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  She punched him in the kidney, and he ignored her. “Nick? I have dart-wielding wolves making attacks. Darts that hurt witches. Like my sister,” Bear snapped.

  Nicolai Veis had power that could choke a whole room, even when he was smiling. He’d tied his blond hair at the nape, and even in slacks and a sweater, he looked like the dangerous killing machine he was. His eyes were black pools of warning, and when he spoke, he had the rough, almost mangled, vocal cord tone of a full-bred demon. “Hello, brother.”

  Ah, geez. The demon thought they were brothers. Bear shook his head. “You can’t tell her no. She’s knocked up, all pretty and sparkly, and you can’t tell her no.” No matter how close Bear and Nessa became, even if she bounced his heart around like a basketball, he would never be this whipped. If Nessa needed to be told no for her safety, he’d say it. “Nick,” Bear said sadly.

  Nick clapped him on the arm. “We’re family, buddy. Suck it up and deal.”

  Did one of the most dangerous demons on the entire planet just tell him to suck it up? Bear growled.

  Simone punched him again and shoved her shoulder beneath his arm, sliding her arm around his waist and snuggling close. “I have been so worried about you. Are you better?”

  He paused. “Yes.” Nessa had healed him. Oh, he wasn’t at a hundred percent yet, but he was feeling damn good.

  “Excellent,” Simone said cheerfully. At almost six feet tall, she brushed his cheekbone with her forehead. “Also, you are mated. I just couldn’t stay home and wait this out. Somebody must welcome her to the family.”

  Nick flashed sharp teeth in a smile. “Simone really wanted to come to make sure you didn’t screw it up.” Simone smacked her mate, and he grabbed her hand, lifting it to his lips. “Watch it, little bunny.”

  Bear gagged. While the nickname for his tough-as-nails sister was hilarious, Bear didn’t need to see them all cooing. He might actually puke. “No flirting.”

  “How do you think I knocked her up?” Nick asked easily, amusement curving his lips.

  The other two helicopters landed, and soldiers poured out of all three. Garrett and Logan met with a Realm soldier carrying an impressive number of guns. They began pointing out areas on the land to him.

  Bear’s hackles rose. “What is happening?”

  “Protection detail,” Nick said easily. “We trust your people, but mine will be on close detail for the day we’re here. Covering Simone and the babe.”

  Demons and vampires. Bear couldn’t breathe. “There are witches on my perimeter. Now demons and vampires close in. Oh God. It’s purgatory. I’m in fucking purgatory. I have to move. There must be property in Antarctica you haven’t found.” His head spun.

  Simone patted his chest. “Hey. You’re all badass and full of muscles again. Nessa has cured you.”

  Bear stilled. “Did you say just one day?”

  Nick grinned. “You’re welcome. I needed to come check on the boys, and Simone was determined to interfere in your personal life, so I agreed to twenty-four hours only. That’s it.”

  Bear brightened. “All right, then.”

  Simone pouted. “You donna’ want me here?”

  He instantly pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I want you here any time and all times.” He meant every word. “But not with Apollo darts around. Once I take down the manufacturer, you and the babe can come stay here. Live here. It’ll be great.”

  Simone bit her lip, her dark eyes sparkling. “What about Nick?”

  “He can visit,” Bear said softly. “Once a year.”

  She laughed.

  Bear’s chest eased, and his body relaxed. He’d made his sister laugh. That was good.

  Logan and Garrett jogged over, each giving Nick a quick hug before reaching for Simone. She good-naturedly hugged them both, pulling on Logan’s ear hard enough he winced.

  “We gave Max key locations to cover, and he’s having the soldiers fan out. After that, he wants access to the computer and surveillance equipment for maximum coverage,” Logan said, brushing his dark hair back.

  Bear sucked in air. “I’ll think about it.”

  Simone patted him again. “Cooperate. It’s just for a day.”

  He didn’t answer, but they both knew he’d do as she asked.

  “How are they doing?” Nick asked, all serious, jerking his head toward Garrett and Logan.

  The boys paused and looked his way.

  “I’m sending a grocery bill to the king,” Bear said, messing with them.

