by Elle Boon
His pack were lined up behind him in trucks, SUVs, and even a couple motorcycles, all to help him rescue his mate. Goddess, he hoped she wasn’t hurt. The Iron Wolves would see the worst of him if his mate, unclaimed or not, was harmed.
NeNe looked out of the window as Mac’s driver drove them through town. He’d dumped her unceremoniously into the backseat, following her inside before she could scoot out the other door. She recognized where they were heading. “Why are you taking me home?”
For that matter, how did he know where her home was?
“Your shit should be packed and ready. I don’t like loose ends, and this is a loose one,” Mac answered.
She scooted as close to the opposite side as she could, putting whatever space she was allowed between her and the crazy man. “You’re making no sense whatsoever. Listen, I’m not sure what the hell is going on, but you need to have your guy pull this car over and let me out.” Her voice came out a little shaky, but she was proud of herself.
Mac reached across the space, eliminating her sense of security. “You really think you have the right to order me around, girl?” His hand fisted in the back of her hair, twisting until he brought her face close to his. “You’ll speak when I tell you to. Do as I tell you to. Are we clear?” He gave a hard jerk, making her head bob back and forth.
Her hands went to where his were, trying to pry them off of her. “You’re hurting me.”
Even before he laughed, she knew he was going to do something vile, yet she still hoped she could get away. God, what the hell did I do? Mac chuckled, then his tongue licked up the side of her face before he covered her mouth with his. Sharp teeth bit into her lower lip, making her cry out, giving him access to stick his nasty tongue inside. She closed her mouth, teeth clamping down until she tasted blood. She wanted to bite the damn thing off, but the hard grip on her hair jerked her back, followed by a slap to the side of the face.
“I really do like it when my females put up a fight, to an extent. You try that move again, you better pray for a quick death, little bitch.”
She wiped her hand across her lips, seeing a smear of red. “If you think I’ll let you...you touch me without a fight, you got more than a few screws loose. I’d rather die fighting, than lay docile like one of your bitches,” she sneered. The taste of his blood ran down her throat, making her stomach roll.
Mac tossed his head back and laughed, the booming sound shaking the windows of the car. Shit, she didn’t know what the hell was going on, but the black eyes he turned on her looked nothing like they had a few moments before. Nor did his teeth. Oh, god, did he appear to have hair sprouting all over his face, not just where he had a beard?
“Listen, I think you need to calm down.” She pressed against the door, the handle biting into her back. She felt around looking for the lever as his body rippled before her eyes, his jaw elongating and his teeth became huge. The sound of his clothing ripping made the decision to jump from the moving vehicle easy. Whether she was hallucinating, having a bad dream, or if she was in a waking nightmare, she had no clue, but the man in front of her was ripping out of his skin into a monster that appeared to be a cross between a bear and a man. She didn’t wait around to see if he completed the change, so he could rip her into pieces, or to see if she woke up. Falling out of the car, backward, while it drove a steady twenty miles an hour hurt like nobody’s business. She landed on her side, then rolled half a dozen times, rocks and dirt flew while she raised her arms to try and protect her head, with the wind knocked out of her, NeNe lay panting. A roar split the air. “I’m going to die,” she groaned.
In movies, people jumped out of cars and got up, but her limbs didn’t cooperate. Oh, she could feel them, each appendage hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Yet, getting them to do what she wanted was like moving a freight train. It wasn’t happening. Tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked. She was a fighter, always had been. “I can’t,” she whispered brokenly. The thought of being back in the car and letting that man touch her, do as he pleased, was worse than having the beast eat her.
She heard him before she saw it. His hot breath hit her first, followed by a drop of drool that made her shudder. NeNe wanted to close her eyes and think of something good as her last thoughts. An image of Coti kissing her hurts away, his gentle care of her the night before made her smile. She wished she’d not been such a rash brat and stayed at the club. Of course, if wishes were hand grenades, she could blow this fetid breath fucker into tomorrow. The reminder had her shivering in spite of the heat. “Fucking kill me and get it over with, you bastard,” she said through gritted teeth.
