Green Bearets: Aksel (A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Base Camp Bears Book 3)

by Amelia Jade

  The powerful shifter laughed, the sound coming from deep in his belly. “You can pretend all you want now, as long as you don’t try to hide it when I’m in bed with you.”

  She laughed with him. “Deal!”

  “Now, I’m afraid, I really must be going.”

  He tugged the shirt with his new lieutenant’s rank on it down over his stomach, covering up his delicious abs from her view.

  “Fine,” she grumped.

  Warm, tender lips descended to kiss it all better, and she forgave him for leaving when she wasn’t done with him. Kisses were the next best thing to cuddles for making up for things.

  “See you later,” he whispered before planting one last kiss on her cheek, and then he was gone.

  ***

  After Aksel had left, Nina had tried to go back to sleep, but that simply hadn’t been part of the equation it seemed. She was awake. So, after a quick shower in one of the rooms that still had working plumbing she got dressed and went downstairs to the main coordination room.

  Walking into it, she looked around for anyone she recognized. Aksel wasn’t there, but one of the others, Captain Klein, was talking to an unknown shifter in what she believed was a corporal’s shirt. Nina had been making an effort to learn the various ranks, but she still wasn’t completely positive she had them memorized.

  The captain saw her looking his way, and after he finished up his conversation he waved her over.

  “Miss Palerno, what can I do for you today?” he asked, moving to a stack of papers on a nearby desk and picking them up.

  She hesitated.

  Why had she come in there? What was her ultimate goal? It had just seemed like the logical thing to do, but now that someone was asking her about it, she didn’t really have an answer.

  “I guess,” she said slowly, the idea coalescing in her mind. “I guess I just want to help. I’m not really needed at my old job, and this seems like a much more important thing. Something with a cause, a cause I can both understand, relate to, and believe in.” Her eyes focused more as she spoke. “How can I help?”

  “Are you serious?” the shifter asked, his intelligent eyes unblinking now as he looked at her.

  “Yes,” she said, her confidence increasing as she thought it over more. “Yes I am.”

  “The first thing you can do then,” he said, “is tell us why those shifters were after you.”

  Nina bristled. That was where he had decided to go right away? She had come down here to offer her help, and he decided to take that and accuse her of having lied?

  The fact that she had lied didn’t matter to her just then. He could have given her a task to do, to build up her loyalty to them first, before revealing that he didn’t believe her.

  “You know what?” she snapped, infuriated by his tactic. “Forget it.”

  Nina knew he was only doing what he had to, but she didn’t understand why he’d been so blunt about it. He could have easily tried to bring her into the fold, and then had a nice sit-down, polite conversation with her, telling her he understood she was scared to tell him, blah blah blah. There were better ways to go about it. After the night she’d had with Aksel, his attitude wasn’t something she wanted to deal with.

  It occurred to her that she was fleeing because of her own terror, that she feared what would happen if she did reveal what she knew. That perhaps if anyone could help her, it was the Green Bearets. That perhaps Captain Klein wasn’t an asshole, but just trying to do his job.

  All of that occurred to her, but she wasn’t paying attention to it, her mind locking up at the thought of even contemplating discussing the knowledge she had.

  How the hell did those suits manage to turn me into a terrified wuss so easily?!

  Nina turned and strode from the room, ignoring his calls. She pushed a shifter from her path, who moved more out of surprise than because of her strength, and walked out the front door. She’d had her jacket tucked under an arm already, so she didn’t have to delay her rage walk-out by going and getting it.

  The cool winter air bit at her exposed skin as she pulled the hood up and slid the zipper to her chin. Her boots carried her across the street and she disappeared into an alley. There was a shout from behind her that didn’t belong to Captain Klein or Aksel, but she ignored it, her legs moving faster as she moved into a run.

  This was her city, and Nina very quickly moved deep into it. The shifter was faster and had no problems keeping up, but he seemed content to give her her space. It must be another guard, she figured. A prisoner escort.

  Maybe that’s what she’d been all this time. Not a guest, but a prisoner until she divulged the information they wanted.

  A shocking idea planted itself in her mind. Maybe Aksel was a spy? Sent to get close to her, in case he could get the information from her.

  Well now none of them would get it! Nina could see now why her family wasn’t big on shifters. They were all rude, self-centered assholes.

  Why, if she ever saw—

  A hand reached out from behind a protruding part of the building and clamped itself over her mouth, scattering any thoughts she was having.

  She tried to scream out, and behind her she heard her guard shout as he realized what was going on. Despite the hammering of her heart, Nina could still pick up the sounds of a quick fight. For a moment she thought her guard—no longer an enemy but now a protector once more—was getting the upper hand. But then two more men she didn’t recognize came into view, hauling a body between them. A body dressed in a very identifiable white T-shirt.

  Her hopes evaporated and she slumped, but a second hand grabbed hold of her shoulders and held her up.

  “Toss it in the dumpster,” a voice said coldly, coming from the man holding her still. He twisted her around, making her watch as they disposed of the body.

