by Lola Gabriel
She tried to think of something to say, but all she could think of was how she felt inside and that was a topic she wanted to stay well away from. The last thing she wanted, though, was for things to become awkward between her and Bastian, and she could already feel the tension building in the air. She was relieved when she heard Stephanie stirring through the baby monitor.
“Duty calls,” she grinned, getting to her feet. “It sounds like someone is a little bit hungry.”
“And we’re the ones that burned all of that energy,” Bastian smiled.
Rachel smiled back at him and the tension left the air. Rachel went upstairs and got Stephanie out of her crib.
“Are you ready for lunch?” she asked her as she carried her down the stairs.
Stephanie beamed and nodded her head. Rachel went back into the living room and set Stephanie down. She smiled when Stephanie made a beeline for Bastian, who seemed equally pleased about it. On a whim, Rachel decided to ask him to stay for lunch.
“I’d love to,” Bastian smiled. “But then I really should go. I have some business to take care of.”
“Is it what I think it is?” Rachel asked.
Bastian nodded.
“And I can’t talk you out of it?” she asked.
“No. This has gone on for too long already,” Bastian said. He smiled. “But I’ll be back later on tonight and I’d love to come over again tomorrow. Maybe we can take Stephanie to that park?”
“That sounds good,” Rachel said.
She went into the kitchen, leaving Bastian and Stephanie sitting on the floor, playing with some of Stephanie’s toys. She made some sandwiches and came back into the living room. She gave Stephanie hers and then Bastian came to sit on the couch beside her while they ate theirs.
“Listen, Bastian,” Rachel said. “I know things between us are hardly traditional, and I can make my peace with that. But I was serious earlier. I don’t want Stephanie to get attached to you if you’re not planning on sticking around.”
Bastian tried to interrupt her, but Rachel went on.
“I know right now you think this is what you want, and I really hope it is. But I need you to be certain. So don’t answer me now. Take the night to think about it. I can never be a part of your pack and if that means that you can’t be certain that you want to be a part of Stephanie’s life forever, then don’t come tomorrow. If you don’t come, I won’t judge you and I will understand. How’s that?”
“It’s a deal,” Bastian said. He paused for a moment and then he looked into Rachel’s eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
14
The last thing Bastian had wanted to do after they had all eaten their lunch together was leave Rachel’s place, especially after what she had said about needing to know he was sure about this. He knew that if he had let go of the idea of going after Lewis, not only would he have proven to Rachel how important Stephanie was to him, it also would have shown Rachel that although she was right about them coming from different worlds, he could let go of his bear side and be with her too. He wanted that more than anything, but he had a duty, not just to Rachel and Stephanie, but to his pack too.
He was still willing to walk away from the pack if that was what it took to be with Rachel, but he couldn’t do that without tying up this loose end first. And he didn’t think he could ever be entirely happy with his family if he didn’t seek out Lewis and teach him a lesson for hurting Rachel. It would always be a black cloud hanging over his head and he couldn’t live his whole life that way. Eternity was far too long to have something eating away at you.
As he drove through Houston, he wondered if all of this was just a dream. Even though he had decided he would walk away from the pack if it came to it to be a family with Rachel and Stephanie, he didn’t even know if that was really what she wanted. Sure, they had a connection neither of them could deny, and Rachel was willing to let him be a father to his daughter, but did she want to be with him for all of eternity? Because if they did this, it would be an all-or-nothing decision. The only thing worse than never being with Rachel would be to have her be his for so long and then lose her. If they were going to do this, he needed to know that Rachel was sure, that she felt the connection between them as strongly as he did. He needed to know that she saw herself as his mate for life.
He knew they would have to have a long talk about this once he got back to Dallas. He had debated talking to her about it today, but he was afraid to bring it up in case she told him she didn’t want him. He was still afraid of that being the outcome of their conversation, but he knew he had to find out one way or the other and soon, before the not knowing drove him crazy.
He just had to hope that him going back there tomorrow like he had promised her would be enough to show Rachel that he really was serious, not just about being a good father, but about being a good mate too. And then he had to hope that she felt the same way he did. It was a lot to hope for and Bastian tried not to let himself get his hopes up, but it was hard not to after the sex he and Rachel had just had. He knew she wanted him, he just didn’t know how much.
As Bastian turned off the main road and down the dirt road that led to the Bellevue Hotel, the disused building that Lewis used as his base, he told himself that until this thing with Lewis was over, he needed to put Rachel out of his mind. He needed to concentrate only on what came next for now. Lewis was a lot older than he was, meaning he was a lot stronger, and he was cunning too. Bastian knew he would have to play this just right if he stood any chance of taking Lewis down, and to do that, he couldn’t afford to be distracted by thoughts of Rachel.
He pulled the car up outside of the hotel and got out. He walked up to the door of the hotel and tried it. It was locked, like he had known it would be. It didn’t much matter. His plan wasn’t to sneak in and try to take Lewis by surprise. He knew Lewis would have security cameras around the place and Bastian was clever enough to have a real plan. He knocked on the door and waited.
After a few minutes, the door swung open and Lewis stood on the step, peering out at him. He frowned when he saw Bastian. Bastian smiled at Lewis.
