CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Fred’s nephew, Bruce Standing Bear, was about Josh’s age, Evie reckoned. He was tall, muscular like most bear shifters—she could tell from his scent and size that he definitely was a bear under that very civilized sheriff’s uniform—and had silky-looking black hair and piercing brown eyes. He was a very serious young man and seemed quite distrustful of Evie and especially Ray, until his uncle cuffed his ear and had a few words with him privately.
Nothing made a grown man look more like a child than one of his elders taking him to task. Evie would have giggled if she hadn’t wanted to rile the young bear even more. As it was, she felt distinctly uncomfortable until Bruce came back and made a very gracious apology for being so standoffish.
“I’m really sorry, ma’am,” he said contritely, though he didn’t seem to be all that put out that his uncle had given him what-for. Actually, he was handling his rebuke better than Josh would have in similar circumstances. “Uncle Fred reminded me that not everyone is an enemy, though it seems like it lately.”
“Have you had trouble here?” Ray asked, his brows drawing down in concern.
Bruce sighed and ran one hand through his long-ish hair. “The res was quiet for so long, I admit we’ve been unprepared for the stuff that’s been happening lately.”
At this point, Fred reentered the conversation, walking into the space between Bruce and Ray. He touched both men’s shoulders, connecting them in a visible way. Evie knew shamans were all about symbolism.
“And this is where I admit I had ulterior motives for inviting you back here,” Fred said, looking a bit embarrassed himself. “I think you might have just eliminated a major source of our recent problems,” he went on, looking pointedly at Ray. “But I want to hear your analysis of the mages you encountered—and I want Bruce to hear it too—so we can be sure we’re all on the same page. I didn’t want to make too many assumptions.”
What followed was a detailed discussion of everything they had noticed about the three mages they’d fought. They talked over a plentiful meal provided by Fred and Bruce, who both seemed to be masters at grilling steaks and took turns working the grill while the conversation ebbed and flowed.
Evie told them her observations from the shifter’s point of view, which they both seemed to understand, even when she didn’t have exactly the right words to express what she’d felt. Ray seemed to connect more with Fred, since they both knew more about the ways of magic than either Evie or, it seemed, Bruce did. Though, as a bear shifter, Bruce probably had way more magic in him than Evie ever would. Still, he was quite a bit younger than Fred, and not a shaman, so that probably accounted for his comparative lack of knowledge.
Some of the things Fred and Ray were talking about were pretty arcane. She just enjoyed her food and let the boys talk. They were definitely on the same wavelength, so more power to ‘em.
“I hear Josh is newly mated,” Bruce said quietly to Evie while the other two men discussed some minute point of magic. Evie was surprised.
“You know my son?” she asked, perhaps a bit ungraciously. She blushed a bit, but Bruce didn’t appear to take offense at her abrupt question.
“I remember him from when we were both really little. You used to bring him with you to the res clinic, right? My mother was the nurse. Still is, in fact. A few times, you left Josh in the daycare attached to the clinic, and we played together. I remember him as a nice kid with a powerful flavor of magic that I’d never felt before…until now.” He looked pointedly at Ray. “I see where Josh got that from now. Your mate is something special.”
“You can say that again,” she said, not really guarding her words.
Had she sounded too mushy? By shifter standards, she was in the prime of her life. She could easily live two or three human lifespans, but compared to Josh and Bruce, she was probably an old lady. She felt compelled to explain.
“We were separated for a very long time. In fact, he’s only just been released from the fey realm and returned here. He didn’t even know about Josh.”
Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “That’s really rough. I remember you as a single parent, but I didn’t know why. I’m glad you two seem to have had a happy reunion, though I guess it’s been a bit more adventurous than you bargained for, eh?” His smile softened his words, and she realized he was teasing her.
Bears were quixotic like that. One moment deadly serious, the next joking around.
“It’s been pretty wild,” she agreed. “I’m just glad we were up to the challenge, and if we’ve taken out some of your troublemakers along the way, so much the better, right?”
