Palm Haven Shifters: Complete Five-Part Series Page 11

  He loved her too much to see Sarah reduced to an empty husk of a person. Never.

  “Over my dead body,” he answered.

  Randal’s answering laugh was high-pitched, cold and mirthless.

  “That doesn’t bother me either,” he jeered.

  In an instant, Sloan had four tigers coming at him. He shifted just in the nick of time, but it didn’t do him much good. He was outnumbered. Overpowered.

  His tiger refused to give up. They had to protect Sarah. Powerful jaws clamped onto his shoulder and Sloan howled in pain as another set of teeth grabbed him by his hind leg. They weren’t even going for killing blows. They were toying with him.

  And Sarah was next.

  Randal’s tiger broke away from the rest and stalked away from the fight. Sloan desperately tried to free himself from the melee, but the other tigers played tug-o-war with his limbs, his blood dark and thick pouring over the carpet.

  For just a minute, he’d known what it was like to be loved. He felt consciousness waning.

  It was nice while it lasted.

  Chapter 27

  SARAH

  She heard voices and her magic crackled to life as she hastily re-dressed herself. Who was Sloan talking to? Who was here? And what was that awful crash?

  Sarah couldn’t sit by and wait to become a victim. Then she heard a gut-wrenching cry of pain.

  Sloan.

  How did she know it was him? She didn’t have time to question her instincts. Only follow them.

  From behind a Suspense & Mysteries shelf, Sarah peered toward the front door, bracing herself.

  No amount of bracing could prepare her for what she actually saw: Sloan, bloodied and battered, barely able to lift his head as other tigers circled him and taunted him. Her heart stopped. Her blood froze. She had to help him. But what could she do?

  One of the tigers broke away from the others and scented the air before turning toward her. Sarah hid behind the bookshelf and held her breath.

  Think think think.

  Her mind was paralyzed. Panic gripped her with iron fingers and refused to let loose of her chest. She fidgeted with the bracelet on her wrist, desperately trying to think of a way to help Sloan. What could she do? Call the authorities? And tell them what? Shifters were destroying her library? Yeah. That would go over well.

  Not to mention all of the blood pooling around Sloan. If that was all his, he didn’t have long.

  She found the diamond tiger charm and her fingertips warmed.

  Of course.

  There was only one thing Sarah could do. She was a witch, by god, and this magic had to be good for something.

  She hazarded another glance around the shelf and the golden gleam of the threatening leader tiger caught the light as he spotted her and bared his teeth.

  Her pulse quickened. No time like the present.

  Sarah tried to remember what Ashley had told her. The other witch said to imagine the Ley Lines like rivers of magic, to picture herself swimming in the current, controlling it, bending the river to her will.

  She tried. Pulling the magic into her instead of pushing against it. Power filled every cell in her body, rushing in like a dam had finally been broken. She couldn’t stem the flow. It filled her and didn’t stop, flooding Sarah until she was drowning in it. Her entire body burned with the force of containing it.

  It was too late when she realized she wasn’t ready for this yet. The magic burned her, the blood rushing in her veins turning into caustic acid until every nerve ending screamed in agony.

  The predatory tiger leaped at her and Sarah could do nothing to stop him.

  An eruption of light filled the library. Sarah shook and trembled with the force of releasing the torrent of magic she’d unleashed.

  It seemed to never stop. The entire world went white and still for a moment. The light emanating from Sarah was dazzling and bright enough to blind the enemy tigers briefly.

  As the light faded, a great shockwave followed, pushing the tigers away from Sloan. They charged him, but hit an invisible wall, trying again and again to break through even as Sarah’s powers pushed them toward the door, their claws digging deep gashes into the carpet as they fought against her.

  She didn’t even know how she did it. She willed them away from Sloan and it happened.

  The lead tiger shifted back to his human form and Sarah recognized him from the woods. His eyes were wild, terrified and furious at the same time. If she hadn’t just dispatched a handful of powerful shifters, Sarah would have been very scared.

