Bearing Secrets (14 page)

After living in Arizona, Ivy
had never pictured being somewhere with a beach right outside her door, let
alone freezing cold weather. Even with the chill, she strolled along the edge
of the water, tossing pebbles into the crashing waves that sent white foam in
the air. Day or night, Brown Island was beautiful. If it wasn’t for the waves,
the beautiful sunsets and rises, it was the aurora borealis putting on a
fantastic light show. If she ever had to leave the island, she knew she’d never
be able to find a place more stunning.

Even after being there for
over two months, she hadn’t grown tired of what the land had to offer. Once the
weather was nicer, she had plans to explore more of it, hopefully with the
company of her men if they could tear themselves away from their work long
enough. The forum had begun taking more and more time for both of them, but
especially Trey, leaving Turi to handle the things that came up with the
sleuth.

Despite the time she had with
her men was limited, it was all worth it. That forum was bringing everyone
together as a whole, making things a little easier for Tabitha. It had even
expanded Theodore’s business. He had more orders than he could handle, and he’d
hired his cousin John to assist with some of the crafting, while he would
continue to do the finer details.

To say everything was going
smoothly would be an understatement. Her life was perfect. The only thing
missing was Chad to celebrate in her joy. No matter where he was or what he was
doing, she hoped he was happy. The thought of never seeing him again still
pained her but with each day she began to accept it. Her mates made sure she
didn’t wallow in her sadness or worries. They’d take time out of whatever they
were doing when she’d start to feel sorry for herself or the situation and show
her just what she meant to them.

“Ivy.” Turi jogged down the
beach toward her. “I’m glad I found you.”

“What’s wrong?”

Turi slid to a halt in front
of her, sending sand flying through the air. “I thought you’d like to know we’ve
received our first outcry for help through the forum. A tigress from Washington
D.C. sent a message just under an hour ago. She’s on the run from her Alpha who
found out she’s supportive of Tabitha.”

“Why is she running? Why not
just leave the clan?”

Turi slid his hands along her
arms. “The Alpha has determined that anyone found supporting Tabitha will die.
She has a bounty on her head, so for her it’s run or be killed.”

“Wow.” She took a deep breath,
trying to calm the thoughts that were running through her mind. “We must help
her.”

“Theodore will be leaving
within the hour to pick up Styx from the Alaskan Tigers. They’ll check out the
coordinates the woman gave and we’ll go from there.”

“Wait, shouldn’t we go?”

“No, we have other things we
need to attend to. Theodore was going to West Virginia anyway to drop off the
furniture Jinx and Summer ordered. So he can fly and Styx will be the muscle.
There’s nothing to worry about and if things get out of control, Jinx and his
clan are close by.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I came out here to tell
you this forum is doing great. We’ve seen some interaction from different clans
with it, but this is the first lead we’ve received through it.”

“Maybe we could use it to
locate Randolph and his gang of rogues,” she suggested, still eager to have
them eliminated after what they did to her clan. If Randolph was eliminated,
her heritage and relation to him would no longer matter.

“Connor, the wolf shifter of
the Alaskan Tigers, heads up the Nerd Crew, and his team is working on leads.
Anything the forum would produce would go to him. Ty would send a team to find
him.” He pulled her tight against him. “Don’t worry, we’ll catch him.”

“I don’t doubt that, I only
wonder how many more will die before we do. The man I heard talking on the
phone after the attack said there would be more…”

“But there haven’t been,” Turi
reassured her.

“Not yet, but he said they’d
wait until our guard was down.” The thought that another clan would go through
what she had made her sick.

“Everyone who is devoted to
Tabitha is on guard. We’re as protected as we can be. Hopefully we can find
them before they hurt anyone else.” He ran his hands down her back, drawing
small circles in the arch of her back where she kept her tension bottled.
“You’re safe here on the island, and you know we’d protect you.”

“I know but there are so many
others who don’t have mates like you and Trey to protect them. Alphas have
guards, but the women and children of the clans are left vulnerable.”

“We can only do so much. We
have suggested that the clan install fences and employ ground guards for the
extra protection, though nothing is foolproof. Even the Alaskan Tigers’
compound had attacks, and they have one of the best security teams around.” He
laid a light kiss on the top of her head. “It’s a dangerous time we live in and
fear is an everyday thing, but we can’t let it control us or stop us from
living the life we were meant to have.”

Knowing he was right, she
rested her head against his chest. Things were dangerous for the shifters and
there was no end in sight. With the proposal on how to integrate themselves
into the human world in Ty and Tabitha’s hands, she’d finally realized what kind
of battle they were up against. Was it one that would be worth it in the end,
or would the price be more blood than they cared to spill? Only time would
reveal the answer to that.

The cost made no difference if
they were going to make a better life for future generations; there were
battles that had to be fought. The rogues being the first. She wouldn’t be on
the front lines against Randolph or the rogues, but she’d do what she could to
see them defeated.

One thing she knew. The battle
was coming, and she’d make damn sure they were prepared. War had casualties but
she wasn’t about to lose anyone else she loved, not if she could stop it. She’d
make sure anyone who came up against her and her mates wouldn’t walk away without
a fight.

The battle was only beginning.

Born and raised in the
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour from
Washington, D.C. She’s a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy doing
something. With two different college degrees, she believes you’re never done
learning.

Being the first daughter to an
avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age.
Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn't until
she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she came up with.

Marissa is blessed with a
wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He’s her other half and allows her to
stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks and listens to
her brainstorm in the middle of the night.

Her writing buddies Max (a
cocker spaniel) and Dawne (a beagle mix) are always around to listen to her
bounce ideas off them. They might not be able to answer, but they are helpful
in their own ways.

She love to hear from readers
so send her an email at [email protected] or visit her online at
http://www.marissadobson.com
.

Alaskan Tigers Series:

Tiger Time

The Tiger’s Heart

Tigress for Two

Night with a Tiger

Trusting a Tiger

Jinx’s Mate

Two for Protection

Bearing Secrets

Reaper Series:

A Touch of Death

SEALed for You Series:

Ace in the Hole

Explosive Passions

Capturing a Diamond

Fate Series:

Snowy Fate

Sarah’s Fate

Mason’s Fate

As Fate Would Have It

Stormkin Series:

Storm Queen

Half Moon Harbor Series:

Learning to Live

Learning What Love Is

Her Cowboy’s Heart

Half Moon Harbor Resort Volume One

Clearwater Series:

Winterbloom

Unexpected Forever

Losing to Win

Christmas Countdown

The Surrogate

Clearwater Romance Volume One

Stand Alone:

Secret Valentine

Restoring Love

The Twelve Seductive Days of Christmas