Catching Her Bear (25 page)

He drew her closer and kissed her temple, her forehead, and then he finally lightly brushed her lips with his. “I can’t stay away from you.”

“Is that a problem?”

He chuckled. “It is if you ever want to be able to leave the house again.” He withdrew and slid her back onto the counter.

She let her imagination run wild. Tangled sheets, morning coffee, and then more sex. She saw nothing wrong with that.

Grabbing a dry towel from a drawer, he wet it and cleaned them up. She nodded to the dish full of brownie mix. “What do you say we bake what’s left? I’ve built up a big appetite after that.”

“A woman after my own heart.”

*

Elana was in
a deep sleep, dreaming of running in the woods with Kalan, when someone shook her shoulder. She moaned then opened her eyes to find a neatly groomed Kalan in his uniform, and her energy immediately perked up. “Hi.”

Even though her shop was open, she took off Mondays, which meant she could sleep in.

He leaned over and kissed her. “I debated letting you sleep, but I have to go into work for a bit. I shouldn’t be long. Will you be okay by yourself?”

“Sure.” Izzy had to work, so there’d be no sharing of stories, but she could read. “Do you have a problem if I wander to the lake?”

“It’s safe all around here.” He smiled then walked out of the room.

Damn. Even though their lovemaking had been epic last night, she wouldn’t have minded a few more caresses this morning. She checked the clock on the nightstand and was dismayed to find it was almost eleven. Yikes.

She jumped out of bed, quickly showered, and then dressed in something summery. Kalan said he wouldn’t take long, so perhaps they could go for a walk after he returned. Wanting to look sexy for him, she picked something low cut to show off her breasts, since he really seemed to relish them. The empire top hid a lot of her flaws, as did the cute capris pants.

Hungry, she headed into the kitchen and spotted the plate of brownies. Needing the jolt of sugar, she practically inhaled one while she made coffee then poured a bowl of cereal.

Needing to pass the time, she pulled out her phone and found a love story she’d read many times before. Getting lost in another world through reading fiction had been the main thing that had kept her sane during her youth.

Once she ate and cleaned up, she found a comfy spot on the sofa and read. It was well past one when the doorbell rang and she smiled. Kalan must have forgotten his house key. He said he never locked the door before she’d moved in and probably wasn’t in the habit of carrying it with him.

“Coming.”

She set aside her phone, ran her hands down her hair to smooth it and then pulled open the door. Her breath caught. It wasn’t Kalan, and her pulse shot up. “May I help you?”

The man had a pad of paper in his hand, along with a pen. Wearing a blue suit of worsted wool, he appeared overly dressed for summer. “I’m collecting for the animal shelter in town. We’ve had an increase in abused dogs brought in lately that need treatment, and I was wondering if you could spare a donation of even five dollars?”

Elana watched every dime she had, but the animal shelter was one charity she could never resist. However, something about the man set off warning signals. “I already donated. Thank you.” She eased closed the door but was immediately met with resistance.

Thinking she’d bumped into something, she pulled the door back to check, when the man on the other side shoved it open. His calm countenance was gone, replaced by a scowl.

“I know you have the stone. I want it.”

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! This must be the third man who murdered her parents. “I don’t have it.”

The hard slap across her face sent her reeling and her pulse soaring. In an attempt to move away from him, she tripped on the area rug and went tumbling onto her butt. The hard landing jarred her, causing pain shoot up her spine. Her chest constricted, and she couldn’t get air. Her mind said to speak to him in a reasonable manner, but the adrenaline rush in her body insisted she flee.

Before she could decide what to do, he lifted her up by the arm. “I asked you a question. Where is the sardonyx?”

‡

K
alan was on
his way back to Elana when his cell rang. His future mate probably wanted to know when he would be coming home. He hadn’t meant to take so long at the station, but the paperwork involved with switching out Hank Melton’s high security ankle monitor took longer than he’d expected.

Rye had called this morning to say he’d secured a special ankle monitor for the Changeling that would inhibit his ability to touch someone and transform into his clone during the red moon. Kalan wasn’t about to ask where or how Rye had found one that could be altered, but apparently, he’d called in a few Alpha favors.

Apparently, Izzy had contacted Ophelia who said she could line the bracelet with rose quartz by transforming it into a malleable substance just long enough for her to place it in the ankle monitor. When the stone came in contact with the Changeling’s body, his powers would be diminished significantly. Ophelia said it was possible that Hank Melton might not even be able to shift at all.

If all Changelings could be captured and monitored in such a way, the world would be a better place.

Another shrill tone of the phone jarred him back to the present. Kalan lifted his cell from his pocket, about to make some sexy remark, when he noticed the caller ID read Private Caller.

“Detective Murdoch.”

“Kalan, it’s Teagan.”

Her shaky voice had him gripping the wheel tighter, and every one of his senses sharpened. “What is it?”

“This may be nothing, but I had another vision about Elana.”

This couldn’t be good. None of her visions had been. “What did you see?”

Elana had mentioned that Teagan’s last vision involved Elana turning into some kind of stone statue in a field, and that something big and fast would rush in and save her. Fortunately, that crazy image had never materialized.

“I saw Elana’s face, and then suddenly, darkness surrounded her. It was really evil. My vision was strong—really strong—which means it might be happening now.”