Bruce grinned. “Definitely. We’ve been harassed by magical traps for months, and several of our shifters have gone missing.” His mood changed again, darkening as he mentioned his lost people. “I suppose we know what happened to them now.”
“Can I make a suggestion?” Evie asked politely, not sure she wanted to step on this bear’s toes in any way when his face wore that dark expression.
He looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “Fire away,” he invited.
“If you can backtrack the snowmobiles—or maybe get the identities of the mages from that woman we sent to the Lords for questioning—then you can backtrack to their lairs. If any of your missing people are still alive, you might find them. If not, you might at least find their remains so you can return them to their families and give them a proper send off.”
Bruce looked at her with respect in his eyes. “I’ll definitely do that. Our tribe is pretty spread out and mostly human, but there are a few of us shifters interspersed in the territory. All the missing were from shifter families. It would be good to give their loved ones closure with definite news of their fates. Or, if anyone is still alive, by some miracle, we’ll want to get to them as soon as possible.” She could see him thinking as he spoke. “I’d better make a few phone calls right away.” He stood abruptly, grabbing for his jacket. “Please excuse me, Uncle.” He nodded to Fred and then to Ray. “Sir. Your mate has just given me an idea I have to follow up on right away.” He tossed a set of keys to Fred, who snatched them unerringly right out of the air. “Milo can drive them back. Just give him the keys to the tractor.”
Bruce leaned down and gave Evie a quick, surprising hug and a peck on the cheek. “Thank you,” he told her. “You’ve given me something I can do to possibly help, which pleases my bear no end. You might even have helped me save a life or two.”
“I sincerely hope so. Go get ‘em,” she told him, feeling the same sort of motherly affection for Bruce she felt toward her own son, even if this big guy was a bear and not a half-fey wolf.
Ray and Evie left the res sometime later in the company of a quiet man named Milo, who was introduced by Fred as another nephew. They piled into a behemoth of a machine with the words Snow Trac emblazoned along the side. It was an older vintage vehicle with tracks instead of tires, but it looked like they kept it in excellent repair. The engine was noisy, so conversation was limited, but Ray managed to figure out that Milo was one of Bruce’s brothers.
In all likelihood, that meant mild-mannered Milo was also a bear shifter. The trip took much longer in the vintage snowcat tractor than it had on the brand-new snowmobiles, but Ray didn’t really mind. He sat with his arm around Evie as the sky just started to show the first signs of night coming in. They’d had a long event-filled day. He was looking forward to a quiet night at the cabin, free of trouble, to just be, with his mate.
Milo dropped them off at the cabin with a cheerful wave. He didn’t stop to chat, because night was beginning to fall in earnest, and he had a long way to go before he got back home. Better to take advantage of what light was left while he could.
“Do we have to do anything else tonight?” Evie asked, sounding exhausted as they walked into the cabin.
“Not a thing,” Ray told her, though privately, he wanted to do a little reinforcing of the spells they’d cast around the perimeter, just to be safe.
The outer wards had fallen to the trio of evil bad guys, but the protections nearest the cabin were still there. They hadn’t been breached, and with the main threat—or what Ray and everyone else sincerely hoped had been the main threat—out of the way, that should be adequate for one snow-bound night, at least.
Ray had taken stock of his own personal power during the comparative idle of their dinner with Fred and his nephew. Between donning his armor—which always energized him with the Lady’s blessed Light—and just being with his mate, which was a healing balm for his soul, he was regaining strength quickly. He would probably be able to port them out of trouble should anything happen in the night.
In fact, he decided he was going to broach the subject of returning to face the music with Josh the next morning. It would be safer for all concerned if Ray ported himself and Evie while the magical currents in this area were still roiling from the battle. Within the next twenty-four hours would be safest for those they would leave behind here in North Dakota. Ray thought porting into the sacred circle he’d glimpsed in his short time in Pennsylvania would be safest.
