A lamp somewhere in the house eventually revealed three large bodies dragging what looked like a male through the front room. Rex’s ears shifted, listening for sounds.
Where’s Ada?
I don’t know!
Then I want my money, because that bitch was to be mine.
I…I don’t have it all.
Kill him.
Rex’s beast lunged for the front door. The males from Montana would not take the kill of Robert O’Kelly from him. It was his right to avenge his mate for the monster who had sold her.
The front door splintered into pieces as his shoulder hit it. The males inside snarled as he rushed them, taking Robert O’Kelly to the ground. The male’s dark-brown eyes widened in fright.
“Robert O’Kelly, you are accused of illegally selling females and running illegal guns. Shifter law will be enforced.”
“Do you have that bitch, Ada?” the male behind him yelled as Drake put a gun to his temple. The other male froze, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just here to get what I came for. You can deal with him as you please.”
“You think you aren’t part of this?” Drake chuffed.
Rex knew better than to take his eyes off of his enemy, but with the mention of his mate’s name, his gaze flickered to the male from Montana. Robert took that opportunity to get his right hand free, landing a punch to Rex’s jaw, but to the male’s surprise, it didn’t faze Rex.
“I’m running on pure, feral rage, motherfucker,” he growled, baring his fangs in Robert’s face as he leaned in close. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Rex punched Robert O’Kelly in the jaw, returning the one he’d been served. With the satisfying crack of bone, his beast demanded more. It wasn’t as easy as the sheriff had explained it to be to just kill them and be done. No, Rex wanted more than a quick kill. It was a predator’s nature to be vicious in their kills. He wanted this man to suffer.
“How’s my daughter? I’m sure you have her too,” Robert O’Kelly froze as he saw Luca and Ransom approach. “You son of a bitch! You sold out?”
“No, uncle, we did the right thing,” Luca snarled.
“I hope the little whores are good to you,” Robert spat. “That daughter of mine wasn’t useful to the male who fucked her.”
“What did you say?” Gunnar snarled, pulling one of the males from Montana by the neck as he marched across the room. Rex still had his hold on Robert, but his brother shoved him out of the way, dropping the male to the floor. A gun pressed into Robert’s forehead, and before Rex knew what was happening, Gunnar pulled the trigger, ending his life.
The males from Montana started to shift, but the panthers attacked them in their human forms, clamping their canines on their throats to keep them from shifting. If any of them decided to shift, they’d be dead instantly.
“As for you,” Rex snarled as he prowled toward the male from Montana. “You are mine to deal with.”
“She’s mine!” he barked, narrowing his golden eyes. “I paid half a million for that bitch, and I’m not leaving here without her.”
“You won’t be leaving here,” Rex warned, raising his gun.
Before he could take the shot, the door burst open and two males, matching the description Ada had given him of the Knobs brothers, rushed in. They lifted rifles to their shoulders, and that was when all hell broke loose.
Rex shouted as the first round was fired, hitting his brother in the shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to take Drake out. He still held onto the male from Montana, swinging his body to act as a shield for his own. The next shot hit one of the panthers, but the male lunged for the shooter’s throat, hitting him and taking him to the ground. The other Knobs brother shot at Gunnar but missed.
Rex’s beast pushed at his skin to shift, but he fought his nature and lifted his gun, turning it on the male. One shot between the eyes dropped him to the floor at the front door. His mind was full of anger, his body primed to shift, but his vision of finding Ada and Anna Claire spurred him on.
“Put them on their knees,” he ordered. His brother kicked his captive’s leg, pushing him to the floor. The other two males were placed next to their leader. Rex didn’t wait for answers or excuses to come from their lips. With three quick pulls of the trigger, he did what was asked of him and put a bullet between each of their eyes. He dropped the gun on the ground next to Robert O’Kelly’s body.
“Gunnar, take your gun with you,” he stated as he turned to step over the blood of his enemies. The males did the same.
“We need to get the elders,” Luca announced as soon as they stepped off the porch.
