Brother Bear Mated

by P. Jameson

  Thames knew Theron was at his side, and Gash at his other. No one had shifted yet, but their finger was on the trigger. The second they needed to, they would.

  “Nastia, please.” He stretched closer, but he was still too far away. “Come to me. Do it now.”

  “Okay.” She nodded sadly, and it felt too much like she was saying goodbye. “I’ll do what needs to be done.”

  That was when he noticed Newt perched on her shoulder. Thames squinted to see through the darkness. The lizard was moving funny, like he was burrowing at her collar.

  Was he hurting her? Was he the cause of all this? The lizard had been dragging the stone away that night, and he’d helped Thames corner the beetles. But now, he was digging furiously at Nastia’s neck while she cried.

  There was no way to be sure, but Thames wasn’t taking any chances.

  A growl escaped his throat, and he lunged forward only to be caught around the neck by Theo. His brother pulled him backward, shoving him behind as if to protect him. Sweet and all, but no one was keeping him from his female.

  Before he could make another run for it, Nastia’s hands shot upward to the sky, her fingers curling like hooks. She murmured something and the shadow that hovered around her funneled downward. As if her hands were a vacuum, she seemed to suck the shadow right from the sky, pulling it into her body. Her eyes flickered between cold, steel, emotionless to warm, caring, sweet. From darkness to light and back again.

  She took aim at Theo, a nasty snarl curling her lips as the force of her new power whipped her hair in a tangle.

  Suddenly, the glowing heart stone tumbled to the ground and Nastia let out a violent gasp.

  Newt. The confusing little lizard had chewed through the cord of her necklace in an attempt to break the connection to the stone. Thames watched as he scurried down her arm and bit—bit—her finger until blood streamed down her hand and dripped onto the ground.

  Nastia’s eyes returned to normal, but when they did, they went wide with the horror of what was already set into action.

  Because it couldn’t be stopped. She was out of control, and even if separating from the stone had given her clarity, it was too late to undo what was already done.

  As a bolt of magic jolted from Nastia’s palm, Thames shoved Theo hard to the ground at the same time Mirena jumped in front of the attack. The magic hit her square in the middle, stunning her like an electric shock.

  Nastia’s tortured scream split the night, her body jerking with the effort to stop the streak of power hurting her sister. But it was beyond her control, fueled by the darkness she was submerged in.

  Adira began chanting, both hands curled toward her sisters as she walked forward. The pop of light she produced temporarily blinded Thames, but he recovered in time to see Theron shift. Roaring to life, his massive grizzly charged at Nastia.

  NO. Brother can’t hurt mate.

  But brother’s mate was in danger too. She’d jumped in front of the blast meant for Theron. That meant she was his. Stopping him from hurting Nastia could risk Mirena. But Thames could never watch his female be hurt.

  Take brother down, mate lives.

  His own grizzly ripped from his skin with a roar and he pounded after Theo, catching him in the flank just before he reached the pile of bugs at Nastia’s feet.

  “Aw, shit,” Mason hollered. “Let’s go.” With that, he shifted to his cougar, a deadly snarl erupting with the change.

  Thames was barely aware of the others shifting as he went at it with Theo, rolling and tumbling, growls tearing into the air. There were teeth and claws and fur flying but he didn’t feel it. He could sense his brother’s desperation as thick as his own. Their mates needed to be secured or they would never stop fighting.

  And that wasn’t okay. Because Thames and Theron had always stuck together. Even in the hardest times. They were the other’s parents, friends, confidants. Whatever was missing the other made up for it. Now they each had a female to fight for, but it couldn’t tear them apart.

  Thames glanced up to see the cats batting away the beetles while Adira fought the dark magic with her light. Mirena stood stiff, Nastia’s attack still channeling into her.

  And Nastia… she screamed and screamed like her heart was being ripped from her chest. The bear felt her pain like nobody else would. Hurting the ones she loved was her worst fear, and now it was reality.

  Theron’s heavy paw swatted at Thames’s head, landing hard enough to knock him away. The bear ran for Nastia again, but it was already over. The blast of magic was gone. The shadow that hovered over her was gone. The familiars, what was left of them, scurried away and several of the cats went after them.

