Flame

by Ophelia Sexton

  Thor craned his neck and saw that Pete had chosen a section of high plains near the ridge that was showing as the current location for Cassie's phone.

  It would be a steep hike up the ridge to the signal's location, but Thor was familiar with the area and knew it was doable…especially for shifters.

  With the jump site selected, the team briskly got down to business, gearing up and helping Dane, Mark, and Ash put on and adjust their parachute harnesses properly.

  They were about to board the plane when Thor heard his name called by an unfamiliar male voice.

  "Thor? Thor Swanson?"

  "That's me," Thor answered, turning towards the voice. "How can I help—?"

  He forgot what he was going to say when he spotted the tall, tawny-haired man striding towards him. A painful shock of recognition hit Thor square in the gut when he saw Cassie's distinctive blue-green eyes under the man's cowboy hat.

  The newcomer stopped in front of Thor and looked him up and down.

  "Well, now, I think you'll do just fine for a son-in-law," he said in a Texan drawl, and a smile creased his tanned, stubbled features. He looked around at the assembled group and offered Thor his hand. "Hi, y'all. I'm Justin. Justin Long. Cassie's dad."

  "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Long," Thor said automatically, shaking Justin's hand.

  His brain had suddenly gone into overdrive. Justin's arrival in Bearpaw Ridge at the same time as Cassie's disappearance couldn't really be a coincidence, could it?

  "Look, I need to see Cassie as soon as possible," Justin said, taking a second, sharp look at the group of assembled Hot Shots and Swanson brothers, all of whom now wore skydiving harnesses and helmets. His voice dropped. "I need to warn her that Ed Baldwin's on his way here."

  "Too late," Thor said harshly.

  Justin stepped back in shock. "How did he—? Never mind. Is Cassie okay?" he demanded.

  "I don't know," Thor said coldly. "She disappeared a few hours ago, and I'm thinking it wasn't because she suddenly developed a case of cold feet about getting married.”

  Justin, his face drained of color under his tan, said harshly, "I want to help. If Ed Baldwin has her, we need to find her ASAP!"

  "We're on it," Thor said to his father-in-law. "But I have to ask—why didn't you help Cassie the first time Baldwin attacked her, when she really needed you?"

  Justin bent his head, but not before Thor saw the haunted look in his eyes.

  "Ever since Cassie was a little girl, I've known she was too gentle to make it in the pride. I'll tell you the same thing I told her—I was only trying to keep her safe by finding a way to get her a higher status without having to fight challenge duels." He shook his head. "I never in million years thought that Baldwin would simply try to claim her without her consent—or that he would savage her when she tried to resist him."

  "Huh," Thor said, unimpressed with the man who had failed to protect his mate.

  Justin unfastened the top two buttons of his shirt, and Thor saw a row of parallel scars running across his collarbones and down his chest that looked just like the ones on Cassie's back and shoulders.

  "When Baldwin and his enforcers came to question me about Cassie's whereabouts, I refused to tell them anything and took the punishment for defying them." Justin gave Thor another one of his measuring looks. "If you're thinking I was the one who told them where she was…well, I wasn't. And I need to help my daughter now. Please let me come along."

  The others were looking at them, waiting for Thor's decision. He inhaled Justin's scent and found only sincerity and the tang of anger.

  "Climb aboard," he told his new father-in-law. "I think we're going to need all the help we can get."

  * * *

  Darren flew his plane on a route that followed the highway north out of the valley and over Gibbons Pass.

  They were nearing their jump target when Kara, who was looking eagerly out of the King Air's windows, called out, "Someone hand me the binoculars, quick! I think I see something!"

  Thor held his breath as she grabbed the proffered binoculars and peered intently through them.

  "I see a white van down there," she reported. "Looks like it ran off the road and plunged down a ravine before wrapping itself around a tree. And not too long ago, either—I see steam or smoke rising from the engine compartment."

  The news hit Thor with an unpleasant lurch in his guts.

  "Any sign of survivors?" he asked tensely. Please let Cassie be okay.

  "I don't see anything, but it's prettily heavily forested down there," Kara said.

