by K L King
“She’s doing OK. She has a pretty severe head injury, one that would have killed a human. It’ll take a bit, but she should recover. Thanks to my sweet mate. You saved her. You shifted and took out two of those bastards. Tessa called Heath and told us where to go. Dad was with us at the time so, of course, he came. Tessa must have called Beau and Piper because they showed up, too.”
“How did Tessa know we were in trouble?” Iris asked.
“I don’t ask how Tessa knows anything. It probably has something to do with her phoenix magical power voodoo. Somehow, she knew you both were in trouble. She told us to shift and get there as fast as we could. You bought us enough time to get there to help you. You did all the hard work. We arrived just in time to finish the job.” He gathered her into his lap and rubbed her back.
“What? How did I?” She sat confused for a second and then started coughing.
Deacon handed her a bottle of water. “Take it easy. Drink. It’ll come back to you.”
“I just remember knowing I had to protect May. I was so mad. They said they were going to kill us after…” She stopped speaking as tears trickled down her face. She caught her breath and wiped the tears away. “They were going to start with May because she was a cop. They said I was defective because I couldn’t shift. I was afraid I was going to have to watch them kill her.” She put her hands to her face and sobbed.
“It’s OK now. You did so well. You saved my sister. My fierce, beautiful bear,” he cooed as he rubbed her back.
“You saw my bear?” she whispered.
“We all did. Heath, Dad, everyone there. We showed up just as you were staring down Sean. You were covered in blood and seemed ready to rip his throat out. You stood there defending her, fierce, beautiful and strong. You looked like a warrior.”
“I wanted to kill him, but he was so close to May.” She continued to cry quietly.
“You did what you had to.”
“How’d I shift back? How’d I get back here?” Iris asked.
“As soon as you saw May was safe, you shifted back and then passed out. My mom came with her truck, and we brought you both to the hospital. They checked you out and said you were OK aside from exhaustion. My parents are staying at the hospital with May. I brought you back here, got you cleaned up, and put you to bed.
“The hospital here in town? They know how to treat shifters?” Iris asked.
Deacon nodded. “Most of the staff there are shifters. Doctors, nurses, technicians. I’d say probably seventy-five percent are shifters and the rest are either family members of shifters or related through marriage. The docs and nurses have all gone through regular schooling. They learn shifter-specific skills when they start working here. They’re very good at what they do.”
“I’m glad May will be alright. What do we do now?”
“Right now you have to eat. You expend a lot of energy when you shift, especially your first few shifts. You need to eat to recover your strength.”
“Sounds good.” She tried to climb out of the bed.
He shook his head. “Nope. I’ll bring you to the food. You need to still recover.” He carried her to the kitchen and sat her in one of the chairs. He started pulling meat and vegetables from the fridge and laying them out on the counter.
“Where’s Riley?” she asked, glancing around the kitchen.
“He’s staying at Tessa’s for a little bit, at least until you get your strength back. Believe me, he’s not thrilled about it.”
“What do you mean? He likes Tessa,” Iris insisted.
“When I brought you home, he put up a huge fuss. I think he felt guilty he wasn’t there to help you. He kept pacing around in front of you in a circle, growling and hissing. He was driving me nuts so I called Tessa over. She seemed to think she could get him to calm down a bit. After I promised I would let him know as soon as you were up and about, he went off with her.”
“Poor Riley, there’s no reason for him to feel guilty. It was those damn cougars that are to blame, no one else. By the way, who was that huge grizzly bear?”
“That was Beau. He’s the grizzly shifter than runs the hardware store.”
“What was he doing there?”
“Well, from what I gather, I think he’s got a crush on May. He was acting real protective of her. Heath told me he almost hit the doctor at the hospital when the doc went to examine her.” He turned on the heat of the stove and then tossed on a large steak. The meat sizzled.
Iris gaped. “May and Beau? She never mentioned him, at least not to me. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard her mention any guy.”
