Bear Outlaw

by Candace Ayers

  illian noticed that Manuela had a bunch of salt in her hand. The old woman was repeating all of the names for God. Then, she threw the salt into Cain’s face with all her might. The salt moved through his form like bullets. Cain screamed at the top of his lungs while hundreds of holes the size of pinheads cut through his body. A cloud of red blood formed at the back of his figure. Despite her broken arm, Bea grabbed a dagger with her other hand and buried it deep in Cain’s chest. Cain’s head rolled backwards and he screamed. More wasps continued to fly out of his mouth, but it was finished. His body erupted into flames, and was then sucked into some kind of black vortex. Onus and Chachi were the last ones left before they could get to Cerebus. They were almost there. All of the wasps that had entered the room immediately vanished.

  Chachi had reappeared sitting cross-legged on the living room couch. He was clapping slowly. “Well done, guys…really and truly. I couldn’t have done it better myself.” Just the sight of him made Lillian feel enraged. She wanted to lunge onto him and rip his throat out. Then she noticed that Finn was sitting silently at his left side. A thump came from the back of the room, and a giant man filed in. This was Onus, the child killer. There was no doubt about that.

  Just the sight of Onus filled Harold with rage. He pulled his gun and held his breath, readying himself to pull the trigger. Onus smiled back. Then, against his will—Harold turned the gun around and placed it up to his own temple. “No!” Harold screamed as he pulled the trigger and blew his own brains out.

  When Onus walked into the room, the entire place became ice cold and Lillian could see her breath. She looked over at Caleb, but his eyes were solidly fixed on Onus. Onus’ form was huge, but he moved quickly. Bea grabbed her dagger, and before anyone could stop her, she lunged at Onus. It was a brave move, but a foolish one. He swiped her with one hand and she flew across the room and then clattered to the floor with a thump—dead. Onus had his eyes fixed on Lillian now. She could feel his ice-cold eyes on her. Onus took a few steps in her direction and then Rock dove at him. Rock’s effort was valiant. He pulled his dagger out and began to stab, yet Onus caught his fist in midair and simply crushed his hand. Then, the spirit made eye contact with Lillian and smiled as he ripped Rock’s still beating heart out of his chest. Rock dropped to the ground, dead. Caleb rushed forward in order to put himself between Lillian and the horrible entity. With one giant swipe, the entity knocked Caleb aside. He clattered to the floor and hit his head against the living room table. When Caleb tried to stand up, Chachi jumped to his feet and held him back.

  Now, it was just Lillian and Onus, as Manuela cowered in the corner of the room. Onus ran forward and Lillian drew her knife. The first blow from Onus felt like ice. Somehow, she had ended up flat on her back, and was swinging her limbs wildly. Onus was above her, laughing. Then, in a moment of clarity, Lillian grabbed a handful of the salt that had destroyed Cain. She flung it at Onus with all of her might. The spirit screamed. This time, his skin started to melt where he had made contact with the salt. Manuela steeled her nerves and rushed over. She pressed a relic to the entity’s chest and Onus wailed as his form erupted in flames.

  Chachi was the only spirit left.

  Chachi had stopped fighting with Caleb and was now standing glaring at them. He placed an arm around Finn.

  “Why have you attached yourself to this innocent?” Manuela screamed.

  Chachi blinked, “This is my son. I’ve been trying to protect him, you idiots.” Lillian felt as though she was ready to pass out. The similarities between the two of them were striking. They had the same dark brown eyes, the same widow’s peak, and even now wore the same expression. They hadn’t planned for this.

  Manuela didn’t care if they were father and son or not. She emptied a bottle of holy water all over Chachi…but was stunned when it had no effect.

  “Thanks, I’ve been needing a shower,” Chachi said. Then he turned to Finn, “I want you to listen to these people, son.” Chachi said as he knelt down to Finn’s level. “I’ll always love you,” Chachi said as he embraced Finn in a deep hug. Then, a white light started to fill the room. “I did some bad things in my day,” Chachi said. “It never sat right with me though.”