  "That's where the signal from Cassie's phone is coming from," Ash said, his shaggy dark hair falling forward to hide his face as he bent over his phone.

  Thor found himself torn between relief that they'd been able to track down the signal so easily and worry about the fact that it was coming from a wrecked vehicle halfway down the side of a steep ridge.

  Pete hastily unfolded his map and looked at it. "That wreck's within easy hiking distance of our original jump target. Wanna check it out first?"

  "That would probably be the best place to start," Dane replied, tugging uneasily at the straps of his skydiving harness.

  He saw Thor looking and quirked a half-smile. "I'll be happier when we're safely down on the ground again."

  * * *

  Thor's tandem-jump partner was Ash.

  Memories came rushing back with the cool wind whistling past Thor's ears as he and his brother stepped out of the plane's open door and began their descent. Thor shouted instructions over the rush of air, and Ash, to his credit, seemed thrilled but unfazed as they hurtled towards their target.

  "Oh, man, bro!" Ash shouted over his shoulder. "You have the coolest job, ever! This is amazing!"

  Thor had just enough time to wonder how Michael Nakano was doing with Dane, and Kara with Mark, when it was time to open the chute and start to think about his landing.

  The parachute opened without a hitch, and both Thor and Ash found themselves hanging perpendicular underneath the canopy, the harness straps tightening around their thighs and shoulders as they slowed and began to drift down to their target.

  The conditions were perfect for skydiving—clear skies and very little wind. Thor still couldn't remember any details from his accident, but Kara had told him that they'd both been caught by unexpected downdrafts.

  Ash was laughing with glee as they touched down feet-first in a pasture. Thor took a few steps to slow their momentum, then Ash put his feet down as Thor quickly released the parachute cords from his harness.

  "I definitely want to do this again," Ash said a few moments later, as Thor unhooked their harnesses.

  They watched Dane and Michael touch down.

  "Isn't skydiving is the most awesome thing ever?" Ash called to his oldest brother, with a teasing note in his voice.

  "I wouldn't call it awesome," Dane said dryly, stumbling a little as Michael released his harness. "But it wasn't as bad as I was expecting."

  His face still paler than normal, he turned and inclined his head in Michael's direction. "Thanks, Michael."

  Michael waved off his thanks with a cheery, "No worries! You did great for a first timer."

  Once everyone was safely down, with Pete and Darren remaining behind on the plane to fly it back to the airport, they discussed strategy.

  It didn't take long to decide that Justin, Thor, Mark, and Dane would shift to their animal shapes once they reached the cover of the trees.

  Ash, who was unable to shift into bear shape, would use his app to guide the others to the crash site. The remaining Hot Shots would retain human form to offer assistance, medical and otherwise, if needed, but they would stay out of the way if it came down to a fight.

  "Sounds like a plan," said Thor. "You guys are firefighters, not Special Forces. But I can't tell you how much I appreciate it that you've got my back on this."

  "Any time," said Kara, clapping him on the shoulder. "Just lead the way."

  L
ogistics settled, they began a fast hike towards the ridge that rose up from the plain a half-mile away.

  Once they reached the tree line, Justin, Thor, Mark, and Dane stopped to shift.

  Justin's shift took much longer than the bears did and looked twice as painful.

  When the huge sabertooth cat finally rose to his feet, Thor saw that his father-in-law's pelt was a darker shade of brown than Cassie's, though with the same light gray markings.

  Unlike Cassie, Justin's sabertooth shape had a prominent, shaggy mane that framed his head and joined the ruff of fur around his neck.

  After Ash pointed them in the direction of the wrecked van, the group set off again at a rapid lope.

  As the ground quickly became steeper and more uneven, crowded with trees and bushes, four clawed feet proved an advantage over two legs. The four shifters in animal shape quickly outpaced those who were still in human form.

  After they had climbed for a while, Thor began to smell the first hints of the wreck up ahead, the stink of leaking gasoline and coolant almost overpowering the scent of sabertooth shifters.

  And, like a thin golden thread woven through the tapestry of competing smells, Thor could smell Cassie.