“Who knows? Maybe. If it’s true, I have to say, I didn’t see that one coming. She usually picks the troublemakers. He’s a good, responsible, law-abiding citizen. Not her usual type. Time will tell, I guess.” Deacon smiled as he cooked.
Iris ended up eating more than she ever had at one sitting. Deacon was right; she was ravenous. She was curious about one thing. She sat back and rubbed her full stomach. “How come I can’t remember everything I did as a bear?”
Deacon leaned back against the counter next to the stovetop. “Usually you do remember. It might be the trauma of what was going on or the fact it was your first shift. I think you expended all your energy shifting and protecting May, and then your body couldn’t take any more. Next time, you can shift in a more controlled setting so hopefully you can remember.”
“I don’t even remember how I shifted. It just happened.”
“You’ll remember how to do it. You just need to rest and recover right now.” He lifted her from her seat.
“Where are we going?” Iris asked.
“You’re going to sleep, and I’m going to supervise to make sure you go to sleep,” Deacon said as he carried her into their bedroom.
“What if I don’t want to sleep anymore? I think I slept enough.” Iris smiled and wrapped her arms around Deacon’s neck as he tried to place her in the bed.
Deacon grunted, “No. You need more sleep.”
She let him release her into the bed but quickly ran to the bathroom and shut the door.
“Iris!”
“I’ll be right out,” she called. She did her business and then stared in the mirror. She looked the same. No signs of fighting the cougars. She didn’t have a scratch on her. Her hair was even glossy. Deacon must have washed it when he bathed her. She brushed her teeth and splashed some cold water on her face. When she opened the door, Deacon was standing right on the other side with a frown.
“Bedtime.” He lifted her back up like a baby.
“Not bedtime,” she said and grabbed his head and jerked it toward her mouth. “Snuggle time,” she mumbled and then kissed him hungrily. He tried to pull back, but she quickly shifted positions so her arms were cinched around his neck and her legs were wrapped around his waist tightly.
“You need to rest,” he managed to get out between kisses.
“I rested for a day. I’m fine. We’ll rest after. Shifters are supposed to recover faster, aren’t they?” She pulled back to give him a big grin.
“Yes. We can cuddle, but nothing too strenuous. You need to rest a bit more, and then you’ll be fine.” He climbed into the bed and gently set her down.
“OK, cuddles it is.” She lifted the shirt she was wearing off her head and threw it to the floor.
“Sweetie, what are you doing?” Deacon asked.
“I’m getting ready to cuddle you.” She giggled and lay against his side, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his waist.
He huffed. “No. You’re trying to distract me from my mission.”
“What mission?” she asked innocently.
He smiled down at her. “I’m trying to take care of my mate. You’re trying to sabotage me.”
“Well, I’m trying to take care of my mate.” She rubbed his chest. “You’re getting between a fierce bear and her mission.” She climbed on top of him and covered his body with hers. “I can tell you when I need to rest.�
�� She started to kiss and nip his neck and jaw.
“Oh, no. I warned you. Just cuddles,” Deacon said as he quickly flipped them both over on the bed so she was on her back and he was crouched above her. He held her down by her wrists. “Do I have to tie you up to get you to behave, little bear?” He smirked.
“Another time. I’m busy right now,” Iris said and flipped them both over again so he was on his back with her on her knees near his lap. Before he could protest, she had yanked down his sweatpants and pulled out his large, hard cock.
Deacon hissed as Iris licked up and down, sucking the tip into her mouth. He moaned and grabbed her hair with one hand as he fisted the sheets with his other. “Iris. You’re killing me. I’m not going to be able to last.” He wrapped his hand around her hair.
Iris stopped her ministrations long enough to lift her head and give him a big smile. “You’re a big boy. I’m sure you can handle an innocent little bear.” She wrapped both hands around him and rubbed as she took him deep, deeper into her mouth from root to tip, applying just the right amount of suction to make Deacon tremble. As she sucked, she started kneading his balls gently.
