by Jade, Amelia
"I've seen that before. We all have," said Dylan. "There were three or four, I didn't care at the time to get an exact count, but they were big guys, all tattooed up with a big city look to them. They were camping outside of town near where we had to take a tree down the other day."
"Jack's hired guns I'd say. We're going to have a fight on our hands boys. If any of you want to back out now, feel free. I won't hold it against you."
There was only silence as the three other men continued to stride towards the building, ignoring his words. The massive receiving doors were open, but no lights were on. Jet was unsure if there was still any power to the building. They might be fighting in the dark though Jack had to know that the shifters would have a massive advantage if that were the case.
"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered as they walked through the doors.
There, arrayed before them, was a scene that made his blood boil. There was still power in the building, for at the very back of the large open area, was a group of people standing in an area of light. As he approached, they stepped back to reveal Kailee, strapped to a metal chair. Her head lolled to one side as she appeared unresponsive. Jack stood behind her, a knife in his hand.
"That's close enough, thief," he called out when the quartet entered the ring of light.
Jet tried to speak, but his bear was in a full blown battle rage already and it took all of his mental strength to keep it contained. His lips pulled back into a snarl as he recognized Tom and Sandra mixed in with the large goons that Jack had brought.
"Did you bring it all? I know you mutant freak types are always lying, so I want to see it!"
The crazed pitch to the voice caused Jet to wince. It was clear now that Kailee was in a lot of danger from the man that used to be her father. Jet looked around, noting the shifting of stances from the other men when he didn't reply. They were ready for a fight.
"What did you do to her?" he called out, desperate to know if Kailee was okay.
"The money, freak."
"Tell me what you did to her, and then you'll have the money."
It was a terrible bluff, but Jet didn't think that Jack would be able to see through it in his current state. If he could, then it would give an insight as to just how competent he was. After a long moment of hesitation, Jack spoke again.
"You don't know?" he laughed maniacally, "oh this is too rich. You'll like this, abomination, because it suits you so perfectly! It's bear tranquilizer!" Jack broke down into a laughing fit at that, finding it all too funny.
Jet's blood went cold, for bear tranquilizer could do permanent brain damage to shifters if they were overexposed to it. If he had had Kailee since the night before, he would have had to give her two or three shots of it to keep her under this long. At that point, it was up in the air. Kailee would either wake up and be fine within moments as her system finished burning it off, or she might wake up and be unable to control both herself and her bear. That would be a disaster he knew, so Jet tried not to think about it, instead focusing in on Jack, Tom and the rest.
"I'm not giving you any money until I have verification that she's okay," Jet said, standing his ground. It terrified him to gamble with her life, but he needed to get closer to the group if they were to have a chance at pulling this off unharmed.
"Well, come over here and see for yourself," Jack giggled, pulling out a tranq-gun from his pocket. "If you make a wrong move, I'll take you down myself."
Jet nodded, approaching Kailee. He stood close to her, feeling the heat from her body. He reached out with a leg and prodded her somewhat roughly. There was a low groan, which he took as a good sign, for the effects must be wearing off.
"Well, go on and see," Jack said, waving the gun in Kailee's direction.
For a split moment, it wasn't pointed at either party, but directly between them, at nobody. Without a word, trusting that the other shifters would know what to do, he made his move. Lunging forward, he grabbed Jack's wrist, twisting it painfully until he dropped the gun. He kicked it behind him, hoping it would end up away from anyone.
Stars exploded in his eyes as a line of pain erupted across his chest. Jet had forgotten about the knife in his other hand, barely twisting his body out of the way to avoid being impaled on it. The wound was bad, but not deep enough to be fatal, thankfully. With his overwhelming strength advantage, Jet disarmed Jack and tossed him across the room.
The goons had rushed the trio of bear shifters, who were making short work of them. It appeared that thankfully it was going to be a quick and one-sided affair. Before he could turn to deal with Tom, however, Jet was startled to hear loud peals of laughter from Jack.
He turned around to witness the change, his jaw dropping as the truth dawned on him. Jack was a shifter too! That explained the crazed behavior as well, for Jet knew from experience if a shifter didn't let his bear out often enough, the bear went crazy and eventually drove the human crazy as well.
It took Jet a moment to figure out how that might have happened, until he recalled all the anti-shifter sentiment Jack had been spewing just a few moments earlier. He must have considered himself a freak and done his best to bury the bear within him. Over the years, it must have slowly driven him crazy, until he had finally cracked, using his own daughter as a hostage. The loud roar of a bear interrupted his revelation, forcing him to focus on the present.
"Don't make me do this Jack!" he shouted at the bear, hoping to avoid any further conflict.
The bear's only answer was to stand up on its hind legs and let loose with another roar. There was no sign of Jack anywhere in the body language, it was all bear. He must have given up complete control, Jet thought, preparing himself for his own change. The power flowed into him quickly, his other half recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
In the blink of an eye, Jet had changed and charged right at Jack without hesitation. He didn't want to kill anybody, it wasn't in his nature, but protecting his mate took priority and he would do whatever it took to ensure her safety.
