The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) (13 page)

Stupid wolf.

Puffs of cigarette smoke floated their way and nearly made her cough. From the map, the Changeling territory wasn’t for another mile, yet here they were. Why? Up to no good, most likely.

Jackson remained frozen as if he hoped to hear what they were saying, but she couldn’t understand a word. He then held up a paw, she guessed to indicate she should stay there. He then patted his chest and motioned he’d circle behind them.

Ainsley nodded, though she had no intention of sitting idly by. As soon as Jackson’s bear was out of sight, she drew on her inner cloaking device to become invisible and was thrilled when she succeeded. After all these years of keeping that talent hidden, she’d worried she might have forgotten how to do it.

Moving as quietly as possible, she edged closer to the men. So far, she only detected two voices, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more. The tips of their cigarettes glowed brightly, leading her right to them.
Dumb asses
… If they hadn’t been laughing and talking so loudly, they might have recognized that one or two animal signatures were closing in on them.

If she could see them, Jackson would be able to locate them too. The question was what did he intend to do about the men? Unless they shifted and attacked, he might decide merely to scare them. It wasn’t like he could question them. Even if he did, they wouldn’t tell him squat, and they surely wouldn’t admit to killing Shamus, even if they were standing next to a pool of blood with a piece of his clothing in one of their hands.

No, most likely, Jackson would wait until these men moved on before continuing their search.

“Brother Jacob said we have to find more sardonyx,” the man with the low, gravelly voice announced. “Where the fuck are we supposed to get some? Even Brother Richard said he’d struck out in India.”

What was up with all this
Brother
stuff? Her Clan back home never used that title. Her ears had perked up at the mention of the sardonyx however.

“I heard some was buried in a well under Donaldson’s property. We should just dig up the place and see.”

“That’s a rumor,” the first man replied. “Besides Brother Jacob wouldn’t appreciate us going rogue.”

Ainsley was close enough now to count four men. Shit. She didn’t like the odds. Dropping down on her haunches, she waited to hear more.

“At least we won’t be bothered by that fucking bear again,” the tallest of the four said.

She stiffened, and her stomach twisted.
Fucking bear?
Were they referring to Shamus? Or had Jackson and Kalan been poking around? And what did
bothered by
really mean?

“What was that?” the first man said.

“What’s what?” another one asked as he stomped out his cigarette.

“I heard something. We don’t need anyone else snooping around.” As if they were readying for a fight, the other three stubbed out their smokes too.

“After the ranting we had to sit through, I’m in the mood for a scuffle. You up for finding our interloper and having some fun?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Hell yes.”

“Let’s do it.”

Suddenly, all four men shifted into their wolf form, but Ainsley wasn’t sure if that made things easier or harder. The gray wolf howled and all four of them charged into the woods—straight toward Jackson. Crap. She hoped he was ready for them. Four against one would test any bear. Hell, Shamus, who’d defeated many of her clansmen hadn’t been able to handle a lot of them at once.

The hairs on her back stood up straight, and her heart beat too hard. Fear for Jackson tightened her gut.
Go!

Because they had no idea she existed, she charged after them. Their growls and stomping seemed to prevent them from realizing she was closing in. With cigarette smoke on their skin, their senses wouldn’t be as sharp either.

Suddenly, a roar sounded, along with too many howls. Branches cracked, and bear paws stomped. Oh, shit. She darted down the path and nearly stumbled when she spotted all of the wolves clinging and biting Jackson.

He swatted at them, hitting his mark once or twice, but missing at other times. Unfortunately, as soon as he threw off one, another would take his place, clawing and ripping Jackson’s fur. Her heart nearly exploded at the quick devastation. Was this what had happened to Shamus?

Without thinking, she charged. The gray wolf at Jackson’s neck had to be stopped first before he succeeded in ripping out Jackson’s throat. She crawled up the side of Jackson’s leg, but she doubted he even noticed given he was fighting for his life. With a swipe of her paw, she attempted to dislodge the wolf, but he wasn’t ready to let go.