  Neither twitched, and no expression crossed their hard faces. But they did watch him closely. They also seemed to have stopped breathing.

  Oh, all right. Bear let them off the hook. “Other than that, the boys have done an excellent job. They’re good hunters and fighters, and their computer skills are helping enormously.” Especially since his three key lieutenants hadn’t been located yet. Logan was conducting his own searches, and Bear appreciated the initiative. “They can stay as long as they want.”

  Simone gasped quietly.

  Yeah, that was the highest praise he could give. Bear rolled his eyes. “Would you like to start interfering now? Nessa is in the war room.” The most secure room in the entire facility was a good place to put both of the women in his life. “Tonight you can stay in the river house in the same room as last time.” He drew Simone toward the bar and looked over his shoulder at Nick. “You’ll probably want to patrol or something.”

  Simone chuckled.

  “That horse is out of the barn, brother,” Nick drawled from behind him.

  Bear gagged again. “I had plans to kill you before you got her with child,” he said mildly, leading her toward the storage room.

  “It’s all in the timing, my friend.” Nick chuckled.

  Wasn’t it, though? “I guess it could happen at a later date. You do deserve to see your child,” Bear said magnanimously. But there was no need for anybody to get too comfortable around him. People got comfortable and they not only stayed but invited all their friends to drop by. Enough with the guests.

  He opened the door to the war room, and Simone brushed in.

  Nessa looked up from a pile of papers, and a wide smile brightened her already stunning face. “Simone.”

  “Hello.” Simone shook hands with Boondock and Jasper before hugging Nessa. “I guess we’re family.”

  Nessa swayed, her eyes widening. “I guess we are.”

  In that second, Bear could see the little lost girl searching for a family, the little girl Boondock had tried to describe for him. Apparently, so could Simone, because she hugged Nessa again, this time longer. “Don’t worry about Bear. I’ll teach you how to handle him,” she whispered, loud enough that he could hear.

  Nessa smiled and leaned back. “You shouldn’t be here, Councilwoman.”

  Bear crossed his arms. “That’s what I said.”

  “I still lead the Guard,” Nessa said gently. “Your safety is priority one. You can’t be here, as much as I’d like for you to stay.”

  Look at his woman getting all businesslike and duty bound, when she obviously wanted nothing more than to bond with Simone. How fucking sweet was that? “You’re gonna be an aunt, Nessa,” Bear said gently. If she decided to stay with him. Hell, even if she didn’t, they were still mated. He still had a say in her life. A big say. In fact, she’d better decide to fucking stay.

  Emotion darkened Nessa’s eyes, and she glanced down at Simone’s barely protruding belly. “I’m greatly looking forward to it.” Nessa cleared her throat. “Now we need to get you to a safe location.”

  Simone smiled. “The Enforcers guarantee the safety of the Coven Nine, sister. The Guard is our police force.”

  “Aye,” Nessa agreed, her chin firming in a way that made Bear want to take a bite. “But the Guard provides backup and military strength. This is not a safe place for you.”

  Man, it’d be a fun fight to watch between the two of them. Bear cleared his throat. “Ness? We have shifter, witch, demon, and
vampire soldiers surrounding us at the moment. Simone is only staying for the night and will return to the safe haven of Realm headquarters tomorrow.”

  “Demon headquarters,” Nick corrected.

  Same damn thing. They were located less than a mile from each other on the same Idaho lake. “Whatever,” Bear said.

  Nessa turned her head toward him. “You’ve allowed demon and vampire forces into the territory?”

  “Just a protection detail for Simone,” Bear said hastily, uncrossing his arms. “They leave tomorrow. It’s temporary.” If he didn’t watch his step, he’d be surrounded by witches. Even now, his forces were patrolling in tandem with the witches guarding the perimeter. The walls were starting to close in on him.

  “Interesting,” Simone said, her eyes absolutely twinkling.

  Garrett pushed his way into the room and took up his post at the computers, already talking jargon to Lucas, who’d stayed behind. It was nice those two had bonded. “The search should be about finished,” Lucas said, hunching over his keyboard.