He groaned and pulled her hair with one hand as he held onto the headboard with his other. “Please,” he begged.
Iris stopped, smiled at him and licked her lips. “Please what?”
He flipped them over again so she was on her knees with her chest to the bed. Deacon pressed tightly against her back. She tilted up her bottom to grind against the hardness of his groin. He growled loudly and tore his pants the rest of the way off with a claw. Swiftly he plunged inside of her, holding her upper body still. She let out a loud moan as he squeezed her breasts and bit her neck right next to her mating bite.
“Mine,” he growled and pounded into her.
“Yours,” she whispered. She was made for him and he for her. She was in ecstasy. He knew exactly how to make love to her. Deacon, her one true mate.
He panted and moaned as he continued to thrust inside of her until she sensed his whole body tense. “Can’t hold off anymore,” he grunted.
At that very moment, she fell apart with a scream. Deacon held her tight to him as he filled her with his hot seed, kissing her jaw and neck as his panting subsided. “My brave mate.” He kissed her then rolled over onto his side. He tucked her into his chest and enclosed her with his strong arms. “Now it’s time for sleep.”
Chapter 32
In the two months since the attack, life returned to normal, or her new normal, Iris thought. After a few days, May received a clean bill of health at the hospital. She had regained consciousness after two days, thanks to her shifter healing abilities. She was surprised to see Beau at her bedside when she awoke. After a couple of additional days of treatments and tests, she was allowed to go home.
Heath had ordered a full inspection of the cougar pride. With support from what Deacon explained was a sort of non-government-sanctioned group of shifter law enforcement known as the SCB, or Shifter Crime Bureau, members of the Grey Lake Police department went through the homes of the three attackers, searching for any other signs of criminal activity. The pride alpha allowed them full access, leading, Deacon explained afterwards to Iris, him to believe they would find nothing of importance there. They did find mostly male cougar shifters in their early twenties through early forties living on a twenty-acre property with several old houses and sheds. There were a few small families on the sprawling property, living together in small homes and trailers, but the pride mainly consisted of single male shifters. No one seemed to know why the three had attacked Iris and May, or if they did, they weren’t forthcoming with answers.
Deacon, it seemed to Iris, had made it his mission to keep her safe and happy. He primarily kept her busy with planning their wedding. While neither of them had a desire for a large wedding, his mother and May had managed to talk them into a small one involving just friends and family. The men in the family actually agreed with the idea. Heath thought it would be good for the pack to have something to celebrate after such an attack on two of their pack members. Ted pointed out it could help strengthen the pack’s ties to Iris, too. They planned for a mid-December wedding. That left them about a month more to prepare. With May and Annie helping her plan most of the ceremony, it was up to Deacon to plan their honeymoon.
May jumped into the sister-in-law role with her usual good cheer, but it was tempered somewhat. Since her release from the hospital, May had suffered from frequent headaches and dizziness, but was told it was to be expected with the head injury she’d suffered from. The shifter doctors had explained that she would heal more and more each day. She soldiered on with her usual positive attitude, though she was quieter than before.
Annie had truly become a second mother to Iris, taking to planning the wedding with much enthusiasm. Being pretty low-key, Iris decided she would plan the entrée for the dinner and the cake and left most everything else to May and Annie. Tessa had arranged for the entire yacht club to be reserved for the ceremony and reception. Even though Iris was planning the entrees, Tessa was going to be doing all the cooking with some of the pack members. Iris, however, insisted on making the cake herself.
Overall, Annie, May, and Sadie had really done a great job of integrating Iris into the pack. The initial wariness that some felt about having a bear shifter as mate to their pack beta had mostly disappeared as Sadie and May brought Iris around to meet everyone. Once everyone saw that she was really as sweet as she seemed, they were won over. It didn’t hurt that Iris went to every pack gathering overflowing with her delicious baked goods.
