Chapter Fifteen – Avery

He was there, watching. An inappropriate thrill of excitement passed through her. A bear had her back. She smiled, and the thrill spread, making her body pulse and vibrate, washing away the fatigue that had crept up on her all day. Only seconds before, she had been wondering how the hell she was going to summon the strength to take one guy down, let alone two, but now she was ready.

Avery’s eyes locked with those of Jacob’s bear, and a silent message passed between them. She reached across for her pack, which she had removed when she hid behind the boulders, and pushed the radio into the outside pocket. She was ready.

A quick glance at the bear, and a slow nod, and they moved as one, disturbing the deal that was going down on top of the mountain. Avery just prayed that the trade was drugs, and not something innocent. She shoved her doubts firmly to one side. The information Lonnie had given her was correct, and she was about to clear his name.

Manny and Joe swung around to face her. Manny put his hand up and said, “Stay the fuck down, you’re going to blow the deal.”

The eagle squawked like a parrot, taken by surprise by the sudden sight of Avery barreling down on them. However, Manny and Joe had the harness half on and half off him, which meant his wings were bound by his side. The eagle tried to pull free, but it was futile.

The first moment Manny realized what was really happening was when Avery’s fist came into contact with his jaw. She’d sparred with men his size before, she knew he would have the upper hand, unless she knocked him out with her first blow. Avery swung at him, putting all her strength and anger into the punch. As if in slow motion, Manny’s head snapped back, his eyes rolling up in their sockets, and she was certain he was seeing stars as his body crumpled to the ground.

“One down!” Avery’s hand hurt like hell, but she stood ready to fight. Joe’s eyes widened as he realized they were under attack and he desperately tried to free the eagle. She couldn’t let that happen. Launching herself at the bird, she made a grab for him, but the eagle’s beak was sharp, and tore at the flesh on her hand. With a quick lunge, she managed to divert the blow, and the beak tore into the fabric of her coat instead.

The eagle flapped and flapped, attempting to wriggle out of the harness. First one wing, then another came free, he flapped frantically, inching off the ground as he took flight, but as he skimmed the side of the crater, a big, brown grizzly bear leaped through the air and crushed the bird to the ground.

Joe screamed like a girl, his eyes wide in horror. “I surrender.”

Avery acted quickly, running back to her pack, and taking out the rope she’d seen in there earlier. While the bear still grappled with the eagle, she bound first Manny, and then Joe, hands and feet.

“Want me to truss up the turkey too?” Avery called over to Jacob, who had the eagle trapped between his massive front paws. The bear nodded, and held the eagle while she wrapped rope around its legs. “Now what?”

Jacob’s bear released the eagle, and ran out of the crater; a minute later he was back, looking incredibly handsome with his hair whipped up in the breeze, and his dimples on display. “I didn’t know you had such a good right hook.”

“A woman likes to know how to defend herself.” She turned to their captives. “What now?”

“I’m going to give Brad a call. There’s still enough light for the helicopter to make it up here safely.” He placed his pack on the ground, and dug out the satellite phone. “Hello, Brad, this is Jacob. We’ve got our guys. Drugs. Yeah.”

Avery went over to the harness that lay on the ground. Using her foot, so as not to taint the evidence, she pushed it to one side, and there lay several packets of what appeared to be drugs. Avery could see at least ten packets, each approximately the size of a bar of soap.

“Looks like drugs to me. Possibly cocaine.” Avery glanced over to Manny and Joe. “Does Brad want me to read them their rights?”

“Brad, did you hear that? We also know who is behind the drug ring. Avery wants to get over there as soon as possible.” Jacob listened and then nodded. “Will do.”

As he put the satellite phone back in his pack, the eagle made a run, or at least a flap, for it. The big bird flapped clumsily up the side of the crater, while using his sharp beak to tear at the rope around his legs. If he got himself free, and took flight, there was no way they would catch him again.

Avery lunged at him, her arms wrapped around his wings, but this left her exposed to his beak. Jacob moved in to help, grabbing the rope from his own pack and wrapping it around the eagle’s wings. Still the savage beak tried to slice their skin, and peck their flesh. Tired of this, Jacob clamped one of his large hands around the bird's beak, and said, “I know you can understand me. So, unless you want me to wire this beak of yours shut, you’d better behave.”

The eagle looked at Jacob unblinking, and there was a familiarity there that Avery couldn’t quite place.

“Are you OK?” Jacob asked, as he slowly released the eagle’s beak.

“Yeah.” She gave a shaky laugh. “Just peachy.”

“Brad’s on his way. He’ll bag the evidence and arrest these two…three.”

“The eagle is a shifter?” Avery was certain of it, but wanted to hear confirmation from Jacob.

“Oh, yeah. He tried to run when he realized Brad was on his way.”

“So how do we arrest him?” Avery asked.

“Brad will deal with it. Eventually he’ll have to shift back into his human form.” Jacob glanced around the crater. “Drugs on the mountain. I’ve seen it all now.”

