A sick feeling coiled in her stomach and climbed up her throat, clawing at her nerves. She’d been hit on by drunk assholes before. But this look was different. These men weren’t drunk. Definitely assholes. But she had a feeling it went a bit deeper than just being a jerk. They wanted something from her that she had no intention of giving.
And they knew it. And they would take it anyway.
She didn’t move, almost wishing that time would just freeze right here and wait until Owen walked through the doors of the store. But it didn’t and the men stalked closer.
Tara’s heart fluttered in her chest. Stress crackled along her skin, making all the hairs stand on end. Her hands were shaking. Or was that her whole body? She couldn’t tell. She needed air, but her lungs weren’t cooperating.
She took a step backward.
They kept coming.
There was nowhere to go. They blocked her way to the exit. They blocked her way to the back storeroom. She was trapped by hundreds of pounds of raw male muscle.
“She does look a lot like Omani. I can see the resemblance,” the man to the right of Raish, the stranger from yesterday spoke first.
Raish nodded and the corners of his mouth tipped up just slightly. “Her likeness was what intrigued me at first, but knowing the bear wants her. She’s the perfect revenge.”
Bear? Revenge? What the hell were they talking about? And why the hell hadn’t she grabbed her dad’s bat from the closet last night. At least she could’ve fought with them with something. The broom in the back corner would be like trying to hit a moose with a fly swatter. Not even worth trying.
“I-is there something I can help you with?” Tara wasn’t sure where the words came from. Maybe she was just hoping to distract them, even for a few minutes. Her hand slid to her jeans pocket. Her phone was there. Could she dial someone before they had hands on her?
She pulled it out and swiped the screen. At this point there wasn’t another option. She tapped Owen’s name on the text and hit the icon for call.
The men lunged, one of them knocked the phone from her hand.
She screamed and kicked, but a steel-strong arm wrapped around her waist like she was no more trouble than a tantrum-throwing toddler. “Owen!” She yelled toward the phone that had clattered to the floor and slid halfway across the open area in front of the check-out counter. “Owen help!”
It’d called him. She’d seen the screen change. It’d dialed, but had he picked up?
The first guy hoisted her off the ground and Raish stomped on the phone, crushing it into a dozen pieces on the concrete floor. She thrashed and kicked, but the man holding her was twice as big and easily a foot taller. Both of them were large men. Not quite “Owen-sized” but pretty close.
Please have answered. Please have answered. If Owen hadn’t heard her, there wasn’t anything else she could do. The store didn’t have a security system. There wasn’t much crime in Mystery. They’d never had a problem with anyone until the vandalism a couple months ago.
“Please. Whatever you want, just take it from the store. Please just let me go. I won’t say anything to anyone. Please.” She sucked in a ragged sob. Begging was all she had left.
The man holding her shoved his face against her neck and breathed deeply, like he was smelling her. Coldness chilled her to the core.
Raish stalked closer and put a hand on her breast. “We’ve got what we want, little female. And when we’re done with you, I’ll be even with that bear.”
“Bear? What bear? What are you talking about?” She tried to jerk away from his touch, but the other man held her in place. An arm around her waist, holding her arms down. Raish leaned close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. He smelled like the forest. Like pine needles and earth and animal… His clothes were rumpled and smudged with dirt and bits of leaves, like they’d slept outside.
“Owen will pay for taking my shuarra from me. Everything he cares about will die. Starting with you.” Raish grabbed her hair and wrenched her head backward. The other man leaned against the wall, just holding her up off the ground for Raish to do as he pleased. Her butt was against his groin and he was more than a little aroused.
Taking his shuarra? The dead wife? What were they talking about? Owen wasn’t a murderer. She knew it. In her soul, she knew it wasn’t true. But these men…these were evil. Would they rape her right here? Leave her for dead? Would Owen find her beaten and dirty and…used? Or just dead? What about her mom and dad? What would they do without her? Both men had their mouths on her neck now.
“Please. Please. Please let me go. Please stop.” An icky sick feeling crept over her as their hands became even more familiar with her breasts. Raish was unbuttoning her jeans.
No. No. No. Tears blurred her vision. Her breath came in short pants. She bucked her body hard between the two men, trying to find the slightest give in her assailant’s grip, but he just squeezed tighter. It hurt so bad.
Raish put his mouth over hers and tried to force his tongue between her lips. She bit down hard on his lip and he growled, pulling away for a second. Then slapped her hard across the face.
Her mouth was on fire. The taste of blood seeped onto her tongue. Hers. His. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t see straight. She couldn’t breathe. Her mouth ached. Tara could hear the men talking, but she blocked out what they were saying. Must fight. Kick. Scream. Do something.
She bucked her body again and screamed. Her voice echoed through the empty store and came back to her with empty hands. There was no one else.
She heard a bell ring and a split second later a roar that nearly made her wet her pants. She caught a flash—Owen’s face? But his eyes weren’t brown. They were gold and angry and feral. Then his body changed, clothes and all, and he was gone. Transformed. Instead of a man there was an enormous grizzly…or Kodiak. Holy fucking shit. She’d never seen such a big bear. Fur and teeth and claws. Charging toward them.