He’d be sorry. Mouth open, she lunged and clamped down hard on the weasel’s neck. This time, he released his death grip on Jackson and tumbled to the ground, taking her with him. Because he couldn’t see her, all he could do was swipe at the air. While she hated killing, she couldn’t let these wolves live. Jackson’s life would be forever in danger.

With a big inhale, she dug her teeth into the soft flesh and ripped out the wolf’s throat. Blood spurted, and the coppery liquid filled her mouth and ran down her chest. Pulse racing, she jumped back and spit. Victory mixed with the horror of the kill, but she couldn’t sit back and ponder what she’d done.

Jackson was now on his knees, wheezing. He’d killed one of the wolves and injured another, but the fourth was still attacking him, biting, growling, and clawing. She sprinted toward them then leapt up into the air, landing on Jackson’s back. From there, she had a good vantage point to attack. The dumb wolf had no idea what was coming. She launched herself at him, and the two of them went flying. They landed on the hard packed earth a few feet from the wounded bear. Her attacker yelped and pawed, but only one of his swipes did any damage. The cut stung, but she’d heal.

Knowing she had to finish this one off, she dug her teeth into its neck and tore out his throat too. Ainsley then sat on her haunches and watched as the wolf wiggled and jerked until he returned to his dead human form.

Jackson keeled over, his eyes glassy. Oh, no. The final wolf that Jackson had injured was on the ground, barely alive. As much as she hated to do it, leaving any witnesses wouldn’t be good. With a quick bite, she ended his life too.

With all of the attackers dead, she returned to her visible wolf form. She must look a mess with blood all over her, but right now, she wanted Jackson to see her, to know she was there to help.

His eyes flickered open, and his breathing was labored. It looked as if he’d lost a lot of blood. For a moment, she wondered if he was too dazed to recognize her as his mate, but when he didn’t swat at her, she figured he knew. She thought about shifting into her human form and suggesting he do the same because she wanted to assess the damage, but he’d heal faster as a bear.

He was bleeding from his throat, arms, legs, and stomach. As much as he needed to rest, staying there might not be smart. No telling if more Changelings would come looking for their missing comrades.

She howled then trotted down the path, hoping Jackson would recognize the need to follow. With a grunt, he leveraged himself to his feet, took a few steps then stumbled once more. Her heart cracked, but given the size difference between them, she couldn’t help carry him.

Ainsley thought about running back to the car, shifting, and then calling Kalan. She supposed he could rally the troops, but what could they do? Even if three bears arrived, they might not be able to carry Jackson back to the car if he passed out.

Shit. She returned to his side, sniffed, and then licked one of his wounds. The tang of her future mate’s blood caused a rush of anger to fill her. She bayed once more before trotting down the path, needing him to leave this dangerous area.

Jackson must have recognized what he needed to do because he lumbered onto all fours and tried once more to follow. He passed the three other dead bodies, and then very slowly worked his way down the path behind her. Jackson must have thought he was crazy because he had to believe he was the only one fighting, and yet all four wolves were now dead. Those answers, however, would have to wait.

An hour later, after many starts, stops, and encouraging howls, they reached the car, and then shifted. This time she put her feelings of unease about being naked aside. Jackson needed her. “Crawl into the back. I’ll drive.”

“I don’t understand what happened,” he panted. Grasping onto the passenger’s side handle, he jerked the door open then collapsed on the ground.

Crap. She shook him. “Jackson. Wake up and get in the car.”

He groaned. Since she needed to dress in order to drive, she raced back to her clothes, and spotted the location of the three rocks she had piled up. As fast as she could, Ainsley threw on her clothes. Running back down the path, her mind spun. If she couldn’t rouse him, Jackson would freeze if he had to spend the night outside in his human form.

When she returned, he was partially in the front passenger seat—naked with the door open with his legs hanging out. At least he’d moved.

He would be really pissed when he saw how much blood he was leaving on the upholstery, but the damage had already been done. No way could she dress him either. The best she could do was get him in the car, turn up the heat, and drive back to his house as fast as she could.

