Bobcat: Tales of the Were (Redstone Clan) (6 page)

“That’s more or less what the priestess said.”
She turned to look up at him. “How did you get so wise?” She smiled and he returned the gesture. She felt so safe with him. It was a feeling she cherished for its rarity.

“I’m an Alpha,” he quipped.
“Worse than that, I’m a Redstone. You don’t grow up in my family without learning a whole lot about shifter nature.” He stroked one hand over her hair in the darkness as his expression became more serious. “We Redstones have had our share of tragedy. All the losses have made me question my beliefs a few times in my life, and I’ve developed an interest in philosophy because of it.”

She looked back at the pond, wondering about his philosophi
cal bent. Probably like most people, she had expected one of the Alpha Redstones of Redstone Construction to be more brawn than brains. He was proving her wrong and she didn’t mind it one bit. She liked the more cerebral side of him, even though it was easy to see he had plenty of brawn to go around.

The philosopher in him though, put her at ease. She
had never been so comfortable with a man and she took the time to enjoy this beautiful moment. The trickling water, the loamy scent of the earth and the almost glowing beams of moonlight made this an idyllic moment out of time. A moment worth remembering.

She felt him kiss the top of her head again and they sat by the pond for a long time, watching the night and the dark flow of water.

Serena woke the next morning feeling better than she had in years. Something about the night before with Bob had changed her on a fundamental level. She felt like a baby bird just pecking through its shell. Emotionally, she had started across a bridge and she could see the other end in sight.

She wanted to get to the other side of that bridge and find her future waiting there for her—whatever that might be. If Bob was in it, so much the better, but if not, she would always remember him with fondness for the way he’d helped her begin the journey across. He didn’t have to do that. He didn’t have to be so kind and gentle, so caring and patient. There was no doubt in her mind, he was a very special man. A true Alpha that protected the weak and nurtured those who needed his help.

But she didn’t want to be a wounded shifter in need of his help. No, she wanted to be on more equal footing with him. Not that she’d ever be an Alpha. No, she just wanted to be more comfortable in her own skin and able to claim her own birthright as a shifter. That would put her on more solid footing for the future. Shifter to shifter, whatever other differences they may have, they were both shifters, and she needed to be comfortable with that part of her being before she could go any further on this journey of discovery.

That thought firmly in mind, she bounced out of bed, dressed quickly and set off in search of the High Priestess, Bettina. Serena practically hopped down the stairs in the Pack house to find the woman she was looking for waiting at the bottom, a broad smile on her elfin face. Serena laughed.

“How did you know?” she asked the first question that popped into her head.

“When the heart is ready, the teacher will come,” Bettina replied with a teasing grin that belied her mystical words. “I hear they’re making chocolate chip pancakes. Would you like to join me for a far too sugary breakfast and then we can take a little walk outside. What do you say?”

Bob resumed
work with Rocky, giving his take on the different reports his Clan had sent to the Lords. Somehow it wasn’t that tough to be grilled by the big grizzly bear shifter after spending those precious hours with Serena last night. She had a calming effect on his spirit. She brought peace to his world.

He was concerned about her past, but willing to let her come to him on that. She was healing. Th
at was the important thing. She had crossed some of her self-imposed boundaries last night just by coming to him. Of that he was certain.

He
would help her cross more, if she was agreeable. He would be there for her when she wanted to spread her wings. He would catch her if she stumbled and never let her fall.

He and Rocky
finished discussing the second to last report about mid-morning and took a short break during which Rocky went out of his office briefly, to get more coffee. Bob stood and stretched, looking out the window. The room they were using was at the front of the house and the window looked out on the small cleared area which led to a gravel road that snaked around the mountain. It was a private road, open only to the locals and authorized visitors. The same road led past the cabin he was using, only his front door was on the other side, lower down the mountain.

Bob was looking at a tall, full evergreen that had been planted in the center of the clearing. It hadn’t grown there naturally, he was certain. None of the surrounding trees were of the same variety and there was nothing nearby to indicate it had grown in place and simply been left when the rest of the area was cleared. Unless he was missing something, this one had been put there deliberately.

