“… waking up. Get ready.”
His eyes flew open, then quickly shut as light penetrated his corneas. Slowly, he opened them up again. At first, everything was fuzzy. In no time, as his shifter metabolism got rid of the remains of the bloodsbane, his vision cleared up.
They were in some sort of clearing, surrounded by trees. A campsite, it looked like, as he saw some picnic tables a few feet away. He didn’t recognize this one, but from the subtle scent in the air, he guessed they were in a shifter-only area of the mountains. Probably Campsite Sigma in Sector 12.
“Ah, here we are. Get up, you beast.”
“Beast?” he slurred. “I’ll show you—” Fuck! Something prevented him from moving his arms, and try as he might, he couldn’t free his limbs. “Bastards,” he spit out. They had tied him down with chains. “This isn’t going to hold me.” He struggled to his knees as his grizzly prepared to take over their body. The shift alone would be enough break free of the metal links.
“I know,” Nox answered. “And it’s not supposed to. Get that camera ready,” he hissed to someone behind Daniel.
“Motherfucker!” He reined back his Grizzly. It roared at him, wanting to break them free. No, we can’t let them film us. Nox’s words from earlier came back to him. They were planning to film him killing a human. But how?
The girl. His keen senses picked up the soft cries and sniffles. His head snapped toward the source somewhere on his right. There she was, a few feet away, crumpled on the ground, her hands tied behind her as tears poured down her cheeks. Big blue eyes looked at him, the terror unmistakable.
“Myers,” Nox called. “Are you ready?”
A man in a plaid shirt and khaki pants walked up to him. “Yes, Lord Nox.”
“You’re making a great sacrifice to the cause,” Nox said. “Your name will be celebrated in the history books.”
“I am honored to make this sacrifice, Lord Nox. For our cause. For The Knights.”
A chill ran down Daniel’s spine. This man … they were going to sacrifice him. To Daniel’s grizzly. “Bastards!” he scream. “I won’t kill him.”
“If you don’t, then the girl dies,” Nox said. “Kill her, Myers.”
“Yes, Lord Nox.” He bowed deeply, then removed something dangling from his belt. Something shiny that glinted when light from the setting sun caught it. A knife.
Daniel swallowed, watching as Myers approached the girl. Her eyes grew wide, and she froze as she saw the knife, her mouth forming an O. A scream ripped from her mouth as Myers drew closer.
“C’mon now, hero,” Nox taunted. “Are you going to let him kill her?”
“Fuck you!” he spat. “I won’t be part of your games.” He lowered his voice so the girl wouldn’t hear him. “You’re going to kill her anyway.” She would be a witness, after all.
“Yes, but Myers can make it a long, agonizing death,” Nox cackled. “And you’ll watch every minute of it. Now, you can watch while he slices her up, or you can kill him now, and I promise I’ll make it quick for the both of you.”
Hope drained from within him. There was no winning this. The only way he could save the girl was to kill Myers, but that’s what Nox wanted. Or he could watch that butcher cut up an innocent girl.
I have to at least try.
Letting out a deep roar, he called on his grizzly. It was only happy to oblige, and his muscles rippled and his limbs stretched out.
“Start filming!”
Sharp teeth grew from his mouth and fur sprouted all over his body. As his shoulders and torso swelled, the chains strained, the sound of metal breaking apart ringing through the forest. Just one more—
A pained shout tore through the air. But it wasn’t the girl.
What the hell?
A great big brown blur whizzed past him and barreled straight into Myers, knocking him down. He didn’t know what it was, but something about it was familiar. Then, something shimmered in the corner of his eyes. Sunlight glinted off gold metal.
Thoralf!
Dressed in his full armor, the dragon shifter swung his sword as he sliced through two of Nox’s minions. Another tried to get him from behind, but Thoralf easily evaded them and ran his weapon through the attacker’s stomach.
“What the hell—get them!” Nox sputtered.
