by Anna Lowe
“Now we just ride the surf in,” she said.
Just and surf were two words that combined about as well as fun and explosives, at least as far as Hunter was concerned. Especially with the surf this high. Dawn treaded water with one hand closed tight around the Spirit Stone and studied the waves the way a surfer did.
“Next one’s ours.”
From the looks of it, getting out of the water would be as hard as getting in had been, given the way the waves pounded into the shore.
“Here we go,” Dawn muttered, paddling slowly forward. She accelerated as the wave rose, lifting them higher.
Hunter did his best to clear his mind and followed. All he had to do was endure this one last part. Then he — and more importantly, Dawn — would be home free.
The water lifted him, building into a massive wave. There was a certain rush to it, a handing-over-of-control to the elements. But the water rose higher and higher, taking him with it until he was peering down the lip of a towering cliff. The water gurgled, rushed, and then roared as the wave broke.
Hunter went from riding the crest to plummeting into an abyss, where he was sucked under. He tumbled around and around, clawing at the water like a man in a spin cycle, desperate to find the way out.
The earsplitting roar became a quieter hiss, and just like that, he ground against the shallows. He stood just in time to be bowled over by the next wave. It tugged at his feet, trying to pull him back to the sea. But he was in now, and Dawn was, too — beaching herself just the way kids did. He stumbled over and found her panting and wild-eyed.
“Okay,” she murmured, accepting a hand up. “That was exciting.”
Exciting? Hunter hauled her up a safe distance from the waves and trapped her in a giant hug. Exciting was early spring in Alaska, when the meadows came alive with wildflowers, bees, and sunshine. Exciting was the way his heart rate tripled every time he looked at Dawn. Exciting was the idea of her hugging him without the slightest sense of reservation, as if she believed as firmly in destined mates as he did.
Just as she did right then.
Heaven. Hunter found himself transported from sheer hell to heaven. He touched her back, her waist, her hair, assuring himself she was all right. He breathed her in along with the scent of strawberry guava, wafting over from shore.
“Hunter,” she murmured.
He didn’t move. He couldn’t move.
“Hunter.” She tapped his back.
“Hmm?” he mumbled into her hair.
“Don’t you want to see the gem?” Dawn asked, her voice muffled at his shoulder.
He blinked, confused. Oh, right. The Spirit Stone.
Nah, his bear breathed, and his human side agreed.
“Need another second with you,” he murmured. A flat-out lie because he’d need at least a week to catch his breath after what had just happened. Preferably, a week spent this close to his mate.
“Hey,” she whispered. “I’m okay.”
He sure as hell wasn’t. Not yet, anyway.
Other than the sound of the surf hammering the shore, the beach was peaceful. No screaming brides, no blaring music, no crowds. Just him and his mate under a thousand twinkling stars. Alive. They’d come ashore on the far side of the resort, and no one was around.
He pulled back at last and held her by the shoulders.
“Nice, huh?” she whispered, holding up the amethyst.
He kept his eyes glued on hers. “Gorgeous.” Slowly, his eyes drifted over her soaked bra and panties, and all the skin in between.
There was a painting he’d seen in an art book at some point — a painting of Venus coming out of the water. It was supposed to embody feminine beauty, but Hunter knew better. Dawn had that goddess beat, easy.
She looked at the amethyst. “So, a Spirit Stone. Is that why it glows?”
He nodded. Not that he was an expert on the jewels — hell, even Silas, who’d researched every scrap of dragon lore for information on the Spirit Stones, didn’t know the whole story — but, yeah. Normal jewels didn’t glow like that. That much, he knew.
She tipped the amethyst from her hands into his. “Here, you take it.”
He tipped it right back. “No, you.”
A twig snapped behind them, and a deep voice snickered. “How about I take it?”
Hunter whirled, pushing Dawn behind his body.
“Jericho,” he spat, shaking with fury.
“So good of you to retrieve the Spirit Stone for me. And I see you’ve brought me a further gift.” Jericho smirked, letting his eyes run over Dawn’s near-naked body.