  Nastia stood with her arms lowered, sobbing brokenly as she looked around, unsuspecting of Theron’s attack.

  Thames couldn’t stop him. He wouldn’t get to him in time.

  He let out a blistering roar, warning his brother bear. If he did this, they’d be enemies forever.

  But Theron didn’t even slow.

  Gash in his werecat form saw what was coming and bounded forward to intercept the bear. But before he could, Mirena’s voice shook the night.

  “Theron, NO!”

  And he skidded to a halt, shaking out his fur like his instincts were harder to stop than his big body. He swung his head around to face his mate, an angry chuff pulling up his lips to show his massive teeth.

  “Don’t… hurt my… sister,” she said, and then fell to her knees in the dirt, as though it had taken all her strength to get the words out.

  Thames wasted no time putting himself between his brother and Nastia even though it was unnecessary. The minute Mirena fell, Theo shifted and ran to her side.

  “Mirena!” Nastia cried, and pushed past Thames. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. Sister, I didn’t mean to.” She collapsed on the ground beside Mirena.

  “Get back!” Theron barked, shaking with rage.

  She looked at him, tears flooding her eyes anew. “I tried to stop when I saw it was you. I… I wasn’t seeing things right. I saw…”

  Thames shifted, along with the others who remained. Adira who seemed paler and frailer than normal, stumbled over, kneeling on the ground to cradle Mirena’s head. Mason and Gash and Bailey gathered around the witches.

  “I saw… an enemy. I saw you attack Thames, but it wasn’t you. It was…” Nastia shook her head, brow crinkled with regret. “I was trying to save him. Thames was in danger and I was trying to save him.”

  His heart thundered in his chest. He’d failed her. Failed to see how dangerous she was. He’d failed them all. His brother, the coven, the clan.

  “Your rock,” Mirena gasped. “It’s a dark object. It was making you see things, feel things wrong.”

  “Newt bit you,” Thames murmured.

  Adira nodded. “Blood magic. When your blood touched the rock, it disabled the dark spell and allowed you to see the truth. To feel the truth.”

  Mirena pressed her lips together, but a painful moan escaped anyway, and Theron took her hand. No doubt the bear was trying to heal her with their mating bond.

  Thames could see the raw, burnt looking wound on Mirena’s midsection. Her clothing had been scalded away, and an angry red circle of misshapen skin remained. He had a feeling the injury went much deeper.

  “We can heal you,” Nastia choked out. “We can, right Adira? Like before, a circle of three. Here…” She pressed her palms out like she was going to swear on a Bible. “Take my hand. We can do this.”

  Adira stared at Nastia, her face pulling down with sadness. And when she spoke, she could barely get the words out. “We can’t, sister. You have no light.”

  Nastia’s tears came harder and faster. The despair Thames felt through their bond, doubled him over. Hers, his. For the loss of her light. For the pain of knowing she’d hurt one close to her. And for his brother who would hurt if Mirena hurt.

  “I know, but…” A sob climbed up her throat. “I have power. Use it.
Please. Let me make this right. Darkness can’t heal, can only harm, I know. But use your light power and draw from my dark power, like I did against the werecat. You can—”

  “Nastia, no,” Adira said firmly, her own tears spilling over onto her cheeks.

  Footsteps pounded toward them, and suddenly Doc was there. “Move, move,” she said. “Let me take a look.”

  Thames had known Doc a long time. Had seen her work miracles when hope seemed laughable. She was a good strong female, and if magic couldn’t heal Mirena, maybe Doc could.

  Pulling scissors from her bag, she cut away the burnt clothing to reveal more of the wound. Black streaks branched out from the center of the scorched flesh, but there was no opening. The blast had seemed to burn but not cut.

  Doc shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It looks like a dermal burn, but I’m guessing there’s more than what meets the eye here.”

  Adira’s face crumpled. “It’s supernatural poison.”

  “Slow moving,” Nastia whispered. “Like they used on our ancestors. She’ll only worsen until…” She cut off with a sob. “Mirena, I’m so sorry. Please, sister, forgive me.”

