Crossing the room to stand before him, going down on her knees, she lowered herself down to his level. Pulling her free flowing hair over her shoulder and out of her face, her eyes bore into his. She had not the slightest idea how—if this gift even did work. Was she supposed to just stare at him and tell him what to do? Or should she be touching him like she had with Doyle?
Taking a deep breath she hardened her gaze. “Tell us where Malca is.” much to her relief her voice came out unwavering.
“No.” Aria was taken aback by his response. It didn't work? Instantly she felt a stabbing pain hit her with the force of a Mac truck. Falling backward, she curled on her side. Her hands reached up to clutch at the sides of her skull in agony. A wild fire burned through her skull. Through the pain she felt Doyle's hands on her while hearing a note of concern in Mark and Robert's voices. The man in front of her scoffed at her pain and inability to use her power.
“She said you were worth more alive than dead? What a joke! You've breached and you cannot even draw on it. What a waste.”
Glaring daggers at him through the pain that pounded in her skull, sitting up, she shoved Doyle's concerned and protective hands away. Moving closer, she pressed her right hand over his bandaged covered chest. Her blue eyes heated and blazed like liquid blue fire. The pressure and pain washed away as she delved deep within her own mind.
“Who are you? Tell me.” she commanded, barely recognizing the strength her own voice. The man jerked under her hand, squeezing his eyes shut he shook his head in quick motions. The tendons of his neck stood out in his effort to strain away from her touch. A blue flash moved over his eyes before his eyes seemed to become foggy.
As if against his will he answered in an even tone, “Malca named me 53R, but a few of the scientists within the labs secretly call me Raoul.”
Moving closer to her, Doyle laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Placing his lips next to the shell of her ear; he encouraged her on. “It's working. Keep him talking.”
Slowly Doyle moved back. As he gave his mate space to hold the attention of Raoul, He couldn't deny how proud he felt at watching her master a gift she'd never knew she possessed, so quickly. The assertive tone in her commanding voice called to his primitive side. This made him want her all the more. A strong willed mate was a large turn on for shifters, as it promised a more gratifying pursuit.
“Raoul, Any questions I ask you, you will answer without hesitation.”
“Yes. I will.” He answered sincerely, his dazed eyes never leaving her glowing ones.
“Why did Malca want me alive when I was brought back?”
“You've successfully breached. She wants you returned so they can make others like you.”
There was that word again, breached. She was getting closer and closer to the truth, she could almost taste it. Keeping her hand on his warm chest and her eyes locked on his, she continued. “What does ‘breached’ mean?”
“Scientists at the lab refer to a subject as breached when the injections as successfully altered your D.N.A. That's all I know.”
Altered? How? What had they done to her? Whatever the answers were, Raoul didn't have them. Only one person would have the answers she needed. Malca. She was the key.
“Where is Malca?”
For a moment, Raoul's eyes snapped closed as though there was an inner struggle that he fought against. Unwillingly his lips parted and whispered, “She moves around to different bases frequently. All I know is where we were told to deliver you. It's an old, abandoned lumber yard at the outside of town. Its miles away from anything and anyone,”
“Will Malca be there?”
Slowly his eyes opened, “Yes.”
“When?” Doyle growled out from behind her. For a moment her hold on Raoul was nearly broke by the sound of Doyle's voice. But lucky for them Aria was able to hold on tightly.
“When?” She repeated Doyle's question softly.
“Tomorrow, just after sundown,”
From behind her she could hear Doyle and the others talking amongst themselves. Planning and preparing for facing Malca. However; she wasn't done. The image of the murdered girl from yesterday surfaced in her mind. Had Raoul killed her? Who was this "we" he had referred to? There was so much she still needed to know. Like wanting the cookie at the bottom of the jar, she continued to reach for it.
“Yesterday we found a murdered girl with blonde hair in the very spot you are kneeling on. Did you kill her?”
