“Sweetheart,” Savage purred as he opened the door she hadn’t locked. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, because it makes me want to kill someone.”
“I’m so overwhelmed,” she sniffled.
“I know,” he whispered, tucking his arms underneath her and lifting her so he could carry her back to the room.
Chapter Thirteen
There was a thick haze of tension in the air at The Deuce as the Guardians took their normal table at the back of the bar. No one had seen or heard anything from Rycon Industries in several weeks. Harold had tried to get inside, but that fell through when the company refused to even bring him in for an interview. The pride had hoped that with the male’s degrees and knowledge, he’d have been a shoo-in for a research job.
The sheriff had been less successful at getting into the place. Without a warrant, his hands were tied. Without any probable cause for a search of the facility, they were back at square one. The bears were no help in giving information to the sheriff. They’d locked themselves down tight on their land and hadn’t been seen since Talon had stopped by with the photo.
Savage was more on edge than usual. His mate was with young, working, and could possibly be a target of their enemies. That alone filled him with a sense of fear he wouldn’t wish on anyone. The thought of losing her made him violently ill.
“You two just had to go all alpha male on your mates and knock them up,” Noah said, rolling his eyes. Savage glared at the Guardian as he tossed back his whiskey on the rocks. “Talk about marking your territory.”
“Shut the hell up, Noah,” Talon growled, watching his mate as she set drinks in front of two customers at the bar.
It’d been a month since he’d found out he was going to be a father, and Mary Grace had been feeling better after the first two days of her pregnancy. Since that passed, his mate had been insatiable. He smiled to himself when he remembered the night before when he bent her over the end of the bed for hours and she continued to beg him for more after she’d nearly killed him with sex.
He wasn’t complaining one bit.
“Just sayin’,” Noah chuckled, but Savage wasn’t listening to the youngest Guardian. The kid just didn’t know when to hold his tongue sometimes.
“This place is getting busy,” Winter noted. It was a Friday night and their usual day to unwind, but this night seemed to be busier than usual. All of the panthers were on edge, waiting and watching for any sign of trouble.
“There are plenty of Guardians here,” Ranger said, his eyes roaming the bar. Storm nodded his agreement as he walked around the pool table with a cue in hand.
“Booth is in the woods out back,” Talon mumbled. “No one is going to cause a scene.”
Booth was in his panther form, waiting and watching for anything out of the ordinary. He could call out to Talon if needed.
Savage watched as Mary Grace moved along the floor with ease, keeping out of the reach of her customers. The regulars knew better than to touch the mates, but the occasional drunk or new face would make contact with one of the females, causing them to cry out in pain.
Winter was in the office with Nova at the moment, after a college aged boy bumped into her bare arm. Savage was impressed that his brother and fellow Guardian hadn’t taken the kid out back and beat him senseless.
“I don’t like this,” Savage said as he made a move to stand. His agitation was on a razor’s edge. His panther was pacing just under his skin.
“Neither do I,” Talon mumbled, standing as well. The alpha nodded to the other Guardians at the table, indicating they needed to stay put. Storm laid his cue across the table and came to stand next to his brothers.
Liberty looked up from the bar as they approached. Even the alpha’s mate was feeling like something was amiss. She dropped the rag she was holding on the bar top and walked around to meet Talon by the door leading back to the kitchen.
“Bring Mary Grace in the office,” Talon ordered. Savage turned to look for his mate, but she was already moving toward him.
“Something’s not right,” Mary Grace said, walking into Savage’s arms. He only relaxed slightly before putting his front to her back, walking her quickly toward the back of the bar.
Two heartbeats later, gunshots rang out across the front of the bar. People screamed as the glass windows shattered. Savage’s panther pushed forward as he felt a sharp burning across his shoulder blade. He didn’t even flinch as he wrapped his body around his mate, shuffling her into the office. He pushed her into the bathroom as gently as possible. Talon did the same with Liberty.
“Nova,” Winter barked, pointing toward Liberty. “In there, now!”
Liberty crawled to her knees and lifted the side of her shirt, pulling her gun free of the holster. Nova did the same.
“Savage!” Mary Grace cried as she saw the blood soaking into his shirt. When she started to rush from the bathroom, he turned and grabbed her by the top of her arms. “I’m fine. I need you to stay here.”
“You’re bleeding,” she gasped, sucking in a ragged breath. Her tears mixed with her makeup, causing dark streaks to trail down her cheeks. He cupped her face and wiped at the streaks, kissing her tenderly on the lips.
“And I’ll heal,” he promised, pushing her back into the small bathroom. “Lock the door and stay quiet until we come back for you.”
Liberty reached for the handle, pulling the door closed. As soon as the lock sounded, all three males turned for the door.
Outside was chaos. Cole and Moe were checking on people who were close to the windows. The scent of fresh blood was in the air as Savage looked for his fellow brothers. Talon and Winter barked orders at Luke and rushed toward the parking lot.