  “Shhh,” Mirena said, putting her finger to Nastia’s lips. “Stop. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. Don’t… don’t make me use my slapping hand on you.”

  “I dare you,” Theron muttered, tossing Nastia an accusing glare.

  “If it’s a poison there must be an antidote. What can we do for her?” Doc asked.

  Adira sniffed, trying to compose herself. “I don’t know.”

  “You,” Theron growled at Nastia. “You find the answer. The darkness came from you, you find a way to help her.”

  She nodded, swiping fiercely at her tears. “Yes. Of course. There must be a way. My tomes maybe. The ancestors wrote about the dark magic poisoning, maybe they discovered a way to reverse it.”

  Adira shook her head. “We’ve been scouring those books and haven’t seen anything like that.”

  Nastia glanced at Thames, her eyes begging him to help her find a solution, but he didn’t know magic and didn’t know how to make things better for her.

  The familiar, his bear rumbled. The familiar will know.

  Thames looked around for Newt, but didn’t see him anywhere.

  “Find the lizard,” he said. It was a long shot, but maybe…

  Nobody questioned him. They just started searching. Maybe there were too many odd things happening for them to think his idea was weird.

  “There,” Gash called, pointing at a shaggy cedar tree.

  But as soon as the skink saw all eyes on him, he ducked into the branches to hide.

  Theron stalked over, a deadly look in his eye. “Get over here, ya damn lizard.”

  “Wait,” Clara called, jogging forward, “let me. We have history.”

  Carefully, she dug around in the needles, coming out with a squirming Newt.

  “Shhh. Now, now. Calm down, Skink. Or, I guess it’s Newt now. I know you’ve been through some changes lately, but I never knew you to be such a fraidy cat. Where’re those giant brass lizard balls when you need ‘em, huh?”

  Newt settled in her palm, looking just as at home there as he did in Nastia’s.

  “Those nasty bugs got you running scared? That’s alright. Uncle Gash will call an exterminator in the morning.”

  Gash arched one dark eyebrow. “Uncle Gash?” But Clara ignored him.

  “Now…” She walked Newt over to Mirena. “We need your help, Newt. Our friend is hurt. We need to find a way to make her better.”

  “Shit,” Theron muttered throwing his hands up. “You think talking to a damn lizard is going to fix my ma—” He clamped his mouth shut.

  “Hey,” Mason chimed in. “Nothing’s too weird around these parts, okay. It can’t hurt to try. The damn thing knew to chew the necklace loose and bite her to draw blood.”

  “Can you all quit calling him ‘damn thing’,” Adira snapped. “He has a name. Nastia named him Newt. And he’s our best hope right now.”

  Mason stared at her oddly, but there was no hint of sarcasm when he answered, “Sure thing, Sunshine.”

  The skink swung his head back and forth curiously, seeming to study Mirena, his nose tipped high in the air as her breathing came in short pained puffs. He crawled to the tips of Clara’s fingers and she lowered him to the ground. Tentatively, with one beady eye on Theron, he inched closer, sniffing where Nastia’s tears fell onto her sister’s skin. Then he darted between Clara’s legs to escape.

  “Aw, Skink. Come on. Don’t chicken out on me now.”

  Sounds of disappointment filled the air, and Thames had to admit, the idea wasn’t his bear’s finest moment.

  Magic, Owyn, Renner, and Layna ran out of the woods and shifted in the next breath.

  “Got ‘em on the run,” Magic huffed, trudging over in all his naked glory. “No doubt they’ll be back though.”

  “No worries,” Gash said dryly. “I’m calling the exterminator in the morning.”

  “Wait,” Adira cried. “Look!”

  Newt wasn’t running away. He was bringing something back. With his teeth latched onto the broken twine, he dragged the dark heart stone over to where Mirena lay.

  “Aw, hell no,” Theron boomed. “That thing has done enough damage.”

  “I agree,” Nastia choked, her head shaking back and forth. “Get it away. I don’t want it near.”

  Thames narrowed his eyes at the skink as he tugged the heavy stone along. He’d fought the other familiars in the cave. He’d known they were evil, known they were trying to hurt Nastia. The lizard had hidden the stone from her. Tried to hide it again after Thames had killed the beetles.