The stone circle would likely hide the energy surge from anyone who might be looking for such things on that end. But the sooner they did this, the better. Once the energies had time to settle in both places, the more disturbance his port would make, and the more noticeable on the magical plane for those who might be watching.
Evie sank onto the couch in front of the cold fireplace. Ray went over and laid new logs, using a little zap of his magic to start a roaring blaze. Evie’s eyes widened.
“I forgot about your fiery nature,” she told him, an inviting smile on her face. “I used to love when you did stuff like that when we were first together. It always reminded me of how special you are.”
Unable to resist her smile, Ray sat next to her, tucking her into his arms as they faced the fire. He snuggled her back against his front, enfolding her in his embrace, feeling protective and blessed.
“That was a close one today,” he whispered, still dealing with the emotional fallout from the battle. He was a warrior used to fighting, but he usually didn’t have his mate—his mate, for heaven’s sake—in danger right along with him.
And she’d fought at his side. Valiantly. Brilliantly. She’d taken out one of the threats, easing his burden and making the fight that much easier for both of them.
“We made a great team,” she said, taking the thoughts right out of his head.
“We always have. I just…” How did he explain the caveman he’d discovered inside him that wanted to keep her hidden from anything that might possibly harm her? He blew out a breath. She knew him. She loved him, for goodness sake. Hopefully, she would understand. “I just regret that we had to be a team in such a dangerous endeavor.”
Evie’s head tilted to the side in a gesture he knew meant she was considering his words. He was an old-fashioned guy, and he knew the way he talked—a skill he’d learned centuries ago, after all—confused modern people. He tried to keep up with the times, but he hadn’t been in the mortal realm in two decades.
“I understand,” she said softly, surprising him. He’d expected her to get angry. “Protecting your mate is a basic instinct for shifters too. I can see why having me fighting at your side would make you uncomfortable. But even my wolf knows that, sometimes, the entire Pack has to fight to defend their territory.” She shrugged. “It must be harder for you, with no animal to give you such instincts.”
He squeezed her for a moment, relieved that she wasn’t taking him to task for what he’d admitted. “It’s not that I don’t want you at my side—my partner in all things—but more that, I didn’t want you in danger. You could have been killed, Evie.” That last came out as a pained whisper, which had her turning in his arms so she could meet his gaze.
“So could you,” she reminded him.
He could see the dampness in her pretty eyes, and it struck his heart. So much had been on the line that day. Both their lives. The safety of the tribe and the shifters it harbored on the res. And more. Those mages had been Venifucus, after all.
“But we’re okay,” he reminded her. “We made it through alive, and our enemies have fallen beneath our blades.”
“Well…” She shrugged one shoulder. “My claws and teeth, actually, but those blades you carry are pretty awesome too.”
He loved that she could tease him at a moment like this. A moment when emotion bubbled too close to the surface to be pushed down. He wasn’t normally a man to walk around with his heart on his sleeve, and it made him uncomfortable, but with Evie, he could show his vulnerable side and rest secure in the knowledge that she would never think less of him. Never use his vulnerability against him. Never make him feel small because he had feelings, hopes, dreams and fears, just like the next man.
Fey weren’t invincible, no matter how much some of their kind had tried to make it appear so. In the old days, when fey played among humans in the mortal realm more often, some had tried to set themselves up as gods or demigods in the form of great wizards and wise men. Some had done it for what they perceived as doing good for the human race. Merlin had been one of those. But some had just been playing, lording it over what they thought of as lesser beings.
It had been easier to travel between realms back then. The magic contained in the mortal realm had been easier to access and had allowed gates to remain open between here and faerie. A lot had changed with the rise of man and the technology the human race had mastered in the intervening centuries. Gates closed and stayed that way. The energy it took to cross the barrier between the realms had increased to the point that only great magic could open the way now, unless you were at one of the few very special points left on the earth where the veil between the worlds was thinner than in other places.
