Bear's Match (Bear Heat Book 6) (10 page)

There were a few dead bodies
littered on the stairs and around the compound. Some of the black
suits were escaping, and Luke saw police officers and Black Bears
give chase.

More police cars screeched up
to the orphanage, and Luke saw a plump middle-aged woman being led
out of the building in handcuffs. Madam Dixon, the orphanage
Director, was protesting her innocence loudly as she was frogmarched
to a police cruiser.

The children were led into
waiting ambulances, and quite a few of them turned to gawk at Luke.
He was still in his bear form, so he waggled a paw at them. Some of
them laughed, and the sound warmed his heart.

Perhaps the kids who had
been given the shifter serum would no longer be afraid and resentful
of their Change. They had seen Luke shift right in front of their
eyes and his bear had rescued them. There was nothing scary or awful
about having an animal inside of you. You could control your animal,
and you could choose to do good and help others with your power.

Luke felt small hands patting
his fur and he crouched down. A group of orphans were gathered at
his side, reaching out to stroke his black fur and giggling
nervously.

Dylan came and hoisted a
little girl onto Luke's back. The girl squealed with delight as she
clung on for dear life.

“He's nice,” the
little girl declared after her ride. “I'll name him Pooky.”

“He has a name,”
Dylan laughed. “His name is Luke.”

A few police officers and
paramedics came to whisk the kids off to the hospital. They would be
given thorough medical examinations to see how many of them had been
given the injection.

Dylan spoke to Detective Kai
Wong after the children left. “What will happen to the
children?” Dylan asked.

“The ones who have not
had the injection will be transferred to another orphanage,”
the detective said gravely.

“And the others?”

Detective Wong looked away.

Dylan's face darkened.

“No,” Dylan
snarled. “No! You cannot let them do this. This is wrong.
This—is murder!”

Detective Wong shook his
head. “It's out of my hands. I'm sorry, Dylan.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY

Nicole pushed back from her
cluttered desk and strolled to the window. She stretched and rolled
her shoulders, before reaching for her cup of coffee.

She was the in-house legal
counsel for the Black Bears Group now. And she had made quite a name
for herself when she represented the shifter orphans from Haven
Orphanage. She had argued their case before a judge and fought for
them. She had fought for their right to live.

The government had planned to
have the children terminated. They were seen as dangerous elements,
unpredictable and possibly violent. But Nicole and the Black Bears
campaigned for the children and fought hard for them. They raised
public awareness and asked for sponsors and support for the children.

Many people stepped forward
to help, and many shifter families approached the Black Bears to ask
if they could adopt the kids. The judge finally ruled that the
government had no right to end the lives of these innocent children.
The children presented no clear, present or future danger nor any
security threat to the state.

Nicole turned to stare at the
piles of letters on her desk. The children had written to her, and
many enclosed photos of their new families. Smiling, she pulled a
photo out of an envelope and stared at a pair of twin boys in the
arms of a happy couple. Mr and Mrs Martinez were two of the sweetest
people she had ever met. Mr Martinez was a wolf shifter, while Mrs
Martinez was half-human, half-leopard. “My mom's a leopard
shifter,” Mrs Martinez had told Nicole. “But I can't
shift for the life of me. I break out in spots when I'm stressed
though.” The twins they adopted could shift into wolves like
her husband.

All the shifter children had
found new, loving homes. Nicole took the stack of letters and re-read
them. The letters brought tears to her eyes. She loved happy
endings.

Nicole put all the letters
into her briefcase. She would bring them home and keep them in a
safe place. She wanted to read them out to Brendon when he was
older.

She and Luke had adopted
Brendon. It turned out that Brendon had bear shifter cells injected
into him. Her mother had almost dropped the boy in shock when he
shifted suddenly into a bear cub in her arms. “Oh my!”
her mother had exclaimed. “Oh, but you're such an adorable
little rascal!”

Nicole picked up her phone
and called her mom. Her mother and stepdad had moved to the city,
and they were doting grandparents to Brendon. They babysat her son
while she was at work, and she wanted to check on the little imp.

“Hey, mom,” she
said, and grinned when she heard laughter in the background.

“Hi,” her mother
answered, laughing. “Brendon and George are tearing around the
house as usual. Are you working late today?”

“No. I'll finish up
early in fact. And Luke just messaged me. He said he's on his way
back to the office.”

“Okay. Dinner will be
ready in an hour.”

“Mom, we can just pick
Brendon up and grab dinner...”

“I already prepared all
Luke's favorite dishes,” her mother said firmly.

“Okay.” Nicole
smiled. “See you later then.”

Nicole went back to her desk
and opened another file. She worked steadily until she heard a knock
on her door. “Yes?” she said automatically as she looked
up. The door to her corner office was always open.

She smiled when Luke came in
and leaned over her desk to kiss her. She sighed and breathed in the
familiar, masculine scent of her mate. He was in his black fatigues
and he looked tired but happy.

“Hey, you,” she
murmured against his lips.

“I missed you,”
Luke said, caressing her cheek. “And our son.”

“Brendon is having a
whale of a time by the sound of it,” she chuckled. “I
just called mom. She said to go over for dinner. She cooked all
your favorite dishes.”

“Really? Yum! She
spoils me, you know?” Luke winked at her.

“I know! She never
cooks
my
favorite dishes any more,” Nicole
mock-grumbled.

Luke grinned and held her
briefcase for her as she logged off her computer.

Arm in arm, they walked out
of her office. Nicole called out to her colleagues who were still on
duty on her way out, and stopped to joke and chat with a few of them.

As she got in the car, she
stared out the window and watched the cityscape. The sky was a deep,
mystical purple and the city sparkled with bright lights and flashing
signs.

Luke reached over and laced
his fingers through hers as he drove them home. Nicole leaned over
to give him a peck on the cheek.

“I love you,” she
whispered.

Luke touched her hand
tenderly to his lips. “And I love you, forever.”

~
End
~

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and
writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to
follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her blog for the latest
news and updates.

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/NatalieKristenBooks

Blog:

nataliekristen.blogspot.com

Twitter:

@NatKristenBooks