The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) (12 page)

She had to agree. “It’s old, but there’s a lot of love radiating off these old walls.” He looked at her kind of funny. “I’m a witch, remember?”

“Ah.”

James returned with a tray carrying three tall glasses. “Please sit.”

Without paying attention to which seat Jackson would choose, she dropped down on the hard sofa seat. He sat next to her, and instantly, pinpricks of lust stabbed at her.

Naliana, if you can hear me, please help.

She’d never asked any god or goddess for aid or guidance, but now seemed as good a time as any to ask. After hearing her love story, Ainsley felt as though she knew her quite well.

“What brings you here?” James asked, as he offered Ainsley her choice of drink.

Not wanting Jackson to misrepresent the issue, she went first. “I want to help find my friend’s murderers.” She didn’t think it would be necessary to give the details. James probably already knew despite his question that implied he didn’t.

“A real tragedy. I’m sorry for both of your losses.”

“Do you know who killed Shamus?” Jackson asked.

James shook his head. “No, but I suggest you start by finding out where your cousin was killed. That might give you a clue.”

Aha. James knew more than he was letting on. Ainsley nudged Jackson. It was what she’d wanted to do. “We can take a run tonight and look for where the fight occurred,” she said.

Jackson shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

She was tired of him telling her how dangerous something was. “Trust me when I say I can handle myself in a fight.”

He twisted toward her. “You’re merely a wolf who—”

“She’s right, Jackson. Don’t underestimate her Wendayan capabilities.”

They both froze, and their gazes locked. She wasn’t ready to tell Jackson what she could do, and certainly not in front of James, though he seemed to know about her magic. That knowledge was kind of creepy. What else did he know? The future?

“What can you do?” Jackson asked her.

“I can sneak up on people without them knowing.”

Jackson shot a glance at James who merely held up his hands. “Listen to your mate. She’s telling the truth. In fact, you need to cut her some slack and trust her more.”

Go, James.
Coming here had been so worth it. Other than Shamus and Blair, Ainsley didn’t have many supporters.

She picked up her glass, took a long draw, and groaned at the rich flavor. “This is wonderful.” She returned her focus to James. “I want to help infiltrate the Changeling organization, but I don’t want to make any fatal mistakes. I’ll gladly take any suggestions.”

“Just be careful,” James said. “John Ernst is a powerful man in the organization.”

Her muscles tensed. That was good to know. “I’ll watch what I say around him.”

Jackson stood. “I appreciate you seeing us.”

She wasn’t ready to leave and looked straight at James. “May I ask you one more thing?”

James nodded. “Of course.”

She glanced over at Jackson. “I’ve been told that your wife is able to cleanse Changelings if they wish to be rid of their evil blood. What do I need to do for that to happen?”

He smiled. “In a few days, when the moon is white, have Jackson bring you to the lake. I’m sure Naliana would be happy to cleanse you.”

Her breaths came out so fast she nearly hyperventilated. “I can’t thank you enough.”

James nodded as Jackson placed a hand on her back and led her out. Oh, my goddess. She was finally going to be rid of her defective genes! That would mean she’d be free to mate.

Ainsley suddenly sobered. The only thing stopping her was Jackson. He might decide she could never be pure, no matter what Naliana did. Well, damn.

*

Jackson’s head spun.
Not only did James confirm they were mates, he didn’t act as if that would be a problem. Jackson probably should have asked more questions about mating, such as once Ainsley was cleansed, would she be like every other shifter from his Clan? If that were true, then halleluiah.

From the positive way James acted toward Ainsley, she was what she professed to be—a Wendayan at heart who had the ability to shift.

“I take it you’re still up for a late night run?” he asked, finally getting it through his thick skull there was no stopping this woman from doing what she wanted. The last thing he needed was for her to go on the hunt alone and be killed.

“Absolutely.”

For the first time ever, she actually smiled at him, and boy, did that wake up his bear. Jackson quickly returned his focus to the road. “I figure we’ll park where Shamus left his vehicle and head on in from there.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“But first, I want to send the drone overhead to make sure there aren’t any surprises that might waylay our plans.”

“A drone?”

Pride filled him. He loved talking about work and how his team was good at using technology to stop the bad guys. He explained how the drone helped them find the location of the bunker in the first place.

“That’s really cool.”

He thought so too. “I was able to watch everything in real time. When the Changelings’ reinforcements arrived, I sent our men in who were standing by. We won, but we weren’t without injuries or casualties.” Fortunately, Ainsley seemed content not to ask for details.

Less than ten minutes later, Jackson escorted her into his office. The place was dark, implying Connor had wisely decided to get some rest. Never in a million years did he think he’d be escorting a partial Changeling into his office, but after James’s comments, he’d decided to trust her, and it felt good to bury his doubt.

He flicked on the lights and Ainsley looked around. “Nice place.”

His company prided themselves on their upscale digs. “Thanks. Let me get the drone set up, and then I can show you some live feed regarding where we’ll be going. Have a seat.” He pointed to the comfy lounge chair near the entrance specially put there for clients. “Can I get you some water or something?”

She held up a hand. “I’m good.”

Jackson rushed across the large room and unlocked his office. Against the back wall was a storage closet where they kept the drone. Once he retrieved it, along with his laptop, he returned.

