by M. L. Briers
Darkness tried to take her, and she fought it hard – trying to latch on to something real, something concrete, through the pulsing pain within her head, and the disconnected feeling that she had with the rest of her body.
Bonnie needed her help now, and she would be damned if she let her down.
Cooper come for her. Found her in the middle of nowhere, and now she was in the worst possible danger … she doubted that the man had hunted her down only to shake her damn hand…
Jenny palmed the ground and pushed upwards. Sheer bloody will and determination saw her on her knees as she fought the nausea and waves of dizziness within her.
She managed to turn her head on her neck against the grating feeling within her bones, but when she was finally able to focus, she realised that Bonnie was gone.
“No…!” Jenny bit out.
She fought against another wave of nausea and held on as she took as deep a breath in as she could, and she yelled it back out again just as loudly as she could.
“Bailey!”
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It had sounded faint to his ears over the level of chatter that was going on all around him, but it was there, and there was no mistaking the level of desperation that forced that cry from his mate’s lips.
Bailey pushed up at the same time that Karl did. Both men had heard it – which meant that Bailey wasn’t losing his mind.
In a heated rush they started in the direction that their mates had gone. Bailey caught up with Karl in a heartbeat, and the big man was scenting the air looking for trouble…
“You get that scent…?” Karl growled, pushing off into a run…
“Jenny’s blood…” Bailey tossed back over his shoulder, moving faster and getting in front of the shifter, before he disappeared out of sight around the corner of the building.
Karl’s heart was pumping hard and his body was primed for action as he turned the corner and took the sight of them in.
Jenny was down on her hands and knees, blood coming from a wound to her head, and Bailey was already biting into the flesh of his wrist to heal her with his blood…
Karl sniffed the air and found his mate’s scent – fear – a lot of fear. His bear rose up within him and he couldn’t keep the beast back.
The sound of shredding clothes and one big bear bursting from inside of Karl made Jenny’s eyes widen at the sight of the man shifting into his beast … before she could push Bailey’s wrist away; she already tasted his blood on her lips, and the moment that realisation dawned on her as to what he was doing, she felt him fist her hair and keep her lips against his flesh…
She cursed and protested, but to no avail…
“Sorry, sweetheart – your need is greater than mine, and it saves a trip to the emergency room,” Bailey bit out against her protests.
Karl’s bear took off after his mate’s scent.
“Bonnie…” Jenny spat out the moment that he released her from his hold…
“Bear’s gone after her…” Bailey assured her.
He palmed her face within his hands and watched his blood work against the wound on her head.
Bailey had to bite down on his need to kill the guy that had done this to his mate. He’d taken that scent, and he’d felt his bloodlust rise within him for justice, and he knew that if he got his hands on that man before Karl – he’d rip him apart.
“Go!” Jenny demanded.
“You’re my…”
“Go, or I’ll go myself…” Jenny might still have felt weak, but she was getting stronger by the minute, and if anything happened to Bonnie…
“You … are …” Bailey bit down on a grunt of annoyance. “Do not move. If you have moved an inch by the time I kill the bad guy and get back here…” he warned, but before Jenny could say another word – he was gone.
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Karl made a beeline for that scent, and it was getting stronger with every step that his bear took – not that he was taking steps – hell no, he was running as fast as his bear could navigate the small spaces between the woodland tree trunks.
He scented Bailey in the air, and heard the vampire veer left around him. He knew that the vampire wouldn’t run headlong into the fight, but Karl also knew that he had no choice.
His bear wasn’t interested in tactics – just getting to Bonnie as quickly as possible and before anything bad could happen to her.
He heard the scuffle of commotion ahead of him and pressed on, willing his beast to go faster, get nearer so that he could take a bite and rip the guy limb from limb…
His eyes took her in.
The sight of his mate in the clutches of another man was bad enough, but the fact that she was being half yanked, half dragged, and was tripping over the debris on the ground with the noises of protest and pain that she was making, sent his beast wild with rage…
Cooper turned at the sound of the angry bear. His eyes took in the sight of the beast running right at them, and he lifted his arm and aimed the gun at Karl…
Bonnie drew a harsh breath in and her mind whirled as her eyes locked onto the metal in the Cooper’s outstretched hand. There was a loud crack from above at the same time as a shot rang out, and both sounds dulled her senses, made her freeze for a heartbeat or two…
She felt the overwhelming need to protect the bear. She raised her hand and slammed her fist down into the crook of Cooper’s arm, forcing the gun downwards as a second shot rang out, and Bonnie felt the hard yank of an arm around her body as Cooper was torn away from her and tossed sideways…
She felt and saw the world spin around her. One moment she was in the grip of a madman, and the next she was behind the back and broad shoulders of the vampire…
There was a roar from the bear that was almost deafening in her heightened state of awareness. A big part of her was so damn thankful that Karl wasn’t dead from the gunshot, but another part was more than fearful for his safety…
She didn’t want anyone else getting hurt for her…
“Jenny…!” She said, gripping Bailey’s shirt and trying to yank and pull him around so that she could make him understand what had happened.