  “Familiars take on the characteristics of their witches,” Thames murmured to himself.

  Nastia wanted more than anything to resist the darkness. She’d failed, but that didn’t mean she’d done it willingly. His mate’s heart was good. Deep down at her core, she was light. That meant her familiar was too.

  Thames grabbed his brother’s arm as he went to swat Newt away. “He’s trying to help. He knows something we don’t.”

  Theo glared, but stayed his hand. “If he hurts her, so help me god, brother…”

  “Look,” Mason urged.

  Newt hauled the stone over Mirena’s hip until it sat right in the center of her wound. When he did, it started glowing once again. Violet fire through a dappled exterior.

  Nastia frowned, studying the stone as Newt’s head swung back and forth between the two.

  “I can…” she began, cocking her head unsure. “I can draw it back out? Is that what you’re saying, Newt?”

  Newt blinked.

  “I’ll try. Yes, I’ll do anything to help my sister. That will be my last stand.”

  Again he blinked, and then skittered down and climbed Nastia’s arm.

  “What is it?” Adira asked. “What must be done?”

  Nastia was silent for a long moment. “I believe I can pull the poison from her using the talisman, but it will take a lot of power.”

  “Dark power,” Adira whispered. “Where much power is used, much power is required to diffuse.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ll be lost,” Mirena cried, her expression contorting with a sob.

  Thames dropped to his knees, his bear realizing what needed to happen and hoping like hell he could come through for his mate this time. Nastia would have to use every ounce of darkness she could muster to draw the poison back into the stone. He wasn’t her Anchor but he was going to do his damndest to keep her here, keep her with them.

  “Shhh.” Nastia shook her head, tears dripping onto the earth as she tried to look strong. “I won’t be. Because you all won’t let me.” She looked around, a plan forming in that beautiful brain of hers. “Doc is going to draw up a sedative, something strong that will knock me out in one punch. Mason and Gash and Theo, they’re going to muscle me down if need be. You and Adira… you’re go
ing to cast the undead spell. You’re going to turn me, and bring me back so that I can have a life that I’m not afraid of.”

  “We won’t have enough power,” Adira argued.

  “You will,” Nastia insisted. “You will because…” She twisted to look at Thames, the saddest, bravest smile curving her lips. “Because you’ll have the sun.”

  Adira looked to the sky. “We need more time. The sun won’t rise for another hour at least.”

  But Thames stared at his female, throat aching with unshed tears. He was going to lose her. She was going to sacrifice herself to right her wrongs and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. And when it was all said and done, he’d have no one but himself to blame.

  Because he’d failed. Just like the Mother Bear said he would.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Thames,” Nastia said softly, her eyes never leaving him. “He’s my sun. The brightest light I’ve ever known. His magic isn’t like ours, but it’s powerful. So strong it makes darkness cower. It will be enough to get you through.”

  Thames swallowed hard, trying to be strong for her, trying to not break down like he did as a little boy when he was scared and hurting.

  “What magic, sister? Tell me how to channel it.” Adira’s voice wobbled with sadness.

  Nastia lifted her trembling hand to Thames’s chest and pressed her palm just over his heart. His bear writhed in pain, growling and snarling for him to stop her plan, but they both knew he couldn’t.

  Whatever makes mate happy.

  Though she wasn’t happy in the conventional sense, she was determined to heal her sister. Knowing Mirena was okay was the only thing that would satisfy her, and it was Thames’s responsibility to see her satisfied. No matter the cost, that instinct couldn’t be overridden.

  A mate’s wish was law.

  God. Help me. Please, help me.

  “Love,” Nastia whispered. “His magic is love. And you don’t channel it, you feel it. Right here.” Her other hand, she pressed against her own chest so they were connected heart to heart.

  “Mate,” he struggled out. “Don’t go.”

  Shit. He was losing it.

  His bear scratched at his chest savagely. Keep her safe, make her happy. Instinct warring with instinct. He couldn’t do both. And the little boy, wishing to be worthy, wanting to do the noble thing, for her and his brother. They were all tangled up in one dominant, life changing emotion.