Storm Bear Read online

  The bear watched them go, as she did, until they were out of sight. Her magically generated wind kept after them. She had the sense that it would not dissipate until they were a good distance away. They would be unconscious long before then, unless they had some way to protect their heads and the rest of their vulnerable human bodies.

  Considering that they were both mages of demonstrated skill, she wouldn’t be surprised if they could somehow generate a force field or something to protect themselves. She almost wished they could. She didn’t like to think that she might be responsible for causing serious injuries, if not outright death, to one or both of them. She wasn’t a killer. She would defend herself, and others, certainly, but she never wanted to be the aggressor. It wasn’t a role that suited her pacifist nature.

  That was part of the reason she had found it so hard to fit in among the werewolf Pack. Wolves were hunters. They saw the world in terms of predator and prey. That wasn’t something Sabrina was comfortable with, and it had become readily apparent to the Pack members that her outlook on the world was very different from theirs. After that, everyone but Marilee seemed to distance themselves from her. Unfairly, she thought.

  But they were Pack. They agreed with each other on most things, and it looked like they’d agreed to not accept her among them. They weren’t unfriendly or threatening in any way. They just very obviously didn’t want her around.

  All but Marilee. The one bright spot in this otherwise difficult town.

  “Brina! Are you all right?” It was Marilee, leaning out the open door of her shop, worry etched into every line on her face.

  “Fine,” she assured her friend as the grizzly bear turned to look at her. She read intelligence in the warm brown eyes. Ace was in there, just like he said. “I couldn’t let them hurt you, again,” she tried to explain her actions. “I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes, magically speaking.” She shrugged, feeling vulnerable and a little silly talking to a bear. “I’ll just…” She turned on her heel and headed back into the shop.

  Marilee made room for her then let the door close behind them. Sabrina saw that Marilee still had the phone tucked up against her ear.

  “Are you still on hold?” Sabrina asked quietly, just in case there was someone listening on the other end.

  “I’m speaking with Rafe,” Marilee told her. “He’s one of the Lords. We’ve established Ace’s identity and mission, and Rafe would like to talk to you. I already described what just happened.” Marilee’s respectful tone and the wide-eyed gestures she was making silently urged Sabrina to be on her best behavior when speaking to one of the leaders of all shifters in North America.

  As if she’d be rude to such a person. Sabrina held out her hand for the phone.

  “Hi,” she said. “This is Sabrina.”

  “Hello. I’m Rafe. I’m sorry if Ace’s mission took you by surprise. Your friend, Marilee, explained to me a little more about the situation up there, and I apologize on behalf of my kind for the lack of hospitality she says you’ve been shown. We’re not exactly warm and fuzzy with outsiders as a general rule,” he chuckled, his warm tone inviting her to be sympathetic to his words, “but most of our populations live alongside Others—mages, shifters of other species, and holy people, et cetera. There’s usually a bit more tolerance than what you’ve experienced.”

  “It’s okay,” Sabrina assured the man. “Water under the bridge.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, because it looks like you’re going to need Ace’s help if you want to survive.” His words brooked no argument. The affable tone was gone, replaced by steel. “Marilee gave me the play by play of what just happened with those two mages. If they were truly Venifucus, then you’ve got a bigger problem on your hands than just a little runaway magic. You’re going to need allies.”

  “And if they’re not from this Venifucus?” she asked, almost dreading the answer.

  “Whatever they are, they’re after you. I won’t kid you. Venifucus is the worst-case scenario, but there are other unscrupulous rogues out there willing to kill innocents and steal their power. If that’s what’s going on here—and I have every reason to believe it is based on things going on in other parts of the continent—then you’ve got trouble. Let Ace help. He’s one of the good ones, and you couldn’t ask for a better man to have at your back in a fight.”

  The door opened, and Ace walked in, still putting his shirt back on. But for the shirt, he was dressed, again, and Sabrina realized she’d missed his shift back to human form. A part of her regretted not seeing the masculine perfection of his muscular body again. His physique was the stuff fantasies were made of… Very naughty fantasies.