The fact that Josh and Deena had been able to not only break through into the fey realm, but free Ray from the trap he’d been caught in was significant. It meant that Josh and his mate were powers to be reckoned with when they used their magic together. Ray had found out today that he and Evie had something similar when they worked together. Their skills complemented each other’s, and they definitely, as she’d said, made a damned good team.
“I took grief from some of my fellows for wanting the twin blades, but the Goddess is kind. She let me fight with the blades I was accustomed to. I spent a great deal of time in the east when I roamed the mortal realm centuries ago, learning their fighting styles. The twin blades were always a favorite, even if they are a bit showy.”
She kissed his cheek. “I like you when you’re showing off,” she told him in a quiet whisper that spoke of intimate moments to come. He rubbed her shoulders when she moved back. “Wolves preen for their mates. I like it when you do it. Don’t let what the other guys say make you uncomfortable. You proved you fight really well with those showy blades of yours.”
“And you were a magnificent little huntress, my love,” he told her. “Your instincts were all that I could have hoped for. You didn’t move too soon or too late. You had perfect timing and skills I didn’t even realize you had, but probably should have. I mean, you’re a wolf, right? I need to factor that into my calculations in the future.”
“Oh, there’s going to be future battles with us fighting side by side?” Her tone was teasing, but her words brought him back to Earth.
“Yeah.” He sighed heavily. “I’m very much afraid there are going to be many battles in our future, though I can pray—selfishly, I know—that you aren’t in the thick of most of them. I am a Knight and sworn to battle the forces of darkness. I chose that for my life. I knew what I was getting into when I swore allegiance to the Lady. But I never expected to find a mate—or to drag her into the thick of battle at my side.”
“Yet, you’re battling for the safety of my world, Ray. How can I, in good conscience, not rise to the occasion when everything I know and love is threatened? I mean…” She paused, a look of intense concentration on her lovely face. “I know you’re a Knight, and I’d never ask you to forsake that. I know I’m not officially sanctioned, like you, but I’m a shifter, and as such, I protect Mother Earth. All shifters of conscience do the same. It’s part of our DNA, I think. We’re animals. Part of the land. Part of this earth. It’s in our nature to want to protect that against those who would try to destroy it all.” She looked deep into his eyes. “Today was different. They were coming after us, in particular, but that was part of the bigger picture, wasn’t it? I mean, taking you out and stealing your magic would make them that much stronger in their goal to douse the Light and bring in their eternal darkness, right?”
He leaned in, kissing her forehead. “My smart, eloquent mate,” he praised her. “You’ve got it right. We were fighting for our lives, but we were also fighting for something even more important than ourselves today.”
“Then, if more fights come my way, how can I not do my part?” She cuddled into him, snuggling into his arms and laying her head on his shoulder. “My baby is grown and is a Knight like you now. There’s nothing—except you, my love—keeping me from helping when and where I can. I mean, I’m not going out to seek danger, but if it comes my way, you can’t expect me to sit on the sidelines and let you take the brunt of it. I can help. Like I did today.”
“Much as it pains my newly discovered inner caveman, I know you’re right. You were a huge help today, and I suspect you will be in the future, though you’ll pardon me if I try not to think about that too much. I don’t really like the thought of you being in danger. Especially danger I brought to your door, just by my presence.”
“Did you ever think that maybe some of it is danger I brought to your door? I am a highly sought after shifter, after all,” she joked, nipping his shoulder playfully.
“The mate of a Knight. The mother of another and mother-in-law of a powerful priestess,” Ray considered. “Not to mention your beautiful, powerful, skilled huntress wolf side.” He loved the feel of her nestled in his arms. “And your cunning, human, friend-to-powerful-bear-shifters side. Yeah, I can see where you are a truly dangerous woman, and I’m going to have to watch myself around you.”
He was joking, but there was truth in his words. With all her connections to powerful beings, Evie was a natural focus of attention should the enemies of Light choose to strike at those around Evie through her. Ray decided then and there to do his best to teach her even more ways to defend herself. If she was going to be a target—and he was pretty sure she already was—he was going to make sure she was as equipped as possible to surprise her enemies and get them before they got her. That might help ease his worry. A little.