There was a bear. An actual live bear. In the store.
And the bear was Owen. Or had been Owen. Was it still Owen? Would it recognize her?
The building shook with another roar. The men holding her loosened their grips. Not much. But enough that she kneed Raish in the balls, slammed the heel of her boot down on the other dude’s foot and ran. She didn’t look back. She’d seen the victim of a bear attack years ago and she didn’t want to see one happen live. Crashing, growling and snarls filled the space behind her.
She made it to the back of the store and slammed the supply door closed behind her. But it just swung back and forth on the hinges with a loud squeak. Certainly loud enough to draw a bear’s attention. But the fight in the front of the store continued. More growling. It sounded more like animals tearing each other apart than a bear eating two guys for his afternoon snack. What the hell was going on?
Her heart pounded against her ribs, a rhythm of fear that would not release. Her fingers trembled and she couldn’t catch her breath. A bear. A bear. Owen was a bear? It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t. Except she’d watched it happen.
But bear or not, he’d saved her from those two guys.
As suddenly as it had started, the growling and fighting stopped. Silence made the store seem so still. It felt like hours had stretched, but it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. There was nothing to shove in front of the swinging door, not that it would keep a bear out if it wanted in anyway. The only other way out of the room was a tiny little window above the shelves behind her.
She backed up into the corner of the little storeroom furthest from the door. Under a table, behind some empty paint cans. She grabbed her knees and held her breath and prayed. Prayed that Owen—a bear, a man, whatever—had won. If he hadn’t, they’d be coming through that door looking for her again. She still had nothing to defend herself with. Blankets. Another broom. Boxes of cereal and bags of rice.
Those guys couldn’t have beaten a bear. No way in hell. But then, had Owen killed them? Were there bodies out there? Bl
ood everywhere? What was she going to tell the sheriff? What was she going to tell her mother?
The swinging door creaked open and every last already shot nerve tensed inside her again. She covered her mouth with her hands to muffle the whimper she couldn’t contain. Someone was coming. New tears burned paths down her cheeks. Maybe they wouldn’t look hard. She was under the table behind a lot of crap. Maybe they wouldn’t see her at all.
“Tara?” Owen stepped fully into the supply room—human—and sniffed the air. He wasn’t a bear any more. Maybe I was just seeing things? She could trust him, right? He’d saved her yet again. He deserved her trust…bear or not.
“Here,” she said, releasing the sob she’d been holding down. Before she could crawl out from under the table, he’d lifted it away and plucked her from the cold concrete floor like she was no bigger than a child. He was so broad and so encompassing, she felt so small next to him. So safe.
The release came like a flood. She buried her face in the warm flannel plaid of his shirt. His piney scent filled her lungs and she couldn’t stop. Her face ached. Her breasts hurt. Everything on her body was still at red alert. But he was here. He’d come for her. Whether he’d heard her on the phone or not, it didn’t matter. Right now, she was just glad he was here. Holding her. Stroking her hair. Carrying her out of the store? What about the store and the men?
Where? She tensed in his arms and tried to pull back to look around. How much damage had they done, but Owen had her bundled tight in his arms and her head was tucked beneath the open flap of his coat. She couldn’t see anything.
“You’re safe.” His voice rumbled like a diesel truck engine. “If I hadn’t been on my way—”
She clutched at his shirt tighter. “You didn’t get the phone call?”
His arms tightened, and he growled again or vibrated or something. “I’m never leaving you again. I promise,” he said, his tone a mixture of anger and possessiveness and it made her insides go all melty. Whoever those guys were, she didn’t have to worry about them right now.
Right now, she was with Owen. That was what mattered.
“The store,” Tara murmured. She couldn’t just leave it empty. She needed to call her mom. The sheriff. Stuff had to be broken. She’d heard the fight.
But her head hurt so bad. Every step Owen took felt like it was slamming her against a wall. That asshole had hit her hard. She whimpered again and tightened her grip on Owen’s shirt. Then the pain disappeared and everything went black.
8
Owen parked right in front of the door to their singlewide. A quick glance over at Tara in the passenger seat of his pickup made worry creep further up into his throat. She hadn’t moved since she passed out in his arms. Hadn’t stirred. Hadn’t said a single word. The marks on her face told him one of the wolves had hit her. The bastards.
He’d gotten several good swipes in with his claws in the parking lot. Blood had been shed, but both men had shifted into their animal forms and run like the cowards they truly were.
Dangerous.
Vile.
But still cowardly.
He’d wanted to give chase. Wanted to kill them for even daring to put their hands on his mate. But that would’ve required him leaving Tara alone after the fight.
He wasn’t willing to do that. And now he’d taken her. He’d gone against the dragon. It was only a matter of time before Col carried out the renewed threat he’d made only a couple days before.
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was Tara. All that would ever matter was her.
Owen climbed out of his truck and walked around to the passenger door. He unsnapped the safety belt holding Tara in place. His heart was still beating hard, thumping against his ribs like a war drum during battle. His mind was still processing the attack.
The wolves and the rest of the alpha’s pack knew Tara was his mate. It was the only explanation. They’d been watching him, and they knew. She wouldn’t be safe now. They would come around again and again. They wanted to punish him for the death of the female from their pack.