With a bone bruising crash, the two bears slammed together, claws and teeth out as they vied for supremacy. It became crystal clear within seconds that Jack didn't stand a chance, Jet was far larger and stronger. Jack's bear must have deteriorated in strength over time as well, just like his human form had.
Jet had his opponent pinned in quick order, but the bear continued to thrash about in his grip, not understanding that it was over. Jet had his jaws at the others neck, pleading with him mentally to stop so that he didn't have to follow through. Jack wasn't giving up, continually trying to win free so he could sink his jaws into the younger man.
Knowing that, when she found out, Kailee would probably never speak to him again, Jet made the decision, opening his jaws wide as he went for his opponents neck. One swift movement and it would all be over.
"Jet, wait!" Tanner's voice drew his attention, freezing him before his teeth could rip into the tender flesh of Jack's throat.
A light click followed by a thunk and something embedded itself in Jack's side. It was a dart fired from the tranq-gun! In moments, his struggles subsided. Jet backed away from the body, watching as the lungs slowly rose and fell. He shifted back to his human form to try and calm himself. His shoulders heaved as he gasped for air, the sensation of relief that flooded through him taking much of his adrenaline away as well.
Looking around, he noted that the thugs were gone, chased off once they realized just how badly outclassed they were. Tom and Sandra were backed into a corner while Devon and Dylan stood guard over them. He sighed with relief, trying to contain his shaking as the blood within him calmed from its peak.
Another groan from Kailee told him that she was coming around. He would find out shortly if his mate would ever return to him, or if she was going to be lost forever because of what Jack had done.
"What do we do with the three of them?" None of the four men were killers, but the thought was definitely heavy in the air. Most shifters took the issue personally when one o
f their kind was attacked. If they caught up with the humans, it never ended well. Jet did not want to end up like that, but he knew something had to be done.
He looked at Tanner, nodding his head subtly, trying to get the point across that he knew what he was doing. The other man blinked, then returned the slight nod. Jet then turned his attention to the two conscious humans in the corner. He used his hands to indicate to the men guarding them to step aside. As they did, Jet surged forward, letting his bear come through once again.
The massively muscled legs took him across the intervening distance before the humans could blink. He slammed his paws into the wall on either side of them, smashing the wall as he pushed his jaws right in front of them. They both screamed in terror, trying to push themselves into the wall to get away from him. Their cries doubled when he opened his mouth and gave his best battle cry mere inches from their faces.
As he subsided, Jet stepped back, shifting into his human form again. He had to kick Tom to get his attention for the man was deep within his terror.
"Take the two of them," he growled menacingly, motioning at Sandra and Jack, "and don't ever let me see any of your faces in my town again. Take him to a mental institution. If he comes back, I'm coming for you," he threatened, jabbing a finger at Tom.
With that, he turned on his heels and left the two humans quivering in their now soggy pants. He could only hope he had instilled enough fear in them that they would obey his command to never return. The last thing Jet Taylor wanted was being forced to follow through on a threat to hurt someone. Still, if he perceived a threat to his mate, or any cubs that may be in his future, nothing would stop him from protecting them.
He walked over to Kailee, who was still groaning and unconscious. With a flex of his powerful arms he snapped the ropes that held her captive. She practically fell into his arms as he went to scoop her up. Her head rolled away from his shoulder awkwardly until Tanner stepped up to turn her back, so that Jet could carry her easier.
"Thank you," he said, his voice practically a whisper as they exited the mill, heading towards Jet's truck.
"We'll follow you to Morgan's place." Dylan was referring to Morgan Rivers, the local doctor for Bear Bluff's. His tone of voice brooked no argument from Jet, who was already doing his best to strap Kailee into his truck without hurting her.
Finally, he turned the key and revved his truck to life. He drove carefully, but quickly, his heart filled with worry about her condition.
***
Kailee
Blinking slowly, Kailee raised her arm to block out some of the bright light. Her head hurt, she had a throbbing headache and her throat felt parched to hell and back. As her eyes slowly adjusted, the room came into focus. The stark walls and stale air screamed medical facility to her, and the strange man who was speaking had a white doctor's coat on. It was obviously a clinic or hospital of some sort.
"Here, drink this slowly." She took the proffered cup and sniffed it slowly, still not entirely trusting her surroundings. It seemed to be straight water, but it wasn't until she saw Jet's face hovering over her and filled with concern that she drank.
"Now take these," the same strange man said, pushing two small pills into her hand. She looked to Jet, who nodded that it was okay. It didn't even occur to her until later that she had taken his word, despite who he was. As she came crashing back to reality, her hands scrabbled on the medical table, trying to push herself farther away from him.
The man she didn't recognize made a little shooing motion before turning back to Kailee.
"It's okay Kailee. My name is Doc Rivers, I'm the local family doctor. You're going to be just fine now, mostly thanks to that man's actions."
"What do you mean Doc?" she said, or at least tried to. Her throat felt like it was glued shut, and until she had several more glasses of water, nothing was happening. When she finally managed to get the question out, the doctor blinked at her for a moment, before asking her a question.