  “Yeah,” she agreed, watching Ace approach. “I saw a little bit of that, just now. The magic just rolled off his fur. That was pretty cool,” she admitted.

  Ace smiled as he came closer, no doubt hearing her words. He nodded in acknowledgment, as if taking his due.

  “Bears are very magical. Marilee told me wolves are your only experience of shifters, is that right?” Rafe asked gently.

  Sabrina nodded slightly. “Yeah. I knew about shifters, but I’ve never been around any but Marilee’s Pack. Just wolves.”

  “Then, you’re in for an awakening. Bears are very different,” Rafe told her. “Mostly, they’re loners, but they have strong familial ties, and their loyalty, once earned, is unshakable.”

  Sabrina liked the sound of that. She was starting to get used to the idea that maybe she needed a bit of assistance, and maybe Ace was the right man to render it.

  “Just so I’m clear, you’re vouching for Ace, and Marilee is vouching for you,” Sabrina recited bluntly while Marilee gasped.

  Sabrina knew she was getting very close to the line of rudeness to Marilee’s ruling power, but she couldn’t help it. Ace was a stranger. So was this guy on the phone. The only one Sabrina really trusted here was Marilee.

  Rafe chuckled. “I know it’s sketchy by human standards, but that’s how we do things, sometimes. If you truly believe your friend has your best interests at heart, then you’ll have to decide to trust her judgment. If she says to trust me and I say to trust Ace, that would be enough for most shifters. I know it’s not that much comfort to someone who was raised without that much magic, as Marilee tells me you were. I understand your discomfort. My mate was raised human until adulthood, when she finally discovered her true heritage. It was a rude awakening, but I like to believe she’s okay with how everything turned out.”

  “Maybe I should be talking to her,” Sabrina half-joked.

  “If you come here, you’ll most likely be working with her directly,” Rafe told her. “She’s got more magic than most beings, and a Goddess-blessed avocation.”

  Sabrina could hear the love and devotion in his voice when he spoke of his mate. That, more than anything, helped calm her suspicions. Shifters were different. They were loyal and steadfast. They saw the world in absolutes. Predator and prey. Ally and foe. Good and evil.

  Sabrina didn’t have to like it, but she knew her path was clear. The appearance of those two mages left her with little choice. She would have to trust Marilee and, by extension, this so-called Lord and his messenger, Ace.

  “I look forward to meeting her,” Sabrina told Rafe. Her path was set. “Thanks for sending Ace, and thanks for taking the time to speak with me.”

  Ace held out his hand for the phone, and Sabrina placed it in his palm. He said hello to Rafe and immediately began a detailed conversation about his observations of what had just happened. If there was any doubt remaining that Ace was indeed the man who had been sent by the Lords, his easy conversation with Rafe eliminated it completely. Sabrina turned away. She had things to settle with Marilee before she left, and she suspected she didn’t have much time.

  The mages—or their friends—would be back sooner rather than later. It would be best if Sabrina and Ace were long gone before then.

  At some point, while Ace was talking to Rafe, Tobias walked i
nto the shop. Rather than let the Alpha say something asinine to the women, Ace handed the phone to him. While the Alpha talked with the Lord, Ace went over to Sabrina.

  “Are we good?” he asked in as gentle a tone as he could manage. Adrenaline was still pumping through his system after that showdown.

  Sabrina nodded slowly. “I trust Marilee, and she trusts you. That’ll have to be good enough.”

  “Then, I hate to say this, but we really need to get out of Dodge. Tobias told me there were at least three, possibly four, strangers poking around, traveling together and remaining hidden until they wanted to ask questions about the weather.” Ace knew one of his eyebrows was creeping upward. That the wolves hadn’t figured out these people had come for Sabrina, he couldn’t fathom. “The minute I heard that, I left Tobias and came looking for you. He should’ve had a few of his people around you, to protect you.” Anger was getting the better of him. They should probably leave before he swatted the wolf Alpha with his claws—or worse.