Daniel wasted no time as he finished his shift, his grizzly’s body completely breaking free of the chains. As he charged toward Nox, from the corner of his eye he saw the remaining goons point their guns at Thoralf. Instantly, scales rippled from his body, and the bullets bounced off him.
“No!” Nox screamed indignantly. “Damn you—”
But the grizzly landed on top of him, full of rage as it dragged its long claws down his face. The metallic smell of blood tinged the air, and Nox’s screams of pain echoed through the woods. Another paw came down, ripping at his chest and piercing through the Kevlar. Finally, the grizzly’s giant maw opened up and went straight for the man’s throat.
The warm trickle of blood in their mouth made Daniel want to gag, but the grizzly was in charge. Only when Nox’s body stopped twitching and convulsing did it let go. It got up and backed away, lumbering around to check their surroundings for more danger.
It seemed they had gotten rid of all of Nox’s men as there were no more of them around. Not alive, anyway. Myers’s bloody body lay on the ground, his torso shredded in a similar manner to Nox’s. There had been another bear who had come in, but who was it?
“Daniel, are you all right?”
The grizzly swung around and roared at the dragon shifter.
Thoralf chuckled. “I’m sorry, my friend, that it took so long to come and rescue you. The mountains were much vaster than I initially thought. It was a good thing I came across your bear friend, and he deduced where you could be.”
Bear friend? But that other bear wasn’t Damon or anyone else that smelled—
Krieger.
John Krieger was one of the five men he’d gone into the ranger training with five years ago. He’d been a quiet guy, mostly kept his head down and did all the exercises without complaint. The old chief had assigned him a permanent position up near Contessa Peak, and as far as Daniel knew, he mostly stayed up there.
“Are you unharmed?” Thoralf asked.
He nodded, but of course he didn’t see that. He was fine but—the girl! Quickly, he pushed his grizzly back down, shifting back to his human form. “There’s a girl,” he managed to say as he took in a big gulp of air. “She’s—” Glancing back, he saw that she was still there on the ground, but it looked like she had passed out.
“I’ll see to her,” Thoralf offered and rushed toward the prone form.
“Jesus.” He raked his hand through his blood-soaked hair. Adrenaline was still pumping in his veins, making him jittery. Hopefully there would be no more surprises.
However, the wind picked up, making the trees shake all around them. The sound of wings flapping made him look up to the sky.
“Oh, fuck!” Spoke too soon. “Ack!” He was blinded again as something gold flashed above him, slowly getting larger. Two giant clawed feet landed with a thunderous thud, making the ground shake. The fifty-foot golden dragon stood there for a moment, shaking its mighty wings before it began to shrink. Soon, Jason Lennox’s naked form stood in its place.
“Daniel—Jesus!” His silvery eyes bugged out as Daniel’s blood-covered form greeted him. “What the hell happened?”
“The Knights,” he said. “They took me. And a hiker,” he nodded toward Thoralf, who was untying the girl’s bonds. “Long story. But we took care of them.”
Jason winced at the carnage around them. “Yeah, you did. Fuck, I’m gonna have a whole bunch of paperwork to fill out.” He raked his hands through his hair. “I—shit. They’re here.” The sound of engines drew closer.
“Did you bring backup?” Daniel asked, and Jason answered with a nod. “And by the way, how did you find me if you weren’t with Thoralf and Krieger?”
<
br /> “Damon called me when you didn’t check in while doing your rounds,” he answered.
“But how did he know I was in trouble?”
“It was Sarah,” Jason said. “Apparently Thoralf was looking for you and she figured out there was something wrong and called Damon. She blew our cover, but I understand. She’s your mate; of course, she’s worried about you.”
“How did you know she’s my—never mind.” Damon probably told them.
“Speaking of which,” Jason said. “She’ll be here anytime now.”
“Wait—she’s coming here?”
