Marcus whacked a thin tree out of the way as he charged through the overgrown yard. He smashed down the door and exploded into the musky, dirty house.
He saw Staci at once. She was crumpled on the floor at the far corner of the room. Her face was half covered with blood, and there were horrible, terrible marks and bruises all over her arms and legs.
Bazl was crouching over her, pressing his knife against her bound hands. He was preparing to slice off her fingers.
Marcus roared and slammed into Bazl. “You! What have you done to her?”
Bazl scrambled up quickly and grabbed the broken table leg at his feet. He swiped at the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth and smiled at Marcus.
“You're too late, Marcus,” Bazl said. “She won't live. Even if she lives, she'll be permanently damaged. Her arms are broken, her pretty little face is messed up and even if she lives, she won't recover emotionally from this ordeal. She's only human. She's broken forever.”
Bazl laughed. “Your woman might be in a coma forever, if she survives. You brought this on her. You killed her, Marcus.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Marcus cradled Staci's broken body gently against him. “Why?” The word escaped as a ragged whisper against Staci's matted hair. Why didn't you reach out and let me feel your pain? Why didn't you scream for me, Staci?
“I have been kind enough to record everything for your viewing pleasure.” Bazl indicated the camcorder on the floor. “I have everything on tape.”
Marcus let out an anguished roar. He grabbed the wretched device and threw it against the wall. The thing cracked and broke into pieces.
Marcus spun round and charged at Bazl, but Bazl could move incredibly fast for a human. He watched Marcus's every move with cunning, calculating eyes and seemed to be able to anticipate his moves.
Consumed with rage and grief, Marcus could hardly see clearly, much less think clearly. His eyes and mind were clouded and his fists kept smashing into the wall, instead of Bazl's skull.
“You fucking piece of shit!” Marcus bellowed. His voice was hoarse and broken. He had failed to protect the one woman who meant everything to him. She had been brave enough to love him. And he had failed her.
Marcus swung again and managed to rake his claws down Bazl's side. Bazl swore viciously and whirled round to slash at Marcus. He managed to knife Marcus in the back, and laughed triumphantly.
Joshua and Jax had rushed to Staci immediately. Joshua looked stricken as he gathered Staci up in his arms.
“I'll rush her to the hospital,” Joshua said.
Jax nodded and unsheathed his claws as he went to stand in front of Marcus. “I'll finish this,” Jax snarled.
Bazl gave a taunting laugh. “Oh, it's little Jumping Jax. I forgot to bring my whip. But I bet I can still make you jump.”
Jax flinched and Marcus exploded with fury. Jax was deaf in one ear because of Bazl and Marcus knew that Jax still woke up screaming from his nightmares sometimes.
Marcus hurtled towards Bazl, half shifting into bear form. His jaws widened as he rushed at the man.
Bazl pulled out a gun suddenly and fired. The bullet burrowed into Marcus's shoulder and the excruciating pain made Marcus jerk back.
He shook his head hard and tried to shift fully into his bear but he couldn't.
It was a silver bullet.
With the silver in his body, he couldn't shift. And he couldn't heal.
Blood poured from his wound, and he could feel his strength draining away as his blood spurted from his body.
Bazl raised his gun again and smirked.
“No!” Jax roared and shoved Bazl away just as a shot rang out.
Bazl stumbled sideways and lost his balance. He flailed desperately and croaked out what sounded like a plea.
His eyes bulged and he stared at Jax as he fell. “You...”
He pointed his gun at Jax as he crashed backwards and fell onto the overturned table at the corner.
But he never got to fire his gun.
A sharp, jagged spike pierced his back and protruded from his chest.
Jax didn't even glance at Bazl's body. He went to Marcus and threw his big brother's arm around his shoulder.
“Come on,” Jax said. “Let's get you to the hospital as well. Joshua should have gotten Staci to the hospital by now.”
“Staci...” Marcus gritted out.
“Staci is strong. Like you,” Jax answered. “She will make it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Staci could hear soft murmuring voices. Someone was holding her hand and calling her name.
