Gaia sat in the middle of the small living quarters, closing her eyes and using her powers to build a storm of all storms for the upcoming day. It was nearing the first of June and the day the humans would go after all grizzly shifters. She knew of only a few clans, and she would do what she could to drive the humans away from any remote locations.
It wasn’t just her clan she wanted to protect. There were others. The grizzlies were special to her, and since she’d stepped into the role of protection for the Morgan clan, she’d come to love them all…even the ones she’d never met.
“I need a list of places these hunters are going to strike tomorrow,” she blurted. “Hurry! Write down the locations on a piece of paper.”
She kept her eyes closed as the females scrambled to get the information she was needing. Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner? She’d been so worried about her males that she didn’t think to use the dark web’s chat rooms to her advantage.
“Found the list,” Ada called out.
Gaia never opened her eyes because she was too focused on the elements and how she was going to use them to her advantage. She hadn’t caused this much of an earthly event in thousands of years. The last time was a little different. She’d had to wipe out the existence of some really bad shit.
This time, she was going to take out the trash…meaning the lowest scum of the human population. Anyone who thought it was okay to kill a species deserved what she had planned.
“Here,” Ada announced as she approached, dropping a slip of paper in front of Gaia.
She didn’t need to look at the paper to get the information. With her tiny hand, she crumpled the paper, letting her magic do the work for her.
“What are you doing?” Anna Claire asked.
“Making the humans wish they’d never messed with your species,” Gaia smirked as she felt a cool wind blow across her skin.
All the cell phones in the room starting alarming with impending weather alerts. Gaia opened her eyes as the females gasped. The saucy smirk that raised the corner of her lip was pure evil, and she was going to enjoy every second of the destruction she’d planned.
“Oh, Gaia!” Tessa called out. “What have you done?”
Anna Claire watched as her mate’s friend stood. Whatever Gaia had planned was going to be bad, and she worried for the others. “We have elders in their cabins. Do we need to move them to the main house?”
“No,” Gaia said, shaking her head. “The clan will not see any damage.”
“Only the humans?” Tessa balked. “It’s not fair to the innocents.”
“The innocents will not be harmed, I promise,” Gaia replied, and Anna Claire believed her.
Anna Claire placed her hand on her belly, silently praying she wasn’t bringing a cub into a world where it would be hunted simply for existing. The two other cubs were too precious and loved, and knowing what the humans had planned for them sent chills up her spine.
How could they hurt a child? A female?
She shook her head and remembered watching the human’s newscasts. They had no love toward each other and acted more like animals than the actual shifters did. At least when her kind killed, it was for a reason.
The list was lengthy, and she didn’t know how Gaia was going to manipulate the weather to stop the humans from killing the grizzlies.
The clap of thunder rattled the door to her quarters even though they were underground. Ada shivered and held Thane closer to her chest. Tessa glanced up from where she was feeding Aria and a look of fear passed between the three of them. Their world was changing, and they didn’t know what they were going to do if more of the hunters came to their land.
Gaia picked up the list and nodded to herself, like she was proud of what she was about to do. Anna Claire trusted her, but it still worried her about the aftereffects of her destruction.
“There are seventeen states on this list,” Anna Claire noted.
“And there are over a hundred hunters,” Ada reminded her.
“We have to stay safe,” Tessa said, glancing at Anna Claire’s belly. She automatically covered her unborn child and nodded.
The females weren’t as incapable as one would think. A mother bear was fiercely protective of their cubs, and even Anna Claire was feeling the rage at the thoughts of someone hurting her unborn child. She would do anything for the baby in her womb even though she hadn’t met it yet.
The males were protectors, and they wanted the females to rely on them for their protection, and while Anna Claire understood their nature, she wanted to help them find and kill the hunters. Being with young stopped her from doing just that. She wasn’t stupid, and she would never put her cub in harm’s way.
The phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Anna Claire pressed the button to answer when she saw the healer was calling. “Harold?”
“Anna Claire,” he sighed into the phone. “Are you with your mate?”
“No,” she gasped. “He’s out searching for the hunters. Why? Is something wrong with Ransom? Oh, gods!”
“Is anyone with you?” he pressed, and she felt her heart plummet to her feet.
“Gaia and the females are,” she said, feeling tears prick at her eyes. “We are in my quarters. What’s wrong? Tell me!”
Her heart was beating so fast, she felt sick. There was a sadness to his voice, and she knew whatever he’d called to tell her was going to destroy her.
“I’m so sorry, Anna Claire,” he began. She reached out for someone…anyone. Gaia grabbed her hand and jerked the phone from her hand, putting it on speakerphone. “I tried everything I could, but Ransom’s injuries were just too much.”
“What!” she screamed, dropping to her knees. “No!”
“Ransom passed away during surgery,” Harold continued. “The sack around his heart tore when the bullet entered his body, nicking his heart. The injury was just too much for his bear to heal. Again, I am so sorry.”
“No!” she screamed as the tears and cries ripped from her body.
