by Dez Burke
Nina though Hannah was making some very valid points, but didn’t say so. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“Whether you believe me or not, Nina, I’m a friend.”
She took a chance by baiting Hannah with a dangerous question. “Are you a bear shifter, too?”
Hannah didn’t even flinch. “No, I’m a Guardian. My job is to help ensure that paranormal beings, like shifters, are protected.”
Nina laughed, but not with amusement. Alex had mentioned something about guardians, but she couldn’t remember quite what it was. “Guardian as in ‘Angel’?”
“Not exactly,” Hannah responded, “but if it helps you trust me, let’s go with that.”
“I’m not a shifter or any other type of ‘paranormal being’, so why are you interested in me?”
Hannah looked exasperated. “I have an assignment to do, okay? If I fail, you and Alex probably die, and it won’t be pretty for me either. Every minute we stand here arguing is another minute I don’t have to get to him in time.”
Nina almost believed her. “Do you know where Alex is?”
Hannah nodded. “He’s at the site where his village used to be. The Hunters are coming, Nina.”
Nina sighed in resignation. “Let me grab my purse and keys. I’m driving.”
“That’s good,” Hannah said, “because I don’t have a car. My mode of transportation is a little more direct.”
Nina threw a confused glance over her shoulder at Hannah’s comment before shaking her head and grabbing her purse from the house. Liz would probably wonder where she disappeared to, but she would explain later.
Once the two women were in the car, Hannah started barking directions. “Head toward the freeway. I need you to get on Interstate 405 heading east.”
When Nina took the Interstate 5 North onramp, Hannah grabbed her arm, making the car swerve dangerously close to the other lane. Thankfully, they didn’t hit another vehicle.
“Where are you going?” Hannah shrieked.
“To Alex’s village.” Nina had watched every newscast about the fire and had read every article, including the one that had pointed out the exact location of the blaze. She had too many unanswered questions to blindly follow Hannah’s directives.
It was possible that her coworker wanted to lure her to some remote location and do away with her permanently. Besides, if Alex was in trouble, she wanted to help. If he got the mental health care that he clearly needed, maybe they would have a chance to be a real couple someday.
Chapter 16
Alex rode to his clan’s village, partly because he had nowhere else to go and partly because he wanted to pay his final respects to his family before heading to Colorado. If he was able to return to the Pacific Northwest one day and rebuild his clan, he wouldn’t be able to homestead on this piece of land. His clan owned other property near the coast that would be a good place for a new beginning.
The village proper had been roped off as a crime scene. The investigators were long gone, as were the reporters who had previously set up camp to feed the 24-hour news frenzy. He hid his bike in the forest and walked toward the village, wading through the rubble, hoping to feel the energetic presence of those who had lived there. But all he felt was stillness.
Alex wandered back into the forest, absentmindedly plucking vines off bushes and weaving them together into a tight braid. His thoughts turned to his mate; beautiful, curvy Nina. What could he say to convince her that his intentions were true and that he would never lie to her?
He had been hesitant to shift in front of her, even when she had challenged him to prove himself by doing so. Like his grandfather had said, she had no knowledge of shifters and their ways. Would she reject him once and for all after witnessing his transformation from man to beast? He couldn’t allow that.
When he told her he would be back and that they had unfinished business, he meant it. There was no way he was heading to the Rocky Mountains without her. He would use the direct approach first. If she still resisted him, he would seduce her. Once she gave him her body, he would find a way to win over her mind.
Looking down at his hands and the braid of vines he had created gave Alex an idea. It was too soon to give Nina the “I love you” she longed for, but he could give her something else: his vow that he would do whatever it took to weave their lives together until they were one. With renewed resolve, Alex shoved the vine braid into his pocket and headed back to where he stashed his bike.
“Alex! Where are you?”
Smelling Nina’s scent and hearing her voice through the trees stopped Alex in his tracks. What was she doing here?