She tried to open her eyes but she couldn't. It was just too painful. The pain radiated through every nerve in her body, and Staci wanted to open her mouth and scream. But she couldn't move, and she couldn't make a sound. It was like she was a prisoner in her own body, trapped in a cocoon of pain.
The voices grew louder and more distinct. She thought she heard...Gramma's voice. She could recognize Gramma's husky voice from her karaoke singing at The Round Table.
Staci tried to ignore the pain stabbing through her body and concentrated on the voices. Yes, it definitely was Gramma's voice. And she heard Ne-ma's voice as well. And Melanie's. And many other voices she thought she recognized but couldn't quite place. They were all muttering some unintelligible words in unison, their voices rising and ebbing rhythmically. It sounded like...an incantation for a spell.
Staci vaguely remembered Melanie casting a minor glamor spell over herself before a big date. She remembered feeling the shiver of magic rippling through the air as Melanie's unruly, frizzy locks tamed themselves in a jiffy.
Staci could sense that same benign magic in the air. She just felt safe, protected and loved, and the pain in her body became so much more bearable. There was a gentle warmth against her skin, and Staci relaxed and surrendered to the calming, soothing sensation.
Someone was calling her name softly. Staci started.
It was Ethel's voice. But...what was her big sister doing here?
The low chanting gradually faded away, and Staci heard the electronic beep of medical equipment as urgent footsteps rushed around her. Someone was reading off some numbers and she felt a needle press into her arm.
“All right. We'll keep her in the ICU for a while more, but it looks like she's doing good. Well done, ladies.”
“Is she going to wake up? When can I...”
“You can stay with her, Ethel. I'm sure Staci will want to see her big sister when she wakes up.”
“I'm sure she'll want to see Marcus too. Oh...oh! She's opening her eyes! Doctor, come here quick! Staci's waking up! Staci! Can you hear me? How are you feeling?”
Staci blinked and saw the white fluorescent lights above her. Then she saw her sister's worried face staring down at her. Ethel's large brown eyes were filled with tears.
“Oh Staci!” Ethel cried, clutching her hand.
“Wh...what...Ethel...” Staci rasped.
A bespectacled blond woman in a white coat came and shone a light into Staci's eyes. She pressed her stethoscope to Staci's chest and spoke rapidly to the nurses behind her.
Staci stared at the pretty blond doctor and frowned. She had seen her before. Dr. Emily Halle, her name tag said.
Staci's eyes widened suddenly. Of course. She was the witch at the end of the conga line. She was the one who had made loud smooching sounds at Marcus as she yee-hawed and slapped her hips provocatively before darting out of the alley.
“You're doing great, Staci.” Dr. Halle smiled.
A cheer went up around the room and the doctor turned around and said sternly, “Shh! This is a hospital! There are other patients in the Intensive Care Unit!”
Staci tried to focus on all the faces in the room. She saw Gramma, Ne-ma, Melanie and a dozen other women crowded at the foot of her bed.
She blinked at them and finally managed to wheeze, “C-conga line!”
At that, all the witches in the room laughed delightedly. “Yes!” Gramma cried happily. “Yes, you recognized us!”
“Yep! We're the witches who danced into the alley when you and Marcus were...” Ne-ma giggled and elbowed the witch beside her.
Staci looked at all the beaming witches and turned her head to the side. Ethel was sitting at the bedside, quietly wiping away her tears.
“Ethel...” Staci reached for her big sister, and Ethel immediately grabbed her hand and pressed it to her cheek. “What...h-how...you're here...” Staci murmured.
“You were in a very critical condition when you were brought in, Staci,” Dr. Halle spoke up. “You were wheeled into surgery immediately, but...there's only so much science, medicine and technology can do. I'm a medical doctor, but I'm also half witch. I know that sometimes faith and magic can heal what science cannot repair. I've seen my mother work some miracles with her healing magic. So...I made some calls. I called my...”
“...drinking buddies,” someone supplied, and the witches laughed.