If they wanted to come after him. Fine. But taking their vengeance out on a defenseless human was without honor. The she-wolf hadn’t been without fault. The bitch had attacked his sister without provocation. Straight for Ava’s throat. He’d had justification. He just regretted the death and felt shame that he’d killed a female.
He released a shuddered breath before scooping Tara up into his arms. When he’d walked into the store. Seen the wolves with their hands on her. Seen her reddened eyes and tear-streaked panic-filled face, bloody lip, he’d lost it. She had to have seen him change. His bear had ripped free and he’d attacked without reservation.
Outcast or not. He refused to allow her to be in danger. And he would not allow another man to touch her again. Ever. Fate had shown her to him as his mate, she was his. Her skin glowed with the magick of the soul call. He’d always believed. Always trusted in Fate. And thought he knew better. But now his inaction and inattentiveness had cost Tara pain.
No more.
He dipped and kissed the top of her forehead, breathing in her scent to calm his bear. To calm himself. To comfort her.
He had her now. For however long that was…she was safe.
If she would have him. He would claim her. Rules and traditions be damned. The dragon would kill him to keep him away. He knew that and he’d fight them all. The tribe. The wolves. All of them. Kill them. His bear rumbled from deep inside his chest. Kill them all.
He would. The wolves that damaged his mate would die. He would hunt them down and tear them to pieces. But his mate needed him right now. The rending of the wolves’ flesh would have to wait a bit longer.
Owen carried her up the steps and through the door into the home he shared with his sister. No sign of Ava yet. She’d worked lunch at the diner today, so she’d be home any moment.
He turned a corner and entered his bedroom. Tara was so small. So fragile.
Protect.
Yes. Protect. He agreed with his bear.
He laid Tara gently onto his bed. Worked quickly to unlace her boots and set them on the floor. Then he sat next to her and inspected the purpling bruise on her face and the split swollen lip. She wasn’t bleeding, but it would be days before her face was back to normal.
It didn’t matter. She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her hair glistened like liquid flame. Her glowing pale white skin was dappled with the lightest of freckles. She seemed almost ethereal. As if she were made of magick and not human at all. She radiated light from the inside out.
He inhaled the fresh sweet scent of her body. Then pulled his heavy blankets up to cover her, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed next to her and hold her…but, she didn’t know him that well. The last thing he wanted to do was make her more uncomfortable after being attacked.
The front door opened and closed. Soft footsteps padded down the hallway. Ava pushed open his ajar bedroom door and stuck her head inside. Her eyes widened and she entered.
“What happened?”
“The wolves.” He brushed a wayward strand of hair from Tara’s peaceful face. “They came after her again.”
“Fuck.” Ava leaned against the wall of the bedroom door. Her sigh was heavy, laced with worry.
“She saw me shift when I attacked the wolves. He’d come back with another. It was the only way I could overpower two wolves. But she was so terrified,” he said, dread creeping into his voice like a predator stalking cornered prey.
“She’s your shuarra, Owen. This isn’t something you can continue to ignore.”
He growled and turned away from his sister. “I know. I’m not.” He stood and moved to stand next to her near the door of the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” His sister’s hissed whisper reminded him of his mother when she got annoyed.
“She needs to rest.”
“With you. Don’t you dare leave her.”
“But—”
“Her soul glows for you, Owen. You just saved her from being mauled to death by two wolf men. She will want you with her.”
“But she saw—”
“Doesn’t matter. What she needs right now is you. Her family is in the hospital. She has no one but you. Don’t leave her in here alone to wake up in a strange place. In a strange bed.” Ava gave Owen a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll start some dinner and come back to check on you later.”
He nodded and glanced back at his sleeping mate. Then toed off his boots and walked around to the other side of the bed. His sister left the room and he climbed into the bed. The place he’d imagined being with her for months. Since the very first time he’d seen her. Smelled her.
She was his everything. Now he just had to convince her to keep him.
And live.
He had his work cut out for himself on that front.
Warm. Tara was so warm and snuggled and everything smelled like…Owen. Piney and male and something else she couldn’t quite place. But she liked it. This was a good dream. Far away from the crappy memories trying to come surging back to the forefront. Way better than the throbbing pain in her head. She felt like she’d been hit by a truck.
Stop. Just enjoy the dream.
She snuggled deeper into the warmth and scent of Owen. He seemed to be all around her. Every breath. She sighed, content to enjoy the peaceful calm of her dream until a hard leg brushed against the back of hers.
She stiffened. The warmth she was snuggled against wasn’t more blankets. It was a large, very warm, very alive, very male body. Why would she actually be in a bed with Owen?
She was at the store. Correction…had been at the store.
Those men had attacked her. And then Owen had come back for her, but it wasn’t Owen. At least not in her memory. She remembered a bear in the store. That couldn’t be real. It had to be her adrenaline from the attack. Then she remembered running. Then she was hiding…except that wasn’t right either. Owen had found her in the storage room. She remembered him pulling her out from under the table. He’d protected her.
Bearly Hanging On: Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska Book 3 Page 7