Ranger, Storm, and Noah were standing guard on the wooden porch that ran the length of the building. Booth was off in the bushes, staying out of sight. Sirens wailed off in the distance as the police and ambulances got closer.
“Anything?” Talon snarled, his eyes glowing with his anger.
“Nothing,” Noah spat. “By the time we got out here, there were no cars on the road. I don’t even think they pulled into the lot. It was a drive-by and nothing more.”
“I’ll kill a motherfucker if I find him,” Savage snarled, his heart still pounding in his chest.
The first vehicle to arrive was the sheriff. He jumped out of the cruiser and rushed toward the steps. “What the hell happened?”
“Someone shot up the fucking bar,” Winter snarled, his canines thick in his mouth. “Our mates were in there, Garrett.” Winter used the sheriff’s first name and lost all means of respect toward the lawman as he invaded his space, pushing his chest into the sheriff’s.
“Back off, Winter,” Sheriff Lynch warned. “I will arrest you.”
“I want to know who did this,” Talon growled, pulling his Guardian back. “Stand down, Winter.” Winter’s shoulders relaxed when the order was given.
Savage felt his alpha’s calming force wrap around him and the other Guardians. It was a warning as much as it was to ease their tension. He didn’t want them to give any reason for the authorities to look at them as anything other than victims.
“Let me take care of this investigation,” Sheriff Lynch cursed. “After I’m finished here, we will get to the bottom of this.”
“I’m taking the mates home,” Talon informed him, turning on his heel. “If you need to speak to Liberty, you can come to the pride.”
Savage moved out of the way as the paramedics rushed into the bar. Thankfully, none of the humans had taken a direct hit. Most of the damage was from the flying glass.
All three men were silent as they entered the office. Talon announced to the females that it was okay to come out of the bathroom. Liberty and Nova tucked their guns away and walked to their mates’ sides. Mary Grace was still sitting on the closed toilet, her head buried in her hands.
“Hey,” Savage said, dropping to one knee in front of her. “It’s okay now.”
“This is crazy,�
� she cried, her body shaking. “Why would someone do this?”
“Shhh,” he cooed. She was in distress and he needed to keep her calm. It wasn’t good for their cub. “We don’t know why, but we will find out.”
“You could’ve been killed, Savage!” she screamed, looking up with wet lashes. “They shot you.”
“Sweetheart, you need to calm down,” he urged, pulling her into his arms. His mate’s body shook with fear and he held her tighter, hoping that it would calm her. When she continued to cry, he called for Talon over his shoulder.
“Mary Grace,” Talon said as he entered the room. The alpha knelt beside Savage and closed his eyes. The push of power from Talon was enough to make Savage’s body sag, but he didn’t release her. “Calm.”
The sense of peace that spread through the room was like a thick blanket of protection only the alpha could produce. His ability to calm his pride could only be explained as magic. If the alpha willed his pride to calm, they calmed. If he willed his pride to rampage and cause death and destruction, they would do it without question. They were animals in more than one sense of the word. They were ruled by the beast that was covered with human skin.
“Take her home, Savage,” Talon ordered. “She needs to rest.”
“I can walk,” she said, pushing Savage away slightly so she could stand. Savage wrapped an arm around his mate and walked her toward the front door, keeping her face tucked into his side. She didn’t need to see the destruction in the bar.
The ride home was quick, and by the time they arrived, she was asleep. Savage didn’t even wake her as he lifted her from the seat, marching into the alpha’s home and straight up the stairs. He ignored the concerned faces of the pride, knowing that explanations would have to wait until morning. He just needed to hold his mate for the night.
Tomorrow would be the day he found his vengeance on the person responsible for trying to kill his mate.
The scientist stood in front of four men who were wearing black combat gear, rifles strapped across their chests. Each of the men were lethal and had volunteered for this mission. They had everything in place and it was time to start their trials.
“We’ve disrupted the panthers,” one man laughed. “We can get close to them now that they are scrambling to fix the damage at that redneck bar.”
“It’s time,” the scientist announced. “Take a female and kill anyone who gets in the way.”
The men nodded and filed out of the office.
As the door closed, the bald man in the black suit swiveled around in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of his lips.
“The team will be in place to assist you in two days,” he announced. “You have pleased us. The Community will reward you once the testing is complete.”
The scientist didn’t know who this community was, nor did he care. He was so far invested into this research, anything that he found would be a breakthrough in science.
“My reward will be knowledge,” he replied.
“If it fails,” the man smirked, “you will not be around to be knowledgeable about anything.”
The scientist laughed and took a seat in front of the man, knowing he had more information on these shifters than he should. The funding had been fruitful and he had kept his own notes, hiding them in a place no one would ever find. He knew things that no one else had found on their reports.
“Understood,” he nodded, playing along with this man’s threats. Let them kill him…they’d never find out the secrets he’d already uncovered about the shifters. “I am the only thing standing between you and what you need to know.”
“You think?” the man snarled, reaching into his coat pocket. He tossed a folded piece of paper at the scientist.
