you call the midwife and doctor?”

  She nodded. “Yes. The midwife’s on her way. Doctor’s on backup.”

  Amy was having the baby early. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Go now.” Elijah smiled. “May the gods favor you and Amy with a healthy, quick, and safe delivery.”

  “Good luck with the cub.” Mason picked up the marker. “We’ll fill you in when you’re ready. We’ve got a solid start to our plans and we’ll be ready to go Sunday.”

  “Thanks.” Griff wiped his palms on his jeans. He had to get to Amy. “I’ll be ready.”

  The wolf delegation mumbled and moved out of the way as Griff pushed through to get to the exit.

  “Good luck,” Lara called.

  He moved into the anteroom, slowing only to start stripping his clothing off. “Go on back to the cabin,” he told Cindy. “I’ll get there before you do, but we’ll need you for aftercare help.”

  She nodded and jogged away.

  Griff piled his clothes on the cave floor, ran his hand through his hair, then slipped out into the night air, his body already shifting to a large bear.

  * * *

  “I’m fine, honey.” Amy peeked up at Griff. “This is a natural thing. It happens all the time.”