by Jessica Ryan
"It's complicated," Eva muttered. "Rowan hasn't let me in on everything. He's still talking about it with Hawk. Thorn and Aster have no clue Hawk is even back."
"Really?" Rain was shocked to hear this news. She was almost sure the council would be meeting fervently over the whole situation.
"Really. They're afraid if Aster gets her, he won't give her back."
"Why don't they just take her to Abaddon in secret?"
"Because she doesn't want to go back."
"I thought they were mates."
"Not really. From what I gathered, Abaddon's demon was looking for someone to possess with his companion and he did that to Leena. That's why she's so fragile. She's been a spectator in her own brain for the last ten years. I imagine it's traumatic. She needs help, Rain, and we don't know how to get it for her."
"But if we don't give her back to Abaddon..." Rain said, trailing off.
"Exactly."
"It's a mess," Rain said, suddenly not feeling like partying anymore.
She plopped down on the couch next to Eva. Her face must have told the whole story, because Eva looked at her, worried, before trying to bring her back up with a warm smile.
"This isn't for you to worry about, girl. Let Rowan and the council figure it all out. Tonight we're going to find you a man."
"I feel kind of dirty going out to hunt for a man like this. Doesn't it feel like we're forcing something?"
"You're forcing a good time is what you're forcing."
Before they could continue, there was a sharp knock on the back door. Eva quickly got up to answer it, leaving Rain alone in Rowan's quaint living room. It was so clean and tidy compared to hers; she couldn't believe a man could keep his den like this.
She looked up to see Hawk walking into the room. She almost fell over looking at him; his usual quiet, brooding exterior was completely gone. It had been replaced by brightness and a smile. Beside him stood the short, curvy, redheaded beauty he'd had with him that morning. Their arms were intertwined and their hands were clasped together, and they looked like they didn't want to break contact with one another for a second.
Hawk looked so happy compared to the way he'd been before. It was striking for anyone who had known him before.
Is this what finding a mate does to you? Rain wondered, looking back and forth at the happy couple. This is what I need.
She jumped up from her seat, ready to go and hit the town with a renewed sense of vigor and excitement. Let the boys have their wars and battles; she was going to find love.
Chapter 6
Beorn pulled into the parking lot of Peppercorn's at 7:45 p.m., always choosing to be early rather than late. Knowing Thorn, he was probably already inside with drinks waiting; that was just the way he was. Hopefully he hadn't brought Azyln, his mate. Beorn had no problem with the guy, but he always stared holes through Beorn. Obviously it was because of Thorn's previous feelings for his old friend, but surely Thorn wouldn't tell his mate about that.
As Beorn climbed out of the giant F250 he tooled around in, he took a deep breath and tried to force a smile onto his face. Thorn would immediately pounce on any looks of sadness or displeasure and try to psychoanalyze Beorn until sometime early in the morning. The alpha wolf wanted happiness for his friend as much as any best friend would, but sometimes he went overboard with his desire to see Beorn mated.
He knew Beorn's position on children and the way of the bear, but he still pushed for Beorn to find a woman to share his bed. Human women were too delicate, too fragile for the kind of rough love a bear would give them. Plus they wouldn't understand the bear's way when it came time to let the child go. There were very few cases of human women bearing cubs, and in each of those situations things ended badly or the family turned into weird mountain recluses.
Stories about crazy mountain men kidnapping "city-folk" were generally about a family born from a bear-shifter and his human wife. Beorn was pretty sure the movie Deliverance was based on a bear-shifter and his family. It made chills run up and down his spine to imagine a life like that.
Picking up a female wolf was a totally different story and one that Beorn wasn't too keen on. Each type of shifter was totally different from the others. Wolves had their own way of doing things, although the Bucklin wolves had created some sort of new weird human/wolf hybrid that Beorn had trouble reconciling at the moment. And cat shifters were different from wolf shifters who were different from bear shifters who were different from gorilla shifters and so on. Due to the differences it was rare to see an inter-species shifter relationship, but they happened.
Having children was a totally different story, though. The uneducated humans Beorn had run across thought that some sort of god-forsaken half wolf/half bear hybrid would be created if they mated. In actuality the father's genes took over and the child was whatever species the father was. Shifter reproduction was odd. For reasons that nobody understood, the best chance of reproduction was with a human and the next best chance was with your own species. Inter-species relationships rarely produced offspring.
On top of all that, again for unknown reasons, the famous shifter emotional bond was never formed. It was impossible for two different species of shifters to form the emotional bond that same-species couples and human/shifter couples could produce. This fact didn't really bother Beorn, though; he didn't want some damn woman's emotions playing with his head. Too many males had their balls cut off by their female's emotional responses.
Beorn sighed deeply again before walking into the old bar. Smoke immediately assaulted his nostrils as did the pungent, mixed scent of humans and wolves. Several eyes turned to look at the newcomer who had to duck to enter through the old wooden front door, but those eyes just as quickly fell back to their drinks. Wolves didn't like to mess with bears and Beorn preferred it stayed that way.