  “But you tried to kill me!” Lillian shouted. “That wasn’t me. That was him.” Chachi pointed to the far corner of the room. “Remember Lillian,” Chachi said.. “you’ve got to have heart.” Chachi’s ghost walked into the light and disappeared.

  Finally, they were face to face with Cerebus. Much to Lillian’s surprise, he had merely taken the form of a black shadow. “You will leave this child alone!” Manuela screamed at the entity. Cerebus laughed. Lillian recognized the horrible sound.

  Lillian pulled Finn back behind her, and she linked her hand with Caleb, who then linked the palm of his hand to Manuela’s. Then, the demon flew at them, yet somehow was pushed backwards. Together their combined forces were enough. Manuela chanted and Lillian joined in. She didn’t know what she was saying, but knew that it was working. Cerebus was screaming at the top of his lungs, shaking the very foundation of the house as he flung his shadowed form at them from various sides of the room. For some reason, Lillian started to think about her love for Caleb. Even though things had been less than perfect, he was such a kind and gentle soul. In a way, Caleb completed her.

  “The union of two soul mates!” Manuela screamed. “Hold tight to one another!” Manuela let go of Caleb’s hand and took a step forward. “I send you back to hell!” Manuela screamed. A strong wind blew through the room. Both Caleb and Lillian stepped forward and each placed a hand on Manuela’s shoulder. Manuela put her hands up in front of her and the demon slammed back into the wall. Then, she slowly parted her hands and the demon flew apart, limb-by-limb and was engulfed in flames. Cerebus screamed as he sank down into the floor. A pit opened up beneath him, and he was sucked inside as he wailed in agony.

  “Is it over now?” Finn’s little voice asked from behind them. Lillian scooped him up into her arms and hugged him close. “Yes—it’s finally over,” she said.

  Back at the department, Caleb grabbed Lillian’s hand in his and led her back to an empty room. The entire room was lit with candles. It was apparently Caleb’s new bedroom. He couldn’t wait any longer to claim the woman that captivated his head and his heart. Wordlessly, he lifted her up on her knees onto the bed.

  She closed her eyes and let herself feel the moment. She felt his warm breath against her lips seconds before his mouth covered hers hungrily sending waves of passion flowing through her. She parted her lips inviting his tongue to sweep inside her mouth.

  Her hands moved to his shoulder for support. Heat radiated off of his sculpted body. Lillian reached forward and pulled Caleb’s shirt up over his head and tossed it into the corner of the room. Then she did the same with her own.

  His hands moved down along her back, down her rear to her thighs lifting one in each of his huge hands. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her core against his rock-hard bulge. Through the damp panties and jeans that covered her aching center, she could feel his erection pulsing with need which sent tingles of pleasure fluttering through her belly.

  His strong fingers dug into her hips; his kisses swallowing her moans. She rolled her hips against his hard pulsing erection. She clutched at him. She couldn’t get enough. They had waited too damn long for this.

  Passion spread through them until it became a fiery inferno. Electricity crackled between them. Caleb glanced down, taking a sharp breath in. Lillian's soft smooth mounds swelled above the line of her lacy black bra. Her cheeks tinged with a lovely little tint of honest passion.

  He snapped the clasp of her bra and let her breasts loose. Caleb let out a groan at the sight of her and his mouth descended on a rosebud pink nipple. She shuddered and arched against his mouth.

  Not only was Lillian highly aroused, but she also felt safe and secure, even while her heart was pumping hard in her chest. This was amazing, experiencing Caleb’s r
ough, yet gentle hands along her back, her chest and the ultra-sensitive nipples.

  A soft bite made her gasp, goosebumps rising along her flesh, though rather than pull away, she leaned into it. His affectionate touches were getting... Rougher? She glanced at him. Caleb cupped her ass with one hand and pressed his lips against hers with a fierce hunger. Lillian let out a shaky moan as he nibbled her bottom lip. Her body leaned into him deepening the kiss of her own accord.

  God, she wanted this man. She wanted all of him.