“No!” He snapped, angry and disgusted. “Thomas must have. He enjoys killing.”
“Who is Thomas?” Instantly she could feel the weight of the other's eyes on them.
“He's my twin. He is a sick and twisted, and an obedient dog that follows Malca completely.”
An evil twin? Her life really had become something out of a messed up, fictional story. Turning to look over her shoulder, her eyes met Doyle's. “Do you need to ask him anything else?”
He shook his head. “No. we'll need to drug him and get him to the pack's compound. We have a holding cell we can put him in for safe keeping.”
Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to him with a smile. “Thank you for your cooperation. Now; I want to sleep and not wake up until I tell you to.”
Raoul didn't even possess a second to nod his head before his body slummed in his bindings, completely passed out to the world. Letting her hand fall away from his chest, she slowly stood to her swaying feet. Though there was no pressure or pain any longer, it suddenly felt like all her blood had rushed from her head.
Watching his mate begin to sway on her feet, he rushed forward. Wrapping his arms around her, he steadied her unstable movements. As she pressed a shaking hand to his bare chest, gently smoothing the skin over his racing heart. His heart caught in his chest as a thin trail of dark blood trickled from her nose and down over her panting lips. Guilt swamped him at the condition his beloved mate was in. He had talked her into this. He had pushed her to do this to herself. How could his instincts to protect lead him to cause harm to his mate instead?
Lifting her head, Aria looked up at her mate with heavy eyes. “Guess you were right.” She weakly admitted. Her smoothing hand patted against the hard muscle. “I'm not just a boring human after all.”
A rush of cool relief suddenly swept through her brain. For once, no pain or heavy and unrelenting pressure bombarded her, just a soothing, icy balm that covered her entire being. She suddenly felt strong and utterly peaceful to the point that she no longer felt the need to fight her eyes to remain open. With a slight smile on her lips, Aria allowed the welcoming darkness to consume her one last time.
* ~ * ~ *
Bending down, Doyle swept his unconscious mate up into his arms. Both Robert and Mark cranked and strained their necks to look curiously at Aria. Carrying her over to the couch he gently settled her down on the soft cushions. Using just his hand, he wiped the thin trail of blood from her face. Wiping his blood smeared fingers against the harsh material of his jeans; slowly he sat down next to his sleeping mate.
“You broke her.” His brother stated with an accusing tone.
Jerking around Doyle glared at his brother. “I did not break her. She's just resting.”
I hope...
Shaking his head, Mark stepped closer to the couch. Kneeling next to Aria's still face, Mark's hand gently settled over the soft skin of her forehead. Closing his eyes, Mark shut out everything other than what he was doing. Doyle watched with confusion. His eyes widened as the hand pressed against his mate's forehead began emitting soft golden light. Doyle watched as her skin took on a soft glow and her breaths became more even and relaxed.
Allowing his hand to slide away, Mark opened his eyes and rose to his feet. Immediately noticing the two pair of watchful eyes on him, Mark instantly grew uncomfortable. “What?” He asked, uncertain why Doyle and Robert were watching him.
“What was with your hand acting like a lifelike glow stick?” Robert asked with mild humor.
; Mark shrugged his wide shoulders. “It's just something us cat shifters can do.”
“What exactly did you do?” Doyle inquired. Rising to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest, he waited patiently for an answer.
“Cat shifters can release some of our energy into another person if we wish. Releasing it into another person creates healing energy.” Slowly the trio moved toward the kitchen as they spoke, preventing their conversation from waking Aria.
“Why haven't I heard of this gift amongst our kind before?” Doyle asked. This was something that could be beneficial to everyone in the shifter community.
“We don't like to share it. Whenever we give up a bit of our life force for healing, we don't get it back. If we use the gift too much, we die.”
“Well, I think it would be a handy thing to have when we go after these people hunting your mate, Bro.”
