Catching Her Bear (28 page)

Before he even slowed, she leapt up and landed on his back then kicked his flanks as if he were a horse. Kalan actually lumbered forward instead of stopping. She then shifted into her human form and hung on tight.

“You will pay for that. You know the rule.”
Kalan lifted up a little before dropping down on all fours.

Ah yes,
the rule.
She was only allowed to ride him if they were both human, naked and in their bed. Elana laughed and hung on tighter.
“You can take it out in trade.”

“Then let’s get you to bed and enforce that rule!”

Life as a bear couldn’t be better.

‡

“Q
uiet.” Brother Jacob
pounded the gavel on the wooden table, unhappy the Council was unable to enter without talking. Once they were settled, he held up the knife with the sardonyx blade. “After searching long and hard, we have procured the prized piece of stone from another vendor. This beauty will help rebuild our kind. Brother Arnold did a masterful job of carving the stone into a blade so sharp that it will take little effort to exact the Wendayan’s magic.

One of the Council members raised his hand and lowered his face in deference. “Yes, Brother Thomas? You may speak,” Brother Jacob said.

“Which magic are we going after? We need many kinds.”

“We do indeed. I have spent some time among the Wendayans. They are such a trusting group. After much searching, I have found the perfect man. His name is Landon. Once we extract his abilities to control electricity, we shall be able to do much damage to the shifters.”

“That’s excellent, Brother Jacob. Simply excellent.”

The End

I hope you enjoyed Kalan and Elana’s story. To keep up-to-date on my releases, enter contests, and receive some books for free, sign up for my newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/U1dm1

Next up is Teagan and Kip’s story—
Surge Of Magic
. Below is the first chapter!

M
assage therapist, Teagan
Pompley, lit the incense in a back room at the Crystal Winds Spa then opened a bottle of oil in preparation for her next client. As she placed it on the warming plate, her vision suddenly turned black and her body shook. No! No! Not again. She desperately tried to keep the dark images from invading her mind.

Grabbing onto the table for balance, her stomach rolled as the movie swam in front of her eyes. The scent of incense intensified, and the sticky sweet aroma of the open jar of oil made her throat tighten.

With her free hand, Teagan pressed her palm over her left eye and then her right to ease the ache, but even that didn’t help lessen the tension. In her vision, she saw herself standing next to Kip, her former boyfriend, and in the next frame, he was swimming in a pool of blood—his blood. Teagan tried to search the scene for clues, but it was as if they were in some kind of white vacuum.

Before she could figure out what was going on, a sharp pain stabbed her arm, and without thinking, she released her grip on the table to clasp her forearm. Her knees gave way and she dropped to the floor, sending an ache ricocheting up her body. A second later, glass splintered next to her, the shards pinging on the tile floor. Then pounding footsteps came near.

The door opened followed by a hand to her back. “Teagan, Teagan! Are you okay?”

No, she wasn’t okay. If she were, she wouldn’t be on her hands and knees shaking uncontrollably with sweat beading on her forehead. Warmth suffused her body from Missy’s touch, and when Teagan’s vision slowly cleared she dropped back on her haunches, her breath coming out too fast. “I had another vision.”

“Was it of Kip?” her cousin asked.

Teagan had a premonition a few weeks ago about him, but she hadn’t been able to determine the extent of the tragedy—only that it was bad. “Yes. I saw him covered in blood.”

“What else?”

Teagan shook her head. “That was all. The evil was so intense.”

Her cousin threw her arms around her, and her healing comfort helped. “I’m sorry. After I find something to clean up the glass, I’ll get you something to drink. Stay right here.” She sat back up.

She glanced to the mess.
Shit
. “I must have pushed the table into the counter with the crystals. I’m so sorry.” She wasn’t ready to tell Missy that the table hadn’t moved. Her anger at having another vision had caused the telekinetic reaction, which knocked the glass off the table. Missy’s sister, Izzy, was aware of this new power, but Teagan didn’t want to tell anyone else until she learned to control it.

“Accidents happen. At least it’s replaceable.”

As soon as Missy stepped out of the small back room, her cousin took her healing powers with her, and Teagan wanted to vomit. Of late, her visions had been coming more frequently, and each time, it expended more and more of her energy. Her head still pounded and the ache in her chest made it hard to breathe.

A few minutes later, Missy returned from the shop and handed her a cup of water from the cooler. “Here.”

With shaky hands, Teagan sipped the liquid. “I can’t take this anymore.”

Missy swept up the broken glass then dumped the pieces into the trash bin. She then sat next to her on the floor. “Maybe you should warn Kip.”

“No. If I call him, I’ll want to be with him, and if we’re together the event will happen.” Only a few times in the past had she been able to alter the future, and she was determined to do so again.

“Then I’ll be the one to tell him he needs to be careful,” Missy said with compassion.

She grabbed her cousin’s arm. “You can’t say anything. If Kip knows I had a vision, it will give him an excuse to see me, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to stay away. It’s better if he thinks I’m not interested.”

Missy rubbed Teagan’s arm. “You have to tell him the truth.”

“If I do, he might end up dead.”

Missy looked off to the side then returned her gaze to her. “Your visions don’t always come true. Besides, you’ve been miserable without him.”

Her visions did always come true, unless she helped change things. “The pain of losing him would be much worse.”