He kissed her, taking his time. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, the fire warming them from the outside while the kisses they shared lit the heat of desire within. They’d been through so much that day…and since they’d been so cruelly parted.
But they had time now. Time to renew the bonds that had held them together this long and would, given half a chance, bind them together for eternity. Ray didn’t know how many years, or even minutes, they would have together, considering she was mortal and he fey. He’d resigned himself to accepting whatever fate allowed them back when he had first met her. His life was not a safe one. He was a warrior by profession, and desire. He fought the worst the world had to offer in the name of all that was good. He had a noble calling, but he was honest enough with himself to understand that his job would probably be the death of him, sooner rather than later.
As such, he’d been resigned to the idea that he might possibly die at any time, leaving Evie on her own. He’d explained that to her all those years ago. He’d just never anticipated that he would be captured and would miss more than twenty years of the short time they might have together. He felt cheated. As it was, even though shifters lived much longer than humans, it wasn’t much compared to fey life spans, which were so long as to seem infinite to mere mortals.
Of course, Ray knew he was powerless against the march of time. He resigned himself, once again, to enjoy the here and now and not worry about the future. What would be, would be, regardless of whether he wasted time agonizing over it or not.
That thought firmly in mind, he let time slow to a trickle as he enjoyed the feel of his mate in his arms. She was so warm. So alive. So perfect for him. She always had been.
And she was a living flame in his arms. He’d tried to keep it slow and sensual, but Evie had other ideas. Her writhing movements rubbed him in all the right places, to the point that he had to take things to the next level. And for that, this time, he wanted the bed.
Ray rose from the couch, Evie firmly in his arms. She giggled as he carried her over to the bed and placed her down upon the quilt. The smile she gave him as he disrobed was one he remembered from the early days of their marriage. Evie had always been able to turn him on with that shy little smile of hers.
When he was naked, he sat on the bed beside her, tracing the curls of her hair that lay over one shoulder with his fingers. Downward from her shoulder, over her arm and then onto the soft swell of her breast, he followed the curl of her long hair, smiling as her breath caught in her throat. He paused at her nipple, circling the peak that became hard even as he watched, poking at the material of her sweater.
The fabric was so soft and the little bud of her nipple so hard. A study in contrasts that made him want to remember this moment for all time.
“Tell me what you want, my love,” he whispered to her, holding her gaze even as his fingers played with the taut peak of her breast through the fabric of her top.
“I want…” She was breathing hard as her excitement rose. “Clothes off,” she managed the two words, but no more as he rolled her nipple gently between his fingers.
“Yes,” he agreed, watching her intently. “My clothes are off.” He nodded at the little sound of exasperation that rumbled from her throat. How he liked it when her inner wolf peeked out at him during these playful moments. “Oh, I see. You want your clothes off, is that it?” He pretended he didn’t know exactly what she’d meant. When she nodded, growling the tiniest bit, he figured he’d teased her enough. “All right, sweetheart. Let’s see about getting rid of some of this fabric, eh?”
He let go of her breast, moving both hands to the hem of her top. He pushed up and managed to get the sweater off in one motion as she did all she could to assist. He returned his fingers to her waist, making short work of the closure on her pants and pushing them down, only to have her kick them away and right off the bed in her impatience. She’d managed to lose the panties, as well, which meant all he had to deal with was the lacy bra peeking at him through the long tendrils of her hair.
Her nipples pushed against the thin lace, and he licked his lips in anticipation. She was eager, but so was he. Eager to get his hands on his mate’s luscious skin. Eager to lick her sensitive spots and hear her moan his name in pleasure. Yeah, that never got old.
She arched her back off the bed, rising to meet his descending lips. He kissed her with increasing ardor as he unhooked the bra behind her back and then slipped the straps off her shoulders. She shrugged and the rest of it fell away. He was too caught up in the kiss to notice when she flung her bra away so hard it flew across the room.