“But a healing spell cannot work if there isn't a strong enough emotion to power the magic,” Gramma said.
Ne-ma nodded. “So we called your sister.”
“Ethel was on the first plane out and in less than twenty-four hours, she was here in Shadow Point,” Melanie announced.
“Love,” Gramma said softly. “Love can power almost every spell.”
Staci stroked Ethel's wet cheek with trembling fingers. “Ethel...” she whispered. “But...what about Chloe? And Larry...”
“Oh Chloe's with my in-laws. Larry wanted to come with me, but he's in the midst of an urgent project at work, so I told him to stay,” Ethel said. “I was so worried, Staci, and when I first saw you...” She hiccuped a sob and began to cry again.
The sisters hugged and Staci felt her tears flowing freely down her face. Smiling through their tears, Ethel and Staci both turned to face the good witches of Shadow Point.
“Thank you!” they said together.
The witches grinned and hi-fived one another. “Shall we let Marcus in now?” Ne-ma asked. “We didn't allow him to come in because he might distract us. He loves you, but...his love is tinged with so much guilt and pain. His conflicting, turbulent emotions can make our spell go very wrong. So that's why we had to keep him out.”
“He's probably worn the corridor down with his pacing,” Melanie said.
“Yeah, you can let him in,” Dr. Halle said.
The witches smiled and waved at Staci and Ethel as they began to file out of the room.
At the door, Gramma and Ne-ma punched their fists in the air and shouted, “Gosh! This feels so good! We're so pumped right now! Who's up for more spell-casting?”
A dozen hands shot up.
“All right! Let's hit the bar, before we hit the road!”
“Come on, Emily. You know you want to...” one of the witches teased.
Dr. Emily Halle folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the smirking witches. “I'm on duty.”
“Okay, okay, we'll wait for you to finish your shift. Meet us at The Round Table...”
The witches chattered noisily as they exited the room, making plans for what sounded like a night of mayhem and madcap magic. Dr. Halle managed to step aside just in time as Marcus barreled into the room. He nearly mowed down a few straggling witches, but they laughed and patted him on the shoulder as they left. Jax and Joshua came skidding into the room after Marcus.
Ethel stood up and started to leave Staci's bedside, but Staci held on to her sister's hand tightly.
“Stay, Ethel, please,” Staci whispered.
Ethel nodded and sat down. Staci continued holding her sister's hand as she kissed Marcus. His shoulder was heavily bandaged and his face was worn with worry and fear.
Jax and Joshua came to kiss her lightly on the cheek. Then they went to hug Ethel.
Staci smiled at all of them. “Hey, don't look so worried. I feel so much better and stronger already. I have my family with me. You saved my life. All of you.”
Ethel made a face at her. “And you scared the shit out of us! Don't you ever do that again!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Breathe,” Joshua hissed. “Breathe, Marcus.” When he still didn't move a muscle, Jax nudged him hard.
Marcus inhaled sharply. God, he had literally forgotten to breathe. He could do nothing but just stand and stare as his beautiful, radiant bride made her way to him.
Staci's brother-in-law, Larry, was proudly walking her down the aisle. Ethel and little Chloe were beaming at them from the front row, and they were wearing the same lovely pink dresses as the rest of the witches, who were all Staci's bridesmaids. The witches threw rose petals in the air as they walked in line behind Staci. The petals transformed into colorful bubbles and floated above the heads of the townsfolk.
A marquee had been erected in the town square and the whole town was invited to their wedding.
Staci smiled shyly at him behind her veil. She stopped to give her sister and little niece a big hug and Marcus saw the two sisters whisper in each other's ear. They giggled and waggled their eyebrows at each other.
Larry handed Staci over to Marcus and kissed Staci on the cheek before going back to his wife and daughter. Marcus could hardly take his eyes off his beautiful bride. There were a few scars on Staci's face and arms, and she didn't bother trying to hide them. She wore a sleeveless wedding dress which showed off her generous curves, and her hair was done up in a stylish chignon.