The bell above the store entrance chimed and Missy stood, brushing back wisps of her long auburn hair. “That’s probably Mrs. Rodriguez. Do you want me to ask her to reschedule her massage?”

“No, I’ll take her. Give me a few minutes to compose myself though. Working on her might keep my mind off what happened.”

Once Missy left, Teagan tried to pull herself together. Needing to prepare for her client, she straightened the massage table and tried to smooth out the sheets, but her hands were shaking so much she wasn’t sure if she was making things better.

When her client stepped into the small room, Teagan painted on a happy face. For the next forty-five minutes, she would attempt to focus on her job and not on the upcoming tragedy.

The slow rubbing with the oil and the soft music helped reduce her anxiety, but she had to concentrate to keep from worrying about Kip. When Teagan finished, she pulled the sheet high onto Mrs. Rodriguez’s back.

“Rest for a minute and then change. I’ll meet you out front.”

“Thank you,” Mrs. Rodriguez answered, face down on the table.

Teagan stepped into the main room to wait for her client. After Mrs. Rodriguez emerged, looking neat and relaxed, she paid and made another appointment for next month. Needing to clean up her room, Teagan returned to the back, enjoying the solitude for a few more minutes. Somewhere between the time of her vision and finishing the massage, she’d made up her mind about what she needed to do.

For the last few months, almost all of her premonitions had resulted in either someone she cared about being in danger or in pain. The one exception involved Missy’s sister, Izzy. Recognizing that something bad was happening at that moment had saved her cousin’s life. When the visions about Kip had started, Teagan couldn’t chance he’d be taken from her. It seemed that those closest to her were being punished for some deed she must have committed in the past. It was time to break that link, and that meant Teagan had to stay away from everyone she loved.

Once she replaced the linens on the table in her massage room, and extinguished the incense, she went in search of her aunt to ask for some time off. “Where’s Aunt Kathryn?” she asked Missy.

“Mom had to make a house call.”

That wasn’t unusual, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. “The store closes in an hour and since no one is scheduled for any treatments for the rest of the day, would you mind if I went home early? I’m not feeling well.” That wasn’t a lie.

Missy hugged her. “Sure. Take off whatever time you need. You have vacation time that’s been stacking up.”

“I know, but I don’t want to make more work for you. However, if I don’t take a few days to clear my head, I won’t be much good to anyone.”

“Totally. I’ll let Mom know.” Missy’s cell rang and she checked the called ID then looked up. “Oh, no. It’s Kip.”

Her heart jammed in her throat. “Why would he be calling you?”

Many of the Wendayans and shifters needed Missy’s healing powers, but Teagan refused to believe Kip had been injured. Her vision indicated she would be with him when harm struck. Regardless of her belief in her premonitions, her insides cramped thinking Kip could be in need.

“He might be asking why you won’t return his calls,” Missy suggested.

“We broke up. Or rather I told him I didn’t want to date anymore.” Teagan’s shoulders slumped and tears brimmed on her lids. “You need to answer it but don’t tell him what just happened.”

“Okay.” Missy swiped a finger across the screen. “Hello?” Her skin paled and she held up a finger, indicating Teagan should stay. “Slow down, Kip. Tell me exactly what happened.” Her brows furrowed and Teagan’s anxiety ramped up. “What’s his room number? Don’t worry, I’ll be right over.” She disconnected then faced Teagan. “Two masked men just stabbed Randy.”

Kip’s twin brother. Teagan’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she absently rubbed her left arm where she’d experienced the ache. “Is Randy okay?” She waved a hand as if to erase her comment. “That was a stupid question. He wouldn’t be in a hospital if he were. Did Kip say how seriously he was hurt?”

“Kip just said Randy called him and told him two men broke into the house, took a few punches him, and then stabbed him.” Missy stood. “I’m going to the hospital to see if I can help with the healing. Do you want to come?”

When her friend’s brother’s hotel room had been broken into recently, two masked men had been responsible. She would have concluded the two incidences were connected, except that one of the intruders had been caught and the other killed. “I can’t.”

Missy rushed over to the locked cabinet behind the counter and withdrew her flowered bag that contained her herbs, candles, and crystals for healing. “What should I tell Kip then? He’ll ask about you.”

She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but telling him the truth would be worse. “Maybe say I already went home.”

“You’re my cousin, and I love you, but I won’t lie for you.”

She was right. It wasn’t fair to ask her. “Tell him I didn’t want to be in the way and that someone had to mind the store. You go ahead and help. I’ll lock up if Aunt Kathryn doesn’t make it back by five.”

Missy hugged her again. “He needs you, Teagan.”

Guilt swamped her. “Kip will be okay. He has to focus on helping his brother, not on why I’ve pulled away.”

Missy nodded, clasped her bag then rushed out. The moment Missy left, the air seemed thinner and her chest caved. More than anything, she wanted to be with Kip, but to do so could jeopardize his life.

*

Kip was frantic,
and it wasn’t because his brother had his arm cut open. With a few stiches, the wound would heal, and the bruising on his face and hand would fade with time. It was what Randy had just confided in him that had his panic button pushed.

Kip looked behind him to make sure the curtain to the small emergency room cubicle was closed. Randy was hooked up to monitors that thankfully showed normal readings. “What do you mean you have no powers?”