Six hulking figures crept up to flank Jericho. Hunter flexed his fingers, letting his claws push painfully close to the surface.
“Over my dead body,” he growled.
Jericho chuckled. “Yes. That’s exactly my plan.”
Chapter Fourteen
For one brief instant when she’d first stepped foot on the beach, Dawn had been jubilant. She’d done it! She’d ridden the eddies and escaped the current with the amethyst. She’d made it back to shore unscathed, and Hunter had given her the hug of her life.
So, really, it was time to do a little victory dance, right?
But then Jericho Deroux had turned up and made her blood run cold.
As a police officer, Dawn had been in more than one close-call situation in her life. Even Maui had its dark, criminal side, and she’d seen it all. But she’d never, ever sensed anything like the brutally evil vibes coming off the man on the beach.
Jericho had murdered in cold blood before; she was sure of it. And he would do it again. He would eliminate any man who stood in his way and take any woman who whetted his appetite.
A cool, calculating compartment of her mind started running through police procedures for dealing with this kind of psychopath. But none of that would work now, and she knew it.
Hunter stood taller and broader than she’d ever seen him, shielding her near-naked body with his. Normally, she’d roll her eyes and claim her own space, but these were shifters, and normal rules didn’t apply. That much was obvious. The question was, what rules did apply?
Feudal laws, her gut told her. Fight for your life.
“Give me the Spirit Stone.” Jericho snapped his fingers.
Hunter glanced at Dawn. Sometimes, the man was impossible to read. But now, he was an open book — looking at her, then the ring, then at Jericho. Weighing up if he could trade the ring for her life.
Dawn’s mouth cracked open. Hunter had gone on and on about how important the Spirit Stones were and how critical it was to keep them out of enemy hands. Was he really considering giving one up for her sake?
The man was a prince. Her prince, even if he was part bear.
No, she let her eyes say. That lowlife would never honor an agreement anyway.
She tightened her fingers around the ring and glared at Jericho.
Hunter snarled under his breath. His teeth were bared, his hands balled into fists, and he was practically shaking with rage — but he was holding back.
For her. He was holding back for her. If she were facing her mother’s murderer, would she have the same restraint?
“The ring,” Jericho barked.
“Oh, you mean this ring?” she said coolly, stepping into view and making a show of slipping it on her finger. “I don’t think so.”
The second she worked the ring past the second joint of her ring finger, a little surge went through her. A purple glow kindled in the heart of the stone, and her hand warmed. Whoa — was that a good or a bad sign?
Jericho scowled. “You don’t know who you’re messing with, baby.”
You’re the one who doesn’t know who you’re messing with, asshole. Years of police work helped her hold back the words, but she let her eyes telegraph them. Jericho might be rich, powerful, and dangerous, but if he thought she’d be a soft target, he’d better think again.
Hunter made a subtle gesture with his elbow, hinting for her to sneak away, but
she stood firm at his side.
“I said, give me that ring,” Jericho snarled.
Dawn glanced around, considering her options. This corner of the resort was deserted, and the noise of the rehearsal party would drown out any call for help. The sea was at her back, and the high, rocky point she and Hunter had swum around was at her left. The beach stretched away to her right until it ended in another point of the coast and made a hard turn out of sight.
“Is Cruz around?” she whispered to Hunter. “Or Kai?” She’d been avoiding his shifter friends all week, but heck, she wouldn’t mind seeing them now.
Hunter gave a terse shake of his head. It was just the two of them, alone.
She looked around for a makeshift weapon. A piece of driftwood, perhaps, or a discarded bottle. Anything.
Her finger throbbed as if the ring were trying to tell her something, and a winged form swooped through the sky, heading for Jericho. The big man swiped at it as it flew past.
“Goddamn bat.”
Hunter used the distraction to whisper in warning. “These guys are shifters. Shifters and…worse.”