  “Where’s Logan?” Nick asked.

  “Flirting with a bear shifter,” Garrett said absently, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

  Bear looked around. There were way too many people in his war room. People who shouldn’t even know he had a war room.

  “Breathe, brother,” Nick said quietly. “I’ve been there.”

  “It gets better?” Bear asked.

  “Actually, no.” Nick’s lips twitched.

  Wonderful. Just damn wonderful.

  Lucas straightened. “Hey. I have something.”

  Thank God. Bear could always trust his friend to come through for him. Maybe somebody was bombing them or something, so he could get away from people and just fight for a while. “What?” Bear asked, blanching at the hope in his voice.

  Lucas typed in a series of codes. “Got ’em. Vilks sent over all the intel on rogue gangs, and I traced that one wolf shifter to a group known as Riot—after combining the search with the one on the Slam Bar.”

  “Riot?” Bear asked. “Never heard of them.”

  “They’re a small-time wolf gang. Theft, kidnapping, some robberies.” Lucas kept typing. “Last known headquarters north of Seattle. Definitely hired thugs . . . who are known to frequent Slam Bar. And here it all comes together.”

  “Exactly. Now they’ve moved on to attempted murder,” Bear growled. “You already have an attack plan ready. We go tonight.” This time, he clapped Nick on the shoulder. “You up to a mission?”

  Nick’s eyes darkened. “God, yes.”

  Chapter 27

  Tension grew in Nessa as the day wore on and night began to fall. She’d created a list of people who might want her dead, and the number on the list caught her off guard. How odd. She’d turned the list over to Boondock to start investigating, before sitting down with Simone and going over a list of witches who’d been attacked in the US.

  She flipped open a file on the two most recent deaths. “They were young,” she murmured, looking at two smiling women in their early twenties—their real early twenties. “Why were they alone in the States?”

  “College,” Simone said, her fingernails tapping on a legal pad. They had papers and manila files scattered across the conference table, while Lucas worked one computer bank and Boondock the other. Bear, Nick, and the boys had disappeared to plan an attack.

  Nessa reached for the remainder of a sandwich somebody had brought in at some point, her gaze on the photos of the dead bodies. The PK mineral harmed witches if it touched them, but the Apollo drug? It was melted PK forced into liquid form, for darts and for distribution. The advantageous side effect for the manufacturer was that humans could take it and get high—if they didn’t overdose—so it came with an automatic income stream. For the ultimate purpose of what? Killing all witches? “Who wants to hurt us this badly?”

  Simone sat back, her dark eyes thoughtful. “I don’t know. Whoever is behind it wanted to fracture the Council of the Coven Nine, and they were successful for a while. So it might be some sort of takeover, but it feels more personal than that. Angry, even.”

  That was in line with Nessa’s analysis. “Has the Council had any luck tracking down Grace Sadler?”

  “No, but we’re on it full-time.” Simone sipped a cup of tea. “Grace and I dated the same man for a while, you know. Decades ago.”

  “Yes.” Nessa knew the entire case. She put the pieces together. “Wait a minute. Didn’t he kidnap you, along with Garrett’s mum? Put you in a jail cell?”

  “Aye,” Simone said softly. “Cara went into labor, and I delivered that little vampire pain in the butt.”

  Nessa laughed. “No wonder Garrett hovers around to be sure you don’t trip. Or get shot.”

  “He is devoted,” Simone said, sighing. “You help one kid get born, and he attaches for life. Vampires.”

  Nessa chuckled and turned back to the matter at hand. “Why didn’t the Council keep a closer eye on Grace Sadler when she was defeated and had to leave?”

  Simone shrugged. “We were in the middle of a war. Her powers were stripped, and it’ll take a century for her to rebuild them. Put simply, we had more important things to worry about.”

  Aye. “Her sons are both dead now because of this Apollo campaign. If she’s behind it, she’ll be out for blood.”

  Simone nodded.

  “What about other disgraced council members?” Nessa asked.

  “Council contests usually end in death,” Simone mused. “Grace is one of the few who was allowed to live. But we’re also tracking down anybody else we can think of.”

