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  Oh, she was going to kill him. Her hands trembled, and not from fear. “How could you?”

  He sobered. His shoulders went back. “How could I? Are you jesting? You fly all the way across the world, by yourself, on a mission? One involving Apollo and PK? One where you might mate a bear shifter? A shifter.” He moved toward her, his eyes blazing. “How could I not? You’ve lost your bloomin’ mind.”

  George sniffed again. “She mated the shifter. I can smell it.”

  Boondock stopped cold. He paled. “You did not.”

  Heat burst in her face, but she kept his gaze. “I did.” Slowly, deliberately, she tugged her shirt to the side to reveal the mating mark. “I burned the hell out of his back, too.”

  Boondock gasped.

  “Damn it,” George yelled. “I knew I couldn’t trust you. Attack.”

  Men poured from the other two silent planes, guns blazing. The Guards turned to defend themselves. George grabbed Nessa and pushed his gun to her throat.

  The warehouse door burst open, and several flash grenades rolled across the floor, blowing up and sheeting the room in blue light. Nessa dropped fast and swung out, nailing George in the knee.

  Her head rang, and she couldn’t see. The smoke was thick and blue. Combat boots poured into the room. Bear grabbed her up to her feet, Lucas covering him. “Nessa?” Panic gripped his voice. He shook her, running his hands down her body. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, her head lolling. The flash grenade had been too close to her. “Fine. Don’t kill the soldiers in black—they’re actually with us. The ones in green are fair game.”

  “Fine.” He set her to his side.

  His men rushed forward and into the fight as Garrett yelled a war cry.

  Boondock lunged up, firing green lasers at Bear. Nessa screamed. The lasers would turn into hard bullets when they hit flesh, and too many could kill even a bear shifter. Several hit Bear’s vest and he growled, reaching up and slapping the gun away. He swung out and nailed Boon in the temple. Her uncle dropped like a rock.

  “Why was your uncle shooting at me?” Bear asked.

  Nessa coughed, her eyes burning. “Long story. He’s fine.”

  “Fucking witches,” Bear bellowed.

  She cringed but couldn’t quite blame him. Just then, George rose from the smoke, firing rapidly at Bear’s face.

  Out of pure instinct, Nessa jumped in the way. One bullet hit her neck, and she cried out, pain ricocheting up to her ear. She fell, her cheekbone hitting the concrete.

  Bear lunged over her, connecting with George and taking him to the ground. It was no contest. George fought with all his training, but Bear methodically countered every move with another intended specifically to cause pain. Blood flowed freely—all of it from George. Bear played with him like an animal with prey until George was pretty much sobbing. Bleeding and sobbing. He grabbed his ear, screaming.

  Nessa rolled over. “Bear,” she croaked, holding her neck. “Don’t kill him.”

  Bear turned her way, the thirst for blood bright in his eyes.

  “Please,” she whispered, trying to stay alert.

  He looked at her for a moment. Then he punched George square in the face, breaking his nose and several facial bones. The witch flopped to the ground, unconscious.

  She lifted her head and tried to smile, but her strength deserted her.

  Bear slid on his knees and caught her head before her nose smashed onto the concrete floor. “You’re okay.” He gingerly pulled her hand away from her neck. “You have to be.”

  “Ouch.”

  The sounds of men fighting slowly died down.

  She looked over at her unconscious uncle. “I can’t believe—”

  An explosion blasted against the side of the warehouse, buckling the metal siding. “Damn.” Bear jumped up and hurried to the door to look outside, turning almost instantly to yell, “Transport blown.” He tapped his ear. “Need plan B. Now. He turned back to Nessa just as the entire rear of the building blew in.

  Shock and fury sizzled across his face. So, that wasn’t part of his plan.

  The plane had been blown up? She gasped, turning almost in slow motion. The blue smoke flew out into the night. A squad of five ran inside wearing full tactical gear with even their faces covered. The first two held dart guns. Apollo dart guns.

  One spotted her and gave a signal. They ran for her, all shooting rapidly. Darts flew all around her.

