Undercover Eagle

by Harmony Raines

  Something wasn’t right. With no time to think of the consequences, she followed Derek and Olsen.

  Chapter Eighteen – Liam

  What self-respecting shifter would sit on a nest of fake eggs and pretend to incubate them? Liam asked himself as he settled down on the nest. It wasn’t exactly comfortable. His respect for female eagles shot up. Which reminded him of why he was here. To protect and serve, that was what he’d promised to do when he joined the police force. This was the same thing.

  As he finally got comfortable, he surveyed the scene below him. Although he couldn’t see Jacob and Carter, he could sense their presence. They were waiting to the east, while Wyatt was patrolling the western side of the mountain. Everyone was in place. All they needed was for Derek and Olsen to make their move.

  Beverly was the only problem he could foresee. Why she’d come up here, he wasn’t sure.

  Of course you know, his eagle told him curtly. We are her mate. We birds work together, remember; she’s here to help.

  She’s not a bird, Liam replied.

  She has the spirit of an eagle, his other half replied tartly.

  His eagle was right, he knew it deep in his soul, but that did not mean he liked it. She was putting the plan in danger; worse, she was putting herself in danger. He wanted her safely back in Bear Creek, away from these men who might hurt her.

  His eagle chuckled as he ruffled his feathers and shifted around on the nest. How the hell was he supposed to sit on these eggs for hours on end?

  Did you ever think they might be the ones who need protecting? his eagle said confidently

  You’re right, he agreed. But he still wished she was away from here. It might get ugly when this went down, and he didn’t want Beverly to get hurt in the crossfire. The plan he’d set out with the bears and Wyatt meant Derek and Olsen wouldn’t be getting off this mountain unless they were cuffed. But Liam’s past had taught him that plans didn’t always turn out as they should.

  Centering his mind, Liam aimed for a Zen-like approach, and let his cares and worries go. His senses had to be keen for this to work. He didn’t want to be caught off guard. The plan was simple: when Derek and Olsen tried to frighten him off the nest, he would put up a fight, before ultimately flying off, leaving them to gather the eggs. When they had taken all the eggs, he would call loudly, three times in quick succession. At that point, the bears and Wyatt’s wolf would close in on the men, and herd them to a point further down the mountain, where they would be cornered.

  Liam would be waiting in his human form to arrest them. Jacob would then shift, unseen, and come to his aid. Simple, but effective. All he had to do was wait. They should be here any moment; he could sense they were close.

  Fuck. Liam looked up as a net descended from the plateau above him, and landed over his head and body. He tried to flap his wings to get it off, but he couldn’t. Instead, the net jerked to the right, tightening around his legs. A hard yank and Liam’s world tipped sideways. He spun around as he was dragged from the tree, pulled upward toward the plateau. He opened his beak to call for help, but his bird body slammed against solid rock, winding him.

  Fuck. This was not part of the plan. Derek and Olsen were supposed to go after the eggs. Not him. What had Beverly said about Derek wanting an eagle? They’d assumed Derek meant an egg he could hatch. They were wrong.

  Liam’s eagle struggled against the net as he tried to regain his senses. He needed to alert the bears, he had to get help, or these men would carry him down off the mountain, and to goodness knows where. Unless he shifted.

  If he did, he would be exposed. There was no other choice, he’d have to go with them and then figure it out. Unless he called for help. He strained against the net and opened his mouth to call, but all that came out was a squawk.

  Fuck. He was hauled up the side of the cliff with no care for any injuries he might sustain. Each time he bumped over sharp rocks he was thankful for his thick feathers, which cushioned him. Each time he bumped over the sharp rocks, his anger grew. These men had no right to take him from the wild. No right at all.

  As his bird body was hauled over the side of the cliff, he got a good look at the two men. They wore camouflage clothing, but didn’t cover their faces. Why would they, there was no one up here to see them at this time of the morning.

  Liam flapped, trying to get away. There would be no witness as to what they were doing. He would have to come up with some plan, so he could testify against them without giving himself away. They couldn’t learn he was a shifter. He would say he was higher up on the mountain and watched the whole thing.

  “Look at this one. It’s a beauty!” Derek exclaimed as he dragged Liam toward him.

  “Time enough to look at him later. We need to move. Get him in the sack, and when we get lower, we’ll transfer him to the large backpack.

  Derek nodded, and with one last look at Liam, he helped Olsen to remove the net. Liam opened his beak to call, but Derek clamped his hand down over his beak. Liam fought to try to get free. He clawed at Olsen’s hand with his large talons, and flapped his wings in an attempt to get away from them.

  It worked. Suddenly he was careening toward the edge of the cliff, free. But as he took flight, he saw it wasn’t his actions that had freed him, it was those of his mate. Beverly was there, kicking out at the two men, her fists raised ready to fight.