A hideous country tune was resonating from a juke box in the corner as several couples two-stepped on the tiny parquet dance floor in the center of the bar. Peppercorn's wasn't very large, but it was always packed. A U-shaped bar sat in the middle of the building, surrounded by tables straight out of the 1970s. The lights were always dim in this place, probably providing its patrons an excuse when they woke up next to some hideous beast the next morning. They didn't have the excuse of beer goggles; no shifter got that excuse.
Beorn spotted his alpha friend in the back corner, lounging against a smoke-stained back wall as he dreamily bobbed his head in tune with the horrendous music. Beorn had never been a music guy; it bothered his sensitive ears, but country was especially foul in his opinion. Unfortunately, he lived in Oklahoma, and the wolves thought a jukebox filled with country music would help them fit in better.
Thorn immediately jumped up when the giant bear came into view, pulling him in close for a warm hug that Beorn was not expecting. It was apparent that Azyln was nowhere to be found and Thorn was on his own tonight. Still, he knew where Beorn stood, so Beorn wasn't worried about any advances like that day in the forest.
Judging from the demure black button-down Thorn wore with dark jeans, this was a business meeting more than anything else. A bottle of Jack Daniels sat on the table with two glasses beside it, just as Beorn had expected. The burn of the whiskey going down his throat was always a pleasant taste. Plus he derived some joy from the shocked look of humans when they saw him pound glass after glass of the stuff without blinking.
"Have a seat, my friend," Thorn said, pulling out a chair for Beorn.
The old metal thing groaned its protest as Beorn's ample backside lowered into it. He wasn't cut and chiseled like these wolves were, but he had a substantial amount of muscle. At six foot six with shoulders wider than a football field, he was an impressive sight. He'd never weighed himself but he figured he had to be at least four hundred pounds easy.
"How is Azyln?" Beorn asked, trying to make innocent small talk. He didn't want to get into the heavy details of what had happene
d with Hawk; he wasn't even sure it was his place to discuss it.
"He's doing just fine," Thorn said casually. "He's a little bit upset that I've decided to come have drinks with you here tonight."
"He'll get over it."
"Yes, I'm sure he will. I've never met someone with so many jealous bones in his body. We're literally the only two gay wolves in this town, maybe even the state. What does he have to worry about?"
"I'm sure you're not the only two. I'm sure some just hide it better than others."
"I suppose you're right. Nobody had a clue about me until I told them."
"I certainly didn't."
Thorn's eyes grew wide and he clamped his mouth shut in mute horror before allowing a smile to trickle back across his face. Before he could say anything Beorn erupted in laughter, forcing Thorn to do the same. The absurdity of that situation finally hit both of them and they couldn't do anything but laugh about it.
"Can you imagine if I'd done that to a woman who worked for me?" Thorn asked between guffaws. "I'd be slapped with a sexual harassment suit!"
"Does anyone in Bucklin sue for anything?" Beorn asked, still bellowing his laughter.
"No!" Thorn yelled, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. "Everything goes to Aster for final judgment! He'd probably slap her on the ass and tell her she had the right stuff!"
"I'm glad he didn't do that to me," Beorn said, nearly falling out of his chair. "He might break his hand on my ass!"
Both men threw their heads back and roared with laughter as the people around them glanced over nervously, afraid that the two large men were going to be trouble. They had to be humans, because only humans would be worried about two guys having a good time like this.
"I haven't laughed like that in a long time," Beorn said after they had both calmed down. "I really needed that."
"So did I," Thorn said, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"We should quit while we're ahead," Beorn said, starting to rise from his chair. "Have a good night, buddy!"
Beorn plopped back into his chair and both men exploded with laughter again. This time it didn't last quite as long; Beorn's comments had brought the reality of the situation back in front of their faces. There was a reason they were meeting.
"I hate to ruin a good time with business talk," Thorn said, staring off into space. It was obvious he didn't want to do this, but he was being left completely in the dark by Rowan and Hawk.
"I understand," Beorn said, understanding the pressure Thorn was under. His pack was the smallest one in Bucklin and they never had much of a say in the politics of the town.
"My pack has noticed the Oakdale pack has abandoned their farms outside of town," Thorn said, bringing his violet eyes back to focus on Beorn. "The feed store has been closed for over a week, and nobody has seen Rooster Landers since then, either."
"Of course not," Beorn said. He realized at that moment that he had no loyalty to Rowan or Hawk. This was serious business and he had to let his friend know so he wasn't caught off guard. "The Oakdale pack has all fled to somewhere in the forest. They betrayed you."
Thorn's eyes grew wide as he leaned back. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting that answer. After a moment of it sinking in he leaned forward, his eyes smoldering with intensity. "I thought it would be Crow's pack who would betray us."
"Apparently everyone thought that, but he was killed by Abaddon."
"I know that, but it doesn't mean he didn't betray us before it happened."
"Well, he didn't."
"So Forrest betrayed everyone? Why?"
"Don't know," Beorn said, gulping an entire glass of Jack down like he was taking a shot. It burned so good he could barely stand it. "Guess you'll find out soon."
"What happened with Hawk? Did he find Leena?" Thorn's voice dipped even lower when he said her name, like he was afraid the walls had ears. Knowing the Skyvale pack, they did, and the ceiling probably had eyes.