  “Shit.” Bear grabbed her and raced for the main door, rushing through it with a shattering of glass. “Secondary vacate, now. Now,” he yelled, running out onto the tarmac near the smoldering mess of his plane.

  Nessa struggled until he put her down. “We can’t run. Have to fight,” she gasped, whirling around.

  Two of the men with darts leaped through the broken glass doors.

  Bear roared a battle cry and rushed them both, ignoring the darts impacting his body. He ripped the guns away and threw them onto the burning roof. “Get the other dart guns,” he ordered. Hopefully, everyone else still had their comm units on.

  One of the dart soldiers tackled Bear, taking him down. He fought furiously, smashing his hands against the attacker’s ears.

  The other soldier ran around them, coming straight for Nessa. Her vision was fuzzy, and her head hurt. Blood flowed down her neck to soak her blouse. She’d lost her gun in the fight, but she reached for a knife from her boot.

  The soldier smiled and yanked out his own knife.

  His was bigger.

  He circled her, his movements fluid and graceful. She waited, her heart thundering, her stance set.

  He charged.

  She only had one chance. Pivoting, she dodged back and then in, drawing her knife across his jugular. He grabbed his neck and dropped to his knees, his eyes bugging out behind the mask. Drawing on strength she hoped she had, she kicked him in the temple. His eyelids fluttered shut, and he fell sideways.

  He smelled like shifter. The guy would live, but he’d need some time to recover.

  She stumbled back.

  Bear reached her, blood flowing from a cut in his lip. “You okay?” He sounded very far away.

  “Aye,” she said, her hand going to her neck again. She had to stem the blood.

  “Where the fuck is plan B?” Bear yelled.

  Lights pierced the clouds above, and a Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter descended rapidly and landed. Nessa stilled in place. What? This was Bear’s plan B? The side opened, and Bear hustled her aboard, pushing her into a seat along the wall and buckling her in. The pilot turned and nodded. “Stay here,” Bear ordered.

  She coughed, her brain shutting down as her body tried to repair itself. “My uncle. Don’t leave him here with the darts.” Those darts would kill witches. Was he okay? He had to be all right. She shuddered. “George, too. He’s a witch.”

  Bear turned and ran back into the building. Seconds later, he ran out with her unconscious uncle over his shoulder. Lucas, Garrett, and Logan followed with the two shifter pilots from Bear’s other helicopter on their heels. Thank goodness they were okay. They all jumped in, and instantly the helicopter rose off the ground. Bear dumped Boondock on the floor and moved to sit by Nessa.

  She raised her head. “George?” she croaked out.

  “He’s fine. The Guard soldiers took him,” Bear said, reaching to hold her hand. “He wasn’t hit with any darts.”

  “Y-you have an attack helicopter,” she whispered, her throat on fire.

  He tightened his hold. “I’m the leader of the grizzly nation, sweetheart. I have several attack helicopters.” His free hand reached for her head, and he tugged her toward his shoulder. “Close your eyes and heal your neck. Now.”

  “This is such a mess,” she mumbled. “Is everyone okay?” Blackness dotted her vision.

  “Yes. But you owe me a plane now.”

  A truck and a plane. She passed out with a smile on her face.

  Chapter 20

  Bear stretched awake, h
is body feeling like his own again. If his mate hadn’t been in danger the night before, he might’ve actually enjoyed the fight. There was so much intrigue to figure out that he just wanted to bury his face in Nessa’s fragrant hair and stay there all day.

  She’d slept the entire way home, even while he’d brought her to the cabin on the four-wheeler. Good thing he’d had Lucas put the plastic roof on it.

  The fire popped across the room, and a quick glance out the window showed a nice snowfall . . . puffy and mellow. The wind had given up the fight for a time, and the day almost seemed peaceful. Oh, it wouldn’t end up that way, he just knew it. There was one key question that had bothered him before he slept. Who would’ve sent soldiers with Apollo darts after Nessa? More important, who had known where to find her? It hadn’t seemed that George had wanted her dead, so who was this outside threat?

  Maybe the dart soldiers were George’s plan B. If so, and that was the only thing that really made sense, then he should’ve killed George. Now he had to hunt George down to kill him. Bear sighed.