  Randal jogged backwards to catch up with his comrades, a crazy look taking over his features.

  “You fucked up,” he called, his voice verging on hysteria, “You have NO idea what you’ve just done.”

  He fled the library. Sarah stood in shock for a moment, still unsure of what had just happened. Broken glass glittered in the light that spilled in from the parking lot, the library was in tatters and Sloan was…

  A breath caught in Sarah’s throat as her eyes landed on Sloan’s still form. She rushed to his side, silently praying with every step she took.

  Chapter 28

  SLOAN

  He fought against it for so long. The darkness. It pulled him in. Dragged him against his will. Sloan knew he had to keep fighting. Knew he was fighting for something. His mind was so hazy. What was he fighting for again?

  The tiger growled: Mate.

  The darkness weighed on him. So heavy. Pain screamed throughout his body, but the darkness would make it better. It would go away if only he’d give in.

  Then there was a light. So bright. Was this the light at the end of the tunnel? The last thing he’d see before death? He expected death to hurt so much less. He forced ragged breaths from his lungs. Where was the darkness?

  An angel emerged from the light. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Glowing, softly stroking the top of his head, crying…

  Why was she crying? Did angels typically cry?

  Her voice broke through. “Sloan… Sloan, please,” she sobbed, flinging herself on top of him.

  He didn’t like to see this angel crying. He could comfort her. He could make it better.

  Slowly, his body began to change. The shift took a lot of energy, but it also aided in his healing. Soon, he was human once more and the fog of unconsciousness began to dissipate.

  Sarah shone brightly, a halo of light surrounding her body. She really was an angel.

  “Sloan?” She swept a hand across his forehead hesitantly.

  He pulled her into his arms, ignoring the white-hot lance of pain that shot through him with every subtle movement. He needed to have her in his arms.

  “Sarah,” he whispered, their lips meeting in a chaste kiss. Her lips were salty with her tears.

  “Why are you crying?”

  She wasn’t just crying. She was humming. Not musically, not with her voice, but with raw power. Her skin glowed and Sarah’s body thrummed with magic.

  She swiped at the tears quickly, ashamed by the display of her emotions, he reckoned. Not that he cared.

  “Those other shifters… I thought they… I thought you were… I…” her voice broke and she buried her head in his chest once more. Sloan stroked the back of her head lovingly, trying his best to quiet her.

  “But I’m not. You did it, you were amazing.”

  He could see the energy in her. Like an underground oil well being tapped, there was no stopping the eruption of magic she’d unleashed to save him. The power was too much for her, but as he stroked her back, the glow faded and she seemed to calm some.

  Sarah lifted her wide eyes to look at him, plaintive and searching.

  “That man… he said I have no idea what I’ve done. What did I do?”

  Sloan fought back the rush of anger at the mention of Randal. He would pay for this. But for now, Randal would have to wait.

  He let a smile tug at his lips as he kissed Sarah, their connection breathing new life into him once
more. She was too good for him.

  “You saved us,” he said, toying with her hair, “you’re a hero.”

  Sarah looked around at the destruction of the Kerris and frowned, “I don’t feel like a hero. I feel like I’ve made a huge mess of things. All that magic… I think I was supposed to control it and it just… escaped.”

  “Shh,” Sloan cooed, rocking her in his arms. “I promise we’ll find a way to fix it all. But for right now, let me enjoy knowing you’re safe in my arms.”

  Sarah nodded and nuzzled into his neck, “I was so scared I was going to lose you,” she whispered, her voice breaking again.

  “Never,” he promised. “Shifters mate for life and this tiger isn’t going anywhere.”

  Eventually, the morning would come and they’d have to come up with answers. Eventually Randal would be back and Sloan would be ready for him. But not now.

  For now, he wasn’t going to let Sarah out of his sight, his arms, or his bed.

