by Liza Street
Yeah, Mathers was, too. He’d orchestrated Caitlyn’s kidnapping and tried to do worse to her. If there was a cruel, harmful course of action to be taken, Mathers would always take it, and he’d purposefully make it worse while he was at it.
Too much thinking, his bear seemed to say, and he roared with a pulse of anger so white-hot, the woods seemed to glimmer. Then he put on a burst of speed.
Protect Lena, his mate. Protect his territory and the shifters within it.
The dump came into view, with its castoff cars and machinery punching up from the mud like claws and fists. It didn’t look like anyone was up.
Except for Shaw. He was there, leaning against the shell of a tractor, arms crossed over his chest.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Shaw said. “Well, hoping, really. I wasn’t sure you’d have the balls to show after I took down Lena’s other two boy toys.”
Carter growled. He’d show up to protect her every time, no matter what, no matter who threatened her and her loved ones.
“You should know she’s meant to be mine,” Shaw said, with a chuckle. “I see that possessive glint in your eye. But her family’s bloodline is important to me; my family has been following it for generations. The cougars we could make together would be fiercer and stronger than any others. Untainted by lesser affiliations.”
The man was sick. Carter didn’t want to hear any more of this talk. It was time for the challenge.
He reared up on his hind legs. Opening his jaws, he roared, loud and powerful. His rage erupted from his throat. A challenge. For Lena. For himself. For Marcus. For anyone who might stand up to Shaw.
For Kyle.
This was the moment of reckoning.
“Yes, fine, a challenge,” Shaw said.
Carter roared a second time. Get on with it.
Looking bored, Shaw took off his long-sleeved shirt and dropped it on the ground, then he toed off his shoes and socks and shoved down his pants.
White light shone around Shaw for a brief moment, then faded to reveal a mountain lion. He was nearly twice the size of Lena’s lion and looked a fuck-ton meaner. His eyes glowed with murderous intent.
If Carter wasn’t careful, he might not walk away from this.
Shaw’s muscles bunched. It was the only warning Carter had before Shaw sprang forward.
Carter’s world narrowed to a series of images: a wide mouth with wicked teeth; outstretched paws, claws extended; golden eyes, narrowed in concentration.
Sweeping out with his front foot, Carter blocked Shaw’s first assault. Shaw seemed to expect that and immediately swung around for a rebounding launch at Carter’s neck.
Carter fell to all fours and twisted his head down, trying to reach Shaw’s momentarily exposed belly. Shaw twisted in mid-air, protecting himself but losing his momentum.
It was his first mistake. He should’ve taken the punishment to his stomach, because now Carter had the advantage of being over him. Carter didn’t waste a second, locking his jaws onto Shaw’s rear haunch. The scent of blood filled his nose and he tasted it. Shaw screamed, the haunting call of an enraged cougar.
Something sharp raked against the back of Carter’s neck. He bellowed, letting go of Shaw’s leg.
Another bear was behind him—Mathers. Carter didn’t have time to be surprised. This had been a challenge for Shaw, and Shaw alone.
But since when had Mathers cared about the rules of engagement?
Now Carter would fight against two. He growled and faced his opponents.
Shaw sprang from the left, and Mathers lunged forward on the right. Carter wouldn’t be able to hold them both back at the same time. He let his gut decide, and he charged Shaw.
A second mountain lion leaped into the fray. For a half-second, Carter thought he was a dead man, because he wouldn’t be able to fight three. But then he caught a whiff of mint and he realized the new cougar was Lena.
His brave, beautiful mate. She launched herself onto Mathers’s back and held on with her forelegs, claws digging for purchase into Mathers’s shoulders. He roared and spun around, trying to dislodge her, but she bit down on the back of his neck.
Carter had to focus on Shaw as they collided. They fell to the dirt, Carter on top. Shaw twisted on the ground and swiveled his neck so he could get a grip on Carter’s shoulder. He clamped down and Carter roared. He could imagine how Marcus had lost part of his arm—Shaw was not holding back.