  Marilee cringed. Sabrina looked resigned. She sighed. “Okay. Let’s just go. Marilee will forward my things once I get where I’m going.” The wolf woman nodded as Sabrina walked up to her. “You’ve been a good friend, Mar. I’ll miss you.”

  The two women shared a hug, and Ace was touched by the tears in Marilee’s eyes. She was a good woman with a big heart to take in a stray like Sabrina. Then again, everything he’d seen so far of Sabrina said she was a nice person who tried to help people. Who wouldn’t like her?

  The very idea that the Alpha had treated her so poorly boggled Ace’s mind. The women broke apart, both sniffling, and Marilee went to the cash register. She opened the drawer hastily and took out a wad of bills, which she pressed into Sabrina’s hands over her protests.

  “Don’t stop at your place. Buy what you need along the way. I’ll go over and clear out your things once the strangers have left,” Marilee promised. “Just get out of here and stay safe, okay?” Marilee had tears running down her face, now.

  Sabrina gave her friend another quick hug and finally accepted the money. “I’ll pay you back. I swear.”

  Just then, Tobias ended the call and placed the phone down on the counter with a clatter that drew everyone’s attention. He sighed heavily then looked up at Sabrina, his gaze somber.

  “For the record, I do regret your having to leave this way,” he said, surprising them all. “But I don’t want trouble here. I moved my Pack this far North to avoid trouble, and yet, it’s found us, again, through you, Sabrina. You have my best wishes, but it really is time for you to go and take this menace along with you.”

  Ace stepped forward to confront the Alpha. “You can try to hide up here, but trouble is coming for all of us sooner or later. These are just the opening rounds, so you’d better prepare yourself and your people to deal with it.”

  “So the Lords said.” Tobias met his stare, which was something most shifters had trouble doing. Maybe this Alpha had some backbone, after all. “You two better get going. I sent my trackers to keep an eye on where those two human bowling balls ended up, but they would’ve called by now if they could’ve captured or detained them. Likely, you only have a small window of opportunity while they’re licking their wounds.”

  Ace didn’t like the panic he could read on Sabrina’s face at the Alpha’s words. He would have cursed the man, but the guy was right—they really should leave as soon as possible.

  “Alpha, can we count on an escort out of your territory?” Ace asked, doing his best to hold his temper and concentrate on the task at hand.

  Tobias nodded. “Already waiting. I can have one of my guys roll your bike up to the door, if you like.”

  There were any number of ways to interpret the Alpha’s sudden cooperative actions, but Ace didn’t have time to think about it. He merely nodded. Tobias went to the door and leaned out, making a gesture. A minute later, Ace’s Harley rolled into sight, being pushed by a tall fellow who nodded as Ace approached.

  “I’m Buster, the town mechanic. She seems sound enough. Just banged up. I think the damage is just cosmetic,” the guy told Ace as he handed off the bike to him.

  Ace did his own cursory check before starting her up. The engine roared to life, as it was supposed to. Everything sounded fine, but he wouldn’t know for certain until he got the bike on the road. There was little time for caution. With the wolf escort, if they did run into mechanical problems, they’d at least have some help until they were clear of Pack territory. By then, Ace would know for sure if the skid had caused any larger problems with his bike.

  They left without much further ado. Sabrina fit easily behind him and didn’t say much. He could tell she was both sad and scared by her scent. She sobbed, just once, when she left her friend, Marilee, behind, but she got control of her emotions better than he would have expected. She was made of tough stuff, this little weather witch.

  Their escort fell in around them before they even hit the edge of town. They were riding out in the opposite direction from where Sabrina had blown those two mages. Whether by luck or some sort of quick planning on her part, she’d sent the two attackers farther north, while they needed to go south to get to the border and then into Montana and the Lords’ hidden compound.

  They were on the western edge of Alberta, northwest of Calgary and a bit south and west of Edmonton. Ace’s plan was to get them on the eastern side of the mountains and make a run for the border down into Montana. They could skirt around Calgary and maybe pick up some better transportation. At the very least, he could get Sabrina a bike of her own. Bikes were easier for making quick getaways, in his experience, and he could keep them running almost indefinitely with his mechanical skills and a little bit of gas.