  She's alive! And she's here! Relief washed over him as he quickened his pace to a lumbering uphill gallop, leaving the others behind.

  He followed his mate's scent trail up and up and up, winding his way around tree trunks and forcing his way through the undergrowth.

  Then he heard Cassie's snarl and a man's breathless curse close by, and he forgot completely about Justin and his brothers.

  Thor stretched himself to increase his speed even further. He came crashing out of the underbrush to find himself in a clearing.

  Directly ahead of him, a badly damaged white van lay tipped on its side, its roof wrapped around the thick trunk of a mature pine tree.

  And in front of the wrecked vehicle, he saw his mate in her sabertooth shape, facing off against Alfonzo Tigredientes, who was in his human shape and wielding a wicked-looking sword against her.

  Chapter 21 – Unleashing the Sabertooth

  Tigredientes was limping badly as he advanced on Cassie, and his face was battered and bruised beyond recognition from the crash. Only his height and his scent identified him to Thor.

  Despite his injuries, though, he seemed to be putting up a good fight against the snarling, circling sabertooth.

  There was something different about Cassie now, an intensity Thor hadn't noticed on the previous occasion when she'd faced Tigredientes and Katzenberg in the hotel room.

  As she circled just beyond Tigredientes' reach, stalking him, Thor saw that her back and sides were stained with blood trickling from numerous cuts and scrapes.

  She froze as Thor emerged from the woods and whipped her head around to stare at him with blazing golden eyes. A breeze lifted her scent and carried it to Thor's nose, and he noticed that her familiar sweetness was permeated with the unfamiliar acrid tang of rage.

  Tigredientes took advantage of her momentary distraction and lunged forward with his blade.

  Cassie dodged, barely in time, and the thrust meant to penetrate between her ribs only sliced through her skin, leaving a long scarlet cut down her tawny-furred side.

  Red rage filled Thor's vision at the sight. He lunged across the clearing, aiming for Tigredientes.

  "STOP!" someone roared.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Thor saw a weathered-looking sandy-haired man leaning against the dented, crumpled van. The man was pointing a 12-gauge shotgun right at him, and the wide opening in the barrel looked like an evil eye.

  Everyone obeyed and froze in place, even Tigredientes. That was when Thor realized that the shotgun-wielding man must be Ed Baldwin himself.

  "As you can see, I came loaded for bear," Baldwin said. "Just in case we ran into some trouble."

  He was as bloodied and bruised as the rest of the shifters at the accident scene, but his tone was confident and his stance unfazed.

  His cold blue gaze fell on Cassie. She glared back at him.

  "Now then, Miss 'Fraidy-Cat, you've had your fun," Baldwin continued, pushing away from the van as he kept Thor in his gun sights.

  Thor snarled at Baldwin's insult to his mate.

  "You done me proud and even earned a major promotion in the ranks by taking out my enforcers. But we're done here. You come along quietly now, or I'll shoot this big ol' bear right in the head, and there ain't no comin' back from that."

  From the mean glint in Baldwin's eye, Thor thought that Baldwin would probably shoot him anyway just to rid himself of a rival.

  Cassie snarled in reply and barely managed to side-step Tigredientes' next sword thrust.

  Then several things happened all at once.

  Another sabertooth cat—Justin—shot past Thor in a brown blur and barreled into Tigredientes' back.

  The sword went flying out of the big shifter's hand, and he went down on his knees.

  It was all over in a flash.

  Before anyone could intervene, Justin sank one giant fang into the back of Tigredientes' neck, and a spray of dark red blood signaled the other shifter's end.

  At the same time, Cassie leapt for Baldwin, closing the gap between them. One of her giant paws batted his shotgun out of his hands. It went flying somewhere into the underbrush, safely out of grabbing range.

  Undeterred, Baldwin snarled and jumped onto Cassie's back. An astonished Thor saw the shifter trying to get his arms around her throat in a chokehold. The man had serious balls to attack a shifted sabertooth while still in his human shape.

  "I'll save you, boss!"

  Thor swung his head around and spotted the blond shifter from the hotel.