Allowing his thoughts to wander, Bob was almost taken by surprise when two sets of little paws landed on his booted feet. He looked down, careful not to move, lest he somehow trod on the little creatures.

Sure enough, two sets of baby grizzly paws were pinning his toes to the ground—or trying to. They were really too little to do much damage
, and cute as buttons.

Bob let the baby grizzl
ies chew on his boot laces. The laces were reasonably clean, since the boots were new. He didn’t mind the little scratches from the bears’ claws. They were so tiny, it was kind of adorable.

“Well, hello there, little ones. Where did you come from?”

Two little faces looked up when he spoke and Bob had to blink a few times to make sure he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing.

“T
wins?” he wondered aloud, sniffing to be certain of the scent of them. They were definitely shifters, and definitely closely related. Twins. Judging by the look of them, identical twins. “Sweet Mother of All,” Bob whispered, shocked at their appearance.

“Damn.” Rocky’s voice came from the open doorway. “They’re escape artists, I swear.” He walked in and deposited a fresh carafe of coffee on his desk, then walked over to Bob, watching the baby bears the whole time. “You two.” Rocky’s voice brooked no argument. “Out. Your mama’s probably looking all over for you.”

The baby bears looked rueful and made little sorrowful grunting noises as they let go of Bob’s boot laces and trotted toward Rocky on unsteady, baby paws. He bent and scooped them into his arms.

“Rock, have you seen—” A
slightly frantic, feminine voice came from the doorway, the woman stopping short when she saw the bear cubs in Rocky’s arms. She looked at Bob, her expression fearful.

“It’s okay. I know what
they are, and I will never divulge knowledge of their existence, even to my own family. Their safety is paramount.” Bob lowered himself to one knee, which he could see surprised the woman. A human woman, by her scent. Rocky looked impressed as he held the two babies—one in each arm. The twins were looking straight at Bob as he put his hand over his heart. “I swear fealty now and for always to the Lady, Her Light and the Lords She has blessed to walk among us and guide us.”

Bob bowed his head after speaking the vow. It was nothing new to him, but apparently Rocky hadn’t expected it.
They hadn’t gotten that far in going over the reports yet, but he’d learn soon enough about the oaths all of the Las Vegas shifters and vamps had taken in recent months.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Bob felt a little zing of magic that made him look up. The baby bears were both looking at him as just a little of their magic reached out to touch him. The bears t
urned into wriggling human toddlers in Rocky’s arms, and they both laughed and smiled at Bob in a way that made him join in. They were such joyful children.

“I do believe they like you, Redstone,” Rocky observed, breaking the spell. He handed one of the naked, laughing cherubs to the woman. “I’ll just help get them settled and be back in a minute. Pour the coffee, will you?”

Bob got up, then poured the coffee as instructed, marveling at his discovery. He needed a sip of the bracing brew after what had just happened. It wasn’t common knowledge that another set of Lords had been born. They had managed to keep it a secret and Bob understood why. The future Lords would be very vulnerable while they were growing up. Many twin pairs had been lost over the centuries to enemies. Others had been influenced and corrupted in subtle ways.

Bob was glad these two seemed to have loving and protective guardians who were well able to take care of them. The fact that they were bears was something unexpected. Bears were some of the most magical of shifters. Grizzlies even more so. If the Lady had chosen bear shifters to lead the next generation, Bob worried what it might mean for the world at large. Would their immense magical strength be a sign of bad times to come? He hoped not, for the sake of everyone
—shifters, vamps, mages and humans. Everyone who served the Light, no matter what they called it, would be impacted if bad times were coming.

Still, the cubs were awfully cute. Bob couldn’t help but
be affected by the playful toddlers. In general, shifters loved babies. Shifters weren’t quite as fertile as humans, so every birth was an occasion to be celebrated. Twins were almost unheard of. Identical twins happened only once in a generation, in each region of the world, and marked the next set of leaders for their people. At least, that’s how it had always been for the
were
.

Other kinds of shapeshifters had other power structures, but the wild
were
had always counted on the Mother Goddess to appoint their leaders. Cougars, although they were big cats, had little in common with the more exotic cats who had founded their societies on other continents. Tigers, lions, panthers and others, had kings and queens that had fancy titles, but cougars had always followed the
were
Lords.