But neither was Carter. First, though, Carter had to get Shaw to let go of his shoulder. Bunching his body, he acted like he was trying to crush Shaw. Predictably, Shaw loosened his hold and scrambled away. Carter followed him, intent on pummeling him, but when he looked up, he froze. Lena was on the ground, Mathers tearing into her stomach and chest with his claws.
Everything slowed. Carter’s mind put everything on hold as he took in the blood. It splattered against the dirt, and Lena’s golden coat was stained with it. Her blue gaze was alert and angry, but her attempts to dislodge Mathers were futile.
And Shaw was heading toward her.
Carter chased him, but he’d never be fast enough. They would kill Lena.
Instead of going for Lena, though, Shaw jumped up to Mathers’s shoulder. Mathers wasn’t expecting that move, and his throat was exposed.
Shaw bit down and tore.
Shaw didn’t even wait to watch Mathers fall backward under his weight. Already, he was turning back to Carter.
Carter realized—Shaw wouldn’t let Lena die. Her bloodline was that important to him.
But Shaw would definitely kill every single person she cared about, and every person who stood up to protect her from Shaw.
Carter’s foreleg was useless. It would heal with his next shift, but he couldn’t use it to fight. He stood on his hind legs so he’d still have one free leg to use.
Shaw took advantage of his standing position and barreled forward. The impact rocked Carter backward. He didn’t fall, but Shaw latched onto him and kicked hard with his strong hind legs. It felt as if he were shredding Carter’s gut open.
Carter roared in pain. A few more kicks raking across his pelt, and he would be dead. If he was going to die, he wanted to get a last look at Lena, so he focused on where she’d been lying beneath Mather.
She wasn’t there.
The weight on Carter’s stomach fell away. Shaw was on the ground a few feet off, struggling beneath another cougar—Lena. He growled and kicked against her, trying to catapult her off of him, but she held fast.
Blood from her wounds dripped everywhere. Carter staggered over to her and Shaw, ready to tear Shaw’s throat out once and for all.
But Lena beat him to it, lowering her face to Shaw’s.
Carter could read the way she was evaluating him. Would he submit? Would he ever stop coming after her?
The hatred in Shaw’s gaze said no. He would chase Lena forever.
She clamped her teeth down on his neck. One motion, and Shaw was dead.
Lena backed away from the body, her cougar eyes wide. She was still bleeding, although not as much as she had been.
Carter hurt all over. He shifted, his bones cracking and reforming, his muscles tearing and adjusting back to human. His arm was wracked with stabs of agony as the injury partially healed with the change.
He stood naked in front of Lena, who was swallowed up by her own shifting light. A moment later, the light faded and she emerged in her human skin, looking shocked.
“Did I…” She gestured at the dead mountain lion on the ground.
Carter opened his arms and she fell against him, holding tight around his waist.
25
Lena couldn’t believe what had just happened. Carter’s arms were the only things grounding her to reality. His presence gave her strength.
“You did it,” he murmured, pressing his face into her hair. “You were so brave and strong.”
Lena had never killed anyone. Taking a life wasn’t even something she’d thought she would be capable of. Y
es, she’d hated Shaw. Yes, he’d killed her sister, and Kyle, and he’d tried to kill Marcus.
But he hadn’t killed Lena. He’d saved her from Mathers, for one thing.
He was still just as bad as before, but motivated by a sick need to mate with her bloodline. Saving her life was only about saving his chance of claiming her.
Shaw couldn’t claim her, and he never would. Her mate was this man, Carter, who held her up when she thought she’d fall and reminded her that she was strong.
“You’re bleeding,” she said, noticing that his side was slippery with blood beneath her palm.
“So are you.”
“I want a shower,” she said. She needed to clean the scents of Shaw and Mathers from her skin—she wanted to be purified in hot water and punishing steam, something to choke the memories of the last hour away.
