Braxton's Warrior

by Lynn Howard

  Brax opened his mouth to curse his brother out, to tell him Campbell wasn’t simply some chick. But it wouldn’t do any good. Daxon had always been a crabby mother fucker when he woke up. Didn’t help that Brax had been the one to wake him.

  “Sorry, bro,” Brax said with a nod.

  Daxon mumbled a string of curse words and insults as he shuffled back to his bedroom. He probably wouldn’t get back to sleep, just like Brax couldn’t. And now Aron was up, too.

  “What am I going to do?” Brax asked, keeping his voice as low as he could without whispering.

  “The only thing I can tell you is to call one of the wolves or bears, man. They’re the only people we know with mates.”

  The last thing Brax wanted to do was call one of their friends for love advice. Only one of them had mated with a human, and she’d ended up getting turned against her will by an asshole rival.

  Campbell wasn’t a Shifter. She was human. And as long as she took better care of herself and avoided getting mauled by one of those assholes again, she’d stay that way.

  Campbell knew about Shifters. Did that mean she knew about the mating bond? Probably not. She didn’t seem to know much about them beyond her bad experience that caused her to want them all dead.

  He had to get her past that. He had to make her see a majority of Shifters were good. They simply wanted to live their lives and have families and do all the same things humans enjoyed. They wanted to go to work, pay their bills, fall in love, and have kids. Same as humans.

  Well. Same as most humans. Campbell’s one goal in life seemed to be destroying anyone she deemed dangerous.

  But she hadn’t attacked Brax either time he’d seen her at her house. She hadn’t drawn a weapon or threatened him or told him to go away.

  And he’d definitely smelled her arousal. No way could he have missed that.

  Was that why she’d gotten so pissed and insulted him? Was she fighting her own instincts? If so, did that mean he had a chance of swaying her?

  Only one way to find out. The next time he checked on Janie, he’d pop over to her place and see if she was home. Of course, she could easily avoid answering the knock on her door. He’d never know.

  Although, he was pretty sure he’d scent her from a mile away.

  Eight hours later, he was still obsessing over how to convince Campbell to give him a shot as he climbed into the back of the SUV they used while hunting. They needed enough space in case they succeeded in rescuing a woman and were able to get her away from her captors.

  “I’m so tired,” Brax whined from the back seat as Mason drove them to the same place where they’d met Campbell.

  “Suck it up. Maybe next time you won’t stay up all night fantasizing about the Ninja,” Daxon teased.

  Brax didn’t have the energy to go off on his brother or shoot back an insult. Just sat back in the seat, his head back against the headrest.

  The area was quiet and there were no new scents.

  “Think they’ve moved on?” Daxon asked as they stood hidden in the tree line.

  “Could. But where?” Aron asked, raising his head and scenting the air.

  Again, no one had an answer. Too many damn mysteries lately for Brax’s liking.

  Stepping out of the woods, they all climbed back into the waiting SUV.

  “Where to?” Mason asked from behind the wheel.

  The guy was always the driver. Mainly because he thought life was a game of Grand Theft Auto. He drove as if he was racing for his life. And honestly, sometimes they were, only it was usually a woman’s life at risk.

  Three more locations and they’d yet to catch the scent of either a human or Shifter. Merely woodland creatures - deer, rabbits, and other critters scampering around as they sought out their next meal.

  The fourth was the hot spot. Several scents of Shifters and humans flooded his senses as Brax climbed out of the car. They’d traveled deep into rural Franklin County, far away from any homes or businesses.

  “Bingo,” Daxon muttered under his breath.

  After Aron alerted Mason to keep the engine running and the doors open but to follow the group for once, he led Mason, Daxon, and Brax into the trees. They moved quickly and methodically, yet their steps were damn near silent on the dead leaves, twigs and pine needles littering the forest floor.

  Perks of being a cat Shifter; their prey rarely heard them coming.

  “Two humans. Three Shifters,” Aron whispered barely above a breath.