  “What do you say we go somewhere a little less bloody?” he joked, his voice lowering an octave, turning husky.

  Sarah mocked shock. “Aren’t you tired? You nearly bled to death!”

  A sly smirk curled the corners of his mouth, “I bet I still have enough blood to get hard for you.”

  He saw her cheeks color in the darkness.

  “What do you know? I was right,” he laughed.

  The End.

  Claimed by the Bear

  Chapter 1

  ASHLEY

  The midday Floridian sun beat down mercilessly on the pavement. Weeds that had the audacity to peek through cracks in the sidewalk were promptly fried by the scorching heat and left to wither and dry. They crunched underfoot as Ashley practically jogged from her car to the stately mansion where the Coven met on a regular basis.

  Typically, Coven meetings were held at night when the witches could harness the moon’s energy. Or, that’s what Ashley had always been told. She didn’t feel any different at night than she did during the day.

  She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, pushing damp bangs out of her eyes. Well, she was less sweaty at night. Sometimes. The heavy humidity that hung in the air kept anyone from getting much of a reprieve from the heat.

  Her own hurried footsteps were lost to the sounds of construction — hammers, power tools and, to Ashley’s annoyance, catcalls. The ancient plantation-style home had been undergoing renovations for what seemed like an eternity now. When the Coven took over, the home had been in pretty bad shape, but now it was nearly fit for royalty. Ashley rarely saw crews working since the meetings were usually at night, but the scaffolding and paint tarps seemed a permanent fixture of the palatial house.

  Already running late, Ashley really didn’t have time to stop and reprimand the worker for his wolf-whistle in her direction. Monica would tell her to be flattered, to take it as a compliment. Ashley didn’t feel like being reduced to a sex object was particularly flattering. And she had half a mind to say so.

  She whirled on her heel, a nagging voice in the back of her head saying she was going to be late for the Coven meeting. She dismissed the voice — though no one had said, she knew what the urgent meeting was about and she dreaded it with every fiber of her being. Maybe that’s why she was late. Usually punctual to a fault, perhaps subconsciously she’d ignored the series of text messages from the other Coven members. Maybe she’d purposefully-but-not-consciously avoided thinking about what the other witches would have to say.

  Shoving aside thoughts of Ley Lines and Guardians, Ashley craned her neck to look up the scaffolding, squinting in the sunlight.

  “Excuse me,” she called, her voice breathy after the rush from her car, “I don’t—”

  “Hey! You can’t stand there!” she heard from behind.

  Her blood boiled. First, someone had the nerve to catcall her and then she was being told off for standing up for herself? Ridiculous.

  She whipped around to unleash her anger on the new person, but in a flash something collided with her and Ashley tumbled to the grassy lawn, a loud crash in the distance.

  “What the…” she muttered, trying to get to her feet before realizing the heavy weight that pinned her to the ground.

  No. Not just any heavy weight. A man. A man with toffee-colored skin, dark stubble along his jaw and biceps as big as her legs.

  He raised up on his hands, hovering over her in a push-up stance as he looked down into her eyes.

  The world flipped upside down. Everything seemed to speed up and slow down all at once and Ashley felt like she was falling…

  “Are you okay?” he asked, topaz-colored eyes searching hers for signs of distress.

  Ashley’s mouth turned to sand and her magic pinged restlessly inside of her.

  “I…” she mumbled, flustered, still trying to piece together the events as her body took the liberty of warming to the fine specimen of man pressed against it.

  “Can you get off of me?” She finally said, her face warming as she realized that the whole work site had come to a screeching halt to watch them.

  His golden eyes sparkled with something and he jumped up quickly, brushing himself off and extending a hand to her in one fluid motion.

  She slipped her hand into his and instantly snatched it back as lightning sparked between them. What was this confusing feeling? Bubbling magical energy rushed through her at his nearness, making Ashley feel lightheaded. Or was that just the Sun?

