“Why the hell would I do that?”
Amos’s lips thinned into a smile. “Because I know you’ve got your pretty little mate tucked in there.” He leaned his head back and took a sniff. “Hmm … I can smell her from here. She smells sweet.”
Ben gritted his teeth. “You’d have to go through me first.”
“I could, and I will,” Amos said. “But then what would happen to her when you're not here to protect her? You know there are things worse than death.”
“You bastard!” His bear roared deep inside him, and a growl tore from his throat. “You lay a hand on her—”
“Shut up and listen to your grandfather, boy!” Amos raised a hand and several barrels pointed toward Ben. “I know dragon scales are bullet proof, but what about bears with dragon blood? Care to test it?”
Ben froze. His bear wanted to fight, but he willed it to stay calm. There were too many of them, and those guns would slow him down.
“Ready to join us boy?" Amos sneered. "As long as you do as I say, she’ll be safe.”
Ben gritted his teeth, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. "My father, my cousins, and Hank Lennox will come after you.”
“When? Tomorrow when they’re done partying? I’ll have you and Penny in my territory by morning. And you’ll tell them you’re joining me willingly if you want to keep your precious Penny safe.”
“Why are you doing this? You’ve got an entire clan under you? Why me?”
For a moment, Ben saw something in the old man’s eyes he hadn’t yet seen. A flash of fear. It was quickly replaced by a hard glint. “Don’t you know what’s coming boy? They’re coming for us. They want war. And we need every strong bear to fight them off and keep our own safe.”
“Who? Who are you talking about?”
“Them. The—” Amos eyes grew wide as an ear-splitting screech broke through the air. The trees shook as strong gusts of wind blew over them. Overhead, something very large and gold flew by.
Uncle Hank, Ben thought in relief.
“Fuck!” Amos cursed as he grabbed Mia by the arm and dragged her to him. “You said those fuckers were still busy at their party!”
“They were when I got away from those wolves!” Mia cried. “I swear, Gramps, they were all guzzling champagne like there was no tomorrow!”
“You stupid bitch!” He threw her down on the dirt. “Goddammit!”
Another whoosh of wind. A second dragon flew above them. Ben heard the long huff of breath and knew what was coming. He covered his eyes as the fire rained down. The smell of burning fur and flesh filled the air, along with the sounds of screams and growls. He heard a lion roar and several wolves howl from deep in the winds.
“NO!” Amos screamed. “You’ll pay for this, boy!” An enormous dark brown grizzly tore out from Amos’ skin. It raised its paws in the air and then headed straight for him.
It took only a split second for his own bear to rip out of him. He was much bigger than Amos, of course, and younger, but he wasn’t going to underestimate the old man. Amos was probably nearing 70, but he was a shifter and in good condition. Plus, he had nothing to lose now.
The two bears clashed in a flurry of teeth and claws. Amos managed to get him in his side, his claws leaving a trail of blood down Ben’s rib cage. Ben roared in anger, and though he wanted the old man to suffer for everything he did and what he was planning to do to Penny, he just wanted this to be over even more. He used his paws to bring Amos down to the ground and push his head into the dirt, then sank his teeth into the other bear’s neck. As soon as blood gushed into his mouth, he let go of Amos’ neck and staggered back.
Ben pushed his bear back inside him. It had done enough, and he needed to take his body back. As he lay dying, Amos, too, began to transform back into his human form.
“B-b-boy,” he called in a weakening voice. “They’re coming. They’re ….” His eyes rolled back as the life slowly seeped out of him.
A chill blasted across his arms, causing the hair to stand straight up. What did Amos mean? Who was coming for them?
“Ben!”
He whipped around. Penny was standing by the door, barefoot and dressed in his shirt. Her face was pale and her eyes wide. When she tried to look down, he quickly ran to her, putting himself between her and Amos’ body.
“No, don’t look.”
“Oh, Ben!” She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. “I was so worried!”