“I take it you know who I am?” he said.
Lewis shook his head. “Nope,” he said.
“My name is Bastian. I am the alpha bear of District 212,” he said.
Lewis’ eyes widened slightly and then he smiled and stood aside, gesturing for Bastian to enter. Bastian nodded to him and stepped into the hallway. When he had found out what his father was doing and his father’s old beta had come to him and told him about the girl Lewis had for his father, he had also told Bastian that his father had never dealt directly with Lewis. It had only ever been through him. Bastian had hoped that this was true, because if it was, it would make this much easier. Lewis would assume he was an old returning customer and he would let his guard down much quicker. It seemed now that the old beta had spoken the truth.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Lewis asked as he closed the door.
Bastian turned to face him.
“I thought it was time we met face to face,” Bastian said. “As I have a new proposal for you.”
“I’m listening,” Lewis said.
“I’ve decided it’s time to take a mate,” Bastian said. “You have always served me well in the past, and if you’re open to it, I would like to discuss the terms of you being the one to find me my mate.”
“Of course. It would be an honor,” Lewis smiled.
He stepped toward Bastian and Bastian tensed up, but Lewis made no move except to pass him in the hallway.
“Come this way,” Lewis said. “I have a photo album in the ballroom with some possibilities you might be interested in.”
“Possibilities?” Bastian asked, following Lewis along the hallway. “You mean girls you’ve already turned into bears?”
“No, no,” Lewis said. “These are girls I have sourced with the Sanmere protein in their blood. I have yet to acquire them, so the pleasure of turning them would be
yours and yours alone. Unless, of course, you would rather I do the honors?”
Bastian’s stomach turned at the casual way Lewis spoke about the girls, but he bit his tongue. He had to wait for the right moment, make sure he caught Lewis completely off guard when he turned and took him down.
“I would do that part myself,” he said.
“I thought as much. It’s very different taking a mate with our old arrangement, wouldn’t you agree?” Lewis said.
“Oh, it’s worlds apart,” Bastian agreed.
Lewis paused at the end of the hallway and reached out for the handle of a closed door. He turned to Bastian and smiled.
“Now, Bastian, I must warn you not to set your sights on either of the girls already in here. Their buyers are already arranged. They really are beauties, though, and a good example of the caliber of mate you can expect from me,” Lewis said with a smile.
Bastian felt his stomach turn over again. Lewis had girls in there? He told himself to stay cool. That didn’t matter. Once he had taken Lewis out, he could free the girls. If they had buyers arranged, that meant they likely hadn’t been turned yet. They could go back to living their normal lives and if they went to the police and somehow got the police to believe them and come out here, they’d find no evidence of Bastian ever having been here.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
Lewis nodded and opened the door to the ballroom. He stepped inside and Bastian followed him. The room was large and bare except for four large cages made up entirely of metal bars. In two of the cages, Bastian saw women. One cowered away as they came into the room, but the other one ran to the bars and started screaming obscenities at them.
“Now, now, Sophia,” Lewis said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Is that any way to greet a guest? Luckily for you, our guest isn’t here for you, because hearing that foul mouth, I think he would likely feel the need to punish you if he was. We’re really going to have to work on that mouth of yours before your buyer gets here, aren’t we?”
Lewis turned to Bastian, ignoring Sophia, who continued to yell. He rolled his eyes.
“Honestly, some of these girls are barely civilized when they come to me. Don’t worry, though. By the time you take your mate, I’ll have made sure she knows how to behave,” he said.
Bastian flashed him what he hoped looked like a normal smile. He didn’t trust himself to speak at that moment in case he told Lewis what he really thought of him. Lewis turned away from him and the smile fell away from Bastian’s face as he followed Lewis across the empty room to a small desk he hadn’t noticed before.
“The album is right here,” Lewis said.
He bent down to reach into the bottom drawer, and Bastian knew this was his chance. He stepped closer to Lewis and brought on the shift. He felt fur exploding through his skin, his bones lengthening and changing, and within seconds, he was in his bear form. He roared and threw himself at Lewis. Lewis glanced back over his shoulder as Bastian roared, his eyes widening in fear. Bastian hadn’t given him a chance to shift himself, and when Bastian collided with Lewis, he was in his human form and fell to the floor easily. Bastian roared again, pinning Lewis to the ground with his front paws on Lewis’ shoulders.
He leaned down, his sharp teeth ready to tear Lewis’ throat out. The girls in the cages were screaming but Bastian barely heard them, focusing only on Lewis. He leaned closer, moving slowly, enjoying Lewis’ fear. He wanted him to feel that fear, really feel it, so that he knew how the girls he had taken over the years had felt when they found themselves in cages and being sold off to the highest bidder.
Bastian’s teeth were almost on Lewis’ throat when he heard a loud bang behind him.
“What the fucking hell is going on here?” a voice shouted.
Bastian glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes, roaring at the two men who had come into the ballroom unnoticed. Lewis took the chance he had been given, punching up into Bastian’s throat.
“Get this fucking bear off me!” he yelled. “I’m the only one who knows where the cage keys are kept, so if you want the girls you’ve paid for, you’ll help me.”