  Fuck. Liam flapped his wings, catching the strong updraft to take him up above the cliff, where he let out an ear-splitting screech, followed by two more, before he turned, tucking his wings into his sides and diving at Olsen. At the last minute, he swooped upwards and used his sharp talons to rake the man across the face. Olsen screamed and clutched at his face, while waving wildly with his hands.

  This gave Beverly the opportunity to strike out at Derek with her fist. As she connected with his jaw, she swung around and kicked him in the solar plexus, sending him sprawling to the ground. As he sat up, she smashed her fist into his jaw once more, sending his head jerking back.

  Derek was out cold, which left only Olsen. The guy was big, and wouldn’t be so easy to take down.

  Liam flew away, calling out to his mate to stay safe, help was on its way.

  He headed around the cliff face, and then landed, keeping out of view as he shifted back into his human form. When his feet touched the ground, he ran, his legs pumping, his lungs breathing hard as he went to help his mate.

  Only she didn’t need helping. As he came into view of Beverly, he saw her standing with her foot on top of Olsen as if she had captured a tiger, or some other dangerous animal. Movement on the far side of the plateau drew his attention; the bears had arrived too late as well.

  “How did you…?” Liam asked.

  “I caught him in his own trap, literally.” Beverly looked down to where Olsen was strung up in the net. He’d gotten it wrapped around his feet, which must have brought him down, and he’d become more tangled. However, none of that detracted from Beverly’s success.

  “That’s my girl!” He reached her, and stood in awe of his mate.

  “I took self-defense classes so I could protect the store if ever we got robbed.” Her cheeks flushed red as she bathed in the glow of his respect for her.

  “Remind me never to cross you,” Liam told her as the bears arrived. “OK, let’s get our suspects down off the mountain. Although first, I am going to read you your rights.”

  “Oh, you might need this as evidence. I filmed the whole thing.”

  “I’m even more impressed. But you can hang on to it for now. Hand it over to Brad when we get off the mountain.” He hauled Olsen to his feet and read him his rights, before adding a warning. “These bears are my friends. If you step out of line, or try to run, they will chew you up and spit you out where no one will ever find you. Understand?”

  Olsen nodded. “Great, let’s get this one up too.” He slapped Derek until he came to, and then followed the same routine of reading him his rights and adding a warning. The bears s
narled and showed their teeth, while the wolf snapped at their heels with a menacing snarl at the appropriate time to back him up, which he appreciated.

  “So, was this a citizen’s arrest?” Beverly asked as they reached her car. Behind it sat Brad in his truck waiting for the handover.

  “Nope, the sheriff deputized me,” Liam said, lifting a hand up to wave at Brad. He leaned into Beverly. “I could ask to borrow the handcuffs.”

  “What, so I can cuff you to the bed?” She ran her eyes over his body. “I could make you submit to all of my fantasies.”

  “I would submit to them anytime.”

  Beverly flashed him a smile, and he hurried over to Brad. The sooner this handover was completed, the sooner he could get Beverly alone.

  Epilogue

  “We did it.” Beverly raised her glass of white wine and Liam did the same.

  “We did. What a team.” Liam touched his glass to hers and then turned around to look around the room.

  “When you said a celebratory drink, I didn’t know everyone was going to be invited.” She was still waiting for her intimate dinner with Liam.

  “It was a team effort,” he told her, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

  “At least everyone will know I am spoken for. And their husbands are safe,” Beverly joked happily.

  “Are you spoken for?” Liam asked seductively.

  She pouted at his words. “I thought so. But if not, I can see at least two single men in the room.”

  Liam glanced around. “Am I going to have to fight for your love?”

  “No. Never. Just don’t take me for granted.” Her eyes rested on her parents. They were standing arm in arm; her mom was laughing at a joke her dad was telling. “I’m not sure what they got up to when I was out this morning, but I’m sure it wasn’t restocking shelves.”

  “They look happy.” He kissed her lips. “You look happy.”

  “I am happy.” She took a large gulp of wine. “We’re going to live happily ever after.”

  “I hope so.” Liam lifted the glass to his lips. “I thought I’d live on the fringes of town, not physically but emotionally. But that’s not how it’s turned out.”

  “No, you are well and truly a member of the Bear Creek community. The tale of how you sat on that eagle’s nest will be remembered forever. They’ll write songs about it, and people will tell the story to their children.”

  “Are you making fun of me?” Liam whispered in her ear.

  She giggled. “I might be.”

  “Liam! There’s the man who’s going to make my daughter happy,” her dad’s voice called from halfway across the room.

  “This is where he interrogates you to see if you are worthy of his daughter,” Beverly said lightly.

  Liam stood up and flashed her a smile. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  “Dad, you two look happy.” Beverly hugged them both. “You look glowing, Mom.”

  Her mom blushed. “Your dad and I were just discussing our second honeymoon.”

  “Second honeymoon?” Beverly asked, her eyes wide. “That sounds exciting.”

  “I want to ask Liam if he would be there for you, if you need anything while we’re away,” her dad asked. “Since he’s going to be part of the family.”