“It’s done,” he said, rubbing his hand down her back. “No one will ever hurt you.”
“Ben!”
Nathan jogged up behind them, barely transformed back as grey fur receded into his body. “You all right?”
“Yeah, we’re good.” Ben looked around him. Most of the members of the Bronson clan were incinerated by Matthew’s dragon fire. He was sure a couple escaped, including his cousins. He shuddered at the thought. Amos was a mean bastard, and he did his best to make his grandkids just like him. He wondered what would have happened to him if his mother hadn’t run away with him. Would he have been like them? He turned to Nathan. “How did you know to come?”
“Penny called Kate,” Nathan said. “And Kate told us. Jason and Christina had just left for their honeymoon, and things were winding down.”
“You called for help?”
Penny nodded. “I knew something was wrong. I came down, and when I heard who that … that man was, I ran back upstairs and called Kate.”
He took her into his arms. “My mate is one smart cookie.”
They broke apart and joined Nathan and everyone else as they surveyed the damage. Uncle Hank and Matthew had flown his dad, Luke, Nathan, and Uncle Clark, since that was the fastest way up the mountain to Ben’s cabin. They had also called the Rangers for backup. As Matthew’s fire rained down, the others had flanked the rear to catch those who got away. Meanwhile, Uncle Hank had taken care of the bears guarding the back.
“There’s no one left,” Matthew said. “The Rangers caught the last three.”
“My cousins,” Ben said, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
“What should we do with them?”
“Lock them up. Throw away the key. I don’t care.” Ben squeezed Penny closer to him. "I just never want to see them ever again."
A car pulled into his driveway, one he recognized as Sybil’s. The door flew open, and Laura Walker came running out.
“Ben!” she cried as she threw herself against him. Penny stepped away quietly, giving his mother room. “Oh my God, I thought we were going to lose you.” Laura was shaking as he embraced her.
“I’m here, Mom, I’m here.”
Laura didn’t let go for a full minute until James came and gently pried her away. “I’m sorry, son,” he began. “This never should have happened.”
“It’s not your fault, Dad,” Ben said, then told them everything about his mother and Amos’ plan. Both of them had stunned looks on their faces by the time he finished. “I knew it. I did come from bad blood.”
“No, honey, don’t say that.” Laura came forward and touched Ben’s cheek. “I always wondered why she would just give you up. Then I became your mother, and then Amelia came, and I understood what it was like to have this person who you love more than anything in the world and you’d do anything to protect.”
“She must have loved you so much,” Penny added. “That’s not bad blood, Ben. That’s good. Good through and through, just like you.”
Ben’s throat burned with tears. At what he had lost even though he had been too young to understand. And the mother who must have loved him enough to give her life, so he didn’t have to suffer a childhood that surely would have turned him into a real monster.
“We had her buried in the cemetery in Verona Mills,” James said in a somber tone. “Laura makes sure she has fresh flowers every year on the anniversary of her death.”
“I’ll start visiting,” Ben said.
Laura smiled, even as tears streamed down her che
eks. “This is some night, isn’t it? But I think there’s something more important you have to do.”
Ben frowned. “What?”
“Introduce us to your mate,” Laura said as she looked at Penny, her smile growing even wider.
“Oh. Yeah.” Ben put an arm around Penny and pulled her forward. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Penny Bennet.” He looked down at Penny, his chest bursting with so much pride he could barely breathe. “My mate.”
Epilogue
Two months later …
Penny picked up the heavy basket with both arms, letting out an un-ladylike grunt as she lifted it out from the backseat of her car and placed it on the ground. Maybe I shouldn’t have packed so much food. But she wanted to surprise Ben. Though he’d probably be surprised enough once he saw the gift waiting at the bottom of the picnic basket.
“Mrs. Walker, can I give you a hand?”
It took Penny a few seconds to respond. She was still getting used to being called ‘Mrs. Walker’ by the employees at the mines. She turned around. “Oh thank you ….”