“Take us to them,” Rex ordered.
“Luca, get Martha and Alfred,” Ransom ordered his brother. “I’ll get Doug and Peggy.”
Rex split off with Luca, while Drake and Gunnar left with Ransom. The panthers raced across the highway to return to the trucks to dress. It was eerily silent, not a sound for miles. This area was desolate, and it was a good thing, knowing no one had heard the gunshots. With the shifter’s advanced hearing, they’d pick up the sounds of sirens from ten miles away if the police had been called. He didn’t know if Sheriff Lynch had anything to do with no law enforcement showing up, but he wasn’t going to ask questions, either.
“Alfred!” Luca shouted as he pounded on the door. Rex noticed a small amount of light breaking on the horizon, and he knew they needed to get going.
“We have about fifteen minutes to get out of here,” he warned.
Luca knocked on the door again, and they both stepped back when a man in his late seventies opened the door, his eyes full of sleep. “Luca? What’s going on?”
“Alfred, we need you and Martha to pack a bag, and make it quick,” he ordered. “Robert has been killed and it’s time we get out of here.”
“What?”
“Sir, my name is Rex Morgan, and I’m here on behalf of Ada Carlisle,” Rex announced, holding his hand out as a peace offering. “She is my mate, and I saved her when she fled from this clan. Shifter law was put into effect tonight, and Robert, along with the male from Montana who had purchased Ada’s hand, have been put down. There are illegal guns on this land, and the authorities will be here soon to search for them. I have a place where you and your mate will be safe.”
“He’s dead?” a female voice gasped from behind the door. “That son of a bitch is dead?”
“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Martha,” Luca promised. The elder female mumbled something that sounded like a prayer of thanks, pressing her palm over her heart. “We really need to be leaving. There are vehicles across the highway, and we have to get out of here.”
“Come on, love, let’s gather our things,” Alfred urged his mate. “Give us five minutes.”
“Take clothes, nothing else,” Rex informed them, looking over his shoulder. The sky was getting lighter. “Make it fast.”
The elder couple hurried through their home, grabbing things they needed, and were ready to go in less than the five minutes they had been given. Rex searched the area for Ransom, and sighed to himself when he approached with the other couple.
“We need to hurry to the vehicles,” Rex ordered, offering to take a bag from Martha. “Everything will be explained once we get to safety.”
The four elders nodded, and the males each took their mate’s hand. When they arrived across the highway, the sheriff was waiting for them. The guns were returned and Rex quickly slid into the front seat while Drake climbed into the passenger side, cursing at the bullet wound to his shoulder. Ransom jumped into the bed of the truck and ducked down so he wouldn’t be seen on the drive back to their land.
Luca helped Martha and Alfred into the back of his truck. “I’ll put the others with Gunnar. You should probably get him home so he can shift.”
“Thank you,” Rex said, offering his hand to the young O’Kelly boy. He was around Gunnar’s age, but he held himself as if he were older, much older. “I couldn’t have done this without your help.”
&n
bsp; The sheriff approached as Luca took off to the other vehicle. Rex’s shoulders relaxed as the lawman rested his forearm above the doorframe.
“You good?”
“I am,” Rex said, nodding despite the crash of adrenaline. “It had to be done.”
“It did,” the sheriff replied, looking over his shoulder at the clan’s land across the highway.
“I’ll take it from here,” Sheriff Lynch said, patting the top of the truck as a sign they should leave.
“What’s going to happen now?” Rex asked as the sheriff started to turn away. When the lawman swiveled his head around, his eyes were glowing white.
“Now, we watch it burn.” In a blink of an eye, Sheriff Garrett Lynch disappeared into thin air.
Rex was numb, knowing he’d killed an enemy that had done so much harm to the females. He’d killed them as a human and not as his beast. The only thing keeping him from feeling guilt was knowing Ada and Anna Claire were safe and would be for as long as he had air in his lungs.
“Tessa is going to fucking kill me,” Drake snarled.