Bastian turned back to Lewis, howling at the pain in his throat but not letting it stop him. He brought his mouth down again, but before he could tear out Lewis’ throat, a roar came from his side, and then a warm body collided with him, throwing him off Lewis and sending him sprawling across the floor.
He sprang up and found himself face to face with two lions and Lewis, now in his bear form. He knew this wasn’t going to end well for him, but he was determined to take Lewis out before the lions could get to him. He roared and threw himself into the air, springing toward Lewis. The lions sprang up at the same time he did, and the three of them crashed into each other in midair. Bastian felt claws raking into him, teeth biting down on his flesh. He roared in pain and anger, trying to shake the lions loose from him.
He saw Lewis turn back into a man and run for the desk. He opened the top drawer and grabbed something and then he whirled to face them.
“Drop him!” Lewis yelled.
The two lions backed away from Bastian and he started toward Lewis again. Too late, he saw what Lewis held in his hands. A gun. He heard the loud bang as Lewis fired, and a second later, white-hot agony filled him as the bullet slammed into his skull. Everything went black.
Bastian woke up and rubbed a hand over his aching head. What the fuck did I drink last night? he thought to himself. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the headache as the events rushed back to him. He hadn’t been drinking. He had come looking for Lewis. He’d almost had him too, but then two lions had shown up and held him back until Lewis was able to shoot him. At least it wasn’t a silver or Ure bullet, Bastian thought to himself. If it had been, I would be dead by now.
His momentary victory turned to horror when he saw his predicament. He was locked in one of the cages in Lewis’ ballroom. He ran to the bars and reached out and shook them, but they held fast. Bastian knew that even in his bear form, he wouldn’t be able to break through the bars. They were solid metal, made to hold shifters.
He looked around, looking for the two girls in the other cages, but the other three cages stood empty now. He patted his pockets, but he soon found that his cell phone was gone. He was trapped here, alone and completely at Lewis’ mercy.
As though the thought had summoned him (although Bastian thought it was way more likely that Lewis had seen that he was awake on some sort of CCTV system), the ballroom door opened and Lewis marched in. He smiled at Bastian as though he was greeting an old friend.
“Let me out of here right now,” Bastian demanded.
“I think we both know that’s not going to happen,” Lewis smiled nastily.
“So what? You’re just going to keep me here forever?” Bastian said.
“Of course not,” Lewis said. “What use would that be to me?”
Bastian wasn’t naïve enough to think that actually meant Lewis was going to let him go and he narrowed his eyes at Lewis.
“Right. So what’s the plan?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m going to kill you. I’m sorry. I thought that was obvious,” Lewis said.
“I suppose it was,” Bastian shrugged. “So what’s this, then? You just want to torment me for a bit first?”
“No,” Lewis said. “Believe it or not, I’m not into torturing people. This is a business, Bastian, nothing more, nothing less. Obviously I’m not going to let you ruin that, but please don’t think I take any pleasure from tormenting anyone, human or shifter. You’re being kept here simply because I didn’t have any silver bullets on hand. Don’t worry. I have some ordered and as soon as they arrive, I’ll put you out of your misery. In the meantime, I’ll treat you with dignity and respect, assuming you extend me the same courtesy. Can I get you anything?”
Bastian was both thirsty and hungry, but he wasn’t about to give Lewis the satisfaction of telling him that, so he simply shook his head.
“As
you wish,” Lewis shrugged. “I expect you know you’re on camera.” He pointed up into the corner where Bastian thought he could just make out a tiny hole in the wall where a camera watched him. “If you change your mind, wave at the camera and I’ll come back.”
He turned and headed for the door. Bastian didn’t want to ask Lewis for anything, but there was one thing he needed to know, and he swallowed his pride.
“Wait,” he called.
Lewis turned back.
“What time is it?” Bastian asked.
Lewis checked his watch.
“Ten fifteen p.m.” He started to walk away again and then he glanced back at Bastian. “Oh. On Sunday. You were out for quite some time.”
He left the room and closed the door. Bastian sank to his knees, his hope leaving him in a rush. Even if he found some way out of here, which was looking less and less likely by the minute, he was too late. Rachel would think he had decided he didn’t want to be a part of her life, or of Stephanie’s life. And if he got to her now, she would never forgive him.
15
Rachel stepped out of the shower and dried herself off with a towel. She went to her bedroom and got into the clothes she had picked out for work last night. She dried her hair and applied her make-up, telling herself the whole time not to let herself think. She went down the stairs on autopilot, ready to make some breakfast for herself before getting Stephanie up and making her breakfast.
She poured cereal into a bowl and added almond milk. She sat down at the kitchen table with the bowl in front of her, and she realized that she didn’t have a spoon. She shrugged. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to eat the cereal anyway. It was Monday now, and the last she had seen of Bastian had been on Saturday at lunchtime. She had told him not to come on the Sunday if he wasn’t serious about being in Stephanie’s life, and she had meant it, but the way he had been talking, the way he didn’t hesitate before he told her he would be here, she hadn’t thought for a second he wouldn’t show up.