“I know you’re here, Alex! Please come out, we need to talk.”
He emerged from the trees and saw her standing in what would have been the village square. But she wasn’t alone. The Guardian from his berry dreams was with her, which made his bear burst to the surface of his skin. Despite sensing danger, he kept his animal in check.
“I wasn’t hiding,” Alex responded, loud enough for the women to hear. He watched them pivot in the direction of his voice as he walked toward them. “You two shouldn’t be here.”
“It was her idea,” Hannah said, pointing to Nina. “I wanted to get her to safety but she insisted on finding you instead. The Hunters will be here soon, Alex.”
Nina turned toward Hannah. “Will you give us a few minutes? Alone.”
“Not again,” Hannah mumbled, reaching down her shirt and pulling out a locket that she had on a chain around her neck. She opened the locket, looked inside it, and made a hissing noise that sounded suspiciously like swearing. “Time is running out, for all of us. Have your talk, but make it snappy. We need to get out of here!” The tiny blonde turned her back on the would-be lovers and strutted away.
~~~
Nina was momentarily distracted by the locket Hannah wore. She had seen another one like it somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite remember where. Hannah disappeared from sight before Nina had a chance to ask her about it, so she turned her attention back to Alex.
“How was your date?” he asked with a snarl.
Nina bristled at his tone. “Not that it’s any of your business, but the date never happened. When Hannah showed up on my doorstep spewing as much nonsense as you, I decided to go with her to try and clear all of this up once and for all. How do you know her, anyway?”
“I wasn’t aware of...Hannah...until recently, although we both want the same thing: for you and I to be together.”
Nina snorted and put her hands on her hips. “Did Danny put you up to this so I would get freaked out enough to go out with him? Are you and Hannah working with him on this whole mating, were-bear, hunter, guardian scheme? Is Liz in on it, too?”
Alex took a deliberate step toward Nina, and then another, and she fought the urge to turn around and run. “There is no scheme, Nina,” he said. Her name rolled off his tongue, smooth like silk, and her insides melted like butter. With one more step, he was close enough to touch her. “There’s just you, me, and destiny.”
Her hands were still on her hips and he reached past them, winding around her waist and pulling her toward him. Her lips parted, as if to speak, but all that came out was a soft sigh. She was tired of fighting her attraction to Alex. She wanted to give up her need to know the truth, let go of her doubts about his motivations, and give in to her desire for him.
“Why me?” she asked him.
“Because you’re my everything. You’re beautiful, smart, compassionate, stubborn, not to mention sexy as hell. Just as I was born to be Alpha, you were born to be my mate. You may not realize it yet, but our fate was sealed long before we ever met.”
She looked deep into his eyes, searching for some flaw in his façade yet seeing nothing but sincerity, an unwavering belief that everything he told her was the truth. Or, at the very least, the truth as he saw it. Was that enough for her?
She tore her eyes from his gaze and looked down. “Alex, I—”
“
HUNTERS!” Alex shouted as a shot rang out. With a mighty roar, he pushed Nina to the ground, shielding her body with his. Except his body was now larger than before, his massive form tearing his clothing to shreds as it changed, morphed, shifted.
Nina watched, wide-eyed, as his skin sprouted thick, brown-black fur and his face took on the distinct shape of a snout that was the color of cinnamon. Nina’s heart raced at the realization that Alex now resembled the black bear she had recently seen on the news.
“Stay down!” the animal on top of her commanded in Alex’s voice. She trembled in fear and recognition, the fact that Alex was telling the truth about being a were-bear almost too much for her to comprehend. He was right; seeing him shift was upsetting! But the truth about the hunters upset her even more. She didn’t want either of them to die!
“What are we going to do?” Nina cried.
“We aren’t going to do anything,” Alex responded. “It’s me the Hunters want. I’m going to lure them away from you so you can escape into the forest.”