The man laughed demonically when the scientist unfolded the paper and saw a grainy black and white photo of his wife being held at gunpoint, opening the safe deposit box holding the information he’d been hiding.
“You will do as you are told,” the man stated, standing up from his chair. “The Community will be in touch.”
The scientist stared at the picture, fear racing through his veins.
Chapter Fourteen
Savage wiped sweat off of his brow as he examined the new window he had just installed on the front of The Deuce. Liberty had insisted that the shooting was not going to stop her from running the place. Talon and Winter had put up a fuss, along with himself, but in the end, Liberty won.
She was right. They couldn’t run from their problems. The pride needed to show that they weren’t afraid, but in all reality…they were terrified. There were evil forces who wanted to hurt or kill them.
“Looks good,” Mary Grace said, leaning against the exterior of the bar. Thunder sounded over his shoulder as the rain began to fall, sending a breeze across the front of the building. His mate’s hair fluttered around her beautiful face before she pulled it up into a high ponytail at the back of her head.
“They’re bulletproof,” Savage told her, his eyes sweeping the parking lot and the road in front of the bar. “I need you back inside, sweetheart.”
“Okay,” she agreed. Savage dropped the hammer he was holding into a bag at his feet and stepped forward to take her hand. “Let me make you some lunch.”
“I am hungry,” he leered, raking her body with his sparking amber eyes. She felt her panther push against her skin as it reacted to his words and his touch.
“I’ll go heat up the grill,” she giggled, releasing his hand.
The bar was closed for the day. Liberty, although in a hurry to reopen, decided that with it being a Sunday, they would just shut down for the repairs. They would reopen for lunch on Monday. Savage offered to install the new windows and Mary Grace told Liberty and Nova to stay home. She could clean up the bar while Savage worked.
As she stood at the grill, flipping a few pieces of chicken, Mary Grace scented Savage before his arms wrapped around her waist. She closed her eyes when he moved the hair off of her neck and kissed the mating mark there.
They didn’t speak…they didn’t move.
The connection between them was a solid link that could never be broken. The mating of their supernatural souls had been written before they’d even been born. The fact that Savage had not only saved her, but changed her into something she’d only read about in fiction and bedtime stories, sealed their fate.
He was hers…and she was his…forever.
“What’s this about?” he whispered when she turned around in his arms and pressed the side of her face to his heart. It was the place she found the most comfort. From the rumbling purr coming from her chest, she knew that her panther agreed as well.
“It just feels…right,” she breathed.
“Hey,” he worried, cupping the side of her face. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”
“Can we take a run when we get home?” she asked, pushing away to make his plate.
“We sure can,” he said, taking the plate she offered. “Come, let’s eat and then I’ll finish the last window. After that, we can go home.”
“Okay.” She smiled, following him out of the kitchen.
Savage scooted her barstool over so she was sitting between his legs. His big body shielded her from the front of the bar, and she knew he was doing it because he was still scared about what had happened the night before. In fact, she wouldn’t admit it, but she was just as scared. The thought of someone hurting anyone in the bar set her nerves on edge.
“I’m not liking you working at the bar,” he admitted, but held up a hand when she started to protest. “I also understand your desire to work, Mary Grace, but I wish you’d at least think about cutting back your hours.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” He nodded, pushing a piece of chicken onto her plate. She didn’t say anything, because she’d learned that he liked to make sure she was taken care of before himself.
The big, badass Guardian was a marshmallow.
Savage watched as Mary Grace shifted into h
er panther. The sleek, black cat stretched lazily as she waited for him to complete his own shift. He smiled, thinking about how well she’d accepted everything that had happened to her.
She’d been stabbed, changed into a beast, and mated to a Guardian all within a span of hours…not days. He’d been soft and caring with her, hoping she could learn their ways and adapt. She’d surprised him by how caring and trusting she was of him and his brothers.
He laughed when her panther patted his calf, eager for him to shift. He tossed his shirt onto the picnic bench at the tree line in the back yard of the alpha’s house, dropping his pants quickly. The shift only took a few seconds.
The beast found his mate and purred as he rubbed his face against hers, transferring his scent onto her fur. She huffed at him, but allowed his ministrations. It was an incessant need to keep his scent on her; to tell all panthers that she belonged to him.
He snarled when she took off at a dead run up one of the paths leading away from the house. The trees were filling in after the winter and some of the low shrubs were full enough to play a game of hide and seek.
The rain had let up not long after they’d darted into the woods, allowing them to run, hunt, and play for hours. By the time they made it back to the alpha’s house, the sun was just setting on the day. The pride was gathering for a meal at the alpha’s home, but Savage wanted to spend some time with his mate…alone in their room.
“Hurry up and eat,” he growled in her ear. “I want you…naked and in the bed in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be there in ten.” She winked over her shoulder and made quick work of filling her plate.
Savage watched his mate as she sat with Liberty and Nova. All three women huddled together and ate their meals while Savage, Winter, and Talon hovered close by.
“The bar will reopen tomorrow,” Savage sighed. “I don’t like this at all.”
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