  Daxon and Brax both lifted their faces and sniffed.

  “Four Shifters,” Brax whispered back.

  Even with one extra foe, it shouldn’t be a problem for Ravenwood to either overpower them or at least get the women to safety.

  And then a familiar scent hit him so hard he gasped.

  Campbell.

  Campbell was the second human scent they detected. His feet pushed him forward without a second thought.

  What the hell was she doing out there? How did she even know where to look? And why was she out again after getting hurt the night before? She’d be an easy fucking target.

  “What the fuck is he doing?” Aron asked from somewhere behind Brax.

  “Campbell,” Daxon said, rushing to catch up to his twin. Whether Daxon agreed with Brax’s actions or not, Brax knew Daxon would have his twin’s back.

  No more words were spoken as a few pops and grunts sounded from behind Brax followed by the sounds of animal chuffing and paws hitting the ground hard.

  Aron and Mason caught up to Brax quickly, then passed him and his brother.

  Campbell. Campbell was out there with four Shifters. She was trying to save a human woman on her own.

  It was a death sentence.

  Aron and Mason were no longer visible as Brax rushed through the woods.

  “Should we Shift?” Daxon asked softly.

  “Not yet.”

  He wasn’t sure what they were heading into. And Campbell might fire her gun at four panthers, whereas she’d realize they were there to help if Brax was with two of them. She didn’t have the senses Shifters had; she wouldn’t be able to detect friend from foe.

  A yelp met Brax’s ear, a pop of a gun, snarling, growling.

  Shit.

  Brax burst through an opening in the trees. Aron and Mason were battling three of the Shifters while Campbell had shot at the last one.

  By the time he’d made it to her, her hands were empty. They’d disarmed her. Now she was fighting hand to hand, obviously favoring one of her legs, the leg some bastard had clawed last night.

  “Campbell!” he bellowed then regretted it.

  She hesitated, her eyes wide, her lips parted as she sucked in breath after breath.

  That hesitation almost cost her her life.

  But Mason kept her safe. His big panther dove at the mother fucker who’d dared to touch Brax’s mate.

  And now, being near her, seeing her in danger, he knew as a fact Campbell was his mate. His animal had chosen a human woman. A human woman who could hold her own against Shifter males.

  Or she could have if she wasn’t injured and outnumbered four to one.

  Campbell stumbled away as Mason latched his teeth around the guy’s throat and shook until the enemy no longer moved.

  Her eyes dropped to the ground and she searched until she found what she was looking for – her gun.

  Diving for it, she raised her arms and pointed the muzzle directly at Mason’s head.

  “Campbell! No!” Brax ran as fast as his human legs would take him until he was standing in front of Mason, his hands held out in front of him. “Stop! You haven’t met him yet, but he’s a friend. He’s one of mine.”

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” she said between gasps of air.

  “Same thing you are, apparently.” He jerked his head toward the men who were lying lifeless on the ground, Ravenwood standing over them.

  “Bull shit!” she yelled, her eyes going to Mason and Aron in their panther forms.
>
  “They’re like me. We’re all panther Shifters. We hunt rogues. Traffickers. That’s why we’re out here. We picked up their scents,” he said, jerking his head toward the assholes on the ground again. “And her,” he said, pointing to the mousy brunette cowering behind a tree, her eyes wide, her small face pale.

  Campbell’s eyes whipped around the scene, grazing over each of the Pride members, the dead Shifters, to the woman she was obviously trying to save, then back to Brax.

  “What the fuck are you doing out here?” Brax asked as anger began to build in his system. “You were hurt last night. Last. Fucking. Night. Do you realize what would’ve happened if we had checked a different area?”

  “Yeah. I would’ve shot them all in the head,” Campbell said, her gun clutched tightly in her left hand. Left. His woman was a leftie.

  “With the gun they knocked out of your hand?” Brax couldn’t lower his voice, couldn’t tamp down the fear and anger he felt at seeing Campbell out here.