“I don’t have a shower,” he said, “but we can go to the lake.”
She nodded and squeezed him tighter. She didn’t want to step back from his comfort and warmth.
She heard the smile in his voice as he said, “Should I carry you? Seems like you don’t want to move.”
“Carrying sounds nice.”
A second later, the world tilted sideways and she was in his arms, held like a bride.
“I like carrying you like this,” Carter said, his voice rumbling through her body.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I get a great view of your tits.”
She laughed. “You’re terrible.”
“I know.” He bent forward and placed a smacking kiss on her lips.
When he went for another kiss, she held up a hand. “Nope. Not until I’ve rinsed off.”
He started walking comically fast.
She felt loopy, half-drunk, as the adrenaline left her system. Her love for this man was overpowering, filling her veins, causing her heart to swell in her chest. She couldn’t believe she’d ever doubted that love, or his feelings for her. “You and me, right?”
“Yes, kitty cat. You and me,” he said with certainty.
It pleased her immensely that he didn’t need to ask what she was talking about.
He wasn’t even winded from carrying her when they reached the lake, and he let her down gently. She kept hold of his hand as they waded into the chilly water. Her wounds from Mathers were tender across her belly, but they’d already closed and she would live. And she’d keep all of her limbs, unlike Marcus. A pang of sorrow ran through her, but at least he was alive.
She submerged her entire body in the lake, washing away the blood. Washing away the memories of tonight’s violence would be even better, but she couldn’t have everything.
When she emerged, Carter was behind her, so she backed up until her ass and shoulders hit his front.
Wrapping his arms around her, he murmured, “I was so scared for you.”
“Mathers really wanted to kill me,” she said, looking down at the pink lines crossing her stomach.
“He’s killed women before,” Carter said. “It’s why he was put in the Junkyard.”
Lena shivered, and it wasn’t just because of the cold water.
Carter spun her around so she faced him, then he threaded his fingers through her wet locks. “Can I kiss you now?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
His kiss transported her to a higher plane, a world where pain and sorrow were diminished and served only to heighten pleasure and joy. He claimed her with his lips and caressed her with his hands, and her body warmed.
“I want you,” she said, turning around.
He didn’t need to ask what she meant. His palm was warm against her upper back, and he pushed her forward and down so she was nearly bent in half, the top of her head grazing the surface of the lake. He touched her pussy with his fingers, testing her readiness and turning her on even further.
She wanted him with every fiber of her being—from the top of her head touching the water, to her toes that curled in the mud and pebbles of the lake’s bottom.
“I’m ready,” she said. “Please, Carter.”
He gripped her hip with one hand and guided his cock into her with the other. His thickness filled her, warmed her core.
“Fuck,” he said.
“I know—so good.” Lena closed her eyes and rocked back on her heels, trying to take more of him.
“No.” He started to pull out. “No condom.”
“We’ll take—our chances—” she gasped, reaching back to hold his thighs tightly against hers. She meant it. She’d have a baby with this man tomorrow with no hesitation. But did he feel the same? “Unless—”
“I’m in this with you,” he said, his voice clear over the still lake. His cock pulsed eagerly inside of her. “One hundred percent.”
“Then fuck me, Carter.”
She had a view of their legs, shin-deep in lake water, and the moonlit forest in the background. Her world narrowed to Carter’s thrusts, the heavy, tingling feelings in her pussy, and the build of pleasure moving outward from that point.
He moved within her, gliding in and out of her easily, slowly. They were in no rush; they had all night. She looked up to see the place where they joined. The visual alone had her gasping—his cock, so thick, pistoning in and out of her like that.
“Carter,” she said.
He kept his movements slow and deliberate. He was driving her mad.
“Carter.” Her voice was higher. She felt needy and hot. All the blood was rushing to her head and her body felt light. “Carter, please.”
“Mmm. I’ll never get tired of you begging,” he said, and moved faster.