“She’s fine – but miffed at me for giving her my blood to heal her…” Bailey tossed all the information that she should need back over his shoulder and felt her grip on him ease slightly…
“Karl…” she tried to sidestep the vampire to see what was happening, but he turned towards her and blocked her way, her vision…
“You might not want to watch this part…” Bailey warned her with a small wince as he pressed his lips together and offered her a sympathetic look…
“What…? No…!” Bonnie tried to sidestep the man, but he was everywhere.
The sounds of Karl’s angry bear rang out through the trees as she tried to get around Bailey … she heard the cries of a man … the pained torment as the bear did his worst … and she looked into Bailey’s eyes and understood what he was hiding from her…
“He’s protecting us … me…” she said with so much clarity and determination that the vampire was more than impressed by the strength of her character in that moment.
“Yes, he is, and he wouldn’t want you to see him like this…” Bailey assured her.
Bonnie bit down on her need to know that her mate was alright. She nodded once as all of the fight within her to get away from Bailey seeped away…
“You need to walk away now. Go back to Jenny …” Bailey looked deep into her eyes and she found herself mesmerised by his vampire charms. “Do not look back.”
Bonnie turned on her heels and started away from the vampire, away from where Karl’s bear was grunting and growling as he took out the threat to his mate with deadly swipes of his razor sharp claws and fangs that tore him apart.
Bonnie didn’t look back.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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“Oh yeah…” Bailey eyed the dead guy as Karl’s bear grunted and snarl
ed in anger. “He’s definitely dead.”
Karl looked around for his mate. He sniffed the air…
“I sent her back to Jenny – she didn’t see anything.” Bailey informed the beast, keeping one eye on the bear just in case his bloodlust hadn’t quite left him.
He liked Karl, but he knew bears, and he wasn’t about to turn his back on an angrier than hell beast.
Karl grunted in reply.
“No thanks are necessary…” Bailey said, waving his hand in the air as he overplayed his part.
The bear grunted again before it turned on it paws and started away from him…
“You just gonna leave the dead guy here?” Bailey called. “You going for a shovel…?”
With another grunt of annoyance Karl took off away from him, eager to get back to his mate. Bailey sighed…
“Guess I’ll get the damn shovel then…” he grumbled.
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“You’re not going to call the police?” Jenny asked from the backseat of the car as Karl sat naked in the seat beside her with just a shirt covering his manhood, and Bonnie sat in the front passenger seat staring out of the side window as Bailey drove them home.
“No body – no need for the police,” Bailey offered back as he flicked a look towards Bonnie – she’d been pretty much silent since they’d started their journey home.
Bailey had run around like a lunatic. He’d hidden the body out of view and cleaned up the scene of the crime before he’d broken into a garden shed to steal a shovel – then he’d taken the body down into one of the drop offs on the top side of the mountain where not even seasoned climbers dared to go and buried it deep in the earth, making good the terrain around it, before he retraced his steps and checked that everything was in order…
He’d debated stealing the shifter something to wear, but had decided that the man could squirm a little and had only snatched a shirt for his modesty and so Jenny didn’t have to look at the man and his assets on the journey home.
“What if someone misses him?” Jenny asked…
“I doubt very much that he told anyone he was coming here to try to kill Bonnie…” Bailey said over his shoulder, and the sound of a low, deep, angry growl rolled through Karl and rattled the windows in the frames…
“Can you not?” Bonnie bit out. Her nerves were tingling as much as her skin had when he’d touched her earlier that day.
“I can try, but I wouldn’t bet on it,” Karl grumbled back – the sound of his beast was still in his voice.
“Why didn’t you just report it? He had a gun…” Jenny offered back.
“Let’s see – your injuries are healed. Karl’s gunshot wound has healed. Karl’s bear … got a little carried away protecting his mate, and it’s not like the police are sympathetic to shifters, especially when humans are involved.” Bailey informed her.
“It’s better that he’s just … gone,” Bonnie bit out.
She still had the urge to kill the man herself … she wasn’t entirely sure what she was feeling, relief, anger, hate, the desire to go dig up the body and bury it all over again – like he’d died twice for his sins…
“I’m sorry…” Karl started, but Bonnie didn’t let him finish.
“Whatever you’re sorry for … don’t be,” Bonnie assured him. “I have the urge to dig him up and batter him dead again with the damn shovel.”
“I don’t think there’s much left to batter…” Bailey said without thinking, until the warning growl from Karl made him grimace.
“Bailey!” Jenny berated him.
“Good. Job done.” Bonnie folded her arms across her chest and pushed back against the seat, eyeing the outside world that she couldn’t see in the darkness of the night.