She heard Gaia talking to the male, but Anna Claire was in too much distress to understand what they were talking about. Her cousin…one of the three males in her life who loved her…the male who’d done everything in his power to protect the young women of his clan was gone.
“Oh, gods…it hurts so bad,” she screamed as the weight of the news crushed her.
Chapter 15
Lighting flashed across the sky as the clock wore down to the last hours for the month of May. Gunnar’s eyes adjusted to the lack of light as he watched the human males make a camp to hide out for the night. They were scrambling to make a shelter from the incoming storm he knew had probably been made by Gaia. She knew something, and he needed to end these assholes’ lives to get back to his land.
He’d shifted to his animal form once the humans started panicking because the day was ending and they were lost. Drake had backed off on his stalking two hours ago, giving the males the illusion that the shifters had given up. He and his brother didn’t need to talk to each other to know exactly what they were going to do.
Hide.
Stalk.
Attack.
His beast focused on the humans, noting his brother’s position south of the males. Drake’s bear jutted his chin out to let Gunnar know he was watching them as well.
Gunnar’s beast jerked his head to the side when he heard a faint sound far off in the distance. He had to suppress a deep warning growl as he lifted his nose to the sky, scenting the air. A faint, recognizable scent crossed his nose and he lowered his head as his enhanced vision saw a sleek, black panther crouched low to the ground as it stalked toward him.
As he scanned the area, he noticed two more panthers behind the first. As the first one stopped about fifty feet away, he dropped to his belly as he waited for the other two to join him. They shifted in unison and knelt as low as they could to stay hidden.
“What are you doing here?” Gunnar asked after he forced the shift. His voice was b
arely a whisper.
“We are here to help,” Savage, one of the panthers, said.
“Help?” Gunnar frowned.
“We saw you on the cameras,” Lucky, another panther, shrugged.
“Talon sent us,” Booth, the third one, announced.
Gunnar wasn’t shocked the local panther alpha had sent his men to help. They’d offered their assistance so many times over the past few years, and while the clan wasn’t one for accepting any outside help, he was beginning to understand the need to have allies.
With Ransom being stitched up at their healer’s office, he knew they would know everything that had happened over the past few weeks. The sheriff was loyal to them, and he must’ve told them everything.
“How’s Ransom?” he whispered, knowing he shouldn’t be talking so much, but his mate’s cousin had been in bad shape when the angel had whisked him away to Harold’s place earlier.
“He’s still in with the healer,” Booth replied quickly, changing the subject as he narrowed his eyes at the two other panthers. “Tell us what’s going on here.”
“We have two humans who fled to the woods,” he replied, turning to look over his shoulder. Off in the distance, he could see what was the beginning of a small campfire. It looked like the humans were settling in for the night instead of trying to find their way out.
He would worry about his mate’s cousin after they took out those two males. He couldn’t get distracted while on the hunt, which was one of the first rules his father had taught him after his first shift at the young age of five.
“We will do as you advise,” Booth replied. “This is your right, and we will not stand in your way.”
“But we sure will stand in theirs,” Lucky, the younger panther, chuckled.
Gunnar nodded and accepted their help. The panthers returned to their shifted forms and lay quietly in wait. Drake waited in his bear form, never shifting or coming from his spot to check on the panthers. It was a huge step for his oldest brother to not be involved with the panthers. It gave Gunnar hope they could come to be friends.
His bear shook its head as he progressed forward, but Gunnar’s human mind ached. Something wasn’t right, and he could feel it. Pausing, he watched as the younger male typed away on a cell phone, dropping it into his pocket as the older male settled down on the hard ground.
“Get some sleep,” he advised, closing his eyes. “It’s already ten thirty, and we need to be up at dusk so we can get out of these damn woods.”
“Just updating the others,” the younger one said, yawning as he found his resting spot.
Gunnar held his beast back from attacking, preferring to wait until they were asleep. He figured ten minutes would suffice. They needed to get rid of those two so they could return home to help the others for when the day broke. June first was upon them, and it was time to protect their clan.
As the humans relaxed, Gunnar’s bear looked back at the panthers who were lying in wait. They hadn’t moved nor did they rise as he acknowledged them. They were going to let the Morgan brothers handle them.
Gunnar’s bear moved slowly as he stalked his prey from one side. He watched Drake out of the corner of his eye as they descended on the makeshift camp. The small fire they’d built was fading out, turning into glowing red coals instead of a warming flame.
The path to the males was easy to navigate in their larger forms, and Gunnar smirked inside his bear’s mind. It was time for the predator to take out the enemy. When Drake joined him, their bears leaned over the sleeping hunters. There was no warning for them as the two grizzlies brought forth the punishment the human males so greatly deserved.
Gaia’s heart ached for Gunnar’s mate. Luca had arrived shortly after the phone call from the panther’s healer. He and Anna Claire clung to each other over the horrible news. She’d lost a cousin and he’d lost his brother. Their small blood family had just taken another hit.