She squeezed him with her pussy and began rocking on her own, despite the tight grip he had on her hips.
“Fuck,” he said.
That was right—she’d make him lose control.
He yanked her torso up to his and grasped her breasts, still pumping within her. She moaned and reached down to touch her clit. So close, the pleasure had gathered to its breaking point.
“Lena, Lena,” Carter said in a growl. He bit down on her shoulder and she came apart in his arms.
They stood in the lake, breathing heavily, until goosebumps formed on Lena’s skin.
“Come on,” Carter said, “let’s get you dry and warm.”
She wasn’t cold, exactly, but she couldn’t deny the appeal of curling up with Carter and falling asleep. There would be things to deal with tomorrow—Shaw’s and Mathers’s bodies, explanations, and so on. But for now, she’d fall asleep with her mate, finally secure that everything was going to be okay.
Lena held Carter’s hand tightly in her own. They’d just met with Jase. A supply truck was due this morning with more food. They’d hauled Mathers’s and Shaw’s bodies over the barrier for the delivery guys to deal with. Nobody wanted their rotting corpses in the Junkyard.
Now, she and Carter faced the invisible wall near the trailer. The woods beyond Grant and Caitlyn’s cabin looked untamed and endless. Lena’s inner lion wanted out—she wanted to run and play, frolic with her mate.
Carter squeezed her hand. “I love you, Lena. Whatever this stupid wall thinks, you’re my mate. Always.”
“I know it.” Leaning toward him, she kissed his bicep, then followed the kiss with a playful little nip.
“Naughty,” he said, giving her ass a spank.
She laughed.
“Gross, guys,” someone said behind them.
She turned to see Marcus approaching, a faint smile on his face. The sling he’d worn for his arm last night was already abandoned somewhere. Good—that meant he was healing quickly.
“What are you up to?” he asked.
“I think…I think we’re going to try something,” Lena said. “I was waiting for you, actually, in case it means saying goodbye.”
Marcus’s gray eyes widened. “Really.”
“We’re not sure it’ll work,” Carter said. “It didn’t work last time we tried.”
Lena remembered it—her anger at Carter for
hauling her to the boundary, then her hope that it would let them through, followed by the disappointment when the barrier held fast.
“It’s okay if it doesn’t,” Lena said quickly. “But if it does…”
She let go of Carter to hold her arms out for a hug.
Marcus enfolded her in an embrace, careful to keep his injured arm from any pressure, then pulled back to smile at her. “Good luck, Lena.”
Deep down, she didn’t think it would work. This goodbye was for nothing. But Carter took her hand again and they held out their free ones as they stepped forward.
She met no resistance. It was as if the wall didn’t exist. Gravel crunched beneath her shoes and she looked down.
They were over the gravel line. On the other side.
She looked up at Carter and saw his deep blue eyes shining down at her.
On the other side, Marcus let out a whoop and stepped forward. “You did it!”
Lena guessed what he was about to do as he took another step toward her and Carter. “I don’t think—”
Marcus’s hand met the wall and his face fell. “Of course.”
“We were told mates can get through,” Lena said.
“But it doesn’t always work,” Carter added. “We’re not sure why.”
Marcus shook his head. “Not that it matters—do you see a lot of potential mates around here? It’s all for the best, I guess. After all, I’m in here for a reason.”
He didn’t sound bitter, though. Lena wished she really knew why he’d been thrown inside, but it wasn’t her business.
“We’ll come back and visit you,” she told him.
He nodded and waved at them. “Thanks, I’d like that.”
Lena waved back and watched until Marcus walked away.
“I feel bad,” she said to Carter.
“Me, too. But we really will come back. Any time you want to.”
They turned as one to face the forest in front of them. Lena tugged off her shirt, then her pants. “Race you to the nearest stream.”
“You’re on, kitty cat.”
Moments later, a mountain lion and a grizzly bear chased each other through the trees, tawny gold and dark brown fur dappled with sunlight and freedom.