Blood pounded in his ears. “I’m on my way to her.” He disconnected before she had the chance to say more.

Fuck
. He hadn’t wanted to leave Elana this morning, and if Rye hadn’t called with something so important, he would have stayed home with her.

Being a cop, Kalan tried to obey all the traffic rules, but when the light heading toward his house turned yellow, Kalan sped up. Horns honked. Too bad. This was an emergency. If he’d been in the cruiser instead of his Jeep, they would have understood.

Imagining the worst, his pulse soared. Once through the entrance to his compound, he took the next turn too fast, and two of the wheels lifted off the pavement, but he managed to right the vehicle. When he pulled into his driveway, he slammed on his brakes. The front door stood wide open and he nearly shifted from fear. He jumped out and took off.

The wolf signature nearby made him hurry, but it was Elana’s scream coming from out back that had him changing direction. If Rye had been here, he’d have shifted immediately into his wolf form, as he was faster that way. As a lumbering bear, Kalan possessed strength but not a whole lot of speed.

The moment he rounded the corner at the back of his house, he spotted Elana rushing across the back of the property, arms flaying, running for her life. A sharp spike pierced his heart. Right behind her, a man was coming out of the house through the sliding glass door.

They made eye contact, and instantly the intruder shifted into his wolf form, and Kalan followed suit by changing into his bear. Adrenaline pouring through his veins, along with just the right amount of anger, Kalan charged across the yard.

The wolf leaped onto the porch railing and shoved off. Before he even landed on the ground, Kalan reached him and swiped a claw across the wolf’s jaw. The animal yelped. He then bounced back onto his paws and charged. After years of sparring with Rye, Kalan was aware of just about every move a wolf could make. Given that Rye was highly trained and this wolf was not, this fight should be short lived. Besides, the quartz in the lake would make this wolf less effective as a fighter.

Just as Kalan was ready to take the fatal blow, the animal took off after Elana. Halfway to the forest, she stopped and bent over, her back heaving.

He wanted to shout at her to look up, but all he could do was roar. She must have understood, for she looked up, spun around and continued toward the forest. Kalan darted after the wolf who was now losing speed. The pink quartz must have taken hold because the wolf shifted into his human form. He stumbled and landed on his knees as if all of his energy had drained.

Kalan didn’t stop. He barreled toward the man, needing to save Elana, his mate—or at least she would be just as soon as he sunk his teeth into her tender little neck.

His protective nature spurred him on. The man sprinted toward Elana, and somehow managed to shift into his wolf once more. She reached the dense forest, but when she came to the old Oak tree, she halted. Hooking a foot into the crook, she leveraged herself upward. While the wolf might jump up at her, she should be high enough to be safe—unless the wolf shifted once more.

The animal slowed and circled the tree, probably deciding his next move. Those few seconds enabled Kalan to take one big leap with his claws extended and land on the wolf’s back. Trapped, the wolf cried. As much as Kalan wanted to torture the man’s human half and demand answers, he’d not take the chance the intruder escaped.

When the wolf stilled, Kalan retracted his claws so he could roll him over, exposing his throat. The only way to kill one of these fuckers was to rip it out. As much as he didn’t want Elana to see the violent side of him, he had no choice.

In one bite, the deed was done.

He stepped back and watched to make sure the animal bled out. After the wolf’s last breath, he returned to his human form. Kalan then shifted and spit out the blood.

Goddess, with his mouth all bloody, he must look a frightful mess. Kalan moved closer to the tree. He swiped an arm across his mouth, but all that did was smear it more. “Elana, it’s okay. Come on down, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

He reached up, but she held on tight. “I’m afraid to let go.”

“You don’t need to be. Jump and I’ll catch you. I promise.”

Kalan didn’t think she would, but a second later she was in his grasp with her arms wrapped tightly around him. “I was so scared. That horrid man wanted the sardonyx. I probably would have given it to him if I had known the combination to the safe.”

“Shh. You did great.” Since two people had been murdered, and now two more were dead and one incarcerated, that piece of stone sure was valuable. “Maybe we should put it in a museum and let them keep it secure.”

A small smile lifted her lips. “Perhaps.” She lifted her head. “Oh, you’re naked, by the way.”

“Yeah, well that happens when I shift.”

She sniffed. “I like that fact about you, but I could do without the blood.”

“I’ll wash up.” He was pleased Elana seemed to have somewhat recovered. She was an amazing woman, one he wanted by his side—forever. Her whole life had been a series of roadblocks, yet she’d persevered. He could only hope he could now bring her the joy she deserved.

Once back inside, he finally set her down and headed straight for the kitchen sink. He splashed water on his face, rinsed his mouth, and washed his hands. He snagged a clean towel from the drawer and wiped as much of the blood off him as possible then dumped it in the trash. “I’m sorry I got blood on you. We both need to wash. Want to join me in the shower?”

She slipped an arm through his. “Is there room?”

“Most of the houses in this area were built with a large master shower with two shower heads.”

“That sounds so decadent.”

“It is when I get to share it with my beautiful woman. But I need a sec to make a call. While that man out there deserves to have his flesh eaten by an animal, I should take care of his body.”