She looked at the hulking men on the beach. What was worse than a shifter? Several of the men had Hunter’s bulky build, so maybe those were bears. One of the others was leaner and lithe, reminding her of Cruz. God, what if he was a tiger? The others were somewhere in between, and Jericho — she would have pegged him as a bear, but now — well, she wasn’t so sure.
“I’m sorry I got you into this,” Hunter murmured.
She shook her head. “We got into this. We’ll get out.”
“We’ll?” Hunter’s voice rose in hope.
She nodded, not trusting her voice just then. The secret world of shifters was still a lot to swallow, but Hunter? The man was a keeper, bear or no bear.
“I love you, Hunter. I trust you,” she said.
She could have spent an hour gazing into the eyes that looked at her in gratitude and relief, but all she had time for was a quick glance before Jericho sneered.
“Hunter? Now, where do I know that name from? Let me see.” He made a show out of stroking his chin. “Oh, that’s right. The cowardly little cub who turned tail and fled all those years ago.”
Hunter stiffened, but Dawn sneered back. “Let me guess. You outnumbered his family ten-to-one?”
Jericho’s eyes narrowed on her. “A little like we outnumber you now, my dear.”
Dawn tried telling herself seven-to-two wasn’t so bad.
“What a tough guy you are,” she retorted, dripping sarcasm.
Jericho seemed not to hear. “Lucky for you, a man in my position doesn’t have to share his prize. I’ll have you all to myself.”
Her stomach turned.
Jericho gestured, motioning his henchmen forward.
Hunter’s hand tightened on her arm as three of the men advanced. One pulled at his collar. Another unbuttoned his jacket and tossed it aside. A third made a garbled noise and doubled over as the others chuckled in anticipation.
“Bears,” Hunter grunted in her ear, preparing her. “Two bears and a wolf.”
They hunched and ripped right out of their clothes, landing on all fours in grotesque, twisted forms. Each made choked, snarling sounds as fur sprouted along their bare backs and their muzzles stretched.
Wings fluttered overhead — the bat making a second pass — and Jericho muttered again.
Please. No vampires, Dawn wanted to beg, keeping her eyes on the men transforming into animals before her very eyes.
The process wasn’t instantaneous, but it didn’t take long either. The wolf was the first to take full form. It snorted, gave its gray coat a hard shake, then stalked toward her slowly, swishing its tail. The bears lumbered forward a moment later, grumbling under their breath. The men left standing behind them snickered and looked on.
“Dawn,” Hunter murmured.
Dawn forced herself to nod. “Do it. Shift.”
She faked a strong, sure voice, but inside, she was quaking. She looked around, studiously avoiding Hunter and the soft grunts he made. She and Hunter stood a better chance if he shifted. And, damn it, she needed to get ready to fight, too.
A piece of driftwood bobbed in the water to her left, and she grabbed it. A solid, four-foot length she could heft like a club. She took a test swing and nearly jumped back from the sheer force of it slamming into the ground.
Whoa. Had she just done that?
The ring tightened on her finger and glowed brighter. At the same time, something big and wet moved at her side. She turned back, gaping at the grizzly at her side. A huge, hulking beast that shook its thick coat and looked at her with soulful eyes.
“Hunter,” she whispered. Holy shit.
She’d recognize the eyes anywhere, even if the rest was a shock. His twitching black nose. His thick, chocolate-brown coat. His stub of a tail.
“Hunter.” She shook her head, awestruck.
He chuffed and swung his nose toward her hand.
Please, his eyes seemed to beg. Please accept me.
Dawn took a deep breath. There were times in life where you rushed through a make-or-break moment without even recognizing it, but this simple gesture — touching Hunter — was a slow-motion, stay-in-your-heart-forever kind of thing. A crossroads at which a second became a full minute, at least in her mind.
She flexed her fingers and inched her hand forward until they touched. Fingers to snout. Human to bear. One lover to another.
Oh. My. God.
His nose was cool, like a dog’s, and the puff of his breath warm. It came out as a sigh of relief, and his eyes sparkled.