  “He is?” Beverly asked, wondering if she’d missed something.

  Liam leaned over and said, “While you worked your shift this afternoon, I may have popped over to see your dad and asked him if he had any objections to me marrying his daughter.”

  Liam pulled out a small box from his pocket. Beverly covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped and nearly spilled her wine. “Really?”

  Beverly’s mom took her glass from her. “I know you thought this was to celebrate taking down those two thieves. But really, it’s an engagement party. Short notice, I know, but Liam didn’t seem to have the patience to wait.”

  Beverly looked around the room. Everyone was staring at them, their faces filled with expectation. Being center of attention wasn’t her thing after all.

  Liam took her hand and dropped down on one knee. “Beverly, will you marry me?”

  A hush fell over the room, which spun around as she stared down at the ring. It was a large ruby surrounded by diamonds. She loved it instantly, but her voice refused to work. All she could do was nod like an idiot.

  Liam sighed with obvious relief, took the ring from the box and slipped it on to her finger. She stared at it. This was almost too good to be true. Happiness filled her heart and she pulled Liam to his feet and kissed him, as a cheer went around the room.

  “Congratulations.” Her mom’s face was streaked with tears of happiness as she hugged Beverly.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Her dad kissed her cheek, for once speechless.

  People gathered around to congratulate them, so many good wishes, so much love. The smile on her face was so wide it hurt. Beside her, Liam looked just as happy.

  When they were finally alone, he kissed her, their tongues entwined, just as their lives were now entwined forever.

  “So how does it feel?” Liam asked as she admired her engagement ring.

  “To be engaged?” Beverly asked excitedly, her face flushed with happiness.

  “No, to be the one everyone is gossiping about?” Liam grinned as she shook her head.

  “I never thought I would be happy staying in a small town, and marrying a store owner. But something has changed, and I can’t imagine my life anywhere else.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

  “I love you, Beverly. In case I forgot to tell you.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “With all my heart.”

  “I love you too. With all my heart.” Beverly laid her head on his chest. “Did you tell your mom?”

  “I did. She’ll be arriving in town in the next couple of days. I think she plans to stay.”

  “I can’t wait to meet her.” Beverly wanted to share her own happiness with everyone.

  “Maybe coming to Bear Creek will give her a second chance at love.” Liam led her outside to look at the stars. “That would be my wish.”

  “Where is your dad?” Beverly asked. “I thought shifters never leave their mates.”

  Liam shrugged. “Mom never talks about it. She raised us alone. I know she blames herself for the way Mike turned out.”

  “Then I hope she gets a second chance too.” As Beverly looked at the night sky, a shooting star passed overhead. She closed her eyes and gave her wish to Liam’s mom, with the hope that one day, she would find the same love and happiness as her son.

  ***

  Wish Upon A Bear

  Return to Bear Bluff

  (Book Six)

  ***

  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2018 Harmony Raines

  Kindle Edition

  Foreword

  ***

  Wish Upon A Bear

  Return to Bear Bluff

  (Book Six)

  Curvy girl Zara is used to working over the Holidays. The pay is good, and it fills the lonely hours, when everyone else is celebrating with their family. This year is different. As a newly qualified teacher, she’s given herself a Christmas vacation.

  So, when she is invited by her old friend Dylan and his family, to spend the holidays in Bear Bluff, she agrees. There she finds something much better than a gift under the Christmas Tree!

  Theo can’t believe his luck. He arrives to help Dylan mend his grandpa’s roof, and instead meets his mate! All his Christmases
have come at once.

  There is only one thing that is stopping him having his best Christmas ever—Dominic.

  Dominic is a young offender who is shadowing Theo as part of the project Dylan has set up to help young people who need a fresh start. The problem is, Theo has a feeling Dominic is about to skip town, and break his probation.

  Can he and Zara work together, to make sure everyone in Bear Bluff has the best Christmas ever?

  And will Zara’s dreams all come true, when she makes a wish upon a bear?

  Chapter One – Zara

  The mountains had grown bigger and bigger the closer Zara got to Bear Bluff. Of course they had: she didn’t need to be a teacher to know how simple things like perspective worked. But she’d never seen mountains this big, not in real life. While other students may have gone on vacations, she’d studied throughout school and college. She’d worked hard, and saved hard. Although she had still ended up in significant debt by the time she had completed her teacher training, it was all worth it.

  She loved teaching; it was as if she’d been born for the job—all she needed was a job.

  Fresh out of teacher training, she lacked the experience to compete against other job applicants. But that was not going to stop her, no sir. Once the holidays were over, she was going to find the perfect job.

  First, she was treating herself to a perfect vacation. Yes, at last, as a reward for finishing within the top five percent of her class, she was treating herself to a vacation in Bear Bluff.

  “Bear Bluff.” The word was a joy to say. It always had been. Ever since she ran into Dylan, fresh out of juvie, just like her, and full of stories about his old home, a home he swore he’d never go back to. And yet here he was.