An angry growl made her look up, then she wished she hadn’t. The huge grizzly stood next to her, his dark brown fur was tipped in black, and his black claws were massive as he stepped closer. Fuck, they were going to hurt.
Another step closer, and he was straddling her with his front paws. Angry sounding growls and spittle dropped on her. His massive head lowered, showing off teeth that were stained yellow. NeNe imagined he could swallow her entire head in one gulp. His deep rumble shook her entire frame, even the gravel around her moved.
In a move that was swift and violent, he lunged, teeth snapping, the huge bear latched onto her shoulder. NeNe screamed, pain shot through her entire body, burning her from the inside out and in again. The light faded, turning everything dark. Every fiber of her being burned, her bones broke, the snapping making her cry out again as agony washed over her in never ending waves. When total blackness took her, she welcomed it.
Coti looked at the amount of blood in the middle of the road, NeNe’s blood overlaid with a shifter. His wolf howled. His demon rose. Both beings fought for supremacy. The ability to push them back took effort, more than he thought he had, but NeNe needed him.
“Whoa, brother, your eyes are red,” Xan said, stepping back.
He knew in that moment there was no keeping what he was from them any longer. His arms fell to the sides as he turned to face the rest of the Iron Wolves. Kellen, Turo, Bodhi, Slater and Wyck came to a stop behind Xan, their wolves ready to come out and play, only they didn’t know what they’d be messing with. “Stop right there, boys. My mate, or in the words of some of my ancestors, Hearts Love, has been taken. You may feel you’re owed an explanation, and yeah, maybe you are. Right now, though, I ain’t giving you one. NeNe’s hurt. That,” he pointed at the ground. “That’s her blood. Once I get her back and exact revenge, I’ll deal with you. You want to bail, do it.” He shed his skin, becoming mist and floated on the air, following the scent of his one.
“Well, fuck me running. Did he just do what the wolpires can?” Xan asked.
“I think he also used their term as well, but I don’t smell the same thing on him as I do them,” Kellen growled.
Coti didn’t look back at his pack, blocking them from his mind when he realized no one was following him. He’d fought bigger battles alone in his life and won. This time, the stakes were a lot higher, and he had no doubts he’d win this one too, after he made sure the shifter who thought to take what was his paid.
It was easy to find where they’d taken NeNe. Her scent was like a beacon, shining brightly for him. At first, he’d thought they were going to her old trailer, and from the looks of the destroyed home she’d shared with her father and brother, they’d been there. He kept to the air, looking for where they were keeping her, the smell of her blood everywhere, like they’d painted the walls with it. Mac, the alpha’s blood was everywhere too. In the form of mist, it was hard to truly take in the myriad of scents, yet he got an overwhelming sense that his mate had put up one hell of a fight. One the bastard hadn’t expected. He wanted to cheer at the thought of NeNe giving him hell. Of course, that meant she was more than likely hurt even worse. A prospect that made him angry.
He left the room with the cloying scents that was literally painted red with a mixture of shifter blood.
“Did you see her? Goddess save us all if she’s the alpha bitch. She’ll kill every
single one of us.” A tall female shifter whispered.
He paused after hearing her words, waiting to see what else they said.
“I can take her. Just because she’s a bear doesn’t mean she’s the strongest bitch in the pack.”
Recognition hit Coti when the last woman spoke. Grace, the woman who’d tried to kill NeNe was speaking with the other woman. His mind replayed her words, freezing at the description of what she’d called NeNe. His mate couldn’t be a bear. Fuck, the goddess had to be playing a trick. No way would she fuck his world up in such a way. He’d yet to meld all that he was, hoping that when he finally mated with his one true mate she’d seal his ragged soul and complete him. His mate would have to be one of the three that he was, not a completely different species.