"What do you remember?"
She thought back, trying to remember what had happened to her. It was blurry, but as she started to tell the doctor, it all came back into focus.
"I came home, and my father was there, along with the mayor and Jet's old waitress, Sandy."
"Sandra," Doc Rivers supplied helpfully as she struggled to remember the name.
"Yeah, anyways, they were there. Jack, my father," she stated at the confused look, "he started yelling at me for siding with Jet during the incident at the bar earlier."
"Then, when I told him to piss off, that I hadn't taken any sides and asked him what the hell he was doing bringing a gun, he pulled out another gun. He jabbed it into my side as I tried to move away."
She grimaced at the memory, deeply disappointed in the man who was her biological father. As she recalled the shouting and what had followed, she felt a sliver of doubt enter her brain about Jet and his intentions. It hadn't been Jet who had injected her with some sort of knockout gun, and according to the Doc, it may have been Jet who came to her rescue.
A man she barely knew, but had an immense attraction to, had been the one to come save her from her own father. She felt tears well up in her eyes at that thought, for weren't fathers supposed to protect their daughters? She had been cheated, robbed of having a good man to raise her. If she was ever to have children, Kailee vowed, they would have a father figure to look up to.
"What did Jet do?" she asked with trepidation, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Your dad had you at the old mill outside of town. He was threatening to turn you over to Tom unless Jet gave him a lot of money."
"My father," she stressed, "was using me for fucking ransom?" Kailee wasn't big on cursing, but she couldn't help herself as the expletive shot out of her mouth while she sat there stunned with surprise.
"I don't believe it." There was no conviction in her voice, however, for she had a hard time doubting the doctor. If he was willing to use her as an in to come to Bear Bluff's, then had almost killed her in his fight with Jet, before tranquilizing her, then there was no reason he might go to that depth of action.
"Can I talk to Jet now?" she said, deciding that she had to at least thank him for his actions. Doc Rivers smiled and nodded slowly, pushing the door open and holding it for the giant who entered next. She wasn't sure what to say or how to act, but her bear took care of that for her.
As soon as he walked in the door, her rapidly reawakening body hungered for him. She was sitting up and swinging her legs off the counter before her brain clued in to the actions. Her muscles quivered as she forced herself to remain still and not launch herself at him. It was hard, for every part of her clamored for his touch, demanding that she let him wrap his arms around her.
"Hi," he said lamely, but she smiled at him nonetheless.
"It sounds like I owe you a thank you."
He said nothing, just staring at her. She knew why, he wanted her to give him another chance, to accept that he really was a different person now. Could he truly be the one she wanted, the one she needed in her life?
"I'm sorry." The words were barely more than a whisper, but in the quiet room they carried far enough.
A very slight nod of acceptance from Jet was all that she got. He was still maintaining his distance from her, giving her room until she let him back in. It was a very sweet gesture, but at that moment, Kailee wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. The effects of the tranquilizer were almost completely gone and she was feeling much closer to her normal self.
"You're a good man now, aren't you?" It was more of a statement to herself than a question to him, but he once again moved his head fractionally in agreement.
The tears came once again as she accepted that fact in her heart, realizing how ridiculously pious she had acted towards him earlier.
"I really was acting like a bitch, wasn't I?" she asked as the first tear fell, streaking down her cheek and onto her legs as she sat upright on the edge of the bed.
/> Jet wisely chose not to answer that, but he did take that as an okay to move closer to her. His hand came up to her cheek, brushing away the tear track as he gently caressed her. She automatically placed her head upon his chest as he shuffled closer, basking in the radiant heat that quickly enveloped her.
"Will you give me another chance?" She asked meekly.
"Under one condition," he replied, finally speaking. His tone was light, but she could sense the serious undertones with it. She tensed, then nodded for him to continue.
"You have to give me another chance. Take me as who I am now, not the boy I was before. Deep within, you have to excise any hatred of what I've done in the past, and only judge me by how I act now. It is possible for people to change, I'm not the first, nor am I the last."
Then he hesitated, acting like there was more he wanted to say. She pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes, batting aside the feelings he stirred between her legs and the desires of her bear. This was a time for serious contemplation, not arousal. He was trying to say something important, and she owed him her full concentration.
"I love you, Kailee Britten, I sense in you my mate, my other half. I don't want to be operating under scrutiny if I'm going to be with you."
She gasped at his words, yet now, instead of fear within her, fear that she would repeat her last relationship mistake, all she felt was acceptance and understanding. The last wall within her was breaking, crumbling away to dust as she forced herself to open up to him, to let him in. The words flowed easily after that.
"I love you to Jet Taylor, and I promise I will give you the opportunity you deserve. You've been nothing but amazing to me and I repaid that by labelling you as trash. Ever since I met you, my body and heart has been attracted to you, but I've been too afraid to let you in. No more, love hurts sometimes, but you'll never know love if you don't expose yourself to pain. I want your love."
"You'll have it," he whispered, tilting her chin back as he pressed his lips to hers. This time she accepted the fire that flared into existence within her, relishing the way he made her feel.