  Then the three of them withdrew through a doorway into the building, closing it behind them.

  Nina tried to scream again before the door shut, but the hand covering her mouth was too strong. She couldn’t fight them. They had her now.

  The door to outside closed, and the last of the light disappeared with it.

  Chapter Eleven

  Aksel

  “Chow time,” he called, and all around him his squad finished their immediate tasks and filed outside where they waited for him.

  They had finished stripping and tearing the townhouse down, and were now working on erecting the frame of a brand-new house in its place. All his shifters were well versed in basic construction techniques, as all buildings in Cadia were built by the residents.

  “Well, stop lollygagging about, come on,” he said, shooing them off toward the motel that served as their headquarters.

  The twelve of them moved together, general chatter breaking out between his men.

  “Watch it!” one of his men shouted as another shifter ran in front of them, making a headlong dash toward the doors of the motel.

  “What the hell was that all about?” another one muttered.

  Aksel wasn’t sure.

  There was a commotion off to the right, and his squad parted as two more shifters came by, this time carrying a body between them.

  “Fuck, another one?” one of his squad snarled, but Aksel barely heard him.

  “Hold it,” he said, stepping in front of them. The two men came to a halt, and with ice forming in the pit of his stomach Aksel knelt down to look at the face of the shifter.

  It was the same one he’d caught spying on Nina.

  Without another word he turned and charged inside. The stairs presented no obstacle as his shifter-powered legs hurled him two-thirds of the way up in one go. He bounded the remaining stairs and barreled down the hallway to Nina’s room. The door flew open as he burst inside.

  “Nina!” he shouted, but there was no response.

  Backing out into the hall, he saw another shifter staring at him.

  “Have you seen Nina?” he asked, but the other man shook his head.

 
Fuck fuck fuck. This is not good.

  Aksel threw himself over the railing back to the first floor and in half a dozen massive strides he entered the command room.

  “Have you seen Nina?” he asked the first person he saw, who happened to be Captain Klein.

  The man was in deep discussion with the shifter who had cut off his squad.

  “She took off this morning,” the captain said.

  “Did you send your pet guard dog after her?” Aksel asked, forcing his voice to stay calm.

  “Yes, but—”

  Aksel snarled in anger and ran from the room, tracking down the two shifters once more.

  “Where did you find his body?” he asked, eyes blazing.

  The two looked at him, as if contemplating not telling him, but Aksel shook his head once, letting them know that would be a bad idea.

  Location in hand, he flew through the doors.

  His squad was still waiting, wondering what the hell was going on.

  “What’s wrong, boss?”

  “They have Nina,” he said, not slowing down. He wouldn’t ask his squad to do this. Leaving their area of responsibility without permission, even if it was chow time, was a big no-no. They could get in a lot of trouble for coming with him.

  “Let’s go then,” his second-in-command said.

  “This is off the books,” Aksel growled as he broke into a loping jog. “You don’t have to come.”

  None of his squad so much as hesitated. They simply poured on the speed.

  “She’s one of us,” came the reply, and the whole squad rumbled their agreement.

  The twelve-man team moved out into the city on a fastest course to the location the body had been located.

  ***

  Nina

  Nina’s vision swam in and out of focus.

  She couldn’t see out of her left eye. It had swelled shut under the blows some time ago. Her entire body felt weak, and she blinked rapidly as more blood flowed across her one remaining working eye. At one point they had opened a cut in her forehead, the warm, sticky fluid running down her face and soaking her clothes.

  Her right leg was broken, and both her shoulders had been dislocated at least once. Three fingers on her right hand had been forced in directions they didn’t go, and she wasn’t sure what they were going to do next.

  A grin spread on her face, sending another burst of pain flashing through her as her split lips pulled apart once more.

  Despite everything they’d done to her, she still hadn’t given them the code. Nina was damn proud of herself for that. She hadn’t thought she would be able to resist.

  After they’d pulled her inside, the shifters had wrapped something around her head to blind her, and then they’d walked for a bit. The change in temperature had told her they’d moved out of one building and into another, but only once. She had no idea where they might have gone now.

  Then they’d strapped her into a chair, and they’d gone to work on her body. Besides the worst injuries, she was beaten and bruised all over.

  But she hadn’t broken yet.

  “I think we need to escalate things here,” the leader said.

  She’d not gotten any names from them, but this voice had always been the one to give orders, the same voice that asked her the password for the file they had.

  Something sharp pricked her stomach, and then Nina screamed.

  The sound was muffled by the rubber gag they’d stuffed in her mouth, but noise still emerged as the sharp object—she assumed it was a knife—plunged inside of her.

  Sheer agony erupted from the wound, and she could feel her blood pouring from it.

  “What is the password to the file?” It was the same seven words, always the same.

  “Fuck you!” she tried to scream, but the sounds weren’t intelligible.

  The shifter snarled and twisted the knife.

  Nina blacked out.

  ***

  When she came to she started screaming again, the knife still buried in her side, the hands of her assailant still in the same place on her body. Clearly she hadn’t been out for very long.