  She murmured and stretched against him, her smooth legs rubbing against his as she rolled onto her stomach and stretched her arms up, her face toward him.

  “Morning,” he rumbled, sliding his hand down her back to cup her butt.

  Her eyes opened, blue and a little cloudy. They slowly cleared. “Bear.”

  Yeah. Bear. He squeezed, letting his hand roam. Arousal spiraled through him, but he kept his movements gentle. His woman had been hurt the night before, and although he’d felt her healing herself for a couple of hours last night, he needed to be gentle with her. She deserved it. “A couple of things became clear to me last night,” he said, appreciating her other buttock.

  She arched an eyebrow. “What became clear and why is your hand on my rear?”

  He grinned at the rhyme. “My hand is on your rear because your butt is tight and firm.” He caressed her, enjoying the interest that leaped into her eyes. “As for what became clear, you did. Sweet little healer raised by a half-crazy uncle witch who set her up in an op the previous night instead of just tracking her down to find her.” Bear could see her clearly as a kid being raised by the lunatic. “The man is a crackpot.” No wonder she seemed so alone sometimes.

  “That’s Uncle Crackpot to you.” She grinned. “He probably meant well. Where is he?” She lifted her head. “We’re back at the cabin . . . on the bed that’s on the floor.” Her face fell. Her frown was adorable. “You have billions, Bear. Billions.”

  “That’s how I afford attack helicopters that save our asses,” he reminded her, looking around his perfect cabin. “If you wanna make a change or two, feel free.” That felt like a mistake. He twisted his lip, considering. “Maybe.” His fingers skimmed her upper thigh.

  She breathed in. Rolling onto her side, she flattened her palm across his heart and shut her eyes. Warmth spread through his torso and slid down to his balls. Her smile brightened her entire face. “You’re healing. Completely.”

  Her pleasure at his health took him by surprise. Much of his life, nobody had cared if he was hurt or alone. But she did. His being healthy made her happy. That one little fact slid deeper than her healing touch and landed hard. He leaned over and nibbled on her mouth. “Something else became clear last night, Ness.”

  A slight tremor took her. Yeah, she liked the little nickname. He kissed her, taking his time and enjoying the moment. When he lifted his head, her lips were a pretty pink, and her eyes a deep blue.

  “What became clear?” she asked, her voice throaty.

  He ran a thumb across her bite mark. This time, she shivered hard. Yeah. That. “I decided I’m keeping you.”

  Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  “You have impressive enemies, well funded and organized.” Maybe George was one of them or maybe not. “In addition, your family, such as he is, is a nutjob.” Bear squeezed her ass.

  She gasped and arched her back. “None of that has anything to do with you.”

  Ah, she wasn’t getting him. Not at all. “You’re my mate.” He let the words stand alone for a moment. They should say everything, but he figured she needed more of an explanation. “Your safety is my duty. It’s my right.” The only place to keep her safe in the world was in his territory, with his guards. “So you’re staying here.” Plus, he liked having her around. A lot.

  She shook her head. “Listen, Bear—”

  “No. I made you a promise.” The idea of her leaving him and getting harmed forced a growl up from his chest. “I’ll take out whoever is trying to kill you. And I think I need to hunt George down and kill him for the darts last night.”

  Her gaze went to the side and up as if she was thinking. “George would not have used darts like that. He doesn’t have that kind of drive, and while he’s a moron, he’s not a killer.” She caressed up to Bear’s neck. “I like your caveman routine here, but I’m fine taking care of myself. I have work to do.”

  He’d never ask her to stop working. “I’ll get you the best computer system in the world so you can do your accounting work from here. You’ll be secure enough even for the Coven Nine to be happy.” At her frown, he continued, “I’m sure you like to go heal people sometimes. There’s a human hospital just thirty minutes away. They always need help.”

  “Oh, I can’t heal humans.” She brushed the thought away. “And I need more than a computer.”

  He rolled her over and flattened himself on top of her. “What do you mean you can’t heal humans?”

  “Huh? Oh.” She threaded his hair with her hands. “Humans aren’t strong enough.”