"He found her," Beorn whispered, noting the absolute horror and shock that passed over Thorn's face. "She's at Rowan's house now."
"They haven't returned her?" Thorn whispered.
"No. As a matter of fact, she doesn't want to go back. Turns out she's been possessed by a demon for the last ten years, a prisoner in her own body. The demon abandoned her for Forrest and he was keeping her captive."
"Why?"
"We don't know. I have a sinking feeling your little town is caught in the middle of a war between demons."
"Why won't Rowan tell us?""
"I don't know. Hawk was going to skip town in the middle of the night when he got back, and turn over the pack to his best beta, but he decided to stay until it's all sorted out."
"Why would he leave?"
"He met a girl in the forest, one who was lost. He ended up claiming her while he was out there."
"This is absolutely unbelievable."
"I'm sorry, friend."
"We have to tell Aster."
"Leave me out of it," Beorn hissed. "I want nothing to do with your pack wars."
"Let me ask you this, friend," Thorn said, his voice returning to a normal level. "Do you feel safe at home?"
Beorn had to admit it was getting harder and harder to go to sleep at night. He could hear the wolves howling in the forest around his cabin. If they were ever at full strength, well, he wouldn't be able to handle them all, especially not a demon.
"Exactly," Thorn said, nodding his head. "You're in this just as deep as us, my friend. Your protection depends on it, too."
"Fuck," Beorn said, not wanting to admit that his friend was right. "I suppose we do need to tell Aster."
"I understand why they wouldn't tell him," Thorn said, pondering the situation. "He won't want to give her back, either."
"Does Abaddon even want her back?" Beorn asked.
Thorn's eyes opened wide and he snapped his fingers, like a light bulb had gone off somewhere in the dark recesses of his brain. "Beorn, you big cuddly son of a bitch, you've got it!"
"I've got what?" Beorn didn't think he was going to like this answer.
"We don't need to meet with Aster about this, not yet."
"Don't say it, Thorn."
"We need to meet with Abaddon."
"Fuck, you said it."
Chapter 7
"This place?" Eva asked, her lip curling in disgust. "Really?"
"Where else do you want to go?" Rain asked, exasperated that her friend was suddenly being so picky. "We can't go to Cowboy's Landing because you don't want to go. This is one of the only happening places in Bucklin. I mean, I guess we can go to Sylvester's Bar and Grill, but that place is always full of old-ass wolves. No thank you."
"We'll make the best of it, then," Eva said, smiling brightly. "I'm sure there's an eligible bachelor in there."
"There are a lot of males in there," Rain said, sniffing the air. "I can smell them, but the problem is they're all the same. Each one of them will want to claim me."
"Don't be so pessimistic. Come on, girl, let's go."
Rain nearly choked on the smoke that billowed through the door as she opened it. Why the hell would any shifters smoke? There was no way to escape the smell of the smoke; it was irritating to her nostrils. On top of that, the place was filled to the brim with loose young wolf sluts and instinct-driven males looking for a mate. There were also a fair number of humans in the place.
"Hey, look at that!" Eva said, excitedly pointing to the back of the room. "Beorn is here."
"Who?"
"Beorn, the bear. Don't you know him?"
"Nope."
"Let's go say hi."
"No thank you."
Rain didn't even look to the back to see the male Eva was pointing at; her spirit was already crushed by the lack of an eligible bachelor in the entire bar. None of these men would be able to satisfy her even the least bit. The wolves
would all start out rough, acting like a tough guy as they bit her on the back of her neck, but eventually they would all collapse into an emotional mess as they stroked her stomach and talked softly to her in hopes that they had just placed a pup in her.
"What can I get you?" an extremely busy waitress asked.
"I'll have a Bud Light," Eva said, still smiling.
"Water for me," Rain said, looking down at the table.
"What's wrong?" Eva asked, leaning over.
"All of these guys suck."
"No, they don't."
"Just look at them! It's just a bunch of doofus humans and overbearing wolves."
"Beorn's not a wolf or a human."
Rain's ears perked up as she looked around the room. "Who? What is he?"
"He's a bear," Eva said, winking at Rain.
Rain had never met a bear before. As a matter of fact, she'd never met any other kind of shifter except wolves. Most shifters frowned on inter-species relationships, but the thought intrigued her and made her naughty bits tingle. It had been a long time since anything had made her tingle down there, but the thought of something forbidden was already doing it for her.
"A bear?" Rain finally said. She was at a complete loss for words; had she mentioned she liked the idea?
"Yeah, and he's not half bad looking," Eva said, obviously reading her friend. "He's kind of gruff, kind of an asshole. He doesn't like wolves very much and he hasn't had any action in a long time from what I understand."
"Really? Where is he?" Rain craned her neck and started looking around the bar like a meerkat popping out of its hole, but she couldn't find him.
"He's back there," Eva said, pointing to the back corner of the bar. "The big one."
The first thing Rain's eyes fell on was Thorn. She hadn't expected an alpha to be here in the bar, especially not with a half-empty bottle of liquor sitting on his table. He was hunched over at his table, his violent eyes smoldering with intensity as he furiously discussed something with another person.