  His grip became stronger and he firmly squeezed and massaged her breasts. How could a man handle her breasts so gently and yet so roughly? He raked his fingertips along her sensitive skin, leaving pleasure-filled welts, and scraped gently over her nipples. He pinched her tightly pebbled nipples between his thumb and forefinger as his mouth began a sweet assault of her neck.

  He kissed, licked, sucked, and nipped at the flesh of her neck. Her body was writhing in pleasure as Caleb raked his teeth down to her throat while his strong hands massaged the underside of her breasts and flicked her nipples.

  “Caleb, please, I... Mmm...” a whisper of a cry left Lillian's lips, but Caleb continued pleasuring her, roughly twisting her nipple, before stroking it soothingly. Every inch of her body felt alive with the electricity of his touch.

  His hand slid over her stomach creeping its way downward while the other hand continued to stroke her breast. Effortlessly, he unsnapped her jeans and pushed them down past her hips. His eyes were now watching her reaction. Lillian's eyes met Caleb's and she moaned as his hand dipped suddenly down, fingers brushing over the lips of her pussy through her panties.

  Her body jerked and writhed against his teasing fingers in anticipation. The corner of his mouth turned up before he leaned in to place another bite on her neck.

  “Mmmm, you’re so wet for me,” Caleb whispered against her ear. His hand ripped her panties off of her body. Lillian tried to summon a glare for him, but couldn’t quite manage it when his finger suddenly slipped inside her. Another shaky sound left her throat and he swiftly pressed his mouth to hers, muffling the sound and grinning lightly against her lips. He swallowed down every sound she made, relishing her muffled moans of bliss. Her body arched against his hand begging for more.

  His finger moved slowly, grinding deep within and sliding back out slowly, and then he added a second finger, filling her completely. Her insides clenched snugly at his digits. She was practically purring, lost in the blinding pleasure of his touch. When his thumb brushed against her clit, her eyes widened at the shocks of pleasure that shot through her body. His thumb massaged circles around her clit as his fingers thrust into and back out of her pussy, making her toes curl from the pleasure. She could feel the warm tingle building and building, her eyes were watering from her body’s hyper- arousal. She felt light-headed from the overwhelming sensations.

  Lillian struggled to speak, and when she could get the words out, her voice was low and thick with passion. “Fuck me, Caleb.”

  In seconds, the bear shifter had his pants and shorts down and yanked hers off of her ankles. He teased her with the head of his large cock rubbing it against her folds and her sensitive nub. He had wanted this woman for so long, dreamed of this very moment, he was afraid that he might just cum as soon as his engorged cock filled her.

  “Fuck me Caleb,” she cried again and he couldn’t stop himself from plunging in her warm moist depths.

  He thrust his cock deep inside and then withdrew himself slowly before plunging back inside her pussy until his pelvis ground against hers and he gyrated his pelvis against her clit before pulling his cock slowly back out again. Lillian could feel the electric tingle start in her belly and she tried to warn him, but his mouth covered her hers. A firm bite of her lower lip made her fall apart.

  Her scream was muffled by his mouth, her body arched and her fingers dug into his back. She felt herself reflexively tremble. The searing pleasure that started in her core shot through her to every nerve ending in her body. She felt herself go momentarily deaf as though she were floating completely submerged under water. Caleb was aware of each tiny reaction. He curled his arm around her tightly, holding her securely as he continued to pump his girth into her pulsing pussy, making damn sure that she was spent.

  Seconds later, Caleb released himself in shooting spasms of ecstasy. Lillian's thrashing eventually stopped and she collapsed back against the arm that held her. Her breathing was shallow, her body still a spasmodic delight of sensations.

  Caleb reveled in the look on her face- a hint of a smile bathed in the warm afterglow of intense release. He would love nothing more than to be the man who put that look on her face every day for the rest of her life.

  An hour later, Caleb and Lillian appeared hand in hand at a party thrown in their honor by Department 99. Toasts were made in their honor, and Lillian was tossed up onto someone’s shoulder’s as the crowd cheered, “hip hip hooray!” Loud music filled the halls as agents danced and joyously ran around with drinks in hand. They had defeated Cerebus, saved Finn, and put all of the other spirits involved to rest.