“Of course. She raised hell when we wouldn’t let her come. Threatened to expose us, then sue the rangers and me for every penny I got until I let her in the truck.” Jason removed a drawstring bag hanging from his shoulder, opened it, and tossed Daniel something which he caught. “Brought you some extra shorts. You’ll want to wash up before your reunion.”
He glanced down at his blood-covered body. “Right.” He moved stiffly as he made his way to the edge of the clearing to a small brook just outside the campsite. Quickly, he washed himself with the cold mountain water as best as he could and then slipped the shorts on before heading back.
The clearing was starting to fill with people from The Agency. He saw Thoralf talking to Jason and one of the female agents wrapping a blanket around the girl, and he sighed with relief. However, when he saw a familiar figure sitting at one the picnic tables, he tensed once again. Sarah.
She’d been worried for him. Believed that he was in danger without any hesitation. And she’d even fought a Blackstone dragon so she could come and rescue him. If that didn’t mean she was ready to be mates, he didn’t know what else would prove it.
His heart hammered as he pivoted in her direction, his steps picked up as he approached her. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and kiss her. And tell her he loved her with all his heart.
She must have sensed his approach, because her head lifted. The sight of her velvety brown eyes growing wide pinned him to the spot. “D-Daniel.” Her lower lip trembled. “I—” She sucked in a quick breath. “You’re … okay.”
“I sure am,” he said, his voice hoarse as emotion welled up.
She gave him a curt nod. “All right then.”
All right then? That didn’t sound like the warm reception he was expecting.
Standing up, she smoothed her palms down on her jeans. “I’m glad. And that it’s all over.”
“All over?” he echoed.
“Yeah. The Knights … they’re gone, right? They’re not a danger to you anymore.”
“I suppose.” Nox and his men were dead, and the hiker was safe.
“Good.” Her shoulders did a little shrug. “Well, I guess that means me and Adam and Darcey aren’t in danger either.”
“I guess.”
“Great. I’ll catch a ride back with the agents, and I can go pick up Adam.”
“Pick up Adam?” What the hell is she saying?
“We’ll grab our things from your house and head back. Christina offered the use of their private jet.” The corner of her lips turned up, but her eyes remained dull. “Adam will be thrilled.”
Numbness spread in his chest, down to his limbs, making it difficult to speak.
She cleared her throat. “By the way, I’ll file the paperwork first thing tomorrow when we get back.”
“Paperwork?”
“Yeah, the annulment papers.”
The words were like knives twisting in his gut. He stared at her, not saying anything or moving, as if that would slow down the world crumbling around him.
She stood there, her lips pursed together for what seemed like eons. “All right then. Have—have a good life, Daniel.” Quickly, she pivoted on her heel and rushed off.
He stared after her, dumbfounded. “Have a good life?” he repeated.
What. The. Fuck.
“Sarah!” He called after her. When she didn’t stop or turn back, he finally found the strength to pry his feet from where they were frozen to the ground and tore after his mate. It only took half a second to get in front of her. “Sarah! Wait!” He grabbed her arms. “Sarah … Sarah, look at me,” he urged, gripping her tighter when she turned her head away and tried to squirm away. “Please.”
Chocolate brown eyes glittered with unshed tears, and he felt his heart crack. “Let me go, Daniel.”
“Let you go?” The forcefulness of the last syllable made her flinch. “I can’t, Sarah. I can’t let you just walk out of my life.”
Her jaw tightened as two tears tracked down her cheeks. “You don’t want me around.”
“Don’t want you—” He wanted to shake her, but stopped himself. “What the hell makes you think that?”
“Because you didn’t tell me I was your mate!”
Oh, shit. How did she—
“I had to find out from Gabriel,” she spat.
“Fuck. That’s not how—”
“It’s all right,” she said, her shoulders sinking. “I just … I understand. This was all temporary. And getting married was a drunken mistake. We shouldn’t have—”
This time, it was his grizzly who answered with a roar of denial. It rattled through his chest and ripped through his throat so loudly, it made Sarah snap her mouth shut. “I don’t know where you got that idea, but you’re wrong.”