“Mike, ma’am,” the young man said as he picked up the basket with ease. “Where would you like me to take this?”
“Let’s go over there.” She pointed to the clearing behind a row of trees. She and Ben often had lunch there; in fact, that was the spot where Ben had asked her to marry him. He didn’t even wait a week after they were mated to ask. She said yes, of course, and they were married shortly after.
“Right here’s fine,” she said to Mike as they reached the shady spot under some trees. “Thank you so much.”
“Welcome, Mrs. Walker. Anything else I can do?”
“Yes, if you could call my husband, that would be great.”
“Will do.” Mike gave her a two-finger salute as he walked back toward the mines.
My husband, Penny said to herself as she began to unload the picnic basket. The words still felt alien to her ears, but her heart would always swell at the sound of it. And to think, their wedding had almost been a disaster, thanks to none other than her own mother.
Penny had left Greenville to live with Ben right after the night his grandfather’s clan had attacked them. Without their Alpha, what remained of the clan had scattered in the wind, but Ben wasn’t taking any chances. They sold her trailer and paid off some of her dad’s medicals bills, and she moved in with Ben. She was at the bank, signing the final papers of the sale when news of the scandal broke.
Coach John Stevens was caught having an affair with a sixteen-year-old student at Greenville High. He claims it was consensual, but the girl’s parents had pressed charges anyway. He was immediately fired, of course, and was now awaiting his trial at the county jail.
Penny wasn’t sure how to feel about it; in fact, she buried it deep inside, not wanting the old memories dredged up when the happiest day of her life was approaching. She had told Ben about it, and while he respected her need for privacy, he said he would be there whenever she was ready to talk and support her in whatever she wanted to do.
She really was ready to let go. But then, her mother showed up on her wedding day. At first, she thought her mother was ready to apologize for what had happened years ago, but it turned out, she thought it was her right to be there as the mother of the bride. Eleanor didn’t even want to talk about John. And so, without a second thought, Penny had her thrown out.
Maybe she should have felt some remorse over what she had done and some vindication over what had happened to John. Some closure, maybe. But she felt nothing. It scared her, but later, Ben told her that sometimes when something is done, it’s just done. Only you get to choose when something is over and that should be closure enough. And perhaps it was a good thing that happened on the day she was starting a new life. Speaking of which—
“What’s this?”
She turned around to find Ben standing behind her, a big smile on his face. “Surprise!” she said and moved closer to him. He immediately took her into his arms, lifted her up, and kissed her on the mouth. She melted against him, her knees weakening. Even after all this time, it still felt like that first time they kissed.
“It’s not my birthday or anything,” Ben said, his brows knitting together. “What’s the occasion?”
“Oh no occasion,” she said with a laugh. She hoped Ben didn’t hear the nervousness in her voice.
She sat down on the blanket she had laid out and motioned for him to sit beside her. Then, she opened the basket and started handing him the various containers inside, and they began to eat the feast she had prepared. Mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, buttered vegetables—all of Ben’s favorites that Laura had taught her how to cook. They chatted as they ate, and Ben polished off most of the large meal.
“I’m stuffed,” he said as he put down his plate.
“Finally?” she teased.
He laughed. “Yeah. But maybe I could go for some dessert.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap, making her straddle him. He pressed his mouth to hers in a long, lingering kiss. “Hmmm,” he said as he pulled away. “Sweetest thing in the world.”
“Ben …,” she whispered, then suddenly remembered why she was here. She rolled off him, then smoothed her skirt. “Um, there’s actually one more thing … could you look inside the basket, please?”
“Oh, did you really bring dessert? What is it?”
“Just go look.”
Ben reached for the basket and placed it on his lap. Opening the top, he reached around inside, his face lighting up when he found the gift she had left there. He took out a plain cardboard box. He shook it, shrugged, and then opened the container.