Rocky came back in and
then sat down behind his desk. He took a sip of his coffee before speaking.

“You understand the need for secrecy.” It wasn’t quite a question, but Bob definitely understood.

“I swear I will do nothing that might put them in danger. As far as I’m concerned, I never even saw them.”

“I appreciate that,” Rocky said, but his expression was still troubled. Bob wanted to erase that frown from the grizzly’s face.

“You need to hear the final report, and then you might feel a bit better about this. We were up to the part where my brother Mag got involved with the vampiress, Miranda van Allyn.”

“I thought you were trying to make me feel better,” Rocky quipped. “For the record,
were
mixing with vamps does
not
make me feel better.”

“Just wait ‘til you hear the whole thing,” Bob answered with a grin. “I promise you’ll like the ending.”

Bob proceeded to go through the report of what had happened with Mag and Miranda, adding all the texture and nuance the dry, written report lacked. He talked about the vampire uprising in Las Vegas and the surprising results. Rocky seemed to be alternately impressed, surprised and ultimately pleased, just as Bob had hoped.

“So you see, at this point, the Master Vampire in Las Vegas has openly declared himself for the side of Light. He gave all his people the option to either do the same, or leave
his domain. My family also instituted something similar for the Clan,” Bob explained. “Any of the Others who come under the Redstone banner had to swear fealty—the same oath I just repeated to the little ones—or they were invited to leave. Our priestess and her mate, your friend Slade, oversaw it all. They have ways of knowing if anybody tries to cheat or lie their way through the oath. So far though, everyone has been honest. I take that as a sign my little brother Matt is doing his job. He’s in charge of Personnel for the company, and he also does the dossiers on any shifter group seeking to join our Clan. He’s very thorough. We don’t let just anybody into the Clan, or allow just any shifter to work for the construction company.”

Rocky let out a harsh breath. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear it.”

“I understand. We’re all protective of cubs—especially those two. Are they yours?” Bob couldn’t help asking. Their scent was similar to Rocky’s but not quite the same as it would normally be in a familial relationship.

“Their father was my best friend and one of the most powerful grizzly shaman of all time. He was killed by a demon allied with the
Venifucus
.” Bob could see the pain in the other man’s eyes and his heart went out to the big man who had lost his friend in such a terrible manner. “Their mother—you saw her briefly—is now my mate. I claimed the boys in front of the Goddess. I’m their Alpha now.” There was a world of joy and sorrow in the big man’s voice. Bob felt compassion for the small family who had been touched by tragedy.

“I know how it feels to lose someone in horrific circumstances.
” He thought of the way his mother had been murdered. “Hell, I know how it feels to lose someone you love to the evil of the
Venifucus
. You have my sympathy, Rocky. And I’ll make a further pledge to you, in addition to the oath I made to your boys. If you ever need my help, all you need to do is call.”

Bob felt confident in making the promise. He’d been able to take Rocky’s measure over the past couple of days and the fact that the Goddess had blessed him with the care of the next generation of Lords spoke volumes for his character.
Bob knew Rocky would never abuse Bob’s vow.

“I appreciate that,” Rocky answered in that steady way of his. “With any luck, I’ll never have to take you up on it.”

Bob smiled. “Agreed. But I’m there if you need me.”

They went on with their work until lunch, and this time, Rocky invited Bob to eat with him and his family in the kitchen. The boys made a mess in their highchairs until they decided they’d had enough of mashed peas
and carrots, and shifted into grizzlies. At that point, there was really no containing them. They climbed down from their high chairs and scampered away, their mother following as best she could.

He’d been introduced to Maggie, the boys’ mother.
She was human, but handling the dual nature of her babies very well, if Bob was any judge. The cubs were just the cutest things, but Bob could already see how much of a handful they were.

Rocky helped corral the toddlers before
he and Bob headed back to his office at the front of the house. There were just a few last things to go over. Bob wasn’t sure what they were going to do once they finished going through all the reports, but he was at the Lords’ disposal. He had been tasked by his brother, Grif, to represent the Clan however the Lords wanted.