Nina grabbed his fur with her hands, holding on for dear life as he tried to pull away. “No, Alex! I’m not going anywhere without you!”
~~~
This wasn’t how Alex wanted to introduce Nina to his bear, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter. When the sound of gunfire pierced the air, his bear had sprung into action.
“You need to run, Nina!”
“I’m not leaving you,” she argued, her hands clutching his fur almost painfully tight.
“Then you better hold on!” A growling Alex scooped Nina up with one paw as if she were light as a feather and lumbered toward the woods, staying as close to the ground as possible. In his mind’s eye, he pictured the Guardian and requested her help, hoping that his animal’s telepathic message would reach her.
Several yards into the thicket, he spotted blonde hair behind a large tree. “Over here,” the Guardian said, making her presence fully known. Alex dropped Nina unceremoniously at the Guardian’s feet with a loud thump!
“I told you the Hunters were coming,” Hannah said snidely, “but you didn’t listen.”
“You can pout about that later,” Nina said. She got up from the ground and brushed the leaves from her backside. “We need to figure out a way out of here.”
“There’s no way out,” a voice from the shadows stated.
All eyes turned toward the sound, but it was Nina who spoke first. “Liz?”
“You couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you, Nina?” Liz said as she emerged from the shadows.
Alex flashed a questioning look Hannah’s way, but the Guardian just shrugged. She looked just as confused as he was.
~~~
Nina blinked rapidly, wondering if she was hallucinating. “What are you doing here?” she asked Liz. She started to move toward her friend, but Hannah stopped her by grabbing her arm.
“I wanted to spare you the pain of watching...this. All you had to do was go on a date with Danny while I took care of business,” Liz responded. The voice sounded like Nina’s best friend, but something about it was a little off. “Although technically, the job I was hired to do is already done.”
“Job. What job?” Nina asked, her voice shaking. She was so confused!
“When the Alpha escaped the massacre, I was hired by the Hunters to find his mate. My job was to use you to lure the Alpha into the open so the Hunters could take him out. Using Danny’s attraction to you to stir up a bit of extra drama was my idea of having a little fun. ” Liz winked.
“You’re the rogue,” Hannah stated, pulling Nina close.
Liz laughed. “Very good. Bonus points for the blonde bimbo who almost foiled my mission.”
Nina’s head was spinning. “I don’t know what a rogue is, but if you’re not Liz, what have you done with her?” she demanded.
“She’s in here somewhere,” rogue Liz said, pointing to her head. “I only borrowed her body. When I leave, she’ll wake up with a monster headache and a memory gap. Unless one of you does something stupid to get her killed.”
Alex’s bear reared up on his hind legs, fierce and protective. He started to lunge at Liz, but Nina cried out to stop him. “Don’t hurt her!” she pleaded. He looked ready to shred the imposter to pieces.
“Down, biker bear,” rogue Liz said. “I have no interest in hurting your lady love. In fact, I almost enjoyed pretending to be her best friend for a while. She’s a feisty one, to be sure. Oh, you should have seen her face at the nail salon the day after you crashed into her life. It was lit up like the 4th of July.”
Nina glanced at Alex and her eyes met his, the glowing gold flecks reminding her of the motorcycle-riding man inside the bear.
“The Council posted a broadcast alert about you,” Hannah said to Liz. “It won’t be long before they bring you to justice.”
Liz reached down her shirt and pulled out a locket on a chain. “Oh, I got that alert, and every other one, too. I guess the Council forgot that I was a world-class hacker before I entered the Guardian program. My hacking skills didn’t die with my physical body. I will admit, though, that it took me a while to crack the Council’s ethereal communication code.”
Recognition washed over Nina’s face. That’s where she had seen a locket like Hannah’s before – around Liz’s neck!