“Come on over to the central command station,” he said as he escorted her to the front of the main room. He pulled down a screen, set his computer on the table, and then turned on the overhead projector. “Once I send out the drone, you’ll be able to see what’s happening real time. I’ll be up on the roof watching from a remote screen. It’ll take about fifteen minutes for the drone to circle and return.”

“Do you want me to stay here or join you?”

“Your choice, but it’s cold on the roof.” Having her sit next to him would be too distracting.

“I’ll enjoy the warmth here then.”

As quickly as he could, he rushed to the top of the building and set up the drone, making sure the infrared camera was loaded. He wanted to be able to see any animals or humans. By now, he was quite good at identifying landmarks in that area. Using Shamus’s rental car as a starting point, he entered the coordinates. Figuring he’d be tracing the path at some point, he’d already calculated some of the longitude and latitude points on the trail, which he plugged in now.

“Ready, drone boy?”

Jackson set the company’s new purchase on the top of the railing and then moved the lever. Up, up, and away it went. Now on autopilot, he could watch the drone do its job. The running trail had a switchback about a mile from the bunker, so he doubted Shamus would have been even close to that area, yet something told him it was near there where his cousin had died.

For the next few minutes, he watched the drone fly over mostly darkened land. Heat signatures from small animals flickered across the screen, but he didn’t detect anything large.

Like a homing pigeon, the drone returned after one full sweep. Jackson gathered up his gear and returned it to his office. When he entered the main room, Ainsley was standing close to the screen. “I can’t see the bunker,” she said without turning around.

“I didn’t fly the drone far enough. Where we’re going, it should be safe.”

She turned around, faced him, and ran her hands down her jeans. “Then let’s go.”

‡

A
insley was so
excited to look for evidence that would help lead them to Shamus’s murders that she jumped into the front seat of the truck, anxious to get on the trail. “What makes you think the Changelings don’t have a drone that can detect us coming?” she asked as soon as Jackson slid into the front seat.

“It’s possible they do have one, but they didn’t when Kip, Connor, Kalan, and Elana’s brother Sam went into the bunker.”

“Let’s hope they haven’t figured out a way to keep their perimeters safe after that attack.” Her brother had always tried to stop others from entering their compound, though he hadn’t been astute like Jackson.

Ainsley wanted to ask him more questions about his past interactions with the Changelings and what they were capable of in the States, but decided to table that discussion until after the cleansing.

The drive up the mountain brought back bad memories, and she had to work hard to push them aside. Thankfully, Jackson turned off before they reached the spot where she’d found Shamus. Tomorrow, however, when she headed up to Mr. Ernst’s home, she wouldn’t be so lucky.

Ten minutes later, he parked on the side of the road. A small wooden stake in the ground marked the beginning of trail number 503.

“If you’re not up to this, you can wait here,” he said.

She laughed at that ridiculous comment. “I’m the Changeling, remember? If we’re caught, I can always say some big bear was chasing me. I think they’ll believe me.”

Jackson chuckled and nodded. “Remind me not to cross you.”

“Smart man.” Fearing the necklace would break and scatter when she shifted, she unhooked it and placed it in the glove compartment.

Jackson kicked off his boots and unbuttoned his jacket. Oh, shit, she forgot about undressing in front of him. While she had no problem being naked in general, she hadn’t been with her fellow wolves in such a long time that she’d actually developed some modesty. Plus, if she even caught sight of his cock, she couldn’t be sure how her wolf would respond.

Yes, I do know. I’d be hotter than hot for him.

“I’ll change outside.”

Before he answered—or made fun of her for being shy—she pushed open the door and rushed down the path. A slight hint of bear lingered and might have been Shamus’s scent, but she couldn’t focus on that now. If she did, she might do something stupid, like run off on her own.

Ainsley stopped about fifty feet into the forest, ducked behind a tree, and disrobed.
Brr
. She neatly folded her clothes then stacked three stones in front of the tree to make sure she could find her gear when she returned.

Just as she let her wolf out, Jackson’s lumbering bear came down the path. Oh, my. He was huge. While it was too dark to tell his exact coloring, his snout was lighter than the rest of his face and contrasted nicely with his body.

He spotted her and growled. She guessed that meant she should follow him. Because she could move so much faster than he could, he probably didn’t want to be left behind, which was why he led. Ainsley didn’t mind. Actually, she didn’t want to be the first one to find the spot where her dear Shamus had died.

Jackson took off down the trail. She expected him to be lumbering, but his bear was actually graceful and quite powerful. While it was chilly outside, the sky was clear, and the moon’s rays shafting through the trees made this forest rather magical. Ainsley couldn’t remember the last time she’d even gone for a run in her wolf form. Her legs were a little stiff, but the clean air helped invigorate her. As long as she could forget why she was here, she might be able to enjoy herself. She kept remembering James saying that he saw no reason why Naliana couldn’t cleanse her. That would be a dream come true and open up so many opportunities for her.

For a good twenty minutes, they loped and darted until human voices sounded, forcing Jackson to slow. The bad part about being a shifter was that in order to discuss a plan, they needed to return to their human form in order to talk, and then shift back. Her big objection, besides having the sound travel, was being naked in front of him. Stupid, perhaps, but she didn’t trust herself—or rather, she didn’t trust her wolf. It didn’t seem to matter they might be in a life and death situation, her animal knew what it wanted and was determined to taste him when the opportunity presented itself.