  “As is the Guard,” Nessa said.

  “Aye,” Simone said softly, her hand on her belly. “Speaking of which.”

  Nessa’s shoulders slumped. “I know. I need to make it happen either today or tomorrow.” The idea of resigning from the Guard hurt a little, but it also opened up possibilities. Maybe it was time to move on and do something else. She’d done a good job, and it was time for new blood in the top position.

  “Will you be involved in choosing your successor?” Simone asked.

  “No,” Nessa said easily, lying through her teeth.

  Simone took another sip of tea. “How does it happen? It’s all a mystery, even to council members.”

  Nessa smiled. “That’s the point.”

  Simone laughed. “My brother hates secrecy and intrigue. I mean, really hates it.”

  “Aye. I’ve noticed,” Nessa said, her gaze on Simone’s bump. What would it be like to be pregnant? To have a baby? Bear’s baby?

  “Nessa?” Simone asked softly.

  Nessa looked toward her new sister-in-law. “Yes?”

  “If you hurt him, really hurt him, I’ll gut you before I burn you to a smoldering pile of screaming ash.”

  Nessa grinned. “Your imagery is impressive.”

  “Aye. So is my ability to gut people and throw fire,” Simone said seriously.

  “Understood.” Nessa stretched her arms over her head. “He asked me to stay.”

  Simone turned her chair. “He did? Like, really asked you?”

  Nessa thought through the words. “Aye. Said to make a choice now, because it’s absolute. If I decide to stay, then there’s no leaving.”

  Simone pressed her hands to her chest. “That is so sweet. And so many words for Bear to say at one time.”

  Nessa frowned. “He’s kinda bossy.”

  “Just wait until you get pregnant,” Simone murmured. “It gets a lot worse. But they’re worth it.”

  Aye, but only if love was involved. Bear hadn’t said he loved her—not once. Sure, they’d had wild sex, and he might’ve said he liked her at some point. But they had much different lives, and they needed more than sex and liking. She needed more. Looking at Simone’s contentment, Nessa realized she wanted more. All of it. Could she have that with Bear?

  “You’re mated,” Simone said, her lips curving. “Stop thinking like you’re just dating.
If you want him, you have to go for it.”

  Hadn’t she done that just last night?

  “I have surveillance of Slam Bar and intel on the wolf pack.” Lucas texted something on his phone, and within a minute Bear and Nick loped into the room.

  “Slam’s on the rough side of town—very rough.” Anticipation lit Lucas’s eyes as he stood. “There are twenty known members of the gang, and we took out ten the other day. But they might have local friends as well.”

  Bear nodded. “Get me the schematics of the bar and the entire neighborhood. We want to go in small: the boys, Lucas, Nick, and me.” He looked toward Nessa. “Jasper will be in charge of your protection, while Max will be in charge of Simone’s. Both are outside coordinating with troops.”

  “Isn’t it nice when we all work together?” Simone asked dryly.

  “Nessa. Come outside,” Bear said, turning around and disappearing.

  “See? Bossy.” Nessa pushed away from the table and followed her mate, flexing her fingers. She’d been writing all day and could use a good training session or jog to let off some steam.

  He waited for her, his big body leaning on the pool table. “You figure anything out?”

  “Still working on it.” Both work and personal issues.

  “All right.” He’d changed into black cargo pants with a dark shirt, and his combat boots appeared to be around a size eighteen. “So. I was thinking.”

  “That doesn’t bode well for me.”

  He grinned. “Funny.”

  She fought the urge to preen. For goodness’ sake. “You were saying?” Could her voice sound any more prim?

  He brushed her hair away from her shoulder. “When I said that if you decide to stay, that’s the final decision?”

  Her breath caught. Had he changed his mind? “Yes?”

  “I thought I should tell you that I want you to stay. I’d like for you to make that decision.” He kicked a cushion out of the way. “Thought you should know.”

  Her heart did a funny somersault. She smiled.

  He tapped her lip. “Okay. Back to business. I have snipers set up in multiple locations, ground forces in place, and satellite backup around the clock. You and Simone will be safe here tonight until we return.”