Nodding, Doyle grinned. “Very handy.” turning back to Mark he asked, “Do you know where Raoul was talking about, the abandoned lumber yard?”
Shaking his head, Mark's expression turned grim. “No. It had to be a place that no one would stubble upon accidentally. He said it was far enough from everyone, so it's secluded. Are there any lumber mills in Darkwood Springs that went out of business or are not used a great deal?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“I know of one.” Robert spoke up. As all eyes turned to him he explained, “There is old lumber factory in near the Canadian border. It was shut down years ago. When we were in high school, some friends and I; would play around up there.”
Turning to his brother, Doyle took a step towards him. “Could you lead us there?”
“Definitely,” Robert nodded with infallible confidence. “Let's go get these bastards.”
Bracing his hands on his hips, Mark nodded. “Count me in too.”
Doyle couldn't fight the dark smile that came over his face. The puzzle pieces of his mate's past were falling in place at last. Soon the veiled faces of her pursuers would come to light and he could finally hold his mate close to him without fear of losing her.
“When do we leave?” a soft voice spoke directly behind them.
* ~ * ~ *
Aria's eye flickered open at the strong tone of Doyle's voice as he asked, “Could you lead us there?” They knew where Malca would be? She knew if given the chance Doyle would demand that she stayed behind for her protection.
Screw that! She wasn't some wilting flower! Now that she knew about her gift, unwilling accepted or not, she wasn't some fragile human anymore. Throwing her legs over the edge of the couch, she smiled faintly when no constant hammering of pain and pressure invaded her brain.
Standing, she quietly made her way across the room, moving on soft feet. Keeping her presence concealed until she asked softly but firmly, “When do we leave?”
Both Mark and Robert turned around at the sound of her voice. Their surprised eyes met hers, but neither uttered a word. Shoving his way past the two muted statues, Doyle came to a stop just inches from Aria. Just the sight of her long, golden hair flowing around her smiling face made his arms ache to gather her close. But it wasn't the only thing about her that beckoned his animal to pull her nearer. At that moment it wasn't merely her mouth watering scent or the lure of her soft alabaster skin. Just the sight of her, the healthy flush in her cheeks and the knowledge that she was okay made him wasn’t to grab her and never let go.
“Are you...alright?” he asked hesitantly. He would never be able to forgive himself if forcing her to acknowledge and use her gift had harmed her in some unknown way.
“I feel better than I ever remember feeling. I know I’ll feel better once we put an end to Malca.” she stated with dark exuberance.
Immediately, she felt a change in Doyle. The warmth that had shined off him like rays of light suddenly dimmed. His soft smile melted away as his lips grew into a tight line. Without saying a word to his evidently content mate, he surprised her by turning his back to her.
Pointing a commanding finger at Robert and Mark, he said, “You two work on taking the prisoner to the pack's compound. Make sure he is well guarded and unharmed. We may need him later.”
With muted nods the pair worked together as Robert unbound the length of rope from the banister. While still leaving Raoul's hands bound, Robert threw the sleeping prisoner over his shoulder with a deep grunt. Opening the door for him, Mark followed Robert outside.
Closing the door behind the two, Doyle turned his attention back to Aria. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared up at Doyle with a look of fierce determination. His mate was; if not more stubborn than he was. Getting her to allow him to handle this Malca person and stay behind wouldn't be an easy task.
“When are we going after Malca?” she repeated her earlier question.
Turning away, Doyle made his way into the kitchen. Standing by the sink, he worked on filling a small kettle with water. He placed it on the stove before he reached for a nearby box of matches.
Aria refused to follow after him like an attention starved puppy. Silently, she waited. Striking a match against the box he threw a glance over his shoulder at her before placing the lit match against the hot plate.
“You won't be coming, Aria.” placing the matches on top of the fridge, he turned around. “You will stay behind and stay safe—”
“So help me, Doyle. If you finish that sentence; I'm going to hit you so hard your bear will be crying like a little girl.” she bit out through tightly clenched teeth.