  Lillian managed to catch Caleb’s glance from across the room. She was at once filled with the warm sensation of safety and of home. Perhaps they could leave all of this behind someday. Maybe they could retire to a little cabin in the woods, where she would give birth to loads of his shifter children. Maybe it was possible to be happy, after all, who knows?

  THE END

  Haunted Whispers

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  Jim and Julie have known each other since she was his little sister’s third grade friend with skinned knees and braces, and he was an awkward teen ager.

  Jim is now a handsome and brave member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Julie is a gorgeous blonde who turns men’s heads. Every man, that is, but Jim, who still sees her as his little sister’s best friend.

  If only Julie could get Jim to actually notice her, she’s certain he’d see what she does- that they’re meant for each other.

  Veronique and Etienne know just what to do.

  Passionately in love, both in life and after death, the ghosts are dedicated to helping others find their own true passion.

  But, just as some spirits assist those on the earthly plane, others spread depravity, hatred and ruin.

  When Julie is cast into a terrifying nightmare, will Jim finally admit his true feelings for the beautiful woman who has been right under his nose this whole time?

  1

  The clang echoed through the entire camp. They all knew the sound and what it meant. Dick Harden had ruined his axe. Without it, he had no job.

  Dick held the axe in his hands and stared at it stupidly. Half of the axe head was still attached to the handle. The other half lay by the log he'd been cutting. He looked hopelessly at the hidden rock inside the log. The rock must have slid down the slope and landed in the crook of the tree and stayed there. The tree grew around the rock and hid it.

  Dick wasn’t a lumberman. That much was obvious. He’d been working for just a week for the Great Northern Logging Company and still wore city shoes, shirt and pants. He hadn’t filled out yet. His muscles weren’t up to the task of felling huge, old-growth pine trees. He had a good work ethic. His body would adapt if given enough time. He saw the foreman looking at him. The man was mean, a bully with no empathy. The foreman walked toward him.

  The scene was half paradise and half sterile ruin. On one side, trees as tall as any building in Victoria worked together to make a forest that was fragrant and alive with animals of every size. The other side looked like the scar from a very bad burn. The trees were gone. The loggers tore up the dirt with their trucks, killing everything that was green. It was empty, lifeless and ugly.

  He looked around him at the other men. He needed help and an axe. He didn’t see anyone with either to give him. Except Etienne. Etienne had two axes. He kept one beside him in case his first one failed.

  Dick looked at Etienne�
�s eyes. His need was obvious to anyone within a hundred yards. Etienne shook his head.

  The year was 1935 at the height of the Depression and jobs were as scarce. The logging camp sat on the west side of Vancouver Island. Logging was the only business open to Dick. There were men who owned fishing trawlers who hired other men to serve on the boats, but Dick couldn’t swim and got violently seasick. It was either logging or starvation.

  The foreman fired Dick on the spot. The company didn’t buy axes for the lumberjacks. They had to have their own. If a man didn’t have an axe, he didn’t have a job.

  Dick walked down the dusty dirt road headed towards Hatchet without hope.

  Hatchet was Dodge City in the wilderness. Seven hundred people lived there in chaos. The citizens of Hatchet hadn't elected a sheriff or mayor yet. Most didn't stay in Hatchet for any longer than it took to buy a mule, a pan for finding gold and a few provisions.

  2

  Etienne didn’t think about Dick. He shrugged. Bad luck happened to everyone. If it was your turn to be under a falling tree, that was the way it was. Sympathy didn’t change anything.

  Etienne took up a lot of space. He stretched up to six feet five inches tall and out far enough to discourage bar fights. Anybody with a grudge or a temper looked at Etienne and walked away.

  After work, he caught a ride into Hatchet and found Dusty’s Saloon. He wore the same clothes he worked in; rough shirt, heavy pants and lumberjack boots. He took a seat at one of the tables scattered around Dusty’s and watched the stage.

  The curtain rose and a line of dancers flowed in. The girls lifted their skirts high and kicked their legs. They whooped and hollered and the men whooped and hollered.