  “I told you not to stand there,” he said, his eyes drinking her in. Typically, that kind of hungry look would irritate Ashley, or at the very least make her uncomfortable. Not this time. This time, that warm appraisal made her squirm in the very best way. She shook her head to clear the fog he caused.

  It was then that Ashley saw the pile of rubble that impacted the very spot she’d been standing ready to scold the catcalling misogynist.

  He’d saved her. Maybe her life. She looked to him again, her eyes wide and unblinking. How did you thank someone for something like that?

  His lips turned up at the corner and Ashley’s magic fluttered in her chest, like a thousand buzzing bees trying to escape.

  “You’ve got a little…” he muttered, reaching to pull a blade of grass from her now-tousled hair. The rough edges of his calloused fingers brushed ever-so-slightly against the side of her neck and Ashley shivered, her magic responding enthusiastically.

  Her magic. The meeting. She couldn’t just stand around gawking at a cute guy.

  “Thanks!” she called over her shoulder as she sprinted through the huge double doors, across the marble atrium and into the open brightly lit sun room where her sisters gathered, her blood still humming in her veins with unrestrained magic.

  Since when did she have that reaction to a sexy man?

  “Glad you could join us,” Esther said with a lazy droll as Ashley skittered in and took her normal seat in the circle.

  “Sorry… Construction…” she muttered, not even trying to form a real excuse. The older members would never care about her excuse and the younger witches wouldn’t care that she was late.

  Next to Esther sat the oldest and highest-ranking member in their Coven, known only as Sage. Ashley had never been completely clear on whether that was a name or a title, but it seemed like one of those things that she wasn’t meant to ask about.

  Sage had more wrinkles than a raisin and typically wore a cloak with a hood that covered her eyes — very medieval, Ashley always thought.

  That’s how the Coven was though. Stuck in a time that had passed at least five centuries ago. Things were as they always had been and the witches liked it that way.

  Or at least the ones in charge did.

  Sage cleared her throat with a dry wheeze and, though it was impossible to tell with the hood over her eyes, Ashley swore that the old witch looked directly at her.

  “Sisters, we have called this meeting because something dire has happened. Something that threatens us all.”

&nbs
p; The glass-walled room echoed with concerned whispers.

  Great, Ashley thought, it’s definitely about Sarah.

  She’d had only the barest hope that this meeting wasn’t about the untrained Guardian. Now, that hope was all but destroyed.

  Callie, a younger brunette witch that Ashley didn’t know too well, spoke to Sage first, “Does this have something to do with the magic shortage?”

  Ashley had to suppress a snort of laughter. It wasn’t a shortage as much as it was… misdirection. There was plenty of magic around, but the witches were no longer the sole consumers now that shifters had figured out how to take it for themselves.

  Again, Ashley got the strange feeling that the Sage’s eyes bored right into her and she forced a mask of concern over her features to match everyone else’s.

  Sage’s hood bobbed ever so slightly with a nod, “The confluence of Ley Lines has been tapped — and unleashed.”

  More murmurs and gasps surrounded her, but Ashley already knew all of this. What she didn’t know is why she couldn’t get that construction worker’s golden eyes out of her mind. Or why her magic still buzzed anxiously when she remembered his weight on top of her.

  Monica, one of Ashley’s very best friends, spoke next, “Isn’t there a Guardian to protect them? Isn’t that how all of that works?”

  Though witches relied heavily on the Ley Lines for their magic, much of the knowledge revolving around the mystical veins of power had been lost to the ages. Most of them used sex as a more reliable way of filling their stores — the life energy expelled during sex was more powerful than anything occurring in nature. Ashley thought about the man who’d tackled her… she bet he had plenty of life energy for her magic.

  “There is no Guardian,” Sage said and Ashley was ripped from her daydreams.

  “Actually, that’s not accurate,” she said without thinking. Esther shot her a sharp look full of daggers and Ashley nearly cowed.