The women were still speaking, yet he tuned them out until he heard them plotting how they’d kill NeNe. The crazed female bear had been shackled since she was out of control and nearly killed the three strongest men of their pack. Coti wanted to cheer hearing his girl was totally bad ass, but she wasn’t his. She couldn’t be. Now that she was a different shifter, the goddess would have changed things. His heart ached, his soul cried out for the loss, yet the tentative bond still vibrated. He’d been inside her mind, had forged a path when he’d helped heal her. They’d exchanged blood, although she didn’t realize it, they’d already begun the process of becoming mates. Coti opened the link, hoping it still worked, praying she was still his.
Madness swamped him. He tried to sooth NeNe, pain, anger, and uncertainty beat at him. “Sssh, armina, it’s me, Coti. Calm down, everything’s going to be okay. I’m coming for you.”
The sound of her huffing, jaw clacking, followed by a roar so loud, he was sure windows would shatter if there were any, let him know she wasn’t listening. Shit, he needed to go in on two legs and face down a female grizzly. A pissed as fuck grizzly.
“Oh, my goddess, I’m out of here. You want to get eaten by her, it’s your death warrant, Grace, but I’m out.”
“Kris, you run and so help me, I’ll track you down and beat you for being a little bitch,” Grace warned.
The female named Kris laughed. “Yeah, good luck. If you survive that one, then I welcome you to try.”
“She’s chained to the damn wall, what can she do?”
Coti opened his senses, searching for others. The men had clearly left NeNe alone with the two women to watch over her. Pussies. He floated to the ground, materializing as he landed, making sure he was clothed in a pair of leather pants and vest. Two of his favorite katanas were strapped to his back, although he hadn’t used them in over fifty years.
“Female, don’t even think to open your pie hole. The only thing it’s good for is sucking cock, and, you ain’t going anywhere near mine.” He held up his hand, silencing her with a thought. Years of non-use had his other being rising, power flaring to life. He popped his neck from side-to-side. “I know, you like freedom, but don’t get used to it,” he muttered, talking to himself. The railroad cars they had set up as living quarters were lined up front to back with doors at the back that clearly allowed them to move from one to the other. The thick iron-coated metal made it hard for shifters to get a bead on what was inside, which was obviously how Mac and his band of merry fucking fuckups had stayed under Kellen’s radar. He shrugged, zero fucks given about his old pack.
Three cars later, her scent became stronger, making his wolf claw at him to take over. Pressing his shifter back, he stayed focused, searching for anyone hiding. The last car shook, the clacking and roars from an enraged bear weren’t as loud, clearly signaling she was tiring. He took a deep breath, hands itched to pull the swords free. She was his mate or would be if the goddess saw fit to make it so. He wouldn’t harm her, no matter what.
The huge brown grizzly that was three times the size of a normal one, was chained down by all four legs, the smell of burning fur and skin had him seeing red. They’d put cuffs on her they knew would damage her. He’d never known of a made shifter turning so quickly and wondered if it had anything to do with him and his mixed bloodline.
NeNe’s head turned toward him; a growl rumbled up as she tried to stand.
Coti waved his hand, quieting her. “Hush now, little one.” Although touching the cuffs wouldn’t hurt him, he knew if she broke from his thrall, she could bite his head off. That whole decapitation thing would probably be a killer for him. He tried to think of a way to keep her head from moving around and snapping at him. Deep inside the bear, his mate was in there, yet she wasn’t cognizant of him or herself anymore. For all he knew, she never would be.
Doing something he’d not done since his eighteenth winter, he called upon the Cordells. Sure, he’d seen them at the club, knew they were mated to the Fey Queen Jenna, but he hadn’t asked for their help since their grandfather had turned him away. The old bastard had sneered when Coti had shown up, wanting to find out how to combine his beings. His harsh words, telling Coti he should meet his death and do them all a favor made him turn from the grand castle, vowing never to seek their help again.
“What’s this, and who are you?”
He rolled his eyes, then turned to face his distant cousins. “For fuckssake, you’ve seen me at the Iron Wolves, pretty sure we’ve been introduced even.” Coti kept his arms at his side loosely.
Lucas tilted his head to the side. “He’s a Cordell alright. Look at that cocky bastard. Why did we never recognize it before?”
“I was busy.”