  Katzenberg was looking much the worse for wear. He appeared to be pinned under part of the van but had managed to wriggle out far enough to prop himself up on his elbows. He was aiming a revolver at Cassie.

  "Mr. Baldwin, hold on!" he shouted. "I got this!"

  Thor's vision filled with the sight of the shifter holding a gun on his mate, and he let his bear take control. He moved without conscious thought, a roar ripping out of his chest.

  Katzenberg's eyes widened, and then Thor was on him.

  The swipe of Thor's massive claws at Katzenberg's arms ripped away shirtsleeves and skin in equal measure. The revolver flew spinning across the clearing and hit a tree trunk before falling harmlessly to the ground.

  Katzenberg's deeply gashed arms collapsed beneath him. He nose-dived into the dead pine needles covering the ground.

  Oh shit. What have I done? Thor's human half asked in horror.

  Your duty to protect our mate, his bear answered. Now we kill him.

  No! It took all of Thor's will and inner strength, but he managed to wrestle control back from his bear. Enough! Stop!

  Katzenberg was alive but down and no longer a threat to anyone.

  Sulkily, his bear subsided, settling for a growl at Katzenberg's sprawled form.

  Thor's gaze returned to Cassie.

  Cold horror shot through him when he saw that Baldwin, still clinging to her back with one arm buried in the ruff around her throat, had pulled a big Bowie knife.

  Its blade glinted evilly in the fading light as Baldwin raised his arm to stab her.

  Thor yowled a warning and hurtled towards his mate, already knowing he couldn't close the distance between them in time to save her.

  As Baldwin's blade came down, Thor saw Cassie twist like a snake and drop onto her back, pinning Baldwin momentarily beneath her before rolling back onto her feet.

  Wheezing for air after having the wind knocked out of him, Baldwin had somehow retained his hold on the big knife.

  "You…stupid…little…kitten," he spat, whipping up to a sitting position and bringing his blade around in a slicing arc.

  Cassie snarled as a line of fresh blood appeared across her foreleg. In the next instant, she had planted a big paw in the center of Baldwin's chest.

 
Horrified, Thor watched as one of her wickedly long fangs plunged deep into Baldwin's throat.

  A gurgling grunt escaped him, along with a dark red spray of blood, and he collapsed onto his back just as Thor reached Cassie's side.

  She moved possessively over her prey and snarled at him, fresh blood staining her right fang and dripping slowly onto the corpse beneath her.

  Thor backed away cautiously, recognizing that she was caught in the grip of her cat's bloodlust.

  Never in a million years had he thought that Cassie would ever be driven to kill anyone, even in self-defense! But from her behavior now, he saw that her human half wasn't in control now.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mark and Dane appear out of the undergrowth, then back away slowly, widening the gap between them and the enraged sabertooth cat.

  Thor only hoped that Cassie would be able to regain control over her cat soon, before she was confronted with a group of well-meaning strangers when Ash and the Hot Shots finally arrived at the wreck site.

  Justin, still in his cat form, trotted confidently past Thor and approached Cassie.

  When he got within striking distance, Cassie hissed and lunged at her father with outstretched paws, her long curved ivory claws extended.

  He snarled back at her but quickly backpedaled, apparently unwilling to fight his daughter.

  The impasse continued for several long moments, with both Thor and Justin repeatedly making tentative overtures that were fiercely rebuffed with snarls and hisses.

  Cassie seemed reluctant to leave Baldwin's body, as if she were determined to defend her prey against all of the other predators in the clearing.

  Okay, this isn't going to work, Thor finally admitted to himself after Cassie drove his bear away for the third time in a row. Time to try a different approach.

  He decided to take a chance—maybe a stupid one—and shifted back to his human shape.

  Naked and unarmed, he slowly approached his enraged mate.

  "Hey, Cassie," he called to her in a soothing tone as he drew closer. "It's okay. It's me, and it's over now. You're okay, beautiful. Everything's okay now. You just need to calm down."

  She hissed at him as he neared, her ruff standing on end, but to his relief, he saw that her muscles weren't tensing for an attack.