“Maybe you should just shift as soon as we arrive,” Rex suggested, feeling a little more at ease having his brother near and knowing he was going to be okay.
“May I look at your wound?” Alfred spoke up from the back seat. “I have some medical training.”
“It went through me,” Drake offered, leaning forward slightly so he could lift his shirt. Rex glanced at his back and saw the hole where the bullet had exited. Drake sucked in a breath and cursed, again. “I think it shattered my shoulder blade.”
“From that exit wound, I would say it did,” Alfred said in a displeasing tone. “If you can shift in the next hour, that would be best. If not, I might suggest we stop somewhere you can spend some time with your beast.”
“We are only forty-five minutes from my home,” Drake replied, putting his shirt back in place. He didn’t lean against the seat, ensuring no blood got on the seats. His wound had already stopped bleeding, and his enhanced healing was already kicking in. Shifting would repair the broken bones in no time.
“Is Ada okay?” Martha asked.
“She is doing well, and I’m certain she will be happy to see you,” Rex offered. “She told me all about you and the other elder couple from her clan.”
“She didn’t deserve the things Robert had planned for her,” Martha sniffled. A glance in the rearview mirror showed her mate taking her into his arms. “Neither did Anna Claire.”
“They are both safe and healthy,” he assured them. “Anna Claire still has some healing to do, but I’m sure she will be just fine.”
“I pray she is,” Martha replied, quieting for the rest of the trip home.
Chapter 17
Ada and Tessa jumped from their seats at the kitchen table when the sound of vehicles coming up the driveway reached their ears. Ada’s heart continued to gallop no matter how many deep breaths she took to calm it. The males had been gone for only three hours, even if it felt like a lifetime.
Tessa reached the door first, pulling it open wide. A heart-wrenching cry spilled from her lips as Drake exited the truck, holding his hand to his chest; his eyes pure gold as his bear was pushing at him to shift.
“Drake!” Tessa screamed as she barreled down the steps. The male wrapped his uninjured arm around her, pulling her tight to his chest, careful of the bloody wound to his shoulder.
Ada was frozen on the top step, her eyes examining Rex’s body as he lazily stepped from the driver’s side of the truck. The truck the panthers were driving pulled in, but she wasn’t concerned about them. The wind blew a strand of Rex’s long hair across his neck as he looked up at her with a soft smile. “Come see your elders, my mate.”
“What?” she gasped as Doug stepped out of the back, reaching inside to help his mate. “Martha!”
Ada’s feet pushed off the porch, and she ran toward them. Tears blurred her vision as she passed Tessa and Drake heading toward her. The elder female who’d been one of the few people in her life who was like a mother to her, straightened her white hair and opened her arms for Ada.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, my dear,” Martha whispered into her ear as Ada cried. “Shh, now, now. Everything is done. It’s over.”
“It’s over?” Ada sniffled, pulling back from the elder female.
“Oh, my,” Martha’s gasped as she inhaled. “My sweet, Ada. You’re with young?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ada blushed. “My mate and I are expecting.”
“I’m so happy for you, dear,” she sniffled and hugged Ada with all the strength of a young shifter.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” Ada said, releasing her elder friend and turning toward her mate.
“Robert is dead, and so are the Knobs brothers,” Rex announced as he placed his hands on her shoulders for strength. Ada closed her eyes in bliss when the feeling of her mate’s hands sent a calming presence through her.
“We’re free?” she asked again, still unsure if she truly believed it or not. “They won’t come for me or Anna Claire?”
“No one will come for you,” Rex promised. “I told you I would take care of you.”
“You did,” she nodded and turned to wrap her arms around his waist. “I love you, Rex Morgan.”
He froze for a moment, his hands tightening on her biceps. Ada hoped she hadn’t said the wrong thing. In fact, she pressed her face into his chest, taking in his mating scent as it grew stronger. A soft rumble started in her chest. The beast inside her was content…happy.