  If they’d been a few minutes later, if they’d searched a different area…

  Her lips opened then closed. She glared at Brax. There was anger, but there was something more, something Brax had no way of deciphering when he was trying to keep his own rage in check.

  Campbell huffed out a breath and shook her head. “Let’s go,” she said to the woman still cowering.

  “They’re still here,” the woman called back in a shaky voice.

  “They’re not the bad guys.”

  Well. Okay, then. That was one step in the right direction.

  Didn’t mean Campbell was off the hook.

  “We’ll take you home,” Brax told Campbell. “We’ll take you both home.”

  “I’ve got my bike,” Campbell said, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder, presumably in the direction of where she’d stashed her motorcycle before heading headfirst into hell.

  “We’ll get it back to you,” Brax said.

  “I can ride it back to your house,” Daxon offered.

  “I don’t want to go with them,” the woman whimpered.

  “They’re safe,” Campbell said, never taking her eyes from Brax.

  Two points for Brax!

  Campbell looked around the small group. “I’m not riding in a car with panthers.” Her eyes narrowed. “How many other Shifter types are out there?”

  “A lot,” Daxon answered.

  Campbell sucked on her teeth as she shook her head. “This is so fucked up.”

  “What the hell is going on? Why…why are there panthers? Who were those guys? What did they want from me?” The terrified woman had crept from her spot behind the tree but hadn’t ventured much closer as she wrung her hands in front of her and tears streaked unrestrained down her cheeks.

  But Campbell wasn’t crying. She didn’t even appear to be shaking. She stood resolute in her position as a hero.

  And she could’ve ended up dead had the panthers gone anywhere but this specific patch of woods.

  ****

  How the hell had he found her?

  Campbell had planned on taking a few days off from hunting, but her conscience wouldn’t let her. Nor would the nightmares she’d had of Caren’s unseeing eyes as she laid on that cold gurney.

  She had to keep going. Had to kill as many of those sick bastards and rescue as many women from the same fate as her little sister.

  Had to end the trafficking.

  And her nightmares.

  But would it ever end? She was only one person. And even with Brax and his friends supposedly hunting down traffickers, it was only one town, in one state, in one country. There had to be tens of thousands just like the fuckers lying dead on the ground.

  The woman – Amy, Campbell had finally gotten out of her – had no idea the men who’d taken her were anything but human. And Campbell wouldn’t be the one to ruin the tiny sliver of peace she might have now that the nightmare was over.

  “Why are they with panthers? What is going on?” Amy asked.

  “They train them to help track down the attackers. The cops don’t know about any of us, so we’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything. To anyone. Even your mom or boyfriend or whatever,” Campbell said.

  Brax raised a brow at her, but there was a hint of a smile at the corners of his lips. The same lips she’d thought about when she’d been drifting to sleep.

  He’d come back into her apartment after she’d dozed off. He’d left her house key and a note with his phone number. And Polo hadn’t alerted Campbell to his presence. That small thing - her dog being comfortable with him - put her at ease about Brax more than anything. When Campbell wasn’t reacting to his nearness or giving commands, her furry baby didn’t see the man as a threat.

  And he’d come rushing through the woods to save Amy. Or maybe Campbell. Or both. That had to mean something. It had to mean he wasn’t lying when he said they were doing the same thing she did. That they weren’t the bad guys.

  So, what then? Was he also telling the truth when he said most Shifters weren’t like the kidnapping, raping, murdering fuckers she’d killed as often as possible?

  And more importantly, could she trust him?

  That last question had circled in her head all day until she’d been dizzy.

  Why the hell did it matter whether she could trust him?

  Stupid question. She knew exactly why – because she was impossibly attracted to him to the point of making herself crazy.

  She wasn’t sure what it was about him that was so different from other men she’d met, but there was some kind of invisible rope between them that constantly tried to pull her in his direction. When he was away, that pull became uncomfortable. She’d been in love before. Had even had her heart broken by a man. But she’d never felt like…this…before.