Tessa made everyone a meal as they waited for Gunnar and Drake to arrive. There was no way to get the message to them while they were out hunting. It was nearing midnight, and she hoped they were okay.
Rex was pacing by the front door, and his eyes were so golden, they glowed with the presence of his bear. He’d sent Ada and Thane to their quarters for safety once the clock struck midnight. He’d asked the other females to do the same, and Tessa had said she would do so after everyone was fed and cared for, meaning Anna Claire was calm enough to be left on her own.
Gaia closed her eyes and worked on the storms to ravage the areas she knew there were hunters coming for the grizzlies. She wasn’t like the sheriff who’d been sent here to care specifically for the panthers. Gaia was here on a favor to the only friend she’d ever had.
There was only so much she could do. Manipulating the elements was a piece of cake for her, and she wished she had the magic to wipe them out with the fire and lightening from her hands, but she didn’t. Unless she was in front of a threat, she couldn’t risk it.
“Here they come,” Rex announced, bringing everyone to their feet.
Anna Claire’s cries intensified as Gunnar came in the door. He gasped and immediately rushed to his mate’s side. “What happened?”
“Ransom…” she paused to take a breath as he cradled her against his chest. “He…he didn’t make it.”
“Fuck,” Gunnar snarled, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her down the hallway to their quarters.
Luca covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath before standing up to meet Drake, who’d come to stand in front of him. “I want revenge.”
“And you will have it,” Drake vowed. “More are coming.”
“Are you sure?” Gaia gasped, standing from her seat on the couch.
“Positive,” he replied, launching into the story of the two remaining hunters. He’d found the human’s phone and had pulled up the message he’d sent over the private message app on the phone. “There are five more coming to the area today.”
“When?” Rex asked.
“By dark,” Drake replied and glanced at Gaia. “We cannot have destruction here.”
“If I only knew where they were coming from…” she began, but froze when a flash of white light momentarily blinded her. “What is the sheriff doing here?”
Rex unbarred the door and immediately opened it, reaching a hand out for Garrett. The two men shook as they greeted each other.
“I’ve had a vision,” he replied and waved everyone into the kitchen as Rex locked things up.
“We know,” Drake said, tossing the sheriff a phone. “We found this on the human’s phone.”
Garrett’s eyes were still as white as snow as he marched into the room. Gaia felt his energy, and she was taken aback for a second. When he looked up and caught her standing there, his eyes changed back to his human side…an odd hazel color that was more green than brown.
She’d never noticed them before now. It could’ve been the contrast between the two colors. The change from his angel white to his human color was staggering, and Gaia felt her heart flutter.
“That’s not right,” the sheriff said with a shake of his head. “I saw all of them in my vision.”
“What did you see?” Rex ordered.
“There are more,” Garrett panted, closing his eyes as tight as they would go. “A lot more.”
“How many?” Gaia asked, moving closer to the sheriff when he shivered.
“Eight…possibly more,” he cursed. “They’re organizing and heading this way. They’ll be here before dusk, and they aren’t going to hide.”
“They’re coming to our doorstep?” Drake blared, his body swelling and pulsing with the need to shift.
“Right to the door,” Garrett confirmed, jerking his head to the side so he could look directly at Drake. “I don’t see them winning. Hell, I can’t see anything past their arrival, but I have a feeling deep in my chest that it won’t end well if you stay on your current path.”
“What does that mean?” Gai
a pressed, feeling the earth’s energy swirling inside of her. She had to tone it down or she would cause the ground to shake beneath her feet again, and she didn’t want to do that…not now. There would be time for that later.
“I can only see human involvement,” Garrett began. “If a paranormal species intervenes, I am blind. My guess is you will have help, and if you don’t, the clan could perish.”
“What if we help ourselves?” Drake growled as he tucked his chin so his long, dark hair could frame his face. “We are the paranormal.”
“That’s not how it works.” Garrett sighed and ran his hand through his dark, brown hair. “My visions are given to me for a reason. I don’t always know what they are, but the one thing that stays true is that when something human comes for the pride, I know the outcome. I can pinpoint what’s going to happen, but if there are shifters involved, I lose sight.”
“So, you’re saying there are other species coming to help?” If he saw other species arriving, there was hope.
“Yes,” Garrett answered and approached Drake. “I know how you feel, and I know you take care of your own…but, you need them. Drake…you need to talk to the pride.”
Drake grabbed a chair and spun it around, dropping down into the seat. The wood creaked as he leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands. “I’ve asked too much of them already.”
“They’ll come, and you know that.” Garrett was right. Gaia had seen the things the pride had done.
“The Shaw pride has the manpower you’ll need, Drake,” Gaia added. She walked over and knelt in front of him and lowered her voice to a level only the shifter could hear. “Please, Drake. I cannot protect you from this. You need their help.”
“It was never your place to protect us,” he reminded her, keeping his voice low. “My mother should’ve never asked that of you.”
“But she did,” Gaia replied. “I have loved you and your brothers since you were little.”
Mating Fever (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 3) Page 12