“Hunter,” she whispered.
He nosed closer, stopping at the ring, then glancing at her.
Right. The ring. The Spirit Stone. The one with magical powers.
Never in her life had she been as tempted to grab a wild animal’s snout and shake some words out. What do I do with it? How does it work?
Then a wolf growled, and Hunter jerked away. He stalked up the beach, leaving dinner-plate-sized tracks in the sand as he cut off Jericho’s men.
Dawn had just enough time to lift the driftwood to her shoulder and suck in a long breath before the fight broke out.
“Hurry up, already,” Jericho said, sounding bored. “Kill him. Her, I want alive.”
The low snarls broke into outright roars as the shifters launched into an attack. The wolf came at her while the bears rammed into Hunter with a thump she could feel in her bones.
“Hunter!” Dawn cried, swinging the wood to fend off the wolf. It jumped back, then darted forward, snapping at her feet.
The bears slashed and clawed at each other, peeling their lips back to bare huge teeth. Hunter reared on his hind legs, swiped one opponent, and tackled the other. They rolled in a blur of fur and fangs.
Dawn swung the wood at the wolf. It was driving her back, opening a gap between her and Hunter. Driving her toward—
She whirled just in time to duck away from one of Jericho’s men who was sneaking up from behind.
“I said, get her!” Jericho yelled from his vantage point.
Every time the man spoke, the anger in her bubbled higher, and the amethyst glowed brighter.
“Take that.” She smacked the wolf on the shoulder so hard, she lost her grip on the driftwood. Still, the beast yelped and rolled away.
Somewhere in the back of Dawn’s mind, it registered that there was something strange about that. The beast was a good 250 pounds, and yet she’d made it roll at least ten feet. But she didn’t have time to think because the man was back, grabbing at her again.
She wound back for a punch and threw it with all her might. The way she did every Friday at the gym, imagining the man who’d tried to rape her. Which made for a pretty powerful punch that channeled all the power in her body.
But, damn. This punch landed with a crack and sent the man tumbling backward until his ass hit the sand.
Dawn gaped at her own fist. Even at her
fiercest, she’d never moved the punching bag the way her male colleagues did. But, heck — that punch had enough power in it to rip a punching bag right off its chains.
She took a deep, shaky breath, staring at the ring. The amethyst set in the middle glowed — smugly, almost.
A bear roared, dragging her attention to the right, where the wolf was springing at her again. She diverted it with a vicious kick. The beast rolled to its feet and eyed her, panting. The way its tongue hung out of its mouth said, Holy shit.
Holy shit was right. Dawn flexed her fingers. How much power did that stone contain? And how long might it help her fight off these crooks?
Chapter Fifteen
When a bear screamed in pain, Dawn winced, praying it wasn’t Hunter. She whirled around. The two grizzlies he faced were each slightly smaller, but they outnumbered him, and who knew when their buddies would join in to help. She glanced at the ring, willing it to present her with some way to fight a creature as big as a bear. Even if it did augment her physical strength, it wouldn’t make her sprout fangs or claws.
She gulped. God, I hope not.
“You and you. Get down there,” Jericho ordered the other men. “I want him dead. Now! And I want her in one piece.”
The three men stalked forward, and Dawn despaired. Even if she and Hunter could hold them off for a time, there was no way to escape so many foes.
One thing at a time, she decided, backing up. The man she’d punched made a choked sound, and she wondered if she’d broken his nose. But when she glanced over, she spotted a cougar, not a man. Its yellow-brown eyes shone the way a cat’s did when it prepared to pounce, and its shoulders hunched.
She grabbed the driftwood and brandished it. “Try me,” she dared them. “Just try me.”
The cougar growled as if it couldn’t wait to sink those fangs into her neck. The beast was on her in a flash, knocking her to the ground. She rolled, and the cougar rolled with her, snapping at her with its huge canines. She shoved it with another supernatural burst of power and scrambled away, but the furious animal sprang right back, looming over her.
“I want her alive!” Jericho yelled.