Avery placed her hand on his arm. “We did it, this will send a message to anyone else who thinks they can exploit the mountain.” She looked at the eagle, trussed up on the ground. “And to shifters who think they can exploit their gift.”

“You do see shifting as a gift then?” Jacob asked.

Avery stared at the eagle and then focused her attention on Jacob. “I do. A freaky gift, but a gift all the same. Although why anyone would want to throw that gift away by doing something illegal is beyond me.”

Jacob nodded in agreement. “He won’t be flying anywhere for a long time.”

They waited together, both of them keeping a watch on their captives, until they heard the steady thrum of spinning helicopter blades in the distance. Jacob climbed out of the crater, stood on the edge, and waved his arms wildly. The helicopter came closer, and then the tone of the blades changed as it came into land.

“Hey there!” Jacob called.

“Hey, Jacob. You tracked them down. Good job.” Brad’s voice came to her over the sound of the helicopter.

“Avery took them out, and got the name of the dirty cop who runs the smuggling ring.” Jacob’s voice was filled with pride and she smiled to herself, a warmth flowing through her veins. Her parents had always been proud of her, she’d worked hard to make sure she never let them down. But it was something else to have a man you’d just met say you’d done good.

“Right, let’s get this wound up and get them back to Bear Creek.” Brad came down into the crater and began to read Manny and Joe, plus whoever the eagle was, their rights. She did find it amusing to hear the sheriff talking to a bird.

With the evidence photographed and bagged, and Manny and Joe’s gear also taken as evidence, they were soon escorting the prisoners out of the crater and across to the helicopter.

“I’ll send the helicopter back for you,” Brad said once the prisoners were all cuffed and loaded. Except for the eagle who, still bound with rope, was placed on the floor with the boot of another police officer resting on his feathered body.

“OK. We’ll wait here.” Jacob nodded, but then a large shadow passed above their heads, circling around the mountain peaks.

“What the fuck!” Avery ducked down, scared that they were under attack from another shifter.

“Hey, we might have another ride home.” Jacob turned to Avery. “Stay here.”

He ran off in the direction the shadow had taken, and Avery soon lost sight of Jacob in the gathering darkness. She walked in the direction he’d run off in, staring into the gloom, afraid something might have attacked him. Then her radio crackled into life, and his voice said, “Tell Brad we’ll meet him in town. I’ve hitched us a lift.”

“Hey, Brad, Jacob said he’s got us a ride down the mountain,” Avery called out, trusting Jacob, even though she had no idea where he’d found a ride.

“OK. Stay safe, and I’ll see you back at my office. I’d like to get these guys processed tonight, and then maybe you can go make an arrest of your own.” Brad grinned, his face illuminated by the light from the helicopter. With a wave he turned from her and pulled himself inside, shutting the door securely.

She watched as the helicopter took off, and the sound faded into the distance, leaving her alone on the mountain. But she wasn’t alone: somewhere out there was Jacob and their ride home.

Avery waited. The night grew quiet, and the very last rays of sun left the basin. Then she heard it, the slow thud of big feet on the ground, sending vibrations through the very mountain under her feet. Her heart wanted to burst, she’d been afraid before, but never of the unknown. However, shifters had thrown her into a world where anything was possible.

“What the hell!” As she stared into the night, a large figure loomed over her, getting closer and closer. “A bear I get. But a dragon?” She felt the world spin around her, and the ground shift beneath her feet. Only the presence of Jacob, walking by the side of the creature, made her stand her ground.

“This is Harlan. He’s going to give us a ride back to my place, so we can get cleaned up.”

“A ride.” Avery looked up at the dragon looming over them. “You want me to get on that?”

“Harlan. His name is Harlan and…” Jacob was cut off by the static electricity that filled the air as the dragon shifted into a human.

“Good to meet you, Avery. Jacob tells me you’re his mate.” He held out his hand for her to shake. A man, who was a dragon only seconds before, wanted to shake her hand.

A bubble of laughter erupted inside her. “This has got to be the weirdest day of my life.” Still, she took hold of Harlan’s hand and shook it. “Thanks for the offer of the ride, Harlan.”

“Does that mean you accept?” Harlan grinned, his eyes crinkling with humor. He was a handsome man, salt and pepper at his temples, tanned skin, and a body that belonged to a much younger man. If Wyatt and Harlan were anything to go by, shifters sure looked after themselves.

“Why not?” Avery threw her hands up in defeat.

“Great. Grab your pack.”

Jacob and Avery shouldered their packs while Harlan shifted into his dragon. Then she climbed up onto the back of the dragon, and once they were secure, Harlan took a couple of running steps before launching himself into the air.

Jacob sat behind her, and his arms tightened protectively around her as the dragon banked to the right. Avery leaned back in his arms and let herself enjoy the thrill of riding a creature who belonged in a storybook. But as they climbed higher in the sky, and the wind whipped at her hair while tears streamed from her eyes, Avery knew this was real.

In that moment, she chose to embrace the chance of a life here in Bear Creek with Jacob.

Avery was ready to make her own shift.