“Uh oh,” Liz said with a grin. “Looks like we’re getting another alert now.” She opened the locket. “Oh dear, the Hunters are closing in. That means it’s time for me to go. Since your bear is about to be slain, Nina, you really should consider Danny as an alternative. He may not be your fated mate, but he’s a decent enough guy. So long, Guardian and friends. It’s been fun.” With a dramatic wave, rogue Liz ducked behind a tree and disappeared, leaving behind a ghostly shimmer in her wake.
A bullet whizzed past Alex’s head, missing him by mere inches. “Damn! Guardian, you need to get Nina to safety.” With that, the big bear lumbered away noisily, drawing attention away from his mate and her protector.
Nina tried to run after him, but Hannah stopped her. “Let me go!” Nina cried. “Alex, ALEX!”
“He’ll be okay,” Hannah said.
“How do you know that?” Nina asked with a pained voice.
“Because my assignment isn’t complete and I refuse to fail.” Hannah grabbed Nina’s arm and pulled her in the opposite direction of the Hunters. “C’mon. Once you’re safe, I’ll go back and help Alex.”
With tears blurring her vision, Nina followed Hannah blindly through the woods. She stumbled once or twice but managed to keep her footing. In the distance, she heard shouting and shots. When Hannah pulled Nina into the clearing, they were just a few feet from her car.
“Give me something to write with,” Hannah said, opening the door to the car and shoving Nina into the driver’s seat. Nina reached into the glove box and pulled out a small notebook and a pen.
Hannah wrote down an address and driving directions and handed the notebook back to Nina. “These are directions to an old hunting cabin I located a while ago to use as a safe house if needed. I made sure it’s clean, well-stocked, and comfortable. The front door should be unlocked. Go there and wait for Alex.”
“What if he doesn’t show up?” Nina asked.
Hannah smiled unconvincingly. “He has to. Destiny depends on it.”
~~~
The Guardian watched to make sure that Nina drove away. When the trail of exhaust from her car was no longer visible, she took several precious moments to gather ash from the burned-out village and placed it strategically in the Hunters’ vehicles. Then she grabbed one of their cell phones.
“911 operator. What’s your emergency?”
“I’d like to confess to a crime,” the Guardian said, using her powers to disguise her voice so that it sounded deep and masculine, just like the owner of the phone.
“Go ahead,” the operator stated.
“I’m at the scene of the Snohomish County arson. My hunting buddies and I did it.”
“Did what, sir?”
“We killed all those people and set fire to their homes to cover our tracks. I couldn’t live with the guilt anymore, but my friends don’t know that I’ve called you. Send the police! Hurry!”
The evidence she planted was weak and probably wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny, but it would give the police probably cause to detain the band of Hunters long enough for Alex and Nina to consummate their mating.
“What’s your name, sir? Sir?”
The Guardian didn’t respond. She had set the phone down without disconnecting the call so it could be traced and was already gone. Back into the woods to help save the Alpha. If it wasn’t too late.
Chapter 17
By the time Nina found the safe house tucked among the trees, the sun had gone down and her headlights provided the only illumination. The small log cabin was quiet and secluded, tucked away at the end of a gravel road a mile or so from the main highway.
She left her headlights on and approached the door, tentatively turning the handle. Just like Hannah said, it was unlocked. She reached inside, feeling around for a switch and finding one. She flipped the switch and a warm glow filled the small and cozy space.
After turning off her headlights, she went inside. In addition to electricity, the one-bedroom cabin had running water, a small bathroom, and a kitchenette with a well-stocked pantry. The living room furniture was well worn yet comfortable. Under less stressful circumstances, the cabin would have served as an amazing lover’s retreat. After putting some water on to boil for tea, Nina sat down to wait.
~~~
She must have dozed off because she was startled awake by a faint, far-off rumbling that shook the floorboards under her feet.
Alex!
She opened the cabin door and darted outside, where she saw nothing but her own car and darkness. Yet the rumbling sound was getting louder and closer. She ran part of the way down the gravel road, looking, hoping, wishing that her bear biker would break through the trees.