  They stopped a few times to stretch their legs and eat some of the snacks Marilee had packed for them, but mostly, they kept on the road. Ace wanted to make Calgary for the night. He was fine sleeping in the woods, but Sabrina needed a little more comfort. He wouldn’t make her rough it if he didn’t have to, and he wanted to pick up some things in a larger town that they’d need—especially a bike for her, if at all possible. Rafe had authorized that expenditure and whatever else they needed to get to Montana. Not that Ace couldn’t afford to see to her needs, but it was nice to have the Lords’ support in this adventure.

  Clouds on the horizon drew his attention as they stopped at a motorcycle dealership on the outskirts of Calgary late in the day. Sabrina saw it, too, he was sure.

  “I could try to move that away from our path,” she offered.

  “No,” he snapped, then regretted his harsh tone. “I mean, you can’t use your talent. Not at all. It’ll draw the people we’re trying to avoid right to you.”

  She seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded. “It’ll be hard. I’ve always used my gift, even as a kid, when I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

  He secured his bike in a spot visible from the large windows of the store, but not too close to the doorway. He didn’t like to be in the direct path of traffic in case they needed to make a stealthy getaway. It was the habit of a lifetime to be as low-key as possible when dealing with humans. And he could smell from here that everyone he could sense inside was a plain old human, with no real magic of their own.

  Something told him that her ability coming so young was significant, but the salesman inside had spotted them, so Ace didn’t have time to ask more questions just then. Instead, he ushered her toward the door to the dealership, meeting the eager man inside. Ace just wanted to do this quick and then find a place for them to rest tonight.

  An hour later, they rode off the lot separately, but still together. Sabrina was showing herself to be a very competent rider, and her credentials had secured the nicest of the used bikes on the lot that was sized right for her small frame. It had a powerful engine that could keep up with his, and so far, her skills were impressive. She knew what she was doing.

  Ace had taken a moment to look at tourist brochures in the lobby of the bik
e shop and spotted an outfitter they could probably use, just a short distance away. They drove into the outfitter’s parking lot, and Ace was glad to find they were still open. It was getting on toward dinnertime, and small shops like these didn’t always keep city hours.

  They spent about twenty minutes getting Sabrina some better outerwear. Waterproof ski jacket and layers for her legs, along with glasses and a hat that would disguise her identity as much as possible and keep her warm. Ace also picked up a two-man pup tent in camo colors, just in case they had to rough it at some point. He didn’t expect they’d have to, but he believed in being prepared. He had no idea how far the bad guys’ influence reached. They could have people watching the border crossings, for all he knew.

  Sabrina didn’t argue when he paid for the gear. At least, she didn’t say anything in front of the sales clerk. No, she waited until they were outside to try to pay him back out of the cash Marilee had given her. He refused as gently as he could.

  “She gave you that money for emergencies,” he told her.

  “This is an emergency,” she countered.

  He shook his head. “Not really. Not yet. If we get separated, somehow—that’ll be the emergency. Until I find my way back to you. In any case, the Lords authorized me for expenses on this trip. They want you to make it to them safely, and they knew it would require a bit of outlay. And anything they don’t cover, I’m happy to pay for. You’re my responsibility until I get you to safety, Brina.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Sabrina looked at him, her thoughts racing. “Marilee calls me that,” she said. He seemed surprised.

  “Sorry. To be honest, I actually like your full name better. Do you mind if I use it or will it remind you of getting in trouble as a child?” He laughed. “You know how some kids never hear their full name unless their mother or father is yelling at them?”

  Sabrina was glad to feel genuine amusement for the first time since all hell had broken loose that day. “No. I like my full name. Lots of people have shortened it to Brina or just Bri. One daring friend even called me Sabby for a while.” She basked in the happy sound of Ace’s laugh when she told him that. “But I like hearing my full name. It’s nice of you to make the effort to use all three syllables.”