  “You are tough, and very stubborn,” the voice said, a modicum of respect evident in it. “I will give you that much. But you will tell us what we want.”

  Fingers snapped, and two hands grabbed the side of her head and pulled it back, until she was looking at the ceiling. Her gag was removed, but before she could scream, a cloth was placed over her face and held there by the same set of hands.

  Nina struggled, the movement sending waves of pain out from where the knife still stuck inside of her.

  Then water began to splash over the cloth and she held her breath. It poured slowly, soaking the rag and preventing her from breathing. Nina held on, and on, trying not to breathe, but then the hand twisted the knife and she screamed.

  Her mouth opened and water started to pour in. She needed to breathe at the same time and her lungs tried to suck in air, but they brought water with it, and Nina started to cough, unable to get the air she so desperately needed.

  The stream of water seemed endless, but just as she thought she couldn’t take any more, it stopped.

  Nina coughed and spewed water out, trying to regain her breath.

  But before she could, the water started once more, and she began to drown as it seeped inside her, despite her best efforts. Any time she got it together to hold her breath, the knife twisted ever so slightly and she screamed, despite herself.

  The water stopped and she was allowed to breathe again.

  “What is the password—?”

  “Fuck you!’ she shouted.

  The cloth was placed back over her mouth and water streamed over it.

  The knife was pulled from her side and stuck into her leg just above her knee. She screamed again, spewing water as she did.

  The cloth was removed.

  She couldn’t. No more. It was too much. The pain was making her vision dance back and forth. The water, she couldn’t breathe.

  It’s too much. I’m sorry.

  Darkness dimmed the edges of her vision. Pain assaulted her senses and hammered at her brain.

  She was going to die if she didn’t tell them. So Nina did the only thing left to her, the only thing she could.

  Nina gave in. It cost her, but if she could just survive, find Aksel, and let him know, then it would be okay. It would all be okay.

  But to do that, she had to live.

  “Golddigger,” she gasped.

  “What?”

  “The password,” she said, still choking up water. “Is golddigger. One word.”

  “Thank you,” the voice said. “See, wasn’t that easier than all of this?”

  Nina did her best to spit in the direction of the voice.

  In return the knife was dragged down her wrist. She felt blood spill around it rapidly as fresh pain blossomed.

  One of them laughed.

  “Let’s go boys, we have what we need.”

  She felt adrenaline rush through her.

  “Wait!” she shouted through cracked and puffy lips. “You can’t just leave me here! Let me go! I need help. Wait!”

  But there was only the sound of footsteps moving away, and then the room was suddenly eerily, almost deathly, quiet. The only sound was the slow drip as her blood fell to the floor, pooling around her.

  Shortly it would be deathly quiet, if nothing changed.

  Drip.

  Drip.

  Drip.

  “Help!” she called weakly, beginning to feel the effects of the blood loss.

  There was no answer.

  Drip.

  Chapter Twelve

  Aksel

  They reached the alley that the body had been found in. Blood in the snow led directly to the dumpster, as he’d been told.

  Aksel had stopped his men at the mouth of the alley, so that only he would travel it, not messing up any footprints or other clues. The guard had gone off after Nina. Why had she come here, of
all places? He didn’t have an answer, and just then, didn’t care. All he cared about was finding her.

  His eyes hooded briefly as he opened himself up slightly to his bear, taking advantage of its heightened senses. Testing the air, he picked up the iron-metallic tang of blood mixed with garbage first.

  Wrinkling his nose, he closed the dumpster and took a step back up the alley.

  There!

  Another shifter. And another.

  And Nina.

  His eyes looked down to the ground, but the snow was all messed up; clearly this little passage between buildings saw some use. Sweeping his eyes along the buildings, he spied a nearby door.

  Moving closer, he tested the air once more.

  Sure enough, he still had Nina’s scent. Plus three others.

  The snow was less heavily trampled this close to the building, and in it he saw a clear impression of her boots. Only one, among it all, but it was enough for him to know she was inside.

  Flicking his hand out, he summoned his squad, but he didn’t wait for them. Taking one quick step backward, Aksel flexed his thick legs and burst through the door, the wood and metal construction not standing a chance under his determined assault. Arms rose to knock aside some of the splinters and chunks of wood that bounced off the ceiling and wall to his left as he entered.

  He was ready for an attack and rolled forward as soon as he saw it was open, but there was nothing there. It was just an empty room.

  “Shit,” he muttered, testing the air again.

  “Over there!” one of his squad said, pointing at a door on the far side. A quick glance showed it was the only way out.

  Aksel could still pick up her scent at the door, and so they yanked it open, emerging into yet another, even smaller, alley. The buildings here were four and five stories tall, and the alley was shrouded in darkness, barely wide enough for two people to walk down.

  Left led out to the street, while right went deeper into the warren of buildings in downtown Cloud Lake.

  Making an executive decision, he went deeper. It took a minute, but then he found another booted imprint.