“Ada, let’s get everyone inside, dear,” Martha urged. Ada didn’t want to let go of her mate. She didn’t care about anything else at that moment, but the elder female was right. They needed to get everyone inside.
“We will pick up where we left off as soon as everyone is settled,” Rex whispered as she pulled away from his chest. Her mate gave her a wink and kissed the top of her forehead. “Go see the others.”
Ada shook off the longing to be with her mate and found Alfred and Peggy Martin standing close. She fell into Peggy’s arms in the same manner she’d done to Martha.
“Ada, I’m so happy for you,” Peggy cheered, but lowered her voice. “He’s quite handsome.”
“He is,” Ada blushed. “Come inside. I want to catch up, and we have so much to talk about.”
The group entered the home, and Rex ushered everyone into the kitchen. Gunnar made his way to the stove and started pulling pots and pans from the cabinets.
“How is everyone?” she asked, looking at the weathered faces of the elders. She’d cared for them as much as they’d cared for her over the years. Without them, she wouldn’t have survived long in Robert’s clan.
“We are happy,” Alfred replied, accepting a cup of coffee from Rex. He moved back and forth between each of the elders, serving them coffee one at a time.
“What happened at the clan?” she blurted, making Gunnar and Rex pause in their motions. “What?”
“We took care of it, Ada,” Rex answered as he set a cup in front of her. “The sheriff is taking care of the rest, and we are not to speak of this day again.”
“What is going to happen to the land, Rex?” she asked, noting all of the faces around her. The pain of loss etched every inch.
“We need to discuss moving everyone onto our lands,” he stated, clearing his throat. “I need to speak with my brothers regarding this.”
“There’s not enough room,” she pointed out.
“If you are willing to allow us to be a part of your clan, we will gladly build our own homes,” Luca announced as the back door opened.
Tessa and Drake were coming inside from what Ada assumed was his shift to heal the bullet wound. Drake nodded for Rex to continue, and Tessa released her mate to come over, wrapping an arm around Ada’s shoulders for support.
“I’m willing to allow them to build on our lands,” Drake stated, looking over Rex’s shoulder. The youngest Morgan brother agreed with a nod.
> “It takes a lot for Drake to allow anyone new on our lands,” Tessa whispered. “This will be a big change for him, but if he’s willing, that means he thinks of you and your clan as family.”
“I’m honored,” Ada said in awe. Drake must’ve heard her and inclined his head in her direction. She saw a hint of a smile lift at the corner of his lips before he pulled out a chair.
“We need to come up with a plan for today and this week,” Rex announced. “My brothers and I have to work on our crops, and will need to be away from the house.”
“We can help you,” Ransom offered.
“Do you have experience?” Rex asked.
“We can run and fix any piece of equipment you have,” Luca supplied. The O’Kelly brothers were very mechanically inclined. When Ada was growing up, they were forever fixing broken down cars or equipment at Robert’s request.
“We can take care of the home and meals,” Martha interrupted. “If you are working in the fields, you’ll need a good…what?” She paused when the Morgan brothers and Tessa all turned toward the stove. Gunnar was standing there with his arms folded.
“Gunnar is the cook around here,” Tessa chuckled. “But I promise you, he would be honored to have you man his kitchen until everyone gets settled. Isn’t that right, Gunnar?” Ada held back a chuckle when Tessa narrowed her eyes, reminding him to be respectful.
“Yeah, I can show you around my workspace, Mrs. Downs.” Gunnar didn’t show his worry or concern about handing over the reins of his job to the elder female. Drake chuckled and shook his head slightly, but no one else remarked. Ada smiled warmly at Martha as she ambled to her feet to enter the young shifter’s domain.
The elder female clasped her hands in front of herself and smiled warmly at Gunnar. “Son, I promise to respect your kitchen just as my own mother taught me to respect the kitchen of another female’s home.”
With that, the entire room burst into laughter, and at that moment, Ada saw the beginnings of a family unit. Her old clan and her new one, binding themselves over respect and a need to care for each other.
Mating Instinct (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 2) Page 13