Her nostrils flared. “Then why didn’t you tell me? Gabriel said you didn’t want to.”
“Not yet.” His chest ached with desperation as he felt her about to slip from his fingers. All because he didn’t tell her right away. “You weren’t ready to hear it. If you were a shifter it would have been easier. You would have known right away, like I did.” He took a deep breath and took her hands into his. “I think … that night we met, someone roofied my drink. It’s a special drug that only affects shifters. But right before I took it, I saw you and recognized who you were to me. But the drug made me forget, for the most part.
“I woke up the next day, and there were flashes. For months, I could feel something was wrong with me, but I didn’t know what. Then you came here and found me, and I knew it right away. I wanted you right then and there. I concocted that plan to fake our marriage, though I knew it was wrong. But then you walked back into HQ and told me you wanted to stay, well, I went along with it, but all this time, I’ve been trying to find ways to win you over.”
She double-blinked. “Win me over?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his head with his palm. “I wanted you to want to stay because of me. Not because of some publicity stunt. But the mating thing is complicated enough as it is. I didn’t think you felt the same yet, not with the same intensity as I did. Mates, you see, once they’re ready to open up to each other, they form a bond. One that’s unbreakable and links them for life. I wasn’t sure that you were even open to that, and I wanted to give you time. I’m sorry, Sarah. I messed this all up.”
“Y-you wanted to give me time?”
“Yes,” he said. “To fall in love with me the way I fell in love with you.”
Her jaw dropped. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she sucked in a breath instead.
“Sarah? Are you all—”
“I love you,” she blurted out as her cheeks reddened. “Oh God. Daniel. I love you.”
“Sarah …” His arms encircled her as he pulled her to him, bending his head to kiss her.
Daniel always thought that the first time he kissed his fated mate, he’d hear trumpets blaring in the background, fireworks blasting, or a choir of angels sing. But he’d already kissed her several times, and there had been no such music in his ears.
But this kiss … well, it would certainly give all the angels in heaven a run for their money. Music filled his ears, like the sweetest symphony on earth. It spread through him, warming him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes as he felt something tighten around his chest, but in a good way. He pulled away from her in surprise. “Sarah … I thi
nk …”
“Did we bond?” she asked.
He nodded. “I can feel you.” Taking her hand, he placed it on his chest. “Right here.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
“I love you, Sarah.” He kissed her knuckles. “My mate. Will you stay with me? Here in Blackstone? Or I can move to Las Vegas. I don’t care where we live, as long as we’re together.”
She shook her head. “No, I can’t ask you to do that,” she said. “I can do my work from anywhere, but you can’t. I’ll move here.”
“Really?” He whooped in joy and lifted her up, spinning her around. “You won’t regret it.” He kissed her hard. “You’ll love living here. So will Adam. Lucas Lennox High has a great computer science program. He’ll get into MIT for sure and—”
“Wait, what?” Her eyebrows knitted together. “Adam? Here? In Blackstone?”
He nodded vigorously. “Of course. I’ve thought this through. He’ll live with us. Your sister, too. Blackstone’s a shifter town. Darcey’ll fit right in. And you can open your store here.”
“I …” A choked cry escaped her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
“Baby doll, don’t cry.” He wiped at her cheeks with his thumbs.
“These are tears of happiness, silly” she said with a laugh. “I can’t believe that you’d want them with us.”
“Of course.” His grizzly chuffed with indignation at the thought that Adam and Darcey would live anywhere else but within their den. “You’re mine, Sarah. And that means they belong to me too. Mine to protect and watch over.”
“I … I don’t know what to say. Th-thank you.”
“No need for that,” he said. “Just say you’ll be with me, forever.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Forever.”
Blackstone Ranger Hero Page 17