Our mate is so violent. It’s so hot! His bear groan with desire at the show of Aria's aggressive backbone. His bear wasn't the only one that was suddenly battling a hard on. Pushing his hunger for her aside for the moment he folding his arms over his chest, he held a firm expression on his face.
“You need to stay safe.” he repeated.
“Do you not remember what I just did moments ago?” she asked incredulity as she pointed over her shoulder where Raoul once was. “I not only fought a man twice my size but then I forced him to tell us everything. I am not some weak kneed woman that needs protection.”
Dropping his arms, Doyle strode forward until he towered over her. His body moved with an animal-like grace. His bear was pleased when she showed him no fear by standing her ground.
His mate was just as vicious as a she-bear, nearly just as deadly if he didn't tread carefully. Though his bear was salivating at the idea, he was not. He expected his mate to do as he said and let him protect her. It's the way things should be!
“Which is why you need to be kept safe!” he growled out, “You are the only one that can get the information we need. Also, you are my mate! My one and only mate! Without you I would die a slow and miserable death.” His face softened as he reached out toward her. “Can't you see that's why I'm doing this?”
“I can take care of myself.” She stated stubbornly, digging a finger into his chest while avoiding his imploring hand. “And another thing; just because I've agreed to go along with this mate business doesn't mean you have the right to boss me around.”
He brushed her poking finger away with a narrowing look. Circling her upper arms with firm hands, she soon found her back pressed against the hard surface of the door. Glancing down at her, Doyle lowered his head until their noses brushed.
“I am your mate. That means I do have the right. I have the right to protect, the right to love and keep you. That's how mates are supposed to be. Let's get the thought that you will be putting yourself in danger out of your beautiful head now.”
She smirked up at him with defiance. “Just try and stop me.” she challenged.
With a frustrated groan, his hands lost their hold and moved up to grip the sides of her face. Holding her immobile, his lips crashed into hers. His demanding lips took everything that she had and more. Reaching up, her nails bit deep into the nape of his neck. Her lips moved against his with savage need that she never knew she possessed.
A growl ripped from his chest as he
bent down, his arms gripped her legs and jerked her high against his body. Her legs quickly wrapped around his hips, leaving no space between their suddenly starved bodies. His lips never lost their possession of hers. Slowly his lips moved down to her mating mark. The flesh had healed while retaining his brand of his bear's teeth, marking her as his forever, for all to see. Seeing his mark made his cock pulse from behind his jeans with a desperate need to claim her as many different ways as possible.
Bending forward his tongue slowly licked lovingly at her mark. The feel of his tongue against her jugular vein caused her womb to tighten with need. His hands speared through her untamed locks as he pulled back. Breaking away, he looked down at her, at the sight of her flushed face he almost found himself forgetting the battle against his need to protect her and her need for closure. With her bravery, ferocity and determination, she would make one perfect bear once the change took hold.
“What...What did you just say?” Jerking back, she narrowed her lucent eyes at him. Her reaction pulled him from his musings, making him realize that he'd spoken aloud.
“I was just thinking what a perfect she-bear you will be once you change.” Shoving her hands against his chest, she pushed some much needed space between them. Lowering her legs she slid from his embrace with a fluid motion.
“Once I change? What do you mean once I change?”
“I told you that once a human receives a mating bite by their shifter mate, the bite transforms them into a shifter as well.”
“I don't have that.” She denied. What was he saying? That she had no choice? The mere thought made her blood freeze with fear. With Malca she'd had no choice in what was done to her, in what she'd become. Now Doyle wanted to do the same? What was wrong with her that he felt the need to change her into something else?
Reaching forward, Doyle ran the back of his fingers over the mating bite that lay across her pulsing vein. “This is your mating mark. I gave it to you when I claimed you last night.” He explained.
“I never said I wanted you to do that.” She hissed.
Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) Page 19