Bailey shot a look in the rear-view mirror at Karl and the man frowned back. Neither man could miss the waves of emotions that came from the woman in the small confined space of the car. They both knew that Bonnie must have been having a hard time sorting one from the other because they couldn’t.
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Karl had grabbed the spare clothes that he kept inside of his truck and had showered quickly before turning over the bathroom to Jenny – slipping into Bonnie’s room to dry himself and change.
Bonnie was busying herself making coffee, but she still couldn’t stop churning everything over and over within her mind.
Bailey stood at the door to the kitchen and watched her. He could see that her mind wasn’t solely on the task at hand … He stalked over to the side, lifted a bottle of scotch, grabbed a glass and poured generously. Then he moved over to her side and put the glass into her hand.
“This works better than that…” Bailey said, and for one long moment she frowned down at the fiery liquid before she placed the glass against her lips and drank thirstily…
“You’re right…” she breathed out the fire and sucked a deep breath back in again.
“With age comes wisdom, and I’m plenty old…” Bailey grinned.
Karl cleared his throat as he entered the room. He’d heard them speaking and could scent the alcohol in the air…
“Well, time to not let my mate out of my sight while she has vampire blood in her system…” Bailey said, strolling towards the kitchen door and the bear shifter that was blocking it.
Karl sidestepped and let the man walk by with a nod of his head in thanks. Bailey reached out and slapped him on the back on the way by.
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever not said to me,” Bailey whispered on a small chuckle and heard his friend grumble a growl.
Bonnie’s eyes turned towards Karl as the man slowly walked across the kitchen towards her.
“How are you doing?” Karl asked, worried that at any moment she was going to reject him for what he’d done – what he’d had to do, and even if she did, Karl knew that he wouldn’t have done things differently.
That man had to die…
“I don’t know…” Bonnie said, hugging the empty glass that she held within her hands against her chest as she stared up at him.
Karl reached out and took the glass. He placed it down on the kitchen side with one hand and the other hand reached around her body, palming her back, and drawing her towards him…
Bonnie went without thought or protest into his arms. She was grateful for the solidity of his chest, the strength of his arms as they wrapped around her and held her close.
She was grateful for him.
She guessed that she was still in shock – or whatever it was that had her nerves buzzing and her insides shaking, even her damn legs still felt a little unstable, better for the fiery scotch, but she still didn’t feel normal…
“I’ve got you now, sweetheart,” Karl said. His gentle growl rumbled through his chest where her cheek was pressed and it soothed her; mind, body and soul.
She liked that sound. It was strange that it made her feel so damn safe…
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“Is this a ploy to get me to go home with you – like – come see my etchings?” Jenny placed her hands on her hips and challenged him with just a look.
“Oh, that was always a good one – do they still use that?” He teased her back.
“I think it’s now – come see how many bad guys I can kill in this simulation of art meets war…” she tossed back.
“Doesn’t have the same ring to it, but ok.” Bailey folded his arms across his chest and leant his shoulder against the wall.
He didn’t take his eyes from hers for a moment, because he noted that she couldn’t seem to drag her eyes from him, and he was being good – he wasn’t using his vampire charms to mesmerise her either.
“Stop doing that vampire thing…” she frowned.
“Actually, I’m not,” he assured her. “You just can’t take your eyes off me because I’m just that sexy that you want to rip my clothes off and do things to me that would make a nun blush.”
&
nbsp; “Well, that’s one theory – or it could be that you have a little blood under your right eye…” she offered him a victorious smile.
“Really?” He wasn’t about to fall for it if she was lying.
“Mirror in the bathroom,” she offered back.
“Good song – loved the eighties…” He informed her as he pushed off from the wall and sidestepped her…
“I wouldn’t know – I wasn’t born…” she grinned harder.
“Thanks for making me feel…”
“Ancient,” she offered.
“Now I feel ancient…” he grumbled.
“You look good for an old guy,” she grinned, throwing him a bone as she heard the tap turn on, turn off, and then he was right back by her side again. She turned towards him and he stepped forwards, leaving her nowhere to go but to put her back to the wall.
A rush of excitement fired within her at having him that close.
“Do they still use – do you come here often?” he teased.
“Only if they want to be laughed at.”
“Hmm, how about…?” he considered it for a long moment.
Then he took her lips with a kiss that turned into a burning hot devouring of her sense in a heartbeat.
Jenny palmed his chest and held on for the ride. She tried to give as good as she got, but his kisses were just so damn hot that she knew she’d never match him.
CHAPTER NINTEEN
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Karl swept Bonnie up into his arms without a word of protest. Given the emotions that he could feel coming from her; he never really expected much of one.
He carried her from the kitchen and turned towards the bedroom – the sight of Jenny and Bailey all loved up in the hallway made him pause for thought for only a moment before he followed his nose towards Bonnie’s bedroom.
“Is Bonnie ok?” Jenny asked – looking a little embarrassed at being caught in a compromising position with her mate.
“She’s fine. I’ve got this,” Karl assured her.