  “What about Angie? The human who overdosed on Apollo. You saved her,” Bear said, his body feeling alive.

  “That’s because of PK and Apollo,” Nessa said. “I can help a human who’s fighting Apollo, but that’s the only time. The fire properties of the mineral make it possible. But if I try to repair a human bone, it ends up a pile of dust.” She lightly tugged his hair.

  He felt it to his balls, and he bit back a moan. He liked this morning flirty side of her. “Bones are bones.”

  She snuggled her nose beneath his jaw, kissing down his neck. “Immortal bones are different from human bones. That’s like saying a cat’s brain is just like a human’s brain. They’re not.”

  That was a good point. He slid the shirt up and over her head, baring her breasts. Her pink nipples were already hard and ready for a kiss. So he gave them one each. “Have you tried to heal a human?” he asked, before taking a nipple into his mouth.

  She gasped and arched up into him. “Yes. I’ve taken human bones and animal bones and tried to mellow my abilities. Everything turns to dust. It’s sad.” She held his head with her hands, right above her breasts, and widened her legs, allowing him to settle more comfortably against her core. “You’re not wearing any clothes.”

  He reached down and ripped off her panties. “Neither are you.”

  She laughed and pushed her groin against his. “What in the world shall we do about that?”

  He could feel her wetness against his cock. “Between the two of us, we’re pretty smart.” He slowly pushed himself inside her wet heat, pausing a couple of times so as not to hurt her. Finally, he was balls-deep right where he wanted to be most in the world.

  She kissed him, her hands on his neck as her body vibrated around him with so much warmth his head pounded. She released him and nipped his bottom lip. “I never said thank you for last night.”

  “You are right now.” He licked the mating mark on her shoulder.

  She shivered. “I mean it. Thank you for the op, for saving my uncle, and for saving me from the darts. And for plan B, which you, by the way, hadn’t told me about.”

  “All ops should have a backup retreat plan,” he said, grasping her hip and withdrawing before plunging back in.

  Her chest pushed against his. “True that.”

  Cute. Definitely cute.

  She ran her hands down his biceps and hummed.
“Your muscles are coming back, and fast. Feel your strength.”

  He’d rather feel exactly what he was feeling right now. The stronger he became, the more he needed to be careful.

  “Stop worrying.” It was as if she could read his mind. Her nails curled into the top of his ass. “Don’t hold back. Please, with me, just don’t ever hold back.”

  The words released the tether he was trying to hold on to. He pulled out of her. “It’s a promise.” Giving free rein to the animal inside him, he licked her breasts, scraping his whiskers down her stomach. Her abdomen clenched. He nipped and licked, moving right down to where he’d wanted to be from the first second he’d seen her.

  She grabbed his shoulders. “Wait, I—”

  “No.” He manacled her hands and pushed them up. “Hands above your head. Now.”

  She lifted her head and stared down at him, her fingers curling over her palms but not moving.

  He blew on her exposed sex, his gaze remaining on hers. “Now.”

  She slowly lifted her arms above her head, and her breasts rose with the motion. With her hands up and her legs spread, she was the perfect image of submission. Oh, she hadn’t come close to submitting to him yet. But she would.

  He grinned and slowly licked her clit with one swipe.

  She started, and her hands slammed down on his shoulders. He stopped and fought another smile. The scent of her beckoned him, causing a hunger that had to be satisfied. But not yet. “Hands. Up. Now.” To enforce his order, he nipped her clit.

  She gasped and shot her hands right back up.

  He chuckled around the sweet little button, and tremors shook her legs. God, he wanted this. Wanted her. He licked her, nipping once in a while to throw her off balance, and even bit her thigh. His fingers worked her, and he found her G-spot, rubbing it. Within minutes, she was writhing against him, her hands obediently up, little gasps of need escaping her.

  He could do this all fucking day.

  But her cries, soft as they were, turned to pleading. So he increased the pressure of his tongue on her clit and twisted his finger inside her. Her thighs clamped onto his shoulders and she arched, springing into an orgasm with a tightening of her entire body. She rode out the waves, and he felt them against his mouth.