Penny’s heart began to speed up like a locomotive as she watched Ben reach inside and take out the one item she had placed in there.
His face was a mask of confusion as he took out the tiny shoe from the box. He stared at it for a second, then slowly turned to her. “Penny … are you ….”
“Yes.”
He let out a loud whoop and then picked her up in his arms and swung her around. “We’re having a cub!” he shouted. “I—Oh no!” He quickly put her down and then placed a hand over her belly. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Did I hurt the baby?”
Penny laughed. “No, no, not all! He or she is still very tiny.”
His face was beaming with pride. “I don’t think I could be happier than this moment. Who else knows?”
“No one. Well, except Kate. Because you know—”
“Kate is nosy,” Ben finished with a laugh. “We’ll tell Mom and Dad over dinner this week.”
“I can’t wait.”
They packed up the picnic, and Ben put the tiny shoe in his pocket, promising he’d carry it from now until the baby was born. As they walked back toward the mines, an unfamiliar car pulled in front of the office trailers. The driver’s side door opened, and a figure stepped out. It was a woman dressed in a white suit and stiletto heels and holding a leather briefcase.
“May I help you?” Ben said as the woman approached them.
The woman smoothed a hand over her midnight-black hair tucked into a neat bun. Light blue eyes tinged with a dark blue outer rim stared back at them. “Good afternoon,” she said, her voice low and husky. “I’m looking for Dr. Scott Philipps or a Mr. Benjamin Walker.”
“Dr. Philipps is still in the mines, but I’m Ben Walker.”
“Oh excellent,” she said, holding her hand out. “I’m Dr. Violet Robichaux.”
Ben shook it. “Dr. Robichaux. You’re coming in for an interview today.”
“That’s right.”
“We can do that now. Oh, this is my wife, Penny,” Ben said.
“How do you do, Mrs. Walker?” Dr. Robichaux greeted in a formal tone, her voice posh and refined.
Penny couldn’t help but stare. Violet Robichaux was beautiful in an unusual way—heart-shaped face, alabaster skin, and those strange eyes. They were almost hypnotic. “Um, I’m great. Nice to meet you.”
“Le
t’s go this way,” Ben said, motioning to his trailer office. The three of them started to walk over but stopped when they heard a loud voice from behind.
“Ben! Goddammit Ben, wait up!” Nathan called as he ran up toward them. “That fucker Jenkins left the fucking grinding machine on again during his break! I told him I was going to tear him limb from limb and piss on whatever was left if he ever—” He stopped short, skidding on the gravel right before he ran into Dr. Robichaux. His body tensed, and a growl emanated from his chest.
Dr. Robichaux stared at him and her nostrils flared. “Oh,” she said in a breathless voice.
“Oh?” Nathan echoed, his eyes glassy.
“Oh. No.” She shook her head. “This simply won’t do.”
“Huh?”
“No, this won’t do at all.” She straightened her shoulders. “I appreciate you and your wolf’s interest, but I’m afraid I can’t have a mate at this time. So, thank you, and I wish you well.”
Nathan continued to stare at her but didn’t move an inch.
Dr. Robichaux turned to Ben. “Mr. Walker, could we get on with the interview, please? It was a long flight, and I’d really like to go back to my hotel and rest.”
Ben didn’t answer her right away as he was giving Nathan a strange look. Penny nudged him in the side. “What? Oh yeah. Penny, sweetheart, could you show Dr. Robichaux to my office? I need to talk to Nathan.”
“Of course,” Penny said and led the other woman away. She glanced back and saw Ben talking to Nathan, who shrugged and walked away, kicking a rock in his path and shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Go right inside,” Penny said to Dr. Robichaux. “I’m heading out. It was nice to meet you.”
“Lovely to meet you as well,” she said before stepping into the trailer. As the door closed behind her, Ben came jogging up. “What was that about?” she asked. “Did I really hear her say mate? What did Nate say?”
The Blackstone Bear Page 15