  It didn’t make sense. Then again, the fact a man could walk around with an animal inside of him that could burst free at any time didn’t make sense, either.

  “If you wreck my bike, I’ll kick your ass,” she said to the guy named Daxon. He looked like Brax but not.

  Brothers. Had to be. Or maybe cousins. They resembled each other way too much to not be related.

  “Understood,” Daxon said, walking past her to retrieve her motorcycle.

  “What about these guys?” Campbell asked, waving her hand toward the men on the ground.

  “Let their people find them. Maybe it’ll serve as a warning,” Brax said. He looked over his shoulder at the panthers. “Go back to the car,” he told them.

  The panthers made a huffing sound, glanced at Campbell and Amy, then trotted off into the woods.

  Campbell assumed they’d turn back into men again so they wouldn’t freak out Amy.

  “We have a couple more men waiting for us at the car. They’re good guys,” Brax said to Amy, looking over Campbell’s shoulder, his hands held out in front of him as he spoke to her.

  Campbell assumed correctly.

  Amy finally inched forward until she was standing beside Campbell.

  “Can you walk?” Brax asked Amy. Her head bobbed up and down quickly. “What about you? You’re bleeding again,” he said to Campbell.

  “I’m fine,” she lied. Her leg hurt like a bitch and it was going to be torture making her way over uneven ground as she trekked back to the waiting vehicle.

  Brax cocked a brow at her and, this time, there was no hint of amusement on that ridiculously handsome face of his.

  Whatever. She’d been taking care of herself all this time; she didn’t need some dude to sweep in and rescue her.

  Wrapping a hand around Amy’s bicep, she tugged her along as she limped past Brax, smirking at him as she got close enough. He shook his head and that smile appeared just as she passed him.

  Each step felt like someone was sticking a white-hot iron into her leg, but Campbell kept the pain off her face, kept from crying out anytime she lost her footing on a fallen pinecone or rivet in the dirt. Maybe she should’ve let Brax carry her. But that would make him thin
k she needed him. She didn’t need anyone.

  “Just let me carry your stubborn ass,” Brax said when Campbell took a break and inhaled deeply as she tried to ignore the pain.

  “I’m fine,” she repeated, shaking her head when he tried to wrap an arm around her back.

  “You know,” he called after her as she tugged Amy along. “You don’t have to be strong all the time. You can let other people help you.”

  Campbell merely shrugged and continued on her way. Once they cleared the tree line and spotted the waiting car with two men waiting beside it, Campbell almost wilted with relief.

  She wasn’t sure how much longer she could pretend she wasn’t in agony.

  Campbell stepped back and let a big guy ask Amy a few questions and check her for injuries. She had a feeling he’d been one of the panthers back in the woods since there were no massive black cats slinking around.

  Amy caught on to that, as well.

  “Where are those panthers?” she asked, an obvious tremor in her voice.

  “Our buddies were here. They took them and left. They had more work to do,” the big guy asked. “I’m Aron. That’s Mason,” he said, introducing Amy to the other man.

  She nodded. “Amy.”

  “Amy, we’re going to get you home. Okay? I know your first instinct is to call the police, but we’d rather you not. We can’t control your actions, of course, but they might not appreciate us leaving a few dead bodies out here.”

  “Screw them. Let them rot,” Amy said, her bottom lip trembling.

  “You ready to go home?” Mason asked.

  “Yeah,” Amy said, nodding her head quickly up and down.

  ****

  Mason stood back and held the door for Amy to slide in between Brax and Campbell. Although, Brax would rather sit directly beside Campbell. He wanted to check her leg, make sure she was truly okay, make sure she hadn’t endured any new injuries.

  What the hell had she been thinking coming out here tonight? Had the panthers decided to give up after the last few quiet locations and gone home, his mate would be dead. And it could’ve been a while before he found out since no one in her life knew anything about him.

  Or had she mentioned him to her friends or family?