There were a couple of black clouds that appeared in the days since the attack. The first occurred when she and Deacon finally were able to meet with Tessa for that talk she planned many weeks prior. Life had gotten so busy with wedding plans that Tessa kept putting off the dinner they’d scheduled. Iris forced the issue when she noticed Tessa had become increasingly distracted at work. Her boss and friend wasn’t her usual sunny self. She looked paler and more worn-down. Tessa agreed to stop by their home that very night.
Iris heard the knock at the door from her spot at the kitchen island where she was in the midst of preparing a pizza for the oven. Riley was lying in front of the hearth in the living room.
“I’ll get it,” Deacon called from their bedroom. He had come home from a shift at the station and had just gotten dressed after a quick shower.
Iris placed the pizza in the oven, set the timer, and walked out to the living room where Deacon and Tessa were seated in front of the large window. Riley had gotten up from his warm spot near the fire and now lay at their feet. It was just about six so it would have been quite dark but for the brilliant yellow-white light of the full moon that shone brightly.
“Hi there,” Iris said to Tessa. “I just put the pizza in the oven so we have about fifteen minutes before it’s done. What would you both like to drink?”
Deacon stood up and placed a hand on Iris’s shoulder. “No, you made the pizza. You have a seat. I’ll get the drinks. Tessa, we have wine, beer, juice, soda…” Iris sat down on the couch adjacent to where Tessa sat on a plush chair.
Tessa requested, “Scotch and ice if you have any.”
Deacon’s eyes widened a tiny bit before he asked, “Iris?”
“Scotch, no ice, please.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile. If Tessa was going for hard liquor, she probably had something bad to tell them.
“Scotch for three then. I’ll be right back.” When Deacon left for the kitchen, Iris turned to Tessa and leaned toward her.
“What’s wrong? You look, well, not like yourself.” Iris was really worried.
“It’s just that I’m exhausted. Really tired and very worried,” Tessa answered.
“Did something happen recently that you haven’t told us?” Iris asked as Deacon walked back into the room and placed a drink in front of Tessa then Iris. He sat next to Iris, close enough that his body pressed against hers. She leaned into him f
or reassurance.
“It’s just I’ve been having these dreams. Part of being a phoenix is that I get these visions that sometimes come to me when I’m awake and focused, but other times they come unbidden in dreams. These visions or predictions, or whatever you want to call them. are a blessing and a curse. They are a gift when I get a clear picture and can intervene to help out, like with you and May,” Tessa said to Iris.
“How are they a curse then?” Deacon asked.
“When they are not very straightforward. It’s not like watching a movie. The visions are not always clear. Sometimes, I just get flashes of images or scenes. I’ve dealt with them my whole life. It’s just that the dreams have been happening more often.”
“Are you getting any clear images or visions of someone in danger, or are you just tired from getting woken up so much by these nightmares?” Iris asked.
Tessa huffed, “No, no. The visions I’m getting are disturbing, but they aren’t clear. I just know there is trouble brewing in Grey Lake. There is going to be a battle.”
“A fight?” Deacon asked.
“No, much worse than a simple fight or an attack. We’re going to need fighters—strong, fast, brave shifters, more than just the police or the wolf pack. I’m afraid people are going to die.” Tessa’s eyes were glistening as she raised both hands to her face.
“What do you mean?” Deacon asked, tensing beside her.
“What do you see that makes you think this?” Iris asked almost at the same time.
“Images of fire in the forest, near the mountains and Grey Lake, too. Humans and shifters, some running, some carrying others, some screaming.” Tears were running down Tessa’s cheeks.
“When? Do you know when? Who causes this?” Deacon asked, voice raised.
Tessa shook her head. “I can’t tell. I don’t think it is too soon. It looked more like spring or summer in the vision, not fall like now or winter.”
“You said we need fighters. What kind of fighters?” Iris asked.
“We need strong, fast shifters. Some of them are already here and ready, and some like you, Iris, have yet to come into your own. You’ll have to be ready.”