The ceremony was simple and beautiful. Once they exchanged vows and rings, his two brothers, who were his best men, yelled, “Kiss the bride!”
Marcus gave his bride the longest, deepest, sweetest kiss, and by the time they came up for air, the whole town had crowded round them, hooting and clapping.
The cheeky bridesmaids all demanded a kiss from the bridegroom as well, and Gramma and Ne-ma jostled and stampeded their way to the head of the line.
“Come here and kiss me!” Gramma chuckled, puckering her lips.
“Do it right, or you'd have to do it again!” Ne-ma said to cheers from the other witches.
Marcus turned to Staci for help, but his bride was laughing and gesturing at him to get on with it.
“Go on, do it right!” Staci yelled.
Marcus stared at the never-ending line of rowdy, giggling witches and raised his hands in defeat. But Jax and Joshua leaped to his rescue.
“Come on ladies,” Joshua called out. “Kiss the best men! We'll do it right!”
The witches shrieked in delight and went to mob the two handsome and very single and eligible best men.
“I want them both!”
“Two hunky best men! Staci, you lucky girl!”
“Come on, kiss me pretty boy!”
Joshua frowned at the witch in front of him. “Didn't I just kiss you?”
“Kiss me again!” she cackled.
Marcus finally extricated himself from the bridesmaids and went to Staci, who was cuddling her little niece as she laughed and chatted with her sister and brother-in-law.
Wrapping his arms around Staci's waist, he held his bride close and kissed her hair lovingly.
They all laughed when they saw Tristan Gray and his brothers drag their two grandmothers away from the line of screaming, swooning bridesmaids. The ladies couldn't seem to get enough of the Carlan twins. Gramma, Ne-ma and a few of their cheeky friends kept sneaking back to the queue for more kisses from Jax and Joshua.
Marcus grinned when he saw members of the Sheriff's Band lope towards the stage. As the name suggested, the band was made up of members of the Sheriff's department. Everyone applauded and whistled as the Sheriff of Shadow Point, Winston Knight, and four of his deputies, picked up their guitars, saxophones and keyboards and played their hearts out. The good men and women in uniform had formed a band just for the heck of it, and the band members
were always laughing at themselves and making self-deprecating remarks about their musical abilities. But Marcus thought that they were actually pretty good.
Pulling his beautiful bride to him, Marcus slow-danced with Staci. He gazed at his mate with awe, pride and joy. They belonged to each other completely, forever.
He saw Ethel and Larry dancing with their daughter between them. Staci grinned at her sister and mouthed something to her. The two sisters made faces at each other, scrunching up their noses and rolling their eyes. They were communicating in that special, secret language that siblings shared. He saw how happy Staci was to be close to her sister again. Family was family, and there were bonds that could never be broken.
Marcus turned to look for his brothers. Once he saw them, he burst out laughing. Jax and Joshua had their hands full of bridesmaids. There were lipstick marks all over their faces, and they looked giddy with happiness.
“The bank has approved my request to stay with the Shadow Point branch permanently,” Staci told him as they swayed to the music. “This isn't just a temporary transfer. I'm staying here, for good.”
Marcus hugged her. “I'm so glad you came to Shadow Point.” He grinned. “This is fate. I never thought I'd meet my fated mate.”
“And I never thought I'd end up marrying the handsome stranger who picked me up at the bar,” Staci said with a wink.
“I love you,” they whispered, just as the twins came bounding up.
“It's our turn to dance with the bride!” they hollered.
Marcus grinned as he watched his two brothers whisk his laughing bride away.
Gramma and Ne-ma appeared at his side and tapped him on the shoulder. “And it's our turn to dance with the groom!”
Marcus spun the two lovely grandmothers around and tried his best to keep up with their fancy footwork. At the end of the dance, he hugged them both and said, “Thank you, Gramma and Ne-ma. For your magic.”
“Ah.” They chuckled knowingly. “Love...is the most wonderful magic of all!”
Bad Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 1) Page 6