With care, she lifted his legs and stuffed them in front of him, but it was really hard because he was a big man who was dead weight right then. Using all of her effort to maneuver his butt on the seat, her feet slipped and she did a face plant right on top of his cock. Holy crap. Heat raced up her face. Had he been conscious, she might have turned around and run.

Her wolf, however, howled.

Stop it, right now.
Stupid wolf.
There can’t be any mating if he doesn’t live, so back off
.

Once Jackson was completely inside the cab, she shut his door and raced over to the driver’s side. Damn. Where was his key? Leaning over once more, she dug through his clothes and retrieved it. The moment the engine turned over, she let out a long held breath.

“I can drive,” Jackson said, coming to life and pawing at her arm.

Was he kidding? “You’re injured. Rest.”

While she was warm from the exertion, she dialed up the heat, not wanting Jackson to be chilled. He’d already lost a lot of blood. Disregarding the speed limit, she zinged down the mountain. Her hands shook as she realized she’d killed three men tonight. In the process, Jackson had been injured. Pure rage bubbled inside her. What kind of man attacks an innocent bear?

Who else? Changelings, of course, but why? They didn’t know she’d overheard them talking. If she hadn’t had the talent to become invisible, she might be lying right beside those men. At that thought, shivers consumed her.

When she drew close to town, she slowed, not wanting to be pulled over. The last thing she needed was to explain to some cop why she had a bloodied naked man in the truck. The officer would insist she take Jackson to the hospital, and then the questions would begin. Nope. Not going to happen on her watch.

Duh. Kalan. He could help. She slowed and carefully fished out her phone only to remember she didn’t have his number. She’d have to call on Jackson’s phone once she returned to his house.

As soon as she spotted the shifter compound, she let out a long breath. “Getting closer, Jackson. Hang in there.”

His response was a groan. He couldn’t die now. She wouldn’t allow it.

Her car came into view and then his cabin. Yes, they’d made it. She parked as close to the front door as possible, cut the engine, and then ran over to this side.

When she pulled open the door, an arm and a leg fell out as the top part of his body collapsed onto the driver’s side seat.

“Oh, no you don’t. You have to sit up so I can help you get inside. You can do this.”

“Tired.”

That was because he’d lost a lot of blood in the fight then walked a mile. Using all her strength, she tugged on his arm until he was in a seated position then gently dragged him to the edge of the seat. “Can you stand?”

As if he could tell he was close to home, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and leaned on her as he inched his way to the front porch. Thankfully, he was able to grab onto the porch handrail and haul himself up the steps. Not knowing if he locked his door, she tested the handle and found it open, thank goodness.

It would be best if he showered first to wash away the dirt from his opponents’ claws ripping away the flesh before he shifted. He’d heal better that way. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Huh?”

The place wasn’t that big. She’d find it. Not wanting to let go, she walked him down the hallway, testing each of the doors. Finally, she reached what was probably his room and flicked on the light next to the door. His bed took up most of the room. He had a shitload of pillows on the bed and the blue sheets were in swirls, like he was a restless sleeper.

When she spotted the en suite, she led him over to the bathroom. “You need to get clean.”

“Can’t stand…anymore.”

“Then sit.” She opened the shower door and helped him inside. Her inner wolf was going crazy in the small confines, but she had to ignore her. Jackson’s life was on the line. With his back against the tiled shower wall, he slid down to the floor and passed out. Well, damn.

She turned on the water, but kept the flow away from him until it heated. When he showed no signs of waking, she shucked her shoes and stripped. Hopefully, he wouldn’t remember a thing.

She stepped into the warm water and felt its soothing warmth. She was a mess too, and needed to wash, but she’d worry about herself later. Pouring a ton of body wash on him, she cleansed him the best she could. Jackson roused once or twice, but only when she hit a particularly deep gouge. If he didn’t wake up when she finished, she wasn’t sure how he would be able to shift.

Kalan! As soon as she finished cleaning Jackson, she’d call him.

If his brother didn’t answer, Ainsley would have to appeal to Jackson’s inner bear. What that entailed she wasn’t sure, but what she did know was that it could be dangerous to their lives if it came too close to her.