Coti waved his hand. “Listen, we’ll catch up on family drama later. Right now, can you help me with my mate.” He pointed over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off of either man.
Lucas raised his hand. “Son, I don’t care what you’ve heard, but we aren’t in the business of bear trainers.”
Damien raised his hand and high-fived his brother. Coti moved faster than either man could track and close lined both Cordells, taking them to the ground, his katanas out and at their throats. “Seriously, this is no joking matter. See that bear? She’s my mate, who was human only an hour ago. We’re in the middle of some fucked up shifterville train car, so I’m gonna need you two to act like your three thousand years old, instead of three days. Feel me?” He misted across the room.
“He’s so our family. Ps. That’s your one freebie. Now, what do you need us to do? I’m not gonna lie and say this is in my wheelhouse, ‘cause in all my years, which by the way was rude of you to call out, I don’t think I’ve ever wrestled a bear. You?” Damien asked Lucas.
Lucas held up his hands. “Can’t say that I have.”
“I need you to ensure she doesn’t bite my head off when I remove these cuffs. They’re hurting her.” He winced when she made a chuffing sound.
“We can hold her enthralled while you take care of them. Now, my next question is this. What are you going to do with her once you have her free?” Lucas asked.
Coti looked at the black eyes of his female, sorrow seeping into his bones. “I don’t know. I can’t reach her when she’s in so much pain.”
“We can see if Lula can take her to Fey. It might be the only way to reach her. When something like this happens to a human, a forced shift, it can fracture their minds unless they’re strong enough to survive. When was she bitten?” Damien asked, he and Lucas moving closer to NeNe.
“About an hour ago,” he answered.
The two Cordell men looked at one another, then at him, their expressions saying they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. “My mind is open. You can see for yourself.”
He allowed them to search through the front of his memories, keeping a wall up between his past.
“That’s...that’s unheard of. Let’s do this. I’ve called out to our Hearts Love. She said Lula will be here in a jiffy.”
They signaled for him to proceed, which he quickly did while they both worked to keep NeNe still. Sweat poured down all of their faces by the time he got the last of the locks off of her huge paws. He stared down at the b
lack claws that could rip and render a being, thinking about their differences.
“Yoohoo, your fairy dragon is here. Oh, now, who do I need to kill for hurting such a gorgeous girl?” Lula asked, going up to NeNe and rubbing her face over the bears head. “Ah, your fur is so soft, sweet one. Come, you and I will go and run through the fields and get right with the Goddess.”
Coti coughed, drawing the pink-haired female’s attention. “Um, Lula, a word please.”
Lula rolled her eyes, then whispered loudly into NeNe’s ear. “These alpha men are so bossy. Coming, sir.”
“Thank you for getting here so quickly. Ah, yeah, so she’s my mate. Can you tell me what’s going to happen?” Coti put his hands on his hips, the sense he was talking to a being who could wipe the ground with his hide had him deferring to her.
The tiny female leaned in. “Psst. Just so you know, I’d never use your carcass to wipe anything. And, she’s unclaimed as of right now. I sense two claims in her, which is confusing the dear bear. You and the beast who put the beast in her. She’s confused, so me and my dragon are gonna get her unconfused. We’ll be in touch. Toodles,” she waved, and then they disappeared.
Coti jerked backward, nearly falling on his ass. “Shit, she just took her. I didn’t get to say bye.”
Damien clapped him on the back. “Simmer down, she’s fine. Lula will take good care of her as will our Hearts Love. Jenna will make sure she’s well enough to come home, or—”
He glared at the man who spoke. “There is no or. NeNe is coming home to me.” His heart ached. His soul screamed worse than when he’d fought an entire pack of rogue wolves who tried to kill a farmer and his family in order to claim their land. The pack of seven grown shifter men, in their prime, had fought dirty, but he’d killed each and every one of them, sustaining injuries that nearly killed him. Yet, the pain from that battle combined with every other one, didn’t come close to what was coursing through him at the thought of never feeling NeNe’s skin under his hands. Never learning all the things that made her who and what she was.
